Access Control on Arterial Highways

Traffic service and land access are necessary but conflicting functions of a highway system. Observation of most urban and suburban arterial highways will show a process of sequential degradation of the traffic service function. In other words, each new driveway opening was allowed by the authorizing agency without due concern until the travel time, capacity, and safety of the highway were seriously degraded. The congested strip development is the typical result. Access control on arterial highways is comprised of those techniques that minimize the frequency and severity of traffic conflicts associated with driveways. Broadly, these include locational controls, geometric design standards, and traffic operational controls. This comprehensive approach is important because if the highway administrator wishes to preserve the functional integrity of the highway, he must identify and objectively compare all feasible and cost-effective access control alternatives.