Maryland State Highway Administration: Work Zone Performance Measurement Using Probe Data

The Challenge

In an effort to improve work zone planning and management, the Maryland State Highway Administration used data from fixed sensors to support development of performance measurement programs. But the data was limited, and SHA wanted a more comprehensive, effective and systematic way to monitor and manage work zone impacts.

SHA’S Response

SHA worked with the University of Maryland’s CATT Lab to develop and test a real-time work zone performance monitoring tool, using vehicle probe and other data from their Coordinated Highway Action Response Team, or CHART system.

Their research objectives were to:

• Determine adequacy of third party probe data to support work zone performance measures
• Identify work zone performance measures and develop methodologies to assess them from available data
• Design a user interface dashboard that displays work zone performance measures
• Validate the work zone performance measures produced by the tool, both in terms of the accuracy of the performance measures and their adequacy to assess work zone performance