Guidance on Using Traffic Management Centers for Work Zone Management

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Contact Information: Work Zone Feedback at WorkZoneFeedback@dot.gov

Publication No. FHWA-HOP-15-032

October 2015

FOREWORD

This document is intended to be a resource for staff responsible for all stages of work zone planning and operations, as well as TMC managers and operators. A total of eight strategies are presented for utilizing TMC resources during the four stages of a work zone. Each strategy includes detailed descriptions and examples of use in practice. While strategies for using the TMC resources most common to all TMCs in aspects of work zone planning, operation and evaluation are described, a detailed table describing many TMC resources is provided to illustrate the many additional TMC resources that are possible. This final report presents guidance for DOTs to consider for how TMC resources (staff, data, and tools) can be used to support all stages of a work zone, providing examples of where these resources are used today.

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

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Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No. FHWA-HOP-15-032		2. Government Accession No.	3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle Guidance on Using Traffic Management Centers for Work Zone Management			5. Report Date October 2015
			6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s) Dean Deeter, Tina Roelofs (Athey Creek); Jeremy Schroeder (Battelle); Gerald Ullman (TTI);			8. Performing Organization Report No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address Battelle 505 King Avenue Columbus, OH 43201			10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
			11. Contract or Grant No. DTFH61-12-D-00046
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations (HOP) 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, D.C. 20590			13. Type of Report and Period Covered
			14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. Jawad Paracha (Task Manager)
16. Abstract Many Departments of Transportation (DOTs) at the state, county, and local levels operate Traffic Management Centers (TMCs). Typically, a TMC is a center where operators utilize software systems to control field devices (e.g., Dynamic Message Signs (DMS), ramp meters) and to view data and video collected throughout the monitored area. In regards to work zones, TMCs are most commonly thought of during the active work zone phase, when the work zone is in operation and the TMC operators assist by disseminating information and managing the traffic through the work zone. However, there is potential for TMC resources to support all stages of the work zone, from the planning and design phase through active work zone operations and post-operation evaluation. This document presents guidance for DOTs to consider how TMC resources (staff, data, and tools) can be used to support all stages of a work zone, providing examples of where these resources are used today. This document is intended to be a resource for staff responsible for all stages of work zone planning and operations, as well as TMC managers and operators. A total of eight strategies are presented for utilizing TMC resources during the four stages of a work zone. Each strategy includes detailed descriptions and examples of use in practice. While strategies for using the TMC resources most common to all TMCs in aspects of work zone planning, operation and evaluation are described, a detailed table describing many TMC resources is provided to illustrate the many additional TMC resources that are possible.
17. Key Words Work zone, transportation management center, TMC		18. Distribution Statement No restrictions. This document is available to the public.
19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified	20. Security Classif. (of this page) Unclassified	21. No. of Pages 102	22. Price

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
• CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
  • 1.1 BACKGROUND
  • 1.2 WORK ZONE STAGES AND NEEDS LIKELY ADDRESSED BY TMC RESOURCES
  • 1.3 NAVIGATING THIS DOCUMENT AND SEARCHING FOR INFORMATION
• CHAPTER 2. GUIDANCE FOR TMC RESOURCES SUPPORTING WORK ZONES
  • 2.1 WORK ZONE STAGE 1: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT – PLANNING AND DESIGN
    • 2.1.1 Strategy #1: Using TMC Resources to Coordinate Road Work Projects
    • 2.1.2 Strategy #2: Using TMC Resources to Support Preliminary Work Zone Impact Analyses
  • 2.2 WORK ZONE STAGE 2: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT – WORK ZONE MANAGEMENT
    • 2.2.1 Strategy #3: Using Transportation Management Plan Resources to Support Development of the Transportation Management Plan Work Zone Impact Assessment Report
    • 2.2.2 Strategy #4: Using TMC Resources to Support Development of the Transportation Management Plan Work Zone Impacts Management Strategies
  • 2.3 WORK ZONE STAGE 3: ACTIVE WORK ZONE OPERATIONS
    • 2.3.1 Strategy #5: Using TMC Resources to Support Pre-Work Zone Information Dissemination
    • 2.3.2 Strategy #6: Using TMC Resources to Support Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) During Active Work Zones – Traveler Safety
    • 2.3.3 Strategy #7: Using TMC Resources to Support Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) During Active Work Zones – Traveler Mobility
  • 2.4 WORK ZONE STAGE 4: POST-WORK ZONE EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
    • 2.4.1 Strategy #8: Using TMC Resources to Support Work Zone Evaluation and Performance Management
• CHAPTER 3. SUMMARY OF TMC RESOURCES
• APPENDIX – GUIDANCE ON USING TMC FOR WORK ZONE MANAGEMENT – SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE

List of Tables

• Table 1. Work Zone Stages and Strategies for Using Traffic Management Center (TMC) Resources
• Table 2. Strategy 1 – Guidance and Examples of Strategy Use
• Table 3. Strategy 1A – Description, Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 4. Strategy 1A – Example of Department of Transportation (DOT) Use
• Table 5. Strategy 1B – Description, Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 6. Strategy 1B – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Use
• Table 7. Strategy 1C – Description, Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 8. Strategy 1C – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Use
• Table 9. Strategy 2 – Guidance and Examples of Strategy Use
• Table 10. Strategy 2A – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 11. Strategy 2A – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Use
• Table 12. Strategy 2B – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 13. Strategy 2B – Department of Transportation (DOT) Examples of Use
• Table 14. Strategy 2C – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 15. Strategy 2C – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Use
• Table 16. Strategy 3 – Guidance and Examples of Strategy Use
• Table 17. Strategy 3A – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 18. Strategy 3A – Example of Department of Transportation (DOT) Use
• Table 19. Strategy 3B – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 20. Strategy 3B – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 21. Strategy 3C – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 22. Strategy 3C – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 23. Strategy 4 – Guidance and Examples of Strategy Use
• Table 24. Strategy 4A – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 25. Strategy 4A – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 26. Strategy 4B – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 27. Strategy 4B – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 28. Strategy 5 – Guidance and Examples of Strategy
• Table 29. Strategy 5A – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 30. Strategy 5A – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 31. Strategy 5B – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 32. Strategy 5B – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 33. Strategy 6 – Guidance and Examples of Strategy Use
• Table 34. Strategy 6A – Description, Anticipate Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 35. Strategy 6A – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 36. Strategy 6B – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 37. Strategy 6B – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 38. Strategy 7 – Guidance and Examples of Strategy Use
• Table 39. Strategy 7A – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 40. Strategy 7A – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 41. Strategy 7B – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 42. Strategy 7B – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 43. Strategy 7C – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 44. Strategy 7C – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 45. Strategy 7D – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 46. Strategy 7D – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 47. Strategy 7E – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 48. Strategy 8 – Guidance and Examples of Strategy Use
• Table 49. Strategy 8A – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 50. Strategy 8A – Examples of Department of Transportation (DOT) Uses
• Table 51. Strategy 8B – Description, Anticipated Benefits, and Implementation Steps
• Table 52. Strategy 8B – Example of Department of Transportation (DOT) Use
• Table 53. Common Traffic Management Center (TMC) Capability and Data Definitions
• Table A-1. Self-Assessment Questionnaire for Using TMC Resources in Work Zone Management

List of Figures

• Figure 1. Map. Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (DOT's) 511 Website showing the Option to Select Future Information
• Figure 2. Chart. Example Regional Mobility for Coordinating Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT) Road Work Projects
• Figure 3. Map/Chart. 2013 Great Lakes Regional Transportation Operations Coalition Online Work Zone Map to Identify Impacts to Neighboring States
• Figure 4. Map/Graph. Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Lane Closure Planning Tool

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