Prioritized Safety Consideration by Work Zone Types and Pilot Implementation

With the growing need for maintenance or reconstruction of existing infrastructure and the construction of new infrastructure, work zone (WZ) setup and management are important for the safe and efficient movement of road users and protection of construction workers and personnel. Applications of Smart Work Zone (SWZ) systems, which are efficient in traffic management and safe for traffic, workers, and pedestrians, have received significant attention in Florida and other states. This study conducted a pilot implementation of SWZs to evaluate the effectiveness of deploying Active Work Zone Awareness Devices (AWADs), connected vehicle technologies via iCone products, stationary police vehicles with flashing blue lights, and their combinations in improving WZ safety on arterials, considering three stationary WZ types: lane closure, lane shift, and work on shoulder or median. This research focused major efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of AWAD deployment and its combinations with other applications. AWADs employ radar combined with flashing Light–Emitting Diode (LED) signs that warn drivers of an upcoming active WZ for arterial roads. These devices indicate travel speed and display safety signage of “Active Work Zone When Flashing” and “Speeding Fines Doubled.” In this project, vehicle speed data and driving behavior data were collected at seven study sites in Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7 that cover various WZ types, roadway classifications, and traffic conditions. Statistical analyses were applied to compare safety performance, including vehicle speeds, sudden deceleration behaviors, and sudden lane change behaviors between deployments of SWZs under different scenarios and their baseline conditions (without SWZ deployments). Significant results of the research at seven pilot implementation sites included decreasing speeds entering arterial WZs by 10%, increasing safe driving behavior by 44%, and reducing risky driving by 43% by deploying AWADs alone. By combining AWAD deployments with the presence of law enforcement, more reductions in vehicle speeds and risky behaviors were achieved. For iCone products using Connected Vehicle (CV) technology to communicate WZ conditions or warnings with road users,
it is anticipated to have an impact on reducing vehicle speeds approaching a WZ if a WZ message can be
displayed and/or broadcasted automatically via WAZE and other navigation systems in the future.