Lessons Learned from the Real-World Deployment of Multi-Sensor Fusion for Proactive Work Zone Safety Application

Abstract: Proactive safety systems that anticipate and mitigate traffic risks before incidents occur are increasingly recognized as essential for improving work zone safety. Unlike traditional reactive methods, these systems rely on real-time sensing, trajectory prediction, and intelligent infrastructure to detect potential hazards. Existing simulation-based studies often overlook, and real-world deployment studies rarely discuss the practical challenges associated with deploying such systems in operational settings, particularly those involving roadside infrastructure and multi-sensor integration and fusion. This study addresses that gap by presenting deployment insights and technical lessons learned from a real-world implementation of a multi-sensor safety system at an active bridge repair work zone along the N-2/US-75 corridor in Lincoln, Nebraska. The deployed system combines LiDAR, radar, and camera sensors with an edge computing platform to support multi-modal object tracking, trajectory fusion, and real-time analytics. Specifically, this study presents key lessons learned across three critical stages of deployment: (1) sensor selection and placement, (2) sensor calibration, system integration, and validation, and (3) sensor fusion. Additionally, we propose a predictive digital twin framework that leverages fused trajectory data for early conflict detection and real-time warning generation, enabling proactive safety interventions.