Traffic Flow Characteristics in Work Zone and Non-Work Zone Environment and Its Impact on Road Crashes at the Segment Level

Abstract

This study investigates relationships between congestion and travel time performance metrics and crashes on road segments. The study focuses on work zone routes in Iowa, utilizing 2021 commercially-available probe vehicle data and crash data. Travel time performance metrics were derived from the probe vehicle data, and crash counts were obtained from the crash data. Additional variables included road characteristics (traffic volume, road type, segment length) and a categorical variable for the presence of a work zone. A mixed effect linear regression model was employed to identify relationships between road segment crash counts and the selected performance metrics. This was accomplished for two sets of models that include congestion performance measures at different defining threshold values, along with travel time performance measures. The study results indicate that the congestion indicators, certain travel time performance measures, and traffic counts were statistically significant and positively correlated with crash counts. Indicator variables for rural interstate locations and non-active work zones have a stronger influence on crash count than those for municipal interstate locations and active work zones. These findings can inform decision-makers on work zone safety strategies and crash mitigation planning, especially in high traffic volume areas prone to congestion and queues.