Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-14-011
Date: March 2014
Printable Version (.pdf, 0.3 mb)

Work Zone Speeding: A Costly Mistake

Slow down for National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) 2014.

Scheduled for April 7–11, a kick-off event will be held April 8 in Seattle, Washington. Focusing on the 2014 theme, "Work Zone Speeding: A Costly Mistake," the kick-off will highlight work on the Alaska Way Viaduct Replacement Program. This project includes building a 3.2-km long (2-mi) tunnel beneath downtown Seattle to replace a double-deck highway carrying State Route 99 through the city.

In 2012, 609 workers and motorists were killed in highway work zones nationwide. Approximately 85 percent of those killed in work zones are drivers and their passengers. Nearly 25 percent of work zone crashes involved at least one large truck or bus, with 165 large trucks and buses involved in 132 fatal crashes.

NWZAW began in 1999 when the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the Virginia Department of Transportation partnered to increase public awareness of work zone safety issues through a national media campaign. Partners now also include other individual States, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, and the Associated General Contractors of America.

FHWA conducts research and training to advance the state-of-the-practice and improve work zone safety and mobility. Recent work zone publications and resources include:

• Work Zone Performance Measurement Using Probe Data (Pub. No. FHWA-HOP-13-043).
• Work Zone Best Practices Fact Sheet 19: Work Zone Corridor Management in Michigan (Pub. No. FHWA-HOP-13-052).
• Synthesis of Work Zone Performance Measures.
• Applying the Americans with Disabilities Act in Work Zones: A Practitioner Guide and related video.
• Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule for Design-Build Projects (Pub. No. FHWA-HOP-13-026).
• Work Zone Intelligent Transportation Peer Exchange Summary.

These and many other work zone safety resources are available at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/publications/publications.htm.

Also available are guidelines, products, and training materials developed through FHWA's Work Zone Safety Grant Program. For a complete list, visit the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse at www.workzonesafety.org/fhwa_wz_grant.

Additional information about NWZAW 2014 is available at www.atssa.com/Events/NationalWorkZoneAwarenessWeek.aspx and http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/outreach/wz_awareness.htm. To learn more about FHWA's Work Zone Mobility and Safety program, visit ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/index.asp, or contact Paul Pisano at FHWA, 202-366-1301 (email: paul.pisano@dot.gov).

FHWA, ATSSA, State transportation agencies, and other partners will observe National Work Zone Awareness Week from April 7–11, 2014.