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Process Review Examples

Section 630.1008 of the Work Zone Safety and Mobility Rule requires agencies to conduct a process review at least every two years to assess the effectiveness of work zone safety and mobility procedures. More information about process reviews can be found in Implementing the Rule on Work Zone Safety and Mobility.

The following examples are meant to assist agencies with developing their own process review guidelines, and are not meant to advocate a “one size fits all” approach.

Process Reviews

Montana Department of Transportation

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) has developed Process Review Guidelines as part of its Work Zone Safety and Mobility Guidelines. Information about MDT’s process review guidelines can be found in Appendix B of MDT Work Zone Safety and Mobility: Goals and Objectives, Procedures, Guidelines (PDF 537KB).

Under its Process Review Guidelines, MDT will conduct periodic evaluation of construction zone policies, processes, procedures, and construction zone impacts to aid in the process of addressing and managing the safety and mobility impacts of construction zones. Some reviews may be limited to specific procedures (e.g., review payment methods for traffic control devices), while other reviews will be broader in scope (e.g., review of overall performance measures of the construction zone safety and mobility goals and objectives). The review is lead by the MDT Construction Traffic Control Engineer and can answer some of the following questions:

• How are construction zones performing with respect to mobility and safety?
• Are the best possible decisions in planning, designing, and implementing our construction zones being made?
• Are customer expectations being met with respect to maintaining safety and mobility, minimizing business and community impacts?
• Can areas for improvement be identified?
• How have areas for improvement that were identified in the past been addressed?
• Should policies or MDT procedures be adjusted based on what has been observed or measured?

 

Traffic Control Reviews

Work zone traffic control reviews can be a rich source of information to make use of in conducting a work zone process review. Work zone traffic control reviews are important and useful for making work zone improvements, however they do not cover all the areas that a process review under the updated Rule should cover. For additional explanation, please refer to the frequently asked questions on this topic.

Colorado Department of Transportation

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) statewide work zone review program, also known as the Traffic Control Review (TCR) program, was initiated in July 2004 in response to management concerns for the quality of temporary traffic control. The purpose of the program is to gather information to evaluate the overall quality and effectiveness of work zone traffic control throughout the Department, to identify areas where improvement is needed, and to facilitate open discussion of traffic control issues. Regions are expected to use the review results to address and correct both project-specific and Region-wide issues.

The work zone review procedure involves an on-site review of a sample of projects in each Region. Reviews consist of a drive-through of each project by a team that generally includes both CDOT and FHWA staff, with information and comments recorded on a standard four-page form. The final step in the review process is assignment of an overall quality rating that defines traffic control effectiveness at the time of the review. Following each Region review, a debriefing meeting is held to discuss results.

• Traffic Control Review Process and Rating System (HTML, DOC 44KB)
• Traffic Control Review Form (HTML, XLS 55KB)

Kansas Department of Transportation

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) uses a Traffic Control Review Team (TCRT) to review randomly selected construction and maintenance work areas on the State Highway System and off-system construction projects to determine the effectiveness of their traffic control procedures. A minimum of three Districts are reviewed each year by the TCRT, resulting in a biannual review of each district. TCRT members are able to see how traffic control is being implemented and maintained in the field; identify any problem areas in the standard plans, specifications, and individual traffic control plans/transportation management plans; and assess if field practices meet appropriate practices and criteria. An overview of commonly found areas of concern is shared with all the Districts and key KDOT central office staff and is used as a learning tool that helps KDOT achieve high quality traffic control while maintaining uniformity across the State. More information about this example can be found in the KDOT Traffic Control Review Policy.

 

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