Formalized Process for Performance Assessment of Work Zone Transportation Management Plans in Virginia

FHWA’s Final Rule on Work Zone Safety and Mobility, which is part of the Code of Federal Regulations, requires transportation management plans (TMPs) for all federally funded roadway construction projects. These plans are a documented combination of traffic control, public relations, and transportation demand operations strategies designed to mitigate the impacts that work zones can have on safety and mobility. A key component in TMPs is monitoring and assessing traffic impacts to incorporate lessons learned into future TMPs. The Virginia Department of Transportation (DOT) sought to formalize a process to assess individual TMPs and TMPs at an agencywide level. This paper summarizes the rationale and steps taken to develop this TMP assessment process. This process, which has been developed in the form of Virginia DOT’s new TMP performance assessment guidelines and postconstruction report form, is outlined for various project complexities.