Have you ever been late to work, school or an appointment because you
were stuck in traffic caused by road work?
Regardless of whether you live in a urban or rural area, traffic delays and
potential safety problems in construction work zones are frustrating.
Greater attention must be paid to the impact that work zone congestion can
have
on the safety of road users, highway workers, businesses and communities.
To help agencies, such as LPAs, address and mitigate this impact, a well-designed
transportation management plan, or TMP,
is required for all Federal-aid projects.
The transportation management plan concept was developed to proactively
address traffic and safety impacts both within and around the construction work
zone.
A TMP lays out a set of coordinated strategies
and describes how they will be used to enhance traffic operations and safety.
Two keys to a successful TMP are: developing the TMP as early as possible
and using a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach so that
various transportation specialists and stakeholders can build upon each other's
strategies and solutions. The initial planning begins during the scoping and
environmental evaluation phase of your project.
Addressing the work zone impacts as early as possible allows you to adjust
your construction strategies and budget for them,
while updating the TMP with greater detail throughout the project's
development.
When your project is ready for construction,
the plans, specifications and estimates package submitted for Federal funds
authorization
must include a TMP
or provisions for the contractor to develop one based on your TMP
requirements.
If the contractor develops the TMP,
the LPA must approve an acceptable plan.
Specific benefits of a comprehensive TMP can include: promoting coordination
of stakeholders and traffic mitigation strategies, minimizing traffic delays,
along with the associated costs and air quality problems,
increasing worker and motorists safety,
improving public awareness of transportation options
and enhancing communications with the traveling public, local businesses and
communities. This can lead to fewer complaints.
The components of the transportation management plan depend on whether a
project is expected to generate significant traffic impacts greater than
allowed under your agency's policy.
The more significantly impact,
the more detailed the TMP should be.
For projects expected to have significant impacts,
the TMP consists of three parts: a temporary traffic control plan, a
transportation operations component,
and a public information component.
The temporary traffic control plan addresses traffic safety and control
through the works zone
with devices such as signs, orange drums, and temporary barriers.
The transportation operations component
considers higher-level strategies to mitigate traffic both within and around
the work zone.
These strategies might include transit service improvements,
coordination with adjacent construction projects, variable work hours,
tow service patrols, or signal-timing improvements.
The public information component contains strategies for improving
communications with motorists, the public and concerned stakeholders. Strategies
could include public alerts to potential traffic problems and how to avoid them,
and community task forces to provide feedback on project impacts.
For projects not deemed to have significant impacts,
the TMP may consist of only a temporary traffic control plan.
However, FHWA encourages LPAs to consider transportation operations and
public information strategies for these projects as well.
Let's use a project example to clarify some of these concepts.
Suppose your agency has decided to replace the bridge on the major road
into town and has determined that the work zone will cause a significant impact
to the community and businesses.
During the environmental evaluation,
you begin to develop a transportation management plan that includes the
temporary traffic control plan,
plus the traffic operations and public information components.
As the project moves through development,
a multi-disciplinary team considers alternative traffic control plans
and seeks input from local stakeholders.
The team asks:
Can the bridge construction be phased so that a portion of the bridge can remain
open to traffic?
Can a temporary bridge be built, or a bypass constructed? or
Must all traffic follow a detour?
To develop the traffic operations component,
the team considers these questions:
Will the construction create long lines and wait times and can project phasing
relieve this congestion?
If a bypass is used what is the effect on the nearby residents and businesses?
How will this project affect businesses, school bus routes, and
emergency services and what must be done to minimize these impacts?
The team prepares a public information plan by asking the basic question,
how can we inform the residents and the public about the project, possible
impacts, and travel options during the construction period?
Some strategies to consider include public meetings,
a project Web site, social media, radio and newspaper announcements, flyers,
and changeable message signs.
The team will continue to assess and adjust strategy options throughout
design and construction of the project,
regularly evaluating each alternative based on cost,
impacts to the traveling public and constructability.
A transportation management plan is required for all Federal-aid projects.
Check with your State department of transportation, or DOT, for further
guidance and policies for preparing the TMP.