Field Evaluation of Highway Advisory Radio for Traffic Management in Work Zones (abridgement)

Studies were conducted at a major maintenance work zone on a rural Interstate highway in Texas to evaluate the use of Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) for traffic management in work zones. The studies consisted of lane distribution, volume and vehicle classification counts conducted before and after installation of the HAR, and a questionnaire survey administered to motorists observed traveling through the work zone. The studies revealed that the HAR had little or no effect on traffic operations in the work zone because of two factors. First, the conventional signing at the work zone was excellent and HAR functioned only as a supplemental source of information. Second, the advanced signing used to encourage motorists to tune to the HAR broadcasts was inadequate in terms of legibility and visibility. Almost 40 percent of the motorists who entered the work zone reported that they did not even see the signing. Even though the HAR system did not significantly affect traffic operations in the work zone, the studies indicate that HAR may have good potential for traffic management in the work zone for certain applications. The HAR hardware performed adequately. Generally speaking, motorists were satisfied with the quality of the broadcasts and supportive of this innovative approach to traffic management in work zones.