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CHAPTER 2 ACCESS MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTING MECHANISMS There is a well-developed literature that provides detailed guidance on access management and its benefits. Best prac- tices and the application of best practices are presented in the following technical assistance and resource documents: ⢠Access Management Manual, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, 2003. ⢠NCHRP Report 348: Access Management Guidelines for Activity Centers, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, 1992. ⢠NCHRP Report 420: Impacts of Access Management Techniques, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, 1999. ⢠NCHRP Synthesis of Highway Practice 233: Land Development Regulations that Promote Access Man- agement, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, 1996. ⢠AASHTO Green Book: A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials, 2001. From this body of work, it is possible to identify the meth- ods and procedures involved in access management and to identify the associated implementing mechanisms and agen- cies. These implementing mechanisms are summarized in Exhibit 2-1, which groups the implementing mechanisms according to what institutionally establishes the mandate or drives implementation. For example, statute, administrative codes, and ordinances can all be used to provide direct implementing authority for access management. To change this authority requires policymaker action. Other imple- menting mechanisms can be directly pursued through agen- ciesâ policymaking, resource allocation, and management procedures. SUMMARY OF METHODS Access management is achieved through the systematic application of policy, planning, regulatory, and design strate- gies. Methods include statutes, regulations, plans, land acqui- sition, and operational and geometric design standards. Access is managed both through the application of police powers that 8 are the basis for access management regulation, design stan- dards, and permit requirements and through the acquisition of access rights, which involves property acquisition. Principal access management methods include the following: ⢠Acquisition of access rights. State and local trans- portation agencies have the authority to acquire access rights, which is typically the method used for control- ling the access along freeways, expressways, parkways, and other types of major roadways. The acquisition of access rights is an effective and long-term solution to the problem of providing adequate and safe access, par- ticularly at selected locations such as interchanges or close to planned interchanges. The acquisition of access rights is an especially important method for managing access where there is no statewide access code. ⢠Access management regulations. These regulations may be used to address various aspects of access man- agement, such as permitting or prohibiting access; loca- tion, spacing, and design of access connections; spacing of median openings, signalized intersections, and inter- changes; and the access permitting process. The regula- tions have the weight of law and are established under police powers that are expressly authorized or implied in state statutes. Regulations may take the form of access codes or of administrative rules and local ordinances. Examples of comprehensive regulations are found in Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, and Oregon. Because regulations have the weight of law, they can be more effectively enforced than guidelines and they can be an important complement to state and local planning efforts. ⢠Policies, directives, and guidelines. State and local agencies may adopt specific policies, directives, or guidelines that are directly or indirectly related to access management. Every state transportation agency and local government has statutory authority to control high- way design and operations to protect public safety, health, and welfare. State agencies may establish formal policies, directives, and guidelines. A local agency may establish policies by resolution or in its comprehensive plan. Access management issues are sometimes addressed through guidelines without specific legislative
9Implementing Mechanism Implementing Agency Authorityâenabled through statute, administrative rules, transportation board or commission action, and ordinance General police forces. State and local agencies. Statute addressing access control. State legislatures. Administrative code. State and local agencies. Driveway permitting standards and processes. State and local agencies. Development review and permitting requirements. State legislatures and local elected officials. Land use and related ordinances. Local elected officials enact ordinance. State legislatures enact enabling authority for local governments. Site plan review and permitting requirements. Local elected officials set policy and, where required, enact ordinances specifying requirements. State legislatures enact enabling authority. Agency policyâenabled through delegated authority and management policymaking authority Access classification systems/plans. State, MPO, and local planning agencies. System and corridor plans that specify level and/or location of access. State, MPO, and local planning agencies. Coordinated transportation/land use corridor and area-wide planning approaches that specify levels of access. State, MPO, and local planning agencies. Design standards and guidelines addressing access management. State and local agencies. Access management advocacy and technical assistance programs Organizational unit and/or access management champion. All implementing agencies. Internal training, communications, and assistance to ensure understanding of policies and standards. All implementing agencies. Advocacy, communications, and outreach regarding benefits of access management. All implementing agencies and providers of technical assistance such as the Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Institute, and Technology Transfer centers. Technical support and advocacy to local jurisdictions to support access management through land development regulations and development review. State agencies, MPOs, and regional planning agencies. EXHIBIT 2-1 Access Management Implementing Mechanisms (continued on next page)
authority and without the mandatory status and enforce- ability of regulations. ⢠Land development regulations. Local governments usu- ally address highway access management under their land use, development review, and permitting functions. In this way, local governments exercise their police powers to protect the safety, health, and welfare of the highway user. In addition to access management and driveway design requirements, local agencies establish a variety of land development regulations that affect access. Zoning regu- lations address lot dimensions and coverage, landscaping, parking, site circulation, development density, and the allowable use of the land. âCorridor overlay districtsâ are sometimes used to establish access requirements for a spe- cific roadway corridor. In addition, subdivision regula- tions that govern the division of land into lots, blocks, and public ways can help ensure proper street layout for exist- ing or planned roadways. State agencies rarely have the power to regulate land development. ⢠Geometric design. Elements such as medians, median openings, auxiliary lanes, driveway design, intersection channelization, frontage roads, and grade separations are 10 used to help manage access. Design standards for these elements are set forth in state or local design manuals. Design standards are especially important for situations in which there is no comprehensive access code. In such cases, the design elements may be keyed to the road clas- sification system to achieve access management. ⢠Development review and impact assessment. Access management is addressed in the site review stage fol- lowing a developerâs request for an access or connection permit. This may be accomplished through the access permitting process of state transportation agencies or through the subdivision or site plan review process of local agencies. Traffic impact studies are usually required for larger developments. When state or local access codes are in effect, these play an important role in deciding if, where, and how site access may be provided. IMPLEMENTING AUTHORITY State and local agencies gain implementing authority for access management through their general police powers to protect public safety, health, and welfare and through emi- Management accountability for consistent implementation of policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines Management oversight to ensure consistent implementation of standards and policies. State and local agencies. Implementation of performance measurement (e.g., to track the number of variances approved). State and local agencies. Project programming related to access management Dedicated funding program for acquisition of access rights and/or corridor preservation. All agencies. Access management projects addressed in programming process. All agencies. Accomplishment of access management objectives and criteria in programming and project prioritization. All agencies. Project development Project scoping addresses access management policies, standards, and objectives. State, MPO, and local agencies. Project design addresses access management objectives. State, MPO, and local agencies. Access management retrofit during reconstruction projects. State and local agencies. Implementing Mechanism Implementing Agency EXHIBIT 2-1 (Continued)
nent domainâthe authority to acquire rights-of-way and private property for public use. In addition, transportation agencies are granted the authority under state transportation laws to manage all aspects of roadway design and operation to protect public health, safety, and welfare. Because the extent and nature of governmentâs authority to regulate access and land development varies considerably from state to state, the use of implementing mechanisms for access management will vary from state to state. Despite the differences among the states, all state and local agencies working together can develop and administer access management programs. In summary, these agencies can do the following: ⢠Implement new codes, ordinances, procedures, standards, and guidelines or update existing ones. 11 ⢠Provide educational materials and public informational activities describing the principles, features, and benefits of access management. ⢠Develop transportation plans that directly address access management. ⢠Prepare land use plans and land development regulations that support access management. ⢠Address access management as part of the development review and permitting process. ⢠Allocate resources and provide funding to accomplish access management. The planning process can provide a mechanism to estab- lish the implementing authority, organizational direction, and facility-specific plans to accomplish all the activities listed above.
