A. Policy. Certain streets that require four
or more travel lanes to accommodate the projected traffic may be accepted by
the department for maintenance after completion of the first two lanes to an
acceptable, initial phase of construction, upon the request of the governing
body. It is recognized that there is a distinction between those streets that
benefit the regional transportation network and those that primarily serve the
development of land and local traffic, and, therefore, the criteria for phased
construction for each situation differs as described in subsection B of this
section.
However, in all cases, the right-of-way required for the road
at its complete stage of construction shall be dedicated and accepted as part
of the initial street acceptance. In addition, the initial phase of
construction shall be designed and constructed to facilitate construction of
the remaining phase in a manner that will avoid the need to reconstruct the
initial two lanes.
Consideration for the acceptance of any street under the
provisions of this section shall be limited to the phased development of only
the street's roadway. All other applicable requirements, e.g., public benefit,
drainage easements, and administrative procedures, shall apply.
B. Criteria.
1. For streets included in the transportation
plan of the locality's comprehensive plan that serve diverse areas of the
region or locally, no special agreement or acknowledgement is needed as a
prerequisite to acceptance, provided:
a. The
street is part of a transportation corridor that was formally adopted as a part
of the locality's comprehensive transportation plan prior to the local
governing body's approval of the plat or plan for the development of the
adjacent land.
b. The
transportation corridor is a major thoroughfare planned primarily to move
through traffic.
c. When fully
developed the street must satisfy the department's functional classification
criteria as a major collector or higher.
d. The street has a projected traffic volume
of 8,000 vehicles per day or less for a period of 10 years following the date
of the acceptance for maintenance by the department.
2. For all other streets, the local governing
body's resolution requesting acceptance of the initial two-lane section must
include provisions that acknowledge:
a. The
local governing body agrees that all costs incurred in the street's complete
construction, including right-of-way, engineering, utility adjustment, etc.,
shall be provided from funds other than those derived from state revenue
sources administered by the department, except as may be expressly authorized
by the department.
b. The local
governing body agrees that it is its responsibility to ensure that the roadway
is completed as needed to accommodate the traffic. However, the locality also
acknowledges that a determination that the street needs to be completed to its
ultimate section will be made by the district administrator's designee once it
is determined that the first two lanes will not sustain an acceptable level of
service for the functional classification of the roadway in accordance with the
Highway Capacity Manual, 2010 (TRB).
C. Procedures.
1. Plats or plans, or both, for the street's
complete development, in accordance with all applicable provisions of these
requirements, shall be submitted for approval.
2. The plats or plans shall also delineate
the street's initial development as proposed pursuant to this section. In no
case shall this design provide less than one-half of the roadway typical
section required by the applicable requirements for the street's complete
development.
3. Unless waived by
the district administrator's designee, a capacity analysis shall be submitted
to document that an acceptable level of service will be maintained for the
intended duration of the initial phase of development. In determining an
acceptable level of service, the beneficial effect of the proposed street on
the overall transportation network will be considered.
4. A determination will be made by the
department in consultation with the locality as to whether the street can be
approved for phased development and as to which criterion in subsection B of
this section applies.
5. Upon the
district administrator's designee's determination that the proposal is in
compliance with the applicable provisions of this section, the plans may be
approved accordingly.
6. Upon
completion of the street's initial phase in accordance with approved plans, its
compliance with all other applicable provisions of this section, and the
inclusion of the appropriate language in the resolution, the street may be
accepted for maintenance by the department as part of the secondary system of
state highways.
Notes
24
Va. Admin. Code §
30-92-80
Derived from Virginia
Register Volume 25, Issue 15, eff. March 9, 2009; amended, Virginia Register
Volume 28, Issue 8, eff. December 31, 2011.
Statutory Authority
§ 33.1-70.3 of the Code of Virginia; Chapter 870 of
the 2011 Acts of Assembly.