New MUTCD Now Available
as reported in Better Roads

The U.S. Department of Transportation has finally released the new Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. An article by Linda L. Brown with the Federal Highway Administration in the December, 2000 issue of Better Roads gave an early glimpse of the manual's contents. The new manual contains detailed roadway standards for the entire transportation industry to uniformly control road signs, roadway work zones, traffic control, highway rail crossings, traffic control for bicycles and so on. This is only the fourth edition of the MUTCD. Notable changes, according to the American Traffic Safety Services Association, include:

1. New signs and pavement markings to improve roadway safety and efficiency.
2. Changes in standards and guidance to provide for the needs of older drivers.
3. Major changes in the work-zone section to reduce delays in and around road work.
4. Additions to incorporate provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
5. New provisions to assist pedestrians and bicyclists.

ATSSA partnered with the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to publish the new manual and make it available to the roadway industry. Loose-leaf editions fit three-ring binders and are available by section or in the manual's entirety. The complete manual is 1,100-pages long. A smaller, glove-box sized manual is meant for field work and contains portions of the MUTCD that workers need on a job. A CD-ROM version of the complete manual is also available. To check prices or to order, go to www.atssa.com.