Current ICT Project
Investigators:
  Doug Steele (Primary), William Vavrik
Project Title:
  Rolling Lane Closures
Start Date: 9/1/2007
End Date: 12/31/2008
Summary of Project:
  Rolling lane closures are a common traffic control technique in work zones; they consist of a convoy of traffic protection vehicles equipped with warning lights and arrowboards that alert drivers to the presence of work crews and guide them to the adjacent lane until they have safely passed the work zone. However, a danger of rolling closures is that their moving nature does not allow for the placement of barricades between the work crew and the adjacent open traffic lane. An ICT project aims to improve the safety of work crews, traffic control providers, and the traveling public by studying the factors that affect driver behavior around moving work zones. Specifically, the researchers are studying pertinent safety parameters that include traveling speed, number and spacing of trucks, buffer distances, and visibility of work crews. The research also includes performing full-scale field experiments in collaboration with the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and determining energy absorption to predict typical roll-ahead distances of protection vehicles when they are impacted by vehicles of varying sizes and speeds. The results of this study are an improved understanding of driver behavior near and around rolling lane closures and recommendations for increasing the safety and effectiveness of moving lane closures. The impact of this research is to reduce the thousands of accidents that occur on our nation's highways each year, including the numerous fatalities occurring in highway work zones.
Objective of Project:
  A study to analyze driver behavior around temporary, moving highway lane closures to determine ways to make the closures safer for the traveling public and work crews. Will be based in large part on full-scale, field tests modeling various equipment configurations.
Expected Outcome:
  An improved understanding of driver behavior near and around rolling lane closures and recommendations for increasing the safety and effectiveness of moving lane closures.
Click here to check the status of this project.
Last Updated: 11/18/2009