00983272

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/1877-08

http://scholar.google.com...ncan&publication_year=2004

Motorists traveling through work zones are faced with both routine and unexpected tasks of driving coupled with additional distractions provided by the work zone. This can create conflicts despite significant applications of work zone traffic-control devices. When one or more through-traffic lanes are closed and traffic volumes exceed the capacity of merge points or of the reduced number of lanes, congestion can lead to the formation of queues, which result in delays and increased potential for crashes. An automated work zone information system (AWIS) may be implemented at a work zone to notify approaching motorists of changing traffic conditions, such as slowdowns or backups. Research was conducted at rural work zones in Arkansas on I-40, where two lanes of traffic in a direction were reduced to one lane. The objectives were to compare the displays of an AWIS with field observations of traffic conditions and to determine at what volume backups were forming. AWIS was compared with field observations for two traffic speeds, 30 and 50 mph. At 30 mph, the speed at which the system was programmed to identify a backup, AWIS concurred with the field observations 92% of the time. For a perceived backup speed of 50 mph, the system indicated a backup about 88% of the time. Backups formed at short-term flow rates as low as 800 to 900 passenger car equivalents per hour, which is lower than the capacities reported in the literature (1,100 to over 2,000 vehicles per hour).

This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1877, Maintenance Management and Services.

00983264

English

p. 69-76

2004

Transportation Research Record

0309094739

Figures (7) ; Photos (1) ; References (10) ; Tables (3)

Driver information systems; Field studies; Highway capacity; Interstate highways; Lane closure; Performance; Rural highways; Traffic congestion; Traffic flow rate; Traffic queuing; Traffic speed; Work zones

Automated work zone information systems; Observations

Arkansas

Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; I60: Maintenance; I73: Traffic Control

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Dec 9 2004 12:00AM

• DETERMINING DESIGN WIND LOADS FOR WORK ZONE TRAFFIC-CONTROL DEVICES
• ESTIMATES OF WORK ZONE EXPOSURE ON THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM IN 2001
• EVALUATION OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY CAPACITY FOR SHORT-TERM WORK ZONE LANE CLOSURES
• HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE OUTSOURCING EXPERIENCE: SYNOPSIS OF WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S REVIEW
• IMPLEMENTING HIGHWAY PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE: COMPARING CHALLENGES, PROCESSES, AND SOLUTIONS IN THREE STATES
• INJURY SEVERITY AND TOTAL HARM IN TRUCK-INVOLVED WORK ZONE CRASHES
• MODEL TO ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HIGHWAY REST AREA PERFORMANCE
• OPTIMAL DYNAMIC SPEED-LIMIT CONTROL FOR HIGHWAY WORK ZONE OPERATIONS
• PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS UNDER DRY, WET, AND RAINY CONDITIONS IN THE FIELD
• PILOT STUDY OF SPEED-RECOVERY DURATION AS A MEASURE OF WINTER MAINTENANCE PERFORMANCE
• PREDICTION OF BRINE APPLICATION FOR PRETREATMENT AND ANTI-ICING
• SAFETY IMPLICATIONS OF FREEWAY WORK ZONE LANE CLOSURES
• TRAFFIC-SIGNAL GROUP RELAMPING MODEL
• WORK ZONE OPTIMIZATION FOR TWO-LANE HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE PROJECTS