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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) the design standards states use or plan to use to improve and reconstruct roads in scenic areas; and (2) what national design standards or guidance is available to states for improving and reconstructing such roads. GAO found that: (1) twenty-four of the 29 states surveyed use the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' guidance (green book) as their standard for improving or reconstructing their scenic byways; (2) the green book affords enough flexibility to preserve scenic resources while meeting the states' needs for mobility; (3) states rely on the green book because they are concerned that they may be sued for a deficient design if an accident occurs on a road that has been designed using an alternative design standard; (4) the remaining five states have developed or are planning to develop their own standards to avoid having to take design exceptions; (5) there are other sources available to states concerning the national guidance standards on geometric design, including the National Park Service's (NPS) Park Road Standards and the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) criteria for resurfacing, restoring, and rehabilitating roadways, which is referred to as the 3R criteria; (6) NPS standards give higher priority to scenic preservation, while the 3R criteria emphasize preserving the existing roadway; and (7) the issues in selecting the appropriate design standard for a scenic byway depends on the primary purpose of the road.
To ensure a comprehensive review of scenic byway programs and issues and to get the broadest possible range of public opinions and suggestions, the study also included the following: An inventory of current Federal, State, local, and private sector scenic byway programs; An announcement in the "Federal Register" seeking views on the study approach and guidelines for a national program; A national workshop to discuss options for a national scenic byway program; and Case studies investigating tourism impacts, safety and environmental issues, scenic and historic protection techniques, and successful Federal, State, and regional byways and byway programs. This report summarizes these various activities.
Virginia has had a scenic roads program since 1966 that provides for the designation of certain roads as Virginia Byways. This program does not require the application of any special technical requirements in the selection, designation, maintenance, or modification of these roads. The research reported herein was undertaken to determine (1) whether these Virginia Byways require special design considerations by virtue of their use, (2) what design elements that would be dictated if special design considerations were found to be appropriate, and (3) the degree to which current standards provide for these considerations. The institutional memory on the subject was reviewed, and current federal and state scenic roads programs were examined. It was concluded (1) that special design considerations are appropriate, (2) that design elements could be identified, and (3) that current design standards provide for neither the design considerations nor the resulting design elements. Recommendations are made for future practice and further research.
Context-sensitive solutions (CSS) reflect the need to consider highway projects as more than just transportation facilities. Depending on how highway projects are integrated into the community, they can have far-reaching impacts beyond their traffic or transportation function. CSS is a comprehensive process that brings stakeholders together in a positive, proactive environment to develop projects that not only meet transportation needs, but also improve or enhance the community. Achieving a flexible, context-sensitive design solution requires designers to fully understand the reasons behind the processes, design values, and design procedures that are used. This AASHTO Guide shows highway designers how to think flexibly, how to recognize the many choices and options they have, and how to arrive at the best solution for the particular situation or context. It also strives to emphasize that flexible design does not necessarily entail a fundamentally new design process, but that it can be integrated into the existing transportation culture. This publication represents a major step toward institutionalizing CSS into state transportation departments and other agencies charged with transportation project development.