Work Zone Public Information and Outreach Strategies

This document is meant to help transportation agencies plan and implement effective public information and outreach campaigns for work zones. The focus of this document is not on project selection and design, but on the travel impacts of a work zone - such as lane closings, new traffic patterns, and traffic delay - and available travel alternatives (e.g., different routes and travel modes). This document provides information and strategies for developing public information and outreach campaigns for specific work zones, rather than general work zone education and safety campaigns. It is primarily designed for personnel in transportation agencies responsible for planning and operating highway work zones and those responsible for public relations and public information. It will also be of interest to transportation policy makers, work zone contractors, consultants, public relations firms, and emergency responders. This document also provides support to agencies in their efforts to implement the recently updated work zone regulations. In September 2004, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published updates to the work zone regulations at 23 CFR 630 Subpart J. The updated rule addresses the use of public information and outreach as a work zone management tool. The updated rule is referred to as the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule (Rule) and applies to all State and local governments that receive Federal-aid highway funding. Transportation agencies are required to comply with the provisions of the Rule by October 12, 2007. The changes made to the regulations broaden the former rule to better address the work zone issues of today and the future. Growing congestion on many roads, and an increasing need to perform rehabilitation and reconstruction work on existing roads already carrying traffic, are some of the issues that have lead to additional, more complex challenges to maintaining work zone safety and mobility. To help address these issues, the Rule provides a decision-making framework that facilitates comprehensive consideration of the broader safety and mobility impacts of work zones across project development stages, and the adoption of additional strategies that help manage these impacts during project implementation. The Rule requires agencies to develop an agency-level work zone safety and mobility policy to support systematic consideration and management of work zone impacts across all stages of project development. Based on the policy, agencies will develop processes and procedures to support implementation of the policy. The third primary element of the Rule calls for the development of project-level procedures to address the work zone impacts of individual projects. This includes requirements for identifying significant projects and developing and implementing transportation management plans (TMPs) for all projects. For significant projects, the TMP must include public information and outreach strategies to inform those affected by the project of expected work zone impacts and changing conditions. This document is the second of four guidance documents on the Rule and contains guidance, as well as many examples of work zone public information and outreach campaigns used by transportation agencies.