MUTCD Watch...

This page identifies specific issues we are aware of regarding the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) published by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). For the most part information in this page will deal only with the warrant analysis methods of the MUTCD. Please be aware that this information is the best available at the time it is published. You might also check our User Discussion Forum for questions and discussions which may also be helpful. The FHWA MUTCD web site may also be another viable source for additional information related to the topics on this page, especially for pending and official changes to the MUTCD procedures.

This page is relevant to TEAPAC software users because the WARRANTS function of TEAPAC which performs signal and multi-way stop warrant analyses explicitly follows the methods dictated by the MUTCD (1988, 2000, 2003 & 2009 versions). In addition, the same warrant analyses are provided as an option in the TURNS function which also performs complete turning movement count tabulation and peak period analysis. The tabulations and peak analyses of TURNS can be directed to the SIGNAL function for capacity analysis and signal phasing & timing optimization.

12/31/03 - MUTCD 2003

The 2003 edition of the MUTCD was made official in the Federal Register on November 20, 2003. With regard to the proposed changes described below (56% rule), the 'official' 2000 MUTCD ruling has been reversed and the 2003 MUTCD permits the 56% calculation the same way the 1988 MUTCD allowed. This means that an 'official' 2000 MUTCD analysis will differ from an 'official' 2003 MUTCD analysis when this condition exists. A new version of WARRANTS/TEAPAC, Ver 2.02 (and a new TURNS/TEAPAC Ver 3.52) has been published that reverses the default condition for the 56% rule and labels the analysis as '2003 MUTCD', but still make the rule a user option so that both the 'official' 2000 and 2003 methods can be conducted under user control.

5/31/02 - Proposed MUTCD Revision No. 2

The Notice of Proposed Amendments (NPA) for the proposed Revision No. 2 to the MUTCD has been published in the May 21, 2002 Federal Register. The Register notice with a description of the significant proposed changes is posted at http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/index.html, or more directly at this link. The deadline for submission of comments is August 19, 2002.

The entire text of the MUTCD as proposed by Revision No. 2, along with a change list detailing every proposed change, is posted at the top of the main page of the FHWA MUTCD web site.

This FHWA site also provides a link for electronic submission of comments on the proposed changes, as well as a mailing address. Comments can be reviewed at the site by using a Simple Search for Docket Number 11159. When submitting comments, use the following identifiers for the comments:

Docket ID: FHWA-2001-11159
Operating Administration: FHWA
Docket Existence: Does Exist
Document Title: U.S. DOT/FHWA - Notice of proposed amendments to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD); request for comments

5/28/02 - 56% Rule for Combination of Warrants

Strong Concepts has become aware that FHWA issued a ruling (October 4, 2001) that the definitive intent of the 2000 MUTCD is to eliminate the so-called '56% rule' which is used in the 1988 MUTCD. This situation occurs in a signal warrant analysis when a high-speed or low population approach (70% factor) is analyzed with the Combination of Warrants (1C, 80% factor). In the 1988 MUTCD, the two factors can be combined (56% factor result), and our prior implementation of the 2000 MUTCD in WARRANTS/TEAPAC continued this tradition since it was not explicitly disallowed in the 2000 MUTCD. FHWA's recent ruling clarifies the intent of the 2000 MUTCD to disallow the combination of factors, so the signal warrant analysis in WARRANTS/TEAPAC now disables the combination of factors under these conditions, by default. This change is available as a free downloadable update to licensees of WARRANTS/TEAPAC Ver 2.00.

FHWA has also indicated that in the next set of pending revisions to the 2000 MUTCD they will be requesting that the 56% combination of factors be reinstated by the NCUTCD Committee. The final outcome of this is unknown, so in this light the use of the '56% rule' has been made an option in the WARRANTS dialog. The default is currently No to match the current intent of the MUTCD, but can be toggled Yes by the user. The status of the 56% rule used will be displayed in the warrant analysis results. Interested parties can keep up to date with the status of this and other changes by checking the Federal Register publication and the FHWA MUTCD web site. It should be noted that as a result of this ruling, the Combination of Warrants 1A and 1B is effectively meaningless for conditions with high-speed approaches and/or in low population areas because the 80% factor used in the Combination of Warrants is higher than the original 70% factor used in warrants 1A and 1B under these conditions.

12/28/01 - MUTCD 2000 Revision No. 1 Published

Revision No. 1 for the MUTCD 2000 has been published and is reflected in the on-line documents published at the FHWA MUTCD web site. No changes were made in this revision that affected the signal warrant analysis section of the MUTCD. Click on the green MUTCD cover for a history of the errata and revisions made to the entire MUTCD.

6/14/01 - MUTCD 2000 Errata No. 1 Published

The first errata for the MUTCD 2000 has been published and is reflected in the on-line documents published at the FHWA MUTCD web site. This is the version of the MUTCD that will be used in the pending update of the WARRANTS/TEAPAC program to include the MUTCD 2000 methods.

12/18/00 - MUTCD 2000 Published

The new Millennium Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) has now been published electronically at the FHWA MUTCD web site where the 1000+ pages can be viewed, downloaded and/or printed. This is likely to be the only form in which this document is published by FHWA. Also, errata have already been identified in this on-line version and errata are pending.

The Final Rule of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices - Millennium Edition was published in the December 18, 2000, edition of the Federal Register. The discussion of the Final Rule can be found on the Federal Register web site at http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/index.html, or more directly at this link.

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this page last updated April 15, 2019