7.1.6 Travel Lane Width and Number of Lanes
Travel lane widths may vary from 10 to 12-ft depending on the context classification of the facility and anticipated target speed.
12-ft travel lanes are recommended on all roadways that are part of the Texas Highway Freight Network (THFN).
The number of lanes required to accommodate the anticipated traffic in the design year is determined by the level of service evaluation as discussed in the
.
The typical range of lanes for arterials is two to four travel lanes in each direction.
7.1.6.1 Rural
Due to the high speeds associated with rural arterials,
lane widths must be designed to 12-ft.
7.1.6.2 Rural Town
Rural town arterials should provide 12-ft lanes due to the agricultural vehicles and trucks that will drive on these types of facilities. 11-ft lanes may be used in restrictive Right of Way (ROW) conditions.
Lane widths may be reduced to 10-ft in highly constrained areas where both of the following conditions are present:
- Truck and bus volumes are low (less than 5%); and
- The anticipated operating speed is less than or equal to 40 mph.
Engineering judgement must be exercised when determining if a 10-ft lane width is acceptable.
Use of 10-ft travel lanes must be approved by the District and approval documented in the project file.
7.1.6.3 Suburban, Urban and Urban Core
Suburban, urban, and urban core arterials will commonly use 11-ft lanes on facilities with lower target speeds as a traffic calming measure (i.e., 45 mph or less). If the anticipated target speed is 50 mph or greater and/or truck volumes are significant (>10%), 12-ft lanes should be used.
Lane widths may be reduced to 10-ft if the conditions described in
are met.