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Making Work Zones Work Better

Making Work Zones Work Better. Talking Freight Seminar June 20, 2006. Chung Eng Work Zone Mobility & Safety Team Office of Transportation Operations Federal Highway Administration US Department of Transportation. Agenda. What Do We Know? What Can Be Done? What is FHWA Doing?.

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Making Work Zones Work Better

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  1. Making Work Zones Work Better Talking Freight Seminar June 20, 2006 Chung Eng Work Zone Mobility & Safety Team Office of Transportation Operations Federal Highway Administration US Department of Transportation

  2. Agenda • What Do We Know? • What Can Be Done? • What is FHWA Doing? Work Zones:

  3. Work Zones – What We Know: • Our highway infrastructure is aging • Construction work is increasing • Growth in VMT is outpacing the addition of new lane miles • Congestion is growing

  4. 1983 100 2003 80 60 Hours 40 20 0 Atlanta Miami Detroit Boston Phoenix Average Chicago Dallas Houston New York Washington San Francisco Philadelphia LA/Long Beach City Growth in Wasted Hours • Congestion has increased dramatically over the past 2 decades. • In the 13 largest cities, drivers spend the equivalent of almost eight work days each year stuck in traffic. • Work Zones account for 10% of overall congestion. Annual Hours Lost to Congestion Per Peak Hour Driver Very Large Metro Areas, 1983 v. 2003 Source: Texas Transportation Institute, 2005 Urban Mobility Report

  5. Cost of Congestion to U.S. Businesses Portland General Electric estimates that itspends around $500K/year for additional travel time for maintenance crewsdue to congestion. In 2000, congestion at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor,cost motor carriers between $150M and $200M. Intel hasmoved their last shipment departure time up two hours for outbound shipments through PDXdue to increased pm peak congestion. Atlanta area distributor of pet food with an 11-truck fleet finds itdifficult for one truck to make more than 12 daily deliveries; in 1984, one truck made as many as 20 deliveries each day.

  6. Work Zones – What We Know: • Our highway infrastructure is aging • Construction work is increasing • Growth in VMT is outpacing the addition of new lane miles • Congestion is growing • Crashes are increasing

  7. Work Zones – What We Know:Crashes are Increasing According to a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration analysis, approximately 25% of work zone fatal crashes in 2005 involved a large truck.

  8. What Can Be Done? • To reduce work zone delay • To reduce crashes, fatalities, and injuries?

  9. What Can be Done to Make Work Zones Work Better? • Recognize impacts early and develop projects to include strategies that minimize impacts • Look for ways to reduce exposure: • Reduce number work zones • Reduce duration of work zones • Work during off-peak periods • Consider full closures as appropriate • Provide information to drivers • Reduce hazards in work zones

  10. What is FHWA doing? • Issued Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule • Identifying & promoting best practices • Providing training • Providing guidance • Providing technical assistance and facilitating information sharing

  11. WZ Safety and Mobility Rule • Published Sept 2004 – Compliance by Oct 2007 • Major Provisions • Develop & Implement a WZ Policy • Implement Processes and Procedures to Support the Policy - WZ impacts assessment & management - Training - Use of safety & operational data - Process reviews • Implement Project Procedures - Identify significant projects - Develop transportation management plans (TMPs)

  12. WZ Safety and Mobility Rule • What We Expect to See • More focus on system impacts versus individual WZ site impacts • WZs impacts considered throughout project delivery process • More WZ training • More effective communication with the public • Safer WZs • More performance monitoring and assessment

  13. Work Zone Best Practices • Best Practices Guide • Case Studies • Fact Sheets

  14. Training • New NHI Course – Advanced Work Zone Management • Work Zone Law Enforcement Training • WZ Safety and Awareness Program for New Drivers • Quick Zone Training • Work Zone Safety Grants – Development of Training & Guidance

  15. Guidance • Implementing the Rule on WZ Safety & Mobility • WZ Public Information & Outreach Strategies • Developing & Implementing TMPs for Work Zones • WZ Impacts Assessment

  16. Technical Assistance • Work Zone Peer-to-Peer Program (WZ P2P) – Provides short-term assistance in the application of methods, tools, and strategies to improve WZ safety and mobility.

  17. For More Information . . . • Chung Eng, FHWA Work Zone Team Leader, chung.eng@fhwa.dot.gov • Tracy Scriba, FHWA Work Zone Team tracy.scriba@fhwa.dot.gov • FHWA Work Zone Website, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/workzones

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