Effectiveness of Temporary Rumble Strips in Work Zones

Brown, Henry; Edara, Praveen; Sun, Carlos; Kim, Sungyop; Bracy, Jill Bernard; Zeng, Qingzhong; Baek, Ho Jun; Ndungu, Gladwell · 2022 · ROSA P / Missouri. Department of Transportation. Construction and Materials Division

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Summary

This study, conducted by the University of Missouri-Columbia for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), evaluates the effectiveness of temporary rumble strips in work zones. The research addresses the critical need for managing vehicle speeds and alerting drivers to approaching work zones to enhance safety. The study specifically investigates both short-term temporary rumble strips, which are held in place by weight and removed during inactive periods, and long-term temporary rumble strips, which are adhered to the pavement and remain in place. The motivation stems from the need to determine if these devices effectively reduce speeds and crashes, and to assess their economic viability and implementation practices across different state Departments of Transportation (DOTs). The methodology comprised a comprehensive literature review, a synthesis of practices from 18 DOTs (including interviews with eight), field observations of installations and driver behavior at five MoDOT work zones, and statistical analysis of speed and count data from 18 work zones. Researchers observed driver reactions post-installation, noting braking and swerving behaviors. They also collected speed data to analyze compliance rates before and after the installation of rumble strips. An economic analysis was performed to calculate benefit-cost ratios by comparing implementation costs against estimated crash-related cost savings. The findings indicate that temporary rumble strips are effective tools for lowering vehicle speeds and reducing crashes. Statistical analysis revealed that speed violations decreased by 21.2% for short-term strips and 18.2% for long-term strips. Specifically, long-term strips reduced speed violations by 68.0% when comparing data before and after entering the rumble strip segment. Field observations showed that 52.4% of drivers braked for short-term strips in nighttime flagger situations, while braking rates for long-term strips ranged from 0.7% to 6.7%. Erratic driver behavior was rare, with only one instance of a motorcycle maneuvering around strips observed. The economic analysis demonstrated high benefit-cost ratios, ranging from 4.3 to 26.3, indicating that the safety benefits significantly outweigh the costs of purchase, installation, and removal. The study concludes that temporary rumble strips are a cost-effective investment for work zone safety. However, it highlights inconsistencies in field installations, where spacing and strip counts often deviated from MoDOT standards. The authors recommend modifications to MoDOT practices, including specifying single sets of strips instead of two, adding "Rumble Strips Ahead" signage, and improving installation procedures to enhance worker safety, such as using traffic management arrays for short-term strip installation on divided highways. These adjustments aim to increase compliance with standards, reduce costs, and improve the overall performance and safety of temporary rumble strip deployments.

Key finding

Temporary rumble strips effectively lower vehicle speeds and reduce work zone crashes, resulting in benefit-cost ratios between 4.3 and 26.3.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 18

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• perceptual countermeasures
• work zones
• emergency work zone conspicuity