TRAFFIC CONTROL
What is Traffic Control?
Traffic Control refers to the temporary affect a work-zone has on existing traffic flow. Typically, it is outlined in a set of formal plans or engineering documents summitted for approval by reviewing entities. In these plans, sometimes called “TCPs”, operational teams intend to accommodate the work area while maintaining safe and efficient flow of traffic. As much as possible at least. All types of traffic come into consideration including vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. A good plan also makes sure to maintain available disability accommodations like ramps and special crossings.
The “controlling” aspect is executed through equipment such as channelization devices (aka cones, barrels, road flares, etc.), barricades, advance warning signs, and flagging operations. When these aspects come together successfully, all forms of traffic will have clear advance warning of the work happening ahead as well as any changes to expect. They will have an intuitive and obvious path around any work being done, and above all else there will be safety provisions in place at all times in the event of the unexpected.
Needless to say, traffic control is a critical part of several civil engineering disciplines. It dictates how construction operations within or around public Right of Way are to be executed safely.
Due to this fact it’s also of utmost urgency to review entities and municipalities. Almost every power, water, drainage, sewer, gas or telecommunications utility across the U.S. needs a traffic control plan. Cities want to know corners aren’t being cut, and that plans are being drafted by knowledgeable professionals who understand how to build the project safely. Fair Engineering eliminates those concerns and drafts sensible, safe and clear plans that are easy to digest with a high standard of quality.
HOW FAIR DOES TRAFFIC CONTROL
Traffic control services have been a core part of our organization since it’s foundation. We have tackled the most difficult areas in the country and have absorbed many lessons from them. We don’t back down from any challenge.
Our desktop expertise is extensive and we are capable in all forms of traffic control plan production. Our usual plans are typically custom site specific TCPs that show the actual area the work will be preformed. We prioritize clarity, safety and efficiency when producing our plans and have experienced success and smoothness in review timeframes.
We currently only offer desktop plan production services but can expand to field related services (a.k.a. mobilizing and executing the traffic control itself) at the request of our clients and pending a ramp up period to gain materials and resources.
We have the ability to produce our plans from a host of different data types and are very flexible on what we require to get started. Our plans are produced in CAD and have the full advantage of CAD functionality at hand. They are fully customizable to meet the needs of our clients.
PLAN TYPES:
SITE SPECIFIC - AVERAGE DENSITY
Typically used for residential areas around major cities or municipalities without dense business districts and downtown areas. They also include rural areas of below average traffic density
They depict the actual work area and existing roadway setup/traffic flow to scale. For ease of review, clarity, and deliverable size, we use variables in our plans and some aspects are drafted Not-To-Scale. We indicate these situations clearly so entities are made aware.
SITE SPECIFIC - HIGH DENSITY
Used for downtown areas and large central business districts with high density and traffic volume.
They contain all of the same elements as the standard or average plans, but have additional availability for special requests which are to be expected in municipalities containing downtown areas. Slightly different page scale/elevation of the plans might be changed to accommodate the added density and complication.
Use for municipalities that don’t require specific representation of the work-zone and surrounding existing traffic flow. These plans are offered at a reduced price.
These plans quite literally take a page out of the MUTCD handbook. We reformat the federal standards document and place only the relevant pages to the work being done.
MUTCD TYPICALS
This is exclusively for work being done within, over/under, or around limited access highways. Traffic control for these is normally quite extensive due to speed and traffic volume. Approvals can take time and are under heavy scrutiny.
We have standard plan formats for executing, highway lane closures, rolling vehicle barricades, and complete shut downs if/when necessary. They are clear, easy to read, and have all calculations engineers want to see to put their mind at ease. These plans are simplified as much as possible but communicate a large amount of information.
LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY
These are used for highways that aren’t limited access. Farm-to-Market and State Routes are common forms of these.
They are a bit special because the come with their own grey area. Roads have the traffic volume of a highway but also have massive intersections and lateral streets. Coordination between two entities’ standards are common for these roads and they most resemble our high density plans. Typically the local entity surrounding the state ROW makes special requests and accommodations for approval so we make extra room on our plans.
STATE/FEDERAL ROW - NON LIMITED ACCESS