The effort to make highway work zones safer worldwide has led to a Global Road Achievement Award for the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, housed and operated by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). The International Road Federation award was presented in Washington, D.C., January, 12.
“This global award is a great honor for TTI and all of the other groups involved in this endeavor,” says Jerry Ullman, manager of TTI’s Work Zone program. “We have all come together to make a real difference in making work zones safer.” (An estimated 1,000 people are killed and 45,000 are injured in U.S. roadway work zones each year.)
The National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse is the largest online resource for roadway construction safety. The clearinghouse is a joint effort of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, the Federal Highway Administration and TTI.
Visitors to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse website “can find a wealth of information about crash data, laws and regulations, safety standards, research publications, training courses, and safety products…just about anything related to work zone safety,” says Research Librarian Hong Yu, who maintains the website. “If they cannot find what they are looking for on our website, they can always contact us for help.”
Since the site went online in 1998, the clearinghouse has assisted half a million users from every state and 27 countries with a variety of topics related to safety issues in work zones.