Utah Admin. Code R930-6-5 - Definitions

(1) "AADT" means the Annual Average Daily Traffic, the average 24-hour traffic volume at a given location over a full 365-day year, divided by 365.

(2) "AASHTO" means the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

(3) "ADT" means the Average Daily Traffic, the total volume during a given time period (in whole days), greater than one day and less than one year, divided by the number of days in that time period. The Department may, at its own discretion, define the appropriate time period (including days of the week) to be considered when measuring or calculating ADT.

(4) "Acceleration lane" means a speed-change lane, including tapered areas, for the purpose of enabling a vehicle entering a roadway to increase its speed to a rate at which it can more safely merge with through traffic.

(5) "Access" or "access connection" means any driveway or other point of entry or exit such as a street, road, or highway that connects to the general street system. Where two public roadways intersect, the secondary roadway is considered the access.

(6) "Access approval" see "conditional access permit."

(7) "Access category" is a classification assigned to a segment of highway that determines the degree to which access to a state highway is managed. It is also referred to as "category."

(8) "Access control" see "controlled access highway."

(9) "Access corridor control plan" specifies the limitation or management of driveways, streets or other access points which balance the need for reasonable access to land development with the smooth and efficient flow of traffic defined by safety, capacity, and travel speed. Also referred to as a "corridor agreement."

(10) "Access management plan" means a roadway design plan that designates access locations and their design for the purpose of bringing those portions of roadway included in the access management plan into conformance with their access category to the extent feasible.

(11) "Access operation" refers to the utilization of an access for its intended purpose and includes all consequences or characteristics of that process including access volumes, types of access traffic, access safety, time of the access activity, and the effect of such access on the state highway system.

(12) "Access spacing" means the distance measured from the inside point of curvature of the radius of an intersection or driveway to the inside point of curvature of the adjacent intersection or driveway radius. In the case of a flared curb driveway, the distance is measured from or to the inside driveway edge.

(13) "Access width" means the width of the traveled portion of the access as it extends away from the main highway. Access width measures only the travel portion of the access; it excludes auxiliary or turn lanes, transitions, radii, flares, and curb and gutter.

(14) "Agricultural access" means an access to undeveloped or agricultural property.

(15) "Applicant" means any person, corporation, entity, designee or agency applying for a permit. As used within this rule, applicant also refers to the property or project subject to a conditional access permit or encroachment permit application.

(16) "Application fees" means the latest application fees established by the Department and approved by the legislature. Application fees are non-refundable and are designed to offset access management application review costs.

(17) "Arterial highway" is a general term denoting a highway primarily for through traffic, usually on a continuous route.

(18) "Auxiliary lane" refers to the portion of the roadway adjoining the traveled way for speed change, turning, storage for turning, weaving, truck climbing, and other purposes supplementary to through traffic movement.

(19) "Bandwidth" means the time in seconds or the percent of traffic signal cycle between a pair of parallel speed lines on a time-space diagram that delineate a progressive movement. It is a quantitative measurement of the through traffic capacity of a signal progression system. The greater the bandwidth the higher the roadway capacity.

(20) "Capacity" means the maximum rate at which persons or vehicles can reasonably be expected to traverse a point or uniform section of a lane or a roadway during a given time period under prevailing roadway and traffic conditions. Capacity may refer to the entire roadway, a single lane, or an intersection. Measures of capacity may include, but are not limited to, traffic volumes, speed, throughput and density.

(21) "Channelizing island" means a defined area between traffic lanes for control of vehicle movements.

(22) "Clear roadside policy" refers to the policy employed by the Department to increase safety, improve traffic operations and enhance the appearance of highways by designing, constructing, and maintaining highway roadsides as wide, flat and rounded as practical and as free as practical from physical obstructions above the ground, within the clear zone as defined in the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide and the Department's current standards and specifications, including Standard Drawing DD-17.

(23) "Clear zone" means the total roadside border area, starting at the edge of the traveled way, available for safe use by errant vehicles. The desired width is dependent upon the traffic volumes and speeds and on the roadside geometry as referenced in the AASHTO Roadside Design Guide.

(24) "Conditional access permit" is the document that specifies requirements and conditions under which a driveway, or other access point, is approved, also referred to as an access approval. Unless specified, references to conditional access permits may also refer to temporary conditional access permits.

(25) "Control of access" means the condition where the right of owners of abutting land or any other persons having access to highway right-of-way is controlled by the appropriate public authority.

(26) "Controlled access highway" means a street or highway to which owners or occupants of abutting lands and other people have no legal right of access to or from the same except at such points only and in such manner as may be determined by the public authority having jurisdiction over such street or highway. See also "limited-access line" and "no-access line."

(27) "Contiguous property" means a parcel of land that has two or more adjoining properties abutting highway rights-of-way.

(28) "Corridor agreement" refers to a multi-agency cooperative agreement for managing the development, operations, and maintenance of a highway corridor or segment of highway corridor. In this rule, corridor agreements refer to agreements between the Department and one or multiple Local Authorities and are based on signal control plans and access corridor control plans agreed on and approved by the Department and local authorities.

(29) "County roads" are all roads that are or may be established as a part of a county system of roads.

(30) "Deceleration lane" is a speed-change lane, including tapered areas, enabling a vehicle to leave the mainstream of faster moving traffic and to slow to a safe turning speed prior to exiting the highway.

(31) "Department" or "UDOT" mean the Utah Department of Transportation. Where referenced to be contacted, submitted to, approved by, accepted by or otherwise engaged, Department or "UDOT" mean an authorized representative of the Utah Department of Transportation.

(32) "Department Region permitting office" refers to the permitting office of the Utah Department of Transportation regional offices.

(33) "DVH" means the design hour volume, an hourly traffic volume determined for use in the geometric design of highways. It is by definition the 30th highest hour vehicular volume experienced in a one-year period. The Department shall determine the appropriate DVH conditions. In most cases the Department will require the use of the peak hour volume as the DVH, typically in a range of 8-12 percent of AADT if actual volume data are not available. For rural areas and recreational routes, the Department will typically require the use of the 30th highest hour for DVH.

(34) "Design speed" means the maximum safe speed that can be maintained over a specified section of highway when conditions are so favorable that the design features of the highway govern as referenced in the most recent addition of the AASHTO "A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets."

(35) "Divided highway" means a highway with separated traveled ways for traffic in opposite directions, such separation being indicated by depressed dividing strips, raised curbing, traffic islands, or other physical barriers so constructed as to discourage crossover vehicular traffic.

(36) "Driveway" refers to an access constructed within the public highway right-of-way, connecting the public highway with the adjacent property. Driveway to highway connection designs may include, but are not limited to, curb cuts and radius curb returns.

(37) "Driveway angle" means the angle of the driveway alignment relative to the highway alignment. The driveway angle refers to the alignment of a driveway near and at the connection with the highway. The driveway angle is measured between the alignment of the driveway and the alignment of the highway traveled way.

(38) "Driveway spacing" means the distance between adjacent driveways on the side of the roadway as measured from near edge to near edge, considered necessary for the safe ingress and egress of vehicles and the safe operation of the highway at its posted speed.

(39) "Easement" is an interest in real property that conveys use, but not ownership, of a portion of an owner's property.

(40) "Encroachment" is the use of highway right-of-way.

(41) "Encroachment permit" is a document that specifies the requirements and conditions for performing work on the highway right-of-way.

(42) "Expressway" is a divided arterial highway for through traffic with full or partial control of access and generally with grade separations at major intersections.

(43) "Federal-aid highway" is a highway eligible to receive Federal aid.

(44) "FHWA" means the Federal Highway Administration.

(45) "Freeway" is an expressway with full control of access.

(46) "Freeway one-way frontage road" is a one-way public street that runs parallel to a freeway and provides direct freeway access through ramps that connect the freeway main lane and frontage road.

(47) "Frontage road" is a public street or road auxiliary to and normally alongside and parallel to the main highway, constructed for the purposes of maintaining local road continuity and the controlling of direct access to the main highway.

(48) "Full access" means that ingress and egress is afforded at the point of access. It does not mean full movement.

(49) "Full movement" means that all possible vehicle turning movements are afforded at the point of access.

(50) "Functional classification" refers to a classification system that defines a public roadway according to its purposes and hierarchy in the local or statewide highway system.

(51) "General street system" is the interconnecting network of city streets, county roads, township roads, and state highways in an area.

(52) "Grade separation" is a crossing of two roadways, a roadway and a fixed guideway, a roadway and a pedestrian walkway, or bike path in such a way that neither facility interferes with the operation of the other.

(53) "Gradient or grade" means the rate or percent change in slope, either ascending or descending from or along the highway measured along the centerline of the roadway or access.

(54) "Hierarchy of the roadway" refers to the functionality and the mobility flow of traffic across a system of highway facilities. The natural progression to flow from a highest order facility of high capacity and high operational speed serving major economic centers to the lowest order facility of low volume, low speed and serving multiple driveway connections.

(55) "Highway" is a general term for denoting a public way for the transportation of people, materials, and goods, including the entire area within the right-of-way. Also referred to as road.

(56) "Interchange" is a facility that provides ramps for access movements between intersecting roadways that are separated in grade. The ramps and any structures used to accomplish the movement of traffic between the roadways are considered part of the interchange.

(57) "Interchange crossroad access spacing" means the distance measured between the interchange ramp gore area (point of widening on the crossroad) and the adjacent driveway or street intersection.

(58) "Intersection" is the general area where two or more highways or streets join or cross at-grade.

(59) "Intersection sight distance" is the distance at which a motorist attempting to enter or cross a highway is able to observe traffic in order to make a desired movement. The required distance varies with the speed of the traffic on the main highway.

(60) "Interstate highway system" refers to the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as defined in the Federal-aid Highway Act of 1956 and any supplemental acts or amendments. It is also referred to as interstate.

(61) "Inventory" means the listing maintained by the Department that gives the access category for each section of state highway.

(62) "ITE" means the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

(63) "Lane" is the portion of a roadway for the movement of a single line of vehicles. It does not include the gutter or shoulder of the roadway.

(64) "LOS" means level of service, a qualitative measure describing a range of traffic operating conditions such as travel speed and time, freedom to maneuver, traffic interruptions, and comfort and convenience as experienced and perceived by motorists and passengers. Six levels of service are defined from A to F, with A representing the free flow travel conditions and F representing extreme traffic congestion. LOS shall be evaluated according to the procedures and conditions defined in the most recent edition of AASHTO "A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets."

(65) "Limited-access line" means a line parallel or adjacent to the state highway right-of-way purchased and held with the intent to limit and control access across such lines and thereby preserve the functionality, operation, safety, and capacity of the highway system. The highest priority and consideration for access category spacing standards and design apply where limited-access lines exist. Also referred to as line of limited-access, limited-access highway, limited-access freeway or limited-access facilities (See Utah Code Section 72-1-102(11) ).

(66) "Local authority" means the governing body of counties and municipalities.

(67) "Local road" includes any road or highway in public ownership that is not designated part of the Utah state highway system or as defined by Utah Code. It is also referred to as a "local street."

(68) "Median" means the portion of a roadway separating the traveled ways for opposing traffic flows.

(69) "Median island" means a curbed island that prevents egress traffic from encroaching upon the side of the drive used by ingress traffic. The island ensures that ingress traffic has the necessary maneuvering space.

(70) "MPH" means miles per hour, a rate of speed measured in miles per hour.

(71) "MUTCD" means the current Utah Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices referenced in R920-1.

(72) "No-access line" means a line parallel or adjacent to the state highway right-of-way purchased and held with the intent to disallow connections across such lines. No-access lines are of the highest priority and order of the state highway system and have been established to preserve and protect the functional operation of the adjacent facility. No-Access Lines are created through the purchase of access rights. The purchase of these access rights may utilize federal, state, or combination of federal and state funds. Also referred to as line of no-access or no-access facilities.

(73) "Peak hour" means the hour of the day in which the maximum volume occurs.

(74) "Permit" as referenced under this rule may include a conditional access permit or encroachment permit. Permits defined under this rule do not include other written permission that may be required by local authorities for utility work in the state highway right-of-way, and other permits referenced in other applicable rules.

(75) "Permit issuance date" means the date when the authorized Department official signs the permit electronically or by any other means.

(76) "Permittee" means any person, unit of government, public agency, or any other entity to whom a conditional access permit or encroachment permit is issued. The permittee is responsible for fulfilling all the terms, conditions and limitations of the conditional access permit or encroachment permit.

(77) "Person" means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, government entity, or public or private organization of any character other than a state agency , as noted in Section 63G-3-102(12).

(78) "Posted speed" means the maximum speed limit for a specified section of highway.

(79) "Public authority" means a public administrative agency or corporation authorized to administer a public facility.

(80) "Reasonable alternate access" refers to conditions where access to the general street system from a property adjoining a state highway can be achieved by way of another alternative including but not limited to a lesser function road, internal street system, or dedicated rights-of-way or easements. For example, where a subject property adjoining a state highway also adjoins or has access to an internal street system, such access shall be considered a reasonable alternate access and any access to the state highway shall be considered an additional access.

(81) "Relocate" means to remove and establish in a new place and may include, if necessary to conform a property's access to the provisions of this rule, merging or combining non-conforming access with other existing access so as to eliminate the non-conformance. In such event, the property owner or permittee, if applicable, may be required to remove all physical elements of the non-conforming access such as curb cuts and surfacing material and install curbing, barriers, or other physical separators to prevent continued use of the access.

(82) "Right-in right-out" refers to a type of three-way road intersection where turning movements of vehicles are restricted with only right turns allowed. Also refers to intersection or driveway movements restricted to right-turn ingress and right-turn egress movements only.

(83) "Right-of-way" is a general term denoting property or property interest, usually in a strip devoted to transportation purposes.

(84) "Road" see "highway."

(85) "Roadside" means the area between the outside shoulder edge and the right-of-way limits.

(86) "Roadway" means the portion of a highway, including shoulders, for vehicular use.

(87) "Rural" includes areas incorporated, or designated by census, with a population of less than 5,000.

(88) "Shared access" is an access point serving more than one parcel or landowner.

(89) "Shoulder" means the paved or unpaved portion of the roadway contiguous with the traveled way for accommodation of stopped vehicles.

(90) "Signal" means a traffic control signal. It is also used to refer to a signalized intersection or traffic signal.

(91) "Signal control plan" is a comprehensive action plan for identification of signal locations along a corridor or segment of a corridor. The purpose of a signal control plan is to provide for efficiency of signal progression and corridor functionality. This is also referred to as a corridor agreement.

(92) "Signalization" means the installation or modification of a traffic control signal.

(93) "Signal progression" means the progressive movement of traffic at a planned rate of speed without stopping through adjacent signalized locations along a corridor or within a traffic control system.

(94) "Signal spacing" means the distance between signalized intersections measured from the centerline of a signalized intersection cross street to the centerline of the adjacent existing or future signalized intersection cross street. Signal spacing addresses the uniformity and frequency of signalized intersections along a highway and is thought to be one of the most important access management techniques. Signal spacing generally governs the performance of urban and suburban highways. Traffic signals that are closely or irregularly spaced bring about increases in the number of accidents, stops, delay, fuel consumption, and vehicular emissions. Long and uniform signal spacing allows for more efficient progression throughout the corridor and provides for the implementation of a more efficient traffic control system to accommodate variations in peak and off-peak period traffic flows.

(95) "Slope" means the relative steepness of the terrain expressed as a ratio or percentage. Slopes may be categorized as positive or negative and as parallel or cross slopes in relation to the direction of traffic.

(96) "Speed" refers to the posted legal speed limit at the access location at the time of permit approval. A higher speed for access design must be used if the section of highway is presently being redesigned or reconstructed to a higher speed or an approved access control plan requires a higher speed.

(97) "Speed change lane" means a separate lane for the purpose of enabling a vehicle entering or leaving a roadway to increase or decrease its speed to a rate at which it can safely merge with or diverge from through traffic. Acceleration and deceleration lanes are speed change lanes.

(98) "State highway" includes those highways designated as state highways in Utah Code Title 72, Chapter 4, Designation of State Highways Act

(99) "Stewardship and oversight agreement" means the current agreement formalizing the roles and responsibilities of the FHWA, Utah Division and the Department in administering the Federal-Aid Highway Program. This agreement is available from the Department's website.

(100) "Stopping sight distance" means the distance required by a driver of a vehicle traveling at a given speed to bring the vehicle to a stop after an object on the roadway becomes visible. It includes the distance traveled during driver perception and reaction times and the vehicle braking distance.

(101) "Storage length" means the additional lane length added to a deceleration lane to store the maximum number of vehicles likely to accumulate in the lane during a peak hour period to prevent stored vehicles from interfering with the function of the deceleration lane or the through travel lanes.

(102) "Street" is a general term for denoting a public way or private way for purpose of transporting people, materials, and goods.

(103) "Street spacing" means the distance between intersections (signalized or unsignalized) measured as the distance between the leaving point of tangent of a street access to the receiving point of tangent of the adjacent street access.

(104) "Structure" means any device used to convey vehicles, pedestrians, animals, waterways or other materials over highways, streams, canyons, or other obstacles. A major structure is a highway structure with a span or multiple span length of 20 feet or more measured along the centerline of the roadway and a minor structure is the same as a major structure except it is less than 20 feet.

(105) "Taper" means a transitional area of decreasing or increasing pavement width to permit the formation or elimination of an auxiliary lane.

(106) "Traffic control equipment" means equipment, including but not limited to, traffic control signs, traffic signal poles, circuitry and appurtenant equipment.

(107) "Temporary conditional access permit" is required from the Department whenever a temporary driveway or connection to a state highway is sought. A temporary conditional access permit shall expire within twelve months of the permit issue date or before as specified in the terms, conditions, and limitations of the temporary conditional access permit. No extensions may be granted. To reestablish a temporary access, the permittee or applicant shall submit a new conditional access permit application.

(108) "TIS" means traffic impact study, a study that may be required by the Department or local authorities that addresses the impacts of a proposed development, mitigation of impacts, access usage, or land use to ensure the efficient flow of traffic.

(109) "Traveled way" includes the portion of the roadway for the movement of vehicles.

(110) "Urban" refers to a census designated area with a population of 5,000 or more or any portion of a designated urbanized Metropolitan Planning Organization planning boundary.

(111) "Variance" is an authorized permission to depart from the standards and requirements of this rule. Variance requests are evaluated through the completion of the Department's Variance Request Form.

(112) "Warrant" is the criteria by which the need for a treatment or improvement can be determined.

(113) "Working day" includes any weekday in which a normal day of work can be performed exclusive of delays that result from inclement weather, labor disputes, and material shortages. It does not include weekends and legal holidays.

Notes

Utah Admin. Code R930-6-5

Amended by Utah State Bulletin Number 2019-12, effective 5/22/2019