Secondary Street Acceptance Requirements
Chapter 382
SSAR Approval and Effective Date
The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) approved the Secondary Street Acceptance Requirements (SSAR) at its meeting on Feb. 19, 2009.
The regulation became effective upon its submittal to the Registrar of Virginia, which took place on March 9, 2009.
The SSAR supersedes the 2005 edition of the Subdivision Street Requirements (SSR).
The regulation establishes requirements that newly constructed streets will need to meet to be accepted into the secondary system of state highways for perpetual public maintenance.
Information and Outreach
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recognizes that all parties involved with the development process will need to become familiar with the contents of the SSAR.
During April 2009, VDOT conducted 12 statewide educational sessions for local governments, the development community, the general public, and VDOT staff. VDOT is offering to provide additional SSAR training to localities, development firms, and community organizations. See the attached letter for details.
VDOT staff has prepared a number of documents to assist interested parties in the interpretation and application of this new regulation:
- SSAR regulation
- SSAR guidance document
- SSAR presentation
- Virginia area type map – VDOT’s current area type map does not contain all pertinent locally established planning district boundaries. VDOT is in the process of collecting this information for the development of a comprehensive area type map.
- Google Earth can also be used to view the area type map and zoom into specific locations. First, use this link and download the free version. It is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. After you have installed Google Earth, download the area types file (KMZ format in a zipped file). This KMZ file will act as a layer over the Google Earth map and will identify the area type boundaries for the state.
- Road Design Manual, Appendix B(1)
- VDOT secondary street inspection manual (coming soon)
SSAR Overview
Recently, the number of streets being accepted into the system and the levels of congestion have increased while transportation funding has decreased, resulting in a situation where existing policy must be revisited.
The most significant aspect of the revised regulation is that it introduces a change in public policy regarding the design and function a street must meet in order to be added to the state system. In essence, the regulation revises the public-private partnership between the commonwealth and the development community.
The commonwealth agrees to maintain streets built by developers and accepted by counties to the benefit and marketability of their developments. In exchange, the developer must build streets that connect with the surrounding transportation network in a manner that enhances the capacity of the overall transportation network and accommodates pedestrians.
The following describes the policies within the SSAR which are new to Virginia:
- Area types – The division of the state into three categories based on long-term local, regional and federal planning boundaries. The area types recognize the diversity of development and infrastructure needs throughout the Commonwealth by establishing graduated connectivity standards for developments based on the area type in which they are located. These area types include Compact, Suburban, and Rural.
- Connectivity – Standards to ensure connectivity of streets between adjacent developments and undeveloped parcels. Improved connection of newly constructed secondary streets to the existing street network and future developments will improve the network’s overall efficiency.
- Add streets to the system as network additions – The acceptance of new streets for a phase or an entire development as a single addition instead of acceptance of each street individually.
- Pedestrian accommodations – Standards to ensure that pedestrian accommodations are provided where appropriate.
- Context sensitive street design – Revised street design requirements to provide initial design that will serve as built-in traffic calming and help ensure appropriate vehicular speeds. The SSAR also offers increased flexibility to use low impact development techniques to help reduce stormwater runoff.
- Third-party inspections – The creation of an alternative to traditional VDOT inspection of additions to the secondary system.
The SSAR contains a transition period, during which the development community, stakeholders, and VDOT staff can become more familiar with the contents and implementation of the new regulations. This transition period was from March 9 to June 30, 2009.
New development proposals initially submitted to counties and VDOT after June 30, 2009, must comply with the requirements of the SSAR.
SSAR Legislation
The SSAR regulations are a result of legislation introduced at the request of Gov. Tim Kaine and unanimously adopted by the General Assembly during the 2007 session.
Chapter 382 of the 2007 Acts of Assembly (SB1181) added § 33.1-70.3 to the Code of Virginia.
The legislation requires the CTB to develop the SSAR to determine the conditions and standards that must be met before secondary streets constructed by developers, localities and entities other than VDOT, will be accepted into the state secondary system for maintenance by VDOT.
Based on §33.1-70.3, the SSAR was developed to specifically include three legislative goals:
- Ensuring the connectivity of road and pedestrian networks with the existing and future transportation network
- Minimizing stormwater runoff and impervious surface area
- Addressing performance bonding needs of new secondary streets and associated cost recovery fees
These provisions will help ensure that streets built by developers will enhance the overall capacity of the transportation network by providing additional transportation connections to adjacent developments.
In the past, many developments had been built with only one ingress and egress point. Developments with this type of street network place an unsustainable burden on the regional transportation network by requiring that all trips – both local and long-distance – use the regional transportation network.
Additional transportation connections between adjacent developments will allow local trips and the local portion of long-distance trips to remain on local streets.
Addition Information
If you would like additional information regarding the SSAR, please contact your VDOT district office or VDOT’s Maintenance Division.
Development of the SSAR
Implementation Advisory Committee
Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer empanelled an Implementation Advisory Committee to assist the CTB in the development of this regulation. Click here 
(PDF, 300 KB) to view his letter to committee members.
This committee held its first meeting Sept. 4, 2007. Click here (PDF, 6.3 MB) to view the agenda and handouts that were provided to the committee. The committee met six times since its initial meeting.
Public Participation
The CTB was briefed eight times during the preparation of the SSAR.
In addition, public comments were accepted from April 14 through June 30, 2008. VDOT also held four public hearings to solicit public comments in April and May.
The CTB encouraged citizens and other stakeholders to submit comments throughout the development of this regulation. In particular, comments were solicited regarding the current Subdivision Street Design Guide (Appendix B, Road Design Manual) (PDF, 572 KB) as well as methods to reduce stormwater runoff are encouraged.
The CTB previously solicited public comment, with particular and specific emphasis on (i) how to accomplish the specific mandatory provisions as established by § 33.1-70.3 B (as discussed above), (ii) other concepts or requirements that should be addressed in the new regulation, (iii) issues or concepts in the current Subdivision Street Requirements (24 VAC 30-91 available below) that should be modified or eliminated in the new requirements, (iv) comment on approaches to the mandatory provisions and other issues in the other regulatory documents listed above, and (v) comment on other best practices and approaches from other jurisdictions (available below).
The CTB encouraged those submitting comments to be as specific as possible, including – when applicable – the submission of suggested text for the regulation.
Revisions Based on Public Comments
The regulation was revised based on public comments received by the CTB.
The major revisions include:
- Revised methodology for calculating connectivity index
- Revisions to ensure that connectivity of the street network is provided between adjoining developments and phases of developments not internal to a development
- Streamlined exception processes for connectivity exceptions
- Pedestrian accommodation standards are generally based on density of development not the area type where a development is located
- Provisions to ensure planned connectivity of the street network was planned in the past that is provided as development occurs
A summary of all changes can be found here. 
(PDF, 376 KB).
Notice of Intended Regulatory Action
Details (PDF, 57 KB)
Previous Standards
24 VAC 30-91 - Subdivision Street Requirements
