0.3 Intended Use and Limitations

This manual is intended to guide scoping, conducting, and reporting traffic and safety analyses for projects. It is recommended that the guidance provided be used by TxDOT personnel, local agencies, consultants, and contractors working on “On-System” projects. This manual was developed using the following resources as references:
  • The
    Highway Capacity Manual
     (HCM) by the TRB (see
    Appendix A, Section 1 – External References [Reference 1]
    )
  • The
    Highway Safety Manual
     (HSM) by AASHTO (see
    Appendix A, Section 1 – External References [Reference 2]
    )
  • The
    Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Traffic Analysis Toolboxes
     (see
    Appendix A, Section 1 – External References [Reference 3]
    )
  • The
    Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
     (TMUTCD) (see
    Appendix A, Section 1 – External References [Reference 4]
    )
  • Other documents developed by State Departments of Transportation and research institutions
This document is not a standalone manual. It does not include design standards and cannot be considered a substitute for engineering judgment. As a result, it is recommended these reference manuals and documents be referred to for detail. The tables from the HCM are credited to the Transportation Research Board, Highway Capacity Manual 7th Edition: A Guide for Multimodal Mobility Analysis (2022). They are reproduced with permission from the National Academy of Sciences, Courtesy of the National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.
The software programs stated in this manual are based on proven industry use and typical application of each program. They are for reference purposes only as examples of software programs to use. This manual does not advocate any specific software program.