Geometric Design of Driveways

The design of driveways has benefited from little comprehensive research and no national design guidance since the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) publication, An Informational Guide for Preparing Private Driveway Regulations for Major Highways, was published in 1959. Since that time, roadway design, function, and volumes have changed as have vehicle design and many other aspects of the roadway environment. Driveways, especially busy commercial drives, can have a significant impact on the adjacent roadway. Good driveway design should facilitate smooth vehicle egress and ingress to and from the roadway and should also provide for pedestrians and bicyclists. Driveway design needs to account for roadway functional class or driveway usage to better accommodate varying roadway environments, community needs, and existing conditions. There is currently little guidance on this issue. The Draft Guidelines for Accessible Public Rights-of-Way, disseminated by the U.S. Access Board for public comment in 2001, provides specific guidelines for such elements as minimum width, cross slope, grade, curb ramps, directionality, and edge conditions at the intersection of sidewalks and driveways to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. These guidelines are based on pedestrian needs and do not comprehensively address safe and efficient vehicle movements near driveways. Recommendations are needed to accommodate accessibility concerns as well as safe and efficient vehicle use of the driveway. The objective of this research is to develop recommendations for geometric design of driveways. The recommendations will be useful to state departments of transportation and local governments in preparing driveway design standards and practices that consider standard engineering practice and accessibility needs and provide for safe and efficient travel by motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists on the affected roadway.

• Record URL:
  http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=415

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $349997.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 15-35

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Reynaud, David

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

  Board of Trustees
  Fayetteville, AR  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Gattis, James

• Start Date: 20060602
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20100228
• Source Data: RiP Project 11108

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Bicycles; Design; Driveways; Geometric design; Guidelines; Intersections; Pedestrians; Sidewalks
• Identifier Terms: National Cooperative Highway Research Program
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01463017
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Cooperative Highway Research Program
• Contract Numbers: Project 15-35
• Files: RIP, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 2:14PM