Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program
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Significant Project Examples

Regulation & Policy > Final Rule > Examples

Transportation Management Area: 1) All urbanized areas over 200,000 in population, and any other area that requests such designation. 2) An urbanized area with a population over 200,000 (as determined by the latest decennial census) or other area when TMA designation is requested by the Governor and the MPO (or affect local officials), and officially designated by the Administrators of the FHWA and the FTA. The TMA designation applies to the entire metropolitan planning area(s). (23CFR500)

Section 630.1010 of the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule defines a significant project as one that, alone or in combination with other concurrent projects nearby, is anticipated to cause sustained work zone impacts that are greater than what is considered tolerable based on State policy and/or engineering judgment. The Rule also states that in addition to projects meeting the agency's own definition of significant: "All Interstate system projects within the boundaries of a designated Transportation Management Area (TMA) that occupy a location for more than three days with either intermittent or continuous lane closures shall be considered as significant projects." More information about significant projects can be found in Implementing the Rule on Work Zone Safety and Mobility.

The following examples are meant to assist agencies with developing their own significant project definitions, and are not meant to advocate a "one size fits all" approach.

New Item 12/19/11 Illinois Department of Transportation

The Illinois DOT uses a combination of a work zone safety and mobility process flow chart and significant route location maps to determine if a project is considered Non-Significant, Significant – Short Term (Less Than Three (3) Days), or Significant – Long Term. The significant project identification process is described starting on page 3 of the Illinois DOT Work Zone Safety and Mobility Policy (PDF 444KB). The Work Zone Safety and Mobility Process Flowchart (PDF 272KB) represents the process flow to determine the level of significance of a project and the necessary steps and requirements that follow. Significant Route Location Maps (PDF 3.6MB) show those state routes where a lane closure on the roadway is expected to cause sustained work zone impacts that are not considered tolerable based on the goals and objectives of the Illinois work zone policy or public opinion. These roadways, marked in red on the maps, are considered Significant Routes. Roadways marked in yellow are approaching Significant Route designation and should be evaluated for potential impacts.

Maryland State Highway Administration

The Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA)developed a qualitative approach to define significant projects based on the findings of a working group that: (1) a quantitative definition, such as one based on project cost, did not fit, because smaller dollar value projects could still have significant work zone impacts or require additional coordination, and (2) a qualitative approach allows for engineering judgment to play a role in determining significant projects. MDSHA's Guidance on Identifying Significant Projects (PDF 255KB) explains the purpose for identifying significant projects, specifies when the identification should be done, and lays out a process for project identification. The guidelines apply to all work performed on MDSHA maintained roads.

Two flow charts have been created to use to define significant projects. One flow chart is for projects that fall under the Planning and Design Central Offices, which tend to be larger and more complex. The other flow chart is for District-initiated projects and minor projects. The major criteria used by the Planning and Design Office flow chart to define significant projects are project location, anticipated mobility and safety impacts, and project and/or work zone characteristics. If the project meets a certain number of criteria and is considered to be significant, the next step is to perform a Maintenance of Traffic Alternatives Analysis (MOTAA) to try to identify a solution to reduce impacts below thresholds defined in the MDSHA Work Zone Lane Closure Analysis Guidelines (PDF 53KB). If the MOTAA does not identify a solution that will reduce impacts, the project is considered significant and a TMP containing traffic operations and public information and outreach strategies must be developed. The District and minor projects flow chart is based on if the work will or will not involve continuous or intermittent lane closures on a freeway/expressway for more than three days; if the project falls under the "Blanket Exceptions" category; and if the project complies with the Work Zone Lane Closure Analysis Guidelines.

A presentation entitled Maryland State Highway Administration's Rule Implementation Process (PPT 776KB) provides more information on MDSHA's implementation of the Rule.

Montana Department of Transportation

Appendix A of the Montana Department of Transportation's (MDT) Work Zone Safety and Mobility Policy (PDF 537KB) includes criteria for determining whether or not a project is considered significant.

MDT identifies three levels of impact. All projects identified as Level 1 impact are considered significant projects. These projects typically impact the traveling public at the metropolitan, regional, or interstate level; have a high level of public interest; directly impact a large number of travelers; have high user cost impacts; and are of long duration. Level 2 projects impact the traveling public at the city or regional level; have a moderate level of public interest; directly impact a moderate level of travelers; have low to moderate user cost impacts; and can include lane closures for a moderate duration if not during peak hours. Level 3 projects impact the traveling public to a small degree; public interest is low and AADT is low; duration of work is short to moderate; construction zones can be mobile; and typically this work is recurring (such as mowing, pothole patching, etc.). MDT's policy includes a list of corridors in Montana that are automatically of Level 1 and Level 2 significance. It also includes a checklist to help identify significant projects.

North Carolina Department of Transportation

The North Carolina DOT (NCDOT) includes a definition for significant projects in its Work Zone Safety and Mobility Policy (PDF 528KB). This definition expands on the definition included in the Rule: "'Significant' project/activity is one that, alone or in conjunction with other projects/activities, is anticipated to cause sustained work zone impacts to the road users, businesses, or local communities during construction or one that will substantially relieve existing congestion on the highway network upon its completion. Additionally, all Interstate projects/activities within the boundaries of a Transportation Management Area (areas with populations greater than 200,000) that occupy a location for more than three days with either intermittent or continuous lane closures shall be considered a 'Significant' project/activity. Projects/Activities classified in the 'Statewide' and 'Regional' Tiers of North Carolina's Long-Range Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan may also be designated as 'Significant.'" The policy further explains what significant projects or activities require, at a minimum, to ensure the safety and mobility of workers and road users on North Carolina's transportation network.

The NCDOT Significant Project Criteria Chart (PDF 14KB) identifies criteria for determining significant projects. Based on these criteria, projects are categorized into one of four levels. Projects that are level 1 and level 2 are considered "significant." These projects will receive additional scrutiny and have additional measures implemented in an effort to reduce their overall impacts to safety and mobility. The level of the project also determines what components to include in the transportation management plan (TMP).

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

The Pennsylvania DOT's (PennDOT) Traffic Engineering Manual (PDF 5.91MB) includes a process for identifying significant projects (starting on page 315). The process begins by scoping the project and defining impacts. The next step is to determine if anticipated delay from the project is greater than, equal to, or below a pre-defined threshold for freeway and arterial projects. PennDOT's work zone policy states that the District responsible for the project may use spreadsheet tools, QuickZone, Synchro, HCS or similar programs to model the expected added travel time that will be generated. The policy also states that the District should use discretion in determining how added delay will impact the surrounding community. Following the impacts analysis, the next steps will depend on whether or not the determined delay exceeds the threshold. PennDOT has developed a set of flow charts that describe these next steps.

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