Institute for Transportation

About the research

Improving freeway work zone traffic control could lead to more efficient traffic flow and greater safety to workers and the driving public. Newer technologies are being developed for improving work zone traffic control as in the case of dynamic speed advisory systems. Such systems have the potential to warn drivers of slow downs near work zones and streamline traffic approaching the work zone. An evaluation of a particular speed advisory system was conducted using multiple performance measures on I-70 in St. Louis, Missouri. The use of mean speed, speed variance, and driver surveys show that the system helped to improve the safety of the work zone. Data also show that static and dynamic operations of the system produced different effects on the traffic pattern. Time headways and conflict video were collected but were not useful in this particular evaluation.