MoDOT Work Zone Speed Study [Summary]

Details

• Creators:
  Brown, Henry ; Edara, Praveen ; Adu-Gyamfi, Yaw ; Zhang, Linlin ; Qing, Zhu
• Corporate Creators:
  University of Missouri--Columbia. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Corporate Contributors:
  Missouri. Department of Transportation. Construction and Materials Division ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Compliance Freeways Traffic Speed Work Zones
• Resource Type:
  Brief
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Missouri
• Edition:
  Research Summary
• Corporate Publisher:
  Missouri. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  Management of work zone speeds and ensuring driver compliance with work zone speed limits play an important role in reducing the number and severity of work zone crashes. The objective of this research study is to assess speeds driven by motorists in Missouri freeway work zones, including average speeds, 85th percentile speeds, maximum speeds, and levels of work zone speed limit compliance and noncompliance. The research methodology to meet this objective includes a literature review and field study to collect and measure work zone speed data. The field study included the measurement and analysis of speeds (with and without a work zone) for almost 5.5 million vehicles at five interstate work zones in Missouri. Probe data from HERE were also analyzed, and crashes corresponding to the dates and locations of the data collection were reviewed. Results from the literature review indicate that previous studies generally found various levels of speed limit compliance in work zones. The crash review identified four crashes across all sites during the time of the data collection, one of which was due to excessive speed. Overall, results from the analysis of field data and HERE data indicate prevalent speeding in Missouri work zones. While vehicle speeds were lower with the work zone compared to non-work zone conditions, speed variation with the work zone in place also increased. The presence of workers in the closed lane separated by channelizers on I-44 was associated with lower speeds and greater speed limit compliance. Possible strategies to reduce speeds and improve speed limit compliance in Missouri work zones could include law enforcement presence, speed feedback trailers, public outreach campaigns, and reviewing existing policies on setting work zone speed limits.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  TR202518
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:78df4311d740b8f8597da53d03b91d94c36d957b590f137a6ebfa738c3be7b9bb1dc68bc647dfcee8df32e66258823b536d76140f5f90a522acf8ce7ca98522a
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/89403/dot_89403_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 443.27 KB ]