ITS in Work Zones

1
ITS in Work Zones
Presentation Outline

• Why Use ITS in Work Zones
• ITS Applications in Work Zones
• Successful Applications
• Challenges/Lessons Learned and Benefits
• FHWA Activities

Ray Murphy Federal Highway Administration
Resource Center
2
Why Use ITS in Work Zones?
The effects on road users and workers are
increasing. We are seeing

• More work zones
• More congestion on our roads
• More lost lives
• Growing exposure
• Increased public concern

3
More Congestion on our Roads
Vehicle Travel up 72, Road Miles up 1
.
Were traveling more miles without increasing
highway capacity significantly
4
Work Zone Fatalities Have Increased

• Average more than 800 fatalities per year, with a
  high of 1,079 in 2001.
• In 1999, 39,000 people were injured in work
  zones crashes.
• 120 to 130 workers die per year in road
  construction activities.

5
ITS Technologies in Work Zones Problem Work
zones exacerbate growing highway congestion and
safety concernsfocus of roadwork has shifted
from new construction to rehabilitating and
improving existing facilities share of capital
funds used for system preservation rose from
47.6 to 52 work zones exacerbate the growing
congestion problem roadway lane miles increased
3.8 percent, while vehicle miles of travel
grew 80 percent "rush hour" increased from 23
hours to 56 hours
6

• Putting It in Perspective
• 24 of non-recurring congestion
• (482 million vehicle-hours of delay)
• work zone fatalities reached
  
• a high of 1,181
• 40,000 people are injured
• Work zone fatalities increased nationwide
• 53 from 1998 to 2002

• One work zone fatality every 7 hours (3 a day)
• One work zone injury every 15 minutes (143 a day)
  
• Financial loss of 3 Billion from work zone
  crashes in 2001

7
U.S. Department of Transportation Office of
Public Affairs News Release Tuesday, April 6,
2004 Drivers Urged To Make Highway Work Zones
Safer FHWA Administrator Sets up Office in Middle
of Busy Interchange In Effort to Reduce Work
Zone Injuries, Fatalities The nations chief
highway official, likening roads to offices of
highway workers, today set up her office in the
middle of a busy interstate interchange to
demonstrate the danger to drivers, passengers and
workers from unsafe driving habits in highway
work zones.
8
Work zone fatalities increased nationwide 53
percent from 1998 to 2002, according to Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) data. Four out of
five people killed were either drivers or
passengers. FHWA Administrator Mary Peters said a
combination of government safety programs and
safe-driving habits can significantly reduce the
more than 52,000 injuries and fatalities that
occur each year in highway work zones. Work zone
accidents pose tremendous costs to our society,
Peters said. The human cost is the most tragic
and the most critical. But theres also the
economic cost that results from congestion,
unexpected delays and delayed freight deliveries.
Making work zones safer is part of the
commitment by President Bush and Secretary Mineta
to keep the American economy moving. Peters
kicked off Work Zone Awareness Week from her
outside office near Interstate 95 in
Springfield, Va., an area commonly referred to as
the mixing bowl because of recent massive
construction of the interchange.
9
Solution Intelligent Transportation Systems
technologies improve traffic flow and increase
safety in work zones ITS technologies can

• Better monitor and manage traffic
  
• flow through work zones and increase safety
• Reduce construction time costs
• Improve incident detection, response,
  
• and clearance

10
What are some examples of ITS technologies used
in work zones?

• Dynamic lane merge systems
• Speed advisory systems
• Variable speed limit (VSL) systems
• Real-time information to motorists
  
• through changeable message signs, Web
• sites, and traveler advisory radio alerts.

11
Increased Public Concern Second Lowest Level of
Satisfaction
Percentage of Responses Satisfied and Very
Satisfied
Data not collected in 1995
Source Moving Ahead  The American Public
Speaks on Roadways and Transportation in
Communities (which can be found on the FHWA web
page at http//www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/movingahea
d.htm)
12
Why Use ITS in Work Zones?

• Work zones ? congestion
• Minimize work zone impacts
• - night work
• - non-peak work hours
• - safer work zone
• Its Not Enough
• reduce congestion and crashes in work zones
• ?ITS is a valuable tool in these efforts

13
ITS Applications in Work Zones-Traveler
Information and a Whole Lot More -

• Traffic monitoring and management
• Incident management
• Tracking and evaluation of contract
  incentive/disincentives
• Worker safety/protection
• Speed management and enforcement

14
Example ITS Work Zone Applications

• Traveler information
• - Alternate route information
• - Estimated delay (time, distance)
• - Notification of stopped/slowed traffic
• Traffic monitoring and management
• - VMS based on sensors, queue detectors,
  counters, and cameras.
• - Dynamic no passing zone
  at taper based on traffic
  conditions

15
More example ITS Work Zone Applications

• Worker safety/protection
• Work space intrusion alarms
• Detect vehicles entering buffer area between work
  crews and passing vehicles
• Sound a warning alarm to alert workers

• Speed management and enforcement
• Variable speed limits
• Automated enforcement

16
Variable Speed Limits in Work Zones

• Enables an agency to automatically adjust speed
  limit based on changing conditions
• Whether workers are present
• As traffic flow changes
• Weather (fog, rain, ice)
• May result in
• More credibility of
  speed limits
• Increased compliance
• Improved safety
• Improved traffic flow

17
Successful Applications
Since its introduction in 2001, the program has
helped reduce fatalities and injuries in work
zones by 25 percent.
U.S. Department of TransportationFederal Highway
Administration
Tackling work zone mobility and safety issues
with ITS
For more information about the awards, visit
http//safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saf03awards.htm
                                                  
                                                  
        A State trooper stops a vehicle in a
workzone for a violation under Floridas
Operation Hardhat program.
18
Successful Applications
I-95 Outside of Fayetteville, NC

• Deployed May 2002
• 6 sensors to monitor real-time traffic
  conditions
• Data used to calculate delay
• Delay info displayed on CMSs automatically
• When delay gt threshold, alternate
  
• route info also given
• 6 cameras to gather additional condition info,
  
• verify system CMS messages

19
I-95 Outside of Fayetteville, NC

• Website
• Traffic signal added to alternate route to
  handle
• increased flow during diversions
• Results
• - Before NB Queues of 3.5 to 4 mi and
  
• SB Queues of 2.5 to 3 mi during lane
  closures
• - After Queues 1 mi or less
• - ITS considered major contributing factor

20
Successful Applications

• No significant backups
• Fewer traffic citations
• Only two crashes

Benefits of using ITS
21
Cameras to bust speeders in Illinois Tollway Work
Zones

• 44 killed in Illinois work zones last year
• radar-activated cameras
• hike fines through work zones
• (make the first offense a 500 ticket)

• troopers with radar guns in construction
  vehicles
• electronic flaggers that tell drivers to slow or
  stop
• large road signs that read "Hit a Worker, 10,000
  fine, 14 yrs in jail

22
Successful Applications
Dynamic Lane Merge Michigan

• Improve traffic flow, prevent dangerous merging
• Creates a dynamic no-passing zone
• Length of zone based on traffic volume
  back-ups

• Sensors detect traffic conditions
• Activate next upstream sign lights flash
• Do Not Pass When Flashing
• Signs are regulatory
  
• and enforceable

System found effective for middle range traffic
volumes
23
Smart Work Stations
Coordination with Emergency Services
Big I Construction Intelligent Transportation
System
Successful Applications
ITS Control Center
H.E.L.P. Patrols
24
Why was ITS used for the Big I?

• Move large volume of traffic through the
  extensive construction area
• Needed better, quicker incident response than
  historical response time
• - Incidents would cause more capacity
  
• decreases and delays, more
  secondary incidents/crashes
• Guide motorists with good, real-time info
• Start of permanent freeway mgmt system

25
Control Center
Incident Response
ITS staff monitor camera images to

• Detect incidents and assess for appropriate
  response
• Call for assistance HELP trucks, emergency
  services
• Help ensure response is commensurate with
  incident

26
Successful Applications
Benefits of Using ITS at the Big I

• Mobility
• - Incident clear time reduced from 45 minutes
  in past to 25 minutes in work zone
• Safety
• - Less incidents than expected
  (7 increase during WZ)
• Cost savings (operating, automation)
• Improved relations with incident response
• community
• Better public relations/better informed public

27
Successful Applications
Arizona State Route 68

• Rural corridor - major commuter route for casino
  workers, recreational users, and trucks
• Why use ITS? - lengthy delays during past
  projects significantly impacted the public
• No viable alternate routes, so ADOT focused on
  reducing travel time in WZ

28
Successful Applications
Arizona State Route 68

• License plate reader system
• used to measure travel times
• Average travel time before the
• WZ 17 minutes
• Contractor required to keep
• average travel time
  
• to lt 27 minutes
• - Otherwise 400k
• incentive

29
Arizona State Route 68 - Results

• Greater contractor accountability and
• commitment to keeping traffic moving
• - Limited number of flagging stations
• - Scheduled work to reduce impacts
  
• to travelers
• Contractor only charged 15,000
• - System helped keep traffic moving

30
Challenges/Lessons Learned

• Reliable Communications
• Start-up time
• Public awareness
• Accurate information
• Partner Involvement
• Amount of information
• Portability
• Maintain Systems
• Quantify benefits

31
Benefits of ITS in Work Zones

• Improved mobility and traffic management
• Reduced travel demand
• Greater maintenance of capacity/quicker incident
  response
• Reduced congestion and queues
• Better informed public
• Empower travelers to make decisions
• Increased driver confidence in real-time traffic
  information
• Less driver frustration and road rage
• Quicker incident response

32
Benefits of ITS in Work Zones (cont.)

• Greater safety of workers and travelers
• Fewer crashes, especially rear-end collisions
• Fewer secondary incidents
• Decreased variability of traffic speeds
• Workers warned of intruding vehicles
• Better PR and relationships with other
  stakeholders
• Enhanced speed management
• Potential for cost savings
• Better understanding of traffic conditions

33
Implementation Guide
Estimated availability in Summer 2004
FHWA ITS in WZ Activities
System Concept
Deployment
Planning and System Development
Operations, Maintenance, and Sustainability
Procurement
System Evaluation

• ITS Guidance in work zones
• Share knowledge and lessons learned
• In draft, undergoing peer review

34
Assessment of Effectiveness

• Gather some quantifiable results on effectiveness
  of ITS in work zones
• Look at mobility (delay, queue length) and safety
  measures and delivery of traveler information
• Approximately 6 locations where ITS is deployed
  in a work zone

35
Work Zone Rulemaking Web conference

• April 20, 300-430PM Eastern Time
• April 22, 130-300PM Eastern Time

This is a heads-up notification of a presentation
that the HQ Work Zone team will be giving on the
Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rule Making
(SNPRM).    this presentation is for FHWA
personnel ONLY! The reason for this presentation
is to provide you with the information on the
type of comments we received on the NPRM and how
we have taken those comments and crafted proposed
rule language to address work zone safety and
mobility.  We will not be providing the actual
SNPRM at this stage, but should have it to you by
no later than mid May.  If you have any question
prior to the scheduled presentations please do
not hesitate to contact Scott Battles at (202)
366-4372 scott.battles_at_fhwa.dot.gov  
36
                                              
Best Practices Guidebook http//ops.fhwa.d
ot.gov/wz/practices/best/ Each month, we will
feature an Innovative Work Zone Practice on our
web site. If you have a practice you would like
to see featured, please send it via email to
WorkZoneFeedback_at_fhwa.dot.gov  
37
(FHWA-OP-04-009) (EDL 13795)
http//www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/publicati
ons/FullClosure/CrossCutting/its.htm
38
Additional ResourcesFHWA is working with State
and local partners to sponsor "Making Work Zones
Work Better" workshops. Information on the
workshops is available at http//ops.fhwa.dot.gov/
wz/workshops/workshops.htm.The Work Zone Best
Practices Guidebook covers success stories and
lessons learned on topics such as ITS.
Information on the guidebook is available at
http//ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/practices/best/bestprac
tices.htm.For more information about ITS work
zone technologies, visit http//ops.fhwa.dot.gov/w
z/technologies/its.htm.For more information,
contactTracy Scriba tracy.scriba_at_fhwa.dot.gov Da
n Grate dan.grate_at_fhwa.dot.gov Ray Murphy
ray.murphy_at_fhwa.dot.gov