Examining the Influence of Work Zones on the Propensity of Secondary Crashes
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 148, Issue 9
Abstract
Work zones are essential to maintaining and upgrading highways. The constrained driving environment in work zones tends to disturb the normal traffic flow, leading to reductions in speed and road capacity. These conditions have proven to increase crash risk. However, the impact of work zones on secondary crashes is yet to be investigated. This study extends the previous research on secondary crash likelihood models by evaluating the impact of work zones on the occurrence of secondary crashes. This study used data collected between January 2014 and June 2019 on a 77.2-km Homestead Extension of Florida Turnpike (HEFT) corridor and a 45.1-km section on Florida’s Turnpike System Mainline—also known as the mainline south section (MSS) in Miami, Florida. Lane widening activities occurred within HEFT during the study period. The results indicated that HEFT experienced approximately twice as many secondary crashes than MSS, that is, seven secondary in HEFT and four secondary in MSS. The higher proportion of secondary crashes on HEFT could be attributed to the presence of construction activities. The model results indicate that the presence of work zones significantly influenced the likelihood of secondary crashes. The study results may assist transportation agencies in identifying strategies to improve the safety of both workers and motorists in work zones.
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Data Availability Statement
All data used during the study were provided by the Florida Department of Transportation. Direct requests for these materials may be made to the provider as indicated in the “Acknowledgments.”
Acknowledgments
This research was partly sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of FDOT or the US Department of Transportation.
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Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 148 • Issue 9 • September 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 8, 2021
Accepted: Apr 5, 2022
Published online: Jun 29, 2022
Published in print: Sep 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Nov 29, 2022
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Cited by
- Bahaa Chammout, Muaz O. Ahmed, Islam El-adaway, William Lieser, A Holistic Approach to Exploring the Root Factors of Work Zone Accidents, Journal of Management in Engineering, 10.1061/JMENEA.MEENG-5729, 40, 1, (2023).