01590669

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/2555-08

Pavement preservation projects typically require construction workers to conduct their work in close proximity to ongoing traffic. During paving operations, workers are located within a protected work zone. Some are situated nearby or engaged with the equipment, while others may be a long distance from the equipment and on foot. The study reported here was conducted to investigate how temporary advisory speed signs located periodically in a work zone affected vehicle speeds within highway paving project work zones. The study used an experimental approach that involved a multilane paving project on a high-speed roadway in Oregon. The posted regulatory speed on the roadway was 65 mph, which was reduced temporarily to 50 mph in the work zone. During construction, 35 mph advisory signs were posted along with other traffic control devices (e.g., "Speed 50" signs with radar speed display and portable changeable message signs on rollers), and the impact they had on vehicle speed and speed variability was evaluated. The research findings indicated that use of the 35 mph signs led to lower vehicle speeds within the work zone. The reduction in speed was greater by passenger cars than by trucks. The use of 35 mph advisory signs in work zones is recommended to help reduce vehicle speeds through the entire work zone and to minimize safety risks, especially to workers on foot and situated away from major equipment.

01594662

16-0184

English

pp 65–71

2016

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

9780309441193

Print

Figures (3) ; References (12) ; Tables (6)

Night; Paving; Speed limits; Speed signs; Traffic speed; Variable message signs; Work zone safety; Work zone traffic control

Oregon

Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 12 2016 4:19PM

• Assessment of an Adaptive Driving Beam Headlighting System: Visibility and Glare
• Guidelines for Traffic Control Devices at Changes in Horizontal Alignment
• Legibility of the Clearview Typeface and FHWA Standard Alphabets on Negative- and Positive-Contrast Signs
• Model Development for Use of Portable Traffic Signals in Conjunction with Pilot Car Operations at Two-Lane, Two-Way Rural Highway Work Zones
• Portable Traffic Signals in Conjunction with Pilot Car Operations at Two-Lane, Two-Way Rural Highway Work Zones
• Road Lighting Effects on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accident Frequency: Case Study in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Safety Effects of Portable End-of-Queue Warning System Deployments at Texas Work Zones
• Safety Effects of Street Illuminance at Urban Signalized Intersections in Florida
• Traffic Control at Access Points Within Alternating One-Way Operations
• Updated Model for Advance Placement of Turn and Curve Warning Signs
• Variable Speed Limit Study Upstream of an Indiana Work Zone with Vehicle Matching
• What Role Do Precrash Driver Actions Play in Work Zone Crashes? Application of Hierarchical Models to Crash Data
• Work Zone Crash Cost Prediction with a Least Median Squares Linear Regression Model