ABQ Streets Project: Creating Alternative Residential Street Designs

This research evaluates opportunities for retrofitting residential streets with alternative designs with the overall goal of improving their function, reducing their negative impacts and reducing maintenance costs. This is accomplished through three main research tasks. First, the authors conduct a comprehensive review of the street design literature with a focus on studies that report how alternative or unique designs that are relevant to the residential street context affect travel behavior, traffic flow, safety, crime and environmental impacts. The authors then survey residential streets in several study neighborhoods to measure typical design features and cross sections. With this information the authors then evaluate which alternative street designs could be used to retrofit typical Albuquerque residential streets within currently used right of way. For this subset of alternatives, the authors estimate the expected benefits and construction and maintenance costs using information from their literature review and the city’s unit construction cost data. Findings suggest that street lighting may provide significant benefits in terms of both traffic safety and crime reduction, while design alternatives using curb can realize considerable traffic safety benefits while keeping annual costs low. The complex woonerf design that combined multiple alternatives had the highest benefit-to-cost ratio. Pavement treatments including permeable asphalt and white asphalt sealant had costs that outweighed direct environmental benefits.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4270651
• Dataset URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4270653
• Dataset URL:
  • https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/transet_data/68/
• Record URL:
  • https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/transet_pubs/69/
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/58867
• Dataset URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/60288
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program. Supporting datasets available at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/transet_data/68/; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4270653
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET)

  Louisiana State University
  Baton Rouge, LA  United States  70803

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Rowangould, Gregory
  • 0000-0003-3315-5028
  • Ferenchak, Nick
  • 0000-0002-3766-9205
• Publication Date: 2020-8

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 64p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Benefit cost analysis; Curbs; Highway design; Literature reviews; Residential areas; Retrofitting; Street lighting
• Geographic Terms: Albuquerque (New Mexico)
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01765910
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19PPUNM01
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747106
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 25 2021 10:10AM