• 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
    • Online Courses
    • FHWA Safety Grant Products
    • Toolboxes
    • Flagger
    • Certification and
      Accreditation
  • Work Zone Devices
  • Laws, Standards & Policies
  • Public Awareness
  • About
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Search
Publication

Work Zone Impact Assessment Methods and Applications

Author/Presenter: Pesti, Geza; Brydia, Robert E.
Abstract:

Two work zone impact assessment methods were developed and their applicability was illustrated with data from recent construction projects on the I-35 Central Texas corridor. The first method was developed for postevent analyses of the impacts of freeway construction activities, incidents, and special events. The impacts were evaluated in terms of travel times and delay. An interval estimate for maximum queue length was also provided. Travel times and speeds were obtained by Bluetooth address matching. The method has also been used for determining work zone mobility performance measures, verifying the suitability of queue warning systems, and providing feedback for future deployment decisions. Based on more than 3 years’ experience with the analysis of impacts of road construction and maintenance projects as well as some major incidents on the I-35 corridor, the Bluetooth-based postevent closure analysis tool has proved to be very cost-effective. The second method was developed for determining the best closure schedule and start time for planned work zone lane closures. The best closure start time is the one that is expected to create the shortest queue lengths and has the least negative impact on travelers. The required input includes historical traffic volumes at a point upstream of the planned lane closure and estimated work zone capacity. The work zone capacity can vary over the duration of the work zone. The method runs input—output analysis in a dual-loop framework to analyze the impact of all available closure schedule scenarios and selects the best closure start time with the shortest expected queues.

Source: Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Volume: 2617
Issue: 1
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
Publication Date: January 1, 2017
Full Text URL: Link to URL
Publication Types: Books, Reports, Papers, and Research Articles
Topics: Bluetooth Technology; Impacts; Lane Closure; Traffic Delays; Traffic Queuing; Work Zones

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