Clear Zone

The clear zone, or clear recovery area, is provided along highways to allow vehicles veering off the travel lane opportunity for safe recovery or stopping. The clear zone width (always measured from the edge of the travel lane) depends on several factors, including:
  • whether the surrounding area is rural or urban
  • the functional classification of the highway
  • the design speed
  • average daily traffic (ADT).
The contains a full discussion of the clear zone and provides the minimum and desirable widths for various roadways.
Light poles should be offset at least 2.5 feet from the curb face. All pole offset dimensions shown in this section are measured to the pole centerline.
The clear zone table from the
Roadway Design Manual
 is duplicated in Chapter 10 of this manual.