Design and Access Management Guidelines for Truck Routes

Access management techniques and design considerations for transportation networks and sites served by trucks have been developed over the years, but have not been specifically compiled or consolidated into guidelines useable by transportation practitioners. It is difficult for practitioners to incorporate these techniques and considerations, or to identify gaps in the knowledge base. A single resource is needed covering the design and operations of truck routes through urban and rural areas, as well as truck-focused intersection and driveway design guidelines. Various safety and operational issues may occur in relation to ingress versus egress and require different solutions. From an operational perspective, there appears to be a critical point at which a small increase in trucks can create a major failure in operations. Research is needed to provide state transportation agencies and local governments with a single resource for state-of-the-practice access management and design strategies for truck freight routes (e.g., turn-lane design, access location, access spacing, driveway and site circulation design, parking, and corridor issues), and to identify where additional guidance is needed. The objective of this research is to provide guidelines for transportation practitioners on (1) access management and design for truck routes and site layout to facilitate truck movement that can be directly incorporated into planning processes, and (2) design specifications for local governments and state transportation agencies to improve truck safety and operations. The guidelines should address a broad range of issues related to access management and design for truck routes and site layout such as, but not limited to the following: (1) Land use and zoning impacts on truck movement; (2) Understanding truck freight needs and design requirements by identifying access-related issues and problems; (3) Strategies for efficient movement and delivery of goods; (4) Strategies for assessing cost-benefit differentials in providing truck accommodations; (5) Model access management guidelines, policies and strategies for designating and developing truck freight routes and networks; (6) Geometric design and operations policies and practices to accommodate trucks at access points and along corridors, including innovative intersections and interchanges; (7) Establishing operational requirements for truck accommodations (e.g., enforcement, services, parking); (8) Balancing truck needs with other modes (e.g., pedestrians, bicycles, transit); (9) Site operation impacts on the adjacent transportation network (e.g., parking, overflow queues, turning radius, throat widths, internal circulation, sidewalks); (10) Over-size and overweight load routing considerations; (11) Recommendations for revisions or supplements to the TRB Access Management Manual; and (12) Model language for incorporating the findings into local land use decision-making processes.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=4047

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $500000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 15-62

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

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

  American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 225
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

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

  Rogers, William

• Performing Organizations:

  MRIGlobal

  425 Volker Boulevard
  Kansas City, MO  United States  64110-2241
• Principal Investigators:

  Potts, Ingrid

• Start Date: 20160705
• Expected Completion Date: 20190731
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 40211

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access control (Transportation); Best practices; Freight traffic; Guidelines; Traffic conflicts; Truck routes; Trucks; Warrants (Traffic control devices)
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01572388
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 15-62
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Aug 7 2015 1:01AM