Optimize Tradeoffs between Centerline Buffers, Lane Width, and Shoulders for Rural Undivided Highways

The research team will provide a practical framework for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to choose between cross-sectional design alternatives to optimize operational and safety performance on rural two-lane undivided highways. This framework will incorporate variables such as traffic volume, heavy vehicle mix, speed, and access density. Texas and other states have increasingly used a narrow centerline buffer area, separated by longitudinal pavement markings, to introduce physical separation between approaching vehicles, producing operational and safety benefits on undivided roadways without widening to a traditional divided cross-section. However, providing centerline buffers require reduced lane or shoulder widths. Project 0-7035 “Examine Trade-Offs between Center Separation and Shoulder Width Allotment for a Given Roadway Width” studied this effect for four-lane roadways with positive results, but less is known about two-lane roadways; understanding the benefits of center separation, along with the effects of various lane and shoulder combinations, would be useful for making decisions on cross-sections for new and resurfaced two-lane roadway segments. The research team will collect and analyze data for two-lane highways with centerline buffers and compare their safety and operational performances with traditional two-lane undivided highways. Additionally, the research team will quantify differences in the performance of two-lane undivided highways compared to other cross-sectional designs. The research team will use observed data and simulation to achieve the project objectives.

• Record URL:
  • https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/project=0-7263

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $457,276.00
• Contract Numbers:

  0-7263

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Texas Department of Transportation

  125 E. 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
• Managing Organizations:

  Texas Department of Transportation

  125 E. 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
• Project Managers:

  Schwerdt, Tom

• Performing Organizations:

  Texas A&M Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135

  Texas State University, San Marcos

  JCK Building, Suite 489
  San Marcos, TX  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Brewer, Marcus A

• Start Date: 20260101
• Expected Completion Date: 20271231
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Center lines; Highway design; Highway safety; Road markings; Road shoulders; Rural highways; Traffic lanes; Two lane highways; Width
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01975963
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Texas Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 0-7263
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jan 9 2026 4:29PM