Devil's in the details

Massachusetts says it's ready to join the other 49 states that allow civilian flaggers on road projects, saving money for its cash-strapped transportation authorities, particularly the Mass Highway Department. Draft regulations released today would require a police presence only on the fastest, most-traveled roads.

1.     High-Speed Roads – Allows for the use of civilian flaggers when the traffic flow has been separated from the construction zone using continuous, connected barriers. High-speed roads include both divided and undivided public roads with a legal speed limit greater than or equal to 45 mph.

2.      Low-Traffic, High-Speed Roads – For high-speed roads with a maximum volume of 4,000 vehicles per day, there is a presumption that civilian flaggers will be used unless CZSP recommends otherwise for public safety reasons.

3.      Low-Speed Roads – For low-speed roads including divided and undivided public roads with a legal speed limit less than 45 mph, there is a presumption that civilian flaggers will be used unless CZSP recommends otherwise for public safety reasons.

The regs seem to leave a lot of latitude in the CZSP - Construction Zone Safety Plans - to be developed by each transportation agency. So there's still room to water this down totally.