Arterial shoulder widths may vary from 4 to 10-ft depending on the context classification of the facility and anticipated target speed.

See for additional information on shoulders and shoulder surfacing requirements.

Outside shoulder widths on rural arterials should normally be 10-ft since they will typically have high operating speeds (60 mph or greater). In highly constrained situations, outside shoulder widths may be reduced to 8-ft.

Rural arterials on the Texas Highway Freight Network (THFN) should provide 10-ft minimum outside shoulders.

For two-lane rural arterials, shoulder widths may be reduced to 4-ft if future ADT volumes are less than 400 VPD.

A minimum of 4-ft shoulders must be used at locations adjacent to roadside barrier.

A minimum inside shoulder width of 4-ft must be provided for 4-lane divided rural arterials. On 6-lane or more divided arterials, 10-ft inside shoulders should be provided. The inside shoulder width may be reduced to 4-ft in constrained situations.

Suburban arterial shoulder widths can vary from 4 to 10-ft. It is preferred to have 8 to 10-ft shoulder widths on suburban roadways with high operating speeds (50 mph or greater).

Due to the higher speeds frequently associated with this context, shoulders are usually provided instead of curbs. See for additional information on curbs.

Rural town, urban, and urban core contexts will typically use curbs and maintain curb offsets instead of shoulders due to the lower operating speeds. See for curb offset requirements and additional information on curbs.

For uncurbed roadways, shoulder widths may vary from 4 to 10-ft.

Uncurbed arterials on the Texas Highway Freight Network (THFN) should provide at least 8 ft outside shoulders for these contexts.