Enhanced Analysis of Work Zone Safety through Integration of Statewide Crash and Lane Closure System Data

Highway work zones interrupt regular traffic flow and lead to more severe types of crashes, as shown by many studies. In 2009 alone, more than 600 fatalities nationally were work zone related. Analysis of work zone safety can help to identify the risk factors and improve safety; such an analysis requires the consideration of a variety of data sources, including the frequency of crashes in and around a work zone and specific work zone characteristics. The traditional approach, in Wisconsin and many other states, has relied on the presence of a construction zone flag in the crash report and information from targeted work zone studies. The crash report provides a macroscopic view of work zone crashes but does not provide details about the work zones, except when noted in the police officer's narrative description. Targeted work zone studies provide a wealth of information for specific work zones but are limited in number and scope. The Wisconsin Lane Closure System (WisLCS), a centralized scheduling and reporting system for highway lane closures statewide, provides a new opportunity to match crashes to specific work zones on a systemwide level. This paper investigated the ability to match highway crash records from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to WisLCS lane closure records. A preliminary analysis of work zone safety based on WisLCS closure attributes is presented and verifies the benefits of integrating work zone information. This knowledge can lead to safer work zone operations and planning decisions. The general ideas of this study can also be applied to any similar sets of crash and work zone data.