Virginia Code 33.2-245: Comprehensive highway access management standards.
A. For purposes of this section, “comprehensive highway access management standards” 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.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 33.2-245
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Commissioner of Highways: means the individual who serves as the chief executive officer of the Department of Transportation. See Virginia Code 33.2-100
- Highway: means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way or place open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel in the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 33.2-100
- State: includes District of Columbia;
(f) "Transit facilities" means all real and personal property located in the Zone, necessary or useful in rendering transit service between points within the Zone, by means of rail, bus, water or air and any other mode of travel, including, without limitation, tracks, rights-of-way, bridges, tunnels, subways, rolling stock for rail, motor vehicle, marine and air transportation, stations, terminals and ports, areas for parking and all equipment, fixtures, buildings and structures and services incidental to or required in connection with the performance of transit service;
(g) "Transit services" means the transportation of persons and their packages and baggage by means of transit facilities between points within the Zone including the transportation of newspapers, express and mail between such points, and charter service which originates within the Zone but does not include taxicab service or individual-ticket-sales sightseeing operations;
(h) "Transit Zone" or "Zone" means the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Zone created and described in Section 3 as well as any additional area that may be added pursuant to Section 83(a) of this Compact; and
(i) "WMATC" means Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Commission. See Virginia Code 33.2-3100
- Systems of state highways: has the meaning assigned to it in § 1-251. See Virginia Code 33.2-100
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.
2007, cc. 863, 928, § 33.1-198.1; 2014, c. 805; 2019, c. 157.