Addressing Work Zone Traffic Safety Issues in Arizona

The occurrence of work zone crashes is expected to increase in Arizona with the Arizona Department of Transportation’s (ADOT’s) shifted emphasis from constructing new roadways to preserving existing facilities. Identifying factors that contribute to work zone crashes will lead to development of appropriate strategies to improve work zone traffic control design and management. This research effort included analysis of work zone crashes identified in the ADOT Accident Location Identification Surveillance System (ALISS) database to determine accuracy of data and to identify factors associated with work zone crashes. The research also compared information from work zone crash reports to the data in the ALISS database to identify inconsistencies. Recommendations were developed for improving the accuracy of crash investigation reporting and transcribing, and for improving work zone policies and procedures.