1. County-wide Urban Transportation Design Standards
Board of Supervisors
Transportation Committee
May 8, 2012
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2. Purpose
The purpose is to develop a set of urban transportation design standards that can be utilized anywhere in the County, including it’s urban activity centers and revitalization areas.
VDOT’s current standards are primarily based on high-speed rural and suburban design.
The new standards are based on context-sensitive design that accommodate low-speed urban roadway design.
The new standards will create a flexible platform that focus on urban design elements, and allow for construction of “complete” streets that effectively accommodate all modes of transportation, including pedestrian, bicycle, and transit.
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3. Primary Reference Sources
Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan.
Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) recommended practice: Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach, 2010.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2004; low speed urban street design.
VDOT Access Management Design Standards for Entrances and Intersections.
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4. Background
In April 2010, the General Assembly of Virginia enacted HB 222 (Watts), “Design standards for state secondary highway system components” (presently codified at Va. Code Ann. Section , which required the Virginia Department of Transportation to work in conjunction with Fairfax County to develop new context sensitive, urban design standards for the county.
Design standards for Tysons Corner were developed by Fairfax County Department of Transportation, in partnership with other County agencies, and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)
On September 13, 2011, the Board adopted Transportation Design Standards and a Memorandum of Agreement with VDOT (MOA), for the Tysons Corner Urban Center.
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5. Background – Continued
VDOT’s flexibility and support in development of the standards and MOA was instrumental in their successful adoption.
County staff is now proposing a plan for expanding these standards county-wide, including the County’s urban activity centers and revitalization areas.
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6. County Comprehensive Plan Objectives
Objective 1 – Provide for both through and local movement of people and goods via a multi-modal transportation system that provides transportation choices, reduces single-occupancy-vehicle (SOV) use and improves air quality. (complete streets policy)
Objective 2 – Increase use of public transportation and non-motorized transportation. (complete streets policy)
Objective 3 – Ensure that the roadway system provides adequate local access and capacity for through movements, consistent with financial, social, and environmental constraints and with the County’s goal of reducing SOV use. (context sensitive design policy)
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7. County Comprehensive Plan Objectives
Objective 4 – Provide a comprehensive network of sidewalks, trails and bicycle routes as an integral element of the overall transportation network. (complete streets policy)
Objective 6 – Ensure that improvements to the transportation system are cost-effective and consistent with environmental, land use, social, and economic goals. (context sensitive design policy)
Objective 11 – Ensure that land use and transportation policies are complementary. (context sensitive design policy)
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8. Revitalization and Urban Activity Centers
Annandale
Huntington
McLean
Merrifield
Reston
Richmond Highway
Seven Corners and Baileys Crossroads
Springfield
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9. Recommended Process
Develop a County-wide set of Urban Transportation Design Standards (excluding Tysons Corner) that will be applicable within the County’s revitalization areas and urban activity centers, and adopt a County-wide Memorandum of Agreement with VDOT to implement the standards.
Develop applicability criteria, entailing land-use and density, that will establish specifically how and where the Design Standards can be applied within and around the County’s revitalization areas and urban activity centers.
The Design Standards would entail traffic engineering criteria that would be general enough to apply to all of the County’s urban activity centers and revitalization areas, and to other areas of the County that match the land-use and density applicability criteria.
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10. Recommended Process – Continued
The Design Standards would reference the County’s comprehensive plan and Comprehensive Plan overlays, or would include special appendices for specific information on sidewalk widths and landscape amenity panel requirements for different districts.
The Design Standards, where applicable, will reference or incorporate work already done within the County’s revitalization areas and urban activity centers.
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11. Recommended Public Outreach
The Design Standards are intended to support implementation of the Revitalization Area and Urban Activity Center plans, as well as to provide a framework for implementing urban street standards in other areas that demonstrate urban land-use characteristics.
No changes to the revitalization areas, urban activity centers, or the comprehensive plan are being recommended.
County staff proposes to hold community workshops in different areas of the county to discuss the draft transportation design standards, and receive comments from the public.
The outreach efforts will similarly follow, and improve upon the collaborative process that was used to build consensus on the Tysons Corner Design Standards.
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12. Recommended Public Outreach
Since the transportation design standards are county-wide, the meetings will be more broadly advertised and cover larger geographic regions of the County, as opposed to holding exclusive meetings for individual revitalization areas or urban centers.
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13. Elements of the Design Standards
Functional Classifications
Level of Service Standards
Design and Operating Speed
Access Management
Lane Widths and On-Street Parking
Median Islands and Turn Lanes
Horizontal Radius
Design Control Vehicles
Intersection Sight Distance
Multi-Modal Characteristics
Bicycle Facilities
Utility Placement
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14. Expected Timeframe
Based on experience from the adoption of the Tysons Corner Transportation Design Standards, but given the larger geographic area being covered and the opportunity for expanded public input, expectations are to have the standards adopted in about 12 to 18 months.
Develop Draft Design Standards.
Meet with VDOT to reach initial consensus.
Meet with community groups and accept public comment.
Refine the Design Standards.
Revisit the Design Standards with VDOT and the community groups, and through a collaborative process, build consensus on the final design criteria.
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15. Expected Timeframe
This timeframe could be longer, if there is substantial feedback and dialogue stemming from the general public, landowners, or community groups.
Comments from VDOT should be modest given the standards will mirror those already adopted for Tysons Corner.
VDOT has expressed an interest in seeing one set of urban design standards for Fairfax County. This will require a creative approach that allows for diversity within the County, without overly complicating the approval process.
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16. Revitalization Areas and Urban Activity Centers
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17. Annandale Revitalization Area
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18. Huntington Transit Station Area
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19. McLean Revitalization Area
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20. Merrifield Revitalization Area
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21. Reston Urban Activity Centers
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22. Richmond Highway Revitalization Areas
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23. Seven Corners and Baileys Crossroads Revitalization Areas
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24. Springfield Revitalization Area
Outside
Revitalization
Area
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25. Questions?
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26. Elements of the Standards
Appendix A
Elements of the Standards
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27. Functional Classifications
“Functional classification is the process by which streets and highways are grouped into classes, or systems, according to the character of service they are intended to provide.” (FHWA)
It is necessary to balance and blend three separate systems into one useable classification system:
Federal Classification system used by VDOT, including primary National Highway System (NHS) routes, and secondary routes;
Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan; and
ITE classifications based on context zone characteristics, and context sensitive solutions for designing urban thoroughfares.
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28. Recommended Functional Classifications
Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan Functional Classification
ITE Functional Classification
Federal Highway Function Classification
Principal Arterial
Low Speed Boulevard
Minor Arterial
Minor Arterial or Collector
Avenue
Collector
Collector or Local
N/A
Local Street
Local
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29. Example of Urban Arterial or Collector
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30. Example of Urban Arterial or Collector
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31. Example of Urban Local Street
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32. Example of Urban Local Street
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33. Roadway Level of Service
The Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan establishes a recommended overall Level of Service “D” (LOS).
This level is defined as “near capacity,” and is intended to proved a minimum and maximum vehicle flow rate, thereby maintaining a balance between vehicle progression and pedestrian walkability.
The FHWA requires that a LOS “D” be maintained to the maximum extent possible on National Highway System (NHS) routes.
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34. Level of Service Standards
Recommended Functional Classification
Level of Service Standards
Principal Arterial D
Minor Arterial
Collector
Local Street
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35. Tiered Approach to Level of Service
Analyze the problem areas not meeting the LOS standards;
Reanalyze and provide measurable TDM mitigation measures;
Evaluate additional grid links, including offsite grid links;
Consider temporary traffic mitigation measures;
Consider permanent traffic mitigation measures;
Phase the development;
Make adjustments to the land-use mix;
Provide financial contributions;
Evaluate other traffic mitigation measures;
Analyze through, left, or right-turn lane improvements; and
Evaluate other alternative criteria.
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36. Design and Operating Speed
Recommended Functional Classification
Number of Through Lanes
Design Speed
(mph)
Operating Speed
Principal Arterial
4-8 40 35
Minor Arterial
4-6
30-35
25-30
Collector
2-4
Local Street 2 25
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37. Access Management
“Access management means the systematic control of the location, spacing, design, and operation of entrances, median openings, traffic signals, and interchanges for the purpose of providing vehicular access to land development in a manner that preserves the safety and efficiency of the transportation system.” (VDOT)
VDOT’s current access management standards are more suitable for high speed rural and suburban design.
The proposed standards are for low speed urban design, allow for closer spacing of street intersections, and thereby permitting the development of a walkable “grid of streets.”
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38. Recommended Functional Classification Signalized Intersection Spacing
Access Management
Recommended Functional Classification
Access Management
Operational Analysis
Signalized Intersection Spacing
Unsignalized
Intersection Spacing
(full access)
(partial access)
Driveway Spacing
Principal Arterial
Moderate
Required
325’-660’
Restricted Access
Minor Arterial
Low
Discretionary
525’-660’
200’-660’
200’
Collector
425’-660’
155’-660’
155’
Local Street
Very Low
N/A
100’-660’
50’
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39. Roadway Design Criteria
Reduced 10 and 11 foot lanes are incorporated into the standards to create narrow, pedestrian scale streets, and slower vehicle speeds that are more conducive to pedestrian activity.
On-street parking is required on most streets to create a useable street frontage that serves street-level commercial retail, and to create side friction that reduces vehicles speeds.
Except as stipulated in the County’s Comprehensive Plan, or General Plan Overlays, raised median islands, and left-turn and right-turn lanes are discouraged in order to create narrow, pedestrian scale streets.
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40. Lane Widths and On-Street Parking
Recommended Functional Classification
Lane Width
On-Street Parking
On-Street Parking Width
Principal Arterial
11’
Restricted
N/A
Minor Arterial
10’-11’
Required 8’
Collector
Local Street
10’
7’-8’
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41. Median Islands and Turn Lanes
Recommended Functional Classification
Raised/Landscaped Median
Median Width
Left and Right Turn Lanes
Left and Right Turn Lane Widths
Principal Arterial
Required
16’-20’
Optional
11’
Minor Arterial
10’-11’
Collector
4’-8’
Local Street
N/A
10’
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42. Horizontal Radius Design Speed (mph) Minimum Radius (standard crown)
emax = 0.02
(superelevation) 20
107’
92’ 25
198’
183’ 30
333’
273’ 35
N/A
408’ 40
593’
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43. Design and Control Vehicles
Recommended Functional Classification
Principal Arterial
Minor Arterial
Collector
Local Street DV CV
WB-62
CITY-BUS
WB-50 SU P
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44. Intersection Sight Distance
Design Speed (mph)
Minimum Intersection Sight Distance
Road Gradient (percent slope)
-9%
-6%
-3%
Level
+3%
+6%
+9% 20
130’
120’
115’
110’
105’ 25
175’
165’
160’
155’
150’
145’
140’ 30
230’
215’
205’
200’
185’
180’ 35
290’
275’
260’
250’
240’
225’ 40
385’
(355’ SSD)
(335’ SSD)
(315’ SSD)
(305’ SSD)
(290’ SSD)
(280’ SSD)
(270’ SSD)
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45. Multi-Modal Characteristics
Recommended Functional Classification
Transit Service
Freight Movement
Principal Arterial
Express and Local
Regional and Local Truck Routes
Minor Arterial
Local
Local Deliveries
Collector
Local Street
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46. Pedestrian Facilities
Recommended Functional Classification
Streetscape Zone Width
Min/Max Building Zone Width
Minimum Sidewalk Width
Minimum Landscape Amenity Panel Width
Principal Arterial
Design Standards are per the County’s Comprehensive Plan,
and Comprehensive Plan Overlays
Minor Arterial
Collector
Local Street
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47. Streetscape Zone Diagram
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48. Bicycle Facilities Recommended Functional Classification Bicycle
Bike Lane Width Adjacent to Curb
Bike Lane Width Adjacent to
Right-Turn Lane
Bike Lane Width
Adjacent to
Parking Isle
Principal Arterial
N/A
Minor Arterial
On-Street Bike Lane 4’ 5’
5’-6’
Collector
Local Street
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49. Utility Placement Utility Location Streetscape Zone Curb Zone
Parking Isle
Travel Lane
Storm Drainage
Sanitary Sewer
Water
Natural Gas
Electrical
Telecommunications
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50. Appendix B
Context Land Use Zones
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51. Context Land Use Zones
A wide variety of factors create context in the urban environment:
Land use and zoning
Block length
Parking type and orientation
Building orientation and setback
Building height and thoroughfare enclosure
Building width
Building scale and variety
Building entries
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52. ITE Context Zone Characteristics
Natural Zone
C-1
Rural
C-2
Suburban
C-3
General Urban
C-4
Urban Center
C-5
Urban Core
C-6
(recommended)
Natural Landscape.
Agricultural with scattered Development.
Primarily single family residential.
Mix of housing types including attached units, with a range of commercial and civic activity.
Attached housing types, such as townhouses and apartments mixed with retail, workplace, and civic activities.
Highest-intensity areas, with high-density residential and workplace uses, entertainment, civic, and cultural uses.
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53. ITE Context Zone Characteristics
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