Safety Effect of Barrier Curb on High-Speed Suburban Multilane Highways

摘要

Many roadways in growing suburban areas are in need of capacity expansion buthave restricted right-of-way due to roadside commercial and residential development. In order to add lanes, shoulders are coverted to travel lanes, and the roadway's drainage system is converted from a rural parallel drainage ditch to a curb and gutter section. This report investigated the safety effects of barrier curb on high-speed suburban multilane highways through the collection and analysis of accident data pertaining to these sections. Accident data was collected for 10 before/after Texas sites and 9 matched pair Illinois sites. The data was analyzed with respect to accident rates by accident type, accident severity, and accident characteristic frequencies. Recommendations were made that special attention be given to drainage provisions to prevent storm water ponding on high-speed curb and gutter sections. It was also recommended that lighting be installed to increase nighttime visibility of the curb. Barrier curb is not recommended for use on high-speed suburban multilane highways combining low driveway density with high traffic volumes as it may pose safety problems on this type of roadway.