Active Work Zone Safety Using Emerging Technologies 2017

Highway construction work zones are hazardous environments characterized by a dynamic and limited work space. A host of interactions between workers, passing commuter vehicles, and moving construction equipment occurs in highway work zones fostering dangerous situations which can result in an injury or fatality. Active strategies such as the deployment of intrusion sensing and alert technologies in highway work zones and in transportation infrastructure construction and maintenance can be effective in mitigating these unforeseen conditions. The main objective of this study was to conduct both conceptual analysis and experimental evaluation of intrusion sensing technologies for work zone safety. To achieve the objectives of this research, a comprehensive review of the applicable technologies was conducted to identify the intrusion technologies that can be implemented for work zone safety. An objective assessment of each technology was provided based on selected weighing metrics to elicit their capabilities. Candidate commercially available technologies were selected and evaluated using field experiments in simulated work zones. The findings of the study indicate that a limited number of the applicable technologies exists and the selected commercially available technologies evaluated have the capabilities to effectively provide alerts to highway work zone personnel when a hazardous situation is present.