Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

1. Examples of Work Zone Best Practices Module 4

2. Module Overview • Covers current practices and successes in: • Policy • Impacts Assessment • Significant Projects • Transportation Management Plans (TMPs) • Data Collection and Analysis and Performance Monitoring • Coordinating Multiple Projects • Each section includes: • State of the practice • Best practice examples Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

3. Overall Findings • Since the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule we have seen: • Enhanced consideration of WZ impacts • Earlier planning for work zones • More focus on managing work zones • Enhanced training • More performance measurement • Numerous successful practice examples from a variety of agencies have emerged Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

4. Policy

5. Work Zone Policy • Agencies pulled together several disparate policies and procedures/guidelines • Formed a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team (ongoing benefits) • Some agencies have established goals and measures for WZ performance (e.g., queues, delay time) Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

6. Washington State DOT WZ Policy “Effective work zone safety and mobility strategies minimize traffic delays and provide a safe environment in which to work and drive." -WSDOT WZ Policy Statement • Establishes roles and expectations for the identified program areas • Greater communication and cooperation among all groups by providing a clear understanding of expectations Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

7. Maryland State Highway Administration WZ Policy • Applies to all work performed on SHA-maintained roads • District Offices received extensive training on the policy Careful consideration of WZ impacts should begin during planning and continue through design, construction, and post-construction review… Compliance with this policy will benefit the traveling public by minimizing delays, reducing crashes, and providing greater safety... This policy outlines the procedures to be followed and identifies responsibilities to achieve the desired end result – safer work zones with minimal impact on the traveling public.” -MDSHA Work Zone Policy Statement Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

8. Michigan DOT WZ Policy • Applies to all State trunklines, including freeway and non-freeway facilities • Applies to all types of work zones • Memos and presentations on policy have been given to all personnel MDOT credits its WZ Safety and Mobility policy as the catalyst to look outside of normal operations when planning, designing, and constructing a project. Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

9. Policy Distribution and Training • CO - Distributed to divisions through statewide meeting forums • ID – 1 day workshop with Regional and District offices • Invited people from design, maintenance, construction, and anyone in the surrounding community to review the policy and procedures • Considering providing training on policy to utility companies • KY – Presentations at conferences, meetings over 2 years • AL, ID, MT, NH, NC, and VA - Shared their respective policies with MPOs Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

10. Impacts Assessment

11. Impacts Assessment • As a result of the Rule, agencies are: • Considering WZ impacts earlier in the project development process • Enhancing consideration and management of WZ safety and mobility impacts • Expanding planning and impacts assessment beyond the project WZ itself to address corridor, network, and regional issues • Using analytical traffic modeling to determine impacts of upcoming significant projects • Minimizing disruptions on major traffic corridors by optimizing the letting schedule • Coordinating projects so that multiple projects do not adversely impact traffic along certain corridors Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

12. Ohio DOT MOT Alternatives Analysis • Used to identify and analyze potential WZ impacts “constraints” early in project development • Occurs PRIOR to the first detail plan submissions • Early enough so that MOT can be used to help: • Pick between feasible project alternatives • Size structure widths • Highlight WZ right-of-way and environmental impacts early enough to do something about them The goal of the MOTAA is to identify potential traffic safety and mobility problems prior to detailed design so that a solution can be engineered into the design. Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

13. MOTAA Stage 1 Design MOT Policy Exception Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

14. Ohio DOT MOT Process Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

15. Wisconsin DOT Lane Closure Analysis Tool • Provides earlier sense of potential delay impacts • Covers segments of the freeway/expressway statewide • Contains hourly traffic count data • Contains pre-calculated estimates of road user delay likely to occur if a lane is closed: • Time of day • Day of the week • Seasons Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

16. Maryland SHA Lane Closure Analysis Program • Tool to quantify queues and delays from capacity decreases in freeway work zones • Compares expected travel demand against WZ capacity on an hour-by-hour basis to estimate delay and queue growth Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

17. Project Example: Missouri DOT I-64 • Involved repairing/rebuilding 10 miles of roadway and 30 bridges • Project estimated to take 6-15 years • MoDOT Director challenged his staff to complete construction in 4 years Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

18. Missouri DOT I-64 • Led to creative thinking, looking further • Looked at regional road network • Saw they had many more options for MOT • Could complete the project in less time • Identified and analyzed potential impacts, both before and after bidding the project • Led to determination to use full closure with design-build Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

19. Missouri DOT I-64 Impacts Assessment • Pre-Bidding • Regional modeling to predict how traffic would act under different road closure scenarios • During bid evaluation • Checked contractor plans and models against MoDOT pre-bid models • After Contract Award • Impacts assessment to develop tables showing: • Impacts during each year of construction on major roads and bridge crossings at Mississippi and Missouri Rivers • Excess capacity for each road so that detours could be planned • Impacts that the I-64 closure would have on transit • Impact mitigation strategies developed for the region and documented in the TMP Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

20. Benefits of Early Impacts Assessment for I-64 • MoDOT was able to: • Make improvements to alternate routes before construction • Identify the best construction strategy for the project • Increase understanding of MOT options that could potentially shorten the duration of the project • Ensure the TMP contained appropriate strategies for mitigating impacts during construction Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

21. Missouri DOT I-64 Successes • Results at project completion: • $11 million under budget • Several weeks ahead of schedule • Extensive planning and preparation led to a successful project • Drivers adjusted work hours and avoided routes known to be problem spots • Planning enabled the team to respond quickly to problem spots and incidents Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

22. Significant Projects

23. Significant Projects • Agencies now have a process in place to determine level of impacts of a project • Agencies using: • Decision flowcharts • Quantitative and/or Qualitative criteria • Project impact levels • Some combination Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

24. Maryland State Highway Administration Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

25. Pennsylvania DOT Significant Project Determination Based on amount of added travel time: • < 15 minutes, impacts are acceptable • >15 minutes and < 30 minutes, impacts are acceptable if for 2 consecutive hours or less • > 30 minutes, impacts are unacceptable and alternate strategies must be considered Districts use QuickZone, Synchro, HCS or similar programs to model the expected added travel time Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

26. Michigan DOT Significant Project Criteria • If one or more of these thresholds are exceeded, then the project is considered significant: • Work zone delay greater than 10 minutes • Work zone LOS is lower than or equal to LOS D, or it drops to LOS C if the current operation is LOS A • Work zone volume/capacity ratio is greater than 0.80 Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

27. Montana DOT Significant Projects • Three levels of impacts • Level 1 – Impact the traveling public at the metropolitan, regional, or interstate level; directly impact a large number of travelers • Level 2 - Impact the traveling public at the city or regional level; directly impact a moderate level of travelers • Level 3 - Impact the traveling public to a small degree; duration of work is short to moderate • All Level 1 projects are significant • Policy includes a list of corridors in MT that are automatically Level 1 and Level 2 • Policy includes significant project identification checklist Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

28. Transportation Management Plans (TMPs)

29. TMP Development Experience • Some States have developed hundreds of TMPs • CA – Required TMPs since 2000 • RI – Developed over 100 TMPs since 2009 • MI – Developed over 150 since 2007 • WI – Developed over 100 since 2008, most not for significant projects • OR – Developed over 80 since 2006 Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

30. How Do States Develop TMPs? “If you have a really good systematic process in place, and have developed checklists, guidance, and other materials to help facilitate this process, then you are less likely to miss steps in your TMP development and are less likely to leave important components out of the TMP.” - MD SHA Team Leader, Traffic Policy and Management Team Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

31. Caltrans TMP Development • Begins during project initiation and planning • Responsibility of 3 individuals • District traffic manager (DTM) • TMP manager • Construction traffic manager • Categorized into 3 levels based on: • Project characteristics • Projected delay The implementation of TMPs in California has helped to significantly reduce delays in work zones. Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

32. Caltrans TMP Levels Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

33. Rhode Island DOT TMP Guidance • Four TMP templates in MS Excel • Training on how to use the templates • Dedicated email account for TMP questions Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

34. Wisconsin DOT TMP Guidance • Helps WisDOT develop and implement TMPs effectively and consistently statewide • TMP worksheet/checklist • In process of developing benefit-cost guidelines for WZ impacts mitigation strategies Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

35. Michigan DOT TMP Development “The TMP process gives us the opportunity to better plan for and manage our work zones. As a result of this process, we are able to identify potential impacts that previously might not have been recognized, and identify innovative strategies to manage these impacts through the coordination of construction design and delivery.” - Michigan DOT Work Zone Delivery Engineer Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

36. Michigan TMP Review Teams • Sample Review Checklist Questions: • Traffic analysis methodology is appropriate and reasonable for the scope/complexity of the job/location and the results are clear and understandable. • There is analysis of the alternatives considered, with an appropriate comparison of benefits and costs. • There is adequate discussion and explanation of corridor impacts and/or an explanation of mobility influences beyond the project area including adjacent regions. • Used when a project is designed that exceeds significant project thresholds • TMP is reviewed against a checklist • Peer review team meets to discuss and rate TMPs: • Green • Yellow • Red Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

37. MDSHA Suitland Parkway Interchange TMP Benefits Looking at options during systems planning led to identification of a cost effective impact mitigation strategy • TMP team found that during one stage of the project, a ramp would be constructed and left dormant until later in the project • Determined ramp could be used to divert traffic around the interchange  reduced impacts to drivers and workers Investigating alternatives early in TMP development and including people on the TMP team who had a broad perspective led to identifying a solution that was more feasible from a cost and implementation standpoint. Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

38. Wisconsin I-94 TMP Development • Formed an external TMP Advisory Group • Organized into task forces for traffic operations, public outreach, and incident management • Identified and implemented several effective strategies to mitigate impacts “By involving the public, the resulting TMP met the needs of the community and was developed with their direct input, resulting in a higher satisfaction among those affected by the project.“ - WiscDOT State Traffic Engineer Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

39. Ohio DOT I-275 Overpass Beam and Deck Replacement TMP Benefits • Identified creative impacts mitigation strategy • Maintained 3 lanes of traffic in each direction • Used outside shoulders in both travel directions • Crossed over 1 lane of traffic • No additional delay • No serious injury crashes • Positive feedback from the public Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

40. I-69 Reconstruction in MichiganTMP Benefits • Used a combination of innovative impacts mitigation strategies • Crash rate decreased during construction • Drivers are going the speed limit • Delay is less than expected Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

41. Data Collection and Analysis andPerformance Monitoring

42. Data Collection and Analysis • Many agencies have established measures to track WZ congestion and delay (57%) and crashes (82%) • Less than half of the States are collecting congestion and delay data • Many agencies are collecting some data to track WZ safety performance Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

43. Performance Monitoring/Process Reviews • 82% of agencies have established WZ performance guidance • 47% of agencies are using customer surveys to evaluate WZ performance • Most (if not all) agencies are doing annual WZ TTC field reviews • WZ process review is required at least every 2 years – most have done first review Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

44. Ohio DOT Data Collection, Analysis, and Performance Monitoring • Historic Crash Data • Used to track improvements to WZ safety • Near Real-Time Crash Data • Obtained from local law enforcement • Stored in database • Real Time Mobility/Speed Data • Leasing speed & travel time information • Contract advertised and awarded (low bid) separately from the construction project • Real-Time Mobility Data Example: • 8 mile work zone • Sensor spacing ½ mile in transition area and 1 mile in work area • Approximately 10 sensors covers both directions • Cost = $1,100/mo • Gives real time data via cellular broadband • Can be used internally or externally via the web Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

45. Ohio DOT WZ Crash Data Analysis • Began in 2002 • See if increased number of WZs causes more crashes and how they could be prevented • Used data from prior to and during construction to perform before/after comparison • Findings led to improvements to WZ planning and design procedures Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

46. Ohio DOT Historic Crash Data Analysis Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

47. Ohio DOT Near Real-Time Crash Data Analysis Mile 16.2 – 16.99 Non WZ 7 Month Avg. WZ 3 Month Total BIG PROBLEM !! Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

48. Michigan DOT Data Collection, Analysis, and Performance Monitoring • Monitoring plan included in TMP for significant projects • Includes crash analysis before and after project • Weekly monitoring • WZ delay and queue measurements taken by sensor, field staff observations, and drive-throughs by student interns • Monitoring forms stored in project records system and can be referenced for future projects • Delay and queue data entered into database for periodic analysis Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

49. Michigan DOT Mobility Data Collection • Determined through real-time measurement of vehicle speeds • Regions collect data but not told how to do it • Mobility data must be recorded in a Delay Worksheet • Data used to evaluate project and program-level effectiveness • In 2009 – 88% of MDOT projects met its 10-minute delay criteria Examples of Work Zone Best Practices

50. Rhode Island DOT Data Collection, Analysis, and Performance Monitoring • Construction staff are required to document all monitoring activities • Developed a specific set of TMP performance monitoring strategies • Include a post-construction WZ performance assessment section in TMP template • RIDOT Performance Monitoring Strategies • Windshield surveys • Public surveys • Traffic counts • Traffic queues/delays • Travel time • Crash data • Mobility assessment • Safety assessment • Road safety audits (construction) Examples of Work Zone Best Practices