Guideline For Utility Occupancy On Highway Right Of Way

This synthesis will be of interest to highway administrators, design engineers, maintenance engineers and maintenance staff, traffic engineers, and safety officials. It will also provide useful information to the utilities and telecommunications industries. Information is presented on the state transportation agencies' policies, practices, and experience associated with occupancy of the rights-of-way on controlled (or limited) access highways. This report of the Transportation Research Board presents a brief history of accommodation of utilities in the right-of-way, including the policies developed over time by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and describes why there are issues associated with joint use of the highway right-of-way. A 1993/1994 survey of the state transportation agencies taken for this synthesis yielded 100% return, indicating the high interest in the subject. Issues included in the survey were policies and experiences regarding user and worker safety; controls placed on utilities; exceptions to right-of-way policies; and operational, legal, and equity issues.

It is in the public interest for utility facilities to be accommodated on highway right-of-way when such use and occupancy do not adversely affect highway safety, construction, maintenance, or operations. In this respect, guidelines outlining safe and rational practices for accommodating utilities within highway right-of-way are of valuable assistance to transportation agencies. The guidelines herein are provided in the interest of developing and preserving safe highway operations and roadsides.

"It is in the public interest for utility facilities to be accommodated on highway right-of-way (ROW) when such use and occupancy does not adversely affect highway or traffic safety, or otherwise impair the highway or its aesthetic quality, and does not conflict with the provisions of Federal, State or local laws or regulations. Consequently, there are many utilities on the ROW and space to accommodate them is limited. It is therefore more important than ever for State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to manage utilities on the ROW, especially controlled access ROW, which recently has been opened to longitudinal installations in many states. Management options may include providing corridors in which utilities must be placed and acquiring sufficient ROW for these utility corridors. A utility corridor is a specified zone within the ROW where multiple utilities are required to be located by agency policy or practice. The objective of this study is to determine best practices for managing utilities on controlled access highway ROW" -- Project information.