Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program
Photo collage: temporary lane closure, road marking installation, cone with mounted warning light, and drum separated work zones.
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Best Practice

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BEST PRACTICE:

G2−2: Use of Temporary Pull−Off Areas in Work Zones

DESCRIPTION:

Pull−off areas may be included in work zones along limited access roadways where one or both shoulders are limited due to construction activities. The pull−off areas may serve one or more functions: 1. Vehicle refuge – for motorists who experience vehicle malfunctions; 2. Enforcement – for law enforcement personnel to pull over drivers and issue citations; and 3. Crash clearing and/or investigation – if a crash does occur within the work zone, these areas can be used to clear vehicles, minimizing the impact on traffic congestion. They also provide emergency response vehicles more space to aid victims after a crash, reducing the need to take an additional traffic lane.

Maryland has developed a detailed pull−off area policy for work zones, which describes specific guidelines on when and where to use this strategy. The policy identifies maximum acceptable pull−off area spacing distances, recommended pull−off area layouts and corresponding signage placement, and assumptions that were used to develop the pull−off area spacing calculations.

New York State DOT has a policy that recommends the use of pull−off areas when doing roadway construction that requires a two−lane, two−way crossover operation. In this scenario, pull−off lanes are placed in the median or the shoulder of the opposing lane, spaced approximately 1 mile apart if the cross−over work zone is longer than 1.8 miles. New York's policy also recommends signage placement, starting 350 meters before the emergency pull−off area to assist motorists in finding these shelters. The entire pull−off area is paved, matching the cross slope of the shoulder.

Wisconsin DOT has developed a standard drawing to install temporary pull−off areas in divided highway work zones where there are cross−overs and head−to−head traffic flow. In this situation the 6−ft. inside shoulder becomes an outside shoulder for the motorists who have crossed over, and is not enough space to accommodate a disabled vehicle or law enforcement activities. WisDOT adds 6 feet of gravel or other suitable aggregate into the median beside the existing 6−ft. shoulder to provide a 12−ft. wide pull−off area. Using gravel/aggregate allows for inexpensive installation and relatively easy removal after the work is complete. WisDOT recommends installing temporary pull−offs using this layout every half−mile through the work zone. Temporary pull−offs must be removed before the road is returned to one−way traffic.

REASON(S) FOR ADOPTING:

Work zones are often areas of constrained capacity and access. Minimizing and avoiding conditions that further constrain capacity help provide smoother traffic flow. Pull−off areas can reduce instances of disabled motorists and crashes blocking travel lanes in work zones.

PRIMARY BENEFIT(S):

Temporary pull−off areas in work zones improve safety by providing an area of refuge for motorists and crash response activities, and a place where law enforcement can safely issue citations. Congestion and queues in work zones are reduced by enabling these activities to occur outside of the travel lanes.

MOST APPLICABLE LOCATION(S)/PROJECT(S):

Any work zone on a limited access roadway that closes the shoulder area, eliminating refuge areas for motorists and law enforcement.

STATE(S) WHERE USED:

Maryland, New York, Wisconsin

SOURCE/CONTACT(S):

Clarence Haskett, Maryland State Highway Administration
Phone: (410) 787−5876
E−mail: CHaskett@sha.state.md.us
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