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Objective
The goal of MwSWZDI is to develop better ways of controlling traffic through
work zones, which improve the safety and efficiency of traffic operations and highway workers. The objective of the proposed evaluation plan is to
determine the safety and operational effects of the technology deployments
included in the initiative and develop recommendations for implementing the
technologies in future work zones.
Workshops
To begin this effort, the four states conducted a series of three workshops
to define system requirements, build partnerships to address the requirements, and select technologies to deploy and evaluate. The first
workshop, Establishing the Requirements, was held on March 11, 1998 in Omaha, Nebraska. At this workshop, the nominal group technique was used to
facilitate the generation of ideas from workshop participants on ways to make work zones safer and more efficient. The group identified and
prioritized over 100 ideas and issues related to improving work zones. The
target audience for the first workshop was the highway users and construction/ maintenance workers. Attendees included representatives of the
American Automobile Association, senior citizens, truck drivers, law enforcement officers, emergency service providers, highway contractors, and
state highway agency construction and maintenance personnel.
The second workshop, Defining the Solutions, was held on June 10, 1998 in
Kansas City, Missouri. The target audience for this workshop was the technology providers. The objective was to establish public/private
partnerships for the development and evaluation of innovative methods of controlling traffic in work zones. The results of the first workshop and
descriptions of the 1999 construction projects where the states would be
willing to test and evaluate innovative technologies were presented. The technology providers were then invited to participate in the initiative by
proposing solutions and technologies that would address the requirements identified in the first workshop. At the close of the workshop, the
technology providers were asked to send a letter to the states confirming their commitment to participate in the initiative. Commitments were received
from 20 of the 55 technology providers who attended the second workshop.
The interested technology providers were invited to the third workshop, Selecting the Technologies, which was held on July 22 and 23, 1998 in Kansas
City, Missouri. The purpose of the third workshop was to match the solutions
proposed by the technology providers with work zones on specific construction projects. Each technology provider made a presentation
describing the technology they proposed to deploy and how it addressed the
requirements identified at the first workshop. Following the presentations,
the states selected the technologies in which they were most interested and
identified the projects on which they would be deployed and evaluated during
the 1999 construction season.
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