New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 16 - TRANSPORTATION
Chapter 47 - STATE HIGHWAY ACCESS MANAGEMENT CODE
Appendix E - DESIGN STANDARDS AND DRIVEWAY DESIGN PARAMETERS

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024

E-1 Design Standards

a. Department design standards shall apply to all improvements made to State highways, except interstate highways. These standards can be found in the publications listed below. In the case of a discrepancy, Department manuals will govern over the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) publications or other agency standards. Applicants can also refer to the Department's website at: http://www.nj.gov/transportation/eng/documents/ADG/ for additional information on these subjects.

1. "A Policy on Geometric Design of Highway and Streets," 6th edition, or superseding editions, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Suite 249, 444 North Capitol St. NW, Washington, DC 20001, or on its website at: http://bookstore.transportation.org/.

2. "New Jersey Department of Transportation Roadway Design Manual," last updated November 2015, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Department's Engineering Documents Unit at 609-530-5587 or on the Department's website at: http://www.nj.gov/transportation/eng/documents/RDM/.

3. "New Jersey Department of Transportation Bridges and Structures Design Manual," 6th edition, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Department's Engineering Documents Unit at 609-530-5587 or on the Department's website at: http://www.nj.gov/transportation/eng/documents/BSDM/.

4. "New Jersey Department of Transportation Standard Roadway/Traffic/Bridge Construction Details," 2016 edition, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Department's Engineering Documents Unit at 609-530-5587 or on the Department's website at: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/eng/CADD/v8/.

5. "New Jersey Department of Transportation Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction," 2007 edition, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Department's Engineering Documents Unit at 609-530-5587 or on the Department's website at: http://www.nj.gov/transportation/eng/specs/2007/Division.shtml.

6. "New Jersey Department of Transportation Standard Electrical Details," 2007 edition, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Department's Engineering Documents Unit at 609-530-5587 or on the Department's website at: http://www.nj.gov/transportation/eng/elec/TSS/CADD//eElectricalDetails.shtm [File Link Not Available].

7. "Bicycle Compatible Roadways and Bikeways," 1996 edition, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs at 609-530-2765. Further information can be found on the Department's website at: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/bike/resources.shtm.

8. "New Jersey Department of Transportation Sample Plans," 2016, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Department's Engineering Documents Unit at 609-530-5587 or on the Department's website at: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/eng/CADD/v8/.

9. "Trip Generation Manual," 10th edition, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), 1627 Eye Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006 or through its website at: http://www.ite.org/.

10. "Trip Generation, 8th Edition: An ITE Informational Report," incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), 1627 Eye Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006 or through its website at: http://www.ite.org/bookstore/index.asp.

11. "Highway Capacity Manual," (HCM) 6th edition, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from the Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, or through its website at: http://trbbookstore.org/.

12. "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways" (MUTCD), 2009 edition, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented. The MUTCD is available on the Federal Highway Administration website at: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/ or on the AASHTO website at: http://bookstore.transportation.org/.

13. Hamelink, M.D. "Volume Warrants for Left-Turn Storage at Unsignalized Grade Intersections," Highway Research Record 211, 1967, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available through Information Services, Transportation Research Board, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC, 202-334-2990 or through its website at: http://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=114864.

14. Leish, Jack E., "Capacity Analysis Techniques for Design of Signalized Intersections," Installment 1, Public Roads, Vol. 34, No. 9, 1967, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available through the Transportation Research Board website at: http://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=120621.

15. U.S. Census, "Commuting in the United States: 2009," incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available through the U.S. Census website at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acs-15.pdf [File Link Not Available]

b. The design standards to be used for interstate highways can be found in "A Policy on Design Standards-Interstate System," 5th edition, incorporated herein by reference, as amended and supplemented, available from AASHTO, Suite 249, 444 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20001, or on the AASHTO website at: http://bookstore.transportation.org/. All new interstate highway improvements shall conform to these standards. The geometric design of the interstate system shall, at a minimum, comply with the standards presented in the publications; but the design of traffic barriers and drainage systems shall conform to the "New Jersey Department of Transportation Roadway Design Manual." If these standards prove to be infeasible, the highway improvements shall be designed to the interstate standards that were in effect at the time of the original interstate construction.

c. For municipal, county, or private roadways, the design standards found in the AASHTO publication "A Policy on Geometric Design of Highway and Streets" for the appropriate functional classification shall govern unless superseded by other governmental regulations. Information on availability of this publication is referenced above.

E-2 Driveway Design Parameters

E-2.1 General Provisions

a. All driveways shall be designed to enable vehicles to leave the State highway without restriction, queuing, or hesitation on the State highway, and enter the State highway in a safe manner.

b. Driveways shall not be approved for off-street parking areas that require backing maneuvers within the State highway ROW.

c. All portions of a driveway shall be constructed within the extended lot lines (E.L.L. in Figure E-1 below) unless a permanent easement for shared use with an adjacent lot or site owner is contained in the recorded deed for both properties.

d. The area between driveways and extending from the curbline to the ROW line shall be raised six inches above the surface of the adjacent driveways and seeded, sodded, or otherwise improved to delineate and limit the driveway.

E-2.2 Emergency Driveways

a. Emergency driveways shall not have depressed curbs or curb returns.

b. Emergency driveways shall not be paved, but shall be strengthened by gravel or pavers over which grass shall be grown.

c. An existing or proposed sidewalk across an emergency driveway shall be strengthened to support emergency vehicles.

d. Emergency driveways shall have sufficient length in advance of any gate to allow the emergency vehicles anticipated to utilize the driveway to temporarily park in the driveway without interfering with State highway traffic.

E-2.3 Driveway Features

Table E-1 provides ranges of minimum and maximum dimensions that can be used for various driveway features. These dimensions are allowable ranges and the actual designs should be based on sound engineering judgment and approved by the Department. Single-family residential lots and combined single-family residence and business lots are considered residential in the parameters outlined below. All other lots or sites, including lots with multiple single-family residences, are considered non-residential. The abbreviations noted in parentheses are those shown in Figure E-1 that follows.

TABLE E-1--DRIVEWAY DIMENSIONS

Figure E-1 below illustrates the recommended geometric design for driveways:

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E-2.4 Drainage and Driveway Grades

a. Connections to the Department's drainage system shall not be permitted unless approved by the Department. In no case shall the Department's drainage capacity be diminished by these connections.

b. Figure E-2 below shows driveway profile controls and illustrates the following:

1. The use of a swale or pipe underdrain for proper drainage of uncurbed portions of highway is indicated.

2. The bottom profile shows a driveway sloping upward to the sidewalk to assure proper drainage.

3. Beyond the sidewalk the driveway may slope either upward or downward depending upon the topography at the lot or site.

4. The grade of the driveway should fit the plane of the driveway where curbs are used along the roadway and sidewalks are provided or contemplated. If the difference in elevation of the curbline and the sidewalk is such that this is not practical, then the sidewalk should be lowered to provide a suitable grade for the driveway. In such a case, the surface of the sidewalk should be sloped gently from either side of the driveway.

5. Vertical curves on driveways should be flat enough to prevent dragging of the vehicle undercarriage and to provide adequate sight distance.

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