The pilot project described in this report focused on the development and implementation of the work zone sign package program in Iowa. The objectives of this project were to assist smaller cities with the acquisition and proper setup of work zone related devices compliant with the 2012 revisions of the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Many small cities have budgets that sometimes make it difficult to accomplish these objectives. The project included tasks that focused on the development of a technical advisory committee (TAC), work zone sign package content, an application for acquiring or competing for the work zone package, and a process to select the cities that should receive the work zone devices. The activities completed to finish these tasks are described in this report. The activities completed as part of this project before the distribution of the work zone sign packages included the development of the package’s content, the definition of application eligibility rules, and the creation of the application questions. First, the work zone sign package was created through a discussion with the technical advisory committee. Nine items were identified for inclusion, for example, ROAD WORK AHEAD signs, Class 2 safety vests, and 42- inch channelizer cones. A complete list of the devices is described in Chapter 2. The second task in the process was to define the program eligibility rules. It was determined that the cities eligible to compete for the work zone sign packages should have a population of less than 10,000 and at least one staff person that had received work zone training during the last three years. These eligibility rules limited the number of potential applicant cities in Iowa to 27. Finally, the questions for the application needed to be developed, and the 13 questions included were designed with the technical advisory committee. The objective of the questions was to gather information about the level of need each city applicant had for the work zone sign package. Some of the questions included in the application focused on city population, the number of public works staff, how many times work zone signs were needed each year, and a summary of the applicant’s work zone sign inventory and its condition. The application distributed to the 27 eligible cities is in Appendix A. A total of 10 program applications were received, and an evaluation and ranking process was developed to assess the answers to the questions in each application. More specifically, a point assignment approach was designed to measure the level of need of each city for the work zone sign package based on the city’s answers. A ranking approach was defined for 7 of the 13 questions in the application (the other questions involved contact information, etc.), but 2 questions were later used for information purposes only. The questions for which an evaluation and ranking process was developed included those that focused on city population, the number of public works employees, work zone problems encountered and other relevant information that was shared, and the existing sign inventory and its condition. The approaches used to assign points for answers to each of the questions, along with a tie breaker option if needed, are described in detail within Chapter 3. The two questions used for information purposes only included those related to the number of times each year a city might have needed work zone signing and whether the city had suitable storage space for the signs. Overall, each of the 6 reviewers could assign a total of 36 points to each city based on the answers provided by the city in its application. The cumulative number of points assigned to the 10 cities that applied ranged from 62 to 143. All of the city applicants indicated that they had some level of need for the work zone sign package due to missing inventory and/or devices that were in poor condition. Several conclusions and recommendations were reached based on the completion of the tasks in this project. This project was developed to help smaller cities acquire and apply proper work zone sign setups. The accomplishment of these objectives should also help improve the safety of work zones in Iowa. It is believed that the distribution of the 10 work zone sign packages as part of this project has helped advance this objective. However, only 10 of the 27 cities eligible to be involved with the program completed an application. It was concluded that the low application rate could be due to several factors (e.g., the communication process used, the staffing levels within small cities, and the length of the application). Overall, however, the questions in the application appeared to measure the need for the work zone sign package relatively well. The answers provided showed, among other things, that the respondents typically had very few public works staff and used work zones relatively regularly but typically did not have a full complement of work zone related devices and/or signs that were in “good” condition. Finally, it was concluded that at least one of the questions appeared to be interpreted differently by individual respondents. Recommendations (see Chapter 4) were created to address this problem and other potential weaknesses identified in the program through this pilot project. These recommendations focused on the eligibility rules developed, the advertising process, and the wording and ranking point assignment for the application questions. It is recommended, for example, that the eligibility rules and advertising approach be changed to encourage more cities with a population less than 2,000 to apply. It is also suggested that questions about the size of the city transportation system or traffic flow be asked and the question about public works employees be reworded to focus only on those staff involved with work zones. In general, it is also recommended that the results of this pilot project, the content of this report, and the input from the TAC be used in the future to reconsider each question and the evaluation and ranking process applied to it. Finally, it is recommended that this program be continued in order to serve the existing need for these types of work zone sign devices in smaller cities. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting