Iowa Access Management Awareness Project

• Reports and Other Publications
• Project Background and Goals
• Project Phases and Work Products
• Access Management Task Force Members
• Iowa DOT Project Manager
• Research Project Team Members
• For More Information 

Reports and Other Publications

• Phase I
  • Literature review (html) (1.5 mb *pdf)
  • Access management policies
• Phase II
  • Full report (5 mb *pdf)
    • Front matter, abstract (25 kb *pdf)
    • Summary (503 kb *pdf)
    • Case studies documentation (4.2 mb *pdf)
    • Business vitality trends documentation (142 kb *pdf)
    • Opinion surveys documentation (50 kb *pdf)
    • Acknowledgments (12 kb *pdf)
  • Coralville, Iowa, case study (727 kb *pdf)
• Phase III: training materials
• Phase IV (956 kb *pdf file)
• Access Management Handbook
• Access Management Toolkit: Answers to frequently asked questions

*To read pdf files, you may need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader

Project Background and Goals

Access management is a process that manages access to land development while seeking to preserve the flow of traffic on the surrounding road system. Sound access management practices can lead to safer roads that provide better service to motorists. In 1996, the Iowa Department of Transportation established an Access Management Task Force as part of its Safety Management System development effort. The Task Force is working with the Center for Transportation Research and Education at Iowa State University and other researchers at the University of Northern Iowa to improve awareness of how access management can lead to safer, better functioning highways, roads, and streets in Iowa.  The Task Force and Research Team are also investigating the effects that access management projects have on local business vitality.

Project Phases and Work Products

The Access Management Awareness Project is divided into four work phases.

Phase I

Completed in October 1996, Phase I was a review of the extensive access management literature.

A report on the current status of access management policies and practices in Iowa is also now available. This report presents the results of a telephone survey of 20 large cities and 11 counties located in metropolitan areas.

Phase II

Phase II involved detailed research into existing access management policies and the safety and traffic flow impacts of specific access management case studies in Iowa. The effect of controlling access on local businesses was also evaluated for selected Iowa case studies.

This phase was completed during the winter of 1997. It resulted in several published reports, including detailed case study documentation, results of opinion surveys of businesses and motorists, and a report on the effect of access management projects on local business trends. An Executive Summary report has also been prepared.

Phase III

Phase III involved the development and dissemination of access management training and education materials for transportation professionals, elected officials, and the general public. Training and education materials included a statewide access management conference, printed materials, multimedia materials, and Internet resources.

Phase IV

Phase IV involved additional research in three more selected case studies in Iowa. This phase also involved the identification of potential future case study locations and production of educational materials for target audiences. Phase IV Final Report (956 kb *pdf file)

Access Management Task Force Members

• Dale Harrington, Snyder & Associates Consulting Engineers, Task Force Chair
• Les Beck, Story County Planning and Zoning
• Jolee Belzung, City of Ankeny
• Sue Cosner, Des Moines Water Works (formerly with the Iowa League of Cities and the Iowa Department of Transportation Field Services Division)
• Larry Heintz, Iowa Department of Transportation Maintenance Division
• Fred Hollister, Des Moines Chamber of Commerce
• Gerry Kennedy, Federal Highway Administration
• Dave Little, Iowa Department of Transportation Project Development Division
• Mike Tousley, Weitz Company

Thanks also to Jack Latterell (formerly of the FHWA) who served on the task force during Phases I, II, and III.

Iowa DOT Project Manager

• Tom Welch, Iowa Department of Transportation Engineering Division

Research Project Team Members

• Tom Maze, CTRE, Iowa State University, Principal Investigator
• David Plazak, CTRE, Iowa State University, Project Manager  
• Ken Stone, Economics Department, Iowa State University
• Paul Chao, College of Business Administration, University of Northern Iowa
• Pola Gupta, College of Business Administration, University of Northern Iowa
• Chris Albrecht, CTRE, Iowa State University, Graduate Student
• John Witmer, CTRE, Iowa State University, Graduate Student
• Kyle Evans, CTRE, Iowa State University, Undergraduate Student

Thanks also to Marilyn Kuntemeyer, Tom Sanchez, and Tim Simodynes (formerly of CTRE) and to John Shaw (formerly of the Public Policy Institute of the University of Iowa) who served on the research team during Phases I and II.

Access Management Hot Links

Colorado DOT web site for access management
http//www.dot.state.co.us/BusinessCenter/Permits/Access/index.htm

Federal Highway Administration Access Management Web Site
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/realestate/flmipgms.htm

Minnesota Department of Transportation
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/access/

Oregon Department of Transportation
http://www.odot.state.or.us/tdb/planning/access_mgt/

University of South Florida Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR)
http://www.cutr.eng.usf.edu/index2.htm (choose "Access Management" from the list of quick links)

US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics
http://www.bts.gov/

For More Information 

David J. Plazak
Associate Director for Policy
Center for Transportation Research and Education
Iowa State University Research Park
2901 South Loop Drive, Suite 3100
Ames, IA 50010-8632
Telephone: (515) 294-8103
Fax: (515) 294-0467
E-Mail: dplazak@iastate.edu