TxDOT Debuts Warning System to Increase Work-Zone Safety

The ‘end-of-queue warning system’ uses sensors to measure the speeds of approaching vehicles and then warns drivers through portable, electronic signs about upcoming traffic backups due to nighttime lane closures in work zones, TxDOT said.

Rumble strips are spaced between sensors to send mild vibrations through oncoming vehicles to get the attention of distracted or drowsy drivers.

TxDOT said this is the first time in-state the combination of rumble strips, sensors and electronic signs has been used.

The system has been deployed to construction zones in the central Texas Interstate 35 corridor, where 55,000 to 115,000 vehicles travel daily, 25% to 35% of which are trucks, according to TxDOT.