Developing Guidelines for Right-Turn Lane Pockets for Intersections in Nevada
Nevada is overrepresented in intersection-related crashes and has been designated as an Intersection-Focused state by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Further research exploring how dedicated right-turn lane pockets could mitigate fatal and serious injury crashes is needed. Currently, the criteria used to determine when an exclusive right-turn lane is required may be inconsistently applied given today’s traffic volumes, vehicle mix, pedestrian activity, and safety expectations. In some cases, right-turn lanes are omitted even when they could improve operations or safety, while in others, they are added despite limited benefits and significant cost or right-of-way impacts. The main objective of this research is to produce an updated, data-driven, and context-sensitive framework for determining when and where exclusive right-turn lane pockets should be required or clearly not required at access points in Nevada. In particular, a tool will be provided that will improve the Nevada Department of Transportation’s (NDOT’s) ability to consistently evaluate access points to the state highway system and will maximize the safety and operational benefits of exclusive right-turn lanes. Additionally, the research results will provide NDOT with a process model that supports consistent, transparent, and technically-sound decision making for new developments and access modifications. The University of Nevada, Reno team plans to reach the research objective by: (1) Synthesizing the current state of knowledge and practice for right-turn lane warrants nationally and among peer agencies. (2) Collecting high-resolution field data and developing calibrated VISSIM microsimulation models. (3) Conducting systematic scenario-based simulations using the calibrated VISSIM models and crash data analyses. (4) Developing guidelines, using the empirical findings from the aforementioned tasks, for determining when an exclusive right-turn lane pocket is warranted. (5) Developing a user-friendly, implementation-ready decision-support tool for use by NDOT reviewers, local agency staff, developers, and consulting engineers. (6) Compiling all research findings, guidelines, and tools into a comprehensive final report and conducting a training workshop to facilitate implementation. The final deliverables will be designed from the outset for direct integration into NDOT’s policies, procedures, and operations. Additionally, the implementation plan will be structured as a phased approach that transitions from research completion through pilot application, full deployment, and sustained use.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $450,673.00
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Contract Numbers:
139-26-803
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Sponsor Organizations:
Nevada Department of Transportation
1263 South Stewart Street
Carson City, NV United States 89712 -
Managing Organizations:
1263 South Stewart St
Carson City, Nevada United States 89712 -
Project Managers:
Parsons, Angela
Bell, Chris
Graham, Jeff
Strganac, Martin
Ison, Mitch
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Performing Organizations:
1664 N. Virginia Street
Reno, Nevada United States 89557 -
Principal Investigators:
Park, Seri
- Start Date: 20260610
- Expected Completion Date: 20290930
- Actual Completion Date: 0
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Decision support systems; Highway design; Highway safety; Right turn lanes; Signalized intersections; Traffic simulation
- Identifier Terms: VISSIM (Computer model)
- Geographic Terms: Nevada
- Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01992334
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Nevada Department of Transportation
- Contract Numbers: 139-26-803
- Files: RIP, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Jun 11 2026 2:33PM