Work-Zone
Figure 1. MoDOT AFAD and its CMS signs.
Flaggers are professionally trained to guide and direct vehicles through work zones, and they are often located closest to the oncoming traffic. Discovering ways to protect flaggers is an important issue in work-zone safety. One countermeasure that can be applied when there is a one-lane closure on...
When the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) first began working on the redesign of the I-235/U.S. 54 interchange in Wichita, the challenge was clear—improve traffic flow and driver safety at each roadway entrance and exit on one of the most heavily traveled interchanges in the state.
With...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced their top 10 most-cited safety violations list for fiscal year 2018.
The list covers violations that OSHA issued between Oct. 1, 2017 through Sept. 30, 2018, but the data is preliminary. Patrick Kapust, deputy director of...
Figure 1. TMA light configurations investigated in the study.
As state departments of transportation (DOTs) shift their attention towards maintenance of existing infrastructure, improving safety in both stationary and mobile work zones is becoming more of a consideration.
One countermeasure to help improve safety in mobile work zones is the truck-mounted...
RoadQuake TPRS deployed in work zones reduce crashes and save lives
On February 8, 2017, KTVN TV reported a fatal work-zone crash:
“…a 2006 black Freightliner semi was traveling southbound where it was approaching traffic being halted by a flagger in a construction zone. [Nevada Highway Patrol] says a 2000 red Ford F-150, 2015 white Toyota 4Runner, and 2007 beige...
A MnDOT flagger holds up a sign to warn drivers entering the work zone.
The night a minivan barreled through his crew’s work-zone closure is one Erik Shelstad will never forget.
That evening, the experienced Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) operations supervisor was overseeing a mill-and-fill project on a three-lane interstate. Shelstad’s crew had set...
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the agency's ongoing investigation of the pedestrian bridge collapse that took place at Florida International Univerisity (FIU) on March 15 in the city of Sweetwater.
According to the report, the 174-ft-long bridge fell...
RAPTOR demonstrates TPRS deployment at PTC
Traffic engineers at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) first tested RoadQuake 2F Temporary Portable Rumble Strips (TPRS) in live work zones in September and October of 2015. Their goal was to determine if TPRS arrays would increase driver awareness and alertness in their work zones.
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The National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) last week launched a multimedia messaging campaign to highlight the dangers to road crews in work zones.
NAPA unveiled the "WatchForUs" campaign, which targets distracted driving, for National Work Zone Awareness Week observed April 9‒13. The goal...
Beginning this year, work zones in the state of Virginia will have rumble strips, a safety tool that will be used to capture the attention of drivers as well as alert workers to cars entering a work zone, according to officials with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
VDOT officials...
Many bridge experts believe accelerated bridge construction is not the culprit of the FIU bridge collapse that claimed six lives. In the latest Infrastructure Insider podcast, hear from University of Washington Professor John Stanton, who specializes in ABC. To listen to the podcast, click here.
An I-4 Ultimate construction worker has died after a rebar cage fell and struck him in Orlando, officials said.
SGL Constructors, the P3 joint venture operating the project on I-4, said Michael Tolman, 56, died after being struck around 9:45 a.m. Thursday at an I-4 west on-ramp at South Street...
Before workers began adjusting support cables at the north end of the Florida International University (FIU) bridge that collapsed and killed six people last week, they performed the same work at the opposite end of the bridge, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a statement...
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao asked the inspector general of her department to probe whether a federally funded pedestrian bridge that collapsed and killed six in Florida complied with all rules, her office said on Tuesday.
Chao said in a letter she has asked for an audit to determine...
NTSB officials have still not been able to access the FIU bridge accident site. AP Photo
As rescue workers continued recovery efforts at the site of the pedestrian bridge collapse at Florida International University in the city of Sweetwater on Friday, officials were waiting to get a chance to do their job.
At least six have been confirmed dead and more may be pulled from the rubble...
LaneGard 3 Folding Type III Barricade is designed for emergency road closures.
After a storm hit northeastern Ohio on March 1, 2018, an estimated 80,000 people lost electrical power as a result. High winds, gusting as strong as 50 mph, brought many power lines down, and numerous road closures were reported throughout the area. The storm, severe enough to earn its own name,...
In 2016, there were over 288 nighttime crashes in work zones, resulting in over 800 fatalities.
Increasing traffic volumes are leading to a rapid increase in nighttime construction activities on our roads. This increase in nighttime construction on highways poses a major safety concern for both...
Image: ALL Family of Companies
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a final rule last week that delayed its deadline for crane operators to be certified by one year until Nov. 10, 2018.
OSHA is also extending its employer duty to ensure that crane operators are competent to operate a crane safely...
As the prime highway contractor, Shelly & Sands recently installed temporary portable rumble strips (TPRS) in a work zone in Mahoning County, Ohio. The concrete joint repair project was located on I-76/I-80 eastbound, between Bailey Road and the Ohio Turnpike, in the Warren-Youngstown area.
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Image source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released interim enforcement guidance for its Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard, which is to be enforced in full on Oct. 23.
The guidance was issued Oct. 19 in a memorandum to OSHA regional administrators from...
