In order to promote greater safety of passage between highway and land; improve the convenience and ease of movement of travelers on the highway; permit reasonable speeds and economy of travel; and increase and protect the capacity of the highway, the location and design of access points shall be in accordance with the following access control requirements, these requirements shall apply to all arterial and collector type streets as identified in the adopted Comprehensive Plan:
A. Provision of reserved turning lanes: at those access points where vehicles turning to and from the arterial and collector streets will affect the roadway capacity reserved turn lanes shall be constructed by the developer.
B. Provision of frontage road: where possible, provision for the construction of a frontage road shall be made. However, access to the arterial or collector streets via an intersecting street or a common driveway shall be investigated if the design is not reasonable.
C. Coordination of access ponts: major access points on opposite sides of the arterial and collector streets shall be located opposite each other, otherwise turning movement restrictions may be imposed by the Planning Commission or City Inspector/Zoning Administrator, whichever is applicable in addition, in order to maximize the efficient utilization of access points, access drive shall be designed, located, and constructed in a manner to provide and make possible the coordination of access with and between adjacent properties developed (present or future) for similar uses. As a condition of approval for construction, use, or reuse of any access road, the City Inspector/Zoning Administrator may require that unobstructed and unencumbered access, in accordance with the provisions of this appendix, be provided from any access point to adjacent properties.
D. Spacing restrictions for signalized access points:
1. Access points which will warrant signalization shall be spaced a minimum distance of 1/4 miles apart. The exact location of the signal light shall be determined by a traffic engineering study which shall at least account for the following variables:
a. Speed;
b. Traffic signal phasing;
c. Traffic signal cycle length;
d. Roadway geometrics; and
e. Accident experience
2. Provision for all turning movements to maintain the design capacity of the roadway shall be required.
E. Sight distance: the location of access points shall comply with safe sight distance requirements as provided in Table 1 of this section. The centerline of all access points shall intersect as nearly at a 90 degree angle as possible, but in no case shall the angle of intersection be less than 75 degrees or greater than 105 degrees, unless approved by the Planning Commission or City inspector/Zoning Administrator, whichever is applicable, due to certain exceptional conditions.
F. Location of un-signalzied access point:
1. Arterial streets.
a. Un-signalized access points shall be spaced a minimum distance of 600 feet apart. Turning restrictions or reserved turn lanes may be required.
b. One access point per existing tract will be permitted; however, if the spacing requirements for a direct access point onto an arterial street (as provided in division F.1.a. above) cannot be met, then an access point may be located on a frontage road or on an intersecting local street, or share a common driveway that meets the spacing requirements. In order for the intersecting local street or frontage road to function properly, access onto them should be controlled as follows:
1) Access points onto local streets intersecting an arterial street shall be spaced a minimum distance of 100 feet, measured from point of curb return to point of curb return, from the arterial street.
2) In areas zoned to permit commercial, industrial, or multi-family residential use, access points from adjacent properties onto frontage roads, shall be no less than 100 feet measured from point of curb return to point of curb return from intersections of the frontage road with local or collector streets.
c. Where the frontage of a tract is greater than 500 feet an additional access point may be permitted; however, the type of access will depend on the spacing requirements in division F.1.a. of this section. If the frontage of the tract is large enough, then at least one of the access points may have direct access onto the arterial street, provided the spacing between the adjacent access points meet the requirements of division F.1.a. of this section and all other requirements of this section. In the case where the frontage allows only one point of direct access due to spacing restrictions as provided herein, the second access point will be via a frontage road or an intersecting local street, or share a common driveway that meets the spacing restrictions as provided along the arterial street.
d. If a tract of land has no means of access that would meet the requirements of this section, one access point shall be provided. However, all such access points shall be considered a temporary right-of-way and may be terminated, reduced, limited to certain turning movements, or caused to be relocated by the City Inspector/Zoning Administrator at that time as the particular use served by the access point changes or the property is otherwise provided an alternate means of access via a frontage road or an intersecting local street or sharing of a common driveway. Provisions for the construction of a frontage road, restricted turning movements, or other improvements, may be required, as a condition to approval, in order to minimize the number of access points and congestion to the adjacent street. In all cases where access points are classified as temporary, the designation shall be duly noted on the plot plan or site plan submitted for a zoning permit and also upon the deed of the property in question.
2. Collector streets.
a. On two lane roadway, one access point per existing tract will be allowed; however, if the frontage is greater than 500 feet, an additional access point may be permitted. Furthermore, the minimum spacing between adjacent access points on this type of facility shall be 100 feet, measured from point of curb return to point of curb return, except in the case where the street intersects another collector street or arterial street, then the access points shall be spaced a minimum of 300 feet from the intersection.
b. On multi-lane roadways the spacing is dependent on whether or not a barrier median exists (prohibiting left turn movements). If a barrier median exists, access points may be spaced as close as 300 feet; however, certain turning movements will be prohibited. If a barrier median does not exist, then the minimum spacing of access points shall be 600 feet. In addition, some turning movements may be prohibited.
c. One access point per existing tract will be allowed; however, if the spacing requirements for a direct access point, as provided in division F.2.a. of this section, cannot be met, then an access point may be located on a frontage road or on an intersecting street or share a common driveway that meets the spacing requirements.
d. If a tract of land has no means of access that would meet the requirements of this section, one access point shall be provided. However, all such access points shall be considered a temporary right-of-way and may be terminated, reduced, limited to certain turning movements or caused to be relocated by the City Inspector/Zoning Administrator at that time as the particular use served by the access point changes, or the property is otherwise provided an alternate means of access via a frontage road or an intersecting local street or share a common driveway. Provisions for the construction of a frontage road, restricted turning movements, or other improvements, may be required, as a condition to approval, in order to minimize the number of access points and congestion to the adjacent street. In all cases where access points are classified as temporary, the designation shall be duly noted on the plot plan or site plan submitted for a zoning permit and also upon the deed of the property in question.
G. Width of access points:
1. In single-family residential zones, no access point width shall be less than nine feet, nor more than 20 feet. In all other zones, access points shall not be less than 12 feet, nor more than 48 feet in width. The width shall be as measured from the point of curb return to point of curb return (or edge of pavement if no curb exists) excluding the curb radius.
2. The City Inspector/Zoning Administrator may modify (enlarge or reduce) the width to provide for a more efficient and safe channelization of flow of traffic.
H. Exceptions to access points requirements: where situations develop that may require special treatment, the requirements as provided in § 11.3 first six types of uses, may be varied provided that a traffic engineering report is prepared by a qualified traffic engineer, establishing that the special treatment will have no adverse effects on the roadway safety and capacity.
I. Access point problem areas: if after special study, it is determined that the type of use or activity proposed would have an adverse effect on the safety and capacity of the adjacent roadway, the access point spacing requirements as contained in this section may have to be increased in order to adequately solve the traffic movement.
J. Approval of access points required: plans for all access points and modification access points thereto (including plans to use existing access points where a change of use for any tract of land would generate more traffic than the previous use, thus producing an adverse effect on the adjacent roadway) shall be submitted to the City Inspector/Zoning Administrator and the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission staff, at a scale not less than one equals 100 feet. No action of approving or rejecting these plans by the City Inspector/Zoning Administrator shall be taken until a review and recommendation of the plans has been made by the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission staff. The plans shall show the location of all access points, and access points within 600 feet in either direction.
The proposed access point shall include typical cross sections of pavement, the base and subbase, proposed grade and storm drainage, and any other information or plans that the circumstances may warrant. If the access points are being located in conjunction with off-street parking or loading and unloading facilities, then those plans shall also include parking and off-street loading or unloading plans, in accordance with §§ 11.0 through 12.2.
K. Approval of access points along state-maintained routes by Kentucky Department of Transportation: a copy of the plans for all access points to be constructed along a state-maintained route shall also be submitted to the Kentucky Department of Transportation for review and approval during the same time as plans are submitted to the City Inspector/Zoning Administrator, as provided for in § 11.3.
L. No access point plans shall be approved or permits issued for construction by the City Inspector/Zoning Administrator until these access point plans have been approved by the Kentucky Department of Transportation.
(Ord. 2017-6, passed 4-4-17)