Wisconsin wins for best manual on work zone traffic control
Zone Safety and Traffic Control Manual category is … the Wisconsin Work Zone Safety Guidelines for Construction, Maintenance, and Utility Operations!Following a nationwide search conducted by the American Public Works Association's Construction Practices Subcommittee of the Utility and Public Right-of-Way Committee, the Wisconsin manual, along with the manuals produced by the American Traffic Safety Services Association and the Montana State Department of Transportation, won heads and shoulders above the numerous others analyzed.
Adherence to MUTCD was important factor
Judging by the committee was based on factors such as its ease of being understood, its adherence to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (some even contradicted it), its ability to be used both in the office and in the field, and its thoroughness.
Donald Gordon, a consultant who was a member of the subcommittee, reported to APWA members on the results and conclusions of the study at the recent 1999 International Public Works Exposition and Congress.
Most of the guideline manuals studied around the country were good, Gordon said, but these three stand above the rest.
"The Montana manual is 33 pages long and has 16 diagrams," he said. "However, only 13 apply to utility work."
The ATSSA guidelines were very good, he continued, but were more or less a condensed version of the MUTCD and "a little hard to read." It contained 66 pages with 17 diagrams, six of which pertained to utilities.
"The Wisconsin manual," he said. "was excellent with 29 diagrams on 54 pages. Twenty-two diagrams apply directly to utility work."
Wisconsin manual was a convenient size suitable for office and field
It is also a convenient size to fit in a shirt pocket for field reference and made up of plastic pages to resist wear and tear, he said. "The Wisconsin manual also covers both rural and urban situations," Gordon noted. "Many did not."
Other conveniences offered by the manual were taper distances already interpolated and appearing on each page with a diagram (many required workers to interpolate the distances themselves), colors corresponding to different traffic control devices used, and detailed flagger layouts (many did not have this).
A table of contents for the Wisconsin manual includes:
- Traffic Control Devices. Includes warning lights, channelizing devices, arrow displays, signs and pavement markings.
- Fundamental Principles. These are the guiding principles for the manuals such as making temporary traffic control a high-priority item in every aspect of a project plan, inhibiting traffic movement as little as possible, providing clear guidance, and establishing proper legislative authority to implement and enforce needed traffic regulations.
- Five Parts of a Traffic Control Zone. These include the advanced warning area, the transition area, the buffer area, the work area, and the termination area.
- Buffer Lengths. These are spelled out in terms of speed and length.
- Planning the Layout. These consider factors such as duration of work, location of work, and characteristics of a roadway.
- Typical Application Diagrams. This section covers about every conceivable work situation complete with diagrams clearly illustrating proper setups.
- Mobile Operations. Traffic control devices used when the work is moving are illustrated.
- Pedestrian and Worker Safety. This illustrates how to handle sidewalk closures and detours.
- Flagging Procedures.
- Liability.
This section includes steps to take to minimize liability. - Supervisor's Checklist.
"Our original goal of providing APWA members with a guidebook has been satisfied," Gordon concluded. Those interested in obtaining a copy of the Wisconsin manual may contact the LTAP Center at the University of Wisconsin/Madision at 800-442-4615.
Written by Joyce Jungclaus