Work Zone Safety Performance on Illinois State Routes

Work Zone Safety Performance on Illinois State Routes PDF Author: Kerrie L. Schattler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 129

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Work Zone Safety Performance on Illinois State Routes

Work Zone Safety Performance on Illinois State Routes PDF Author: Kerrie L. Schattler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 129

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Book Description


House Joint Resolution 55, Highway Work Zones

House Joint Resolution 55, Highway Work Zones PDF Author: Illinois. Department of Transportation
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Automobile driver education
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Highway Work Crew Safety

Highway Work Crew Safety PDF Author: Illinois. Department of Transportation
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Road construction workers
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Optimizing Work Zone Practices for Highway Construction Projects

Optimizing Work Zone Practices for Highway Construction Projects PDF Author: Tarek M. Elghamrawy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Recent studies indicate that work zones suffer from an increasing trend of deaths and injuries in and around the highway construction areas with an average of 745 fatalities and 40,700 severe injuries per year. To control and minimize work zone fatalities and injuries, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and many state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are seeking to improve the design practices of work zones to reduce work zone crashes. To support this vital and pressing highway safety goal, this research study focuses on analyzing and optimizing existing work zone practices and exploring the effectiveness and efficiency of innovative temporary rumble strips that can be used to minimize crashes in and around highway construction and maintenance projects. The research objectives of this study are to: (1) provide enhanced understanding of the impact of work zone parameters and innovative temporary traffic control devices on the safety of highway construction zones; (2) analyze work zone crashes and current practices to identify potential layout parameters that impact work zone crash occurrence; (3) investigate and quantify the impact of work zone layout parameters on the risk and cost of crash occurrence; (4) optimize work zone setup parameters to minimize total work zone costs including agency, user delay, and expected crash costs; (5) conduct field experiments to analyze the efficiency and constructability of various arrangements of temporary rumble strips prior to and at the edge of work zones; and (6) study and enhance the effectiveness of temporary rumble strips in alerting inattentive drivers prior to and at the edge of work zones. In order to achieve these objectives, the study is conducted in seven major tasks that focus on: (1) conducting a comprehensive literature review; (2) collecting and fusing all available data and reports on work zone crashes in Illinois; (3) analyzing work zone crashes and identifying the probable causes and contributing factors; (4) identifying the impact of layout parameters on risk of crash occurrence; (5) developing an optimization model to minimize total work zone costs including agency cost, user delay cost, and expected work zone crash cost; (6) performing field experiments on temporary rumble strips and evaluate the efficiency of utilization on site; and (7) evaluating the effectiveness of temporary rumble strips prior and at the edge of work zones. The main research developments of this study are expected to have significant impacts on (1) identifying potential work zone parameters and contributing causes that impact work zone crash occurrence; (2) estimating the probability of work zones to encounter severe crashes; (3) quantifying the impact of work zone parameters on the risk levels of crash occurrence; (4) estimating the monetary value of work zone crashes based on work zone layout parameters; (5) searching for and identifying optimal work zone setup solutions that specify segment length, operating speed, TTC policy, and concrete barrier at different operation staring times; (6) developing new efficient prototypes of temporary rumble strips to be utilized prior to and at the edge of work zones; and (7) developing practical guidelines for effective design arrangements of temporary rumble strips. These new developments hold a strong promise to: (a) improve work zone safety for both the travelling public and construction workers; (b) improve current work zone layouts, strategies, and standards; (c) provide a baseline for controlling the risk of crash occurrence due to highway work zones; (d) assist construction planners in identifying optimal work zone setups for highway construction; (e) direct the development of practical recommendations for efficient and effective design arrangements of temporary rumble strips; and (f) reduce work zone crashes in the work area through the implementation of practical temporary rumble strips arrangements.

Safety Study

Safety Study PDF Author: United States. National Transportation Safety Board
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Roads
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Highway Safety Program, State of Illinois

Highway Safety Program, State of Illinois PDF Author: Illinois. Department of Public Works and Buildings
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Automobiles
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Work Zone Safety Assessment and Throughput Analysis for High Volume Highways Using Random Parameter Models

Work Zone Safety Assessment and Throughput Analysis for High Volume Highways Using Random Parameter Models PDF Author: Seyedata Nahidi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Highways and freeways could be considered the most important transportation infrastructure in North America; these vital routes are necessary for the efficient haulage of huge amounts of goods and services. Several factors such as the high volume of heavy truck traffic as well as harsh winters in this region could result in a faster deterioration rate of the transportation infrastructures, specifically pavements. Transportation agencies, under the supervision of municipalities, are responsible to maintain, preserve, and reconstruct these segments. Applying the proper care results in a significant reduction in the number of observed conflicts and collisions on high-volume highways. Washington State Department of Transportation defines a work zone as, "...an area of a roadway with construction, maintenance, or utility work activities. A work zone is typically marked by signs, channelizing devices, barriers, pavement markings, and/or work vehicles." Based on previously conducted studies, work zones can significantly interrupt the regular traffic flow on highways. These interruptions can have adverse effects on the safety of the roads and increase the likelihood of undesirable conflicts and collisions. To avoid any unexpected work zone related safety concerns, Departments of Transportation in the US, as well as Ministries of Transportation in Canada, encourage agencies to propose detailed plans to minimize the queuing period and injury severity of work zone collisions; the most common strategy is to set up work zones at nighttime. Independent reports by the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) also identified that predicting the throughput, and the queuing length, as well as the queuing period, can significantly improve the planning stage, reduce the user delay costs, and increase work zone safety for workers and motorists. Statistical analyses and modelling are methods used to acquire information from historical data sets and gain a more realistic insight into future events with an acceptable confidence level. This research involves the statistical evaluation of work zones' safety and performance, along with comprehensive analyses of work zones' throughput in North America. To evaluate the different strategies, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Negative Binomial Regression (NBR) models were developed to identify the critical historical factors which affect the traffic throughput of work zones. For safety assessment of work zones, innovative random parameter approaches were adapted in combination with ordered probability models to produce robust and realistic results. Furthermore, the practicality and applicability of random parameter models were discussed to clarify the advantages of using these models. Random Parameter Negative Binomial (RPNB) and Random Parameter Ordered Logit (RPOL) models developed in this study were found to be the most accurate models for throughput and safety analysis, respectively. Also, the implementation of k-fold cross validation proved that the model predictions correlated well with historical data. Finally, a new approach for Random Parameter prediction was proposed which considers the similarity level between a potential event and historical data. Based on these evaluations, the overall feasibility of each strategy was examined. The results denoted several practical recommendations to decrease traffic congestion and create safer work zones. The random parameter negative binomial model for throughput analysis showed that to avoid queuing in work zones where there are two or more obstructed lanes, multiple short (less than 3 km) work zones are more efficient than longer ones; this factor increases the frequency of passing vehicles by 177 per hour per lane. Besides, weekend nights are found to be the most appropriate time to set up work zones. It is observed that weekend nighttime work zone set-ups increase the number of passing vehicles by 493 vehicles per hour per lane compared to other scenarios. In general, nighttime closures, occurring on any day during the week, are found to have a higher discharge rate in comparison with daytime closures. On highways with more than 20% truck traffic, it is expected to have 102 fewer vehicles passing through work zones due to the induced congestion. Similarly, random parameter ordered probability models identified several factors which are shown to have a statistically significant impact on work zone collisions' injury severity level. As an example, aggressive driving behaviours, e.g. failing to keep in the proper lane, running other drivers off the road, and tailgating, increase the major injury and fatal collisions' likelihood by 78%. The installation of traffic control devices, specifically warning signs, reduce the probability of fatalities by 14%. Moreover, alcohol and drug consumption increase the probability of fatal and major injury collisions by 36% based on random parameter ordered Logit model, so by enforcing strict laws many lives can be saved. After analysis, common practices and the author's recommendations for each significant factor in the selected models are discussed. Primarily, the prohibition of truck traffic, designing efficient detours, and installation of extra and more innovative traffic control devices prior to the work zones are recommended. It was also concluded that the most efficient way to have a safe and comfortable environment in work zones on high-volume highways is to encourage government, engineers, and motorists to collaborate. Collaboration could take the form of the public awareness campaigns, setting and enforcing effective laws and regulations, and assuring the proper implementation of existing guidelines. Last but not least, the accurate prediction of work zone throughput frequency at queuing time provided an appropriate context for better work zone planning to reduce the possible user delay cost. The outcome of this research was the development of a novel planning and decision-making tool (`smart form') to help engineers and contractors to evaluate the work zone safety of high-volume highways in North America.

Annual Evaluation of Highway Safety Improvement Program

Annual Evaluation of Highway Safety Improvement Program PDF Author: Illinois. Division of Traffic Safety
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Roads
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Meeting the Customer's Needs for Mobility and Safety During Construction and Maintenance Operations

Meeting the Customer's Needs for Mobility and Safety During Construction and Maintenance Operations PDF Author: United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Program Quality Coordination
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Roads
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Work Zone Operations Best Practices Guidebook

Work Zone Operations Best Practices Guidebook PDF Author: U.s. Department of Transportation
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781508569206
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
This Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook provides an easily accessible compilation of work zone operations practices used and recommended by various States and localities around the country. The Guidebook is a reference document that can be updated with new approaches, technologies, and practices for effectively managing work zones and reducing the impacts of work zones on mobility and safety as they are identified. The best practices are descriptive, not prescriptive. They describe approaches that have been successfully used by transportation agencies, along with contact information to find out more from the agency using the practice. Each organization must determine which of these practices are best suited for its particular situation, considering all the site-specific factors that affect work zone operations.