Project Benefits

• Addresses FHWA work zone mobility and safety requirements
• Easy to deploy
• Crash worthy
• Blends into work zones creating less distraction for drivers.

Project Team

• Mn/DOT
• Hennepin County Public Works
• Minnesota State Patrol
• SRF Consulting Group, Inc.
• StreetSmart Rental, Inc.

Project Documents

• iCone® Final Report (PDF 2.9 MB 22pp)
• iCone® Concept of Operations (PDF 68 KB 7pp)
• iCone® Final Requirements (PDF 30 KB 3pp)
• ITS Strategic Assessment Results (PDF)

Monitoring Traffic in Work Zones: The iCone® System

Project Description

This project deployed and tested an innovative traffic monitoring device designed for deployment in work zones. The iCone® System is a commercially available product that provides accurate and near real-time information on vehicle speed and the level of congestion in construction sites to affiliated agencies, the media and the public at large. Each unit automatically monitors and wirelessly reports its location along with the average speed and volume of traffic in the immediate area.

Six iCones® were deployed on a variety of Hennepin County and Mn/DOT work zones over the 2009 and 2010 construction seasons. The units were evaluated for both performance accuracy and effectiveness as a tool for transportation agencies to improve work zone safety and mobility. The data collected from each iCone® was analyzed and shared with construction personnel, law enforcement, Hennepin County, and Mn/DOT. The traffic data information allowed these agencies to make improvements to the work zone traffic plan. Law enforcement used the iCone® data to identify times when speeding tends to occur in the work zone in order to target enforcement times.