Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program
Peer–to–Peer Program for Work Zones > Work Zone ITS Peer Exchange

ITS Warrants and IWZ Research Project

slide 1: ITS Warrants and IWZ Research Project

Tina Roelofs
Enterprise Pooled Fund

May 21, 2013
Bettendorf, Iowa



slide 2: Agenda

  • ENTERPRISE Program
  • ITS Warrants Project
  • IWZ Research Project


slide 3: ENTERPRISE Program

Collage of sample ENTERPRISE Program documents, the ENTERPRISE Logo, and the full program name: Evaluating New TEchnologies for Road PRogram Initiatives in Safety and Efficienty.



slide 4: ENTERPRISE Program

  • Goals
    • Facilitate rapid progress in the development and deployment of ITS technologies
    • Accelerate the systematic advancement of selected ITS projects
      • Members carry out ITS projects and activities including fundamental research, technology development, demonstration, standardization and deployment

slide notes:

None



slide 5: ENTERPRISE Program

Members

  • Arizona DOT
  • Georgia DOT
  • Idaho Transportation Department
  • Illinois DOT
  • Iowa DOT
  • Kansas DOT
  • Maricopa County, Arizona
  • Michigan DOT*
  • Minnesota DOT
  • Mississippi DOT
  • Oklahoma DOT
  • Texas DOT
  • Virginia DOT
  • Washington State DOT
  • Ontario Ministry of Transport
  • Transport Canada
  • Dutch Ministry of Transport
  • FHWA

* Michigan DOT administers program and is a founding member



slide 6: ITS Warrants Project

  • Project began in 2009
    • Need for an efficient and effective methodology to determine if ITS deployments are appropriate
  • Goals
    • Assist agencies with decisions about where to deploy ITS devices
      • Is a device warranted at a specific location?
      • Should further considerations be performed?
      • Eliminate locations where a device is not warranted
    • Validate locations of existing ITS device deployments


slide 7: ITS Warrants Project

  • Warrants have been developed for 10 devices
    • CCTV
    • Curve Warning System
    • DMS
    • Dynamic Speed Display Sign
    • HAR
    • Ramp Meter
    • RWIS
    • Variable Speed Limit
    • ITS Devices in Work Zones
    • ICWS (DRAFT)
  • Gathered input from
    • Interactive Website
    • ENTERPRISE Member States and Non-Member States
    • ITE Mid-Year Meeting
    • ITS Canada Workshop
    • TRB, ITS World Congress, ITS America Sessions


slide 8: ITS Warrants Project

  • Warrants Use
    • This is one tool to use in the decision making process
    • Series of 'yes' or 'no' questions that can be answered quickly, avoiding the complexity of collecting a lot of data before using the warrants
    • Warrants have been used for real world decision for ITS deployments by: ND, KS, MN, VA
      • VDOT has used the warrants as an initial screening tool for selecting RWIS deployments


slide 9: ITS Warrants Project

Image shows a flowchart for Dynamic Speed Display Sign Warrant Development



slide 10: ITS Warrants Project

Dynamic Speed Display Sign

  • Purpose 1: Transition Zones
  • Purpose 2: Posted Speed Adherence
  • Purpose 3: Intelligent Work Zones

Variable Speed Limits

  • Purpose 1: Maximize Capacity
  • Purpose 2: Safe Stopping Distances
  • Purpose 3: Safe Travel Speeds for Conditions
  • Purpose 4: Work Zones

A speed limit sign with a "your speed" indicator below.



slide 11: DSDS Warrant 3: IWZ

Purpose: To promote speed limit adherence in locations where posted speed have temporarily been reduced for construction, maintenance or other traffic control.

Device is warranted if:

  1. The work zone is currently in operation and observations suggest that the 85th percentile speed at a location within the work zone exceeds the posted speed limit by at least 5 mph.

    OR

  2. Workers will be located adjacent to the open traffic lane.

    OR

  3. Hazardous roadway conditions, such as a temporary unusually tight curve, or a rough road surface, requiring extra driving precaution.

Note: Signs tend to be most effective where there are two lanes or less in one direction of travel.



slide 12: ITS Warrants Project

Intelligent Work Zone Warrants
Collection of devices that warn travelers of various hazards associated with work zones.

An array of ITS Warrants.



slide 13: ITS Warrants Project

enterprise.prog.org/itswarrants

Screenshot of the ENTERPRISE Transportation Pooled Fund Study – Warrants for the Installation and Use of Technology Devices for Transportation Operations and Maintenance website.



slide 14: IWZ Research Project

  • Project Purpose
    • Document the best practices and lessons learned regarding IWZ technologies from various sources to draw conclusions about what approaches work best in what situations.
  • Project Focus:
    • Dynamic Merge
    • End of queue warning systems
    • Alternate Routes
    • Variable Speed Limits

A dynamic message sign indicating a merge 1.5 miles ahead.



slide 15: IWZ Research Project

  • 2013 Work Zone Test Bed to track
    • Locations of signs and sensors
    • Messages used on signs
    • Thresholds used to active sign messages
    • Adjustments made to configurations
    • Public outreach approach


slide 16: Minnesota Dynamic Late Merge System

Congestion

  • Speeds < 20 mph (guide)
  • Vol. < 1500 v/hr. (guide)
  • Trend (reduced speeds & increased vol.)

  • DLM Messages
  • Late Merge Approach

Diagram illustrates the Minnesota Dynamic Late Merge System. A representation of a roadway on the approach to a work zone contains a series of signs on the approach indicating their possition and message as follows: Furthest from the lane closure: "Stopped Traffic Ahead / Use Both Lanes". Closer to the lane closure: "Merge Ahead / Use Both Lanes". At the lane closure: "Merge Here / Take Turns"



slide 17: Minnesota Dynamic Late Merge System

Congestion

  • Speeds < 45 MPH (35)

  • DLM Messages
  • Late Merge Approach

Michigan Dynamic Late Merge System Diagram. A representation of a roadway on the approach to a work zone contains a series of signs on the approach indicating their possition and message as follows: Furthest from the lane closure: "Stopped Traffic Ahead / Use Both Lanes". Closer to the lane closure: "Use Both Lanes / Stay in Your Lane". At the lane closure: "Take Your Turn / Merge Here"



slide 18: IWZ Research Project 2013 Projects to Track

  • Dynamic Merge
    • EB I-96 near MM 9 in Ottawa County (Michigan)
    • MnDOT SP 2772–96 – Hwy 169 (Minnesota)
  • Queue Warning System
    • End of Queue Warning System on I-35 (Texas)
    • Congestion Warning Milwaukee Area (Wisconsin)
    • Queue Warning in Jefferson County (Missouri)
  • Alternate Routes
    • Travel Time System (Wisconsin)
    • I-94 Travel Time System (Minnesota)
    • Metro Wide Detection System (Minnesota)
    • Travel Time and Alternate Route System – Effingham County (Illinois)
  • Variable Speed Limits


slide 19: Contact

Bill Legg, WSDOT
ENTERPRISE Chair and ITS Warrants Project Champion
Leggb@wsdot.wa.gov

Tina Roelofs
Athey Creek Consultants
651.207.5638
roelofs@acconsultants.org

Mark Johnson, TXDOT
ENTERPRISE IWZ Project Champion
Mark.j.johnson@txdot.gov

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