Summary of Comparison of Crashes on Rural Two-Lane and Four-Lane Highways in Texas

The selection of a cross section is a major decision and turning point for a roadway design. Decisions regarding number of lanes, presence and width of a median, lane widths, and shoulder width greatly affect safety, cost, and capacity of a roadway. Although capacity and cost considerations are generally readily evaluated, the impact of the cross section on safety is not always apparent. Recent efforts both on a national level with the development of the Highway Safety Manual and within the state of Texas as part of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Research Project 0-4703, however, are developing guidance materials that can evaluate potential safety effects of different design alternatives.