How does VDOT decide what type of road is going to be built and where to build it?
Location is determined by a number of factors, including: • Geography • Environmental concerns • The area’s physical features • Cost of land • Relocation of utilities • Safety • Preferences of residents Traffic volumes and desired speeds determine or require specified widths, sight distances, grades and other requirements to enhance safety. Designers wrestle with questions such as whether to take a house or put in a curve that might raise the road’s cost and make it less safe. Often, it is a process of elimination: some proposed paths are too expensive, harm the environment too much or cross through protected historic sites.
