Module 6: Deep Dive Work Zone TSMO Courtesy:

Session Purpose Introduce Work Zone Management as a TSMO strategy Provide understanding of: What is Work Zone Management? Why is it important? What are the benefits? Examples of leadership actions

What is Work Zone Management? Managing impacts caused by temporary work zones and maintenance activities Reduced roadway capacity that causes congestion and traveler delay Irregular traffic flow and changing lane configurations Worker and traveler safety hazards

Many Types of Work Zones Each have different challenges and strategies to mitigate impacts Consider differences in planning, coordination, public messaging, and use of ITS for a: Mobile work zone to apply new road striping that moves intermittently or continuously Short-term stationary maintenance activity that closes a lane for 2 hours in a non- peak period Long-term stationary construction on a major freeway with multiple lane closures over a 2-year period There are 5 categories of work zones (based on duration as defined in MUTCD Chapter 6G.02), each defined based on the duration of their work. The other two types are: Intermediate-term stationary occupies a location more than one daylight period up to 3 days, or nighttime work lasting more than 1 hour, and Short duration occupies a location up to 1 hour. The five categories of work duration and their time at a location shall be 1. Long-term stationary is work that occupies a location more than 3 days. 2. Intermediate-term stationary is work that occupies a location more than one daylight period up to3 days, or nighttime work lasting more than 1 hour. 3. Short-term stationary is daytime work that occupies a location for more than 1 hour within a single daylight period. 4. Short duration is work that occupies a location up to 1 hour. 5. Mobile is work that moves intermittently or continuously. The key distinction within these categories is the duration of the work at a location. The various categories have implications as to how the work zone is established (set-up), the type of traffic control needed, and the amount of advance communication to the traveling public regarding the impacts. Facilitator question to the group – From an operations standpoint, which of these is the most challenging?

Some Trends in Work Zone Management Increased deployment of work zone ITS Increased use of more innovative contracting approaches Increased engagement with stakeholders for improved project coordination

Why is it Important? Construction worker and traveler safety Over 96,000 crashes in work zones in 2015, including over 600 fatal crashes and 25,000 injury crashes Roadway capacity and speed reductions cause congestion and delay 482 million vehicle hours of delay Night work to reduce mobility impacts can negatively impact worker safety Traffic pattern changes and impacts to alternate routes Increased challenges to incident management and emergency response Key Message: Work zone safety and mobility is always an issue. Mention that managing traffic in WZs is now more complex because much more of our work is on existing roads. WZs and Operations – WZs usually reduce capacity. This makes it more difficult to handle traffic if anything happens, such as a crash or vehicle breakdown or poor weather, and makes response and access more difficult. Source: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/facts_stats/safety.htm

What are the Benefits? Improved construction worker and traveler safety with advanced notice to drivers Queue warnings Traveler information Less congestion and delay Variable speed limits Traveler information for alternate routes and trip time Intra-agency coordination of work zone activities to minimize impacts Increased awareness through outreach to law enforcement, businesses, and other stakeholders Key Message: Work zone safety and mobility is always an issue. Background Information: Mention that managing traffic in WZs is now more complex because much more of our work is on existing roads. WZs and Operations – WZs usually reduce capacity. This makes it more difficult to handle traffic if anything happens, such as a crash or vehicle breakdown or poor weather, and makes response and access more difficult.

Examples of Leadership Actions Enhance business processes to manage work zone practices Encourage new approaches in TMPs Invest in staff to enhance work zone practices and knowledge Increase stakeholder collaboration for project coordination Establish work zone management goals and measure performance As we share these examples, we’ll learn a bit more about work zone management strategies

Enhance business processes to manage work zone practices Apply and periodically evaluate effectiveness of work zone management policies Systematic consideration of work zone impacts Consider all stages of project development Address traveler and worker safety and mobility needs Institutionalize development and review of TMPs to increase effectiveness Required by Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule Key Message: It is critical to have policies in place to support work zone safety and mobility. These policies also support ITS in work zones. Background Information: FHWA’s 2004 Final Rule on Work Zone and Mobility. States have developed work zone policies in response to the final rule. Ask – How many are familiar with the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule, as well as their state’s policies in response to that rule?

What is a TMP? Transportation Management Plan Shows how traffic will be managed in work zone Required on ALL federal-aid projects Scalable to type of project being considered Considered a living document Three main components, all required for significant projects: Temporary Traffic Control Plan (TTCP) Transportation Operations (TO) strategies Public Information and Outreach (PI) strategies In simple terms, the TMP is the plan that the agency will use to manage transportation needs during construction (CN). TMPs – mention that doing a good TMP is meant to avoid surprises It is required on Federal-aid highway projects, no matter their size. TMPs are scalable to the project. That means, the more complex the project, the more detailed the TMP should be. The TMP should be considered as a living document. As the project progresses through various phases of construction, the TMP should be reviewed and updated to reflect any adjustments made while under construction. It should be noted that the TMP is essentially about Transportation Management PLANNING (Process) and NOT just Transportation Management PLANS (documents). The Final Work Zone rule states that, at a minimum, all interstate projects within the boundaries of a Transportation Management Area (TMA) that occupy a location for more than 3 days and have some type of lane closures are to be considered significant. However, any project that is expected to cause a relatively high level of impact or disruption should be considered significant. A TTCP is also required on non-significant projects, and the TO and PI may be considered as appropriate.

Encourage new approaches in TMPs Consider innovative contracting methods to make ITS available for work zones that need it most Statewide programs to identify work zone impacts that merit ITS deployment On-call ITS contracts to readily deploy technologies for shorter- duration work zones at agreed-upon rates Statewide programs to identify work zone impacts that merit ITS deployment: Iowa DOT Traffic Critical Projects On-call ITS contracts to readily deploy technologies for shorter-duration work zones at agreed-upon rates: Illinois DOT

Encourage new approaches in TMPs Traffic management systems Dynamic merge systems Queue warning systems Variable speed limit Dynamic travel time and alternate route messaging Traveler information systems Incident management systems Intrusion alarm systems Automated speed enforcement/feedback systems Key Message: Introduce the range of technology systems that can be applied to work zones.

Public Information Depending on the project scale the public information strategies may be as simple as posting to Twitter to as involved as airing TV/radio commercials leading up to the project start. This component is becoming more essential and easier to do as technology advances. Travel time information Smart phone apps (Waze) Social media

Dynamic Merge Systems Dynamic signs and devices control vehicle merging approaching lane closures Changes lane use instructions based on current traffic Sensors determine congestion level or queue length

Queue Warning Systems A series of sensors upstream of the work zone are used to automatically post messages on portable dynamic message signs to alert drivers about slowed or stopped traffic ahead Reduces potential for crashes

Variable Speed Limit Provides ability to set speed limit based on work zone conditions Type of work being done Characteristics of work zone

Intrusion Alarm Systems Detectors placed at likely intrusion areas (such as taper) When intrusion is detected, sirens sound to warn workers Can be supplemented with lights

Invest in staff to enhance work zone practices and knowledge Encourage staff training and engagement with national forums to learn about effective practices National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse FHWA Work Zone Management Program Practices to watch for Traffic control Contract incentives Contract mechanisms Accelerated construction Contraflow lanes Demand management Traveler information The WZ management strategies Overview of the range of WZ management strategies available (traffic control, contract incentives, accelerated construction, contraflowing lanes, demand management, traveler info, etc., etc.).   Then, in addition to highlighting the strategies that significantly help TSM&O and reliability, and the moderator points out the need for the operations folks to engage with design folks to help ensure these types of strategies get considered during project development, especially for high-impact projects.

Increase stakeholder collaboration for project coordination Project coordination can reduce mobility and safety impacts Internally, coordinate scheduling: Minimize construction on alternate or parallel routes at the same time Combine multiple projects into one work zone For public outreach and traveler information Externally, coordinate with law enforcement, businesses, freight, and event venues Particularly for major, long-term work zones

Increase stakeholder collaboration for project coordination – Proof: WSDOT Project Coordination Construction Impact Analysis project coordination tool reduces potential for conflicting lane and road closures Formalized mid- to long-term project coordination Including scheduling closures and other activities Leadership support was critical for culture shift Regular internal and external stakeholder meetings Annual meetings with local road and transit agencies and trucking and port representatives to discuss projects in upcoming construction seasons Additional internal meetings for hot spots

Establish work zone management goals and measure performance May differ by agency objectives, types of work zones, and availability of data Leverage data from deployed ITS, historic third-party probe data, and TMC, as available Challenging to identify success of strategies given temporal nature of work zones Report and track trends for similar work zones and work to improve

Establish work zone management goals and measure performance Proof: Iowa DOT Traffic Critical Projects Program created in 2014 to identify key work zones for improved mobility and safety One approach deploys devices, communications, and sensors to support technologies like queue warning systems Contractor support to identify statewide needs, implement and manage appropriate solutions, monitor, and conduct evaluation Standalone, quals-based procurement contract for technology device vendor Assess performance data to develop efficiencies and new ideas Substantial improvements in traffic safety and mobility on construction projects across the state were identified

Discussion What work zone management activities has your agency conducted? Does your agency routinely conduct project coordination activities with other stakeholders? Does your agency deploy work zone ITS on an ad-hoc or a more systematic basis? What ITS and data does your agency use for work zones? What has been most effective?

Work Zone Management Resources FHWA Work Zone Management Program https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse http://www.workzonesafety.org Work Zone ITS Implementation Guide https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop14008 Guide to Project Coordination for Minimizing Work Zone Mobility Impacts https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/fhwahop16013/index.htm FHWA Work Zone Management Capability Maturity Framework https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/tsmoframeworktool/available_frameworks/work_zone.htm Key Message: There are many other resources for ITS in work zones Background Information: Here are a few that I thought were good resources. These provide a good spread of coverage of work zone issues and how ITS can address those issues. They can all be found on the FHWA work zone website. Interactivity: Ask if participants have resources that they have found particularly useful.