PROCESS TO IDENTIFY HIGH-PRIORITY CORRIDORS FOR ACCESS MANAGEMENT NEAR LARGE URBAN AREAS IN IOWA

Iowa has completed and received national attention for its program of access management research. Access management is a process that provides or manages access to land development while simultaneously preserving the flow of traffic in the surrounding system in terms of safety, capacity, and speed. Managing access involves the control of spacing, location, and design of driveways, medians/median openings, intersections, traffic signals, and freeway interchanges. The most common access management problem in Iowa involves allowing a high density of direct driveway access via private driveways to commercial properties located alongside arterial highways, roads, and streets (1). Access issues are thought to be a contributing factor in over 50 percent of all highway crashes; however, this figure is much higher in built-up urban and suburban areas than in rural areas.