1.0 Introduction

As we experience increased travel on our roads, there is a growing need for efforts to preserve and improve safety and mobility. Roadway construction, operations, and maintenance are integral in these efforts. Effectively managing the work zone impacts of road construction and maintenance is a key part. In support of these efforts, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule (the Rule) on September 9, 2004 in the Federal Register (69 FR 54562). This Rule updates and renames the former regulation on "Traffic Safety in Highway and Street Work Zones" in 23 CFR 630 Subpart J. All State and local governments that receive Federal-aid highway funding are affected by this updated Rule, and are required to comply with its provisions no later than October 12, 2007. While the Rule applies specifically to Federal-aid highway projects, agencies are encouraged to apply the good practices that it fosters to other road projects as well.

The changes to the regulation will facilitate comprehensive consideration of the broader safety and mobility impacts of work zones through a project's life cycle, and the implementation of appropriate strategies to help manage these impacts. The phrase "broader safety and mobility impacts of work zones" emphasizes that work zone impacts may extend beyond the physical location of the work zone itself. Impacts may be felt on the roadway on which work is being performed, other highway corridors, other modes of transportation, and the transportation network. The provisions in the updated Rule recognize that traffic and worker safety and control are essential, but that work zone impacts management should also address transportation operations and public information, as appropriate to the needs of the project. FHWA will work in partnership with State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and other affected transportation agencies to implement the provisions of the Rule.

The verbatim language of the updated Rule is provided in Appendix A of this implementation guide.

1.1 Goals and Expected Benefits of the Updated Rule

Over the years, highway professionals have devised and implemented strategies and innovative practices for minimizing the disruption caused by work zones, while ensuring successful project delivery. However, the current and expected level of investment activity in highway infrastructure, a growing portion of which is for maintenance and reconstruction of existing roadways, means that work will increasingly be done on roads while maintaining traffic flow through the work zone. Therefore, it is important that transportation agencies broaden their understanding of work zone impacts and develop comprehensive mitigation measures that address both work zone safety and mobility. The provisions of the updated Rule are meant to help agencies do so.

1.1.1 Goals

The over-arching goal of the updated Rule is to reduce crashes and congestion due to work zones. The provisions of the updated Rule encourage:

• 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.) while planning and designing road projects.
• Expanding work zone management beyond traffic safety and control to:
  • Address mobility in addition to safety.
  • Address current day issues of operations and management and public information.
• Innovative thinking in work zone planning, design, and management. Thinking outside of the traditional traffic safety and management box and considering alternative/innovative design, construction, contracting, and transportation management strategies can bring additional solutions to light.

Therefore, the updated Rule is intended to facilitate the systematic consideration of the safety and mobility impacts of work zones, and the development of strategies and plans to reduce work zone impacts.

1.1.2 Expected Benefits

Implementation of the provisions of the updated Rule will help transportation agencies achieve:

• A consistent approach to planning, designing, and constructing road projects and managing the associated work zone safety and mobility impacts.
• Well thought out work zone designs and management strategies
• Comprehensive and integrated transportation management strategies that address the complex interactions of different aspects of road construction and maintenance.
• Enhanced cooperation and coordination amongst project owners, contractors, and other stakeholders.
• Enhanced management of construction projects and their work zone impacts, facilitated by performance monitoring.

As a result, the implementation of the updated Rule's provisions may be expected to result in a reduction in congestion and crashes due to work zones, and greater public satisfaction.

1.2 Purpose of This Document

FHWA developed this implementation guide to help State Departments of Transportation and other affected transportation agencies (collectively referred to as agencies in this document) implement the provisions of the Rule and attain compliance. However, this document is also intended to provide helpful information and a foundation for other agency efforts to improve work zone safety and mobility that may go beyond the requirements of the Rule.

This implementation guide is not intended to be a step-by-step guide on "how-to" implement the provisions of the Rule. Rather, this implementation guide is intended to provide general guidance, layout some fundamental principles, and present agencies with some options to implement the provisions of the Rule. It is not the only approach to implement the provisions of the Rule. Wherever possible, this document also provides examples and best practices of what some agencies are doing (or have done in the past), along with links to locations where more information may be obtained.

1.3 Audience

The intended audience for this implementation guide includes:

• Technical staff, including planners, engineers, designers, construction engineers, and traffic engineers.
• Management-level and executive-level staff who are responsible for formulating policies, identifying program vision, goals, and objectives, and setting program-level priorities.
• Field staff, including construction managers, project engineers, construction and safety inspectors, and highway maintenance workers, who are responsible for building road projects in the field and for managing work zones during construction and maintenance.
• Appropriate representatives from the above areas who are responsible for assessing the performance of work zones and developing recommendations for improving policies, practices, and procedures.
• FHWA staff, particularly those with oversight responsibilities for Federal-aid highway projects.
• Appropriate non-agency staff that partner with, or are contracted by the agency, to plan, design, and build road projects, such as consultant staff, contractor staff, other highway workers, and law enforcement officials.

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