33.1-198.1 - Comprehensive highway access management standards. - Virginia Statutes

§ 33.1-198.1. Comprehensive highway access management standards.

A. Comprehensive highway access management standards are defined as acoordinated set of state standards and guidelines that allow the Commonwealthand its localities to manage access to the systems of state highwaysaccording to their federal functional classification or operationalcharacteristics through the control of and improvements to the location,number, spacing, and design of entrances, median openings, turn lanes, streetintersections, traffic signals, and interchanges.

B. The General Assembly declares it to be in the public interest thatcomprehensive highway access management standards be developed andimplemented to enhance the operation and safety of the systems of statehighways in order to protect the public health, safety, and general welfarewhile ensuring that private property is entitled to reasonable access to thesystems of state highways. The goals of the comprehensive highway accessmanagement standards are:

1. To reduce traffic congestion and impacts to the level of service ofhighways, leading to reduced fuel consumption and air pollution;

2. To enhance public safety by decreasing traffic crash rates;

3. To support economic development in the Commonwealth by promoting theefficient movement of people and goods;

4. To reduce the need for new highways and road widening by improving theperformance of the existing systems of state highways; and

5. To preserve public investment in new highways by maximizing theirperformance.

C. The Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner shall develop and implementcomprehensive highway access management standards for managing access to andpreserving and improving the efficient operation of the state systems ofhighways. The comprehensive highway access management standards shall includebut not be limited to standards and guidelines for the location, number,spacing, and design of entrances, median openings, turn lanes, streetintersections, traffic signals, and interchanges.

Nothing in such standards shall preempt the authority of a local governmentto regulate the type or density of land uses abutting the state system ofhighways.

(2007, cc. 863, 928.)