General Guidelines for Shoulders and Approaches

Shoulders are the portions of the roadway adjacent to the travelway that are used for the following purposes:
  • accommodation of stopped vehicles
  • emergency use
  • lateral support of base and surface courses.
Efforts should be made to maintain a smooth transition between the travelway and the shoulder. When a shoulder drop-off is objectionable, corrective action should be taken as soon as possible. When a shoulder drop-off condition presents a danger to the traveling public, corrective action should be taken as soon as possible.