Highway Access Management

General
An “access connection” is a facility for entry or exit such as a driveway, street, road or highway that connects to the highways under the jurisdiction of a public entity. “Access control” is the enforcement of specified authorization rules based on positive identification of the users and the systems they are permitted to access. Access management must be considered during the design of transportation projects on the state or national highway systems.
Proper access management assists in protecting the substantial public investment in transportation by preserving roadway efficiency and enhancing traffic safety, thus reducing the need for expensive improvements. Access management can also significantly reduce traffic accidents, personal injury and property damage. TxDOT policy and procedures for managing access to the state highway system is contained in TxDOT’s
Access Management Manual
. Additional information may be found in TxDOT’s
Roadway Design Manual
.
Federal Requirements
  1. 23 U.S.C. §111
    – Prohibits states from allowing additional access points to the interstate system without the prior approval of the Secretary of Transportation.
    FHWA’s interstate access policy
    may be found on FHWA’s website.
  2. Other than specifying design criteria for federally funded projects, there are no specific regulations addressing access management. However, FHWA assumes a role to encourage and advance the development of state and local access management policies, guidelines and procedures for the management of facilities, and integrate these into established planning, policy and design processes.
State Requirements
  1. 43 TAC, Chapter 11, Subchapter C
    – Provides for approval of access connections to state highways. Includes granting authority to municipalities to develop and use their own access management plan.
  2. 43 TAC §§5.59
    ,
    15.56
    ,
    26.33
    and
    27.56
    – Requires projects to be designed in accordance with TxDOT manuals, procedures, standards and guidelines. For RMA, toll and pass-through financed projects, preliminary design information must be sent to TxDOT for review and approval when the design is approximately 30 percent complete.
Required Practices
The
LGPM Guide
describes the required process and procedures and defines LG and TXDOT responsibilities for highway access management.