Synthesis of research on work zone delays and simplified application of QuickZone analysis tool.

Final report; Jan. 2008 \uc2\ubf Mar. 2010.PDFTech ReportFHWA-ID-10-179RP179Work zone safetyHighway safetyWork zone traffic controlTraffic delaySpeed and delay studiesLane closureUser chargesTraffic controlQueuingAnalysisEvaluation and assessmentSoftwareStrategic planningIdahoIdaho. Transportation Dept.Abdel-Rahim, AhmedKhanal, MandarCooley, HowardGould, SamanthaNational Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology (U.S.)Idaho. Transportation Dept. Research ProgramUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationNTL-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLS-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLSNTL-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLS-Traffic FlowNTL-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLS-Traffic Control DevicesNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Highway SafetyUS Transportation CollectionThe objectives of this project were to synthesize the latest information on work zone safety and management and identify case studies in which FHWA\ue2\u20ac\u2122s decision support tool QuickZone or other appropriate analysis tools could be applied. The results of the analysis showed that QuickZone was an efficient tool to macroscopically analyze traffic operations at work zones. It provides reliable planning-level estimates of delay and queue length that are comparable to that reported by microscopic simulation models. It can be used to analyze work zones in urban freeways, rural freeways, four-lane divided urban arterials and corridors, and two-lane rural highways. QuickZone, provides DOT staff with the opportunity to effectively analyze work zone projects and fully assess their impacts. It also provides DOT staff with a tool that can be used to reliably estimate work zone user cost, in the form of vehicular delay, for different project scheduling, phasing, delivery methods, and other traffic management alternatives. QuickZone, a Microsoft Excel application, is a fairly simple-to-use analysis tool. However, it requires extensive data input to fully represent the traffic flow profile throughout the work zone. QuickZone delay and queue length output are highly sensitive to calibration parameters such as saturation flow headway and lane capacity. Using site specific parameters will improve the model output. Average saturation flow headway and the corresponding lane capacity values for different road types in Idaho are provided in Table 4 in this report. These values are based on field measurements of saturation flow headway at different sites throughout Idaho. Realistic capacity estimates can be obtained using these values as base capacity values with adjustments following the Highway Capacity Manual 2000 procedures. Adjustments to the base value include: duration and intensity of work activity, effect of heavy vehicles, and presence of ramps in close proximity to the work zone