USE OF INNOVATIVE TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES TO IMPROVE SAFETY AT SHORT-TERM RURAL WORK ZONES

As the road system in Texas ages, drivers are coming into contact with maintenance and construction zones with increasing frequency. Workers in rural short-term maintenance work zones are placed in a particularly dangerous position. Short-term maintenance work zones are typically located on high-speed roads, with traffic control installed each day in the morning and removed by dusk. Since these work zones are in place only for a short time, drivers do not expect to encounter them. Regulatory speed limits cannot be lowered at the sites, and it is difficult to get law enforcement agencies to regularly patrol temporary work zone sites in rural areas. This project evaluated a large number of innovative traffic control devices that had the potential to improve safety in short-term work zones. Researchers examined countermeasures that would increase driver awareness of the upcoming work zone, make workers more visible, or slow down traffic. Since these work zones were in place only for a short time, it was also essential that each device be quick and easy to set up and remove.