Queue Warning System with Four Portable Changeable Message Signs and Nine Roadway Sensors Cost $102,045.

In 2014, the Federal Highway Administration published the Work Zone Intelligent Transportation System (WZITS) Implementation Guide to provide information on implementing ITS in work zones. This 2021 Technology Supplement was intended to be used in conjunction, providing a detailed factsheet and sample specifications for nine primary WZITS technologies:1) Dynamic Lane Merge, 2) Queue Warning, 3) Variable Speed Limit, 4) Automated Enforcement, 5) Entering/Exiting Construction Vehicle Notification, 6) Temporary Ramp Metering, 7) Real-Time Traveler Information, 8) Incident Management System, and 9) Performance Measurement. This summary provides an overview of the costs related to implementing queue warning systems. Queue warning systems inform travelers of the presence of downstream slow-downs and stop-and-go traffic based on real-time traffic detection or manual control by an operator at a traffic management center. They require traffic detection, software to identify queues, and communications to a roadway sign to display the warning.

Queue warning system costs can vary depending on the number of sensors deployed, the level of automation involved, and if an agency buys or leases the equipment. Example costs include the following (all values are based on 2020 dollars):

• Based on Utah DOT, the equipment rental cost for a queue warning system was $210 per day per site.
• In Arkansas, the contract cost to deploy QWSs at two sites, including traffic sensors to measure vehicle speeds and the delivery of real-time traffic information to travelers via PCMSs, ranged from $482,000 to $733,500.

Table 1 below lists example unit and total system costs. 

Table 1: Queue Warning System Costs