Urban Freeway Guide Signing: Final Report (0-4170-2)

The freeway signing guidelines in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) are general in nature and leave room for interpretation. As a result, there are some variations in the way that freeway signing information is presented to road users. This project was conducted to evaluate key aspects of freeway signing in Texas and develop guidelines for improving the quality and consistency of freeway signing. The major efforts of this research included an evaluation of existing freeway signing in Texas by photographing signing in several urban areas, evaluating driver information needs by conducting focus groups with freeway drivers in selected Texas cities, and developing a Freeway Signing Handbook. The handbook is the implementation product for the research effort. The six chapters in the handbook address: related documents that also contain freeway signing information, the basic principles of freeway signing, when it is appropriate to use different types of freeway signs, the design (or layout) of exit direction and advance guide signs, the placement of freeway advance guide and exit direction signs approaching roadway interchanges and freeway-to-freeway interchanges, and signing for freeway frontage roads.