Potential Updates to 2004 Green Book's Acceleration Lengths for Entrance Terminals

Abstract

AASHTO's Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (Green Book) notes that drivers entering a highway from a turning roadway accelerate until the desired highway speed is reached. Because the change in speed is usually substantial, provision is made for acceleration to be accomplished on an auxiliary lane, called an acceleration lane, to minimize interference with through traffic and to reduce crash potential. The 2004 Green Book contains acceleration lane lengths. The procedure identified to reproduce these values assumed running speed for the limited-access highway and the ramp along with acceleration rates from 1930s studies. Potential acceleration length values were then calculated by (a) updating the assumptions within the identified procedure and (b) using spreadsheets that can generate second-to-second acceleration. Findings from recent studies were compared with the existing Green Book values and the calculated suggested acceleration lengths. The suggested lengths determined in this paper, which are based on more realistic speed assumptions, more current acceleration lengths, and findings from recent research, are longer than the values in the Green Book. The paper recommends that additional research be done on acceleration lengths to determine whether the Green Book values should be increased.