AM13-02(B): Access Management Spacing Standards for Private Approaches to State Highways

Type: Bulletin

Topic or Program: Access Management  |  Spacing Standards

Final Number: AM13-02(B)

Effective Date: 04/08/2013

Updated Date: 08/24/2017

Signature on File: Larry McKinley, Access Management Program Manager

Senate Bill (SB) 264 established new access management spacing standards for private approaches. This Bulletin provides guidance to ODOT staff in applying access spacing standards to private approach applications. This guidance will help achieve greater statewide consistency and increase understanding of the factors involved in evaluation of approach applications.

This Bulletin provides an overview of how the spacing standards were developed and how to determine spacing requirements for a particular approach. The access spacing will be examined in terms of meeting the spacing standards set forth in OAR 734-051-4020. This Bulletin also provides guidance about how to measure the spacing distance, reviewing approved planning documents for spacing standards, and issues to consider if spacing standards are not met. See Attachment A, “Evaluation of Access Management Spacing Standards”, for explanations of interpretations and procedures for implementing the access management spacing standards in OAR 734-051-4020. Attachment B is a worksheet to help perform and document procedures described in Attachment A.

This guidance is for use by the department’s access management staff and may be shared with members of the public to provide instruction or additional information.

ODOT staff performing the review of an approach application should be familiar with Chapter 5 of the Analysis Procedures Manual (APM) for how access management fits with short- and long-term planning analyses and how access spacing impacts crash rates. The manual is available online at http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Planning/Pages/APM.aspx

ODOT staff performing the review of an approach application should be familiar with Chapter 3 of the Development Review Guidelines that explains how access management is implemented with land development projects. The manual is available online at http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Planning/Pages/Guidance.aspx

A technical paper developed by Dr. Stover and Dr. Layton (Background Paper #5), was the basis for the original spacing standards established in the 2000 edition of OAR 734-051. The technical paper is available from the Access Management Unit.

The primary consideration in establishing these earlier standards was “decision sight distance” and the risk assessment of driver workload in observing only one approach at a time.

The current access management spacing standards for private approaches were established through negotiation with the Access Management Stakeholder Advisory Committee in 2010-11. In some cases, these revised spacing standards were reduced significantly using “stopping sight distance” and the risk assessment of driver workload in observing only one approach at a time as the primary factors. Other spacing standards were adjusted to fall between the original values based on decision sight distance and spacing based on stopping sight distance. As such, the new spacing standards allow closer spacing and, in some instances, have a higher risk for operational and safety issues.

In 2011, SB 264 established spacing standards for private approach applications and a process for evaluating deviations from those standards. SB 264 did not change access spacing standards in interchange areas. OAR 734-051, effective June 29, 2012 contains the standards established by law in SB 264.

Department staff in the following positions are responsible for carrying out the guidance in this Bulletin as it relates to their assigned duties and authority:

• Region Managers.
• District Managers.
• Region Access Management Engineers.
• Development Review Coordinators.
• Access Management Coordinators.
• Permit Specialists.

Implement this guidance upon the effective date.

• Attachment A
  
• Attachment B