Texas has approximately 300 miles of toll roads, predominantly in the three largest and most congested urban areas of Austin, Dallas, and Houston. The Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA) Division of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority are developing a substantial toll road network in the Austin area. The North Texas Tollway Authority and the Harris County Toll Road Authority are responsible for the toll road systems in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston areas. Both of these agencies have new expansion projects under development in their areas. TTA also operates a toll road on SH 49 in Tyler, Texas, in a more rural environment of east Texas. Additional toll road and managed lane projects are in development by TxDOT through comprehensive development agreements in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin/San Antonio areas. At the same time, the freight and trucking industry are growing at an increasing rate. The vehicle miles of truck travel have increased 216 percent since 1970, whereas overall vehicle miles of travel have only increased 137 percent in the same time (1). Ninety percent of all goods moving, measured by value, are moved by truck (2). Truck safety is also a concern. According to 2007 data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Texas leads the nation in the number of fatal crashes involving large trucks with 421 crashes (large trucks defined as gross vehicle weight exceeding 10,000 lb) (3). Because of Texas’ size and significant trucking industry, higher crashes would be expected. However, Texas exceeds the next two highest states, California by 30 percent and Florida by 60 percent. The purpose of this guide is to identify the potential factors that could impact truck use of toll roads and managed lanes. The guide summarizes the trucking and freight industry needs through synthesis of existing literature. Geometric design and roadway operational factors that are important to truck drivers and freight operators were identified for inclusion in new toll road design in hopes of building facilities that are more attractive to those users in terms of safety and efficiency. The factors are organized around facility geometric design characteristics (e.g., horizontal alignment, vertical alignment, cross section, ramp design), operating characteristics (e.g., signing and pavement markings), industry needs (e.g., safety, travel reliability), and corridor operational strategies (e.g., transportation management, intelligent transportation systems). (Author/publisher)
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