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: [email protected]
Other Key Staff• IIT Staff
– Dr. Z Li: (312) 567-3556, [email protected]– Dr. Mark Snyder: (312) 567-3540,
[email protected] • IDOT Staff
– Kevin Burke: (217) 785-5048, [email protected]
– Priscilla Tobias: (217) 785-****, [email protected]
• Utah LTAP Staff– Stuart Thompson: (435) 797-4432, [email protected] – Doyt Bolling: (435) 797-2933, [email protected]
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.