Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program
Photo collage: temporary lane closure, road marking installation, cone with mounted warning light, and drum separated work zones.
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Resources

Work Zone Process Review Toolbox

A. Training

FHWA-NHI-310111 Conducting Reviews that Get Results

Description:

To accomplish FHWA's Stewardship Mission, units at every level and in every program area need the expertise to plan, design and carry out, often jointly with partners, reviews to ensure that operational processes are consistent with established standards and expectations, performing at the most effective and efficient level, and that best practices are captured and made available to units at all levels.

Building on FHWA experience and expertise gained through PR/PE's, Process Reviews, and Continuous Process Improvement Reviews, an improved workshop, tailored to the unit's needs is now being offered.

The Workshop consists of assistance, focused on your reviews, in the form of consultation, training and hands on assistance in the methodology and tools for conducting successful reviews.

Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Use the Team Charter to build partnerships and confidence in the review approach
  • Explain the methods of review planning to identify desired results and needed information
  • Describe effective data collection methodology
  • Describe effective data analysis methodology
  • Describe effective presentation and marketing methodology
  • Describe how to formulate recommendations that can be implemented.

Target Audience:

Division offices looking to charge up their review programs and Review Teams established and charged with conducting unit process or program reviews, compliance verification reviews, improvement reviews, and/or National Program Reviews. The workshop can be conducted at any critical stage of the review, from planning to implementation.

B. Examples

  • A Review of the Virginia Department of Transportation's Scoping Process and Options for Potential Improvements (May 2008)
    http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/08-r13.pdf
  • Missouri DOT
    The quality assurance inspections of work zones conducted on a daily basis by Central Office and District staffs cover 23 specific items pertaining to the visibility of work zones and 10 specific items pertaining to traffic flow through work zones. Traffic will review quarterly the ratings of these 33 items to determine where MoDOT is managing work zones well and where improvement is needed. The Work Zone Quality Circle will review statewide work zone trends and evaluate new work zone safety devices, methods, and guidelines. The Work Zone Review Team will conduct audits of work zones in three different Districts each year. These audits will consist of very detailed inspections, covering the technical aspects of work zones in regards to managing visibility and mobility. Then upon completion of all of the audits for a given year, the results will be shared statewide to assist Districts in assessing and managing their respective work zones.
  • Illinois DOT
    Policy Process Review. This process review shall be performed by the Central Office every other year to assess the effectiveness of IDOT's work zone standards, specifications, policies, procedures, TCPs, PIPs, TOPs, TMPs, Significant Projects, and the level of mobility and safety afforded the traveling public. All types of projects shall be reviewed. These shall include day work and night work, all types of traffic characteristics, and the various management strategies that are being utilized. The process review team should consist of personnel who represent the project development stages and the different offices of IDOT who participate in project development and implementation. Bureau of Safety Engineering shall be the lead agency, and the FHWA Office shall be invited.

    Work Zone Traffic Control Project Review. These project reviews shall be performed by the Central Office every two (2) years, on the opposite years of the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Policy Process Review. This review will consist of a drive-through to inspect the traffic control of construction projects. A random selection of projects will be selected for review. The project review team should consist of personnel who represent the project development stages and the different offices of IDOT who participate in project development and implementation. Bureau of Safety Engineering shall be the lead agency and the FHWA Office shall be invited. The findings of these reviews shall be documented and presented to the District in a closeout meeting.
  • District of Columbia DOT (DDOT)
    DDOT's Work Zone Safety and Mobility Policy specifies how they plan to conduct process reviews. DDOT reviews may include evaluation of work zone crash data and operational data for randomly selected projects. DDOT will maintain the data and information resources needed to support the use of work zone data for the above activities. The results of TMP evaluations can be useful in the process reviews, and vice versa. Collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing findings from multiple projects can help to develop and implement future TMPs. The process review should include an annual work zone traffic control inspection ratings report and an annual work zone crash report. The work zone traffic control inspection rating report should consist of a summary of inspection ratings from the field inspection report of selected significant projects. The annual work zone crash report should present a crash trend analysis and comparison of work zone crashes District-wide. Additionally, the process review should include a review of randomly selected post-evaluation reports of significant projects to assess TMP process and strategies. Appropriate personnel, who represent the project development stages and different offices within the agency, FHWA, and non-agency stakeholders, should participate in the process reviews.
  • Indiana DOT
    Randomly selected reviews will be done every two years in conjunction with the FHWA divisional office. Review team will be comprised of staff from a cross-section of INDOT offices typically including planning, production (design), operations, construction, traffic and communications. The review findings will be used to improve and further develop INDOT work zone policy and procedure and will be reported to the FHWA division office.
  • FHWA WZ Rule Process Review Examples
    http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/final_rule/process_reviews.htm

C. Tips

D. Lessons Learned

Future Section

E. Best Practices

Future Section


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