Freeway Management and Operations Handbook

Description of Figure 6-4: Entrance Ramp Markings (Figure 3B-9 from MUTCD)

This figure illustrates two examples of channelizing line applications for entrance ramp markings, (a) and (b),shown as vertical highways.

Example (a), parallel acceleration lane, shows the two lanes of one direction of a divided highway. Arrows indicate that the direction of travel is from the bottom of the figure to the top. A solid yellow line is to the left of the leftmost through lane, a solid white line separates the rightmost travel lane from the right shoulder, and the through lanes are separated from each other by a broken white line. Near the bottom of the figure, a curving entrance ramp is added to the right of the through lanes, creating a parallel acceleration lane. Where the ramp joins the highway, the solid white line on the right edge of the right lane and the yellow solid line on the left edge of the entrance ramp become wide solid white lines that then become a white triangle in front of the gore and then become solid white "channelizing lines" for an undimensioned distance. The acceleration lane runs parallel to the rightmost through lane and is separated from it by a broken white line. A note shows "broken lane line markings for one-half length of full-width acceleration lane."

Example (b), tapered acceleration lane, shows the two lanes of one direction of a divided highway. Arrows indicate that the direction of travel is from the bottom of the figure to the top. A solid yellow line is to the left of the leftmost through lane, a solid white line separates the rightmost travel lane from the right shoulder, and the through lanes are separated from each other by a broken white line. Near the bottom of the figure, an entrance ramp is added to the right of the right through lanes at an angle, creating a tapered acceleration lane. Where the ramp joins the highway, the solid white line on the right edge of the right lane continues, and the yellow solid line on the left edge of the entrance ramp becomes a wider, solid white "channelizing line" for an undimensioned distance, after which it becomes a normal broken white line. Opposite the point where the wide solid white line along the left side of the tapered acceleration lane becomes a normal broken white line, the solid white line on the right edge of the rightmost through lane ends. The broken white line on the left side of the acceleration lane ends at the point where the "full lane width" of the acceleration lane meets the "full lane width" of the rightmost through lane.

A legend shows a black arrow indicating the direction of travel in the lanes.