EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF CITIES' GEOMETRIC DESIGN STANDARDS
Are cities employing state-of-the-practice street design standards? An evaluation of the street design standards used by medium-size and large cities in Oklahoma is presented. The researchers asked city staff in 19 cities to send their various geometric design and subdivision standards, and staff in 12 of those cities responded. The researchers evaluated stopping sight distance, horizontal curvature, gradient, street section width, and intersection radius standards. The standards evaluated were those intended for new developments or streets. The researchers established "recommended" design practices by referring to nationally recognized publications. The standards of each city were compared with the recommended practices to determine the adequacy of the city design standards, and the city standards were evaluated on the basis of a system devised by the researchers. The evaluation results indicated that the 12 cities had good gradient standards. Turning radius standards were generally adequate, and the adequacy of stopping sight distance standards was mixed. The standards for centerline radius and for arterial street section widths were often inadequate. The need to improve the quality of street design standards at the local level was also discussed by the researchers. The 1991 federal transportation bill (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) mandates a review of state standards for highways that receive federal aid; it is suggested that an outside review of city design standards may be needed.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309060516
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1445, Cross Section and Alinement Design Issues. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
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Authors:
- Gattis, J L
- Kalyanapuram, M V
- Publication Date: 1994
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: References; Tables;
- Pagination: p. 138-147
- Monograph Title: Cross section and alinement design issues
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Serial:
- Transportation Research Record
- Issue Number: 1445
- Publisher: Transportation Research Board
- ISSN: 0361-1981
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Curvature; Design standards; Evaluation; Geometric design; Highway design; Intersections; Large cities; Medium sized cities; Pavements; Quality control; Slopes; Stopping sight distance; Streets; Turning radius; Width
- Uncontrolled Terms: Horizontal curvature; Quality; Street design
- Geographic Terms: Oklahoma
- Old TRIS Terms: Gradients; Pavement width
- Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00675340
- Record Type: Publication
- ISBN: 0309060516
- Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Mar 20 1995 12:00AM