Work Zone Traffic Engineering Strategies at Flagger Stations and Lane Closures
In 2016, Texas had 153 fatal crashes in work zones. Of these 153 crashes, 33 percent of them were believed to be impacted by the work zone and an additional 8 percent could have been impacted by the work zone. There is the potential to reduce 63 crashes per year in the state of Texas when it comes to work zones. Two of the areas where work zones could be improved are at flagger stations and at lane closures on multi-lane facilities. In both of these applications, there are situations where either a slowed or stopped vehicle is hit from behind by another vehicle because of failure to control speed or react in time. Consequently, temporary traffic control solutions are needed that alert approaching drivers in advance of the queue. In Part 6 of the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, there are many requirements provided for temporary traffic control at flagger stations and lane closure on multi-lane facilities; however, innovation in temporary traffic control set-ups could lead to improvements in work zone safety. In addition, numerous traffic control devices already exist that could potentially improve safety, such as temporary rumble strips, portable changeable message signs (PCMS), flashing beacons, warning lights for signs, and smart PCMS information signs. As TxDOT has made widespread use of temporary rumble strips, this research would evaluate the effectiveness of temporary rumble strips and seek to derive new or modified temporary traffic control plan solutions to reduce the risk of these type of fatal crashes.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Completed
- Funding: $300000
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Contract Numbers:
0-6998
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Sponsor Organizations:
Texas Department of Transportation
125 E. 11th Street
Austin, TX United States 78701-2483 -
Project Managers:
Odell, Wade
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Performing Organizations:
Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station
Texas A&M University System
3135 TAMU
College Station, TX United States 77843-3135 -
Principal Investigators:
Theiss, LuAnn
- Start Date: 20180901
- Expected Completion Date: 20210831
- Actual Completion Date: 20210831
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Flaggers; Lane closure; Portable equipment; Temporary structures; Traffic safety; Warning devices; Work zone safety; Work zone traffic control
- Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01690752
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Texas Department of Transportation
- Contract Numbers: 0-6998
- Files: RIP, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Jan 11 2019 3:36PM