Mid-Atlantic ADA Centerleadership Network

Session 5.3

Slide 1

Public Right-of-Way –
Difficult Ain’t Infeasible

Slide 2

Mid-Atlantic ADA CenterLeadership Network

Joe Ellis

DelDOT ADA Construction Compliance Manager

Linda Osiecki, M.E., P.E.

DelDOT ADA Compliance Design Review

Slide 3

Who are you?

•Construction

–Contractor

–Construction Inspector

•Design

–Engineer

–Designer

•Federal Government

•State, County or Local Government

•ADA Advocates & People with Disabilities

[image of 2 men on a skyscraper]

Slide 4

Why do people with disabilities use pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way?

•Work

•School

•Shopping/Eating out

•Medical Appt.

•Transit (bus, train, etc.)

•Recreation

•The same reasons everyone else does

[image of people on a sidewalk in a city, one man has a service animal]

Slide 5

ADA Compliance is important

Curb Ramps

[image of a curb ramp]

Slide 6

Sidewalks

[image of a sidewalk]

Slide 7

Driveways

[image of a driveway]

Slide 8

Bus Stops

[image of a bus stop]

Slide 9

Safety

[diagram of pedestrian routes to a store]

Slide 10

Other considerations

Other Users

[image of a very steep driveway to a home]

Slide 11

Other Condsiderations

Drainage

[image of a poor drainage on a street and walkway]

Slide 12

Acronyms

•ADA = Americans with Disabilities Act

•ADAAG = Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines

–1991, 2002, 2004/2010

•PAR = Pedestrian Access Route

•MUTCD = Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices

Slide 13

Acronyms

•ROW = Right-of-Way

•PROW = Public Right-of-Way

•PROWAG = Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines

–2005, 2011

–FHWA 2006 memo:

•“recommended best practices”

•“the state of the practice”

•“consistent with the ADA’s requirement that all new facilities (and altered facilities to the maximum extent feasible) be designed and constructed to be accessible to and useable by people with disabilities”

Slide 14

[images of cars on a highway, a street and a racetrack]

Slide 15

[images of apples and oranges, a ramp on a house, a person in a store and a city street]

Slide 16

Directions

Throughout this presentation, assume for aerial views and maps that north is up.[image of a compass]

Slide 17

2+5Basic Elementsfor PROW Pedestrian Facilities

Slide 18

2  Layout

1. Landings

2. Crossings

Slide 19

Landings

•2% x 2% max. in both directions

•5’ x 5’

[images of sidewalks]

Slide 20

Landings

intersection of one or more pedestrian paths where people may turn

Slide 21

Landings

where people need to stop and wait before crossing

Slide 22

Landings

At bottom of stairs

[old photograph of Laurel and Hardy who have fallen down some stairs]

Slide 23

Landings

Adjacent to pedestrian pushbutton

[photo of a landing next to a pedestrian pushbutton]

Slide 24

[photo of a landing next to a pedestrian pushbutton, showing height range]

Slide 25

[photo of a landing next to a pedestrian pushbutton, showing distance from curb range]

Slide 26

Sometimes, bigger is not better!!

[photo of a man in a wheelchair in crosswalk near pedestrian landing]

Slide 27

Landing Not Defined By Joints

•Without clearly defined joints, concrete finishing can result in surfaces that are:

–Non-planar

–Exceed 2% because blended with adjacent ramp

Slide 28

Clearly defined joints

[photo of police officers in a crosswalk]

Slide 29

Crossings

Crossing the road is a potential area of conflict between vehicles and pedestrians

[photo of landing joints]

Slide 30

Crossings

Avoid skewed crossings

[aerial view of a intersection showing crosswalks and a diagram of an intersection and crosswalks]

Slide 31

Skewed Crossings

•Increased length of crossing

•Resulting increased time needed for pedestrian phase

•Makes orientation difficult to impossible for people with vision impairments

[diagram of a crosswalk]

Slide 32

Crossings

Be mindful of pedestrian destinations

[aerial view of a street, showing traffic lights, ice cream store, park and crosswalk]

Slide 33

Crossings: Be mindful of pedestrian destinations

[aerial view of street and interstate highway]

Slide 34

Crossings

Be mindful of pedestrian destinations

Seaside Park, N.J.

[aerial view of Seaside Park, NJ]

Slide 35

Ocean

[photos of beach and pedestrian access ramp to beach]

Slide 36

Bay

[photos of bay with boats and dock]

Slide 37

Crossings

[aerial view of intersection and crosswalk]

Slide 38

Crossings

[photo of crosswalk]

Slide 39

Crossings

Do not unnecessarily increase the number of times a person has to cross the street

[aerial photo of street, showing crossings]

Slide 40

Basic LayoutLanding(s) + Crossing(s)

Slide 41

[diagram of crosswalk]

Slide 42

Pedestrian Access Route

1.Width

2.Cross Slope

3.Running Slope

4.Vertical Differences

5.Horizontal Openings

Slide 43

Resource

•Old Access Board Accessible Rights of Way Guide

[image of old Access Board Rights of Way Guide]

Slide 44

[drawing depicting effect of excessive cross slope]

Slide 45

[old photo of person with a cane near pole]

Slide 46

[image of text]

Slide 47

Think about barriers in the PAR.[photo of unsafe sidewalk that needs extensive repair]

Slide 48

Width[photo of sidewalk that goes around a fire hydrant]

Slide 49

[photo of walking aids: wheelchairs, canes, walkers]

Slide 50

Width

[photo of sidewalk with a bush hanging over it]

Slide 51

Resource

•Anthropometry of Wheeled Mobility Project

–2010 for the Access Board

[image of publication]

Slide 52

Unoccupied Mobility Devices

•Up to 38.1”

[image of chart]

Slide 53

Clear Floor Width(Occupied Mobility Devices)

•Up to 39.7”

[image of chart]

Slide 54

Comparison of Widths

ADAAG Pinch Point 32”

ADAAG Min. Width 36”

PROWAG Min. Width 48”

PROWAG Preferred Width60”

Slide 55

Cross Slope[photo of sidewalk with device to measure cross slope]

Slide 56

[drawing of man in wheelchair navigating over an uneven surface]

Slide 57

[photo showing cross slope]

Slide 58

[photo showing running slope]

Slide 59

Vertical Differences

[photo showing uneven sidewalk]

Slide 60

Horizontal Openings

[photos showing openings in sidewalks]

Slide 61

[photo showing opening near a sidewalk]

Slide 62

Basic Construction Project Process

•Site visits during scoping & design

•Questions during scoping & design

•Plan Reviews

•Questions before and during construction

•ADA Inspection after completion

[photo of workers repairing curb]

Slide 63

Inspection byConstruction Personnel

•Proactive v. Passive/Reactive

–Review layout with contractor

–Check Forms

–Ask questions before pouring/installation

Slide 64

Be sure before you pour.

[photo showing incorrect curb construction]

Slide 65

ADA Inspection

•Curb ramps

•Sidewalks

•Driveways

•Bus Stops

•Pedestrian Signals

•Crossings

Slide 66

Barriers to Compliance

•Lack of enforcement

•Lack of awareness and education of the disabled community

•Lack of public involvement

–Requests

–Complaints

–Contacting legislators and other public officials

Slide 67

Barriers to Compliance

•Lack of design and coordination before construction

•Decision-making without knowledge and training by administrators, designers and construction personnel

•Institutional Inertia – “The way we’ve always done it”

•Maintenance (or lack thereof)

Slide 68

Growing Awareness

[images of ADA Center logos and ADA Anniversary logos]

Slide 69

Questions?

[image of man in wheelchair in a crosswalk]

Slide 70

2004 ADAAG

202.3Alterations. Where existing elements or spaces are altered, each altered element or space shall comply with the applicable requirements of Chapter 2.

EXCEPTIONS: ….

2. Inalterations, where compliance with applicable requirements is technically infeasible, thealterationshall comply with the requirements to the maximum extent feasible.

Slide 71