TRN-8.02 - N.E. Airport Way Access Management Policy

NCP-TRN-8.02

The purpose of the N.E. Airport Way Access Management Policy is to protect the operational and design capacity of N.E. Airport Way (east of Interstate Highway 205), provide for a landscaped median on N.E. Airport Way, and provide for local access from private and public properties to the public street system within the Airport Way area. The three primary components of the Policy are the Access Policy Guidelines, the Access Designation Map, and the Design and Spacing Criteria. Drawings showing design guidelines for high-volume, limited access points on N.E. Airport Way are included in the Access Management Document.

1. Promote traffic safety on N.E. Airport Way.

2. Control the number of direct access points along N.E. Airport Way so as to allow optimum operational level of service and traffic flow.

3. Utilize a system of proposed, full-movement access points on N.E. Airport Way and recommended primary access points on Collector streets to provide local access to properties and promote the development of a flexible local street system.

4. Provide for consistent urban and transportation project design along N.E. Airport Way and within the Policy boundaries, incorporating the goals, policies and plans of the Airport Way Urban Renewal Area.

5. Provide for a visually continuous landscaped median along N.E. Airport Way.

6. Minimize the number of new railroad or slough crossings.

7. Preserve the scenic quality of N.E. Marine Drive by restricting its access from individual parcels to the south.

The requirements of the N.E. Airport Way Access Management Policy will apply only to that portion of the Columbia South Shore east of Interstate 205. The Access Policy area is bounded by the Columbia River to the north, Interstate Highway 205 to the west, N.E. 185th Avenue to the east, and N.E. Sandy Boulevard to the south.

The policies and requirements developed in this N.E. Airport Way Access Management Policy are pursuant to Article 1, Section 2-105(a)(18) and Article 5, Sections 9-501 and 9-506 of the City of Portland City Charter which enable and authorize the City of Portland to regulate vehicular access to and from public rights-of-way within its jurisdiction for the purpose of providing public safety, protection, and order.

1. All new full-movement intersections (both signalized and non-signalized) on N.E. Airport Way shall be public –dedicated facilities. Their proposed locations are shown on the Access Designation Map. Final alignments of their locations shall be approved by the City Engineer and City Traffic Engineer.

2. Openings in the landscaped median on N.E. Airport Way shall be allowed only at the locations designated in this policy.

3. Individual parcels shall be required to have their primary and secondary access(es) from the public Local Street system or from the District or Neighborhood Collector Street system. Individual parcels may be allowed access to N.E. Airport Way in the form of a limited right-turn access (right-in/right-out), if the following criteria are identified in a Transportation Impact Analysis, supplied by the applicant, and approved by the City Engineer and City Traffic Engineer:

a. The site generates, at full-development, a minimum of 20 right turns into the site during the projected morning or evening peak hour of N.E. Airport Way. OR

b. The site generates, at full-development, less than 20 right turns into the site during the projected morning or evening peak hour of N.E. Airport Way but has no other means of accessing a public right-of-way or future access point shown on the Access Designation Map. AND

c. The location and design of the proposed access point satisfies the minimum spacing and design requirements set forth in the "Limited Right Turn Access – Criteria and Design" Section of this Policy.

The review of the pr0posed limited right-turn access, including the analysis of the right turn volumes will be conducted by Office of Transportation staff at the time of the land use action or building permit process. The analysis shall use the current edition of the ITE Generation Manual.

4. Abutting parcels, fronting N.E. Airport Way, that separately qualify to have access from N.E. Airport Way, shall be encouraged to have one shared, limited right-turn (right-in/right-out) access.

5. A parcel that qualifies to have a limited right-turn access from N.E. Airport Way may have the option of sharing that access point with an abutting, non-qualifying parcel via internal site circulation, subject to the access design criteria referenced above in Policy 3.c.

6. Abutting parcels that do not separately qualify for direct access to N.E. Airport Way may qualify collectively for one shared, limited right-turn access, subject to the access design criteria referenced in Policy 3.c.

7. The City Engineer and City Traffic Engineer will review any proposed limited right turn access point for traffic safety or operational conflicts as part of the approval process.

The Access Designation Map shows the locations of proposed full-movement intersections, currently approved full-movement access points (driveways) and locations of the full-movement intersections area based on the probable development pattern of local internal streets serving adjacent parcels and the need for optimum spacing between traffic signals on N. E. Airport Way. In addition, the map shows the recommended primary access points for groups of parcels accessing the public local streets and District and Neighborhood Collector streets within the policy area.

Each group of parcels identified on the Access Designation Map was assembled in a logical fashion to reflect contiguous ownership patterns, topographic constraints, and proximity to the public street system. Each group of parcels will be able to meet efficiently and cooperatively develop its future internal local street system to meet development needs. Future internal local streets will access the existing Local and Collector Streets at the recommended primary access points identified on the Access Designation Map.

There are several types of access points designated on the map. The access allowing the most mobility is the full-service (street) intersection. These intersection locations may or may not be signalized depending upon whether they meet the necessary signal warrants.

The next type of access designation is the full-movement access point with accompanying median break. This type of access allows all turning movements from either a private driveway or private street. However, this type of access is prohibited from becoming signalized due to its spacing relative to other access points or its failure to meet signal warrants.

The final type of access is a limited or restricted access point. This type of access only allows right turns in or out of a property. The median on Airport Way is not broken for these accesses.

The Access Designation Map shall be updated periodically, as development occurs, to indicate the location of newly approved access points as allowed by the policy guidelines.

Deceleration Lane Required

If a site generates, at full development, more than 90 right turns into the site during either the a.m. or p.m. facility peak hour, as shown in an accompanying traffic study, a deceleration lane shall be provided, as per the design standards contained below under "Design."

Design

The design of the Limited Access shall satisfy the turning movement requirements of the predominant vehicle using the access, while preserving adequate pedestrian movements across the access. Design guideline drawings included in this document provide for the minimum design standards used for high-volume, right-in/right-out accesses. A design guideline drawing for a mountable island curb is also included in this document. Low-volume right-in-/right-out accesses will follow standard driveway plans, unless specifically engineered with City Engineer approval. All vehicle types are AASHTO standard vehicles, using the minimum outside turning radius.

Deceleration Lane Standards

The basic criteria are:

1. The approach speed at the beginning of the deceleration lane is 35 miles per hour. This assumes that the arterial traffic entering the deceleration lane makes a 10 m.p.h. speed change in the taper.

2. The speed at the end of the deceleration lane is 15 m.p.h.

3. Lane lengths and taper lengths are set forth in the AASHTO geometric policy referenced earlier in the "Design" paragraph.

Geometric design features are as follows: (Minimum Distances)

1. Exit taper (diverge) 125 feet } Total deceleration

2. Deceleration lane 125 feet } length is 250 ft. (min)

A traffic study by a licensed professional traffic engineer shall be provided by the developer that details storage and taper requirements taking into consideration the following:

1. Expected right turn volume;

2. Storage lane requirements given the 90th percentile queue as determined using a Poisson arrival distribution;

3. Queuing and delay caused by congestion on-site near the access.

Acceleration Lane

An acceleration lane will not be required. Justification for an acceleration lane must be provided by the traffic engineer retained by the developer. City staff will take into consideration the following when evaluating an acceleration lane:

1. Proximity of the lane to the next access or intersection;

2. The effect of merging and weaving on the capacity, operation, and safety of the arterial;

3. Operational feasibility of an acceleration lane given the location of an adjacent access or intersection.

Minimum Spacing Between Limited Access Points

The minimum spacing requirements for limited accesses are as follows: (measure between centerlines)

1. Between limited accesses - 300 feet

2. Between a limited access and the nearest intersection - 300 feet

3. Length of curb parallel to Airport Way before entering

Deceleration lane - 100 feet

Minimum Spacing Between Full-Movement Access Points

The minimum spacing requirements between a full-movement (non-signalized intersection) and another full-movement access point or intersection:

1. Full-Movement access points west of N.E. 138th Avenue (No new median breaks permitted) - 300 feet

2. Full-Movement access points east of N.E. 138th Avenue (Only at locations designated on Access Designation Map) - 700 feet

Right-Of-Way Requirements

Additional right-of-way dedication may be required to accommodate the maintenance and safety needs of limited right-turn access points containing deceleration and/or acceleration lanes and channelizing islands.

Landscape Easement Requirements

The required 10-foot landscape easement and additional 15-foot setback shall parallel the right-of-way, except in cases where additional right-of-way is needed for limited right turn access. In such cases, the additional right-of-way will be allowed to encroach into the landscape easement.

Access Point: A specific location where vehicular entry or exit from private property to the abutting street is made.

Access Point (Primarily): The access point between a parcel and the street system that is designed to carry the majority of vehicles to and from that parcel. The primary access point is the main entrance and/or exit of the parcel.

Access Point (Secondary) : An additional access point between a parcel and the street system not designed to be the main entrance and/or exit of the parcel.

Access Point (Shared) : When two or more parcels fronting a street access the street via one commonly owned and maintained access point.

Arterial Streets Classification Policy (ASCP) : A City policy, adopted in 1977 as the Transportation Element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which classifies streets by their intended type and function.

AASHTO : Association of American State Highway and Transportation  Officials

City : The City of Portland, Oregon

District Collector Street : A District Collector is intended to provide concentrated access to district activity centers and to serve trips which both start and end in a transportation district. A District

Collector should serve as a distributor of traffic from a Major City Traffic Street to Neighborhood Collector and Local Service Streets.

Full-Movement Intersection : An intersection of two more public or private streets that is

designed to allow all vehicular turning movements to and from each leg of the intersection. A full-movement intersection may be signalized depending upon its location and meeting of specific signal warrants.

Full-Movement Access Points : An access point that allows all turning movements both from

and into a property from a public street.

Limited Right-Turn Access : An access point that only allows right-turn "in" and right-turn "out" movements.

Local Service Street : A Local Service Street is intended to serve local circulation,

access, and service requirements for traffic, bicycle, and pedestrian movements.

Median : A continuous island in the center of a divided City street.

Median Opening: A gap in a median provided from crossing and/or turning traffic. Can also be referred to as a median "break."

Neighborhood Collector : A Neighborhood Collector is intended to serve as a distributor of traffic from a Major City Traffic Street or District Collector to Local Service Streets and to serve trips which both start and end within a neighborhood.

Signal Warrants : Criteria established in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) that set minimum requirements to consider the installation of a traffic signal.