Publication Number: FHWA-RD-02-010
Date: May 2002

Work Zone Research from A to Z

With the increased emphasis on improving mobility and safety in work zones nationwide, numerous transportation agencies and others are conducting a range of work zone-related research activities. Now an easy-to-use compendium developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) puts this collected information at your fingertips. The compendium, which is in Microsoft Access database format, contains information on work zone research, development, and technology transfer projects.

Through interviews conducted with FHWA staff, literature reviews, Web site searches, and attendance at research presentations, FHWA identified 332 recent and ongoing research projects (1997 to present). Each project was documented and classified based on its applicability to different phases of work zone activity (e.g., design, operations) and related subject areas (e.g., worker safety, traffic management). The database provides users with the capability to conduct keyword searches and generate reports that include such details as:

• Basic project identifying information (including title, description, performing agency, completion date, and point of contact)
• Format of available project information
• Relevant phases of work zone activity
• Related subject categories.

Analysis of information in the compendium shows that the largest portion of the documented projects were related to work zone operations. Traffic management was the most often cited related subject in the work zone studies area.

As the number of work zone studies increases, so does the likelihood of repeat studies. With the release of the compendium, FHWA hopes to cut down on the number of redundant research efforts, thereby helping transportation agencies and related researchers more effectively spend their limited research budgets. "This is one tool that transportation agencies can use to help maximize their overall efforts related to work zones, and ultimately improve safety and mobility for travelers and workers during construction and reconstruction efforts," says Jim Sorenson of FHWA.

The compendium will be posted this month on FHWA's Work Zone Web site at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/. To obtain a copy of the Compendium on CD-ROM, contact Marianna Rizzo of FHWA at 202-366-9631 (email: marianna.rizzo@fhwa.dot.gov). Other related tools available include FHWA's Work Zone Best Practices Guidebook (http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/practices/practices.htm) and QuickZone, a user-friendly tool to estimate and analyze delays in work zones for both the planning and construction or operations phases of projects. To obtain a copy of QuickZone, contact the McTrans Center at the University of Florida, 352-392-0378 (fax: 352-392-6629; email: mctrans@ce.ufl.edu; Web: mctrans.ce.ufl.edu). For more information on QuickZone, see article in December 2001 Focus.

For more information on the compendium, contact Tracy Scriba at FHWA, 202-366-0855 (email: tracy.scriba@fhwa.dot.gov) or Jim Sorenson at FHWA, 202-366-1333 (email: james.sorenson@fhwa.dot.gov).

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