• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Logo

Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse

Library of Resources to Improve Roadway Work Zone Safety for All Roadway Users

  • About
  • Join Listserv
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Work Zone Data
    • At a Glance
    • National & State Traffic Data
    • Work Zone Traffic Crash Trends and Statistics
    • Worker Fatalities and Injuries at Road Construction Sites
  • Topics of Interest
    • Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
    • Smart Work Zones
    • Transportation Management Plans
    • Accommodating Pedestrians
    • Worker Safety and Welfare
    • Project Coordination in Work Zones
  • Training
    • Flagger
    • Online Courses
    • Toolboxes
    • FHWA Safety Grant Products
    • Certification and
      Accreditation
  • Work Zone Devices
  • Laws, Standards & Policies
    • COVID-19 Guidance
  • Public Awareness
  • Events
  • About
  • Listserv
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

Determining Optimal Deployment Location of Portable Changeable Message Sign Upstream of Work Zones

Author/Presenter: Li, Yue; Bai, Yong
Abstract:

A portable changeable message sign (PCMS) has been utilized in the upstream of work zones for many years. However, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) does not specify the optimal deployment location of a PCMS in the work zones. Thus, traffic engineers have to rely on their experience to determine the deployment location for a PCMS. As a result, the potential effectiveness of a PCMS may not be fully realized. The objective of this research was to determine the optimal deployment location of a PCMS in the upstream of work zones with the purpose of effectively reducing vehicle speeds. To achieve the objective, two field experiments were performed. The first field experiment was conducted to determine the vehicle speed profiles when a PCMS was placed at three different locations from the start point of a work zone which was the location of the first temporary traffic control sign (W20-1 Sign). Based on the results of speed profile analyses, it was found that vehicle speeds declined smoothly and had the least speed variances when a PCMS was placed near 575 feet away from the W20-1 Sign. To verify the outcomes, the second field experiment was conduct in which a PCMS was placed at 750, 575, and 400 feet away from the W20-1 Sign. Based on the results of regression analyses, the authors concluded that the optimal deployment location of a PCMS in the upstream of work zones was anywhere between 556 to 575 feet away from the W20-1 Sign.

Source: Presented at the 91st Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, January 2012, Washington, D.C.
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
Publication Date: 2012
Source URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: Books, Reports, Papers, and Research Articles
Topics: Changeable Message Signs; Speed Control; Temporary Traffic Control

Copyright © 2023 American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is a project of the ARTBA Transportation Development Foundation. It is operated in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. | Copyright Statement · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer
American Road and Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation, American Road and Transportation Builders Association U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Texas A&M Transportation Institute