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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Nine - Traffic Management." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14485.
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Page 33
Page 34
Suggested Citation:"Chapter Nine - Traffic Management." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14485.
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Page 34

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33 Managing the substantial volumes of traffic found in these urban corridors is, perhaps, the most perplexing problem for agencies. Sometimes alternative corridors exist to which traffic can be diverted; traffic movement also can be facilitated by other means in spite of the major impacts of actual construction. The activities employed by transportation agencies that assist them to effectively manage traffic during construction are relevant to this report. The first query in the survey asked respondents to list strate- gies used to manage traffic during construction. Figure 26 provides this information (see additional agency comments in Table 24). What is striking when analyzing these results is the uni- formity of the responses. The top six strategies had over 80% use rates among the states. The second tier of responses, those ranging from 57% to 74%, included six additional approaches. Thus, the top 12 strategies have a usage rate of at least 57%. The agencies provided many useful insights into how they approach this critically important activity of urban construc- tion. A short summary of responses provided here illustrates this point: • Ninety-one percent of the agencies used a traffic man- agement center. • Oregon uses a traffic management plan and a web-based work zone traffic analysis tool. • Colorado makes use of all the strategies found in Figure 26. • Washington State—one focus area is heavy outreach to local communities and media before a significant closure. • Michigan deploys temporary ITS devices, tying them into its permanent system so that they are integrated into its broader management efforts. • Missouri extensively uses customer surveys to assess performance and change activities accordingly. • Pennsylvania uses rolling road blocks as motorists approach work zones. • Several states, including Louisiana, Georgia, and Min- nesota, shorten construction time to reduce the duration of traffic impacts. • Traffic management plans are produced by contractors in Utah, thus allowing them to sync construction approach and activities. • Nighttime closures are used by many states. • Indiana considers project phasing to reduce the amount of temporary pavement and construction phase changes. Management of traffic during the construction of urban projects can be challenging under the best of circumstances. High-traffic volumes make the work difficult to manage. The agencies surveyed have identified practices that are common in the industry that have been developed and matured over many years of experience. The uniformity of application of these strategies is noteworthy. CHAPTER NINE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

34 FIGURE 26 Strategies for managing traffic during construction (see Question 63). (Owing to multiple choices percentages do not equal 100%.) Motorist assistance patrols Louisiana Have utilized full or significant closures for extended periods. Heavy media push required prior. Washington Full weekend closures Oregon Weekend work Tennessee Contractor has a traffic control person, who is on call 24/7. Pennsylvania Contractor provides full-time traffic control coordinator to monitor traffic inside the project ensuring safety and mobility Arizona TMP working group made up of all area agencies and stakeholders to plan and monitor traffic management. San Francisco Off-duty uniformed police at traffic signals and along detours. Pennsylvania TMP = traffic management plan. TABLE 24 COMMENTS FOR QUESTION 63

Next: Chapter Ten - Case Studies »
Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas Get This Book
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TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 413: Techniques for Effective Highway Construction Projects in Congested Urban Areas explores a diverse set of techniques designed to address highway construction challenges in congested urban areas such as high-traffic volumes, utility conflicts, complex right-of-way acquisition issues, a diverse stakeholder base, and watchful news media.

The report includes four case studies designed to help illustrate effective construction practices in congested urban areas.

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