Evaluation of Design Standards and Operation Practice of Climbing Lanes

오르막차선 설치기준 및 운영방안 평가

The objective of study is to evaluate design standards related to the allowable truck speeds, taper length and sign requirements together with the operating practices and economic justification for climbing lanes. Field surveys were carried out on seven climbing lanes, three on two-lane and four on four-lane freeways. Data collected are traffic volume, speed, usage rate and delay. It is found that current design criteria for determining the length of climbing lane, taper lengths, and traffic sign requirements must be upgraded. It is also recommended that regulations on the use of climbing lane be established to make it more effective. Further, economic analysis revealed that the climbing lane is economically justified for two-lane and four-lane freeway if the AADT is over 4,577 and 5,116 vehicles respectively.