Planning and Organization AkD

 

Planning and Organization of Short Term Roadworks on Federal Highways

 

Problem Definition

Short-term road works on federal motorways are unavoidable to maintain the condition of the road network. In Germany about 100,000 short term road works are set up each year.

However, these roadworks always intervene in the flow of traffic. The type, extent and duration of these roadworks can and should be flexibly adapted to the respective traffic volume. In addition to maintaining the capacity or sufficient quality of the traffic flow, securing employment is very important. The traffic-controlling, restricting or prohibiting measures at workplaces which are required for this purpose primarily serve the safety of the road users and the workers in the construction site area.

Both goals - maintaining the quality of traffic and ensuring road safety - can be reconciled only to a limited extent, especially for short-term roadworks: First, the safety measures should be as simple as possible in order to minimize the work involved in setting up and dismantling stationary workplaces and to allow the entrainment for warning signs easily. On the other hand, the results of on-site accident observations indicate that the accident risk is higher, when the quality of the traffic flow is better.

Project Objective

Aim of the project is the development of nationwide guidelines for the efficient planning, organization and implementation of short-term works taking into account occupational safety while maintaining the quality of traffic.

The project results should help to minimize the negative effects of economic losses caused by congestion, traffic congestion and accidents in the future establishment of short term roadworks.

Implementation

For analysis purposes the relevant regulations and existing solutions are compiled in the individual federal states, so that based on the Guide to Job Center Management (ARS No. 04/2011) user-oriented implementation instructions and "best practice" methods can be developed. The evaluation also takes into account international experience and tried-and-tested approaches by private companies and coordinates them with the national solutions.

The subject of the investigations are primarily measures from the field of influence of road traffic which have an effect on duration, number, capacity or traffic flow.