Chapter 2: Access Management Standards
Anchor: #BGBEFAAHSection 1: Application of Access Standards
This chapter describes the Department's access management standards for access connections on the state highway system. The standards in the following sections are designed to preserve highway safety and to assure that each highway's importance to statewide mobility will be considered when evaluating requests for access to a roadway under the jurisdiction of TxDOT. The number, location, spacing, design, and construction of access connections have a direct and often significant effect on the safety and operation of the highway. The standards are necessary to enable the highway to continue to function efficiently and safely in the future, while at the same time providing reasonable access to development. To the extent any provision in this chapter conflicts with 43 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 11, Subchapter C Access Connections To State Highways, the rules in Subchapter C shall control.
The access management standards in the following sections are intended for application to state highways where municipalities have not been granted location permitting authority (as described in Chapter 3, Section 1).
In areas where local access management guidelines or plans are not in place, municipalities, prior to the approval of new developments, should contact TxDOT with respect to any state highway access that will be provided. This will enable the Department to identify any problems with the proposed access and to suggest alternatives. Early state and local coordination will also help reduce unnecessary delays in the access permitting process.
Median treatments and other design of median openings play a critical role in the operation and safety of roadways. These design requirements are not addressed in this manual. Median design and minimum median opening spacing requirements can be found in the TxDOT Roadway Design Manual, Chapters 2 and 3.