An Evaluation of the Speed Limit Setting Procedure and Tool for Utah
Publication: International Conference on Transportation and Development 2023
ABSTRACT
In 2021, the Speed Limit Setting Procedure (SLS-Procedure) and Speed Limit Setting Tool (SLS-Tool) were developed as part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 17-76. The SLS-Procedure and SLS-Tool emphasize the importance of context sensitivity during the speed limit suggestion process. To evaluate the potential for implementation on Utah roads, the research team analyzed 29 locations that were divided into 66 uniform segments that could be individually analyzed with the SLS-Tool. Then, the suggested speed limits that resulted from the SLS-Tool were compared to the recommendations from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) speed studies. The tool suggested using the 50th percentile speed in 54% of segments due to various roadway conditions resulting in a lower speed limit for 23% of segments. This resource can aid an analyst in complying with state guidelines on when to depart from the standard 85th percentile speed requirement.
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Published online: Jun 13, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Comparative studies
- Construction engineering
- Construction management
- Engineering fundamentals
- Highway and road conditions
- Highway and road management
- Highway transportation
- Highways and roads
- Infrastructure
- Methodology (by type)
- Project management
- Research methods (by type)
- Transportation engineering
- Transportation management
- Transportation studies
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