TRAFFIC CONTROL FOR MAINTENANCE ON HIGH SPEED HIGHWAYS

OBSERVATIONS WERE MADE AT LANE CLOSURES ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS WHERE YELLOW WARNING SIGNS WERE ERECTED ROUTINELY IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONTRACT WORK. LATER DATA PROVIDED DIRECT COMPARISON BETWEEN NEW YELLOW AND NEW ORANGE SINGS. ONE SIGN SCHEME WAS USED THROUGHOUT THE STUDY. DRIVER OBEDIENCE IMPROVED WHEN NEW SIGNS OF EITHER COLOR WERE USED, WHICH IMPLIES THAT SIGNS SHOULD ALWAYS BE MAINTAINED IN GOOD CONDITION. ORANGE SIGNS WERE SLIGHTLY MORE EFFECTIVE THAN YELLOW SIGNS IN REDUCING TRAFFIC CONFLICTS AND MERGES NEAR THE TRAFFIC CONES. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY TEND TO SUPPORT THE ADOPTION OF ORANGE AS THE STANDARD COLOR FOR SIGNING CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE SITES. HOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO COLORS WERE RATHER SMALL. DRIVER PREFERENCE POLLS SUPPORTED THE ORANGE SIGNS MORE STRONGLY. A DEGREE OF DRIVER INSENSITIVITY TOWARD SIGNING WAS SHOWN. IN GENERAL, VARIABLES SUCH AS SHORT SIGHT DISTANCES, HIGH VOLUMES, POOR CONDITION OF SIGNS, AND DRIVER INSENSITIVITY PRODUCED UNSAFE SITUATIONS AT LANE CLOSURES. /FHWA/

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.13023/KTC.RR.1972.327
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract No KXHPR-70-61
• Corporate Authors:

  Kentucky Department of Transportation

  Bureau of Highways
  Frankfort, KY  United States  40601
• Authors:
  • Seymour, W M
• Publication Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile drivers; Color; Highway maintenance; Traffic control devices; Traffic signs; Warning signs
• Old TRIS Terms: Road closings; Traffic sign observance
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225018
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 11 1973 12:00AM