Tracking and Analyzing Dangerous Work-Zone Intrusions? Now, There’s an App for That.

Highway workers face frequent dangers from work-zone intrusions, leading to injuries and fatalities. To address this, a University of Minnesota research team developed a smartphone-based app for reporting work-zone intrusions in a project sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The app, designed with feedback from highway workers, streamlines data collection on intrusions, enabling transportation agencies to track trends and improve safety measures. Initial testing showed the app’s ease of use and potential for providing actionable insights. The project concluded with a successful pilot, and the app is available for further use in promoting worker safety.