All roads within the city shall be classified as principal arterials, minor arterials, major collector streets, minor collector streets, local streets or private streets.
(Ord. 202 § 1.01; Ord. 6-96; Ord. 10-01; Ord. 34-20 § 1)
Functional classification is the process by which streets are grouped into classes, or systems, according to the character of the service they are intended to provide. Most travel involves a movement through a network of streets. It becomes necessary then to determine how this travel can be channelized within the network in a safe, logical and efficient manner. Functional classification defines the nature of this channelization process by defining the part that any particular street should play in serving the flow of trips through a street network.
Streets identified in the functional classification system are derived from existing streets and those identified on the city's transportation improvement plan (TIP), which is adopted by the city council annually. The TIP is a planning document to facilitate the funding and construction of the city's transportation element of the comprehensive plan.
Unconstructed portions of streets and corridors as designated on the TIP have been included to provide the long range planning and regulatory control necessary to protect and maintain the function of the street/corridor.
The following descriptions of street classifications are intended to align with the state and federally defined street classification system. Washington State is responsible for classification of the state and federal routes within city limits, including State Route 240 (SR-240), Interstate 182 (I-182), and State Route 224 (SR-224). The city's street classification system is defined to support the state classifications and leverage the character of the state routes for safe and efficient travel within the city.
(Ord. 202 § 1.02; Ord. 768 § 1.01; Ord. 6-96; Ord. 10-01; Ord. 34-20 § 1)
Principal arterials provide travel service (high mobility) for major traffic movements within the city. They serve as major centers of activity, intra-area travel between suburban centers, between larger communities, and between major trip generators. Principal arterials serve the longest trips and carry the major portion of trips entering and leaving the overall area. Typically they are one of the highest traffic volume corridors in the city. They frequently serve as important interurban and intercity bus routes. The average daily traffic (ADT) is typically in the range of 12,000 to 40,000 vehicles per day. The spacing of principal arterials is usually about one mile. Service to abutting land should be subordinate to the provision of travel service for major traffic movements. Desirably it is located on community and neighborhood boundaries or adjacent to but not through major shopping centers, parks and other homogeneous areas.
(Ord. 202 1.03; Ord. 768 § 1.03; Ord. 6-96; Ord. 10-01; Ord. 39-04; Ord. 34-20 § 1)
Minor arterials interconnect with and augment the principal arterial system. Minor arterials connect major arterials to collector streets and small generators. They provide service to medium size generators, such as less intensive commercial development, high schools and some middle/grade schools, warehousing areas, active parks and ball fields and other land uses with similar trip generation potential. They distribute travel to smaller geographic areas and communities than those identified within the principal arterial system. They provide travel service trips of moderate length of a somewhat lower level of travel mobility than principal arterials. The ADT is typically in the range of 5,000 to 15,000 vehicles per day. Spacing of minor arterials is usually less than one mile in fully developed areas. They provide intra-community continuity and are typically a continuous street with a direct rather than meandering alignment. They may carry local bus routes.
Minor arterials allow for more emphasis on land access than the principal arterial system, but are still mobility oriented. They usually do not penetrate identifiable neighborhoods.
(Ord. 202 § 1.03; Ord. 768 § 1.03; Ord. 6-96; Ord. 10-01; Ord. 34-20 § 1)
Major collector streets distribute trips between the principal and minor arterials and the ultimate destination, or may collect traffic from the neighborhood streets and channel it into the arterial system. They carry a low portion of through traffic and a high portion of local traffic with an origin or destination within the area. Major collector streets provide both land access service and traffic mobility with more emphasis given to access. Spacing is approximately one-quarter mile. The ADT is typically in the range of 1,500 to 8,000 vehicles per day.
(Ord. 202 § 1.04; Ord. 768 § 1.04; Ord. 6-96; Ord. 10-01; Ord. 39-04; Ord. 34-20 § 1)
A minor collector street distributes and/or collects traffic from the local roads in the residential neighborhood and channels it onto the arterial and collector street system. It directly serves any major traffic generators within the neighborhood such as a church or an elementary school. It usually serves one moderate sized neighborhood or a combination of a few small developments. It serves little or no through traffic generated outside of the neighborhood. In some instances, a minor collector can be identified in business or industrial parks. The ADT is typically in the range of 500 to 2,000 vehicles per day.
(Ord. 10-01; Ord. 34-20 § 1)
All streets or parts of streets owned by the city and not designated as principal arterials, minor arterials, major collector streets or minor collector streets are classified and designated as local streets. Local streets provide direct access from abutting property to the arterial and collector street system. They are typically of limited length and service to through traffic across multiple developments is deliberately discouraged. Typical ADT is generally less than 1,000 vehicles per day.
(Ord. 10-01; Ord. 34-20 § 1)
Private streets are streets constructed on private property that are dedicated to general public use by a formal property dedication. Private streets are generally established for the benefit of the adjacent property owners and their need to connect to the public street network. Private streets are generally of the character of a public local street as described above in that they support low volumes of travel and serve the direct property access needs of the adjacent properties.
(Ord. 34-20 § 1)
Street functional classification shall be as designated in the latest adopted version of the FHWA Tri-Cities Urbanized Area Functional Classification System as it pertains to the city of Richland, and as maintained in the WSDOT Data Portal for Functional Classification. The public works director is directed to implement the street classifications described in this chapter through collaboration with the Washington State Department of Transportation. In addition, the public works director is directed to establish appropriate street design standards, traffic control devices and access regulations consistent with the street classification system.
(Ord. 10-01; Ord. 27-12 § 1; Ord. 34-20 § 1)