Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) can be utilized in highway work zones to help improve public safety and mobility. The resulting systems are commonly referred to as "Smart Work Zones" (SWZ) because they leverage the information derived from the ITS equipment to improve operations within and around the work zones.
Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) use of ITS in work zones is intended to improve safety for motorists as well as the work zone personnel. Other benefits include reducing traffic delay, providing effective construction-related information to the public, and providing performance metrics for future work zone design improvements.
TxDOT's Design Guidelines for Deployment of Work Zone Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) provides the basic guidelines for the consistent and uniform application of SWZ in Texas. It is not intended to supersede the requirements TxDOT and the Federal Highway Adminstration (FWHA) have in place for designing work zones, such as the Texas Manual on Uniform Control Devices (TMUTCD), TxDOT standards, and any other recognized practices commonly used for road and bridge design projects.
A Go/No-Go Decision Tool is available to help determine if a specific SWZ System is needed at a particular location.