Access Management Regulations and Standards

Preserving and Improving the Efficient Operation of State Highways

In 2007, access management regulations and standards were developed in accordance with General Assembly legislation. See “Background” and “Process” sections below.

The 2008 General Assembly enacted legislation (Chapter 274) (PDF, 32 KB) to require the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to implement the regulations and the design standards in phases according to a highway’s functional classification.

The first phase applies to VDOT highways classified as principal arterials. The second phase applies to VDOT highways classified as minor arterial, collector, and local. More information can be found in the About Highway Functional Classifications (PDF, 35 KB) document.

First Phase: Access Management Regulations and Standards for Principal Arterials

On July 1, 2008, the “Access Management Regulations: Principal Arterials” (PDF, 114 KB) and the “Access Management Design Standards for Entrances and Intersections: Principal Arterials," (PDF, 5. 24 MB) -- a new Appendix F in the VDOT Road Design Manual -- developed during 2007 took effect. The spacing standards for entrances and intersections are in the second document.

Principal arterials represent about six percent of all VDOT highways. See Map of Principal Arterials (PDF, 3 MB) and List of Principal Arterials (PDF, 30 KB)

Principal arterial exception request form (Word, 287 KB)

Second Phase: Access Management Regulations and Standards: Minor Arterials, Collectors, Local Streets

During 2008 and 2009, the access management regulations and design standards for entrances and intersections prepared for VDOT minor arterials, collectors and local streets were reviewed in accordance with the Administrative Process Act.

To assure a broad outreach for public input, VDOT encouraged the public, during a 60-day comment period, to provide comments on the proposed regulations and standards via the internet, through the mail, and in person at four public hearings conducted throughout the state.

The proposed regulations and standards were published in the Virginia Register and posted on this Web page. A notice on the hearings was advertised twice in 13 newspapers and sent to 50 media outlets to assure statewide coverage.More than 200 written and public hearing comments were received from local governments, developers, transportation engineering consultants, environmental and business organizations, pedestrian/bicyclist groups and individuals.

The public comments were evaluated and used to extensively revise the proposed regulations and standards. The comments and the VDOT responses were sent to each commentor and are posted below.

PDFs PDF

Written comments and responses May 2009 (168 KB)
Public hearing comments and responses May 2009 (109 KB)

Executive branch review and approval was completed. The final regulations and standards were published in the September 14 Virginia Register in accordance with the Administrative Process Act. The second phase regulations are effective on October 14, 2009.

The regulations, standards, an exception request form, a frequently asked questions reference guide and an informational PowerPoint presentation are posted below. The second version of the regulations describes the key changes. The standards are a new Appendix G in VDOT’s Road Design Manual.

PDFs pdfs and Word Word

The access management regulations and standards for minor arterials, collectors and local streets will:

Preserve public investment in new and existing highways
Enhance public safety by reducing conflicting traffic movements
Reduce the need for new or wider highways by preserving the performance of existing highways
Support economic development by promoting the efficient movement of goods and people
Respect vested property rights

Illustration comparing a four-lane highway with access
management to a six-lane highway without it.
Click to enlarge.

The legislative goals for access management will be accomplished through:

Spacing standards for entrances, intersections, and median openings based on the type of entrance and highway classification
Signal spacing to maximize the progression of traffic on highways
Locating entrances a safe distance from intersection turning movements
Rules for vehicular, and where appropriate, pedestrian circulation between adjoining properties
Sharing of highway entrances

All parcels of land abutting a state highway will be provided with reasonable access to the highway, except for limited access highways. The regulations will not be retroactive. They apply to new requests for access.

Entrance locations shown on rezoning proffered plans of development, site plans, and subdivision plats that are approved by the locality prior to the Oct. 1, 2009, effective date will be exempt from the spacing standards.

The spacing standards also will not apply on:

Older, business corridors of urban highways
Streets internal to new urbanism and traditional neighborhood developments
Highway corridors with local access management plans

Procedures are included for appealing or requesting exceptions to the access management regulations and standards with deadlines for VDOT decisions.

Background: 2007 Legislation

The 2007 General Assembly unanimously approved legislation proposed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine - HB 2228 and SB 1312 - to direct the VDOT commissioner to develop and implement access management regulations and standards with the goals of:

Reducing traffic congestion
Enhancing public safety by decreasing traffic crash rates
Supporting economic development by promoting the efficient movement of people and goods
Reducing the need for new highways and road widening by maximizing the performance of the existing state highways
Preserving the public investment in new highways.

The legislation required the commissioner to solicit and consider public comment in the development of the regulations and standards (which were exempt from the Administrative Process Act) and publish them by Dec. 31, 2007. Legislation (Chapter 863) (PDF, 32 KB)

Process Used During 2007 to Develop and Solicit Input on the Regulations and Standards

A VDOT technical committee, representing a broad range of disciplines from Central Office divisions, regions, districts, residencies and the Virginia Transportation Research Council, prepared the first draft of the regulations and standards.

To assure a wide variety of viewpoints were considered, a multi-step process was developed for gaining public input on the proposed regulations and standards:

First, the documents were reviewed and refined in August/September 2007 by a policy advisory committee composed of representatives from local government, development, environmental, and transportation engineering organizations, as well as VDOT management and the Office of the Secretary of Transportation.
Second, a public comment period was provided from Oct. 3 to 29. The proposed regulations and standards were published on this Web site for public review. An e-mail form was added to the Web site for the public to send their comments to VDOT on the proposed documents.
Third, a public hearing was held Oct. 22 in Richmond.

Notices about these public input opportunities were advertised twice in 13 newspapers and distributed to 50 media outlets to assure statewide coverage. A general notice of the comment period and public hearing was posted on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall and published in the Oct. 15 "Virginia Register."

VDOT received more than 250 comments from nine local governments (urban, suburban, and rural), four business organizations, an environmental organization, a Planning District Commission, and 10 individuals. Public comments (PDF, 100 KB)

The policy advisory committee and the VDOT technical committee evaluated the comments and used them to revise the regulations and standards. The policy advisory committee submitted their recommendations to the commissioner in November. They were approved and published on this Web site in December.

What Is Access Management?

Roads are a critical public resource and constitute a major investment of the public’s money. The importance of providing safe and efficient state highways has resulted in a renewed focus on access management.

Access management seeks to improve the performance of the existing road network and enhance safety while maintaining the right of private property to have reasonable access to state highways. To accomplish this, highways are classified according to their function, moving traffic versus providing access to property.

Regulations and standards based on a highway’s functional or operational classification are used to manage the location, number, spacing and design of entrances, median openings, traffic signals, turn lanes, street intersections, and interchanges. See illustration (PDF, 56 KB)

In other states, access management has led to:

Reductions in crashes, injuries, and fatalities
Greater mobility that enhances the economic vitality of an area
A reduction in the need for additional road capacity
Increased traffic carrying capacity of existing roads

For example, studies have demonstrated that a four-lane highway with good access management can carry as much traffic as a six-lane highway with poor access management.

Additional Information on Access Management

PDFs

Access management principles (829 KB) This presentation on access management concepts includes an overview of the functional classification system for highways and includes examples of counties in Virginia that have adopted local access management standards.
From the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA):
- Benefits of access management (809 KB)
- Safe access is good for business (2.48 MB)

Virginia Tech access spacing study (62 KB) An excerpt is presented from a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute on the relationship between managing access near intersections and accident rates.

Also:

The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies in Washington, D.C., has created a Web site that is a good resource for information on access management, including research studies, handbooks, and links to other states’ access management Web sites.

Page last modified: Nov. 18, 2009