Where can I find geometric design standards for roads and street?
As we state in the NYSLTAP-CLRP Tech Tip on Guidelines and Standards for Classifying and Managing Roads and Streets (pdf), all "municipalities should have a set of realistic road construction standards to reduce liability, improve planning and scheduling, and provide consistent information to the motoring public."
Two National standards adopted by AASHTO are:
- A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets—Greenbook
- Guidelines for Geometric Design of Very Low-Volume Local Roads—Little Greenbook
The cost of the Greenbook is $160 for members and $160 for non-members. The Little Greenbook is less, $50 for member and $60 for non-members. However, the Little Greenbook is only for roads and streets with less than 400 vehicles per day.
Two alternatives which are available on the web are:
The HDM contains the geometric design standards (Chapter 2) adopted by NYSDOT as well as other design details such as cross section design (Chapter 3) and even traffic calming (Chapter 25). The standards in the HDM are valid for most roads and streets and are modeled on the AASHTO standards. The NYSLTAP-CLRP Low-Volume Roads standard may be more applicable for the same less than 400 vehicles per day highways covered by the Little Greenbook. Hard copies of the Highway Standards for Low-Volume Roads in New York State can be obtained by contacting the Cornell Local Roads Program.
References
Guidelines and Standards for Classifying and Managing Roads and Streets
NYSLTAP-CLRP Tech Tip
Highway Standards for Low-Volume Roads in New York State (pdf)