BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS OF PORTABLE CONCRETE BARRIER RIER USE IN WORK ZONES TO PROTECT AGAINST INTRUSION CRASHES

摘要

The objective of this study was to evaluate the benefits and costs associated with the useof portable concrete barrier in work zones to protect workers and equipment against intrusioncrashes. This study used an encroachment-based tool; the Roadside Safety Analysis Program(RSAP) to perform the analysis. Researchers customized certain aspects of RSAP to make itmore suitable for a work zone analysis. This included current PCB costs, comprehensive crashcosts, and adjustment to encroachment rate to represent a work zone situation. Unlike previousefforts that modeled individual workers and equipment as spot hazards, researchers chose torepresent the entire work area as a single hazard for this study. The analysis found that for highspeed multilane freeway facilities where work is occurring immediately adjacent to travel lanes,intrusion crash costs savings alone can justify PCB protection once the roadway ADTapproaches 40,000 vpd over a year-long work zone, so long as there are constant hazards in thework space being protected by barrier.