Effectiveness of City Traffic-Control Programs for Construction and Maintenance Work Zones

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the present state of the art of city traffic-control programs for construction and maintenance work zones. Information was gathered through two separate investigations to determine the status of present city traffic-control programs for construction and maintenance work zones and the effectiveness of these programs. A survey was conducted by sending questionnaires to cities in the United States that asked for information related to various aspects of the cities’ traffic-control programs in work zones. Responses were rated according to each city’s degree of involvement in regulating traffic controls in work zones. The results indicated that the amount of importance cities place on traffic-control programs for work zones varies widely and the majority of the cities surveyed do a less-than-adequate job in controlling construction and maintenance activity. Work zones in eight of the surveyed cities were studied to evaluate the effectiveness of the cities’ traffic-control programs for work zones. This information was used to rate each of the cities’ effectiveness and compare it with the survey ratings by using a statistical ranking procedure. A correlation was found between the survey scores and the field investigation scores. This correlation suggests that the quality of traffic control in the work zones is dependent on the degree of involvement the cities have in regulating construction and maintenance work zones.