Trees and Highway Safety

To minimize the severity of run-off-road collisions of vehicles with trees, departments of transportation (DOTs) commonly establish clear zones for trees and other fixed objects. The California Department of Transportation's clear zone on freeways is 30 feet (40 feet preferred) from the edge of travel way to a fixed object. These standards are based on studies that are decades old and on roadways with traffic volumes and speeds that are significantly lower than today’s California freeways. This Preliminary Investigation examines the safety of trees on controlled access freeways and conventional highways. It provides guidance on the safety of using trees and other fixed objects and examples of mitigation measures being used to reduce the severity of roadside tree collisions.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Media Type: Web
  • Features: Tables;
  • Pagination: 25p

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01352229
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
  • Files: CALTRANS, TRIS, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Sep 21 2011 7:13AM