TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT 

IN CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE WORK 

ZONES 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration 

QUALITY ASSURANCE 

The U.S. Department of Transportation provides high-quality information to serve 

Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public 

understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, 

objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. USDOT periodically reviews quality 

issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality 

improvement. This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Highway 

Administration under contract number DTFH61-06-D-0007. Any opinions, findings 

and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the 

author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Highway 

Administration. 

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TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION

 1. Report No. 

FHWA-HOP-08-056 

 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. 

 4. Title and Subtitle 

Traffic Incident Management in Construction and Maintenance Work Zones 

 5. Report Date 

January 2009 

 6. Performing Organization Code 

 7. Author(s) 

Kevin Balke, Ph.D., P.E. 

 8. Performing Organization Report No. 

 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 

Texas Transportation Institute 

The Texas A&M University System 

College Station, Texas 77843-3135 

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) 

11. Contract or Grant No. 

DTFH61-06-D-0007 

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 

Federal Highway Administration 

Office of Transportation Operations 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

13. Type of Report and Period Covered 

Technical Report 

14. Sponsoring Agency Code 

HOTO-1, FHWA 

15. Supplementary Notes 

Project performed under contract to Battelle for the Federal Highway Administration Office of Operations 

16. Abstract 

In 2004, the Federal Highway Administration published updated rules governing work zone safety and mobility; all 

highway construction and maintenance projects using federal-aid highway funds are required to develop transportation 

management plans (TMP) focusing on safety and the reduction of traffic mobility impacts through coordination. The 

project TMP should consist of a collection of administrative, procedural, and operational strategies for managing and 

mitigating the impacts of work zones. It is important for planners, operations personnel, and incident responders to 

understand why the transportation operation elements are vital in the process of developing the TMP. This document 

addresses the special needs and concerns when managing traffic incidents within a work zone and focuses on incident 

management as a strategy to be considered in the transportation operations component of the TMP. A description of 

techniques and strategies that can be used to handle incidents in work zones is presented Some trend-setting 

approaches used on high-profile construction projects are also showcased as examples of good incident response 

planning incorporated at the design level. The contractor’s role in dealing with incidents within the work zone is 

addressed as well as the description of processes, procedures, and practices related to the detection, response, and 

clearance of incidents. The importance of including incident management procedures as an element of the 

transportation operations component of these plans is emphasized. The goals, objectives, and reasons for incident 

management as well as the issues and concerns that work zone planners, incident responders, and traffic operators 

need to consider in the planning phases of a work zone project are presented. Common work zone incident 

management strategies are described. 

17. Key Words 

Transportation Management Plans, Work Zones, Traffic 

Incident Management 

18. Distribution Statement 

No restrictions. This document is available to the . 

19. Security Classif.(of this report) 

Unclassified 

20. Security Classif.(of this page) 

Unclassified 

21. No. of Pages 

68 

22. Price 

 Form DOT F 1700.7 Reproduction of completed page authorized

59
LETTER FROM ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR OF OPERATIONS JEFFREY A. LI

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE. 

Washington, DC 20590

NDLEY 

October 31, 2008 

Dear Transportation Professionals & Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Partners: 

As part of the mission of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to “Keep America 

Moving,” we need to safeguard the motoring public and those responding to traffic incidents. 

Safe, quick clearance of highway incidents—a foundation of both mature and developing TIM 

programs—depends on strong, coordinated multi-agency operations that are supported by 

integrated communications. 

With more vehicles on the Nation’s highways, traffic incidents become increasingly life 

threatening for those involved, including responders dispatched to help. According to the 

National Traffic Incident Management Coalition (NTIMC), "struck-by" secondary incidents are 

on the rise. In conjunction with the NTIMC partner organizations in the public safety and 

transportation arenas, FHWA promotes policies that enhance responder safety (such as driver 

removal and move-over laws); encourages the use of new technologies and gear to protect 

responders during roadside operations; and promotes improved safety procedures and safety 

training of traffic incident responders. In the coming year, FHWA will be launching a new 

campaign, similar to the highly successful “Click It or Ticket” campaign, to increase driver 

awareness of their roles and duties in safely addressing traffic incidents or public safety 

responses on the roads. 

As a part of this campaign and in support of TIM practitioners, FHWA is pleased to introduce a 

new set of primers, collectively known as the “Safe, Quick Clearance Primer Series.” This 

series includes five primers that address various issues associated with roadside clearance 

operations and provide basic building blocks on: 

• Information Sharing for Traffic Incident Management 

• Traffic Incident Management in Construction and Maintenance Work Zones 

• Traffic Incident Management in Hazardous Materials Spills in Incident Clearance 

• Traffic Incident Management Resource Management, and

• Traffic Control Concepts for Incident Clearance 

We encourage comments and contributions to these primers and other FHWA Traffic Incident 

Management documents. Please feel free to contact our Emergency Transportation Operations 

Team at ETO@dot.gov with suggestions for future revisions. 

 Sincerely, 

 Jeffrey A. Lindley 

 Associate Administrator for Operations

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

QUALITY ASSURANCE ------------------------------------------------------------------ i

TECHNICAL REPORT DOCUMENTATION ---------------------------------------------- ii

LETTER FROM ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR OF OPERATIONS JEFFREY --------- iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------- v

LIST OF FIGURES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- vi

LIST OF TABLES ------------------------------------------------------------------------ vi

1.0 INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1

Purpose of This Document -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

Target Audience ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2

Structure of This Guidebook ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2

2.0 TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR WORK ZONES -------------- 5

What is a Transportation Management Plan? --------------------------------------------------- 5

What are the Components of a Transportation Management Plan? ---------------------- 5

Why is a Transportation Management Plan Needed? ---------------------------------------- 6

When is a Transportation Management Plan Needed? -------------------------------------- 7

Who Needs to be Involved in the Development of a Transportation Management 

Plan? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8

What is the Process for Developing a Transportation Management Plan? -------------- 8

Factors Impacting the Need for Work Zone Incident Management ------------------------ 9

3.0

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13

TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS IN HIGHWAY WORK 

ZONES

Planning and Coordinating With Incident Response Agencies ---------------------------- 13

The Incident Command System and Unified Command------------------------------------- 15

Assessing the Need for Traffic Incident Management in Work Zones ------------------- 16

The Planning Process-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

4.0 PRE-CONSTRUCTION STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES --------------------- 25

Role of the Contractor/Construction Personnel in Work Zone Incident Management 25

Institutional Arrangement and Agreements ----------------------------------------------------- 26

Coordination with Existing Incident Management Programs ------------------------------- 26

Alternate Route Planning---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27

Training -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30

Information Sharing ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31

Liability and Legal Issues --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33

5.0

 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 35

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR USE IN 

WORK ZONES

Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Detection in Work Zones ---------- 35

Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Response------------------------------ 38

Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Clearance ----------------------------- 40

Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Site Management -------------------- 42

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Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Information Dissemination to 

Travelers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 46

Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Information Dissemination to 

Responders --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47

6.0

 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 51

ENHANCING FUTURE WORK ZONE TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT 

ACTIVITIES

Performance Monitoring and Evaluation -------------------------------------------------------- 51

Post-Incident Debriefings --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 54

Documentation, Evaluation, and Lessons Learned ------------------------------------------- 55

7.0 REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS --------------------------------- 57

LIST OF FIGURES 

Figure 1. Components of a Transportation Management Plan ................................................. 6

Figure 2. Process for Planning Traffic Incident Management for Highway Work Zones 

(Adapted from 10) ................................................................................................................... 17

Figure 3. Sample Criteria for Determining When to Use Alternate Routes in Response to an 

Incident .................................................................................................................................... 29

Figure 4. Example Radio Frequency Matrix for Incident Responders .................................... 32

LIST OF TABLES 

Table 1. Example Roles and Responsibilities of Key Incident Responders ---------------------- 14

Table 2. Common Goals and Objectives Used in the Planning of Work Zone Incident 

Management Programs --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18

Table 3. Example of Recommended Incident Response Plan Used in the T-REX Construction 

Project by the Colorado Department of Transportation------------------------------------------------ 22

Table 4. Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Clearance in Work Zones-------- 36

Table 5. Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Response in Work Zones -------- 38

Table 6. Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Clearance in Work Zones-------- 40

Table 7. Site Management Strategies and Techniques in Work Zones --------------------------- 42

Table 8. Strategies and Techniques for Disseminating Work Zones Incident Information to 

Public -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 46

Table 9. Strategies and Techniques for Improving Information Dissemination Among Incident 

Responders ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 48

Table 10. Recommended Core Measures for Capturing Impacts of Incidents and Work Zones 

on Freeway Performance ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52

Table 11. NTOC Performance Metrics for Measuring Impacts of Incidents ---------------------- 53
1.0 INTRODUCTION 

Work zones provide unique challenges to incident responders, including reduced 

access, narrowed lanes, minimal refuge locations, physical barriers, and reduced 

sight distances. At times, work zone elements can violate driver expectancy. In 

addition to reducing the normal capacity of roadways, the potential also exists to 

confuse drivers with conflicts between construction and maintenance traffic control 

and incident management traffic control. All of these factors combine to not only 

increase the likelihood of incidents occurring within a work zone, but also increase 

the impact that even a minor incident has on traffic operations in the work zone. 

Traffic incident management (TIM) and work zone management are two of the tools 

in the transportation professional’s “operations toolbox” that focus on reducing 

congestion. Incident management focuses on developing procedures, implementing 

policies, and deploying technologies to identify incidents more quickly, improve 

response times, and manage the incident scene more effectively and efficiently. With 

work zone management, agencies attempt not only to reduce the amount of time 

work zones are needed, but also deploy strategies for moving traffic more effectively 

in and around the work zone, particularly during peak travel times. 

Many locations already have, either formally or informally, established TIM programs. 

In these locations, the goal of work zone planners should be not to establish new 

incident management programs or functions, but to augment or expand these 

existing programs, ensuring that the specific needs of their construction/ maintenance 

activities are met. In other locations, where incident management programs are not 

as well-defined, a construction or maintenance project can be the catalyst for bringing 

these agencies together to strengthen the incident management process. Oftentimes, 

formal incident management programs, and the relationships that develop, continue 

well after the construction project ends and form the foundation for future incident 

management efforts. 

Purpose of This Document 

The purpose of this document is to address the special needs and concerns when 

managing traffic incidents within a work zone. In this document, the user will find a 

discussion on the importance of transportation management plans in work zones and 

how incident management is one strategy that should be considered in the 

transportation operations component of a work zone transportation management 

plans (TMP). Techniques and strategies that can be used to handle incidents in work 

zones are contained in this document. The document also contains information 

showcasing some trend-setting approaches that have been used on high-profile 

construction projects as examples of how incident response planning can be 

incorporated into the design of construction projects. This document also discusses 

the contractor’s role in dealing with incidents in work zones. 

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Target Audience 

This document is targeted toward three distinct audiences that might be required to 

deal with incident management as part of a construction or maintenance activity. 

These include the following: 

• Work Zone Planners and Construction/Maintenance Personnel – 

These would include construction personnel from both public and 

private entities that are responsible for working with operations 

personnel to develop, implement, and execute TIM responses in 

construction and maintenance work zones. 

• Traffic Operations Personnel and Incident Responders – These 

would be operations personnel that have the responsibility for 

implementing TIM strategies and systems identified in TMPs. These 

include not only transportation agencies, but also law enforcement 

and other emergency services that typically respond to traffic 

incidents and collisions. 

• Project Planners/Design Personnel – These would be individuals 

responsible for developing the plan, specifications, and estimates 

(PS&Es) associated with construction/maintenance projects. These 

would include individuals that would also be responsible for 

designing TMPs (see below) for specific construction projects as well 

as those responsible for developing traffic control standards on an 

agency-wide basis so that baseline TIM plans can be included as 

part of project requirements. 

Structure of This Guidebook 

This guidebook is one in an Information Series on Traffic Incident Management Safe, 

Quick Clearance. This guidebook focuses on Traffic Incident Management in 

Construction and Maintenance Work Zones. Other guidebooks available in this 

information series deal with the following topics: 

• Traffic Control Concepts for Incident Clearance, 

• Hazardous Materials Spills in Incident Clearance, 

• Information Sharing for Traffic Incident Management, and 

• A Multi-disciplinary, Holistic Approach to Traffic Incident 

Management Resource Management. 

This document discusses the special needs and concerns of managing traffic 

incidents within work zones and describes processes, procedures, and practices 

related to the detection, response, and clearance of incidents in work zones. Chapter 

2 provides background information on the importance and process of developing 

TMPs for work zones and how incident management procedures and practices are 

an element of the transportation operations component of these plans. Chapter 3 

provides additional background information of the goals, objectives, and reasons for 

incident management. Chapter 4 discusses some of the issues and concerns that 
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work zone planners, incident responders, and traffic operators need to consider in the 

planning phases of a work zone project. Chapter 5 provides a brief description of 

common incident management strategies and lists some of the advantages and 

disadvantages associated with deploying these strategies in a work zone. Chapter 6 

focuses on actions that work zone planners, traffic operators, and incident 

responders can do during the execution of a particular work zone project to provide 

insight into enhancement or improvements to incident management activities. 

Chapter 7 contains references and other suggested readings that were used to 

develop this guidebook. 
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2.0 TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLANS 

FOR WORK ZONES 

In September 2004, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published updates 

to rules that govern work zone safety and mobility.1

 Under the new rule, all highway 

construction and maintenance projects that use federal-aid highway funds are 

required to develop transportation management plans (TMP) that not only ensure the 

safety of the motoring public, but also reduce the traffic mobility impacts and promote 

coordination within and around work zones. A TMP is a collection of administrative, 

procedural, and operational strategies for managing and mitigating the impacts of 

work zones. Traffic incident management (TIM) is one of the tools available for 

transportation professionals to relieve the impacts of work zones on traffic operations. 

Before beginning the process of developing a TIM program for work zones, it is 

important for work zone planners, operations personnel, and incident responders to 

understand what a TMP is and why it is important in the process of developing TIM 

programs. 

What is a Transportation Management Plan? 

A TMP lays out a set of coordinated transportation management strategies and 

describes how they will be used to manage the work zone impacts of a road project.2

Developing a TMP is an iterative process that involves the identification and 

evaluation of applicable transportation management strategies to manage the 

impacts of the construction project on traffic operations. These strategies include not 

only the deployment of temporary traffic control measures and devices, but also 

public information and outreach, and operational strategies, such as travel demand 

management, signal retiming, and traffic incident management. 

What are the Components of a Transportation Management Plan? 

As shown in Figure 1, a TMP consists of three functional components:2 a Temporary 

Traffic Control (TTC) plan, a Transportation Operations (TO) plan, and a Public 

Information (PI) plan; depending upon the expected impacts of the work zone on 

transportation operations. 

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The TTC plan describes the measures that will be used to facilitate road users 

through the work zone and is required for all construction and maintenance projects. 

The TTC plan must be consistent with Part 6 of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control 

Devices (MUTCD)3 and with the hardware requirements of Chapter 9, “Traffic 

Barriers, Traffic Control Devices and Other Safety Features for Work Zones,” of the 

American Association of State and Highway Officials’ (AASHTO) Roadside Design 

Guide.4 The TO plan component identifies the strategies that will be used to mitigate 

the impacts of the work on the operation and management of the transportation 

system within the work zone impact area. The PI plan component describes the 

strategies that will be used to communicate and inform affected road users, the 
general public, area residences and businesses, and others about the potential 

impacts of the work zone and changing project conditions. TO and PI elements are 

required for all projects deemed to have a significant impact on traffic and 

encouraged for all construction and maintenance projects. 

The nature, scope, and level of detail contained in these components depends upon 

the nature, scope, duration, extent of the work zone activities and levels of safety and 

mobility impacts of the work zone. 

A TMP consists of strategies to manage impacts of work zones. A TMP may 

contain the following three components. 

• Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) – A plan for handling traffic through a 

specific highway or street work zone or project. The TTC includes: 

o Control Strategies 

o Traffic Control Devices 

o Project Coordination, Contracting, and Innovative Construction 

Strategies 

• Public Information (PI) – A plan for disseminating information 

concerning construction activities and projects to road users and the 

community. The PI includes: 

o Public Awareness Strategies 

o Motorist Information Strategies 

• Transportation Operations (TO) – A plan for using operational and 

management strategies for mitigating the impacts of work zones on traffic 

operations. The TO includes:

o Demand Management Strategies 

o Corridor/Network Management Strategies 

o Work Zone Safety Management Strategies 

o Traffic/Incident Management and Enforcement Strategies 

Figure 1. Components of a Transportation Management Plan 

Why is a Transportation Management Plan Needed? 

Some of the key benefits that agencies can expect to be derived from developing 

TMPs for work zones include the following:2

 

• Increased awareness of the broader safety and mobility impacts that 

work zones have at the corridor and network levels; 

• More efficient and effective utilization of construction phasing and 

staging, which in turn can reduce contract duration and control costs; 

• Improved work zone safety for both construction personnel and the 

traveling public; 

• Reduction in the impacts of work zones on traffic operations and 

mobility; 

• Reduction in the number of complaints from the travelling public, 

local businesses, and communities on the effects of work zone 

congestion; 

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• Reduction in circulation, access, and mobility impacts to local 

communities and businesses; 

• Improved intra- and inter-agency cooperation and coordination; and 

• Clearer understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and actions to be 

performed to reduce the impacts of work zone traffic operations. 

When is a Transportation Management Plan Needed? 

As outlined in Rule 630, every project that utilizes federal-aid highway funds is 

required to have a TMP. At a minimum, every TMP must contain at least a TTC plan. 

Whether a TMP needs to have a TO or PI component depends on whether or not a 

project is expected to be “significant.” Rule 630 defines a “significant” project as “one 

that, alone or in combination with other concurrent projects nearby is anticipated to 

cause sustained work zone impacts...that are greater than what is considered 

tolerable based on State policy and/or engineering judgment.” While every project 

may not require TO and PI components, states are encouraged to consider TO and 

PI components for all projects. 

Factors that should be considered in developing the contents of a TMP include the 

following:2 

• Type of construction project (e.g., new construction, major 

reconstruction, major rehabilitation, or bridge/pavement replacement) 

• Degree of roadway congestion at and/or near the project location 

• Type, number, and duration of capacity restrictions (e.g., lane, ramp, 

or facility closures) 

• Impact on mobility through and within the project area 

• Impact of safety through and within the project/work zone impact 

area 

• Impact on local businesses and communities 

• Impact from or on special events and/or seasonal variations (e.g., 

weather, tourist traffic, etc.) 

• Presence of major traffic generators or special traffic generators 

(such as freight warehouses or distribution centers) in the vicinity of 

the project 

• Availability of suitable detour or alternative routes or other 

transportation options (such as transit) in the corridor 

• Traffic characteristics, such as local versus through traffic, percent 

trucks, etc. 
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Who Needs to be Involved in the Development of a Transportation 

Management Plan? 

Rule 630 states that the TMP shall be included as part of the construction 

documentation – the Plans, Specifications, and Estimates (PS&Es) – prepared for a 

project. Rule 630 also permits state agencies to allow the contractor to develop a 

TMP; and states that if a contractor is used to develop a TMP, it is subject to 

approval by the state and shall not be implemented in the field before it is approved 

by the state. PS&Es shall include appropriate pay item provisions for implementing 

the TMP, either through method- or performance-based specifications. 

TMPs should not be developed in isolation, but should be developed in “sustained 

consultation” with other stakeholders that are likely to be impacted by the 

construction activities. The stakeholders for any particular project depend on the 

extent, duration, and impact of the construction activities on traffic operations in the 

surrounding transportation network. Potential stakeholders that should be consulted 

in the development of a TMP might include one or more of the following entities:2

• Other state and local transportation agencies, including regional 

mobility authorities and toll road operators, 

• Railroad agencies/operators, 

• Transit providers, 

• Freight movers, 

• Public and private utility suppliers, 

• State and local police agencies, 

• Fire and emergency medical service providers, 

• Schools, 

• Business communities, 

• Neighborhood associations, and 

• Regional transportation management centers. 

What is the Process for Developing a Transportation Management 

Plan? 

FHWA’s Developing and Implementing Transportation Management Plans for Work 

Zones2 outlines an 11-step process that agencies can follow to develop a TMP. The 

steps in the process include the following: 

• Step 1. Compile project material for each stage of the project. 

• Step 2. Determine the type of TMP needed for specific projects. 

• Step 3. Identify appropriate stakeholders. 

• Step 4. Develop initial TMP. 
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• Step 5. Update and revise initial TMP. 

• Step 6. Finalize construction phasing/staging and TMP. 

• Step 7. Re-evaluate and revise TMP. 

• Step 8. Implement TMP. 

• Step 9. Monitor the performance of the TMP. 

• Step 10. Update/Revise TMP based on performance metrics. 

• Step 11. Conduct post-project TMP evaluation. 

For more details on the process for developing transportation management plans, 

see FHWA’s Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program Web site. 

What do Transportation Management Plans Have to do With Traffic 

Incident Management? 

One strategy for reducing work zone impacts involves monitoring traffic conditions 

and making real-time adjustments to traffic operations based on these observed 

changes. Traffic incidents are events that disrupt the normal flow of traffic, usually by 

physical impedance in the travel lanes. These events can be vehicular crashes, 

breakdowns, or debris in travel lanes. Incident management involves deploying 

technology, establishing procedures and policies, and implementing systems for 

improving the detection, verification, response, and clearance of these events when 

they occur in the work zone and on associated detour routes. Therefore, one element 

of the TO component of the TMP is to establish a TIM program that provides 

specialized techniques for detecting, verifying, responding to, and clearing incidents 

in work zones. 

Factors Impacting the Need for Work Zone Incident Management 

Not every work zone requires that special incident management procedures and 

practices be put into place prior to construction beginning. A work zone that is 

associated with a short-term maintenance activity located on a low-volume, rural 

roadway may only require that maintenance personnel meet with incident responders 

to discuss detection and clearance procedures. Long-term construction projects, 

which require extensive lane closures for extended periods, are likely to have a more 

severe impact on traffic operation and, thus, require a more comprehensive set of 

incident management policies and procedures to minimize the impact of incidents 

within the work zone. The effects of incidents on traffic operations in a work zone are 

influenced by two key factors: the intensity of the work zone and the intensity of the 

incident. 

Intensity of the Work Zone 

Work zone intensity is defined by three parameters: the duration of the work zone 

project, the length of the work zone, and the number of travel lanes that are affected 

by the work zone5

. A work zone project that reduces the number of travel lanes for an 

extended period throughout the day over an extended length of roadway has a 

greater impact on traffic operations than one that uses fewer lanes over a shorter 
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distance for less time. Other factors that influence the impacts of work zones on 

traffic operations include the: 

• Functional classification of the roadway on which the work zone is 

located, 

• Type of work activity being performed in the work zone area, 

• Type of area where the work zone is located (i.e., rural, suburban, or 

urban area), 

• Type and amount of traffic using the facility, 

• Proximity of the work zone to special trip generators, such a large 

commercial or office complexes, schools, special event facilities, etc. 

and 

• The availability of alternate modes and routes in the corridor. 

Work zone planners should work with traffic operations personnel and incident 

responders to assess the impact a proposed construction or maintenance activity 

may have on traffic operations and incident management activities. Some agencies 

have developed relatively simple criteria for determining the impact of a work zone on 

traffic operations. Other agencies, however, may require more extensive data 

collection and analysis procedures. Procedures for assessing the impact of work 

zones on traffic operations can be found in Work Zone Impact Assessment: An 

Approach to Assess and Manage Work Zone Safety and Mobility Impacts of Road 

Projects.6

Intensity of the Incident 

In addition to intensity of the work zone, the intensity of the incident also affects the 

degree to which an incident will impact traffic operations on a roadway. Three factors 

can generally be used to characterize the intensity of an incident: the amount of 

capacity reduction (i.e., the number of lanes) impacted by the incident, the amount of 

time that the capacity reduction is in effect, and the amount of traffic demand entering 

the incident area at the time of the incident. Each of these factors is discussed below. 

Amount of Capacity Reduction 

The amount of capacity reduction caused by an incident depends on the proportion 

of the travel lane that is blocked by the stopped vehicle and the total number of 

available lanes on the roadway before the incident occurred. The Highway Capacity 

Manual8

 shows that when an incident occurs on a freeway the amount of capacity 

loss is greater than the proportion of original capacity that is physically blocked. For 

example, when an incident blocks only one lane of a three-lane facility, the freeway 

retains only 49 percent of its original traffic moving capacity even though the physical 

capacity of the roadway is reduced by 33 percent. 

Because of factors such as narrowed lanes, lack of shoulders, limited access, 

decreased or shifted travel lanes, speed reduction, and the presence of obstructions, 

barriers, and equipment being located closer than expected, work zones already 

have reduced capacity levels. That is why incidents that occur in work zones tend to 
11

have a greater impact on traffic operations than if the same incident occurred when 

the work zone was not present. Therefore, one method of reducing the impact of 

incidents in work zones is to employ strategies that temporarily restore the roadway 

capacity. Examples of strategies that temporarily enhance capacity in work zones 

include: 

• Temporary use of the shoulder as a travel lane, 

• Reopen lanes originally closed or blocked for work zone purposes, 

and 

• Shift traffic to alternate routes where excess capacity exists. 

Incident Duration 

The amount of time that a lane is blocked or affected by an incident is another major 

factor that contributes to the amount of congestion caused by an incident. The longer 

the incident reduces the roadway capacity, the greater the amount of time it will take 

for the congestion to dissipate. Therefore, many incident management procedures 

and strategies are directed toward reducing the duration that an incident blocks the 

roadway. As work zones already have reduced capacities, reducing the duration of 

an incident can significantly reduce the impact of an incident on traffic operations in 

the work zone. Strategies commonly used to reduce the duration of incidents in work 

zones include: 

• Installing technology and processes to shorten the time required to 

detect and verify incidents 

• Using procedures and practices for shortening the amount of time 

required to respond to incidents, and 

• Implementing policies and procedures that shorten the amount of 

time required to remove (or clear) the incident from the travel lanes. 

Traffic Demands 

A final way in which incidents affect traffic operation is in the time of day and the 

amount of traffic using the roadway (i.e., traffic demand) when the incident occurs. 

Incidents that occur during peak condition generally have a greater impact on traffic 

operations than if the same incident occurred on the roadway late at night when 

demand for the roadway was not as great. This is the same reason why work zone 

planners frequently prohibit lane closures during peak periods and, instead, require 

the work activity to occur when traffic demands are lighter (for example during offpeak periods or at night). 

One method of reducing the effects of incidents in work zones is to reduce the 

amount of traffic using the roadway at the time of the incident. Because incidents are 

random events and cannot be predicted, the only way to reduce demand is to warn 

motorists that an incident has occurred and encourage them to use alternate modes, 

routes, or times of travel to avoid the incident area. That is why it is important to 

consider information dissemination strategies when developing incident management 

plans for work zones. 
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3.0 TRAFFIC INCIDENT MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS 

IN HIGHWAY WORK ZONES 

A highway incident is any non-recurring event (such as a vehicle crash, a vehicle breakdown, 

or a special event) that causes a reduction in roadway capacity or an abnormal increase in 

traffic demand that disrupts the normal operation of the transportation system. Most highway 

incidents are random events that occur with little or no advance warning. They can vary 

widely in terms of severity, ranging from a minor crash involving a single response agency 

(such as law enforcement) to a natural disaster or other catastrophe requiring a multi-agency 

response from multiple jurisdictions and disciplines. Incidents are a major source of 

congestion on the roadway system and can contribute to problems away from the actual 

incident scene (for example, secondary crashes caused due to unexpected congestion). 

Traffic incident management (TIM) is defined as the coordinated, preplanned use of 

technology, processes, and procedures to reduce the duration and impact of incidents, and to 

improve the safety of motorists, crash victims, and incident responders. Specifically, TIM 

involves the use of technology, procedures, and processes to accomplish the following: 

• Reduce the amount to time to detect and verify that an incident has occurred, 

• Shorten the time required for appropriate response personnel and equipment 

to respond to the scene, 

• Facilitate the management of response apparatus and personnel on site so 

as to minimize the amount of capacity lost due to the incident and the 

response equipment, 

• Reduce the amount of time required to clear the incident from the travel 

lanes 

• Provide for the rapid notification of travelers upstream of the incident so as to 

encourage a reduction in traffic demand entering the incident area and to 

reduce driver frustration. 

Planning and Coordinating With Incident Response Agencies 

Incident management programs are successful when they are built on a foundation of 

cooperation and collaboration. When planning or organizing a construction project, it is 

essential that work zone planners and construction personnel coordinate with the incident 

responders in the area. This includes identifying and meeting with agencies to discuss 

current response policies, procedures, and practices. 

Table 1 shows an example of typical incident responder who may perform key response 

functions at an incident scene. On minor construction and maintenance projects, work zone 

planners and contractors may only need to coordinate with a few of these stakeholders (such 

13
as fire and police agencies); however, on more complex projects, it may be necessary to 

coordinate with all of these stakeholders to develop an implementable incident management 

plan. 

Table 1. Example Roles and Responsibilities of Key Incident Responders 

Typical Traffic Incident 

Management Functions 

Traffic Incident Management Responders Emergency Dispatch (911 Center) Fire/Rescue Emergency Medical Services (EMS) HAZMAT Law Enforcement Medical Examiner/ Coroner

Towing & Recovery Transportation/ Public Works Media Transit OperatorMetropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Management CenterConstruction Contractor

Quick Clearance Policies • • • • •

Detection / Notification of 

Incident • • • • • •

Dispatch of Incident 

Management Assets / 

Emergency Responders 

• • • •

Public Safety at Incident Scene • • •

Fire Suppression •

Rescue/Extraction of Victims • •

Triage, Treatment, and 

Transport of Crash Victims •

Hazardous Material Cleanup and 

Disposal • •

Secure / Stabilize Incident 

Scene • •

Traffic Control / Road and Lane 

Closures /Openings • • • •

Crash/Fatality Investigation • •

Removal of Wrecked or Disabled 

Vehicles • • •

Debris Removal / Spilled Fluid 

Removal •

Activation / Traffic Management 

of Diversion Routes • • • •

Stabilization and Repair of 

Roadway Infrastructure • •

Public Notification • • • •

• represents those agencies that may be involved in a discussion of agency responsibilities in local incident response 

14
The Incident Command System and Unified Command 

To improve the nation’s preparedness to response to incidents of all magnitudes, the 

Department of Homeland Security has developed the National Incident Management System 

(NIMS). NIMS was developed so responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines can 

work together better to respond to natural disasters and emergencies. Part of the NIMS 

structure involves the use of the Incident Command System (ICS). ICS is a systematic tool 

used for the command, control, and coordination of an emergency response.9

 It is designed 

to facilitate agencies working closely together through the use of common terminology and 

operating procedures to control personnel, facilities, equipment, and communications at a 

single incident scene. The guiding concepts and principles of ICS are as follows: 

• Most incidents are managed locally by local agencies to provide a 

coordinated, cooperative response. 

• The field command and management functions should be performed in 

accordance with a standard set of ICS organizations, doctrine, and 

procedures. 

• ICS is modular and scalable so that responses can be adapted as situation, 

technology, size, and complexity of the incident changes. 

• All component of the response are managed interactively in a coordinated 

manner. 

• ICS establishes common terminology, standards, and procedures that enable 

diverse organizations to work together effectively. 

• Incidents are managed by objectives, which are measureable and begin at 

the top and are communicated throughout the entire response. 

• Implementation of ICS should have the least amount of disruption of existing 

systems and processes as possible. 

• ICS should be user friendly and be applicable across a wide spectrum of 

emergency response and incident management disciplines. 

The overwhelming majority of highway incidents do not require the formal implementation of 

the ICS.9

 Instead, most highway incidents involve just law enforcement or highway personnel 

and a tow truck. In these situations, there is usually no need for the organization and 

command structure of the ICS. Only when traffic incidents are large and more complex does 

the ICS become necessary because of the need for multiple responders from multiple 

agencies. In these situations, it is critical for work zone planners and construction personnel 

to understand what the ICS is and how emergency responders use the ICS to manage all 

types of incidents, not just highway traffic incidents. 

The term Unified Command (UC) is used to define the application of ICS when there is more 

than one agency with incident jurisdiction or when an incident crosses political jurisdictions. In 

situations where an incident crosses multiple jurisdictions, or in the case where multiple 

agencies have jurisdiction over the same incident (for example, a wreck with injuries or 

15
fatalities), unified command allows all agencies that have statutory authority for an incident to 

jointly participate in the development of the overall response strategy. 

For more information on the ICS, and its application to highway incidents, the reader is 

encouraged to review Simplified Guide to the Incident Command System for Transportation 

Professionals. 9

Assessing the Need for Traffic Incident Management in Work Zones 

The process to be used to develop a TIM program for a particular construction or 

maintenance project is not unlike the process used to develop a traditional incident 

management program. What is different about the TIM program for a construction or 

maintenance program is who commonly initiates the development process – the construction 

project manager or the contractor. This process needs to begin at the very early planning 

stages of the project, oftentimes well before traditional incident responders are aware that the 

project is going to be let. 

Work zone and construction planners need to first assess if there is a need to implement 

special incident management procedures with a particular work zone. Questions that 

transportation agencies and work zone planners should ask in determining whether or not a 

particular work zone project needs improved TIM responses include:10 

• Will this project impact emergency response in this segment of highway? 

• Are there access issues for responding to incidents within the work zone? 

• If an incident closes the highway in one or more directions, how will traffic be 

re-routed? 

• Are there strategies to minimize project impacts on response agencies? 

• Are there strategies to minimize incident impacts on the public? 

• Are there procedures that would enhance traffic incident clearance and 

safety? 

• What equipment would improve emergency response and management 

during construction? Is it available? Where is it located? 

• How will project personnel coordinate and assist emergency responders? 

The Planning Process 

Figure 2 shows steps involved in developing a TIM program for an individual construction or 

maintenance project deemed to be in need of special procedures and practices to mitigate 

the impact of traffic incidents in the work zone. Each step is discussed in detail below. 

16
Figure 2. Process for Planning Traffic Incident Management for Highway Work Zones (Adapted from 10) 

Assessing Existing Traffic Incident Management Processes and Procedures 

In many locations throughout the United States, comprehensive incident management 

programs and processes already exist; therefore, the first step in developing a TIM program 

for a specific construction or maintenance project is to determine and assess what incident 

management processes and procedures already exist in the area where the work zone will be 

in effect. In many cases, it may be wasteful and counterproductive to develop new and 

different response procedures. Work zone planners need to first check to see if the project 

lies within the boundaries and jurisdiction of any existing incident management program. If it 

does, work zone planners and contractors need to coordinate with appropriate response and 

traffic operations personnel to determine if the existing processes and procedures are 

adequate for the project. Together, these agencies can identify those changes, additions, and 

modifications to the existing procedures and responses that may be needed to accommodate 

the project. In the situation where existing TIM practices and procedures are already in place, 

at a minimum, work zone planners should contact appropriate response agencies in the 

corridor to discuss issues and concerns about managing incidents in the proposed work zone 

and agree upon the procedures and strategies that will be implemented to support TIM in the 

work zone. On more complex projects, it is necessary for the work zone planner, project 

administrators, and construction personnel to become active partners in the existing incident 

management program for the duration of the project. On projects with multiple phases, it may 

be necessary to develop a plan for each phase of the project. 

Identifying Incident Management Stakeholders 

If the proposed project lies outside the jurisdiction of any existing TIM program, it may be 

necessary for work zone planners and contractors to identify, develop, and deploy TIM 

strategies that are appropriate for the type and level of work zone. In most regions, multiple 

agencies are involved in the TIM process. At a minimum, work zone planners and contractors 

should meet with key incident response agencies to discuss how the project will impact TIM 

responses. The following is a list of potential agencies and organizations that are traditionally 

involved in the development of TIM programs in a region: 

• Federal, state, and local transportation agencies 

• State and local law enforcement personnel 

• Public and volunteer fire and rescue agencies 

• Regional, county, or local 911 dispatch 

• Towing and recovery providers 

17
• Emergency medical service providers 

• State and local hazardous material recovery personnel 

• Media, and 

• Other response personnel (as defined by the project area), including state 

and local offices of emergency management, coroner’s office, etc. 

Work zone planners and contractors must be aware that multiple agencies may have 

jurisdiction over incident responses within the limit of a construction project. It is not 

uncommon for multiple police, fire and rescue, and emergency service providers to have 

incident management responsibilities on a given highway. Work zone planners need to make 

sure that all appropriate incident responders are identified for any given project. 

Establishing Incident Response Goals and Objectives for the Work Zone Project 

After becoming familiar with the capabilities and structure of current incident management 

programs that may be impacted by a work zone project, the next step in the process is to 

establish goals and objectives (or response targets) for the incident responders in a work 

zone. Goals define the desired effects of agencies in responding to incidents in the work zone 

while objectives define discernible (or measurable) outcomes that show how a particular goal 

is being met by one or more strategy.5 Table 2 shows common goals and objectives used in 

determining incident management response procedures and strategies in the work zone. 

Table 2. Common Goals and Objectives Used in the Planning of Work Zone Incident Management 

Programs 

Goal Objective 

Improve work zone 

mobility 

● Minimize detection and verification times 

● Minimize notification times among response agencies 

● Minimize the time needed to transport equipment to an incident location 

● Minimize incident investigation time 

● Minimize number of closed lanes 

● Minimize the length of exposure 

● Minimize road and lane closure times 

● Minimize motorist delay 

● Minimize traffic demand at and approaching the scene without causing severe impacts on 

surrounding streets 

● Provide data for automated incident detection 

● Provide temporary surveillance system for high incident locations 

● Improve coordination with the diversion route’s traffic control system to carry increased traffic 

volume 

Improve work zone 

safety 

● Minimize the response time of emergency medical services 

● Minimize the time necessary to identify the characteristics of hazardous material cargo 

● Minimize traffic hazards near the incident location 

● Maximize the safety of responders and travelers 

● Exercise proper and safe on-site management of personnel and equipment 

● Improve personnel training for site response 

● Improve personnel training for response to hazardous material incidents 

18
Goal Objective 

Efficiently and effectively 

use resources 

● Minimize the personnel cost associated with incident management 

● Minimize the cost to motorists of incident related delay 

● Maximize the use of existing communication resources 

● Protect the roadway and private property from unnecessary damage during the removal process 

● Develop resource sharing agreements 

Improve inter-agency 

cooperation 

● Maximize understanding of agency perspectives and responsibilities 

● Maximize information sharing among agencies 

● Maximize coordination between response and transportation agencies 

● Establish inter-agency field communications 

● Employ advanced communication technologies among agencies 

● Develop administrative coordination among agencies 

● Form consensus among agencies 

Improve public 

perception 

● Educate drivers to improve their reactions to traffic incidents 

● Provide timely, accurate information to the public that enables them to make informed decisions 

● Provide motorists with information about the cause of their delay to minimize their level of 

frustration with the road system 

● Adequately inform motorists of the location and scope of incidents 

● Improve the public image of the response agencies 

● Foster wide dissemination of real-time traffic information 

Source: Guidebook on Incident Management Planning in Work Zones5

It should be noted that different stakeholders involved in the project may have different goals 

and objectives. For example, the prime contractor may want to limit costs so as to maximize 

profits. The agency project manager may desire to complete the project on-time and within 

budget while avoiding major cost overruns or change orders. Incident responders may want 

to minimize their response times while ensuring responder safety. Traffic operators may want 

to minimize the amount of disruption to normal traffic flow. Oftentimes, the goals and 

objectives of individual agencies conflict with one another. It is imperative that all agencies 

responsible for responding to incidents within the limits of the area impacted by the 

construction project be involved in setting the goals and objectives and in determining which 

strategies are best for responding to an incident in the work zone. Keep in mind that effects of 

the construction project on traffic operations may extend well beyond the actual limits of the 

construction project. 

Determining Appropriate Levels of Response 

Agencies have at their disposal a large number of strategies, technologies, techniques, and 

procedures for providing incident management in work zones; however, not all are 

appropriate for every work zone situation or incident scenario. Each strategy, technology, and 

procedure needs to be evaluated within the context of project needs and duration, the 

infrastructure requirements, the level of cooperation and coordination between incident 

responders, and the costs and perceived effectiveness of the strategy. Some strategies are 

needed to provide a solid foundation for other strategies, while other strategies are more 

appropriate when the work zone project is expected to impact traffic operation for extended 

periods (years, for example). Agencies need to carefully evaluate each strategy and incident 

scenario and determine the appropriate level of response for each type of incident. Agencies 

also need a realistic assessment of the likelihood that an incident of major severity may occur 

when the work zone is in effect. 

19
Agencies need to keep in mind that all incident situations are not the same and that not all 

incidents require or mandate the same level of response. Recognizing this fact, the Manual 

on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 11 divides incidents into three general classes based on 

duration, each of which has unique traffic control characteristics and needs. These classes 

are as follows: 

• Major – typically traffic incidents involving hazardous materials, fatal traffic 

crashes involving numerous vehicles, and other natural or man-made 

disasters. These traffic incidents typically involve closing all or part of a 

roadway facility for a period exceeding 2 hours. 

• Intermediate – typically affect travel lanes for a time period of 30 minutes to 2 

hours, and usually require traffic control on the scene to divert road users 

past the blockage. Full roadway closures might be needed for short periods 

during traffic incident clearance to allow traffic incident responders to 

accomplish their tasks. 

• Minor – typically disabled vehicles and minor crashes that result in lane 

closures of less than 30 minutes. On-scene responders are typically law 

enforcement and towing companies, and occasionally highway agency 

service patrol vehicles. Diversion of traffic into other lanes is often not 

needed or is needed only briefly. It is not generally possible or practical to set 

up a lane closure with traffic control devices for a minor traffic incident. Traffic 

control is the responsibility of on-scene responders. 

Agencies can use these general criteria for classifying incident levels as a beginning point for 

determining appropriate levels of responses. However, these criteria should be refined to be 

consistent with agency goals and objectives. 

One underlying principle of the ICS is that it allows responses to be scaled to the level that is 

appropriate for the situation and existing conditions. An initial small response can be 

transitioned to a large, multi-agency operation with only minimal adjustment for the agencies 

involved.9 ICS provides a structure that allows responses to expand and adapt the real-time 

conditions that exist in the field. 

Identifying and Evaluating Detection, Response, and Clearance Strategies 

Once the appropriate level of response has been determined for the work zone, the next step 

in the process is to identify and evaluate candidate strategies for detecting, responding to, 

and clearing incidents from the roadway. Chapter 5 lists a number of strategies commonly 

used by agencies to improve incident detection, enhance responses, and promote rapid 

clearance of incidents in work zones. Advantages and disadvantages of each strategy have 

been provided along with reference information to determine more details about strategies. 

In determining which incident management strategy is appropriate for a particular work zone, 

agencies may want to consider the following:2

• Facility type (freeway, highway) 

• Area type (urban, rural) 

• Project length 

20
• Project duration 

• Multiple construction stages/phases 

• Traffic volume 

• Capacity reductions 

• Expected delays 

• Crash rates 

• Percentage of trucks 

• Available detour route(s) 

• Available alternative travel modes 

• Community factors (public exposure, business impacts, and residential 

impacts) 

It is also critical that agencies examine how incidents will be managed during all phases of 

the construction project. Agencies need to assess how changes in access restrictions, 

capacity reductions, and lane management techniques (such as shoulder usage) impact each 

strategy. 

Developing an Incident Management Response/Action Plans 

After determining which strategies are appropriate for a particular work zone, agencies then 

need to develop criteria and conditions for when and how these responses should be 

executed. This is typically called a response or action plan. The response or action plan lays 

out the conditions and criteria for what types of responses are needed for different levels of 

incidents that might occur in the work zone. 

Table 3 shows an example of a response plan developed by the Colorado Department of 

Transportation for the T-REX construction project in Denver.12 The T-Rex construction project 

was a multiple year effort to reconstruct Denver's I-25/I-225 Southeast Corridor and to extend 

the region's light rail system. As shown in Table 3, different response actions have been 

defined for each level of incident. The incident levels are defined based on the extent and 

duration of the anticipated impacts on traffic operations on the roadway. The levels are not 

intended to be hard and fast “thresholds” for defining incident responses, but are intended to 

provide responders with an initial assessment of the type and magnitude of response that 

might be needed to manage the incident. 

21
Table 3. Example of Recommended Incident Response Plan Used in the T-REX Construction Project by 

the Colorado Department of Transportation 

Level Impact to Roadway Action to be Taken 

1 Impact to traveled roadway estimated to be 

less than 30 minutes with no lane blockage. 

Or – 

Impact to traveled roadway is estimated to 

be less than 30 minutes with lane blockages 

• Follow agency protocols 

• Contact the CDOT Traffic Operation Center (TOC) 

TOC Action:

• Contact CDOT Region 6 Maintenance Supervisor 

• Consider activating selected variable message signs (VMS)

2 Impact to traveled roadway estimated to be 

greater than 30 minutes, but less than 2 

hours with lane blockages, but not a full 

closure of the roadway 

• Establish Incident Command 

• Consider designating staging areas 

• Contact the CDOT TOC 

TOC Action:

• Consider implementing alternate routes 

• Update CDOT and T-REX Web sites 

• Activate highway advisory radio (HAR)and signs 

• Place messages on dynamic message signs (DMS) 

• Consider activating the following VMS: 

 [List of VMS devices to be activated] 

• Fax out advisories to Level 2 contacts 

• Contact the following: 

 [List of responders to be activated] 

3 Congestive impact to traveled roadway is 

estimated to be greater than 2 hours or 

roadway is fully closed in any direction. 

• Establish Command Center or Post 

• Coordinate with CDOT to implement alternative routes 

• Consider designating staging areas 

• Contact CDOT TOC 

TOC Action:

• Update CDOT and T-REX Web sites 

• Activate HAR and signs 

• Place messages on DMSs 

• Consider activating VMS: 

 [List of VMS devices to be activated] 

• Fax out advisories to Level 2 and Level 3 contacts 

• Request METS broadcast notification – update to emsystem.com 

• Contact the following: 

 [List of responders to be activated]

• Contact signal jurisdictions on alternate routes. 

As part of developing a response or action plan, agencies may also want to develop 

procedural guidelines for how and when a certain response or incident management function 

should be performed in a work zone. The following lists topics where procedural guidelines 

may be needed for incidents that occur in work zones: 

• Notifying other incident responders 

• Managing the scene 

• Moving damaged or disabled vehicles 

• Closing and openings lanes 

22
• Implementing alternative routes 

• Using emergency flashing lights 

• Parking and staging of response apparatus 

• Disseminating information to travelers and the media 

Distributing the Response/Action Plans to Response Agencies 

Once the response plans have been developed, the next step in the process is to distribute 

the response plans to the appropriate response agencies. Because the response plans are 

usually developed in cooperation and collaboration with emergency responders, 

dissemination of the plan to the incident responders often occurs naturally, but it is important 

for traffic operators to ensure that the response/action plan is disseminated to the appropriate 

response and field personnel. As part of the plan development process, stakeholders should 

also discuss methods and procedures for distributing and disseminating the response plan to 

appropriate personnel within their organization—both at the administrative and field 

personnel levels. 

Providing Training 

Training is often an overlooked, but important aspect of developing and implementing a TIM 

plan for work zones. Most incident responders are well versed on how to respond to incidents 

during normal operations; however, very few responders have experience responding to an 

incident and establishing lane closures inside the constraints of a work zone. Transportation 

agencies should work with local incident responders to develop field exercises that allow 

responders to become familiar with the issues and constraints associated with working in a 

work zone environment. 

In addition to field exercises, transportation agencies and incident responders should also get 

together prior to the beginning of the actual work activities to ensure that response 

procedures are practical and appropriate. Agencies should not assume that just because a 

response or action plan is in place, it works flawlessly the first time it is needed. It is essential 

that procedural guidelines, such as notification procedures, be exercised prior to the 

beginning of the construction project so that rough spots or limitations in the processes are 

identified and corrected prior to the construct project actually beginning. 

Public education is also another critical training function that needs to occur prior to the actual 

groundbreaking of a construction project. Agencies need to develop a comprehensive public 

education program that informs the public of what is being done to address traffic issues 

associated with the project. If “Move-it” laws or quick clearance policies are being 

implemented for the first time in association with a construction project, the public needs to 

be educated about what these laws mean and why they are important. If these laws already 

exist, agencies may want to consider implementing a public education program that reminds 

the traveling public that these laws exist and are critical to the success of the construction 

program. 

Updating the Incident Management Response/Action Plans 

A critical aspect of planning for TIM in work zones is ensuring that emergency response 

procedures and practices remain valid through all phases of construction. Agencies should 

also plan to meet routinely to ensure that the important elements of the plan remain valid and 

up-to-date. On large construction projects, incident responders, transportation agencies, and 

23
24

construction personnel should meet routinely through the life the project to review actual 

responses to incidents that have occurred during the project and update response and 

communication plans as needed. Response plans often need to be updated and/or revised 

as conditions, lane closures, and access to the work zone changes. It is essential that 

incident responders be notified when new conditions might impact response times or access 

to the site. 

Furthermore, response plans may need to be revised based on feedback from the public, 

agency decision-makers, and field personnel. If any part of the response plan or program is 

revised, it is critical that all responding agencies receive notification of how the established 

response procedure or access needs have changed. Likewise, incidents that damage the 

pavement or other infrastructure within the work zone need to be communicated to work zone 

traffic planners as these may impact or change the construction sequences in the work zone. 

Good two-way communication between incident responders and construction personnel is 

critical. 
4.0 PRE-CONSTRUCTION STRATEGIES AND 

ACTIVITIES 

Incorporating incident management strategies and techniques needs to occur in the very 

initial preparation and design stages of the work zone project. This section highlights some of 

the strategies and activities that work zone planners and incident managers can perform 

during the initial planning stages of a construction or maintenance project. 

Role of the Contractor/Construction Personnel in Work Zone Incident 

Management 

One of the first issues that must be dealt with in determining which type of incident 

management to include in a work zone transportation management plan (TMP) is the issue of 

the particular role the contractor or construction personnel should play in managing incidents 

in work zones. In some cases, the contractor may be responsible for providing clearance 

functions of minor incidents. In other cases, the contractor may be required to purchase and 

install equipment and systems to support detection and clearance functions. Changes in the 

construction phasing may be required to better facilitate incident responders. Whatever role 

the contractor is to play, it must be clearly spelled out in the development of the plans, 

specifications and estimates (PS&Es) for the project. 

Contractors and construction personnel should never be asked to perform investigatory 

functions associated with clearing incidents. At a minimum, contractors and construction 

personnel should be briefed on the procedures for the types of information to include when 

reporting incidents that occur in the work zone. These procedures should be clearly defined 

and construction personnel should receive adequate training on the information that is 

needed by incident managers to respond to different types of incidents. 

In some situations, on-scene construction personnel may be asked or directed to provide 

assistance with establishing traffic control, or providing on-site scene management. 

Furthermore, contractors and construction personnel may also be asked to post incidentrelated messages on portable dynamic message signs (DMS) intended to provide work-zone 

related messages. At a minimum, construction personnel and incident responders should 

discuss potential uses of construction-related traffic control devices and traveler information 

systems for incident management purposes; and all agencies need to understand when and 

where it is appropriate to modify an established TMP in response to an incident. Private 

contractors should be made fully aware of the liability issues associated with using their 

equipment or personnel to assist in managing incidents in the work zone. 

For larger construction projects, contractors may be required to provide specified incident 

management functions (such as providing courtesy patrol, implementing wrecker contracts, 

installing incident detection and surveillance equipment, etc.) as part of the transportation 

operation element of the TMP for the work zone. The work zone regulations require agencies 

to provide appropriate pay item provisions for implementing the TMPs (which may include 

contractor provided traffic incident management [TIM] functions), either through method or 

performance-based specifications.2

 

25
Institutional Arrangement and Agreements 

Incident management is a cooperative and collaborative effort between multiple agencies and 

entities. Successful incident management programs have a solid foundation of trust between 

incident responders. Participants in the process know and understand their roles and 

responsibilities. 

One of the first things that must occur after work zone planners and incident responders have 

agreed upon the types of strategies to be deployed in a work zone is to examine what, if any, 

new or existing agreements, policies, or laws need to be enacted or modified to ensure that 

they are applicable to a particular work zone situation. In most cases, modifying existing 

policies and laws can require extensive lead time and effort to accomplish. For example, 

many agencies rely upon “move-it” laws or quick clearance policies to ensure the rapid 

removal of minor crashes and debris from overturned vehicles. In some cases, agencies may 

need to work with state and local legislators to establish “move-it” laws or quick clearance 

policies. In other cases, existing legislation may need to be amended so it can be extended to 

work zone application. Work zone planners need to check with local incident management 

providers to determine which type of agreement already exists in an area, and what needs to 

be done to strengthen or adapt these policies to a specific work zone situation. 

Another potential agreement, which might be helpful to incident managers and responders in 

managing incidents in work zones, is a mutual aid agreement. Mutual aid agreements are 

common between fire and emergency medical responders. These agreements permit these 

responders to provide emergency assistance to each other in the event of disasters or 

emergencies (Mutual Aid Agreements for Public Assistance and Fire Management 

Assistance (Available at http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/9523_6.shtm).13 Similar 

types of agreements can be used to allow other governmental agencies to provide incident 

management functions outside their own jurisdictions. 

Coordination with Existing Incident Management Programs 

As discussed previously, many agencies and locations have already established protocols 

and procedures for responding to incidents. These may be formally adopted procedures that 

are documented in a TIM plan or may be informal, common practices that have developed 

over time. Work zone planners should not try to re-invent TIM, but instead work with incident 

managers to identify, incorporate, or supplement the special needs of a particular work zone 

project in the existing TIM program. For example, as part of the Big I Interchange 

Reconstruction, the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department (NMSHTD) 

purchased two additional courtesy patrol vehicles (or HELP vehicles) using construction 

funds and then allowed the contractor (with a no-cost lease) to use this vehicle to move a 

disabled vehicle from the work zone during weekday, daytime periods. At the end of the 

construction period, the vehicles were turned back over to NMSHTD for continued use in their 

existing incident management program.14 

Another important existing incident management asset that work zone planners should 

consider when planning a work zone is keeping existing incident detection and surveillance 

technologies operating as long as possible. For incident managers and traffic operators, it is 

important to keep this technology operating as it is often their “eyes” for assessing the 

operation of the roadway. Incident managers and traffic operators frequently use traffic 

detection and video surveillance technologies to detect when and where incidents occur and 

26
to assist them in dispatching resources and managing traffic during incidents. This 

technology can be a valuable asset when managing incidents in work zones as well. Work 

zone planners and operators need to work together to develop strategies to keep this 

equipment operating and maintained throughout the construction project (through the use of 

temporary devices or communications systems). 

Existing incident management capabilities can be expanded as part of a construction project. 

Common methods used to promote expansion of exiting traffic management capabilities are 

including communication conduits and constructing device or cabinet foundations. In other 

cases, actual surveillance and control technologies can be designed and installed as part of a 

construction project. Again, the Big I Reconstruction project serves as an example of how a 

construction project was used to expand the incident management capabilities of an agency. 

In this project, NMSHTD used a design contractor with construction oversight to design and 

implement an intelligent transportation system (ITS) network as part of the work zone. The 

contract called for the purchase and installation of all components of the ITS network as a 

lump sum purchase. Through a subcontractor, the system hardware and software 

components were implemented as part of the construction project. To utilize the system while 

construction was still ongoing, temporary wireless communications were established to the 

devices in the work zone. NMSHTD employees then used the system to detect and manage 

incidents in the Big I work zone.14 

Alternate Route Planning 

Another important pre-construction activity that work zone planners and incident responders 

need to do is decide how to detour traffic to an alternate route when a major incident occurs 

in the work zone. Diverting traffic to a parallel roadway specified in a carefully planned 

alternate route plan is an effective, temporary response that can be used to mitigate the 

effects of incidents on roadways. Since it is common practice to provide alternate route 

information as part of the normal work zone TMP, work zone planners and incident managers 

must work together to determine appropriate alternate routes which can be used to manage 

work zone traffic during an incident condition. To compound the problem of establishing 

incident-related alternate routes in a work zone, planners need to consider not only what to 

do when an incident occurs on the roadway that is under construction, they also need to 

consider what to do when an incident occurs on a detour route that has been established as 

part of the work zone TMP. 

The Alternate Route Handbook15 suggests that the following factors be considered when 

selecting alternate routes: 

• Proximity of alternate route to closed roadway, 

• Ease of access to/from alternate route, 

• Safety of motorists on alternate route, 

• Height, weight, width, and turning restrictions on alternate route, 

• Number of travel lanes/capacity of alternate route, 

• Congestion induced on alternate route, 

• Traffic conditions on alternate route, 

27
• Number of signalized intersections, stops signs, and unprotected left turns on 

alternate routes, 

• Travel time on alternate route, 

• Pavement conditions on alternate route, 

• Type and intensity of residential development on alternate route, 

• Existence of schools and hospitals on alternate route, 

• Percentage of heavy vehicles (e.g., trucks, buses, RVs, etc.) on route form 

which traffic is to be diverted, 

• Grades on alternate route, 

• Type and intensity of commercial development on alternate route, 

• Availability of fuel, rest stops, and food facilities along alternate route, 

• Noise pollution, 

• Transit bus accommodation, 

• Air quality, 

• Ability to control timing of traffic signals on alternate route, 

• Ownership of road, 

• Availability of ITS surveillance equipment on alternate route, and 

• Availability of ITS information dissemination equipment (such as DMSs, and 

HAR) on alternate route. 

In planning alternate routes, work zone planners and incident responders should realize that 

the suitability of selected alternate routes may change over time. Work zone planners and 

incident responders should meet prior to each stage of construction to review and revise the 

alternate routes plans. 

In addition to identifying and selecting candidate alternate routes that can be used to manage 

work zone traffic during an incident, agencies also need to develop guidelines and criteria 

that define when traffic should be diverted to an alternate route in response to a work zone 

incident. The Alternate Route Handbook15 recommends that the following factors be 

considered when developing guidelines for when to establish alternative routes: 

• Anticipated duration of the incident, 

• Number of lanes blocked by the incident, 

• Observed traffic conditions, both on the roadway where the incident exist and 

on the alternate route, 

• Time-of-day and day-of-week when the incident occurred, 

• Capacity of the proposed alternate route, 

28
• Resources (in terms of personnel, equipment, and traffic control) needed to 

establish the alternate route, and 

• Time required to deploy those resources. 

Figure 3 shows the criteria developed by the Colorado Department of Transportation for 

determining when to establish an alternate route in response to an incident during the T-REX 

construction project. 

Figure 3. Sample Criteria for Determining When to Use Alternate Routes in Response to an Incident12

When to Establish an Alternate Route 

• The use of alternate routes should only be considered when there is full closure of the interstate in either 

direction or when the Incident Commander deems it necessary for the safety of the traveling public and 

responders. 

• In addition, consideration must be given to the extent the roadway or structural damage, and the extent of 

bodily injury or fatalities. 

• The final determination to use alternate routes will be made by the Incident Commander based on 

observation of the scene. 

• Remember to contact the CDOT TOC when lanes are reopened to traffic.

Work zone planners and incident managers also need to agree to the processes and 

procedures for implementing alternate route plans during each phase of construction. 

Incident mangers need to keep in mind that an alternative route or detour route may already 

be established for the work zone and that the availability of alternate routes may be limited. 

Furthermore, motorists traveling in a work zone may already be confronted with complex 

signing associated with the work zone. The potential exists to overload motorists with too 

much (and potentially conflicting) information when establishing an alternative route for an 

incident in a work zone. Work zone planners and incident responders should work together to 

develop step-by-step procedures on how to establish an agreed upon alternate route plan in 

response to an incident in a work zone, including the following: 

• Procedures and contact information for notifying a stakeholder when 

implementing an alternate route, 

• Procedures for transitioning traffic signal timings and other active traffic 

control devices along the alternate route, 

• Procedures for deploying signing, law enforcement personnel, and other 

traffic control devices along the alternate route, and 

• Candidate messages to be deployed on traveler information devices (e.g., 

DMSs, HARs, Web pages, etc.) during the incident conditions. 

Agreements may also be needed that allow agencies for one jurisdiction to deploy resources 

in another agency’s jurisdiction. 

Work zone planners and incident managers also need to reach consensus on criteria and 

procedures for discontinuing an alternate route and removing the deployed traffic control from 

the detour route. The criteria need to clearly define which stakeholders have the authority to 

make the decision to discontinue the use of the alternate route and under what 

circumstances they can make that decision. Guidelines should be developed that provide 

29
step-by-step instructions for removing deployed signing and returning active traffic control 

devices, such as the traffic signals, to normal operations. 

Training 

Training of both incident responders and construction personnel is another key element that 

needs to be addressed early in the construction planning process. This training can be as 

simple as including a review of developed incident management manuals and guidelines 

during regularly scheduled training or safety briefings; or as complex as instructor-led training 

courses which could potentially include field and tabletop exercises. This training should be 

geared toward incident responders as well as construction and maintenance personnel. It is 

essential that all personnel, both incident responders and construction personnel, are fully 

aware of the policies, procedures, and practices that have been implemented for a 

construction project. 

During the project planning stages, it may be helpful to provide work zone planners and 

project designers with basic training related to incident management concepts and principles 

so that key incident management amenities (such as accident investigation sites, site access 

improvements, emergency staging areas, etc.) can be incorporated in the PS&E development 

process. 

On-site construction personnel also need to be provided with training related to proper 

techniques and procedures to use for securing an incident scene and should be well briefed 

on the agreements made between incident responder and project planners on how incidents 

will be managed in the construction zone. If construction personnel are to be used to assist in 

providing basic incident management functions (such as providing motorist assistance, 

establishing incident traffic control, etc.), then they need to be provided adequate training on 

how to perform these functions. Depending upon the type of incident management strategies 

to be deployed in a work zone, construction personnel should receive specific project-related 

training on the following incident management practices:10

• Notification procedures and incident reporting 

• Emergency traffic control 

• Moving damaged or disabled vehicles. 

• Implementing alternate routes 

• Procedures and policies relating to media contacts 

Incident response personnel also need to be provided with specialized training for handling 

projects in work zones. This training should be tailored to the specific strategies that will be 

deployed as part of the TIM program developed for the project. Furthermore, it is critical that 

response personnel are aware of any agreements that have been made with construction 

personnel or other incident responders during the development of the incident management 

plan. Consideration should be given to providing incident responders with project-specific 

training on the following:10

• Response manual policies and procedures 

• Use of emergency flashers 

30
• Apparatus parking and staging 

• Implementation of alternate routes 

• Communications procedures with other incident management providers 

• Vehicle removal policies and procedures 

• Procedures for working with the media 

Information Sharing 

Information sharing is another critical issue that needs to be addressed during the early 

phases of a construction planning process. Information is vital to providing an effective 

incident response. With better information, incident response is improved by ensuring that the 

proper equipment and resources are available to the responders at the time when it is 

needed on-scene. Better information allows travelers to make better decisions regarding 

departure time, mode choice, and route to take. As part of the initial planning phase of a 

project, work zone planners and incident managers should develop strategies to improve 

information sharing within and between response agencies, with the media, and to the public 

as a whole. 

Within and Between Response Agencies 

Interagency communication is critical to achieving effective on-scene management of traffic 

incidents. Issues with intra- and interagency communications become more critical when the 

incident response is complex or spread out over a large area. Strategies used to improve 

interagency communication include the following: 

• Conducting incident management preparedness training exercises, 

• Adopting common communications and data transmission standards, 

• Adopting and using Incident Command System (ICS) practices to manage 

traffic incidents, 

• Establishing electronic paging or an email alert system for notifying incident 

responders, 

• Developing a matrix of radio frequencies used be on-scene incident 

responders. 

Figure 4 shows the radio frequency matrix developed by the Colorado Department of 

Transportation for the T-REX construction project. 

31
Channel Agency 

Arap. Cty Road & Bridge Arap. Cty Sheriff Aurora Fire Aurora Police Aurora Public Works Castle Rock Fire CDOT TOC CDOT Region 6 CSP Cunningham Fire Denver Fire Denver Paramedics Denver Police Denver Public Works Doug. Cty Road & Bridge Doug. Cty. Sheriff Greenwood Village Police Parker Fire Skyline Fire South Metro Fire 

ASCO 1 X X X X X X X X 

ASCO EOC X X X X X X X 

CSP1 X X 

CSP 2 X X 

CDOT Traffic 1 X X X X X X X X X X X X 

CDOT Traffic 2 X X X X X X X X X X X X 

CLEER X X X X X X X 

DCSO A X X X 

DCSO B X X X X

DCSO C X X X

DEC X X X X X X X X X X 

DISP 1 X X X X X X X X 

FERN X X X X X X X X X X X X X 

GVPD 1 X X X X X 

ICALL X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 

ITAC 1 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 

ITAC 2 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 

ITAC 3 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 

ITAC 4 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 

MAC 1 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 

MAC 2 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 

MAC 3 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 

SNOW X X X 

STAC 5 X X X X X X X X X X X 

Figure 4. Example Radio Frequency Matrix for Incident Responders 12

Public Education and Outreach 

Most large construction projects utilize Web sites, press releases, and/or newsletters to 

provide the public with information about planned construction and project phasing activities. 

These outreach efforts can also be utilized to educate the public about the incident 

management procedures that are also associated with a construction project. Information 

about motorist assistance or courtesy patrols, “move it,” or quick clearance policies can all be 

disseminated using outreach efforts. Past experience has shown that the use of public 

education campaigns, press releases, and signs in the work zone greatly enhance 

compliance with “move-it” laws and accident alerts.10

Procedures for Working with Media 

The media can also be considered a partner in disseminating information about incidents and 

incident management procedures and policies in work zones. Incident responders need to 

develop procedures and practices for working with the media during incident conditions. The 

media can be a fast and reliable means of disseminating information about incident 

conditions and travel alternatives to the traveling public. The media can also serve as an 

outlet for disseminating information about incident management procedures deployed as part 

32
of the construction activities. Media packets which describe the project and steps that 

agencies are taking to minimize the impacts of incidents on traffic operations can be a 

valuable asset to local media providers. Media packets can be used to disseminate 

information about who the media can contact in the event that an incident occurs in the work 

zone, maps showing potential staging areas designated for the media, and maps showing 

how traffic is being detoured in response to major road closures. Other information that can 

be distributed to the public via the media includes the following:10

• How to report an incident to 911, 

• Where to go to obtain traffic information during an incident condition, and 

• What are “move-it” laws and how do they apply to drivers. 

Liability and Legal Issues 

In some jurisdictions, incident responders are often hesitant to take actions to quickly clear 

and remove vehicles and debris from the roadway because of liability concerns over 

additional damages to vehicles or the losses of cargo and other personal property inside the 

vehicle. To reduce these concerns, many states have enacted “hold harmless” laws that 

permit incident responders to quickly clear incidents. These laws give incident responders 

immunity from civil liability in connection with removing vehicles and cargo involved in a traffic 

incident and obstructing adjacent traffic flow. According to a recent National Cooperative 

Highway Research Program Synthesis16, three types of hold harmless laws pertain to the 

removal of traffic incidents. 

The first type of law applies to drivers or other individuals who remove a vehicle involved in a 

crash (commonly referred to as “Move-It” laws). This law states that drivers or any other 

individual who move a vehicle involved in a crash are not liable or at fault with regard to the 

cause of the crash. The second type of hold harmless law protects incident responders who 

are fulfilling the requirements set forth in authority removal laws or authority tow laws. This 

law is designed to protect law enforcement, state departments of transportation (DOTs), and 

others from incurring liability in connection with damages resulting from the removal of 

disabled or wrecked vehicles and cargo that creates obstructions or hazards to normal flow of 

traffic. The final type of hold harmless law provides immunity to incident responders from any 

potential liability incurred by NOT executing the requirement of a quick clearance law. In 

these cases, agencies may not be held responsible for any damages or claims that may 

result from not clearing the incidents from the roadway. This is important for those situations 

where a detailed investigation may be required or other special extenuating circumstances 

may exist 

Before requiring the contractor to implement any type of incident management, work zone 

planners and incident responders should examine the types of hold harmless laws that are 

present in their state or jurisdiction and determine whether or not the contractor, if required to 

perform these functions, is also covered by these provisions. It may be necessary to amend 

or expand these protections to work zone personnel who are required or contracted to 

perform these services. 

33
34
5.0 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND 

TECHNIQUES FOR USE IN WORK ZONES 

Many strategies and techniques exist for improving incident management in work zones. 

These strategies are all designed to reduce the severity of the capacity reduction, reduce the 

duration of the incident, or reduce the amount of traffic wanting to use the facility in and 

around the incident scene. This section briefly describes various incident management 

strategies and techniques that can be deployed in work zones. The strategies and techniques 

are grouped according to the following categories: 

• Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Detection in Work Zones 

• Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Response 

• Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Clearance 

• Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Site Management 

• Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Information Dissemination 

This section is intended to be a reference for work zone planners, traffic operators, and 

incident responders in developing or improving incident management in their own specific 

work zones. Many of the strategies and techniques are the same techniques that are 

commonly used in incident management programs outside of work zones. Agencies should 

review the strategies and techniques shown in Table 4 through Table 9 to get an idea of 

options that can be deployed in their area. The tables provide a brief description of the 

strategy or technique and list some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with 

each. Each strategy and technique also provides a listing of online references which can be 

accessed to obtain more detailed information about when, where, why, and how the strategy 

can be deployed. With the information, work zone planners, traffic operations, and incident 

responders can devise an incident management program that fits the specifics of their own 

individual work zones. 

Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Detection in Work 

Zones 

Incident detection is the process by which incidents are brought to the attention of the 

agencies responsible for clearing incidents from travel lanes.17 Table 4 lists some of the 

common strategies that incident managers use to improve the time require to detect and 

clear an incident. All of these strategies are applicable to work zones.

35
. 

Table 4. Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Clearance in Work Zones 

Strategies Description Pros Cons For More Information 

Roving 

Courtesy / 

Service Patrols 

This strategy involves the 

use of specially equipped 

vehicle to provide 

emergency repairs and 

rapid clearance of stalled or 

disabled vehicles from the 

roadway. Vehicles can be 

either pre-positioned at 

strategic locations or rove in 

traffic stream. 

• Permits rapid detection and 

clearance of minor incidents 

• Provides assistance and 

minor repairs for 

stalled/disabled vehicles 

• Provides positive public 

relations image for agency 

• Can provide traffic control 

for emergency responders 

• Service can be contracted to 

private provider 

• When patrol is busy with event, 

it cannot rapidly respond to 

secondary incident that may 

occur 

• Requires specially equipped 

vehicles 

• Operators may require special 

training and certification 

• Congestion in work zone may 

prevent patrol from rapidly 

reaching incident 

• Intelligent 

Transportation Systems 

in Work Zones: A Case 

Study (1) 

• Freeway Service 

Patrols: About FSP (2) 

• Benefits Analysis for 

the Georgia 

Department of 

Transportation 

NaviGAtor Program: 

Final Report (3) 

Closed-Circuit 

Television / 

Video 

Surveillance 

Cameras 

This strategy involves the 

use of closed-circuit 

television or video 

surveillance cameras to 

assist in rapid detection and 

verification of incident 

location and severity 

through visual inspections. 

Cameras are generally 

installed on poles adjacent 

to the roadway and images 

are sent to a TMC. 

Operators in the TMC can 

use pan, tilt, and zoom 

features to observe different 

aspects of the incident. 

• Allows visual detection and 

confirmation of incident 

location and severity prior to 

initiating response 

• Allows assessment of 

impacts of incidents on 

traffic operations 

• Allows operators in control 

center to adjust operational 

strategies as incident 

conditions change 

• Support infrastructure 

(conduit, poles, foundations, 

etc.) can be installed as part 

of construction process 

• Requires an individual to 

monitor video surveillance 

cameras, usually at a traffic 

management center 

• Cameras and communications 

infrastructure may need to be 

relocated as construction 

phasing progresses 

• Requires special technical 

skills to keep camera and 

communications system 

operational 

• Can be costly to install and 

maintain during life of 

construction project. 

• Intelligent 

Transportation Systems 

in Work Zones: A Case 

Study (1) 

• Vehicle Detector 

Clearinghouse (4)

Stationary 

Observers 

This involves the use of 

specially trained spotters or 

observers who can provide 

information about incident 

locations via radio or cell 

phone to TMC or other 

emergency dispatch center. 

• Volunteers can be used as 

observers 

• Observers can be relocated 

as construction phasing 

progresses 

• Must contact someone else to 

initiate clearance functions 

• Volunteer may not always be 

dependable 

• May require special agency 

personnel to manage 

observers 

• Guidelines for Traffic 

Incident Management 

in Work Zones (5)

• Traffic Incident 

Management 

Handbook (6)

Aerial 

Surveillance 

This strategy involves the 

use of fixed-winged aircraft 

or helicopters to detect and 

verify incident locations. 

Observer in aircraft 

generally reports locations 

to TMC 

• Service can be provided by 

private entity (such as a 

traffic reporting service) 

• Extremely costly to provide 

continued surveillance 

• Surveillance may not be 

possible due to poor weather 

conditions or at night 

• Guidelines for Traffic 

Incident Management 

in Work Zones (5)

• Traffic Incident 

Management 

Handbook (6)

Traveler Call-in 

/ Reporting 

Numbers 

This strategy involves 

establishing a special 

telephone call-in number 

that motorists can use to 

report traffic incidents. 

Generally, requires a tollfree number 

• Can be incorporated as part 

of construction related 

information dissemination / 

511 system 

• Allows motorists to 

communicate directly with 

highway agency 

• Can be contracted to private 

entity 

• Most motorist are likely to use 

E911 services to report 

incidents 

• Motorists may have difficulty 

remembering special call-in 

number 

• May require specially trained 

call takers 

• Guidelines for Traffic 

Incident Management 

in Work Zones (5)

• Traffic Incident 

Management 

Handbook (6)

36
Strategies Description Pros Cons For More Information 

ITS Traffic 

Sensors 

This strategy involves the 

use of traditional traffic 

detection and sensing 

technologies (such a loop 

detectors, radar detectors, 

video image detection 

system, etc.) to monitor 

traffic flow characteristics. 

Usually requires the use of 

automatic detection 

algorithms to locate 

incidents 

• Transportation operators 

generally familiar with 

technology and techniques 

• Sensors can remain in place 

after construction has ended 

• Detection algorithms prone to 

high false alarm rates and slow 

detection times, especially in 

highly congested locations 

• Sensors may need to be prepositioned or retuned when 

different lane closures required 

• Requires TMC/Traffic 

Operations Center (TOC) 

• FHWA’s Traffic 

Detector Handbook

(7,8)

Agency or 

Transit Probe 

Vehicles 

This strategy involves the 

use of public and/or private 

agency personnel that 

routinely travel through 

construction area to report 

incident locations. This 

could include transit and 

motor carriers, fleet 

operators, public work 

crews, taxicabs, etc. 

• Operators generally know 

importance of rapid reporting 

of incident location 

• Depends on willingness of 

vehicle operator to report 

incident 

• Operators must know who to 

contact and what information to 

report about incident 

• FHWA’s Freeway 

Management and 

Operation Handbook 

(9) 

Improved 

Milepost 

Markers / 

Location 

Referencing 

System 

This strategy involves 

improving or augmenting the 

traditional milepost marking 

system to allow incident 

response personnel and 

citizens more accurate 

information. This can be 

accomplished by spacing 

markers more closely (e.g. 

tenth of a mile on freeways) 

or improving visibility of 

markers (e.g., oversizing). 

• Improves communication 

between citizens and 

response personnel 

• Relatively inexpensive 

• Provides motorists with 

location information for 

getting help quickly 

• Helpful in managing traffic 

records and subsequent 

analysis 

• May be difficult to keep signs 

visible /clean during 

construction activities 

• Signs subject to damage 

during construction activity 

• Guidelines for Traffic 

Incident Management 

in Work Zones (5)

• Guidebook on Incident 

Management Planning 

in Work Zones (10) 

Online Resources: 

1. Intelligent Transportation Systems in Work Zones: A Case Study. Available at 

http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov//JPODOCS/REPTS_TE//13600.html

2. Freeway Service Patrols: About FSP Available at 

http://www.metro.net/projects_programs/fsp/about_fsp.htm

3. Benefits Analysis for the Georgia Department of Transportation NaviGAtor Program: Final Report. 

Available at 

http://www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/ID/D8FFBF887F1DF9028525733A006D5A4E?OpenDoc

ument&Query=BApp

4. http://www.nmsu.edu/~traffic/

5. Guidelines for Developing Traffic Incident Management Plans for Work Zones. Available at 

http://www.dot.state.co.us/Traffic_Manuals_Guidelines/incident_management_guidelines/incident_manag

ement_guidelines_20030919.pdf

6. Traffic Incident Management Handbook. November 2000. Available at 

http://www.iacptechnology.org/IncidentManagement/TrafficIncidentMgmtHandbook.pdf

7. Traffic Detector Handbook: Third Edition–Volume I. Report No. FHWA-HRT-06-108. Federal Highway 

Administration. October 2006. Available at http://www.tfhrc.gov/its/pubs/06108

8. Traffic Detector Handbook: Third Edition–Volume II. Report No. FHWA-HRT-06-139. Federal Highway 

Administration. October 2006. Available at http://www.tfhrc.gov/its/pubs/06139/

9. Freeway Management and Operations Handbook. Report No. FHWA-OP-04-003. Federal Highway 

Administration. 2004. Available at 

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freewaymgmt/publications/frwy_mgmt_handbook/

10. Guidebook on Incident Management Planning in Work Zones. Available at 

http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/smartwz/reports/swzdi-2005-horowitz-guidebook-incident-mgmt.pdf

37
Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Response 

Table 5 lists some of the strategies and techniques that work zone planners and incident 

responders can employ to improve incident responses within work zones. 

Table 5. Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Response in Work Zones 

Strategies and 

Techniques 

Description Pros Cons For More Information 

Dedicated Response 

Vehicles / Service 

Patrol 

This strategy can use 

specially equipped vehicles 

or courtesy / service 

patrols to respond to and 

clear incidents. This can be 

roving vehicles or 

prepositioned vehicles. 

These vehicles should be 

dedicated to providing 

assistance in the work 

zone area only. 

• Vehicles can be 

prepositioned in corridor 

near high incident 

locations 

• Services can be 

provided by contractor or 

state/local agency 

• Service patrol dedicated 

to construction project 

may not be able to 

respond to incident 

outside project 

boundaries 

• Agency asset may sit 

idle for extended periods 

of time 

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual (1) 

Incident Response 

Teams 

This strategy involves 

establishing a multi-agency 

team for the purposes of 

responding specifically to 

incidents. Members of the 

team should include 

representatives from the 

major incident responders 

in the area, including law 

enforcement, fire, 

emergency responders, 

etc. These individuals 

should be trained in 

National Incident 

Command System/ Unified 

Command procedures. 

• Can build upon ICS 

principles 

• Incident responses are 

developed 

collaboratively 

• Multi-disciplinary 

approach 

• Streamlines site 

management and 

incident responses 

• Should not duplicate or 

replace ICS 

• Need champion from all 

response agencies 

• Simplified Guide to Incident 

Command System for 

Transportation Professionals 

(2)

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual (1) 

Communication 

Protocols 

(SAFECOM) 

This strategy involves 

establishing a common, 

predetermined radio 

frequency that response 

agencies can use to 

communicate during 

incidents. This could also 

include developing lists of 

agency channel access, 

and establishing 

interagency 

communications protocols. 

• Facilitates interagency 

communications 

• Radio frequencies can 

be placed in incident 

response/action plan 

• Frequency list may 

become outdated as 

system gets replaced 

• May require purchase of 

new technology to 

achieve interoperability 

• SAFECOM Web site (3) 

• NTIMC’s Prompt, Reliable 

Traffic Incident 

Communications(4)

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual (1) 

Incident Response 

Manuals 

This strategy involves 

developing a manual that 

outlines the predetermined 

processes and procedures 

for how to respond to 

specific incident situations. 

Manual might include the 

roles and responsibilities of 

responders for different 

“levels” of incidents. 

• Different responses can 

be established for each 

phase of the 

construction project 

• Provide single source of 

information for all 

incident response 

procedures and policies 

• Facilitate dissemination 

of information to other 

response providers 

• Not possible to include 

response for every type 

of incident situation 

• May be difficult to keep 

up-to-date as work zone 

phasing progresses 

• May be difficult to keep 

contact information 

current 

• Requires training to 

“practice” incident 

response scenarios prior 

to construction 

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual (1) 

38
Strategies and Description Pros Cons 

Techniques 

For More Information 

Emergency Personnel 

Resource List 

This strategy involves 

generating a list of 

available and trained 

personnel from all of the 

response agencies. 

Information should include 

geographic or jurisdictional 

response areas, 

responsibilities, radio 

channels, or cell phone 

numbers. 

• Facilitates cooperation 

and communication 

among response 

agencies 

• May already exist in 

many urban areas 

• Needs to be updated 

frequently to ensure 

accuracy 

• May need to include 

multiple contacts from 

agencies to ensure that 

agency can be reached 

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual (1) 

Equipment and 

Material Resource Lists 

This strategy involves 

preparing comprehensive 

lists of equipment and 

material resources that 

agencies might need in 

response to incidents. List 

should not only include 

equipment and material but 

contact information of 

individual responsible for 

equipment. 

• In many construction 

areas, heavy equipment 

may already be on site 

to assist with clearance 

activities 

• Difficult to keep list 

accurate over time 

• Equipment may not 

always be available if 

used for other purposes 

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual (1) 

Emergency Flashers / 

Flashing Light Policy 

This strategy involves 

developing a policy 

concerning the use of 

emergency flashers and 

flashing lights on response 

vehicles that are already 

on-scene. Use of 

emergency flashers, 

particularly at night, can 

add to driver confusion at 

an incident scene. 

• Good traffic control and 

advance warning signs 

can allow public safety 

agencies to perform 

tasks on scene with 

minimal emergency 

vehicle lighting 

• Reduces the potential for 

secondary collisions / 

incidents by reducing 

driver confusion 

• Some emergency 

responders may be 

hesitant to follow policy 

FHWA’s Manual on Uniform 

Traffic Control Devices (5)

Online Resources: 

1. TREX Incident Response Manual. Colorado Department of Transportation. Available at 

http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/523/documents/1ManualOctober2002.pdf

2. Simplified Guide to Incident Command System for Transportation Professionals. Available at

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/ics_guide/

3. Department of Homeland Security’s SAFECOM Web site. Available at 

http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/

4. NTIMC’s Prompt, Reliable Traffic Incident Communications. Available at 

http://www.transportation.org/sites/ntimc/docs/Incident%20Communications11-16-06-v3.pdf

5. Chapter 6I. Control of Traffic Through Traffic Incident Management Areas. Manual on Uniform Traffic 

Control Devices. Available at http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/HTM/2003r1/part6/part6i.htm

39
Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Clearance 

Another method to reduce the impact of incidents in work zones is to implement strategies 

that provide for the rapid clearance of incidents once they occur. Table 6 lists several 

common strategies for improving incident clearance in work zones. 

Table 6. Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Clearance in Work Zones 

Strategy Description Pros Cons For More Information 

“Move-It” Laws/ Quick 

Clearance Policies 

This strategy involves 

enacting legislation 

requiring vehicles that can 

safely and physically move 

from the travel lane to do 

so 

• Encourages quick 

removal of minor 

incidents. 

• Empowers traffic and 

public safety responders 

to move any disabled 

vehicle from travel lane 

• Indemnifies responders 

for liability. 

• Motor carriers may 

oppose because of 

potential losses 

associated with 

recovering cargo and/or 

vehicle 

• Responders may be 

hesitant to move 

vehicles off roadway 

because of fear of 

liability issues 

• Requires public 

awareness campaign to 

educate public about 

laws/policies 

• NTIMC’s Safe, Quick 

Clearance (1)

• NCHRP’s Safe and Quick 

Clearance of Traffic Incidents 

(2)

Wrecker Contracts This strategy involves the 

use of special and/or 

incentive contracts with 

wrecker services to provide 

guaranteed response and 

clearance times 

• Response /clearance 

time “guaranteed” by 

contract 

• May meet opposition 

from some local wrecker 

services. 

• Requires more 

structured 

accounting/reporting to 

collect 

response/clearance 

times performance 

measures 

• Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise 

Takes Proactive ‘RISC’ in 

Incident Management (3)

• City of Houston’s SAFEClear 

Program (4)

Photogrammetry This strategy involves 

using photographs and 

special software to conduct 

measurements of a vehicle 

crash scene 

• Reduces time required 

to complete crash 

investigation 

• Photographs provide 

permanent record of 

incident scene 

• Most measurement and 

calculation performed in 

office 

• Scene can be marked 

then opened for traffic 

• Many crash investigators 

not familiar with 

technology. 

• Requires special training 

to utilize equipment 

• Equipment costs more 

than traditional 

measuring devices, but 

less than total station 

• Use of Photogrammetry for 

Investigation of Traffic 

Incident Scenes (5) 

Total Station Surveying 

Equipment 

This strategy involves 

using computerized 

surveying equipment (total 

stations) to conduct 

measurements of a vehicle 

crash scene 

• Accident investigation 

can be completed in 

less time and with more 

accuracy than traditional 

measurement 

techniques 

• Some agencies report 

longer clearance times 

because investigators 

take more 

measurements than with 

usual investigation 

techniques 

• Specialized training and 

equipment is required 

• Limited number of 

devices and qualified 

personnel may result in 

longer response times 

• Incident Management Using 

Total Stations (6) 

40
Strategy Description Pros Cons For More Information 

Push Bumpers This strategy involves 

equipping police, service 

patrols, and /or specialized 

vehicles with special 

bumpers that allow them to 

push disabled vehicles 

from the travel lane 

• Disabled vehicles can 

be moved quickly from 

travel lanes to side of 

road or refuge area. 

• Relatively low-cost. 

• Some agencies 

concerned about 

potential damage to 

pushed vehicles 

• Differences in vehicle 

heights may make 

pushing some vehicles 

difficult 

• Guidelines for Traffic Incident 

Management in Work Zones 

(7)

• Traffic Incident Management 

Handbook (8)

Dedicated Freeway/ 

Service Patrols 

This strategy involves 

using specially marked and 

equipped vehicles to patrol 

designated sections of 

roadway to clear disabled 

vehicles from roadways 

and provide motorist 

assistance 

• Permits rapid removal 

and clearance of minor 

incidents 

• Results in positive 

public image for agency 

• Can be a contracted 

service with privately 

owned and operated 

wrecker 

• May meet opposition 

from local towing and 

recovery companies 

• No standardization as to 

how they should operate 

• Intelligent Transportation 

Systems in Work Zones: A 

Case Study (9) 

• Freeway Service Patrols: 

About FSP (10) 

• Benefits Analysis for the 

Georgia Department of 

Transportation NaviGAtor 

Program: Final Report (11) 

Landing Zone 

Guidelines 

This strategy involves 

designating predetermined landing site for 

medical evacuation/air 

ambulance helicopters 

• Landing locations 

agreed upon by incident 

providers prior to need 

• Locations can be 

referred in incident 

management 

response/action plan 

• Special maintenance 

may be required to keep 

area free of debris and 

construction equipment/ 

supplies 

• May require transport of 

victims to landing area 

• Guidelines for Traffic Incident 

Management in Work Zones 

(7)

Online Resources: 

1. Safe, Quick Clearance. National Traffic Incident Management Coalition, 2006. Available at 

http://www.transportation.org/sites/ntimc/docs/Quick%20Clearance11-07-06v2.pdf

2. Safe and Quick Clearance of Traffic Incidents. NCHRP Synthesis 318. Transportation Research Board. 

2003. Available at http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_syn_318.pdf

3. Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise Takes Proactive ‘RISC’ in Incident Management. Available at 

http://www.floridaits.com/Newsletters/2005/May/05-2005.htm#RISC

4. SAFEClear Program. City of Houston Web site. Available at 

(http://www.houstontx.gov/safeclear/index.html

5. Use of Photogrammetry for Investigation of Traffic Incident Scenes. Report No 4907-2. Texas 

Transportation Institute. Available at http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/4907-2.pdf

6. Incident Management Using Total Stations. Available at 

http://www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/ID/0D0D8496BCC0EF69852569E700716FB3?OpenDoc

ument&Query=BApp

7. Guidelines for Developing Traffic Incident Management Plans for Work Zones. Available at 

http://www.dot.state.co.us/Traffic_Manuals_Guidelines/incident_management_guidelines/incident_manag

ement_guidelines_20030919.pdf

8. Traffic Incident Management Handbook. November 2000. Available at 

http://www.iacptechnology.org/IncidentManagement/TrafficIncidentMgmtHandbook.pdf

9. Intelligent Transportation Systems in Work Zones: A Case Study. Available at 

http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov//JPODOCS/REPTS_TE//13600.html

10. Freeway Service Patrols: About FSP Available at 

http://www.metro.net/projects_programs/fsp/about_fsp.htm

11. Benefits Analysis for the Georgia Department of Transportation NaviGAtor Program: Final Report. 

Available at 

http://www.itsbenefits.its.dot.gov/its/benecost.nsf/ID/D8FFBF887F1DF9028525733A006D5A4E?OpenDoc

ument&Query=BApp

41
Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Site Management 

Dealing with incident site management issues within a work zone presents a special 

challenge to work zone planners and incident responders. In some work zones, pavement 

and shoulder widths have already been reduced, and barriers have been installed to separate 

work zone activities from the normal traffic lanes. All these factors make it more difficult for 

responders to work incidents that occur in and around work zones. Table 7 lists some of the 

site management strategies and techniques that work zone planners and incident responders 

can employ to mitigate the impacts of incidents 

Table 7. Site Management Strategies and Techniques in Work Zones 

Strategies and 

Techniques 

Description Pros Cons For More Information 

Alternate Route 

Plans 

This strategy involves predetermining available routes 

for detouring traffic during 

long-term incidents. 

• Removal of traffic 

demand from impacted 

roadway 

• Permits easier access to 

site by emergency 

response personnel 

• Develops collectively 

and cooperatively with 

other stakeholders 

• Diverts traffic to routes 

that can accommodate 

demands 

• Detours traffic around 

sensitive areas (such as 

schools, hospitals, etc.) 

• Alternate routing for 

incidents may already be 

utilized around construction 

project 

• Requires extensive preplanning to execute 

• Requires agencies to have 

resources available to 

implement 

• Secondary alternate routes 

may be required to provide 

detouring of primary 

construction alternate route 

• Applies to long-term 

incidents only 

• FHWA’s Alternate Route 

Handbook (1) 

Emergency 

Turnarounds / 

Access Gates 

This strategy involves 

including median breaks 

and shoulder access to 

allow emergency 

responders and highway 

operations personnel to 

turnaround between 

interchanges. This might 

also include installing 

access gates in median 

barriers that can be opened 

by response personnel to 

permit access to travel lanes 

through the construction 

area or from the opposite 

direction. 

• Allows incident 

responders to access 

incident scene from 

opposite direction 

• Shortens travel time of 

responders to scene 

• May permit removal of 

incident debris to inside 

construction area for 

later removal 

• Non-emergency traffic may 

be tempted to use if no 

physical barrier is provided 

• May slow initial responders 

if they have to remove 

physical barrier or gate to 

access site 

• AASHTO’s Roadside 

Design Guide(2)

• AASHTO’s A Policy on 

Geometric Design of 

Highways and Streets (3)

Alternative 

Emergency 

Response Access 

Routes 

This strategy involves 

identifying and establishing 

procedures that emergency 

response vehicles can use 

to reach the scene of an 

incident inside the work 

zone, get to another 

emergency once inside the 

work zone, and to leave the 

incident scene from within 

the work zone. This should 

also include identifying 

alternate routes to treatment 

facilities once clear of the 

work zone. 

• Allows emergency 

vehicles to access to 

scene quickly 

• May require real-time 

adjustment if alternate 

route is congested 

• Guidelines for Developing 

Traffic Incident 

Management Plans for 

Work Zones (4)

42
Strategies and Description Pros Cons 

Techniques 

For More Information 

Predefined Staging 

Areas 

This strategy involves 

establishing or setting aside 

a specific area in or around 

a work zone where 

response vehicles and 

personnel can safely wait 

away from the immediate 

incident scene. Special 

staging areas can also be 

set aside for media. 

• Provides a common area 

or “rally point” for 

responders 

• Provides a safe waiting 

area for storing response 

vehicles 

• Can be used to separate 

media from the 

emergency response 

areas and can be used 

to keep media clear of 

the incident scene to 

ensure their safety and 

the safety of the 

responders. 

• Can be located outside 

of construction area or 

off roadway facility 

• May be difficult to locate 

staging area in some tight 

construction zones 

• Used only with large scale 

incidents 

• TREX Incident Response 

Manual (5) 

• Guidelines for Developing 

Traffic Incident 

Management Plans for 

Work Zones (4)

• Traffic Incident 

Management Handbook 

(6)

Refuge Areas This strategy involves 

constructing pullouts or 

other small refuge areas 

adjacent to the travel lanes 

where motorists can travel 

(or be pushed) to affect 

minor repairs to their vehicle 

(e.g., change flat tire, etc.). 

• Provides a safe refuge 

out of travel lane where 

minor repairs can be 

performed 

• Provides refuge area 

where disabled vehicles 

can be pushed to 

• Important when the 

shoulders are used as 

travel lanes through the 

construction area. 

• May require construction of 

all-weather surface 

• May be difficult to locate in 

limited work zone area 

• May be difficult to access 

at high traffic speeds 

• Traffic Incident 

Management Handbook 

(6)

Accident 

Investigation Sites 

This strategy involves 

establishing locations near 

or adjacent to the freeway, 

where vehicles and 

emergency responders can 

go, out of the way of traffic, 

to complete an accident 

investigation. These areas 

need to be identified in 

advance and adequate 

space must be provided for 

movable vehicles and 

investigation personnel. 

These can be designed with 

screening devices to further 

reduce the impacts of 

“rubbernecking.” These 

locations are subject to 

change as construction 

phasing progresses. 

• Provides an established 

area for relocating 

damaged or disabled 

vehicles 

• Could potentially serve 

as staging area of other 

incident responders 

• May require construction of 

improved area 

• Area must be large enough 

to accommodate 3 to 4 

vehicles 

• Requires installation of 

signs directing motorists to 

site 

• TREX Incident Response 

Manual (5) 

• FDOT’s Accident 

Investigation Sites Criteria 

(7) 

• iROX I-75 Road 

Expansion Project (8) 

43
Strategies and Description Pros Cons 

Techniques 

For More Information 

Shoulder Usage 

Policies 

This strategy involves 

establishing procedures and 

criteria for when a paved 

shoulder can be used by 

response personnel and 

when a shoulder can be 

used as an alternate travel 

lane during incident 

conditions. Procedures need 

to address how shoulder 

usage may impact ramps 

and interchanges. 

• Maximizes the utilization 

of paved surfaces to 

move traffic 

• Increases roadway 

capacity 

• May not always be possible 

when work zones utilize 

shoulders as travel lanes 

• Operational problems may 

exist at ramps and 

interchanges 

• Shoulders are no longer 

available as refuge areas 

for disabled vehicles 

• Shoulders may not be wide 

enough to accommodate 

travel lane 

• Shoulder pavement may 

not be designed to 

accommodate vehicle 

loads 

• FHWA’s Freeway 

Management and 

Operations Handbook(9) 

Incremental Lane 

Opening Guidelines 

This strategy involves 

developing guidelines for 

quickly opening lanes, as 

they become available and 

safe to travel on. 

• Keeps duration of lane 

closures to minimum 

required to complete 

response activity 

• Maintains traffic flow 

past incident scene 

• Some incident responders 

may be hesitant to open 

and close lanes multiple 

times 

• May increase tendency for 

secondary incidents 

• FHWA’s Freeway 

Management and 

Operations Handbook (9) 

Reopening Work 

Zone Lanes 

This strategy involves 

establishing procedures and 

guidelines for quickly 

opening lanes, as they 

become available and safe 

to travel on. Depending 

upon the circumstances, this 

may mean postponing a 

work zone related lane 

closure if an incident 

condition already exists, or 

terminating a work zone 

related lane closure early, if 

possible, to provide 

improved capacity 

• Restores roadway 

capacity potential to preconstruction levels 

• Only feasible when 

temporary lane closures 

have been deployed as 

part of construction activity 

• Depends on the type of 

work activity 

• Agency may need to 

perform an additional lane 

closures at another time to 

complete work activity 

• TREX Incident Response 

Manual (5) 

Equipment Storage 

Sites 

This strategy involves 

establishing a secured area 

near the work zone where 

incident response 

equipment can be stored to 

facilitate incident removal. 

This might include 

temporary incident 

management signing (as 

specified in Chapter 6I. of 

the MUTCD), portable 

dynamic message signs, 

vehicles with push bumpers, 

heavy lifting vehicle, 

inflatable air bag systems, 

etc. 

• Equipment readily 

accessible to responders 

• Results in quicker 

response times to 

incident scene within 

construction area 

• May result in longer 

response times if 

equipment needed at 

incident scene is NOT in 

close proximity to work 

zone 

• Requires a secure storage 

area in close proximity to 

work zone 

• Equipment would need to 

be routinely checked to 

ensure that it is functioning 

properly 

• Requires inventory control 

procedures 

• FHWA’s Traffic Incident 

Management Program: 

Responder and Motorist 

Safety Web site (10) 

Traffic Responsive 

Signal Control Plans 

This strategy involves using 

pre-established traffic signal 

control plans that can be 

implemented on alternative 

routes in response to 

changing traffic conditions 

• Signal timing plans 

adjust automatically to 

changing traffic 

conditions 

• Reduces the need for 

law enforcement officers 

to manually operate 

traffic signals at 

intersections 

• Requires surveillance 

technologies on alternate 

routes 

• Signal plan may not fully 

cover total range of 

potential incident 

conditions 

• May require upgrade of 

existing traffic signal 

control equipment 

44
Strategies and Description Pros Cons 

Techniques 

For More Information 

Restrictive Ramp 

Metering Timings 

This strategy involves using 

existing ramp meter signals 

to control vehicle access to 

the freeway. This strategy 

should be used in 

conjunction with alternate 

routes. 

• Reduces traffic demands 

on the freeway 

• Controls access to the 

freeway 

• Ramp meters 

infrastructure may 

already be in place to 

address recurring 

congestion problems 

• Construction may alter 

ramp geometrics, making it 

undesirable or unsafe to 

use ramp metering 

• Ramp queues may block 

local arterial streets 

• Traffic may divert to an 

undesirable alternate route 

(unless acceptable 

alternate route clearly 

defined) 

• Requires that TOC have 

communications with ramp 

controllers 

• FHWA’s Ramp 

Management and Control 

Handbook(11)

Online Resources: 

1. Alternative Route Handbook. Report No. FHWA-HOP-06-092. Federal Highway Administration, May 2006. 

Available at http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/ar_handbook/index.htm

2. Roadside Design Guide. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. March 2006. 

3. A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Street. American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials. 2004. 

4. Guidelines for Developing Traffic Incident Management Plans for Work Zones. Available at 

http://www.dot.state.co.us/Traffic_Manuals_Guidelines/incident_management_guidelines/incident_manage

ment_guidelines_20030919.pdf

5. T-REX Incident Response Manual. Available at 

http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/523/documents/1ManualOctober2002.pdf

6. Traffic Incident Management Handbook. November 2000. Available at 

http://www.iacptechnology.org/IncidentManagement/TrafficIncidentMgmtHandbook.pdf

7. Accident Investigation Sites. Florida Department of Transportation. District 1. Available at 

http://www.i95coalition.org/Incident-toolkit/documents/Guide/Guide_AIS%20_FL_D1.pdf

8. iROX I-75 Road Expansion Project. Florida Department of Transportation. Available at 

http://cmstest.snworks.com/index.php?q=node/12

9. Freeway Management and Operations Handbook. Report No. FHWA-OP-04-003. Federal Highway 

Administration. 2004. Available at http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freewaymgmt/publications/frwy_mgmt_handbook/

10.http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/incidentmgmt/on_scene_ops/safety/safety.htm#3

11.Ramp Management and Control Handbook. Report No. FHWA-HOP-06-001. Federal Highway 

Administration. January 2006. Available at 

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/ramp_mgmt_handbook/manual/manual/1_1.htm

45
Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Information 

Dissemination to Travelers 

Information dissemination plays a vital role in incident management. With accurate and timely 

information, motorists can make timely, informed mode choices as well as routing and 

departure time decisions. These decisions not only help to reduce traffic demands through 

the work zone area where the incident occurred, but can also reduce the potential for 

secondary crashes and driver frustration. Table 8 lists some strategies and techniques that 

can be used by work zone planners to facilitate information dissemination about incidents in 

work zones. 

Table 8. Strategies and Techniques for Disseminating Work Zones Incident Information to Public 

Strategies and 

Techniques Description Pros Cons For More Information 

Dynamic Message 

Signs 

This strategy involves using 

permanent or movable dynamic 

message signs to provide 

motorists with information in 

advance of, or at, the scene of 

an incident. 

• Information directly 

provided to motorists 

affected by incident 

• Many work zones will 

have devices as part of 

TMP 

• Motorists are 

familiar/expect to 

receive information 

from these devices 

• Message content 

restricted to a relatively 

few characters 

• Does not reach 

travelers outside 

immediate vicinity of 

sign 

• Cannot display 

complex messages 

• FHWA’s Changeable 

Message Sign Operation 

and Messaging 

Handbook(1) 

• FHWA’s Intelligent 

Transportation Systems in 

Work Zones: A CrossCutting Study (2)

Highway Advisory 

Radio 

This strategy involves using a 

low-powered AM or FM radio 

system to provide travelers in 

the immediate vicinity of work 

zone with information about 

incidents. 

• Allows operators to 

provide more detailed 

messages 

• Reaches a broader 

range of travelers in 

corridor 

• Drivers must tune to 

radio station to receive 

message 

• Requires signing to 

alert motorists that a 

message is available 

• Deployment of Smart Work 

Zone Technology in 

Arkansas (3)

Broadcast Radio 

and TV Media 

This strategy involves 

developing agreements with 

broadcast radio and television 

stations to provide incident 

information in a pre-established 

format for a specified period of 

time. 

• Has potential to reach 

travelers before they 

enter corridor or begin 

trip 

• Can impact mode 

choice, routing, and 

departure time 

decisions 

• Accuracy of information 

being disseminated 

difficult to control 

• Media agreement to 

information format may 

be difficult to obtain 

• Traffic Incident 

Management Handbook 

(8)

Traffic Reporting 

Service 

This strategy involves utilizing 

traffic reporting services to 

disseminate traffic and travel 

information for incorporation in 

in-vehicle displays 

• Information can be 

tailored by traffic 

reporting service for 

specific users 

• Information can be 

integrated with invehicle travel 

information displays 

• Agency does not 

control/influence 

diversion route of 

traveler 

• Agency does not 

control accuracy of 

information being 

disseminated 

• Traffic Incident 

Management Handbook 

(8)

Email /Fax Alerts or 

Mobile Web Site 

This strategy involves deploying 

a system whereby incident 

alerts are automatically 

distributed through electronic 

means such as emails, faxes, 

Web pages, etc. 

• Has potential to reach a 

wide distribution of 

travelers 

• Technology relatively 

easy to deploy 

• Users would need to 

subscribe to service 

• Many urban areas have 

systems already in 

place 

• Requires staff to 

manage system 

• Houston TranStar Traffic 

Alerts Web site (5) 

46
Strategies and Description Pros Cons Techniques For More Information 

Web Sites/ Kiosks This strategy involves using 

Web sites and information 

kiosks in public areas to 

disseminate information about 

incidents in work zones 

• Has potential to reach 

travelers prior to 

initiating trip 

• Can impact mode 

choice, routing, and 

departure time 

decisions 

• Does not reach 

motorist already in work 

zone 

• Requires integration 

with other systems 

• Traffic Incident 

Management Handbook 

(8)

Dedicated 

Information Phone 

Number / 511 

System 

This strategy involves 

disseminating work zone 

incident information through 

either a dedicated telephone 

call-in number or an existing 

511 service. 

• 511 services available 

in many metropolitan 

areas 

• Has potential to reach 

travelers prior to 

initiating trip as well as 

drivers who have 

already started trip 

• Dedicated telephone 

number requires 

operator to staff 

• Requires driver to 

initiate call to obtain 

information 

• Resource 511(6)

• FHWA’s 511 Travel 

Information Telephone 

Services Web site (7)

Online Resources: 

1. Changeable Message Sign Operation and Messaging Handbook. Report No. FHWA-OP-03-070. Federal 

Highway Administration. Available at 

http://tmcpfs.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/cfprojects/uploaded_files/CMS%20Operation%20and%20Messaging%20Ha

ndbook-Final%20Draft.pdf

2. Intelligent Transportation Systems in Work Zones: A Cross-Cutting Study on Integrated Work Zone System 

for Improving Travel Conditions and Safety. Federal Highway Administration, November 2002. Available at 

http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/REPTS_TE/13600.html

3. L.H. Tudor, A. Meadors, and R. Plant, II. Development of Smart Work Zone Technology in Arkansas. In 

Transportation Research Record 1824. Paper no. 03-3115. Available at 

http://trb.metapress.com/content/e2655n7753500257/fulltext.pdf

4. Traffic Incident Management Handbook. November 2000. Available at 

http://www.iacptechnology.org/IncidentManagement/TrafficIncidentMgmtHandbook.pdf

5. Houston TranStar Traffic Alerts Web site. Available at 

http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/trafficalert/trafficalert_login.aspx

6. 511 Deployment Coalition Web site. Available at http://www.deploy511.org/

7. Federal Highway Administration Web site on 511 Travel Information Telephone Services. Available at 

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/511/

Strategies and Techniques for Improving Incident Information 

Dissemination to Responders 

Improving the level of coordination and collaboration between incident responders also helps 

to reduce the impact of incidents on traffic operations in work zones. Better information 

dissemination can facilitate this coordination and collaboration. Table 9 provides several 

strategies and techniques that have been used to assist with information dissemination about 

incident response policies, procedures, and guidelines between incident responders. 

47
Table 9. Strategies and Techniques for Improving Information Dissemination Among Incident Responders 

Strategies and 

Techniques Description Pros Cons For More Information 

Incident Response 

Manual 

This strategy involves 

developing an incident response 

manual that collects all the 

policies, procedures and 

guidelines for managing 

incidents. 

• All information needed 

by incident responders in 

one place 

• Contains contact 

information for 

responders in different 

response agencies 

• May be difficult to 

keep contact 

information up-to-date 

• Traffic Incident 

Management Handbook 

(1)

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual(2)

• Guidebook on Incident 

Management Planning in 

Work Zones (3) 

Communication 

Protocols / 

Frequency List 

This strategy involves 

developing a listing of 

predetermined radio frequency 

assignments that incident 

responders can use to 

communicate with each other on 

scene. 

• Provides a quick 

reference of all radio 

frequencies for 

responders 

• May be difficult to 

keep contact 

information up-to-date 

• Traffic Incident 

Management Handbook 

(1)

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual(2) 

• Guidebook on Incident 

Management Planning in 

Work Zones (3) 

Identification Vests This strategy involves adopting 

the use of identification vests to 

be used by incident command 

and emergency personnel. 

• Makes it easier for late 

arrivals to identify 

individuals in charge at 

incident scene 

• Can be used to limit 

access by individuals 

within certain 

perimetered areas 

• Vests that follow 

National Incident 

Management System 

Incident Command 

Structure can be 

purchased from private 

vendors 

• Multiple vests may be 

required for same 

agency to 

accommodate shifts 

• Guidelines for Developing 

Traffic Incident 

Management in Work 

Zones (4)

Personnel Resource 

List 

This strategy involves 

developing a comprehensive 

contact list of response 

personnel. 

• Provides a quick 

reference for notifying 

responders 

• Usually part of incident 

response manual 

• May be difficult to 

keep up-to-date 

• Traffic Incident 

Management Handbook 

(1)

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual(2)

Incident 

Management 

Reviews / 

Debriefings 

This strategy involves 

establishing regular meetings 

between incident responders to 

review and discuss coordination 

and tactical issues associated 

with responding to incidents. 

• Many locations already 

have a process for doing 

incident 

reviews/debriefings 

• Allows agencies to 

discuss issues that 

affected response 

• Allows agencies to 

collaborate on 

modifications to improve 

responses 

• Facilitates dialogue 

between responders 

• Some responders 

may view this as a 

personal attack on 

performance 

• May be difficult to get 

all field personnel 

together at same time 

because of shifts 

• Traffic Incident 

Management Handbook 

(1)

• CDOT’s TREX Incident 

Response Manual(2)

Media Packets This strategy involves 

developing packets that can be 

distributed to media to 

disseminate information during 

incident in work zones. 

• May include contact 

information for agency 

public information officer 

• Contains maps showing 

staging areas, detour 

routes, etc. 

• Information may not 

be relevant for all 

incident conditions 

• Strategy valid for 

major incidents only 

• Guidebook on Incident 

Management Planning in 

Work Zones (3) 

• Construction Project Media 

Kit (5)

48
Online Resources: 

1. Traffic Incident Management Handbook. November 2000. Available at 

http://www.iacptechnology.org/IncidentManagement/TrafficIncidentMgmtHandbook.pdf

2. T-REX Incident Response Manual. Colorado Department of Transportation. Available at 

http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/523/documents/1ManualOctober2002.pdf

3. Guidebook on Incident Management Planning in Work Zones. Available at 

http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/smartwz/reports/swzdi-2005-horowitz-guidebook-incident-mgmt.pdf

4. Guidelines for Developing Traffic Incident Management Plans for Work Zones. Available at 

http://www.dot.state.co.us/Traffic_Manuals_Guidelines/incident_management_guidelines/incident_manage

ment_guidelines_20030919.pdf

5. Construction Project Media Kit. Available at http://inform.enterprise.prog.org/pdf/cpmk.pdf

49
50
6.0 ENHANCING FUTURE WORK ZONE TRAFFIC 

INCIDENT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES 

Work zones can be a catalyst for changing existing incident management and 

policies in an area. In some cases, new strategies and techniques that are 

implemented as part of the transportation management plan (TMP) for the 

construction or maintenance project will remain in place after the construction is 

gone. In other cases, the lessons learned associated with implementing some of 

these strategies in one work zone can be valuable information to work zone planners 

and incident responders in the next construction project. This chapter focuses on 

actions that work zone planners, traffic operators, and incident responders can take 

during the execution of a particular work zone project that can provide insight into 

enhancement or improvements to incident management activities in the future. 

Performance Monitoring and Evaluation 

Monitoring and measuring the effectiveness of the incident management strategies in 

work zones is an essential step in identifying improvements and enhancements for 

future traffic incident management activities. Table 10 shows a series of performance 

measures that have been recommended for measuring the impact of incidents and 

work zones on freeway operations.18

The National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC) has proposed using the 

measures shown in Table 11 as core measures for evaluating the impacts of 

incidents on traffic operations.19 Similar performance measures can be used to 

measure the effectiveness of various work zone related traffic incident management 

strategies. 

Other measures that are used to gauge the effectiveness of incident management 

programs are: 20, 21 

• Roadway Clearance Time: the time between the first recordable 

awareness (detection/notification/awareness) of an incident by a 

responsible agency and the first confirmation that all lanes are 

available for traffic flow. 

• Incident Clearance Time: the time between the first recordable 

awareness and the time at which the last responder has left the 

scene. 

• The number and overall percentage of responses by type. 

• The number of responses and overall average clearance time. 

• The number of responses and overall average clearance time for 

fatality collisions. 

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52

• The number of responses and overall average clearance time for 

non-collision incidents. 

• The number of responses and overall average clearance time for 

service actions taken. 

• The number (or percent) of incidents that exceed a specified duration 

(e.g., 2 hours). 

• The average clearance time by month. 

• The average clearance time by quarter. 

• The number and percentage of blocking incidents by quarter. 

• The number and percentage of injury incidents by quarter. 

• The number and percentage of non-injury incidents by quarter. 

• The number and percentage of fatality incidents by quarter. 

Table 10. Recommended Core Measures for Capturing Impacts of Incidents and Work Zones on 

Freeway Performance 

Performance 

Metric Definition Units Geographic Scale Time Scale 

Incident Characteristics (Activity-Based) 

No. of Incidents 

by Type and 

Extent of 

Blockage 

Self-Explanatory Type: 1) crash, 2) 

vehicle breakdown, 3) 

spill, 4) other. 

Blockage: actual 

number of lanes 

blocked; separate code 

for shoulder blockage 

Section and area 

wide 

Morning/Evening 

peak periods, daily 

Incident Duration The time elapsed from the 

notification of an incident to when 

the last responder has left the 

incident scene 

Minutes (median) Section and area 

wide 

Morning/Evening 

peak periods, daily 

Blockage 

Duration 

The time elapsed from the 

notification of an incident to when 

all evidence of the incident 

(including responders’ vehicles) 

have been removed from the travel 

lanes 

Minutes (Median) Section and area 

wide 

Morning/Evening 

peak periods, daily 

Lane-Hours Loss 

Due to Incidents 

The number of whole or partial 

freeway lanes blocked by the 

incident and its responders, 

multiplied by the number of hours 

the lanes are blocked 

Lane-hours Section and area 

wide 

Morning/Evening 

peak periods, daily 
53

Performance 

Metric Definition Units Geographic Scale Time Scale 

Work Zones (Activity-Based) 

No. of Work 

Zones by Type 

of Activity 

The underlying reason why the work 

zone was initiated: 1) resurfacing 

only, 2) Resurfacing, Restoration, 

and Rehabilitation (RRR) projects, 3) 

lane addition w/o interchanges, 4) 

lane additions with interchanges, 5) 

minor cross-section, 6) grade 

flattening, 7) curve flattening, 

8) bridge deck, 9) bridge 

superstructure, 10) bridge 

replacement, 11)sign-related 

Number Section and area 

wide 

Daily 

Lane-Hours Lost 

Due to Work 

Zones 

The number of whole or partial 

freeway lanes blocked by the work 

zone, multiplied by the number of 

hours the lanes are blocked 

Lane-Hours Section and area 

wide 

Morning/Evening 

peak periods, daily 

Average Work 

Zone Duration 

by Type of 

Activity 

The elapsed time that work zone 

activities are in effect 

Hours Section and area 

wide 

Daily 

Lane-Miles Lost 

Due to Work 

Zones 

The number of whole or partial 

freeway lanes blocked by work zone, 

multiplied by the length of the work 

zone 

Lane-miles Section and area 

wide 

Morning/Evening 

peak periods, daily 

Adapted from Guide to Effective Freeway Performance Measurement18

Table 11. NTOC Performance Metrics for Measuring Impacts of Incidents 19

Measure Definition Sample Units of 

Measurements 

Incident Duration The time elapsed from the notification of an incident 

until all evidence of the incident has been removed 

from the incident scene. 

Median minutes per incident 

Non-recurring Delay Vehicle delay in excess of the recurring delay for the 

current time-of-day, day-of-week, and day-type. 

Vehicle-hours 

Travel Time Reliability 

(Buffer Time) 

The additional time that must be added to a trip to 

ensure that travelers making the trip will arrive at their 

destination at or before the intended time 95 percent of 

the time. 

Minutes. This measure may also 

be expressed as a percent to total 

trip time or as an index. 

It should be noted that if a performance-based, incentive/disincentive-based contract 

is used to provide a guaranteed incident response time, then a system needs to be 

put into place to measure whether or not a contractor has fulfilled the contract 

obligations. As part of the contract documents, work zone planners need to develop a 

performance assessment plan which describes how the contractor’s performance will 

be evaluated and assessed. Several methodologies can be used for assessing a 

contractor’s performance related to the specific incident management function, 

including the following: 

• Random sampling, 

• Periodic sampling, 
54

• Trend analysis, 

• Customer feedback, and 

• Third-party audits. 

Good performance monitoring and evaluation often requires developing additional 

reporting capabilities and resources not commonly available. Work zone planners 

and incident responders should be careful not to use performance measures that 

exceed the existing data collection and reporting systems’ capabilities to collect the 

data needed to produce the performance measures. 

Post-Incident Debriefings 

Many locations routinely conduct post-incident debriefings after major incidents. The 

purpose of these debriefings is to identify deficiencies, lesson learned, and areas for 

improvement to apply to future incidents. The debriefings can also serve as a forum 

for resolving conflicts and inefficiencies between responders. Many agencies have 

found that these debriefings help to maintain and strengthen the lines of 

communications between incident responders. Incident debriefings can also assist 

agencies with their NIMS/ICS preparedness activities. 

The process for conducting a post-incident debriefing includes the following steps: 

• Recreate the incident chronology for the participants, 

• Collect input from each agency on the aspects of the response that 

worked well as well as critiques of the aspects that worked poorly, 

• Collect suggestions from each agency for improving the response for 

future events, 

• Discuss the suggestions for improvement and develop consensus as 

to the corrective actions to be taken in future events, 

• Document the results of the debriefing and update the incident 

response / action plan 

Typically, an incident debriefing includes all the major stakeholders that responded to 

the incident. Ideally, both field and supervisory personnel should be involved in the 

debriefing. Construction personnel and work zone planners should also be included 

as part of the debriefing to offer insight into how the actions could impact phasing or 

scheduling of work activities and modifications that may be required to the TMP. 

These debriefings should occur as soon as practical following the incident, while the 

actions and issues are still fresh on the responders’ minds. Consideration should be 

given to using a facilitator to keep the debriefing frank, but non-confrontational. 

Action items, if needed, should also be clearly and concisely summarized and 

incorporated into future responses. 
55

Documentation, Evaluation, and Lessons Learned 

At the conclusion of the work zone activities, work zone planners, construction 

personnel, and incident responders should assess the overall effectiveness of the 

incident management strategies and techniques employed as part of the project 

TMP. The feedback will be a valuable asset in planning future work zone activities. 

Specifically, construction personnel and incident responders should be asked to 

evaluate the strategies used against the traffic incident management objectives 

defined during the work zone planning processes. Construction personnel and 

incident responders should specifically assess the following: 

• Did the strategies help reduce the time required to detect the 

presence of incidents in the work zone? 

• How did the strategies help expedite the clearance of incidents in the 

work zone? 

• How did the strategies help facilitate or improve incident responses 

in the work zone area? 

• Did the strategies deployed reduce the frequency and severity of 

crashes and secondary crashes in the work zone? 

• Did the strategies reduce the number of public safety personnel 

needed to respond to the incidents? 

• How did the strategies impact incident responder safety, 

cooperation, and collaboration within the work zone? 

• How might customer satisfaction be improved in future work zone 

traffic incident management efforts? 

Steps should also be taken to document the effectiveness of the strategies, wherever 

possible, using the performance measures previously discussed. 
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7.0 REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS 

1. Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule Web site. Federal Highway Administration. Available 

at http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/final_rule.htm. 

2. Jeannotte, K., and A. Chandra. Developing and Implementing Transportation 

Management Plans for Work Zones. FHWA-HOP-05-066. Federal Highway 

Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. December 2005. 

3. Chapter 6F. “Temporary Traffic Control.” In Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. 

Federal Highway Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation, 2003. Available at 

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2003r1r2/ch6g.pdf. 

4. Chapter 9. “Traffic Barriers, Traffic Control Devices, and Other Safety Features for Work 

Zones.” In Roadside Design Guide. American Association of State and Highway Officials. 

2006. 

5. Harowtiz, J., and X. Jin. Guidebook on Incident Management Planning in Work Zones. 

University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Available at 

http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/smartwz/reports/swzdi-2005-horowitz-guidebook-incidentmgmt.pdf. 

6. Work Zone Impact Assessment: An Approach to Assess and Manage Work Zone Safety 

and Mobility Impacts of Road Projects. Federal Highway Administration, August 2006. 

Available at http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/final_rule/wzi_guide/wzi_guide.pdf. 

7. Policy Statement from Ohio Department of Transportation Web site. Available at 

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/policy/516-003p.pdf. 

8. Highway Capacity Manual, 2000. Transportation Research Board, National Research 

Council. 2000. 

9. Simplified Guide to the Incident Command System for Transportation Professionals. 

Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. February 2006. 

Available at http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/ics_guide/ics_guide.pdf. 

10. Guidelines for Developing Traffic Incident Management Plans for Work Zones. Prepared 

by Pat Noyce & Associates for the Colorado Department of Transportation, Safety and 

Traffic Engineering Branch, September 2003. Available at 

http://www.dot.state.co.us/Traffic_Manuals_Guidelines/incident_management_guidelines/

incident_management_guidelines_20030919.pdf. 

11. Chapter 6I. “Control of Traffic through Traffic Incident Management Area.” In Manual on 

Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Federal Highway Administration. U.S. Department of 

Transportation. 2003. Available at http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2003r1r2/ch6i.pdf. 

12. TREX Incident Response Manual. Colorado Department of Transportation. 2002. 

Available at http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/523/documents/1ManualOctober2002.pdf. 

13. Mutual Aid Agreements for Public Assistance and Fire Management Assistance. Federal 

Emergency Management Administration, Department of Homeland Security. Available at 

http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/pa/9523_6.shtm. 

14. Intelligent Transportation Systems in Work Zones. A Case Study: Work Zone Traffic and 

Incident Management System. Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of 

Transportation. Available at 

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/technologies/albuquerque/its_albuquerque.pdf. 

15. Alternate Route Handbook. Report No. FHWA-HOP-06-092. Federal Highway 

Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. May 2006. Available at 

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/ar_handbook/arh.pdf. 

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16. Dunn, W.M., and S. P. Latoski. Safe and Quick Clearance of Traffic Incidents. NCHRP 

Synthesis 318. National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Transportation 

Research Board. 2003. Available at 

http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_syn_318.pdf. 
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17. Traffic Incident Management Handbook. November 2000. Available at 

http://www.iacptechnology.org/IncidentManagement/TrafficIncidentMgmtHandbook.pdf. 

18. Guide to Effective Freeway Performance Measurement: Final Report and Guidebook. 

NCHRP Web-Only Document 97. National Cooperative Highway Research Program, 

Transportation Research Board. August 2006. Available at 

http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_w97.pdf. 

19. National Transportation Operations Coalition (NTOC) Performance Measurement 

Initiative. Final Report. July 2005. Available at 

http://www.ntoctalks.com/action_teams/ntoc_final_report.pdf. 

20. Benefits of Traffic Incident Management. National Traffic Incident Management Coalition. 

Available at http://www.transportation.org/sites/ntimc/docs/Benefits11-07-06.pdf. 

21. Measures, Markers, and Mileposts. The Gray Notebook. Washington State Department 

of Transportation. Available at 

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Accountability/GrayNotebook/SubjectIndex.htm#traffic. 
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60

FHWA Office of Operations, HOTO 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov 

FHWA-HOP-08-056 

January 2009

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Highway Administration