- Published by: Florida Department of Transportation , URS
Freight Corridor and Subarea Study Guidelines, prepared by URS for the Florida Department of Transportation, District 7, (2009).
These guidelines provide conditions and criteria necessary to determine the level of analysis for evaluating freight issues when conducting a corridor or sub-area study. Many of the guidelines address access management and related considerations. Guidance is included on what to look for in field observations, data sources, and analysis methods. It references AASHTO Greenbook, ITE Transportation and Land Development, FDOT Driveway Information Guide, and FDOT Median Handbook. Strategies are provided to address identified issues and the appendix includes a decision tree for conducting a freight corridor study.
For example, items to look for in field observations of driveways and access features, include:
- Geometric issues, such as the ability to make a turn within the existing pavement without any special maneuvering required.
- Adequacy or inadequacy of gaps in traffic to allow trucks to make ingress or egress maneuvers.
- Sight distance issues for trucks or for conflicting vehicles, including:
- Obstructions in clear line of sight triangles at intersection, (unobstructed line of sight to the left and right);
- Vertical curvature that may inhibit visibility for trucks or conflicting vehicles;
- Horizontal curvature that may inhibit visibility for trucks or conflicting vehicles; and
- If the roadway is multi-lane, are trucks crossing the nearside travel lanes and waiting for gaps in farside traffic? Are they queuing in the median opening? If so, is the median opening width sufficient to allow queuing?
- For unsignalized conditions, are there conflicts within the median opening with other vehicles or other trucks?
- Note the presence of bicycle lanes on the roadway as well as marked and unmarked crosswalks. Is there adequate safety clearance for bicycles to operate in the presence of large trucks?
Do right turn movements endanger pedestrians waiting at a corner to cross the street?
Substandard access conditions that lead to hot spots (areas that reduce the effectiveness of regional goods movement) are also noted, including:
- Insufficient turning radii
- Insufficient turning lane storage
- Lack of or inadequate acceleration or deceleration lanes for truck traffic.
- Lack of median openings forcing truck to make U-turns at intersections.
- Excessive driveway openings.
- Road segments with merging or weaving problems