Refer to: HOTO-1

Mr. Bill Wilshire

Acting District Traffic Operations Engineer

Florida Department of Transportation

11201 North McKinley Drive

Tampa, FL 33612-6456

Dear Mr. Wilshire:

Thank you for your July 8 letter to former Associate Administrator for
Operations Christine M. Johnson requesting an interpretation as to
whether a guardhouse and gate on public streets at the entrance to a
subdivision is a traffic control device. This letter was forwarded to my
office for response.

In the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), traffic
control devices are defined as \"all signs, signals, markings, and other
devices used to regulate, warn, or guide traffic, placed on, over, or
adjacent to a street, highway, pedestrian facility, or bicycle path by
authority of a public agency having jurisdiction.\" Automatically or
manually operated gates installed and operated under authorization of a
public agency to control traffic accessing public streets are considered
as traffic control devices based on this definition.

As traffic control devices within the highway right-of-way, traffic
control gates should be placed only as authorized by a public authority
or the official having jurisdiction for the purpose of regulating,
warning, or guiding traffic. The decision to use a traffic control
device at a particular location should be made on the basis of either an
engineering study or the application of engineering judgment. As
indicated in the MUTCD Section 1A.09, engineering judgment should be
exercised in the selection and application of traffic control devices,
as well as in the location and design of the roads and streets that the
devices complement.

There are no current provisions specifically for generic traffic control
gates on streets and highways in the MUTCD. The current edition of the
MUTCD provides standards for gates used for traffic control at movable
bridges in Section 4I.02 and at highway-rail grade crossings in Section
8D.04. Based on the basic principles and uniformity of traffic control
devices contained in the MUTCD, the standards in Section 4I.02 and
Section 8D.04 may be adopted currently by jurisdictions for the
application of traffic control gates at locations other than movable
bridges and highway-rail grade crossings. The standards indicate that
gate arms shall be fully retroreflectorized on both sides, have
45-degree diagonal stripes alternately red and white at

400 mm (16 inch) intervals measured horizontally as illustrated in
Figures 8D-1. It is also indicated in the standards that the gate arm
shall extend across the approaching lanes of highway traffic. These
standards are developed for better visibility and safer application of
traffic control gates.

2

The inclusion of standards for general usage of traffic control gates on
public streets for traffic

control will be considered for a future edition of the MUTCD.

The subject gate described in your letter was placed as authorized by a
public agency having jurisdiction. It warns and guides traffic to stop
prior to accessing to public streets in a subdivision. Therefore, it is
a traffic control device and the above interpretation applies to this
gate. As to the guardhouse itself, since it does not interact with or
convey any traffic control related indications directly to traffic, it
is not considered a traffic control device.

Please be advised that the MUTCD itself describes the application of
traffic control devices and is used to determine the conformity, not
legality of the use of traffic control devices.

For reference purposes, we have assigned your request the following
official interpretation number and title: 8-66(I)--\"Traffic Gates on
Public Streets, FDOT.\" Please refer to this number in future
correspondence. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please
contact

Ms. Guan Xu at 202-366-5892.

> Sincerely,

Jeffrey F. Paniati

Associate Administrator for Operations

Acting Director, ITS Joint Program Office

FHWA:HOTO-1:GXu:ds:65892:8-20-03

Revised:GXu:8-26-03

cc: HOTO-1 HOFM(RSkerkavich) HOTO-1(GXu/EHuckaby)

Mr. Ray Cuprill(HCC-30) Mr. Bob Garrett, NCUTCD

Mr. Roger Wentz, ATSSA Mr. Jim Baron, ATSSA

All Resource Centers HDA-FL(2) Chron 3408 Reader 3408

DF(8-66(I)-Traffic Gates of Public Streets FDOT)

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