Boulevard

Boulevard
A type of street having the opposing travel lanes separated by a landscaped median. Also known as a divided street or highway.

Boulevards provide a method of separating opposing traffic flows for residential areas, commercial, institutional, and industrial developments. They should extend as far as the first intersection within the development. A boulevard median should not be included in the calculation of the cartway width, but should be included in the calculation of the right-of-way width.

The provision of separated, two-lane cartways allows for access to a development if one of the cartways is closed due to an emergency. The unobstructed lanes can be used for two directional travel. Often, an entrance to a development is designed with a boulevard treatment that is not functional because it only separates the cartway for a short distance. If the cartway is obstructed beyond the separated boulevard and no other access point exists, then all access to the development is cut off.

An entrance road designed as a landscaped boulevard is an attractive feature found in many of the successful cluster subdivisions. While this might not be appropriate in rural areas where the location and entrance to the subdivision should be more subtle, it works well in suburban or transitional areas.

Boulevard entrance in Kennett Township; Boulevard entrance in Upper Uwchlan Township.

Recommendations

Boulevard

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View a PDF of the entire Multi-Modal Handbook.