• 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
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • X
  • 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
    • Work Zone Safety and MobilityTransportation 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
  • Public Awareness
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

Evaluation of Supplementary Traffic Control Measures for Freeway Work-zone Approaches

Author/Presenter: Sanford Bernhardt, Kristen L.; Virkler, Mark R.; Shaik, Nawaz M.
Abstract:

Controlling traffic in work-zones to improve safety continues to be a major concern for highway agencies. Three traffic control devices: white lane drop arrows, the CB wizard alert system, and orange rumble strips were tested for their effectiveness in improving merging, and reducing speed and speed variance at an interstate highway work-zone in Missouri. Based on the results of the study described, the lane drop arrows, CB message, and rumble strips can be expected to promote some increases in early merging and some decreases in mean speeds of vehicles approaching an interstate highway work-zone with a lane drop. Effects of all three devices on speed variance are inconclusive. However, because of the difficulty in summarizing across the many variables involved (day/night/dawn/dusk, open/closed lane, vehicles class, etc.), it is recommended that anyone considering the use of the devices examine the full report.

Source: TRB 80th Annual Meeting Preprint CD-ROM
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
Publication Date: 2001
Full Text URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: Books, Reports, Papers, and Research Articles
Topics: Countermeasures; Evaluation and Assessment; Merging Control; Temporary Traffic Control; Traffic Control Devices

Copyright © 2025 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