Impact of Design and Construction on Quality, Consistency, and Safety of Traffic Control Plans

Abstract

State departments of transportation (DOTs) develop traffic control plans (TCPs) as part of construction projects. TCPs communicate required traffic control measures to the construction team and help ensure safe travel through construction work zones and a safe environment for construction workers. TCP quality can vary from project to project as a result of many factors, including the process by which the TCP is designed, reviewed, implemented, and inspected; the features and layout of the TCP and roadway; and the communication of the TCP to the constructor. This paper presents a research study conducted to understand how to improve work zone safety performance by improving the TCP design and implementation processes, identifying the TCP and roadway attributes that made TCP implementation challenging, and identifying factors that affected TCP quality and consistency. A sample of 39 construction projects of varying types and sizes was studied with a mixed methods research approach that included a survey of 12 key personnel on each project, a quantitative evaluation of each project's TCP, analysis of project crash data, and an on-site evaluation of the work zone. TCP quality and consistency and worker and motorist safety were found to be higher on projects for which constructability reviews and design peer reviews had been conducted and on projects on which the contractor super intendent and TCP designer had more years of experience and had undergone specialized TCP training. The TCP features found to increase TCP complexity to the greatest extent were multiple traffic control stages, multilane closures, and dense temporary signage.