Assessing the Benefits of Smart Work Zone Systems

Smart work zones (SWZs) are being deployed around the United States as a way to inform drivers dynamically about traffic conditions within a work zone. SWZs use sensors to detect traffic flow conditions on the work zone approaches. These data are then used to alert drivers of congestion or speed differentials in an effort to improve operations or safety. Agencies that are considering deploying SWZs are often faced with the challenge of trying to justify the cost of an SWZ system to decision makers who may be more inclined to use the funds for more traditional maintenance purposes. Although a number of states have evaluated SWZ systems, there has not been much effort to identify trends across multiple tests or extend those findings to predict likely impacts of proposed deployments. This paper synthesizes the results of a number of deployments of SWZ technology and identifies some common trends in performance. The data are then used to develop benefit-to-cost (B/C) ratios for a variety of traffic and diversion alternatives. The B/C ratios are then used to identify some project duration thresholds at which an SWZ would be beneficial based on user delay savings for a two-lane directional segment.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Fontaine, Michael Daniel
  • Edara, Praveen K
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2007-1-21 to 2007-1-25
• Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 17p
• Monograph Title: TRB 86th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers CD-ROM

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automated highways; Benefit cost analysis; Driver information systems; Highway operations; Information dissemination; Information systems; Information technology; Traffic control; Traffic flow; Work zone traffic control; Work zones
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01049362
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 07-0371
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Feb 8 2007 4:56PM