Looking for the Design Manual in effect right now?
The most current WSDOT Design Manual is dated July 2012 and is available on the Design Manual Abstract Page:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Publications/Manuals/M22-01.htm
The process for revising the Design Manual is given below.
Design Manual revisions planned (or possible) for publication July 2013:
The following chapters and topics are listed as 2013 policy projects. As each is developed further, additional information will be added to this site.
The Details of Each Chapter Revision
The tables below show the chapters in the current revision. The column marked "Current Status" shows where in the process a chapter is.
- When a chapter is ready for region/area review, it is posted in the first column.
- All comments will be posted without change in the second column.
- The third column is used to post the document with all comments merged and responded to.
- The fourth column presents the chapter as an FYI posting for regions/areas to view the outcome.
- After approvals, the chapter may be downloaded from the right-hand column and used on projects.
Chapter 1340 - Road Approaches
A peer team has completed the rewrite of this chapter. Some changes include:
- Applied new, more accurate title
- Reduced and updated the Access Design templates to be more flexible for context sensitive design
- Making general clarifications and improvements to the text
- Improved the Access Sight Distance exhibit
- Updated "SU" to "SU-30" to match AASHTO (will also be updated in other chapters)
Chapter 1300 - Intersection Control (New)
This new chapter will provide guidance on preliminary intersection analysis and selection of control type. The Highway Safety Executive Committee (HSEC) issued a policy paper to provide direction. Download a copy of the HSEC policy paper.
Chapter 1320 - Roundabouts
A peer team has completed the revision of this chapter. Some changes include:
- Added photos and updated exhibits
- Added information on non-circular roundabouts
- Updated design standards to current practices
- Changed the conceptual design meeting to preliminary geometry design meeting. The conceptual concepts will now be part of the new chapter 1300 requirements
- Added discussion on chicanes
Chapter 1310 - Intersections
The purpose of this chapter revision is to:
- Look at the lane alignment policy and throat width requirements
- Clean up some exhibits
- Make a few clarifications in the text
Current Status | | | | |
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Policy review comment period |
Policy review comments received |
Disposition of review comments |
Final FYI post |
Available
for use |
Will post when ready |
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Chapter 1420 - HOV Direct Access
We plan to move some related policy from Chapter 1310 into this chapter and put some color on the signs in the exhibits.
Current Status | | | | |
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Policy review comment period
|
Policy review comments received |
Disposition of review comments |
Final FYI post |
Available
for use
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Will post when ready |
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Chapter 540 - Managed Access Control
Minor clarifications planned for 540.12 - Adjudicative Procedings and Corner Clearance guidance.
Current Status | | | | |
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Policy review comment period
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Policy review comments received |
Disposition of review comments |
Final FYI post |
Available
for use
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Will post when ready |
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Chapter 120 - Planning
HQ Planning office updating this chapter. Review should be ready in April.
Current Status | | | | |
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Policy review comment period
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Policy review comments received |
Disposition of review comments |
Final FYI post |
Available
for use
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Plan: April for review |
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Chapter 230 - Environmental Permits and Approvals
UPDATE: This chapter has been concelled and is now part of
Chapter 225 (see 225 below)
This chapter has been revised and reduced to emphasize permitting resources, with inclusion of a link to WSDOT's Environmental Permitting web page. No new policy has been added. Much of the chapter content has been removed including the use of matrix presentation of permits.
NEW Chapter 225 - Environmental Coordination
This chapter is a result of combining guidance from existing chapters 220 and 230, both of which will be retired.
There is 4 pages of content providing designers an overview of the environmental topic with emphasis on project coordination with environmental staff. Reference links are updated to the Environmental Procedures Manual (EPM) as well as online Enviromental resources for permitting and other areas of work. Documentation requirements for permits and commitment files are discussed in this brief narrative, however the EPM will be the offical manual for direction for retaining environmental paperwork.
Current status | Comments
received | Disposition
of review comments | Final FYI
Post
Available for use |
|---|
Review
comment period
1/23/13 - 2/15/13 |
Manager Policy, Standards & Research Unit
HQ ESO
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Download Ch 225 |
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Chapter 1600 - Roadside Safety
Migrate guidance from the Roadside Manual chapter on this topic and retire Roadside Manual chapter.
Current Status | | | | |
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Policy review comment period
|
Policy review comments received |
Disposition of review comments |
Final FYI post |
Available
for use
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Will post when ready |
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Chapter 1610 - Barriers
This revision will update the length of need table.
Current Status | | | | |
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Policy review comment period
|
Policy review comments received |
Disposition of review comments |
Final FYI post |
Available
for use
|
Will post when ready |
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Chapter 1260 - Sight Distance
This chapter will be reviewed for the following:
- SSD on sag curves
- A review of the object height policy (2-ft vs 6-in)
- SSD at railroad crossings
- Changes from the 2011 Green Book
Current Status | | | | |
|---|
Policy review comment period
|
Policy review comments received |
Disposition of review comments |
Final FYI post |
Available
for use
|
Will post when ready |
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Chapter 1040 - Illumination
These revisions will reflect possible changes in the illumination policy forthcoming.
Current Status | | | | |
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Policy review comment period
|
Policy review comments received |
Disposition of review comments |
Final FYI post |
Available
for use
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Will post when ready |
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Parking Area Design
Concept: Improve parking area guidance for users of the Design Manual.
Questions for Regions and Areas: how can the Design Manual best be improved to provide more guidance to designers on parking area design?
Examples: Would you want that to be a new chapter in the 1700s, add more material to Chapter 1430, or propose another idea?
Current WSDOT Guidance on parking design includes:
- Roadside Manual Chapter 630 - Parking Area Design. This chapter is planned to be retired after incorporating valued guidance into the Design Manual.
- Design Manual Chapter 1430 - Transit Facilities might be one place where that would fit. It already provides some guidance on park and ride lot design.
- The WSF Terminal Design Manual, Chapter 530 - Parking (June 2012) provides parking guidlines for WSF applications. Also, Chapter Chapter 300 - Accessibility of that new manual covers parking spaces by linking the practitioner to Sections 208 and 502 of the 2010 ADA Standards for Acccessible Design, which seems quite useful.
1. Current Status: Solicit ideas from Regions and Areas for where they would like this guidance placed in the DM.
2. Next step: Use region/area comments to help determine where to place the guidance in the DM and then post it here for typical reivew and comment.
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Policy review comment period
| Policy review comments received | Disposition
of review comments | Final FYI post | Available
for use
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|---|
Will post when ready |
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Design Manual Glossary
This Glossary contains definitions from the Design Manual chapters and groups them from A-Z in a single location. Acronyms are grouped in the front. The review is meant to hear from regions and areas about this concept; a thumbs up or down to make this change.
complete | complete | complete | | |
|---|
Comment period
11/28/12 to
12/21/12
|
Comments received |
Disposition
of comments & decision to implement |
Final FYI post |
Available
for use
|
Download Glossary to review and comment on concept |
Thumbs up:
SWR
SCR w/ concern
ER
NWR
HQ Community Planning
HQ Dev Div Orgs
HQ Traffic
NCR still supports |
all comments positive so will publish single glossary in July revision package.
Note: some chapters being revised may cause new or revised defintions in the glossary. |
Note: some chapters being revised for July may cause new or revised defintions in the glossary.
So the Glossary will be posted here later. |
|
Chapter 1600 - Roadside Safety
Additional guidance to be added on centerline rumble strips.
Also, some information from Roadside Manual Ch 310 will be added, as that chapter is being retired from the RM.
The Design Manual Revision Process
Design Manual chapters currently planned for revision are listed in the tables above.
- When a chapter is ready for WSDOT Region and Area review and comment, a "Policy Review Draft" is posted in its respective table and designated points of contact are notified.
- The tables are used by the points of contact to download a chapter for review and comment.
- Tables show the comment review period (usually 4 to 6 weeks).
- Region/Area comments are posted in the tables as they are received.
- After evaluating all comments, WSDOT Design Office posts a file showing the final draft, with all comments and the HQ Design Office's response to them. (Not all comments are used, but all are considered.)
When a chapter has "final approval," it will be available for use prior to publication. See the link in the right-hand column of each table as chapters are approved.
Region "Points of Contact" (POCs)
WSDOT regions have identified specific people to act as POCs to coordinate a unified region response to draft policy changes.
- POCs coordinate with people in their region to review/comment on draft policy.
- POCs send their region's comments back to HQ in one document.
View WSDOT Region and Area points of contact list (updated 10/2/12)