With highway infrastructure getting older and requiring regular maintenance, temporary work
zones are a necessary part of upgrading our aging transportation infrastructure to meet today’s
needs. Effective work zone management involves carefully balancing safety and mobility. It is
necessary to ensure that the detrimental impacts on traffic flows are minimized and
unnecessary congestion is avoided, but also to make sure that the safety of motorists and
workers is not compromised.
Short duration work zone traffic control poses unique challenges. Although the most advanced
traffic control procedures are generally impractical in these situations, well-developed traffic
control procedures exist for these situations, and when well-executed, will ensure the safety of
both the workers and the travelling public, allowing the necessary roadwork to be completed
successfully without incident.
The paper defines short duration work activities, identifies the state-of-the-practice for short
duration work zone safety standards, presents the challenges associated with short duration
work zone safety and identifies best practices, including specific technologies and processes, for
improving safety and maximizing mobility, in order to protect both workers and the travelling
public.
