Improved Methods for Delineating Diverges in Work Zones
The safety of work zones is an area of concern at both the national and state level with more than 600 work zone fatalities recorded in Georgia over the last decade (National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, 2009). While driver impairment and excessive speed are considered to be two of the predominant causes of these fatalities, driver confusion is known to be either a cause or a confounding factor in many of these fatal accidents (National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, 2009). This project and subsequent field testing is designed to provide the basis for updating the methods and devices used by The Georgia Department of Transportation for delineation of diverges in work zones with the aim of reducing driver confusion.
Effectiveness of Chevron Pavement Markings
The project focused on an investigation into the effectiveness of chevron markings in reducing vehicle speeds on two-lane freeway-to-freeway directional ramps in a desire to improve safety performance. The evaluation is based on a statistical comparison of speeds before and after the installation of the chevron markings at pre-selected sites in the Atlanta, GA area. The analysis focuses on the impact of converging chevrons over the range of speed percentiles and on the mean speed through the use of diverse sampling and control ramps.
Evaluation of Intersection Countermeasures on High-Speed Rural Multi-Lane Facilities
This research is evaluating safety treatments proposed at two high speed rural intersections with high numbers of crashes and fatalities. The full evaluation period for this study will be approximately 6 months prior to the installation of the safety treatments and at least 3 years after the implementation of the proposed non-standard striping at the two intersections and also at various other control intersections. This safety study will include a traditional analysis of incident data prior to and approximately 3 years after the implementation of safety treatments. To complement the traditional approach to evaluating safety treatments this study will largely focus on evaluation of surrogate measures that will be available throughout the project time frame. This will allow for interim results and measures of effectiveness for the installed treatments in a shorter time frame. This approach offers the potential for adjustments or expansion of the mitigation measures prior to the end of the full 3-year evaluation period.
