Bridging the Gap Between Temporary and Internal Traffic Control: Empirical Assessment of Work Zone Safety Practices

Work zones are essential for infrastructure maintenance, yet remain among the most hazardous environments for both workers and motorists. Despite widespread use of Temporary Traffic Control (TTC), incident rates remain elevated, suggesting limitations in current practices and insufficient integration of Internal Temporary Traffic Control (ITTC). This study employs a mixed-methods survey design to evaluate practitioner perceptions of TTC and ITTC effectiveness, identify perceived incident contributing factors, examine implementation challenges, and assess mitigation measures. Data were collected from 60 experienced transportation professionals using structured Likert-scale questions and open-ended responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA to compare perceived incident contributors and mitigation effectiveness, while qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis with affinity-based clustering of practitioner responses. Results indicate that distracted driving (M = 9.2) and speeding (M = 8.3) were perceived as the dominant contributors to work-zone crashes, significantly exceeding improper TTC and ITTC implementation. Among mitigation measures, visible police presence was rated most effective (M = 8.0, p < 0.001), outperforming automated ticketing and static pre-construction planning. Qualitative thematic analysis identified seven improvement domains: work-zone design and management, enforcement and speed control, driver education, worker training and certification, policy development, technology solutions, and inter-agency coordination. The findings demonstrate that sustainable work-zone safety requires an integrated socio-technical approach combining behavioral enforcement, adaptive TTC and ITTC management, structured inspection practices, and organizational accountability. The study provides practitioner-informed guidance for agencies and contractors to institutionalize ITTC within specifications, prioritize high-impact enforcement strategies, and adopt safety management frameworks shaped by field-tested professional expertise to address recurrent safety challenges in active construction environments.