NDOT initiated a statewide comprehensive study to establish a new methodology and process to identify and prioritize locations where passing and climbing lanes may provide benefits. Adding a passing or climbing lane along an existing highway could enhance safety, improve traffic operations, and provide overall mobility benefits in the most cost-effective way. The result is a data-driven process, utilizing current transportation datasets, and identifying passing and climbing lane opportunities that would provide the most effective and feasible locations.
Prioritization variables include traffic volumes, percent trucks, K and D factor, roadway grade, lane/shoulder width, access point density, percent time spent following, percent of passing related crashes, property damage equivalency, proximity to adjacent passing lanes, proximity to emergency response, future crashes, and annual average daily traffic (AADT) in next phases.
The implementation process consists of a desktop review and documents uses of field conditions for candidate segments and applies engineering judgment to determine potential constructability. This includes potential right-of-way widths to accommodate extra lanes, the potential existence of sensitive environmental conditions through visual inspection, and potential impediments to constructability. While these segments have been prioritized, they will still need to be further developed and filtered through the One Nevada process to prioritize them against other statewide needs to program and fund the projects that best achieve their goals.
