An International Review on Road Work Zone Safety

The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the main findings of an international review on road work zone (RWZ) safety, carried out for the purposes of the ARROWS research project, funded by the European Commission. The main topics of the review comprise an inventory of all sorts of relevant safety measures – such as traffic control devices, road layout adjustment and protective or guiding road equipment – as well as an international comparison of standards and practices, focusing on comparison among countries and on issues of principles and implementation of standards. Emphasis in this paper is placed, among other issues, on a discussion of the capabilities and prospects of selected innovative RWZ safety measures, as well as on similarities and differences observed between European countries and the United States; in particular regarding RWZ typologies, definitions and safety-measure requirements. The paper concludes with an overview of issues related to achieving the ARROWS project’s objective of a pan-European harmonized framework and, ultimately, improved safety at roadworks across Europe.