Supplemental Questions: Effects of the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule
Overall agencies have experienced some changes in their practices as a result of the Work Zone Rule. The area experiencing the most change is the training provided to agency staff with 27 agencies (53%) reporting either significant change (11 agencies) or some change (16 agencies). The area experiencing the least amount of change is the expansion of work zone management beyond traffic safety and control to address mobility through the consideration and use of transportation operations and public information strategies, as this practice was already taking place for almost half of the agencies prior to the Work Zone Rule. One agency did not answer the supplemental questions therefore percentages in the detailed discussion of the results are based upon the 51 agencies that did respond.
The 2008 responses to the supplemental questions are as follows:
1. While planning and designing road projects, the agency is expanding planning beyond the project work zone itself to address corridor, network, and regional issues (e.g., alternate routes and/or modes, truck traffic, special events, etc.) - particularly when congestion is an issue. Nineteen agencies (37%) responded that the Work Zone Rule had caused this practice to change somewhat. No agencies thought the Work Zone Rule had caused a significant change in this area. Seventeen agencies (33%) responded that it had not caused any change. Of those 17 agencies only one agency responded that this was not taking place prior to the Work Zone Rule and was still not occurring. The remaining 16 agencies noted that this was already taking place prior to the Work Zone Rule. Fifteen agencies (29%) responded that it is too early to tell if the Work Zone Rule had an impact on this area.
Figure 8. Results for Supplemental Question 1
2. The agency is seeing enhanced consideration and management of work zone safety and mobility impacts, starting during planning and continuing through project completion. Twenty-four agencies (47%) responded that the Work Zone Rule had caused change, with three of those agencies citing the Work Zone Rule as causing a significant change in this area. Twelve agencies (24%) responded that the Work Zone Rule had not caused a change because this practice was already in place before the Work Zone Rule. Fifteen agencies (29%) responded that it is too early to tell if the Work Zone Rule had an impact on this area.
Figure 9. Results for Supplemental Question 2
3. The agency is expanding work zone management beyond traffic safety and control to address mobility through the consideration and use of transportation operations (TO) and public information (PI) strategies. Eighteen agencies (35%) responded that the Work Zone Rule has caused change, with two of those agencies citing a significant change in this area. Twenty-five agencies (49%) cited that the Work Zone Rule had not caused a change as this was already taking place before on this area. Eight agencies (16%) noted that it was too early to tell if the Work Zone Rule had an impact on expanding work zone management beyond traffic safety and control through the consideration and use of TO and PI strategies.
Figure 10. Results for Supplemental Question 3
4. As a result of its work zone policy, the agency is using a more consistent approach to planning, designing, and constructing road projects. Twenty-one agencies (41%) noted that the Work Zone Rule had caused a change with two of those agencies responding that the Work Zone Rule had caused a significant change in this area. Twelve agencies (24%) responded that the Work Zone Rule had not caused a change in this area, with 11 stating that the practice was already in place before the Work Zone Rule. One agency responded that it had not caused a change because this practice was not taking place before or after the Work Zone Rule. Eighteen agencies (35%) noted that it was too early to tell if the Work Zone Rule had an impact on this area.
Figure 11. Results for Supplemental Question 4
5. The agency has updated/changed training for its staff (designers, planners, construction staff, etc.) to address broader consideration of work zone impacts and management in the scheduling, design, and implementation of projects. Twenty-seven agencies (53%) responded that the Work Zone Rule has caused a change in this area, with 11 of those agencies citing a significant change. Twelve agencies (24%) responded that the Work Zone Rule had not caused a change, with nine agencies stating that this was already taking place before the Work Zone Rule and three stating that this was not in place before or after the Work Zone Rule. Twelve agencies (24%) noted that it was too early to tell if the Work Zone Rule had an impact on training.
Figure 12. Results for Supplemental Question 5
