The Condition Acquisition and Reporting System (CARS) eXchange project was put in place to support the FHWA's goal of increasing safety for the traveling public by sharing real-time work zone information between the public and private sectors, under an FHWA grant. To do so, MnDOT planned to advance work zone reporting, safety, and mobility by:
• Pushing information to third parties in the WZDx format: WZDx Publisher
• Pulling information from other WZDx-compliant feeds: WZDx Fusion Engine
• Creating a mobile tool for workers to check into work zones: Work Zone / Worker Presence (WZWP) App
The primary objective of this study is to give the department a statewide perspective on motorists' opinions regarding construction related road closures. To accomplish this objective, a survey identified user preference for and acceptance of either completely closing a road for a shorter period of time, or providing reduced lane access over a longer period of time, while road maintenance and construction is completed.
A secondary objective was to learn how MnDOT might make trips thru work zones safer by identifying driver fears.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect the lateral restriction imposed by a snow fence used to enclose a construction area had on traffic flow, highway capacity, and accident experience.
The construction zone studied was on I-494 in suburban Bloomington and Richfield from T.H. 100 to the east junction of T.H. 5.
This study included the time period from June 2, 1965 to November 12, 1965.
KEY OBJECTIVES
• Evaluate messages and styles of ads used by Construction Office in summer of '99 to promote awareness and safety in work zones.
• Determine if use of construction site information is a productive use of airtime.
• Assess better ways to convey the importance of driving safely in construction or maintenance work zones.
METHODOLOGY:
Four focus group interviews were conducted in early March of 2000. Participants were regular users of metro area freeways, with one group being specifically drivers who also traveled north of the Twin Cities at least three times during spring through fall of '99. The latter was to get a comparative base for the site info, which depicted highways 169 and 35E going north, in the previous ad campaign.
The main goals of Play it SAFE are:
- to create an awareness of the color orange as a highway sign that means "danger" or "be aware";
- to have students recognize what a work zone is and the possible dangers that lie within it;
- to recognize what a traffic control device is;
- to encourage individuals to "slow down" within a work zone area;
- and to have students recognize the dangers involved in winter driving and the additional dangers in the vicinity of a snowplow.
These materials are designed to be used as a supplement to curriculum presently being taught. Each of the exercises is formatted for ease of use. They are summarized by detailing grade level, related subjects, skills needed, duration, group size and setting required.
The WorkZone Safety and Training Section of the Construction Office decided in the winter of 2000 to follow up on two market research projects that were conducted earlier in that year. The first evaluated several specific safety messages that had been used as PSAs, and the second project determined preferences of the driving public for whether or not WorkZones should be fully detoured or left partially open.
One question that was asked in each of the two projects was, "What do you most fear/what makes you most nervous when driving through a WorkZone?". This question was explored briefly in focus groups that were utilized in the first study and was then quantified in the second study - The Road Closure Study. In The Road Closure Study (conducted as a telephone survey), participants were read a list of situations that occur in WorkZones and asked to rate how nervous each situation made them while driving through WorkZones where they would encounter these situations. The ratings that resulted from this question differed somewhat from expectations within the Department, about what causes the most accidents and should therefore generate the most fear.
In order to help Mn/DOT personnel understand how public perceptions are so different about this issue, this third marketing research project was begun. An implementation team was created, made up of traffic/maintenance engineers who are in decision-making roles, and this team further defined other, existing informational needs.
According to the FHWA Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program, there were 87,606 crashes in work zones nationwide in 2010, and there were 37,476 injuries—one work zone injury every 14 minutes.
Worker safety can be improved by altering driver behavior, in particular lane choice and speed. Reduced speed will improve a driver's peripheral vision, from 80 degrees at 60 miles per hour to 120 degrees at 40 miles per hour. Slower travel speeds also give drivers more time to avoid obstacles or workers. Lane choice will naturally reduce the danger to workers, if drivers use the lane furthest from the work zone.
The Move Over Law (Minnesota Statute 169.18, Subdivision 11) recognizes the impact that lane choice has on worker safety by requiring drivers to move at least one lane away when passing a parked emergency vehicle, freeway service patrol vehicle, road maintenance vehicle, or construction vehicle with its warning lights activated. Despite this legal requirement, however, many drivers do not comply.
This Field Manual is a section of the Part 6 of the Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MN MUTCD). It has been reprinted as a separate document for use in field operations. This Field Manual contains the general Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) standards and the user should refer to the MN MUTCD - Part 6 for more details, and follow any TTC plans, specifications, and special provisions written for a specific project. When specific TTC plans for a specific operation are not available, any public or private agency whose work affects vehicular and pedestrian traffic should use this Field Manual to provide proper temporary traffic control (TTC).
The Minnesota Department of Transportation measured the effect of public information and innovative traffic safety tools during a mill and overlay project along a four and 1/4 mile stretch of I-35W, a major highway running through Minneapolis and its southern suburbs.
The project was completed in a 12-day period during late May and June, 1992. Construction occurred nightly between 8:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m..
The public information tools implemented during the project included: direct marketing to affected residents, public relations, radio and print advertising. The traffic safety components tested in this demonstration project included: Highway Advisory Radio (HAR), changeable and stationary message signs, speed control measures and reflective coveralls for construction workers.
The 1975 Legislature changed Minnesota Statutes by adding Subd. 5a to Section 169.14. This change enables local authorities to establish speed limits in school zones, an authority previously granted in 1937 solely to the Commissioner of Highways. The change gives additional responsibility and control of school zone safety to local authorities on those streets within their jurisdiction. In in this prerogative it is important that local authorities not permit pressures and emotions to overcome reason and judgement, since improper speed zones can increase rather than reduce a hazard.
The following commentary and explanation of the enabling legislation is provided to give an insight into the ramifications and importance of speed zoning generally, and in school zones particularly.
