AL 181 in Baldwin County in cooperation with ALDOT, City of Daphne, AL, City of Fairhope, AL

1. Getting Ahead Of The Curve With Access
Management
AL 181 in Baldwin County
Scott Cothron, P.E.
Sain Associates, Inc.
In Cooperation with:
ALDOT
City of Daphne, Alabama
City of Fairhope, Alabama

2. What is Access Management?
Access management is the planning, design, and
implementation of various land use and
transportation strategies to maintain traffic flow and
safety along a primary roadway, while still
considering access needs of various land uses and
development types.

3. Access Management Breaks The Cycle
Arterial
Improved
Deteriorated Increased
Level of Service Accessibility
More Traffic Higher Land
Conflicts Values
Increased Changed
Traffic Land Use

4. AL 181 Access Management Plan
 Joint project sponsors: ALDOT, City of Daphne, &
City of Fairhope
 Problem: AL 181 to be widened from 2 lanes to 4
lanes with median and area is experiencing rapid
development
 Goal: To establish a plan for protecting the integrity of
the roadway for moving traffic through south Baldwin
County, now and in the future.

5. Vicinity Map

6. AL 181 Characteristics
 Existing Corridor
– Two-lane arterial that travels North-South.
 Study Area
– From 2,000 feet south of U.S. 90 southward to U.S. 98 – a
distance of over 15 miles.
 Future Corridor
– Predominately a four-lane median divided arterial with
two small areas designed as a five-lane (center turn lane)
cross-section.

7. Widen from 2-Lane to 4-Lane Divided

8. Commercial Development

9. Lots of Residential Development

10. Why manage access to AL 181?
Access management is key in preserving the
traffic movement function of an arterial roadway!!!
It’s a reasonable tradeoff between providing
service to a property (Development) and servicing
traffic (Roadway).

11. The State Route 181 Access Plan
The major elements of focus include standards for:
 Traffic Signal Spacing
 Median Opening Spacing
 Side-Street Roadway Spacing
 Driveway Spacing
 Shared Access

12. Two Primary Deliverables/Tools
1. Report
– Background
– Standards
2. Plan on Aerial Mapping
– Scaled aerials denoting critical access
management points

13. Traffic Signal Spacing
 55 mph design speed
 Signal spacing at 2,600 feet or one-half mile.

14. Median Opening Spacing
 55 mph design speed
 1,300 feet, measured from the center of openings along the
travel way

15. Driveway Spacing
 55 mph design speed
 Spacing of 660 feet for a median divided section and 500 feet
for a five lane (center turn lane) section.

16. Corner Clearance at Intersections
 The distance from an intersection of a cross road to the
nearest driveway connection either prior to or following
the intersection.

17. Turn Lane Requirements
 Left turn deceleration lanes at all median
openings
 Right turn deceleration lanes to all
commercial driveways with expected
turning volumes > 50 vehicles in a peak
hour
 All turn lanes shall be in accordance with
current ALDOT standards

18. Driveway Throat Length
Suggested Throat Lengths:
– 300 feet for mall or
supercenter
– 250 feet for developments
> 150,000 square feet
– 150 feet for developments
between 100,000 and
150,000 square feet
– 50 feet for small strip
developments at
intersection corner
parcels
– 30 feet for convenience
stores at intersection
corner parcels

19. Shared Parcel Access

20. Frontage and Reverse Frontage Roads

21. Grouped Parcels

22. Grouped Parcels
 The Plan identifies groups of existing parcels, developed and
undeveloped, that will ultimately be required to share access to
State Route 181.
 Most cases for State Route 181 provide one access point or
driveway that the grouped parcels must cooperatively use
when all parcels are developed or redeveloped.
 A temporary driveway permit can be issued for a single small
parcel developed independently with the understanding that the
site plan must provide for future connections to adjacent
parcels in order to reach the identified access location on the
Plan.

23. Great Plan . . .
But How Do You Implement It?
 Plan was jointly developed with input from City
Planners and ALDOT
 Adoption of Final Plan by each City
 Application & enforcement through City land
development approval process (subdivision & site plan
approval)
 Approval for access permit to AL 181 controlled by
ALDOT

24. Good in Theory . . .
But Does It Work?
Can we really balance competing interests for a win / win solution?
YES, but it takes time and patience!

25. Lessons Learned from AL 181
 Joint participation in plan development worked
well
 Should have done public involvement during
plan development
 Public airing of plan prior to approval stage
 Get politicians’ support on record

26. Contact Information:
Sain Associates
244 W. Valley Ave., Suite 200
Birmingham, AL 35209
(205) 940-6420
Scott Cothron, P.E. scothron@sain.com