Developing Guidelines and Documentation of Engineering Studies for Establishing NC Speed Limits

The objectives of the proposed project are (1) to provide more precise guidelines to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on how its engineers should conduct speed limit studies for various roadway settings and (2) to recommend ways by which the NCDOT can document those studies. The researchers will accomplish the objectives listed above by completing eight tasks, including a survey of state transportation agencies, discussions with engineers and lawyers in NC, and field tests of the proposed guidelines. The project is estimated to finish within one year. NCDOT can use the developed research products to streamline the studies that engineers conduct to support recommended speed limits. Knowing more precisely which studies are needed in which circumstances will help NCDOT engineers set better speed limits and avoid wasted study efforts. Appropriate speed limits in turn should result in better driver compliance, easier enforcement, and fewer crashes. Conducting the right studies and being able to produce full documentation when requested should reduce liability risks as well. To be fully implemented, the research products should be integrated into the Traffic Engineering Policies, Practices, and Legal Authority (TEPPL) and be circulated to the Divisions and other units that perform studies for speed limits.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Contract Numbers:

  2017-10

• Sponsor Organizations:

  North Carolina Department of Transportation

  Research and Development
  1549 Mail Service Center
  Raleigh, NC  United States  27699-1549
• Start Date: 20160801
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Guidelines; Speed limits; Studies; Traffic engineers
• Identifier Terms: North Carolina Department of Transportation; Traffic Engineering Policies, Practices and Legal Authority
• Geographic Terms: North Carolina
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Policy; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01610768
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: North Carolina Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 2017-10
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Sep 19 2016 4:41PM