A Guide Traffic Control - Work Zone Safety

1 A Guide to Urban work Zone Temporary Traffic Control 1 A Guide to Urban work Zone Temporary Traffic Control 2 A Guide to Urban work Zone Temporary Traffic Control FHWA Contract No. DTFH61-11-H-00031 Submitted to: United States Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration HSA Room #E71-324 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE Washington, 20590 Contractor: Wayne State University Transportation Research Group Civil & Environmental Engineering 5050 Anthony Wayne Drive Engineering Development Center Room #0504 Detroit, MI 48202 Subcontractor: Ohio University Department of Civil Engineering 114 Stocker Center Athens, OH 47501-2979 Date: June 2016 The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the contractor(s) and not necessarily those of the Department of Transportation or the Federal Highway Administration.

2 This report was prepared in cooperation with the Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. This document is a Living Document and may be modified as needed. A Guide to Urban work Zone Temporary Traffic Control 3 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient Catalog No. 4 Title and Subtitle A Guide to Urban work Zone Temporary Traffic Control 5 Report Date June 2016 6 Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) Tapan Datta, Peter Savolainen, Deborah McAvoy, Timothy Gates, Jonathan Kay, Nicholas Nicita, Sahadev Parajuli 8 Performing Organization Report No.

3 9 Performing Organization Name and Address Wayne State University Transportation Research Group 5050 Anthony Wayne Drive, EDC 0504 Detroit, Michigan 48202 10 work Unit No. (TRAIS) 11 Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-H-00031 12 Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Federal Highway Administration United States Department of Transportation 13 Type of Report and Period Covered 14 Sponsoring Agency Code 15 Supplementary Notes 16 Abstract This Guide describes the characteristics that are specific to urban work zones and provides possible mitigation strategies to address site-specific Safety issues.

4 Urban work zones present unique challenges that are not addressed specifically in great detail in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The urban roadway environment encompasses many distinctive characteristics which need to be taken into consideration. A few characteristics to be noted are high Traffic demand and low travel speeds, frequent intersections and driveway accesses, right of way and space limitations, on street parking and roadside access, roadway geometry, Traffic Control issues, non-motorized transportation facilities, bus stops and transit access.

5 In addition, special events and compliance with the requirements of Significant Projects which require attention must be considered. This document includes example plans and a table that highlights the important issues regarding urban work zones and feasible mitigation strategies. 17 Key Words Urban work Zone, Temporary Traffic Control Plan, Typical Application, Significant Project, Traffic Control Strategies 18 Distribution Statement No restrictions. This document is available to the public at 19 Security Classification (of this report) 20 Security Classification (of this page) 21 No.

6 Of pages 27 22 Price A Guide to Urban work Zone Temporary Traffic Control i Table of Contents A Guide TO URBAN work ZONE TEMPORARY Traffic Control .. 1 URBAN work ZONE CHARACTERISTICS .. 2 Traffic Control STRATEGIES FOR URBAN work zones .. 6 TEMPORARY Traffic Control PLAN DEVELOPMENT .. 9 EXAMPLE PLANS .. 16 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES .. 24 APPENDIX I TEMPORARY Traffic Control PLAN CHECKLIST OF work ZONE CHARACTERISTICS .. 25 List of Tables Table 1 Urban work Zone Challenges and Mitigation Strategies.

7 11 List of Figures Figure 1 Temporary Traffic Control Plan Development .. 9 Figure 2 Lane Shift on Roads with Parking Lane .. 16 Figure 3 Closure of Right Lane on Roads with Multiple Low Volume Driveways .. 17 Figure 4 Closure of Two inside Lanes near an Intersection .. 18 Figure 5 work on Far Right Lane near Signalized Intersection .. 19 Figure 6 Sidewalk Closure Involving Minor Street in Urban Area .. 20 Figure 7 Pedestrian Facility Rerouted into Traveled Lanes .. 21 Figure 8 work on Far Side Right Lane Including Bicycle Lane.

8 22 Figure 9 Shoulder Closure on Urban Location with Bicycle Traffic .. 23 A Guide to Urban work Zone Temporary Traffic Control 1 A Guide TO URBAN work ZONE TEMPORARY Traffic Control The design and implementation of temporary Traffic Control (TTC) for work zones requires a careful balance between Safety , mobility, and constructability. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) presents a concise summary of minimum standards for work zone TTC. This includes guidance that creates uniformity and consistency, thereby ensuring that work zones are easily recognizable and well understood by the traveling public.

9 The MUTCD Part VI includes a series of Typical Applications (TAs) which illustrate appropriate temporary Traffic Control plans (TTCPs) for a variety of work zone scenarios. Given the wide range of site-specific factors that may be encountered, the MUTCD recommends the use of engineering judgment to adjust each TA as appropriate for actual field conditions. As each work site presents unique conditions, it is imperative that TTCPs should be developed that account for the potential impacts of these conditions on Safety and mobility. This task can be particularly challenging in urban environments, which present a number of considerations that are not addressed in great detail in the MUTCD.

10 Some of the distinguishing characteristics of urban roadway environments include: High Traffic demand and low travel speeds Frequent intersections and driveway accesses Right-of-way (ROW) and space limitations On-street parking and roadside access Roadway geometry Traffic Control issues Non-motorized transportation facilities Bus stops and transit access Special events Significant projects This document describes characteristics that are unique to urban work zones and provides possible mitigation strategies to address site-specific Safety issues.