Abstract
Highway congestion threatens the mobility that is so essential to the quality of the air Americans breath, the satisfaction of highway users, and the Nation's economic vitality. From a user's perspective, highway construction work zones are among the more irritating causes of nonrecurring congestion. The challenge before the highway community is not to eliminate work zones, but to reduce their impact on safety and mobility. This article details how this goal can be accomplished by applying a variety of strategies to decrease the need for work zones and their duration, and by improving the operational safety characteristics of those work zone operations that are deemed necessary.