Crash Testing and Evaluation of Work Zone Traffic Control Devices

Abstract

Safety of work zones is a major area of concern since it is not always possible to maintain a level of safety comparable to that of a normal highway not under construction. Proper traffic control is critical to the safety of work zones. However, traffic control devices themselves may pose a safety hazard when impacted by errant vehicles. The impact performance of many work zone traffic control devices is mostly unknown, and little, if any, crash testing has been conducted in accordance with guidelines set forth in NCHRP Report 350. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has, in recent years, sponsored a number of studies at the Texas Transportation Institute to assess the impact performance of various work zone traffic control devices, including plastic drums and sign substrates, temporary and portable sign supports, plastic cones, vertical panels, and barricades. The results, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are presented for temporary and portable sign supports, plastic drums, sign substrates for use with plastic drums, traffic cones, and vertical panels, whereas those for barricades are covered elsewhere. Most of the work zone traffic control devices satisfactorily met the evaluation criteria set forth in NCHRP Report 350 and are recommended for field implementation. However, some of the devices failed to perform satisfactorily and are not recommended for field applications. The results from these studies are being incorporated into the TxDOT barricade and construction standard sheets for use in work zones.