Highway Work Zone Safety Audit Guidelines

Development and TrainingPrepared By:

Jonathan Shi, PIDept. of Civil & Architectural Engineering

Illinois Institute of Technology3201 S. Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60616

Phone: (312) 567-3630Fax: (312) 567-3519

Email: shi@iit.edu

Other Key Staff• IIT Staff

– Dr. Z Li: (312) 567-3556, lizz@iit.edu– Dr. Mark Snyder: (312) 567-3540,

mark.snyder@iit.edu • IDOT Staff

– Kevin Burke: (217) 785-5048, Kevin.BurkeIII@illinois.gov

– Priscilla Tobias: (217) 785-****, Priscilla.Tobias@illinois.gov

• Utah LTAP Staff– Stuart Thompson: (435) 797-4432, stuart@cc.usu.edu – Doyt Bolling: (435) 797-2933, doyt@cc.usu.edu

Grant Description

• Amount of funding– Funding from FHWA: $750,000

– Obligated amount for years 1 & 2: $396,213

– Cost share: $282,599

• Project duration (4 years)– Base years (2): Oct. 2006-Sept. 2008

– Option years (2): Oct. 2008-Sept. 2010

Progress, Oct-Dec. 2006

• Task 1 - Review of literature– to identify relevant rules, manuals, guidelines, and

best practices in US and abroad in the areas of RSAs, WZ safety, and training programs.

• Task 2 - Case study – to review and study existing WZ safety guidelines,

practices, and safety programs that have been implemented on the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) Reconstruction Project.

Task 1: Review of Literature

• RSA guidelines and best practices – examine the contents and compare consistency of different

RSA guidelines.

• WZ safety rules, manuals, and guidelines – prepared by different agencies such as FHWA, state DOTs,

OSHA, and foreign governmental agencies.

• WZ and worker training programs – over one thousand records of training information including

videos, courses, workshops, conferences, materials, and certification programs.

Task 2 - Case Study

• Dan Ryan Expressway

– built in 1963 at 150,000 vpd vs. 320,000 in 2005.

– MUTCD provided the basic guidelines.

• Implementation of the WZ safety guidelines– IDOT, – Consultants, and – Contractors.

Best Practices Adopted by IDOT • Two operational lanes in each direction by using

shoulders;• Use ADT to predict queues and guide traffic control

plans;• Dynamic Lane Merge System to decrease the time

for vehicles to merge at a taper;• Type II barricades for safety driving conditions in WZ;• Change construction procedures to reduce frequency

of lane closures;• Improved dynamic message signs for drivers; • Speed photo enforcement; and• Public safety programs.

Major Difficulties Encountered

• Actual data is needed, including crash data, workers’ injury data, insurance and payout during construction;

• It takes a long process to get such data; and some information is even not obtainable;

• A letter from FHWA urging public and private supports may help.

• The quality of some data, e.g., crash data, needs to be improved.

Work to Be Accomplished

• Completion of the two tasks in this quarter;• Survey on implementation and compliance of

WZ safety audit guidelines/practices;• Study on strategies for developing new WZ

safety audit guidelines; • Identify other case study projects;• Plan for a workshop on work zone safety

issues.