Work Zone Innovations:
Get the Facts
A new series of fact sheets available from the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) describes how State highway agencies
are using a lot more than flaggers and traffic cones to improve their
work zones. Oregon's Quick Fax Service (Publication No. FHWA-OP-00-022),
for example, details how the Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT)
relies on a broadcast fax system to relay up-to-the-minute information
on road closures and traffic delays to commercial truckers. Approximately
154 trucking companies and 30 truck stops, including those as far
away as Virginia, Nebraska, and Wyoming, are on the notification list.
The broadcast fax system can deliver 50 faxes at once, which has cut
notification time from 3 hours to 20 minutes. For more information,
contact Dave Davis at Oregon DOT, 503-986-5845 (fax: 503-986-5847;
email: david.u.davis@odot.state.or.us).
The Delaware DOT took an equally innovative approach to planning a
major reconstruction project on a busy section of Interstate 95, which
is described in Delaware's Survival Plan for the I-95 Shutdown (Publication
No. FHWA-OP-00-025). To keep disruptions to a minimum, a citizens
advisory board reviewed several alternatives for performing the construction
work and decided that closing all lanes on the side being rebuilt
would be the fastest and least expensive way of completing the work.
The DOT also mounted a year-long information campaign to let the public
know of alternative travel routes. The campaign included newspaper
ads and radio spots, as well as a survival guide that explained what
was happening on I-95, when it would happen, and what the public should
do to plan ahead. For more information, contact Darren O'Neill at
Delaware DOT, 302-760-2274 (email: doneill@mail.dot.state.de.us).
Also described in the series is Illinois DOT's use of new strategies
for a recent reconstruction project on Interstate 57 (Customer Driven
Construction in Illinois, Publication No. FHWA-OP-00-023). Illinois
Interstate projects are usually limited to 8 km (5 mi) of construction
per project. However, with 29 km (18 mi) of I-57 needing rehabilitation
and safety upgrades, the Illinois DOT decided to combine these multiple
projects into one continuous work zone segment. This strategy limited
the construction-related delays to one summer, instead of an estimated
three to four construction seasons. Other innovations included providing
real-time information to motorists through the use of portable message
boards, using fast-setting patch mixes, and moving lane closures more
often to reduce the length of the closures. For more information,
contact Travis Emery at Illinois DOT, 618-549-2171 (email: emeryjt@nt.dot.state.il.us).
A fourth fact sheet, Work Zone Safety Awareness Week (Publication
No. FHWA-OP-00-024), describes how some States observed the 2000 event
(see related story, page 1). For more information or to obtain copies
of the fact sheets, contact Phillip Ditzler at FHWA, 202-366-0855
(fax: 202-366-3225; email: phillip.ditzler@fhwa.dot.gov).
The fact sheets are also available on the Web at ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/workzone.htm.
How is your State or local highway agency improving its work zone
operations? Have innovative practices saved you time and money, improved
safety, or reduced delays? FHWA wants to hear from you! The information
received will be used to update FHWA's recently released Work Zone
Best Practices Guidebook (Publication No. FHWA-OP-00-010) and will
be highlighted in future fact sheets. To share your best practices
or to obtain a CD-ROM copy of the current guidebook, contact Phillip
Ditzler at FHWA, 202-366-0855 (fax: 202-366-3225; email: phillip.ditzler@fhwa.dot.gov).
The guidebook is also available on the Web at ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/workzone.htm.
