Work Zone Accommodations

Any person desiring to make a public improvement, do work in, or use the City right-of-way for the purpose of private development construction must first obtain a street occupancy permit meeting the requirements of the City Traffic Engineering Division. Any street occupancy permit that authorizes the blockage of a sidewalk, cycle lane, or other public use path shall require the permittee to provide safe accommodations for pedestrians and cyclists as prescribed herein. 

In this rule, the words “Shall" and “Should" are used to describe specific conditions. To clarify the use of these terms, the following definitions apply: 

• Shall - A mandatory condition or action.
• Should - The standard under normal conditions.
• May – A permissive condition where no requirement for design, application, or standards is intended.

The blockage of a sidewalk, cycle lane, or other public use path shall be regarded with the same importance as the closure of a lane of motor vehicle traffic by applying temporary traffic control practices. 

The term “safe accommodation" means a safe and convenient route for pedestrians and cyclists through, past or around a work zone that provides sufficient capacity. This accommodation must take into consideration temporary and/or permanent pedestrian or cycle facilities. When pedestrian and cyclist facilities are impacted due to maintenance or construction, pedestrian and cyclist accommodations must be provided to the maximum extent feasible. These accommodations should be ADA compliant and must have accessibility features up to the level of the disturbed route. Signage and devices, as necessary, must be provided and placed to direct pedestrians and cyclists safely through the work zone. The contractor shall ensure that any required signing is placed to be visible to approaching traffic.

Prior to the issuance of a street occupancy permit impacting a pedestrian or bicycle facility a clear traffic control plan illustrating a temporary Pedestrian Route and/or a Temporary Cycle Lane shall be submitted to the City Traffic Engineer or representative and will provide a schedule for restoring pedestrian and cycle facilities. 

Safe accommodation requirements for pedestrians:

• Closure of a sidewalk shall be a last resort in the absence of other practicable routing or accommodation options needed to assure pedestrian safety. 
• A temporary route shall be clearly marked and include advance notification of sidewalk closures, detours, or diversions. 
• If the work zone affects an accessible and ADA compliant pedestrian route, the accessibility and ADA compliant features along a temporary route shall be provided in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA Standards) and Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). Pedestrians shall be provided protection from adjacent construction activities, e.g. covering the pedestrian walkway when an overhead danger is present (per MGO 29.10); 
• Pedestrians shall be separated from motor vehicular traffic and may be separate from bicycles; 
• Both sidewalks on a blockface shall not be closed simultaneously. 
• A pedestrian route designated as an established detour route should not be closed. 
• A pedestrian route shall be free of obstructions and surface hazards. 
• The method for providing safe accommodations for pedestrians should be prioritized as follows: 
  • Protect the existing pedestrian route from the worksite.
  • Provide a temporary pedestrian route in a parking lane and protect it from adjacent traffic--either through fencing or GM barriers. 
  • Provide a multi-use path in an existing bike lane. 
  • Provide a pedestrian route in an existing bike lane, protect it from traffic, and merge cycles with traffic. 
  • Provide a pedestrian route in an existing traffic lane, any lane closures will need to be implemented consistent with the most recent edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and City of Madison Standards. 
  • Provide a pedestrian detour route.

 A temporary pedestrian route should be given priority over other facilities. A temporary pedestrian route should be given priority over vehicular traffic except when resulting in excessive delay to transit, excessive congestion, or a pedestrian route that is less safe. 

Safe accommodation requirements for cyclists:

• Closure of a cycle lane shall be a last resort in the absence of other practicable routing or accommodation options needed to assure cyclist safety. 
• A temporary route shall be clearly marked and include advance notification of cycle lane closures, detours, or diversions. 
• A cycle route designated as an established detour should not be closed. 
• Cyclists should be separated from motor vehicle traffic and pedestrians. 
• A cycle route shall be free of obstructions and surface hazards. 
• The method for providing safe accommodations for cyclists should be prioritized as follows:
  • Provide a cycle lane on the same roadway past the work zone by shifting and narrowing the adjacent traffic or parking lanes.
  • Provide a cycle lane in an existing traffic lane.
  • Merging cyclists and adjacent traffic into a shared travel lane. 
  • Provide a cycle detour route. 

Additional Requirements: 

Each applicant submitting a street occupancy permit application which will result in the blockage of a sidewalk, cycle lane, or other public use path, shall submit for approval by the City Traffic Engineer, a temporary traffic control plan that addresses safe accommodation for pedestrians and cyclists that meet the goals of this policy before the issuance of a permit. Additional information may be required (for example a Transportation Management Plan). 

For proposed sidewalk or bike lane closures on Arterial or Collector classified streets, the applicant shall notify the Alderperson a minimum of five working days prior to the proposed closure. Closures shall not occur until there is a demonstrated need to do so.

Signage Requirements: 

The design and placement of the temporary traffic control signs, devices and roadway markings shall comply with the most recent edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and City of Madison standards.

The temporary traffic control plan shall include work zone signage, devices and roadway markings that adequately warn right-of-way users of upcoming changes and mark the alternate route as per the City approved Temporary Traffic Control Plan. 

Intermittent Closures: 

If a pedestrian or cycle route must be closed intermittently due to conflicts with construction activities or construction vehicles, the temporary traffic control plan may require:

1. Flaggers or spotters to be posted at each end of the closed pedestrian or cycle route for the entire duration of time the intermittent closure is in place; and 
2. The safe and reasonable flow of pedestrian and cycle traffic will be maintained in preference to construction activities and the flow of construction vehicles. 

If an existing pedestrian route is impacted by a short-term or a short-duration work zone that is attended with project personnel, establishing an alternate pedestrian and/or cycle route may not be necessary if the work can be stopped and pedestrians and/or cyclists can navigate the work zone safely. This shall be determined by the City Traffic Engineer. When a temporary pedestrian/cycle route extends through an active work zone, it shall be the contractor's responsibility to maintain safe pedestrian/cyclist passage at all times. Pedestrians/cyclists/motorists may be delayed for a short period of time for project personnel to move equipment and materials to facilitate passage. Project personnel may also assist pedestrians with disabilities. ADA compliant devices placed on the sidewalk and additional warning signage may be used to alert pedestrians of the beginning of a work zone.

Contractors or City personnel performing work constructing or maintaining city infrastructure shall provide safe accommodation per this policy. 

Enforcement: 

The City Traffic Engineer may revoke a street occupancy permit authorizing the blockage of a sidewalk, cycle lane, or other pedestrian or and cycling cycle path and assess civil penalties as defined in Madison General Ordinances for any of the following reasons:

1. The permittee fails to comply with the required conditions.
2. The permittee does not comply with the traffic control plan approved by the City Traffic Engineer. 
3. The permittee does not provide adequate protection for public safety and welfare.