| Popis: |
Urban work zones present unique challenges related to the development of effective temporary traffic control plans. Unlike typical highway work zones, urban work zones introduce additional considerations including businesses and pedestrians. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) provides great detail on proper installment of temporary traffic controls for most situations. However, there remains a void in the area of delineating business driveways and pedestrian crosswalks. The purpose of this study was to determine an appropriate delineation technique to be used for locations where work zones are present in the vicinity of business access points, pedestrian crosswalks, and highway exit ramps. This study was completed by developing several scenarios and analyzing participants using a driving simulator. This study also examined business impacts resulting from a work zone in the vicinity, which was determined by surveying several businesses near an actual work area. The simulator study showed that using orange barrels with blue and white striping, along with blue business access signs with white lettering, at business driveways improved the delineation of the access point. Also, yellow pedestrian crossing signs were found to provide the best delineation of pedestrian crosswalks. Green and white striped barrels were used to delineate highway exit ramps, but no significant differences were discovered. The barrels used to delineate business entrances and highway exits were compared to a typical orange barrel with orange and white retroreflective striping. Finally, the business impact survey determined that businesses could potentially see an improvement in revenue when a work zone is present, which goes against the typical assumption that business revenues decrease in the vicinity of a work zone. |
