Road construction and maintenance activities have become a common feature for the majority of U.S. roads over the last few years as a result of an aging infrastructure and increased funding in the last two highway bills. At the same time, traffic levels across the U.S. continue to surge, especially along urban corridors. Therefore, it is no surprise that concerns over traffic safety and delays at work zones continue to top national transportation priorities.

The Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule, which was published in September 2004, established requirements for state and local transportation agencies on issues such as work zone impact assessment and management, transportation management plans for work zones, and public information and outreach strategies. In light of these requirements, it has become imperative that transportation agencies utilize the proper tools to ensure compliance with the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule.

This presentation discusses research conducted on the application of two classes of traffic analysis models (macroscopic sketch-analysis models and microscopic traffic simulation) to work zones. Specifically, this research examined the following: 1) how their use relates to federal requirements on considering traffic impacts of major construction projects; 2) the accuracy of model results in comparison to real-world conditions; and 3) modeling effort and data requirements of these models. The primary objectives of this research were: 1) determining the feasibility of applying a traffic analysis model to a work zone environment; 2) calibrating and validating the simulation models based on data collected in the work zone; and 3) using the calibrated model to apply various work zone management strategies.