EVALUATION OF STEADY BURN LIGHTS FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL IN HIGHWAY WORK ZONES, PHASE II. FINAL REPORT

This study has examined the effectiveness of Type C steady burn lights on drums with Type G high intensity reflective sheeting in typical Ohio work zones on divided and undivided highways including curved, lighted, unlighted and tapered sections, ramps and median crossovers. The work zones had advance warning signs and flashing arrow panel in the beginning of taper as required by ODOT specifications. The study examined the behavior of driver subjects who drove an instrumented car in several work zones during daytime, nighttime with steady burn lights on drums, and nighttime when the lights were absent, but not necessarily in that order. The measures of effectiveness included speed, lateral placement, acceleration noise, weaving, traffic conflict, lane change behavior, and driver preference. The results showed that steady burn lights on drums with high intensity reflective sheeting have little or no effect on driver behavior in highway work zones. It is recommended that the use of steady burn lights on drums with high intensity reflective sheeting be discontinued in the future.