The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is proposing revisions to current program policies to encourage the design of lower-speed roads to be more in line with community and environmental needs. This represents the start of several proposed regulatory and program policy changes at the agency to allow more flexibility for state, city and county engineers in the design of highway projects. As a first step in the series of changes in the works, FHWA proposes to reduce the number of design criteria for highways designed for speeds of less than 50 miles per hour from 13 required elements to two required elements. On roads with design speeds of 50 mph or more that typically carry our nation’s freight and larger traffic volumes, the number of criteria would be reduced from 13 to 10.
– From FHWA flexibility press release 10-7-15
[Flexibility in Highway Design] encourages highway designers to expand their consideration in applying the Green Book criteria. It shows that having a process that is open, includes public involvement, and fosters creative thinking is an essential part of achieving good design. This Guide should be viewed as a useful tool to help highway designers, environmentalists, and the public move further along the path to sensitively designed highways and streets by identifying some possible approaches that fully consider aesthetic, historic, and scenic values, along with safety and mobility. It also recognizes that many designers have been sensitive to the protection of natural and human-made resources prior to ISTEA.
– From Flexibility in Highway Design (FHWA)
While FHWA-approved standards apply to all projects on the NHS, we encourage flexibility and a context-sensitive approach which considers the full range of project needs and the impacts to the community and natural and human environment. Design exceptions are a useful tool that may be employed to achieve a balance of project needs and community values. State DOT or local authorities must evaluate, approve, and document design exceptions. Approving any design exception is a Federal Action, which requires reviewing and documenting their potential environmental impacts.
– From FHWA’s Guidance on NHS Design Standards and Design Exceptions
