Topics of Interest
Topics of Interest
Smart Work Zones
A smart work zone (SWZ) deploys intelligent transportation systems (ITS) for dynamic management of work zone traffic impacts, such as queue and speed management. The key objective is to minimize work zone safety and mobility impacts. Some general information resources about SWZs are provided here.
SWZ Technology Applications
In addition, several different types of SWZ technology applications have been developed and implemented. The following links provide a range of reports, presentations, specifications, deployment plans, and other resources for each type of application.
Real-Time Traveler Information
Real-time traveler information systems are designed to provide drivers with current travel condition information prior to, and within a work zone, and may also provide this on alternative routes in the corridor. One of the main goals of this application is to encourage diversion away from the work zone when congestion exists.
Webinars/Peer Exchanges
Case Studies
- Example of a construction traveler information system website in Texas
- Tennessee DOT’s 2022 Work Zone Awareness Week Smart Work Zone Video
Guidance Documents
Evaluation Studies
Design and Operating Procedures Standards/Guidelines
Example Bid Specifications and Deployment Plans
- Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Bid specification of a system in Arkansas that included highway advisory radio
- Bid specification for a real-time traffic management system for work zones for the Callahan Tunnel project in Boston, Mass.
- Special specification for a work zone travel time system in Michigan
Queue Warning
Queue warning systems are designed to quickly detect the presence of queues at the work zone and warn approaching motorists that traffic is slowed or stopped ahead.
Fact Sheets
Case Studies
- Presentation of work zone ITS used on a project in southern Illinois
- IH-35 Queue Detection/Warning System
Guidance Documents
- Application guidelines for queue warning systems by Minnesota Department of Transportation
- Treating Potential Back-of-Queue Safety Hazards Pamphlet
Evaluation Studies
- Mitigating Work Zone Safety and Mobility Challenges through Intelligent Transportation Systems – Case Studies, Chapter 2 – Mitigating High-Speed Rear-End Work Zone Crashes Using Commercial Off-The-Shelf ITS: Effingham and Mount Vernon, IL
Design and Operating Procedures Standards/Guidelines
Example Bid Specifications and Deployment Plans
- Bid specification for a queue warning system in Texas
- Example of deployment plans for queue warning in Texas (without portable rumble strips)
- Example of deployment plans for queue warning in Texas (with portable rumble strips)
- Draft deployment plans for queue warning in Pennsylvania
- Bid specification for queue warning (termed stopped traffic advisory) in Michigan
- Example of a deployment plan package for queue warning on a project in Michigan
- Example of an on-call contract bid specification for queue warning in Illinois
Dynamic Lane Merge
Dynamic lane merge systems encourage motorists to merge at specific points as they approach a lane closure, depending on current operating conditions.
Webinars/Peer Exchanges
Fact Sheets
- Description of zipper merge by Colorado Department of Transportation (and a video illustrating how it works)
- Description of zipper merge by Kansas Department of Transportation (and a video illustrating how it works)
- Description of dynamic zipper merge by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (and a video illustrating how it works)
- Missouri Department of Transportation website describing dynamic merge
Guidance Documents
- Description of a late merge system by Minnesota Department of Transportation
- American Traffic Safety Services Association guidance on the use of dynamic lane merge strategies
Evaluations
- Evaluation of a deployment in Minnesota
- Evaluation of a deployment in Maryland
- Evaluation of a deployment in Florida
Design and Operating Procedures Standards/Guidelines
Incident Management
Incident management systems enable agencies, contractors and responders to detect incidents in the work zone faster, allowing for quicker response and clearance.
Evaluations
Variable Speed Limit
Variable speed limit systems strive to harmonize speeds approaching and within the work zone, calming traffic flow and warning of slowed or stopped traffic ahead.
Webinars/Peer Exchanges
- Utah – Variable Speed Limit Technology Peer Exchange
Evaluations
- Development and Field Evaluation of Variable Advisory Speed Limit System for Work Zones
- Use of Portable and Dynamic Variable Speed Limits in Construction Zones in Utah
- Evaluation of a variable speed limit system in Minnesota
- Evaluation of TxDOT Variable Speed Limit Pilot Projects
Design and Operating Procedures Standards/Guidelines
Speed Safety Cameras
Automated enforcement systems detect and capture images of speeding vehicles to be used for enforcement purposes.
Laws and Legislation That Allow Speed Safety Cameras in Work Zones
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut (See Sec. 13a-262, Sec. 13a-263, Sec. 13a-266, and Sec. 13a-269)
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- Oregon (ORS 810.441 & ORS 810.442)
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
State DOT Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Program Websites
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- New York
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Vermont
Webinars/Peer Exchanges
- Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Webinar (April 2025)
- Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Peer Exchange and Demonstration Site Visit (October 2024)
- FHWA Overview of Safety Speed Cameras
- FHWA Implementing the Proven Safety Countermeasures in Work Zones
- Washington State Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Colorado Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Indiana Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Virginia Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Illinois Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Maryland Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- New York State Thruway Authority Speed Safety Cameras
- Pennsylvania Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras Overview
- Delaware Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Connecticut Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Vermont Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Minnesota Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Washington DC Speed Safety Cameras
- Pennsylvania Stakeholder Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras Roles and Program Management
- Work Zone Safety Contingency Funding/Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Peer Exchange (March 2023)
- FHWA Overview of Work Zone Safety Contingency Funding
- Michigan Experiences with Work Zone Safety Contingency Funding
- Texas Experiences with Work Zone Safety Contingency Funding
- FHWA Overview of Speed Safety Cameras
- Virginia Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Delaware Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Washington State Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Pennsylvania Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Illinois Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Maryland Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
Fact Sheets
- Speed Safety Camera Program and Planning Operations Guide: An Overview
- Checklist for Implementing Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Automated Speed Enforcement Systems in Work Zones
Case Studies
- Pennsylvania – Case Study of Pennsylvania’s Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Program
- New York – Case Study of New York State’s Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Program
- Maryland – Automated Speed Enforcement and Project Coordination Technology
Guidance Documents
- FHWA Speed Safety Camera Program Planning and Operations Guide
- Pennsylvania Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement (AWZSE): Field Deployment Guide (starting on Page 106)
- Washington State Speed Safety Camera Readiness Guide
- Podcast: Automated Speed Enforcement in Work Zones
Evaluations
- FHWA Model Evaluation Plan for Work Zone Speed Safety Cameras
- Delaware Electronic Speed Safety Program Report CY 2022
- Evaluation of an automated enforcement system in Illinois
- Illinois Automated Speed Enforcement Slows Down Drivers in Work Zones
- Speed Enforcement in Work Zones and Synthesis on Cost-Benefit Assessment of Installing Speed Enforcement Cameras on INDOT Road Network
- Maryland SafeZone Facts Summer 2021
- New York Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement
- Pennsylvania Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement 2022 Annual Report
- Pennsylvania Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement 2023 Annual Report
- Washington Automated Speed Enforcement Pilot Project Evaluation
Entering/Exiting Vehicle Notification
This type of system warns drivers of slow-moving construction vehicle that may be entering the travel lane. The system can also warn that the vehicle is exiting the travel lane and to not follow it into the work space.
Webinars/Peer Exchanges
- Use and Effectiveness of Access and Egress Points in Work Zones Virtual Workshop (May 2024)
Fact Sheets
Guidance Documents
Performance Measurement
Performance measurement systems monitor and archive traffic condition data to support real-time traveler information dissemination, modify operations, and support evaluation.
Case Studies
Connected Vehicles (AV) and Automated Vehicles (AV) Operations in Work Zones
Webinars/Peer Exchanges
- Colorado – Autonomous Truck-Mounted Attenuator Technology Peer Exchange
- CDOT’s Background and Vision in Autonomous Technology
- RoadX Program/Why CDOT is Taking the Lead in this Field
- Autonomous TMA Truck (ATMA) Project Background
- Unmanned IPV Insurance Concerns
- Policy and Regulatory Considerations: Autonomous Vehicles
- Autonomous TMA Truck (ATMA) Verifying Performance
- Autonomous TMA Truck (ATMA) Modifications
- Autonomous TMA Truck (ATMA) Potential Uses
- Autonomous TMA Truck (ATMA) Operational Capabilities
- Working Together to Advance the Technology
- Texas – I-35 Connected Work Zone Workshop
- Texas Connected Work Zones Peer Exchange (November 2022)
- Testing Connected Work Zone Information Pathways to Freight Carriers
- Work Zone Warnings – Texas Connected Freight Corridors Project
- North Carolina Commercial Motor Vehicle Alerts
- Use of Third-Party Probe Vehicle Data for Smart Work Zone Applications
- Merging Planned and Connected Work Zone Device Data
- Massachusetts Smart Work Zone Manager Application
- Iowa DOT Connected Work Zone Devices
Note: The presentations and videos do not meet accessibility standards.
Case Studies/Testbeds
- Wyoming Department of Transportation Connected Vehicle Pilot
- U.S. Department of Transportation New York City Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment
- Virginia Department of Transportation Connected Corridors Initiative
- California Connected Vehicle Testbed
Evaluations
- Syntheses of Research Related to the Use and Implementation of Advanced Technology to Improve Work Zone Management
- Safe Integration of Automated Vehicles into Work Zones