                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

COMPREHENSIVE HIGHWAY ACCESS MANAGEMENT STANDARDS (§ 33.2-245)

A. For purposes of this section, &#8220;comprehensive highway access management
standards&#8221; means a coordinated set of state standards and guidelines that
allow the Commonwealth and its localities to manage access to the systems of
state highways according to their federal functional classification or
operational characteristics through the control of and improvements to the
location, number, spacing, and design of entrances, median openings, turn lanes,
street intersections, traffic signals, and interchanges.

B. The General Assembly declares it to be in the public interest that
comprehensive highway access management standards be developed and implemented
to enhance the operation and safety of the systems of state highways in order to
protect the public health, safety, and general welfare while ensuring that
private property is entitled to reasonable access to the systems of state
highways. The goals of the comprehensive highway access management standards
are:

   1. To reduce traffic congestion and impacts to the level of service of
   highways, leading to reduced fuel consumption and air pollution;

   2. To enhance public safety by decreasing traffic crash rates;

   3. To support economic development in the Commonwealth by promoting the
   efficient movement of people and goods;

   4. To reduce the need for new highways and road widening by improving the
   performance of the existing systems of state highways; and

   5. To preserve public investment in new highways by maximizing their
   performance.

C. The Commissioner of Highways shall develop and implement comprehensive
highway access management standards for managing access to and preserving and
improving the efficient operation of the systems of state highways. The
comprehensive highway access management standards shall include standards and
guidelines for the location, number, spacing, and design of entrances, median
openings, turn lanes, street intersections, traffic signals, and interchanges.
			Nothing in such standards shall preempt the authority of a local government
to regulate the type or density of land uses abutting the systems of state
highways.
			The Commissioner of Highways shall require that any official who approves any
highway access project shall certify that he has applied due diligence in
approving such project and that such approval is, in his professional opinion,
consistent with the minimum standards developed pursuant to this section. An
appeal of the denial, revocation, or conditions of a permit shall be in
accordance with the provisions of 24VAC30-73-50.

HISTORY: 2007, cc. 863, 928, § 33.1-198.1; 2014, c. 805; 2019, c. 157.