Merging Taper Lengths for Short Duration Lane Closures
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1 Merging Taper Lengths for Short Duration Lane Closures By LuAnn Theiss, P.E. (Corresponding Author) Associate Research Engineer Texas Transportation Institute TAMU College Station, Texas - Phone: () - Fax: () -00 l-theiss@tamu.edu Melisa D. Finley, P.E. Associate Research Engineer Texas Transportation Institute TAMU College Station, Texas - Phone: () - Fax: () -00 m-finley@tamu.edu and Gerald L. Ullman, P.E., Ph.D. Senior Research Engineer Texas Transportation Institute TAMU College Station, Texas - Phone: () -0 Fax: () -00 g-ullman@tamu.edu Prepared for Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC 0 th Annual Meeting, January -, 0 Submitted on November, 00 Word Count: (Abstract), (Text), 000 (Figures), and 0 (Tables) = 0 words
2 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page 0 0 ABSTRACT Merging taper lengths described in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices are assumed to be applicable to roadways of all types. But driver expectations and traffic operations vary greatly between the higher-speed freeway environment and lower-speed signalized urban streets. This study investigated the operational impacts of reduced taper lengths on lower-speed urban arterials. The researchers found that drivers do react differently when merging taper lengths are modified. This is based on the fact that both the merging taper and the work vehicle in the closed lane can serve as visual cues to drivers to vacate the closed lane. For longer taper lengths, the channelizing devices are the primary motivator of driver lane changing. However, occluded vehicles are more likely to become trapped, creating mobility issues in the traffic stream. For shorter taper lengths, drivers are reacting to both the merging taper and the work vehicle itself. Although fewer vehicles become trapped near the merge point, the merge point is much closer to the work vehicle. For the no taper conditions (i.e., mobile operations), where the work vehicle was much larger than the trucks used during the merging taper observations, fewer drivers remain in the closed lane at comparable locations. Obviously, both motorist and worker safety must be considered when choosing the appropriate merging taper length for shorter duration work activities on urban arterials. Future research should investigate the worker safety implications of installing/removing various merging taper lengths versus the time it takes to complete the work activity.
3 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page INTRODUCTION When the normal function of a roadway is altered for construction, maintenance, and utility operations, temporary traffic control provides for the continuity of the movement of traffic. The 00 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) () defines the minimum temporary traffic control requirements on streets and highways. The MUTCD also contains typical applications that depict common uses of temporary traffic control devices, since defining details that would be adequate to cover all applications is not practical. The temporary traffic control selected for each situation depends on many variables, including but not limited to the type of roadway, type of work, duration of operation, and location of work with respect to road users. When work is required in the traveled way, lane closures are used to separate road users from the work activity. A lane closure typically includes a transition area where drivers are redirected out of their normal path with channelizing devices that form a merging taper. A merging taper is important because it provides positive guidance for motorists as they merge out of the closed lane. In addition, a merging taper should be long enough to allow merging drivers to have adequate advance warning and sufficient length to adjust their speeds and merge into an adjacent lane. However, urban arterials are typically characterized by relatively low speeds ( mph or less) and frequent intersections and driveways. Depending on the location of work, merging taper lengths can easily extend into upstream intersections or interfere with driveways, creating deployment issues. When typical applications of work zone traffic control cannot be deployed as prescribed, engineering judgment is needed. The MUTCD recognizes this and allows for adjustment to merging taper lengths when they are to be used in close proximity to crossroads, curves, or other influencing factors. In addition, the MUTCD also suggests that longer tapers are not necessarily better than shorter tapers (particularly in urban areas) because extended tapers tend to encourage sluggish operation as well as encourage drivers to delay lane changes unnecessarily. In some cases it takes longer to setup and remove a full set of temporary traffic control devices than to perform the actual work. In addition, it is believed that the risk to workers during the temporary traffic control installation and removal may be as great, or even greater, than the risk incurred to actually perform the work. Consequently, the MUTCD provides flexibility and allows for agency judgment concerning the use of simplified control procedures for short duration and mobile work activities. However, for short duration operations that close a travel lane on a multilane road, a merging taper in accordance with MUTCD requirements must still be used. The time necessary to install and remove a MUTCD merging taper may still viewed as excessive by many who conduct very short duration work activities (maintenance crews, utility crews, etc.). Unfortunately, relatively little data regarding driver reaction to merging tapers of various lengths, particularly on lower speed arterials, are available in the literature. Consequently, it is difficult to objectively and accurately assess the potential trade-offs associated with shorter merging taper lengths that may be faster to install and remove, but which may not provide the same level of guidance and control to motorists as the current taper lengths provide. Therefore, as part of a recent Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) sponsored project (), Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers designed and conducted field studies on urban arterials to evaluate the operational impacts of conducting the following: short duration work activities with a standard merging taper, short duration work activities with a 0 ft merging taper,
4 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page short duration work activities with a 00 ft merging taper, and mobile work activities with no merging taper. BACKGROUND Merging Taper Lengths Until the late 0s, the MUTCD () specified minimum desirable taper lengths based on only one formula: L=WS, where W is the width of the closed lane in feet and S is the th percentile speed in miles-per-hour. This formula applied only to relatively flat grades and straight alignments, but was considered valid for all speeds. The necessity of making adjustments to the taper length were noted, particularly for providing adequate sight distance and/or the close proximity of interchange ramps, crossroads, etc. However, some transportation professionals felt that the standard taper lengths for speeds less than 0 mph were excessively long. In, Graham and Sharp () proposed a revised taper length formula that yielded shorter tapers at speeds less than 0 mph (L=WS /0, where W is in ft and S is in mph). Proponents of the revised formula felt that the ability to stop and/or change direction was inversely proportional to the square of the velocity, and shorter taper lengths would interfere less with driveways and intersections. Graham and Sharp conducted field studies to directly compare traffic operations when standard and proposed taper lengths were used in the same work zones. The data collected included speed, erratic maneuvers, traffic conflicts, and lane encroachments. The field studies only considered long-term lane closure situations (i.e., no short duration study sites were included). In addition, none of the work zone sites studied included the use of arrow panels. Graham and Sharp found that the use of the proposed taper lengths did not produce a greater number of erratic maneuvers and slow-moving vehicle conflicts than with the standard taper lengths. In addition, the proposed taper lengths did not result in a greater number of passenger vehicle or truck encroachments on adjacent lanes. Thus, Graham and Sharp concluded that the shorter proposed taper lengths were not more hazardous than those previously used. However, they also concluded that taper lengths shorter than those studied may show an increase in conflicts; thus, the new proposed taper lengths were probably the minimum that should be considered. Based on these results, the proposed taper length formula was included in the MUTCD () for urban, residential, and other streets where the posted speed is 0 mph or less. Since that time, two formulas have been used to determine the taper length in work zones (Figure ). The MUTCD () also contains a table showing stopping sight distance (SSD) as a function of speed. Although the MUTCD merging taper lengths were not developed based on this criteria, as shown in Figure, merging taper lengths computed from the two formulas currently used are generally equal to or greater than the stopping sight distances. Thus, if a driver is unaware of the closure until striking the first channelizing device in the merging taper, the taper length provides adequate stopping distance between the decelerating vehicle and the work vehicle. In the late 0 s, TTI performed research on short duration work operations on freeways (). In that study, a no-merging taper condition with an arrow panel in a rural/suburban freeway travel lane was briefly tried at one site, but was quickly abandoned after observing severe braking by some drivers to avoid striking the arrow panel. Certainly, driver expectancies
5 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page 0 0 regarding the need to brake and change lanes are much different on these types of freeway sections than they are on urban arterial streets, which raises questions about the applicability of the statement to these lower speed facilities. Recently, FDOT sponsored driver simulation-based research () to examine the feasibility of using reduced taper lengths to decrease worker exposure while performing work within the travel way of a multilane facility with a median lane or outside lane closure. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate whether reducing the standard taper length from 0 ft to 00 ft on roadways with a lane width of ft and a posted speed limit of mph increases accident likelihood. Researchers also considered the affect of the presence or absence of a visually occluding lead vehicle and additional traffic that trapped the driver at the beginning of the taper. In general, those researchers interpreted their results to indicate that the reduced taper length of 00 ft increased accident likelihood, and that this likelihood was even greater when a lead vehicle occluded the work zone. However, several limitations in the study methodology, protocol used, and discussion of results makes the conclusions drawn somewhat suspect. Most important of these limitations is the lack of a work vehicle with high-intensity, rotating, flashing, oscillating, or strobe lights operating in the closed lane downstream of the merging taper (which is recommended by the MUTCD when omitting the advance signing and channelizing devices) even though the lane closure consisted of only cones (i.e., no advance signing or arrow panel) Calculated Taper Length (ft) L=WS L=WS 0 SSD Posted Speed Limit (mph) FIGURE Comparison of MUTCD taper lengths and stopping sight distances. Work Duration Work duration is a major factor in determining the number and types of devices used in work zones. According to the MUTCD () short duration operations include work that occupies a
6 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page location up to one hour and mobile operations include work that moves intermittently or continuously. Past research (,) has shown that both disparity and overlap exist between the definitions of short duration and mobile operations among transportation agencies, as well as among the specific activities associated with each type of operation. For example, work activities that take minutes or less to complete and move from location to location throughout the work period could be considered a short duration operation or a mobile operation that moves intermittently down the road. Intermittently is not defined in the MUTCD, but it does indicate that mobile operations often involve frequent short stops for activities such as litter cleanup, pothole patching, and utility operations, and are similar in nature to short duration operations. The MUTCD definitions are purposely vague in order to allow individual agencies to further clarify distinctions between work durations, as deemed appropriate. In order to better classify the type of work activity described in the previous paragraph, some public agencies have decided to specify the amount of time (e.g., up to minutes, no more than minutes, approximately minutes) that a mobile operation can stop in their mobile operation definition (0,,,, ). This time period is based on the belief that a well-prepared, efficient crew can install and remove a full set of traffic control devices for a lane closure in approximately minutes using conventional methods. In essence, the selection of a -minute threshold is implying that anytime the work activity is stopped for longer than the time it would take to install and remove a merging taper and other appropriate traffic control devices, those devices should be installed. Obviously, independent of the exact definitions used for short duration and mobile operations, these types of activities are inherently different from longer term stationary operations. At longer term stationary work zones there is ample time to install and realize the benefits from the full range of temporary traffic control devices (e.g., advance warning signs, tapers, arrow panels, etc.). However, some maintenance and utility operations only take a few minutes to complete and thus the time to install and remove temporary traffic control devices can take much longer than the actual work activity itself. Even the MUTCD recognizes this issue and indicates that workers face hazards during the installation and removal of traffic control devices. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that the installation and removal of temporary traffic control is one of the more dangerous times for highway workers (,). The MUTCD also notes that since the work time is short, delays affecting motorists are significantly increased when additional devices are installed and removed. Considering these factors, the MUTCD allows for simplified control procedures for both short duration and mobile work activities. A reduction in the number of temporary traffic control devices may be offset by the use of appropriate enhanced colors or markings on the work vehicles and more dominant devices, such as high-intensity rotating, flashing, oscillating, or strobe lights on work vehicles. The appropriateness of such adjustments is ultimately based on positive guidance considerations (). Generally speaking, these larger and more visible devices on a vehicle allow it to be seen farther upstream thereby providing some advance information to drivers about a downstream blockage or lane closure information that normally would have been provided through the upstream warning signs and arrow panel. However, the safety of short duration and mobile operations should not be compromised by using fewer devices simply because the operation will frequently change locations.
7 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page Summary In summary, some maintenance and utility operations only take a few minutes to complete and thus the installation and removal of temporary traffic control devices may take much longer than the actual work activity itself. Independent of the whether these types of operations are defined as short duration or mobile work, simplified control procedures are desired as a way to minimize overall worker and motorist risk. While simplified control procedures are currently allowed, the time necessary to install and remove a MUTCD merging taper is still viewed as excessive by many who conduct work activities that take minutes or less to complete. The use of shorter taper lengths would further reduce the time that workers are exposed to traffic during the installation and removal of traffic control devices. However, previous merging taper length research is limited, so questions still exist as to whether reduced taper lengths would be acceptable for slower speed roadways. METHODOLOGY Field studies were conducted in Broward, Orange, and Hillsborough counties in Florida to evaluate the operational impacts of shorter merging taper lengths, including a no-taper condition (i.e., mobile operation). The data for this study were collected on several urban arterials under the following conditions: the speed limit was 0 or mph; the duration of the work operation was approximately minutes or less; the work vehicle had warning lights per MUTCD () and FDOT standards (); there were no advance warning signs and arrow panel; there were no sight obstructions; right lane closures; one or two lanes remained open to traffic; daytime lighting conditions existed with dry pavement; and the volume and complexity of the roadway were considered. The following merging taper treatments, shown in Figure, were evaluated in the field studies: 00 ft merging taper length with ft device spacing, 0 ft merging taper length with 0 ft device spacing, MUTCD standard 0 ft merging taper length with ft spacing, and no-taper condition (i.e., mobile operation).
8 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page (a) 00 ft (b) 0 ft (c) 0 ft (d) Mobile FIGURE Merging taper lengths evaluated. Cone spacing for the 00 ft taper treatment was based on FDOT standards () which require ft spacing of cones in the taper on a facility with posted speeds of 0 to mph. A 0 ft taper treatment, using the same number of cones placed at 0 ft, was also included, since lane stripes are generally placed at 0 ft intervals on the pavement, this merging taper would be simpler to install (i.e., field personnel could simply place cones according to the lane stripes). The standard 0 ft taper length was based on MUTCD criteria. Cone spacing for the standard taper treatment was also ft. For all treatments, standard -inch reflectorized channelizing cones were used. The work vehicle was an FDOT pickup truck, similar to the one shown in Figure (a-c), and was used for the taper treatments because it represented the minimum size of vehicle that would likely be used for short duration utility operations. In accordance with FDOT standards (), the advance warning signs, arrow panel, and buffer space were omitted for all of the merging taper treatment observations. No merging taper was used during the mobile operations. The work vehicle was a utility company bucket truck, similar to the one shown in Figure (d). Researchers hypothesized that the larger utility truck would likely be more visible to approaching motorists than the standard FDOT pickup truck. Again, the advance warning signs, arrow panel, and buffer space were omitted for all of the mobile operations. A total of operations were observed at different locations. Not all treatments were observed at all sites. Due to phasing of the data collection, all treatments that used a merging taper were observed at the same sites, and the mobile operation data were collected in a separate phase at different sites. The researchers documented the site characteristics of each location. These characteristics included: speed limit, number of lanes open, time of day, sight distance, intersection spacing, surrounding land uses, and weather conditions. Speed profile data were captured to assess the speed and deceleration rates of free-flowing vehicles in the closed lane. Video cameras and manual tabulation were used to capture lane distribution and erratic
9 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page maneuver data. Data collection locations varied by type of work (short duration or mobile) and data type. Additional information is provided in the discussion below. Primary measures of effectiveness (MOEs) selected for this research were lane distribution, percent remaining in the closed lane, percent occluded, percent trapped, and vehicle acceleration/deceleration rates. Lane distributions were based on the percent of traffic in each lane at various points upstream of the lane closure and at the beginning of the taper, allowing the researchers to determine how far upstream of the lane closure motorists are moving out of the closed lane. These data include all vehicles in the study area, regardless of their point of entry to or exit from the study area. The percent remaining in the closed lane is used to more closely evaluate the behavior of vehicles in the closed lane, and was estimated as the amount of traffic in the closed lane at various points upstream of the taper and work vehicle divided by the amount of traffic in the closed lane at 0 ft upstream (or 0 ft for the mobile operations to be able to compare the beginning of the taper data for the 0 ft merging taper treatment). It includes only vehicles that entered the study area in the closed lane, perceived and reacted to the work activity, and merged into the open lane. It does not include vehicles that entered from or exited to side streets or driveways located within the study area. The percent occluded is based on the percent of vehicles entering the study area in the closed lane within seconds of the vehicle ahead of them. The percent trapped is based on the amount of traffic in the closed lane within 0 ft of the beginning of the taper (or within 0 ft of the work truck in the case of the mobile operations) that decelerated to a stop, or almost stopped, waiting for a gap in the traffic stream in the open lane divided by the amount of traffic in the closed lane at 0 ft upstream (or 0 ft for the mobile operations). Vehicle acceleration/deceleration rates near the taper were also calculated to quantify driver reactions as they approached the work activity; however, these data are not discussed herein. For each MOE, the average value by treatment type within each roadway category (speed limit and number of lanes remaining open) was computed and compared. RESULTS The scope of this paper is limited to discussion of the results for the sites with mph posted speed limit and only one lane remaining open. Data for sites with lower speed limits and more lanes open followed similar trends and are discussed in the project research report (). Effects on Lane Distribution As drivers approached the work operation, they exited the closed right lane, creating a shift in the lane distribution. Figure shows the lane distribution as a function of distance to the work vehicle for all four treatments. Generally, a higher percentage of vehicles remained in the closed lane at the beginning of the merging taper with the 0 ft tapers ( percent) than with the other taper treatments (0 and percent for 0 ft and 00 ft, respectively). Interestingly, the lowest percentage of traffic ( percent) was present when no merging taper was used.
10 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page 0 0% % Percent of All Traffic in the Closed Lane 0% % 0% % 0% % 0% % Mobile 00 ft Taper 0 ft Taper 0 ft Taper 0% FIGURE Driver response to treatments. Distance Upstream from Work Vehicle (ft) 0 0 Overall, one sees two different driver response patterns in Figure. The graph for the 0 ft taper length is shifted significantly to the left (farther upstream) than for the other three treatments. Obviously, the 0 ft merging taper encouraged drivers to exit the closed lane farther upstream than the other treatments, but a larger portion of drivers were still in the closed lane at the beginning of the taper. However, the slope of the graph for the 0 ft tapers is similar to the other taper length treatments. The lane distribution values for the other three treatments all begin at about the same value far upstream of the work vehicle, but begin to diverge as vehicles get about 00 ft from the work vehicle. These diverging graphs imply that both the merging taper and the work vehicle together serve as a warning system, providing cues to approaching drivers about the need to exit the closed lane. For the 0 ft and 00 ft tapers, the proximity of the start of the merging taper to the work vehicle decreases, and so more drivers move out of the closed lane prior to reaching the beginning of the merging taper because many are reacting to the realization that there is a work vehicle blocking the closed lane. This hypothesis is further confirmed by examining driver behavior in response to the large bucket truck used for the mobile operations. Even though no taper is present to provide a visual cue as to where they must begin to vacate the closed lane, the percentage of vehicles in the closed lane at distances 00 ft and closer to the work vehicle are less than those for the 0 ft and 00 ft taper treatments that were installed using a smaller work vehicle (i.e., pickup truck).
11 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page Effects on Merging Behavior The beginning of the merging taper defines the point at which drivers must either begin to merge or stop to wait for an acceptable gap in the traffic stream in the open lane. Researchers were also interested in the behavior of motorists and traffic flow in the vicinity of the beginning of these merging tapers. Certainly, some drivers make a deliberate decision to move as far forward in the closed lane as possible prior to beginning to merge. However, other drivers are forced to stay in the closed lane because a suitable gap in the open lane may not be available. In either case, a large number of vehicles trapped in the closed lane at the merge point can lead to turbulent traffic flow as vehicles attempt to merge into the open lane of traffic from a standstill. This was considered to be an undesirable outcome by researchers. The traffic and site characteristics documented at each of the sites used in the study had considerable variation. Some of the characteristics that may influence traffic operations in the urban environment include traffic volume, the presence of signalized intersections, sight distance, turning movements, the presence of bus stops, and the frequency of buses in the traffic stream. The platooning effect that signalized intersections introduce into a traffic streams impact a driver s ability to merge out of a closed lane. For example, at higher traffic volumes, a platoon of vehicles released from an upstream intersection that is located a short distance from the beginning of the work zone may have fewer and smaller gaps into which the closed lane traffic can merge than one that is located further upstream. In addition, when a platoon is tightly grouped, a driver s ability to see beyond the leading vehicle is reduced. As the platoon disperses further downstream, merging gaps become larger and more abundant. Certainly, some drivers will intentionally remain in the closed lane to move as far forward as possible before merging. However, it is very possible that a considerable number of drivers in the closed lane were unaware of the lane closure as they encountered the work zone treatments because they were right behind another vehicle and so had the taper and work vehicle occluded from view. The researchers evaluated this possibility by identifying those vehicles entering the study area that had occluded views of the channelizing devices and work vehicle, and assessing how many of those occluded vehicles became trapped in the closed lane at the beginning of the taper. Occluded vehicles were those entering the study area in the closed lane within seconds of the vehicle ahead of them. Overall, almost half ( percent) of the closed lane vehicles observed during the field studies were occluded. Occluded vehicles are less like to be able to see the traffic control system (which includes both the merging taper and the work vehicle). Site and traffic characteristics, such as traffic volume and distance from upstream intersection, contribute to higher percentages of occluded vehicles. Because occluded vehicles may not have a clear view of the work zone, they are more likely to become trapped than vehicles that are not occluded. Trapped vehicles were those vehicles in the closed lane within 0 ft of the beginning of the taper that decelerated to a stop, or almost stopped, waiting for a gap in the traffic stream in the open lane. Trapped vehicles present some concern because they create speed differentials within the traffic stream that can contribute to traffic flow turbulence. In addition, trapped vehicles may become more impatient as they wait for a gap to move into the open lane, and could tend to select shorter gaps in which to merge, creating other potential safety concerns. Figure shows the percent of closed lane traffic that entered the study area occluded compared to the percent of vehicles that became trapped within 0 ft of the merging tapers (or within 0 ft of the work vehicle during mobile operations). Overall, a higher percentage of
12 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page 0 occluded vehicles generally resulted in a higher percentage of vehicles becoming trapped. The combination of a lack of advance warning signing (a key positive guidance component of work zone traffic control systems) and a fairly high frequency of vehicle occlusion of the channelizing devices and work vehicle together resulted in a substantial percentage of closed lane traffic becoming trapped at the taper merge point. The general trends in Figure show that the percentage of closed lane traffic becoming trapped at the taper merge point decreased as the merging taper decreased. Researchers believe this occurred because the platooning may have prevented many motorists from seeing the channelizing devices forming the merging taper far enough in advance to prevent becoming trapped near the transition area. With the shorter taper lengths, drivers had more time to for the platoon to disperse, allowing drivers to view the merging taper and work vehicle, and move out of the closed lane prior to becoming trapped in the transition area. Only one erratic maneuver was observed during the study. In this instance, no merging taper was present when a driver left the open lane and used the closed lane to pass a slowermoving vehicle in the open lane, re-entering the open lane just upstream of the work vehicle. Although it is possible that having a merging taper upstream of the work vehicle may have discouraged this maneuver, researchers believe that is also possible that the driver may have attempted the pass even when the cones were present. 0% 0% Percent Trapped Within 0 ft 0% 0% 0% 0% Mobile 00 ft Taper 0 ft Tapers 0 ft Taper 0% 0 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Percent Occluded FIGURE Percent trapped compared to percent of traffic entering occluded.
13 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page 0 0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Overall, the results indicate that there are differences in how drivers react to merging tapers of different lengths upstream of a work vehicle on urban arterials. These differences reflect the fact that both the merging taper and the work vehicle in the closed lane can serve as visual cues to drivers that they need to vacate the closed lane. For longer taper lengths, the channelizing devices begin farther upstream of the work vehicle, and are the primary motivator of driver lane changing (in fact, they physically require drivers to vacate the closed lane once they reach the channelizing devices). For shorter taper lengths, drivers are reacting to both the merging taper presence and the work vehicle itself. As a result, more drivers have vacated the lane by the time they reach a shorter taper length than a longer one. Of course, the beginning of the merging taper is much closer to the work vehicle. For the no taper conditions (i.e., mobile operations), where the work vehicle was much larger than the trucks used during the merging taper observations, fewer drivers re in the closed lane upstream of the work vehicle at comparable locations. Although longer tapers force drivers out of the closed lane earlier, occluded vehicles are more likely to become trapped, creating mobility issues in the traffic stream. Conversely, shorter tapers result in fewer vehicles in the closed lane at the merge point and a smaller percentage of these vehicles becoming trapped near the merge point, but the merge point is much closer to the work vehicle. Obviously, both motorist and worker safety must be considered when choosing the appropriate merging taper length for shorter duration work activities on urban arterials. Future research should investigate the worker safety implications of installing/removing various merging taper lengths versus the time it takes to complete the work activity.
14 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page 0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The research team would like to thank the Project Director, Jim Mills of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Others who provided support during this project include: FDOT Orlando South Maintenance Office, FDOT Broward Maintenance Office, FDOT Tampa Maintenance Office, Florida Power & Light Company, and Tampa Electric Company. Their participation was critical to the success of this research project. The contents of this paper reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official view or policies of the State of Florida.
15 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page REFERENCES () Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 00 Edition, FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, December 00. Available at Accessed November, 00. () Theiss, L, M.D. Finley, and G.L. Ullman. Merging Taper Lengths for Short Duration Lane Closure.,Report No. BDK, Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, Florida, December Accessed November, 00. () Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Edition, FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, November 0. () Graham, J.L, and M.C. Sharp. Effects of Taper Length on Traffic Operations in Construction Zones. Report No. FHWA-RD--. Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C., December. () Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Edition, FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, December. () Dudek. C.L., G.L. Ullman, K.N. Balke, and R.A. Krammes. Traffic Control for Short Duration and Stop-and-Go Maintenance Operations on Four-Lane Divided Roadways. Report No. FHWA/TX-/-F. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, Texas, March. Accessed November, 00. () Duley, A.R., J.F. Morgan, G. Conway, J. Wang, J. Abich, and P.A. Hancock. A Human Factors Examination of Driver Response to a Specific Work Zone Design (Design Standard #, Duration Note ) and Key Moderating Factors. Final Technical Report. Project No. BD -. University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, June 00. () Ullman, B.R., M.D. Finley, and N.D. Trout. Identification of Hazards Associated with Mobile and Short Duration Work Zones. Report No. FHWA\TX-0/-. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, Texas, September Accessed November, 00. () Research Results Digest : Improving the Safety of Mobile Lane Closures. National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., August 00. (0) Book of Standards for Highways and Incidental Structures. Maryland State Highway Administration, Baltimore, Maryland, 00. Available at cationsonline/ohd/bookstd/index.asp. Accessed on November, 00. () Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 00 Edition with 00-0 Revisions. Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, Minnesota, 00. Available at Accessed on July 0, 00. () Work Zone Safety Set-Up Guide. New Jersey Department of Transportation, July 00. Available at Accessed on November, 00. () Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 00 Version. Texas Department of Transportation, Austin, Texas, 00. Available at
16 Theiss, Finley and Ullman Page Accessed November, 00. () Virginia Work Zone Protection Manual: Standards and Guidelines for Temporary Traffic Control. Virginia Department of Transportation, Charlottesville, May 00. Available at Accessed on November, 00. () Bryden, J.E., L.B. Andrew, and J.S. Fortuniewicz. Intrusion Crashes on Highway Construction Projects. In Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No., Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., 000, pp. 0-. () Schrock, S.D., G.L. Ullman, A.S. Cothron, E.Kraus, and A.P. Voigt. An Analysis of Fatal Work Zone Crashes in Texas. Report No. FHWA/TX-0/0-0-. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, Texas, October Accessed November, 00. () Lunenfeld, H., and G.J. Alexander. A User s Guide to Positive Guidance ( rd Edition). FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C., September 0. () 00 Design Standards 00 Series, Traffic Control Through Work Zones. Florida Department of Transportation, Tallahassee, Florida. Available at Accessed on November, 00.
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