Recent studies indicate that work zones suffer from an increasing trend of deaths and injuries in and around the highway construction areas with an average of 745 fatalities and 40,700 severe injuries per year. To control and minimize work zone fatalities and injuries, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and many state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are seeking to improve the design practices of work zones to reduce work zone crashes. To support this vital and pressing highway safety goal, this research study focuses on analyzing and optimizing existing work zone practices and exploring the effectiveness and efficiency of innovative temporary rumble strips that can be used to minimize crashes in and around highway construction and maintenance projects. The research objectives of this study are to: (1) provide enhanced understanding of the impact of work zone parameters and innovative temporary traffic control devices on the safety of highway construction zones; (2) analyze work zone crashes and current practices to identify potential layout parameters that impact work zone crash occurrence; (3) investigate and quantify the impact of work zone layout parameters on the risk and cost of crash occurrence; (4) optimize work zone setup parameters to minimize total work zone costs including agency, user delay, and expected crash costs; (5) conduct field experiments to analyze the efficiency and constructability of various arrangements of temporary rumble strips prior to and at the edge of work zones; and (6) study and enhance the effectiveness of temporary rumble strips in alerting inattentive drivers prior to and at the edge of work zones. In order to achieve these objectives, the study is conducted in seven major tasks that focus on: (1) conducting a comprehensive literature review; (2) collecting and fusing all available data and reports on work zone crashes in Illinois; (3) analyzing work zone crashes and identifying the probable causes and contributing factors; (4) identifying the impact of layout parameters on risk of crash occurrence; (5) developing an optimization model to minimize total work zone costs including agency cost, user delay cost, and expected work zone crash cost; (6) performing field experiments on temporary rumble strips and evaluate the efficiency of utilization on site; and (7) evaluating the effectiveness of temporary rumble strips prior and at the edge of work zones. The main research developments of this study are expected to have significant impacts on (1) identifying potential work zone parameters and contributing causes that impact work zone crash occurrence; (2) estimating the probability of work zones to encounter severe crashes; (3) quantifying the impact of work zone parameters on the risk levels of crash occurrence; (4) estimating the monetary value of work zone crashes based on work zone layout parameters; (5) searching for and identifying optimal work zone setup solutions that specify segment length, operating speed, TTC policy, and concrete barrier at different operation staring times; (6) developing new efficient prototypes of temporary rumble strips to be utilized prior to and at the edge of work zones; and (7) developing practical guidelines for effective design arrangements of temporary rumble strips. These new developments hold a strong promise to: (a) improve work zone safety for both the travelling public and construction workers; (b) improve current work zone layouts, strategies, and standards; (c) provide a baseline for controlling the risk of crash occurrence due to highway work zones; (d) assist construction planners in identifying optimal work zone setups for highway construction; (e) direct the development of practical recommendations for efficient and effective design arrangements of temporary rumble strips; and (f) reduce work zone crashes in the work area through the implementation of practical temporary rumble strips arrangements.

This study was conducted to develop methodologies for appropriately determining the monetary values of I/D rates of highway construction projects in Indiana. In this study, a comprehensive literature review was performed to identify possible effective methodologies for work zone effects, construction impacts, and contract time optimization. The highway production rates were developed in a previous study. The production rates were validated and adjusted with the help from INDOT field engineers. The weigh-in-motion (WIM) collected traffic data were obtained, processed, and analyzed to provide input data for user cost calculations at highway work zones. Construction data were obtained and processed to develop the relationship between the construction cost and construction time. With the traffic and construction data, the methods for user cost calculations were developed as the basis of determining appropriate I/D rates. User costs resulting from traffic delays at Indiana highway work zones were analyzed. A series of equations for estimating user costs at work zones were developed. User cost calculation sheets using MS Excel were developed based on the traffic data on Indiana highway network. Finally, a method was developed to determine I/D rates based on the relationship between construction cost and construction time in combination with the estimated user costs at given work zones. Guidelines for developing A+B bidding and I/D provisions were provided.

This Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook provides an easily accessible compilation of work zone operations practices used and recommended by various States and localities around the country. The Guidebook is a reference document that can be updated with new approaches, technologies, and practices for effectively managing work zones and reducing the impacts of work zones on mobility and safety as they are identified. The best practices are descriptive, not prescriptive. They describe approaches that have been successfully used by transportation agencies, along with contact information to find out more from the agency using the practice. Each organization must determine which of these practices are best suited for its particular situation, considering all the site-specific factors that affect work zone operations.

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 413: Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas explores a diverse set of techniques designed to address highway construction challenges in congested urban areas such as high-traffic volumes, utility conflicts, complex right-of-way acquisition issues, a diverse stakeholder base, and watchful news media. The report includes four case studies designed to help illustrate effective construction practices in congested urban areas.