Erie County Engineer's Office
Access Management Manual
Effective: April 30, 2006
Chapter One
PURPOSE; JURISDICTION; DEFINITIONS
101
TITLE These regulations, rules, procedures, and
standards shall officially be known as the “Access
Management Manual of Erie County, Ohio” and shall be
referred to hereafter as “this Manual.”
102 - AUTHORITY This Manual derives authority from the powers
granted Erie County, Ohio, by Ohio Revised Code §5552.
103 - POLICY 103.1 It is declared to be the policy of
Erie County to consider the management of access to County
and Township roadways subject to the control of the County
and Township in order to ensure preservation and promotion
of the safety, capacity, efficiency, and proper flow of
traffic. 103.2 Access connections to County and
Township roadways should not attempt to cause a decrease in
traffic efficiency, safety, capacity, or otherwise be
detrimental to the continued, safe operations of roadway
facilities.
104 - PURPOSE 104.1 This Manual establishes procedures
and standards to promote traffic safety, efficiency, and
capacity, and maintain proper traffic flow of both County
and Township roadway systems. These roadway systems form an
integral part of the local and intraregional transportation
network, interconnecting all areas of Erie County and
providing access to state and interstate routes. The
governing agencies of Erie County have a public-trust
responsibility to preserve, maintain, and protect these
roadways and the public investment in them. 104.2
The failure to effectively manage access is a leading cause
of accidents, decline in operating speed, and reduction in
traffic carrying capacity. The uncontrolled proliferation of
poorly located, inadequately designed, and closely spaced
driveways, intersections, and traffic signals can adversely
affect a roadway’s ability to accommodate traffic and
provide convenient access. Ineffective access
management may also result in unsightly commercial strip
development, degradation of scenic landscapes, increases in
cut-through traffic in residential areas, and increased
vehicle fuel consumption and emissions. 104.3
Correcting the problems that may result from ineffective
access management practice often requires significant
expenditure of public funds to widen roadways, reconstruct
intersections, and provide additional safety and capacity
improvements. These remedial measures are increasingly
prohibitive in terms of environmental, social, and economic
costs. Moreover, without effective access management,
benefits are often short-term and temporary. 104.4
County-wide implementation of access management ensures
equitable, uniform, consistent, and systematic application
of standards. It prolongs the service life of County and
Township roadway facilities, thereby reducing public costs
to maintain an effective local roadway system. Access
management maintains and improves accessibility to business,
commercial, and residential development, while discouraging
undesirable, congested development that diminishes property
values and degrades the character and quality of life of the
community. Access management preserves and protects the
traffic mobility essential to economic and social well being
of the County while providing access as necessary in the
interest of public and private transportation needs and as
compatible with public health and safety. 104.5
Except in cases of purchases or appropriation of access
rights, nothing in this Manual shall deny a property owner
the right to reasonable access to the general, public street
system.
105 - APPLICABILITY This Manual shall apply only to those
access connections under the jurisdiction of Section 106 and
constructed on or after the effective date of adoption of
this Manual, except as provided for in Section 210.
106 - JURISDICTION 106.1 This Manual shall be
applicable to all access connections in the unincorporated
areas of the County on the system of County roadways as set
forth in Ohio Revised Code §5541 and the system of Township
roadways as set forth in Ohio Revised Code §5571. 106.2
This Manual shall be applicable to all subdivisions of
land subject to approval without plat per Ohio Revised Code
§711.131, and to any parcels of property not subject to the
regulations of Ohio Revised Code §711. 106.3 This
Manual shall not be applicable to subdivisions subject to
plat approval under Ohio Revised Code §711.05 or §711.10,
except as specifically provided for in the current edition
of the Subdivision Regulations of Erie County, Ohio.
106.4 This Manual shall not be construed as waiving,
annulling, or abrogating the rights of Erie County or the
respective Townships to restrict, alter, eliminate, and/or
modify turning movements and traffic patterns at
intersections under their jurisdiction, as necessary to
improve, preserve, and maintain the safety and efficiency of
traffic flows, and the capacity of the roadway network.
106.5 This Manual shall not be construed as waiving,
annulling, or abrogating the rights of the Ohio Department
of Transportation to regulate and manage access to the
system of state highways established by Ohio Revised Code
§5511.
107 - SEVERABILITY If for any reason any clause, provision,
section, or portion of this Manual shall be held invalid or
unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such
decision shall affect neither the validity of this Manual
nor any part thereof, other than the part so held to be
invalid.
108 - PREVAILING UNITS The units of measure for use with this
Manual shall be inch-pound
(U.S. Customary) units.
109 - AMENDMENT This Manual shall be amended as necessary so
that the regulations and standards contained herein retain
their relevance, practicality, and applicability. This
Manual may also be amended as necessary to provide special
or additional regulations for corridors, congested areas,
high-accident areas, or other areas of traffic safety
concern. Amendments shall not conflict with the policy and
purpose of this Manual as specified in Sections 103 and 104.
109.1 Request for Amendment. All requests for
amendment shall be submitted in writing to the County
Engineer or the Erie Regional Planning Commission (ERPC).
The request shall indicate the proposed section(s) of this
Manual to be amended, the proposed text of the amendment,
and the reason(s) for the proposed amendment. 109.2
Requests Received by the County Engineer. The County
Engineer shall review the request for amendment and make
recommendations regarding its adoption. Such recommendations
shall consider the potential traffic, safety, and other
effects of said amendment. Within 60 calendar days after
receiving a request to amend this Manual, the County
Engineer shall forward said request, along with his or her
recommendations, to the Erie County Commissioners for action
specified in Section 109.4. 109.3 Requests Received
by ERPC. Upon receipt of the request for amendment, ERPC
shall forward the request to the Technical Advisory
Committee (TAC). The TAC shall review and make
recommendations regarding the request. ERPC shall, at a
regularly scheduled or special meeting, consider the request
and the TAC recommendations. Upon the adoption of a
resolution supporting the request for amendment, ERPC shall
forward the request, resolution, and all recommendations to
the County Engineer. The County Engineer shall treat the
request in accordance with Section 109.2. 109.4
Procedure for Adoption. Upon receipt of both the request for
amendment and the County Engineer’s recommendations, the
County Commissioners shall proceed in accordance with the
requirements of Ohio Revised Code §5552.06. However, if in
the opinion of the County Engineer or the County
Commissioners, the request for amendment will result in
major, significant, or substantial changes to this Manual,
the County Commissioners shall initiate proceedings to
re-adopt this entire Manual, with proposed amendments, in
accordance with Ohio Revised Code §5552.04.
110 - ENACTMENT This Manual shall become effective on April
30, 2006; this date shall be thenceforth known as the
effective date of adoption of this Manual. This Manual shall
in no way affect access points in which construction has
begun prior to this date, except as specifically provided
for in this Manual.
111 - REFERENCES AND RESOURCES The standards and
specifications applied in this Manual are based in part on
the following standard, engineering references. The citation
of standard, engineering reference works always refers to
the latest publication or edition of the work.
A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets,
American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials, Washington, D.C. Traffic Engineering Handbook,
Institute of Transportation
Engineers, Washington D.C. Ohio Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices,
(MUTCD),
Ohio Department of Transportation, Columbus, Ohio. Location and Design Manual, Ohio Department of
Transportation,
Columbus, Ohio. Construction and Material Specifications, Ohio Department of
Transportation, Columbus, Ohio. Standard Construction Drawings, Ohio Department of
Transportation, Columbus, Ohio. Pavement Design and Rehabilitation Manual, Ohio Department
of Transportation, Columbus, Ohio. State Highway Access Management Manual, Ohio Department
of Transportation, Columbus, Ohio. Trip Generation, Institute of Transportation Engineers,
Washington, D.C. Roadside Design Guide, American Association of State Highway
and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C. Guidelines for Geometric Design of Very Low-Volume Local
Roads
(ADT ≤ 400) American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C. Highway Capacity Manual, Transportation Research Board,
Washington, D.C. Subdivision Regulations of Erie County, Ohio, Erie Regional
Planning Commission, Sandusky, Ohio. Erie County Storm Water and Erosion Control Manual, Erie
County Engineer’s Office, Sandusky, Ohio.
112 - DEFINITIONS 112.1 Meaning of “Shall,”
“Should,” and “May” Shall indicates a mandatory
requirement. Procedures and items described with “shall”
indicate the requirement must be met. Should
indicates a recommended requirement. Procedures and items
described with “should” indicate the requirement is
recommended and advisable, but not mandatory. May
indicates a permissive requirement. Procedures and items
described with “may” indicate that no requirement is
intended. 112.2 Other Definitions
These definitions are provided and adopted to explain
technical words, phrases, and abbreviations used in this
Manual.
Access and access connection mean any driveway or
other point of entry and/or exit such as a street, road or
roadway that connects to the general street system. Where
two public roadways intersect, the roadway with the lesser
access category shall be considered the access.
Access category means any of the six categories
described in Section 300 of this Manual. Access
management plan means any plan that designates access
locations and their design for the purpose of improving
those portions of roadway included in the access management
plan to ensure its conformance to the standards established
for its respective access category. Access operation
means the utilization of an access for its intended purpose,
and includes all consequences or characteristics of that
process, including access volumes, type of access traffic,
access safety, time of the access activity, and the effect
of such access on the state roadway system. ADT
means the annual average two-way daily traffic volume. It
represents the total traffic for the year, divided by
365.25. For purposes of this Manual, references to “AADT” in
other resources and publications shall be considered
synonymous with “ADT”. Applicant means any person,
corporation, entity or agency applying for an access permit.
Application means an application, including all
documentation required by this Manual, for an access permit.
Auxiliary lane means any additional special purpose
lane such as a turn lane. Business day means Monday
through Friday, inclusive, but excluding weekends and legal
holidays. Capacity means the ability of the roadway
to provide service to the volume of vehicles seeking to use
the roadway. Capacity is generally considered the maximum
traffic volume that can be accommodated by a roadway during
a specified time. Channelizing island means a
defined area between traffic lanes for the physical
separation and control of vehicle movements. Clear zone
means the total roadside border area, bounded by the
edge of the traveled way, available for safe use by errant
vehicles. The desired width depends upon roadway traffic
volumes, vehicle speeds, and roadside geometry. County
means Erie County, Ohio. County Commissioners means
the duly elected county commissioners of Erie County, Ohio.
County Engineer means the duly elected county
engineer of Erie County, Ohio, or his/her authorized
representative. Deceleration lane means a
speed-change lane, including tapered areas, enabling a
vehicle to leave the main stream of faster moving traffic
and slow to a safe turning speed prior to exiting roadway.
Design hour traffic volume, design hour volume, and DHV
mean the hourly traffic volume used in the geometric design
of roadways. The DHV is the 30th highest hour vehicular
volume experienced in a one-year period. Design speed
means the posted roadway speed limit plus 5 MPH.
Divided roadway means a roadway with physically
separated lanes for traffic traveling in opposite
directions, such separation being indicated by depressed
dividing strips, raised curbing, traffic islands, or other
physical barriers preventing or discouraging vehicular
crossover traffic. Driveway and private road mean
every access connection in private ownership used for
vehicular travel by the owner and those having the express
or implied permission from the owner, but not by other
persons. Driveway spacing and access connection spacing
mean the desired distance between adjacent driveways on
the side of the roadway, as measured from centerline to
centerline, considered necessary for the safe ingress and
egress of vehicles and the safe operation of the roadway at
its posted speed. Erie Regional Planning Commission (ERPC)
means the legislative body created under Ohio Revised Code
§713.21, including all committees and subcommittees
established by ERPC, and responsible for administering the
planning and development processes of Erie County.
Frontage road means a public roadway auxiliary to and
normally alongside and parallel to the main roadway,
constructed for the purposes of maintaining local road
continuity and controlling of direct access to the main
roadway. Functional classification means a
classification system that defines a public roadway
according to its purposes and hierarchy in the local or
statewide roadway system. The Federal-Aid Roadway Act of
1973 required the use of functional classification to update
and modify Federal-aid roadway systems. This
legislative requirement is still in effect today. Functional
classification is the grouping of roadways into integrated
systems; each ranked by their importance to the general
welfare, the motorist, and adjacent landuse structure. The
access categories used in this Manual are identical to the
functional classification categories, but with modified
definitions. Gradient and grade mean the rate or
percent change in slope, either ascending or descending from
or along the roadway. It is measured along the centerline of
the roadway or access. Intersection means (1) the
area embraced within the prolongation or connection of the
lateral curb lines, or, if none, then the lateral boundary
lines of two roadways which join one another at, or
approximately at, right angles, or the area within which
vehicles traveling upon different roadways joining at any
other angle may come in conflict; (2) where a divided
roadway includes lanes for directional travel thirty feet or
more apart, then every crossing of the directional lanes of
such divided roadway by another intersecting roadway shall
be regarded as a separate intersection. If the intersecting
roadway is also a divided roadway with lanes for directional
travel thirty feet or more apart, then every crossing of the
directional lanes of such roadways shall be regarded as a
separate intersection. Intersection sight distance (ISD)
means the distance at which a motorist attempting to enter
or cross a roadway should be able to observe traffic in
order to safely make his/her desired movement. Lane
means the portion of a roadway intended for the movement of
a single line of vehicles. It does not include the gutter or
shoulder of the roadway. Level of service (LOS)
means the qualitative measure describing a range of traffic
operating conditions as defined and described in the Highway
Capacity Manual. LOS typically describes operating
conditions in terms of speed, travel time, traffic
interruptions, and maneuvering freedom, through the use of a
letter grading system (similar to school report cards)
ranging from A (ideal operating
conditions) to F (poor operating conditions). Median
means that portion of a roadway separating opposing traffic
flows. Median island means a curbed island within a
driveway or access connection that physically separates
egress traffic from ingress traffic. MPH means a
rate of speed measured in statute miles per hour. MPO
means the Metropolitan Planning Organization administered by
the Erie Regional Planning Commission of Erie County, Ohio.
OMUTCD means the Ohio Manual of Uniform Traffic
Control Devices. Peak hour volume (PHV) means the
highest traffic volume in 60 consecutive minutes in one (or
both) of the two traditional peak periods of traffic,
generally the morning period from 7 AM to 9 AM and/or the
evening period from 4 PM to 6 PM. This volume is generally
based on 60-minute, 30-minute, or 15-minute periods.
Peak hour means the specific interval of time in which
the peak hour volume occurs. Permit means an
approved access permit issued by the County Engineer.
Permit issue date and date of issue mean the date when
the County Engineer signs the permit. Permittee
means any person, unit of government, public agency or any
other entity that can own property, to whom an approved
access permit is issued. The permittee, normally the
property owner served by the access connection, is
responsible for fulfilling all the terms and conditions of
the permit. Person means every person, firm,
co-partnership, association, or corporation. Potential
for signalization means an access connection that has
the potential to meet any of the traffic signal warrants as
defined by the OMUTCD. Reasonable access means the
minimum number of access connections necessary to minimize
delay, provide adequate level of service, capacity, and
preserve roadway safety, in accordance with the requirements
of this Manual. Relocate means to remove and
establish in a new place, and may include the elimination of
or the merging of non-conforming access with other existing
access connections to ensure such access conforms to the
provisions of this Manual. Right-of-way means land,
property, or the interest therein, usually as a strip
acquired for or devoted to transportation purposes.
When used in this context, right-of-way includes the
roadway, shoulders, ditches, and slopes extending to and
within the right-of-way limits under the control of the
state, county, or township. Roadside means the area
between the outside shoulder edge and the right-of-way
limits. Roadway, road, and street mean (1) the
entire width between the boundary lines of every way open to
the use of the public as a thoroughfare for purposes of
vehicular travel; (2) that portion of a right-of-way
improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel,
excluding the shoulder, curb, and gutter. Roadway
network means the interconnecting network of city
streets, county roadways, township roadways, and state
roadways in an area. Signal and traffic signal mean
a traffic control signal. Signalization means
installing or modifying a traffic control signal.
Signal progression means the progressive movement of
traffic platoons through adjacent signalized locations
within a traffic control system at a planned rate of speed
and without stopping. Slope means the relative
steepness of the terrain expressed as a ratio or percentage.
Slopes may be categorized as positive or negative and as
parallel (longitudinal) or cross (transverse) in relation to
the direction of traffic. State means the State of
Ohio. Stopping sight distance (SSD) means the
distance required by a vehicle driver, traveling at a given
speed, to bring the vehicle safely to a stop after an object
on the roadway becomes visible. It includes the distance
traveled during the driver’s PIEV (perception,
identification, emotion, volition) time and the actual
vehicle braking distance. Storage length means
additional length added to a deceleration lane to store the
maximum number of vehicles likely to accumulate in the lane
during the peak hour, and to prevent stored vehicles from
interfering with the function of the deceleration lane or
the adjacent through travel lanes. Taper means a
transitional area of decreasing or increasing usable
pavement width to permit the formation or elimination of an
auxiliary lane. Township Trustees and Trustees mean
the elected board of trustees, or the board’s authorized
agent, of the township in which the access connection under
consideration is located. Traffic impact study (TIS)
means a study that is used to determine more precisely the
impacts of a proposed access usage and proposes measures to
mitigate those impacts and to ensure the continued
functional and operational integrity of the roadway.
Traveled way means the same as roadway (2). Trip
end and trip mean a single or one-direction vehicle
movement with either the origin or the destination inside an
analysis area. For example, a vehicle leaving the roadway
and entering a property is one trip end; the same vehicle
later leaving the property and reentering the roadway is
another trip end. Variance means a granting of
permission to depart from the standards and requirements of
this Manual due to unique conditions or circumstances when a
literal enforcement of this Manual would result in
unnecessary hardship and when such a variance is not
contrary to the public interest. Warrant(s) means
the criteria by which the need for an improvement is
determined. |
