Highway Work Zone Safety Audit Guidelines Development and Training

1
Highway Work Zone Safety Audit Guidelines
Development and Training

• Prepared By
• Jonathan Shi, PI
• Dept. of Civil Architectural Engineering
• Illinois Institute of Technology
• 3201 S. Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60616
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email shi_at_iit.edu

2
Other Key Staff

• IIT Staff
• Dr. Z Li [phone], lizz_at_iit.edu
• Dr. Mark Snyder [phone],
  mark.snyder_at_iit.edu
• IDOT Staff
• Kevin Burke [phone], Kevin.BurkeIII_at_illino
  is.gov
• Priscilla Tobias (217) 785-,
  Priscilla.Tobias_at_illinois.gov
• Utah LTAP Staff
• Stuart Thompson [phone],
  stuart_at_cc.usu.edu
• Doyt Bolling [phone], doyt_at_cc.usu.edu

3
Grant Description

• Amount of funding
• Funding from FHWA 750,000
• Obligated amount for years 1 2 396,213
• Cost share 282,599
• Project duration (4 years)
• Base years (2) Oct. 2006-Sept. 2008
• Option years (2) Oct. 2008-Sept. 2010

4
Progress, Oct-Dec. 2006

• Task 1 - Review of literature
• to identify relevant rules, manuals, guidelines,
  and best practices in US and abroad in the areas
  of RSAs, WZ safety, and training programs.
• Task 2 - Case study
• to review and study existing WZ safety
  guidelines, practices, and safety programs that
  have been implemented on the Dan Ryan Expressway
  (I-90/94) Reconstruction Project.

5
Task 1 Review of Literature

• RSA guidelines and best practices
• examine the contents and compare consistency of
  different RSA guidelines.
• WZ safety rules, manuals, and guidelines
• prepared by different agencies such as FHWA,
  state DOTs, OSHA, and foreign governmental
  agencies.
• WZ and worker training programs
• over one thousand records of training information
  including videos, courses, workshops,
  conferences, materials, and certification
  programs.

6
Task 2 - Case Study

• Dan Ryan Expressway
• built in 1963 at 150,000 vpd vs. 320,000 in 2005.
  
• MUTCD provided the basic guidelines.
• Implementation of the WZ safety guidelines
• IDOT,
• Consultants, and
• Contractors.

7
Best Practices Adopted by IDOT

• Two operational lanes in each direction by using
  shoulders
• Use ADT to predict queues and guide traffic
  control plans
• Dynamic Lane Merge System to decrease the time
  for vehicles to merge at a taper
• Type II barricades for safety driving conditions
  in WZ
• Change construction procedures to reduce
  frequency of lane closures
• Improved dynamic message signs for drivers
• Speed photo enforcement and
• Public safety programs.

8
Major Difficulties Encountered

• Actual data is needed, including crash data,
  workers injury data, insurance and payout during
  construction
• It takes a long process to get such data and
  some information is even not obtainable
• A letter from FHWA urging public and private
  supports may help.
• The quality of some data, e.g., crash data, needs
  to be improved.

9
Work to Be Accomplished

• Completion of the two tasks in this quarter
• Survey on implementation and compliance of WZ
  safety audit guidelines/practices
• Study on strategies for developing new WZ safety
  audit guidelines
• Identify other case study projects
• Plan for a workshop on work zone safety issues.