HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-28-1974 Dinner Meeting (2)Commission agreed to have dinner meeting with realtors and
Developers on Thursday, Maroh 28, 1974 from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00
P.M. at the Firemen's Hal1.Mr. Boa and Mr. Field to be in oharge
of Publiolty and Invitations, Mr, John Parker and Mr. Ceoll Pitman
In oharge of Program and Mr, Kirk, Mr. Billie, Dr. Frederiok and
Mr. Gibson to be in oharge of the dinner.
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Maroh s, 1974
Alabama Beal $eiate Qonuiselan
Montgomery; Alabama
Gentlemen t '
This is toyadvise that 80$ North Seotion Street in the
City Limits of Fairhope, Alabama is Zoned B-2g Business.
Very truly yours,
CITY OF FAIHSOPS
City Clerk
Population Projections
Almost all major planning decisions have as their base an
analysis and projection of population. Such techniques are em-
ployed as measures of the size and density of the various groups.
within the regional or municipal population. They determine the
level of demand for facilities and serve as an indices to assist
in the resolution of most regional and'community problems.
Generally, no other local agency provides projection data in a
way that is useful for these purposes; accordingly, the respon-
sibility falls to the local planning commission. The substantial
importance of population projections to all aspects of planning
reflects the need to develop projections which are sufficiently
detailed to serve as a basis for the design of local community
facilities and services.
Any method employed to project population will result in a
projection that must be used with caution. The projections in
this report are based extrapolation of current trends. They do
not reflect probable deviations from traditional growth patterns.
Unfortunately, the findings of any study which probes the future
more than five or ten years ahead are subject to numerous uncer-
tainties. Therefore, the projections in the following can be
considered to represent areas of opportunity rather than precise
levels of achievement. Performance outside the projected para-
meters cannot be discounted. Thus, periodic review is necessary
to compare projections with actual results.
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tq { 264 A�1SHO—GEOMETRIC HIGHWAY DESIGN —URBAN AT -GRADE EXPRESSWAYS Z6S Ili +I
. • t � ' it
t • ; : + half or a full block are needed. Where a half -block width is to be taken
will be preferable, both for the avoidance of remnants of land and from
9 i h, standpoint of cost, to take the whole depth of a row of lots one
✓ap�og % ; _ s' a of an existing street rather than half portions of the lots opposite
x _ " �- iro tapes. The method of utilizing a half block for the dev pment of a
high y is demonstrated diagrammatically in figure F-6. n each of the
three p is the upper diagram shows the cross section oft a block involved I ;
1
41=1121�' ;i W ' before co truction and the lower after construction.
w'a' o ' ; W Q . An expres way with two frontage roads is show in figure F-6a. The
W.
i_ z existing street n the right is retained (altered if ecessary) and a new
w tl Cr ;— �� N fronta a road I troduced adjacent to the rem ning property. Figure ?''+ I;
(. W w F•6b shows the c e in wide blocks where the th of a tier of lots on
' 3 ` I „'o •* h; w ►- ' one side of a stree 's greater than required or the section. The usable , I
! 'v . h h g q I
°� �.• w width of the balance left in private owner6hip for redevelopment. Such
I- remnants, when situate near business districts, can be used to advantage I'� j
for development of park g facilities. Figure F 5c shows an expressway
I. h with one frontage road in a narrow block whers one row of lots is not
wide enough for a highway ith two frontage roads and the acquisition of
NN.:,
_ �� Q M a full block is not feasible. his necessitates the purchase of all access � ��•;-
f 3 o rights and the use of cul-de•sa or dead -ends on one side of the arterial
on those streets not carried acro s the facility. The single frontage street
+n
does not necessarily imply that i must be operated two-way. It can be iit
! n!
n 3 �'' operated to form a one-way pair wi the other existing street. I ;
•N W d ,s , I�l�. i5
w U_ a, Figure F-7a is a cross 5Section of a expressway on a block -wide strip
' , • ' �; i a i� where the blocks are narrow or where ture grade separations and ramps
are envisioned. The two flanking street are retained as frontage roads : ji;i ((•
Fand the area within utilized for the thro h facility. Figure F-7b shows
(' h a an expresswayon relatively narrow right- wa constructed in the middle fl' •tr.
o,: o Y g Y'
of a wide block, retaining the development obi the land for development on
f _ both sides of existing or platted parallel stree\ar
The outer roads are local
a " o streets rather than frontage roads. Such an ,ngement is applicable in
W e0 residential areas where unusually deep lots are available or in districts �.
WSW H
�.,� _ yet undeveloped, as discussed under Expresswaysithout Adjacent Front.
1
i o h_ {. Q age Roads. ;Where an alley is eliminated the se ice provided thereon
z must be provided on adjacent streets.
' A INTERSECTIONS � F;
I ' ' y6no�y1
t i 3 Design Considerations !
I ' .. uorlaodar
,d�„oOn at -grade expressways the spacing, layout., and tra ,ee
trol de i•,;:,-
vices of at -grade intersections determine to a considerablree the ;
efficiency and safety for the whole of the arterial highwaminor
(,, t cross streets should be terminated. The location and design arterialhighway involve a thorough analysis of the street systemhe pat-
; I•;1).t
tern and density of traffic thereon in order to determine the a ect of
-- terminating some streets and concentrating cross, turning, and ecess :•I.',
.w oa
traffic on other streets. The desirable distance between streets hick
continue across and have access to or from an arterial facility v ies.
�; In business districts it may be necessary to keep nearly every cI ss
298 AASHO—GEOMETRIC HIGHWAY RESIGN
00 ssings at grade with the one-way pavements are g atly simplified
in de ' n and o\ea
eration. Accident potential is gener y reduced and
capacitntersections is increased. Moreover, opera 'on on widely sep-
arated ays provides the maximum in driver comf t. Strain is lessened
by largloafing the view and influence of oppo ng traffic. Substantial
reducti'mination of headlight glare at nigh especially helpful in
easing t sion and in minimizing hazards /resulting therefrom.
Ifhs o appreciable length have roa ways separated so widely
that eadwa cannot be seen from the �r her, drivers may develop a
sense og on a wo-way instead of a o -way roadway and hesitate to
pass slving ve 'cles. This is not h ardous but decreases somewhat
the utithe divid highway. This n be alleviated by an occasional
open vtween the o roadways.
Chapter V1 '
CONTROLLED ACCESS HIGHWAYS
(Full and Partial)
INTRODUCTION
Control of access is the condition where the right of abutting owners to
access in connection with a highway is fully or partially controlled by public'
authority. Full control of access means that the authority is exercised to
give preference to through traffic by providing access connections with
selected public roads only and by prohibiting crossingg at grade or direct
private driveway connections. Partial control of access means that the
authority to control access is exercised to give preference to through traffic
to a degree that, in addition to access connections with selected public
roads, there may be some crossings at grade and some private driveway
connections. General discussion herein applies to both full and partial
control of access.
It is not feasible in this policy to discuss the many operational and eco-
nomic advantages resulting from control of access nor to show the legal
and administrative measures necessary to obtain it. There is an abundance
of published material on these subjects; see list of references at end of
chapter. The principal advantages of control of access are the preservation
of the as -built capacity of the highway and the improved safety to all
highway users.
Being a condition rather than a design feature, control of access is dis-
cussed herein to indicate the design considerations necessary to effect that
li condition, and to describe the design features that distinguish the fully
controlled access highway from that with partial or no access control. Con-
trolled access highways nearly always are high type highways with modern,
r flowing alinement and profile and reasonably ample cross section elements.
S — Fully controlled access highways, either 2-lane or divided highways, ad-
ditionally have grade separation of all crossroads, railroads, etc. and care-
fully designed access connections located only at selected points, usually
public crossroads. Between these connections, all other entry is barred,
either by legal or acquired controls along the right-of-way lines or by
t frontage roads.
A highway with partial control of access has the same characteristics but
includes some intersections at grade of crossroads or carefully selected and
predetermined land service connections, It has control; of access along all
or most of its length but lacks the, complete grade sep:cation treatment.
The principal operational or functional difference between a highway
with and one without control of access is in the degree; of interference with
through traffic by other vehicles entering, leaving, and crossing the high-
way, and by pedestrians. Where there is control of access, entrances and
exits are located at points best suited to fit traffic needs and designed to
enable; vehicles to enter and leave safely without interfering with through
traffic. Vehicles are prevented from entering or leaving elsewhere so that,
regardless of the 'type and intensity of development of; the roadside areas,
299
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300 AASHO—GEOMETRIC HIGHWAY DESIGN
the capacity of the highway is maintained at a high level and the accident
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hazard is kept low.
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Where there is no control of access and roadside businesses develop
along the highway, as in suburban areas, interference from the roadside can
become a factor of major importance, reducing the capacity of the highway
and increasing the accident hazard. As traffic increases, roadside businesses
become more profitable and grow in number, thereby further increasing
interference and hazard and lowering capacity. Congestion develops and
attempts to correct the highway deficiency by widening it are frustrated
by the high value of the roadsides, by the very businesses which contributed
I y
to the unfavorable situation. Highway obsolescence creeps in and authorities
ultimately are forced to relocate the highway on new right-of-way. This is
a i
a costly and unnecessary drain on public resources.
Allied to control of access is driveway and roadside control as discussed
under Other Elements Affecting Geometric Design in chapter III. Opera-
tion on the highway is little affected if entrances are few and far apart,
but where they are numerous, particularly those serving commercial es-
tablishments, they adversely affect capacity and safety and allowance should
s j i
be made in design for these effects.
.k ,q
Access control is generally accomplished either by legally obtaining
f
rights of access from the abutting property, usually at the time of purchase
of right-of-way, or by the use of frontage roads. Where a freeway is
developed on new location the cost of access rights is nil since the adjoin-
ing property owner has no inherent right of direct access to a highway
-. , .
that does not exist. This case is separate and distinct from damages result-
ing from, say, severance due to construction of the highway. Some State
laws may be at variance with the concept of no inherent right of direct
access to a highway developed on new location.
tI ACCESS CONTROL WITHOUT FRONTAGE ROADS
4.11 *14 9 Rural highways with control of access are not materially different in
1 design from those without control of access when they are remote from
cities and not within their influence. Distances between public highway
crossings on such highways are great, entrances from adjoining privately-
; i:1 owned land are few, and there is no appreciable development of private
businesses along them. The population density of land is low and since
distances between homes and places of business are long, travel is in
`vehicles and there are few pedestrians. Control of access in such instances
might be obtained, to a degree, by means of agreements with adjoining
land owners to a limit of only one or two entrances to or crossings of the
jlf 1 highway for each farm, and agreements to refrain from developing the
land at these entrances for roadside businesses. Design of the cross section
j and of other elements in such case is much the same on highways with
and without control of access. Controlling access in this manner may
not always be feasible or fully effective, in which case other, more positive,
�I means of control become necessary. Furthermore, expanding metropolitan
areas are continually absorbing miles of highways that were in rural areas
• ;, + at the time of construction, and this trend may be expected to continue.
Highways located within the influence of urban areas are subject to the
+ ' undesirable and deteriorating effects of uncontrolled access, particularly
CONTROLLED ACCESS HIGHWAYS ? 301
where there is little or no land use control on the industrial, commercial
and residential developments on adjacent land areas. Highways in suburban
areas are particularly vulnerable. Land is subject to intensive development,
as demonstrated by the fact that the suburban -urban type of traffic has
had the most rapid and sustained increase of all traffic, categories. This
encourages two kinds of roadside businesses: those catering to highway
traffic and those serving the adjacent land developments. For example,
suburban housing requires commercial establishments to serve it. While
there has been an encouraging trend toward integration of housing and
local commercial service, the customary procedure is to locate the com-
mercial establishments along the highway, particularly; at intersections
where roadside interference is most troublesome. The inevitable result is
that the highway must serve through traffic, short -haul traffic, local business
traffic, mass transit, and pedestrians; consequently it serves no pne type
of traffic well. Obsolescence creeps in, capacity drops, l and accidents in-
crease in number.
Partial control of access, properly exercised by public! authority, limits
the number of private driveway connections and crossings at grade to a
minimum in order to give preference to through traffic. ''With full control
of access there are no private driveway connections. A high degree of
partial access control or full control of access generally is feasible without
frontage roads when the highway is located on new right-of-way. In '
this case the owners and occupants of adjoining land previously had ac-
cess to other public highways, and such access is no} affected by the
new highway. Where a land plot remainder is cut off from access which
it previously had to a public highway, one or more entrances to the high-
way may have to be permitted, or other means of access provided such
as a new private road, or a new section of public road,;'or a section of a
frontage road.
The design of a controlled access highway without frontage roads is
not appreciably different from the design of a noncontrolled access -high-
way except that fewer lanes may be required because the controlled access
highway usually has a higher capacity per lane and hence the required
width of roadway may not be as great. In some cases! the high capacity
of a 2-lane controlled access highway may be greater than the design volume,
whereas the low capacity of a noncontrolled access highway may call for
a highway with more than 2 lanes to accommodate the design hourly
volume. In the case of multilane highways, the high capacity per lane of
a controlled access highway may be sufficient to accommodate the expected
traffic volume on a 4-lane section, whereas more lanes i may be required
on a noncontrolled access highway because of less capaei'ty per lane.
Precise figures are not available and the designer will have to use judg-
ment in evaluating the capacity of a highway with partial' control of access
or of one with driveway and roadside control. In using tables 11-8, -9,
and -10, which show design capacity of 2-lane rural highways for unin-
terrupted flow, the designer will have to reduce the hour',y volumes shown
to allow for roadside interference, the amount of reduction depending on
the number of private entrances and the probable frequency of use. An
entrance to a gas station or other quick service business is likely to be used
frequently whereas, entrances to one -family home garages are likely to be
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302 AASHO—GEOMETRIC HIGHWAY DESIGN
used sparingly. The amount of interference is dependent also on the design
of highway and entrances, a wide shoulder, liberal turning area, and good
sight distance having less interference than a design with a narrow shoulder
and poor sight distance, with entrances requiring vehicles to swing wide.
Highways with low volumes are little affected by a lack of control of
access since entering vehicles will find numerous breaks in traffic and leav-
ing vehicles can slow down with little likelihood of delaying or interfering
with other vehicles. This does not lessen the advisability of analyzing the
effects of roadside entrances on capacity and, after determining capacity,
comparing it with design volume.
ACCESS CONTROL WITH FRONTAGE ROADS
Where control of access is accomplished by frontage roads, the highway
consists of a roadway or roadways for through traffic, and frontage roads
for local traffic and for access to adjacent land. Frontage roads generally
are parallel to the roadways for through traffic and separated from them
by the outer separations. Through traffic may be accommodated on a single
two-way roadway or on two one-way roadways separated by a median.
Where crossroads are numerous and land is developed on each side of the
highway, as in urban areas, frontage roads generally are for one-way
traffic. In rural and suburban areas, where frontage roads are intermit-
tently provided or located on one side only, such roads sometimes are
designed for two-way operation.
Where there are frontage roads the design of the roadway for through
traffic, whether it be a 2-lane two-way roadway or a divided highway with
two one-way roadways, is much the same as for a roadway without frontage
roads. The cross section is the same except that special consideration is
given to the outer separation in view of the presence of frontage roads.
The need for a full shoulder adjacent to the through traffic lanes to
avoid interference with through traffic by stopped vehicles is just as
great on controlled access highways as on highways without access control.
The difference is in the use -of the shoulder for parking. There is little
tendency to use shoulders along through traffic lanes for other than emer-
gency stops when bordered by frontage roads. Where there may be any
incentive to use them for parking, such practice should be prohibited
because parking is a form of roadside interference and adversely affects
through traffic as discussed under the heading of Shoulders in chapter IV.
The frontage road is the proper and desirable place to park. Whether space
is available there depends upon demand and supply. In rural areas the
demand for parking generally is not great except where there is a large
concentration of workers, as. at an industrial plant. In this case separate
parking areas off the public right -:of -way should be provided. In suburban
areas the demand for parking is somewhat greater than in rural areas and
can be very great where frontage roads serve commercial establishments.
There is an encouraging trend in the provision of off-street parking for
commercial areas and some communities require it. The supply of parking
spaces on frontage roads rarely is sufficient for demand in commerical areas.
In such cases it may be justifiable to make the frontage road wide enough
to enable drivers to park on both sides. In most rural areas provision for
parking on the side adjacent to the developed property is adequate, particu-
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CONTROLLED ACCESS HI liWAYs ' F ^003
larly if openings between frontage roads and private; 'driveways are not
numerous.
The design should provide reasonably convenient crass connections be-
tween through traffic lanes and frontage roads. Many highways with
partial control of access (expressways at grade) have crossings at grade
where they intersect major crossroads. At some of the less important
crossroads, the highway may have turning roadways for' entering and leav-
ing traffic on one or both sides but crossings are prevented by a continuous
median. At such minor crossroad intersections there is an opening in the
outer separation between through traffic lanes and frontage road but no
opening in the median. Traffic can change between 'through lanes and
frontage road at either of these types of intersection:, Interference with
through traffic is slight if the outer separation is wide enough for a vehicle
to stop clear of both through traffic and traffic on the frontage road.
On freeways with frontage roads there are no crossings at grade and
major crossroads are carried over or under the through traffic roadways
by means of grade separations. Access "generally is provided by way of
the frontage roads with appropriate cross connections to the through
traffic lanes. '
Controlled access highways with continuous frontage roads on both
sides are provided mostly in urban areas but are used also in suburban
areas, and to a lesser extent in rural areas. Normally, these frontage
roads serve land on one side only. Their design is t bout the same and
their cost no greater when they serve land on both sides. This can be
accomplished by locating the parallel local road some distance, say a
little more than the customary depth of lot, from the through traffic lanes
and leaving the land between the two facilities in private ownership. With
such an arrangement property owners have full right of access to the local
road and no right of access to the through traffic lanes. The resulting ar-
rangement is a controlled access highway without frontage roads but bor-
dered by the rear boundaries of the land facing the_paiailel local roads.
Reference is made to the AASHO Guide for the Application and Design
of Frontage Roads on the National System of Interstate and Defense
Highways, 1962, for additional details. The principles stated therein on
the use of frontage roads are applicable on all high type highways.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
In the matter of right-of-way the control or noncontrol of access may
be a major factor. The initial design may be the same.regardless of access .
control, but without access control allowance should be made for ob-
solescence due to decreasing capacity by acquiring sufficient right-of-way
to provide for widening or the later addition of frontage roads to serve
adjacent property, whereby the high capacity of the through traffic lanes
may be maintained. Wide rights -of -way decrease interference from ad-
jacent property and provide for more freedom of movement. With control
df access the retention of the capacity of the initial design is assured and
the right-of-way need not be any wider than for the initial development
or to allow for widening due to expected increase in traffic volume. No
additional right-of-way is needed, as it is in the case of noncontrolled
304 AASHO-GEOMETRIC HIGHWAY DESIGN
access highways where it will be needed for pavement widening to compen-
sate for reduction in capacity.
CONTROL OF ACCESS AT INTERCHANGES
Essential parts of highways with full control of access are the inter-
changes. While the crossroad terminal area of an interchange ramp might
logically be considered a physical part of the crossroad rather than of the
freeway, in the full control of access sense the whole of all ramps should
be completely within the control of access limits. Ramps are relatively
short roadways nearly always having curving alinement and rolling profile.
Driver attention necessarily is directed to guide and warning signs on or
in the ramp area. Each ramp, therefore, must be kept free of any inter-
mediate roadway connections in order to insure the planned safety and free
flow of traffic on it. The direct and simple way is to provide control of
access along each ramp, either by legal acquisition or outer frontage roads.
At the crossroad end of interchange ramps there are decided advantages
in the extension of control of access to some extent along the crossroad.
As has been stated in the AASHO Plan to Promote Proper Traffic Operation
on Crossroads Near Interchanges, 1964, some control steps need to be put
into effect to avoid a series of driveways and intersections to serve a
concentration of roadside businesses and other industrial and commercial
development within a few hundred feet of ramp terminals. Such controls
may be effected in several ways, one of which is the extension of control
of access for a few hundred feet along the crossroad beyond the ramp
terminal. At new interchanges in rural and suburban areas, and in some
cases in urban areas, such control of access extension usually can be effected
.at nominal cost when it is done as a part of the interchange right-of-way
acquisition. At the -other extreme, at some urban interchanges where a
series of developments exist with limited setback street frontage on the
interchange cross street just beyond the ramp terminals, there may be
little possibility of an extension of control of access since it would require
removal or major adjustment of the developments themselves.
FENCING
Fencing along a highway is a means of preventing unwanted and likely
hazardous intrusion of animals, people, vehicles, machines, etc., from
outside the right-of-way line into the vicinity of moving traffic. In many
cases the abutting property owner erects and maintains such a fence and
when so satisfactorily accomplished the highway agencies have no need to
be concerned with fencing. In other cases the landowner has little or no
interest, or perhaps no legal concern, and a fence where needed must be
provided as a part of the highway facility.
On controlled access highways, drivers travel at high speeds expecting
complete protection from all forms of roadside interference. This makes
fencing essential as an integral part of the highway wherever there is a
potential hazard through encroachment. To the extent that a fence is
needed and an appropriate type is not provided and maintained by the
abutting landowner, the highway agency should erect and maintain it. All
portions of a controlled access highway do not necessarily require fencing
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CONTROLLED ACCESS HIGHWAYS 305
as there are sections where there is little or no warrant for fences. But
wherever the safety of freeway operation requires fencing, it should be
considered as an essential part of the total highway facility, constructed
as a highway item if not otherwise provided.
Reference should be made to AASHO Policy on Fencing Controlled Access
Highways, 1959, for general principles applicable to the utilization and
placement of fences along freeways. _
COST OF ACCESS CONTROL
While the initial cost may be high, controlled access highways are
economical in the long run. Whereas the highway without access control
begins to lose capacity as soon as roadside interference begins (and de-
terioration in this regard progresses rapidly with time), the controlled
access highway steadily retains its ability to handle traffic. This -results in
the noncontrolled access highway becoming obsolete :when it is most
needed and in the costly necessity of relocating or constructing a new
highway, or both, whereas no such relocation or construction is necessary
on a controlled access highway. There are numerous examples of the
former, whereas some of the early examples of controlled access highways
are just as efficient in handling traffic now as they were when opened to
traffic a third of a century ago. i
Regarding initial cost, there is a general impression that controlled '
access highways cost considerably more than highways without access
control. This may not be so, particularly where the higi.way is located on
new right-of-way. The impression probably stems from evaluations of
constructing controlled access highways on existing routes, where traffic is
heavy, additional right-of-way cost high, and grade separations are required
at many crossroads. Where standards are the same the cost of construction,
exclusive of cost of right-of-way, is no more with control of access than
without it and may be less because no allowance need be made for additional
lanes due to expected reduction in capacity and because' some costly details
- -can be omitted. Curbs, for example, can -be omitted on -controlled access
highways but may be necessary where many direct ;,,,ntrances must be
provided. i
Right-of-way for controlled access highways generally costs little or no
more than right-of-way without access control when th'e area acquired is
the same, but the cost of acquiring access rights may b appreciable if an
existing highway is being improved to include control of access. In rural
areas the added cost is usually small and may be compensated by the
smaller width of right-of-way required for controlled at'cess highways. Of
course, where frontage roads are needed to control 1,iccess, the cost of
both right-of-way and construction is greater than for.an equivalent road
without frontage roads, but the type of service between, the two is so dif-
ferent that direct comparison is not valid.
In addition to the long-range economy in control i'f access and little
or no increase and possibly decrease in initial cost, :there is the major
economy in benefits to road users. Road users benefit i-;y control of access
in two ways: by reduction in cost of motor vehicle operation ,and by re-
duction in accidents. The reduction in vehicle operating cost results from
operation at a uniform continuous speed as compared to the usual start
306 AASHO—GEOMETRic HIGHWAY DESIGN •
CONTROLLED ACCESS HIGjiWAYS '? 307
and stop operation on highways without access control. An important part
The reduction in accidents is considerable, particularly, head-on or side -
Those classed as "Other types of
of the reduction in cost is the saving in time but there also are additional
swipe opposite -direction types. accidents
collision," consisting principally of single vehicle collisions with fixed
intangible benefits to drivers, such as relaxation and lack of strain in driv-
in
;
! objects, were exceptional in that this group showed 'a slight increase.
g-
!Reasons for the actual numerical increase of this group are not available.
()
Benefits to road users due to accident reduction resulting from control
of access are clear and unmistakable, but the dollar value of accident re-
! Angle type collisions and collisions with pedestrians have been almost
duction is difficult to measure. In a study 1 in Illinois it was found that
eliminated. Collisions with fixed objects and noncollision` types were similar
benefits ranged from 0.20 cent per vehicle mile on highways carrying up
i to those on existing highways.
Control of access does not necessarily imply high volume loads. Access
to 5,000 vehicles per day to 0.40 cent per vehicle mile for traffic volumes _
;
is just as valuable on 2-lane roads as on multilane roads and par -
of 25,000 or more. Experience shows that the accident rate on controlled
access highways generally is one-half that on noncontrolled access highways.
control
titularly valuable on 2-lane roads with volume near capacity, for which
Using Safety Council figures for the year 1963 s it may be shown that since
control or noncontrol of access may make the difference between need or
However, acceptance of access control and
accidents cost about 0.96 cent per vehicle mile a reduction to one-half the
no need for wider roads. public
relatively higher operating speed may justify divided highways for volumes
accident rate saves about 0.48 cent per vehicle mile. The significance of this
capacity less than ca acit of 2-lane roads. Control of access Hoes not necessarily
�I
unit savings can be judged by considering a highway with 10,000 vehicles
imply grade separations; they should be used only where traffic conflicts
per day. Based on an assumed interest rate of 31/2 percent and 40-year
amortization, the accident reduction alone justifies an additional initial
justify, just as on any other highway, although driver' expectation of no
expenditure of about $350,000 per mile to obtain full control of access.
cross traffic, the desirability of relaxed driving and system uniformity may
justified economically. The
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The reduction in accidents is less for partial control but it would be diffi-
justify grade separations where not strictly
economy of control of access, both in cost and savings to road
cult to evaluate the effect of control of access alone, since other elements
principal
lies in the elimination of roadside interference.
of design that normally are associated with highways that have full control
t users,
of access are also important considerations. Partial control of access
highways in suburban areas have shown fairly high accident experience.
A comparison may be made of types of accidents on conventional high-
ways versus freeways. A study 3 of accidents on the Interstate system com-
pared accidents on the existing highways within the Interstate system
corridors which formerly carried the greatest proportion of the Interstate
traffic before opening the Interstate section. Approximately 80 percent
of the highways studied were rural on which results by type of collision
were as follows:
Type of collision
Accidents per 100 million vehicle miles
Existing
Interstate
Ratios, existing
or accident
highways
system
highways "before"
"before"
highways
Interstate system
Head-on or sideswipe,
opposite direction
34
1
34 to 1
Angle
32
4
8 to 1
Collision with
pedestrian
4
1
4 to 1
Rear -end or sideswipe,
same direction
94
47
2 to 1
Other types of
collision
37
49
0.8 to 1
Noncollision
accidents
37
33
1.1 to 1
All accidents
238
135
1.8 to 1
1 Unpublished data on direct costs of officially reported accidents occurring on
Federal -aid primary rural highways in Illinois during 1958.
2 Accident Facts, National Safety Council, 1964.
3Interstate System Accident Research, Stanley R, Byington. Public Roads,
Volume 32, No, 11, December 1963.
REFERENCES
a. Economic and Social Effects of Highway Improvements, An An-
notated Bibliography, 1961—Warren A. Pillsbury, Virginia Council of g
I •
j way Investigation and Research.
I b. Selected Bibliography of Cases and Materials on Highway Law, 1962—
Ross D. Netherton, Counsel for Legal Research, Highway Research Board.
c. Interregional Highways, .1944—House Document No. 379—U.S.
! Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402. '
d. Roadside Protection —American Automobile Association, 1951, Wash-
ington, D.C. _
e. Controlled -Access Highways, Publication No. 182 Research Depart
! ment, Kansas Legislative Council, January 1953. .?
j f. A Policy on Safety Rest Areas for the National System of Interstate
and Defense Highways—AASHO, 1958•
g. An Informational Guide on Services to Motorists 'on Interstate High-
t ways—AASHO, 1961.
h. House Document No. 72, 87th Congress, 1st Session, Final Report
�. of the Highway Cost Allocation Study, 1961, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
1 i. A Guide for the Application and Design of Frontage Roads on the
National System of Interstate and Defense Highways—AASHO, 1957,,
i revised 1962,
j. Highway Laws References—C. L. Marinaccio and John J. Mullins,
4 Jr., Bureau of Public Roads, 1962.
k. Roadside Regulations and Controls —Nicholas M: Margetis, Acquisi-
tion for Right -of -Way, AASHO, 1962.
t 1. Control of Highway Access, 1962—Ross D. Neth'6rton, University of
Wisconsin Press.