Dearborn County Transportation Assessment Complete ... - OKI

the community. Before undertaking a major widening project, another solution may beAccess Management which can generally be put in place easily and with minimaldisruption. Access Management is defined as the control of driveways andintersections to maintain safety at a roadway's full traffic-carrying capacity. ImplementingAccess Management encourages smooth and safe traffic flow and helps communitiesavoid some of the traffic problems caused by uncontrolled development.Access Management can include signalization, controlled access, and limiting theamount of curb cuts on a roadway (driveway consolidation). Improvements such asthese help reduce traffic congestion on roadways. Studies have shown that AccessManagement can reduce accidents as much as 50 percent while safely increasing travelspeeds by as much as 40 percent. Fewer delays and accidents also cut transportationcosts for businesses, and business locations remain more accessible and attractive tocustomers when there is less congestion.Below is a list of Access Management solutions that can begin to be put into practicetoday.• Providing a minimum distance between access points. There are a couple ofoptions for determining access density. The Center for Transportation Researchand Education recommends 600 feet on a rural arterial. The Indiana Departmentof Transportation’s Driveway Permit Manual recommends utilizing travel speedas a way to determine density, see Table 4D. Spacing between access points inrural areas is especially important because these roadways generally havehigher travel speeds.•Table 4D – Minimum Separation of Access PointsHighway SpeedMinimum Spacing(mph)(feet)30 18535 24540 30045 35050 39555 435Source: Indiana Department of Transportation Driveway Permit Manual, 1996• Providing adequate sight-distance. It is very important to assure thatappropriate sight-distances are provided for the motorists when exiting an accesspoint. Sight distance guidelines may be found in Chapter 3 of the AmericanAssociation of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Policy onGeometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2001.• Providing adequate intersection spacing. It is important to provide adequatespacing between intersections. At least one-half mile spacing is recommendedfor arterials.Dearborn County Transportation Assessment Page 4-5