Improving the Quality and Useability of Planned and Active Work Zone Data

Work zone data may be used to support efforts ranging from internal operational and safety analysis to public communications and connected vehicle navigation. Ensuring the quality and consistency of this data is vital to its usability. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)’s current systems, VaTraffic and the Lane Closure Advisory Management System (LCAMS), require double entry of data, and the other data sets they feed into all display the data differently. This project will review data quality standards and create guidance that can be applied in LaneAware to ensure quality moving forward. In November 2024, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) updated its Work Zone Safety and Mobility Final Rule (23CFR630 Subpart J), which in part requires state departments of transportation (DOTs) to identify mobility and work-zone-exposure performance metrics that will be used to track performance and the statewide level and for specific major projects. Best practices used by other DOTs will be gathered and recommended for adoption. Tools and scripts for data cleaning and analysis will improve the application of these data to operational and safety analysis, which is currently hampered by issues such as identifying data from planned work zones from active ones. By consulting with a wide range of stakeholders, these recommendations will consider the wide-ranging needs of both data producers and consumers in this system.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $265,804.00
• Contract Numbers:

  128986

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Virginia Transportation Research Council

  530 Edgemont Road
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903
• Performing Organizations:

  Virginia Transportation Research Council

  530 Edgemont Road
  Charlottesville, VA  United States  22903
• Principal Investigators:

  Zhao, Mo

  McNamara, Margaret

• Start Date: 20260401
• Expected Completion Date: 20280228
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data quality; Datasets; State departments of transportation; Traffic data; Work zones
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01983748
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Virginia Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 128986
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Mar 24 2026 10:53AM