CDOT Roadway Design Guide 2023

Acknowledgements
Last updated Oct. 17, 2024

Preface and How to Use This Manual
Last updated Oct 17, 2024
This manual provides direction to the user from scoping through final design.

Summary of Contents
Last updated Oct 17, 2024

Chapter 1 - New Framework for Geometric Design
Last updated Nov 14, 2023
The CDOT Roadway Design Guide 2023 establishes a new framework for designing roads, streets, freeways, expressways, and interstates.

Chapter 2 - Design Controls and Criteria for All Facility Types
Last updated Dec 03, 2024
Design criteria and design flexibility helps in achieving the most appropriate design.

Chapter 3 - Facility Type – Road
Last updated Feb. 28, 2026
A road facility type (Road) is generally characterized as a two or more-lane roadway with shoulders and roadside ditches, mainly found in a rural, low-density settings.

Chapter 4 - Facility Type - Street
Last updated Feb. 28, 2026
(Rev: 03-2025) A Street facility type (Street) is generally characterized by the inclusion of curb and gutter, sidewalks, and storm sewers in more dense, urban contexts that may include on-street parking, bike lanes, and transit stops.

Chapter 5 - Facility Type Freeway, Expressway and Interstate
Last updated Feb. 28, 2026
A Freeway or Interstate is a divided highway with full control of access and two or more through lanes for the exclusive use of traffic in each direction. Traffic flow on a Freeway is unhindered because there are no traffic signals, intersections, or at grade crossings with other roads, railways, or multiuse paths.

Chapter 6 - Elements of Design
Last updated Feb. 28, 2026
The design of Roads, Streets and Freeways, Expressways and Interstates in differing context classifications are treated differently. However, common to all facility types are several principal elements of design: sight distance, cross slope, travel lane width, and horizontal and vertical alignments.

Chapter 7 - Cross Section Elements
Last updated Mar 11, 2025
(Rev: 03-2025) Cross sections will often vary throughout a project length to adapt to different context zones and identified constraints.

Chapter 8 - Intersections
Last updated Mar 11, 2025
(Rev: 03-2025) An intersection is defined as the general area where two or more roadways join or cross, including the roadway and roadside facilities for traffic movements within it.

Chapter 9 - Roundabouts
Last updated Feb. 28, 2026
A roundabout is a form of a circular intersection in which traffic travels counterclockwise around a central island and entering traffic must yield to circulating traffic.

Chapter 10 - Grade Separations and Interchanges
Last updated Dec 02, 2024
Grade separations of intersecting traffic lanes facilitate uninterrupted flow or traffic, resulting in the greatest efficiency, safety, and capacity for traffic and the least amount of air pollution. An interchange is a system of two or more interconnecting roadways or highways and one or more grade separations.

Chapter 11 - Access Control and Management
Last updated Feb. 28, 2026
Access management is the planned and regulated interaction between the roadway network and property access. It is an intentional strategy to reduce conflict points and to maximize network efficiency while supporting a safe and efficient transportation system that also supports a diversity of travel modes.

Chapter 12 - Accessible Pedestrian Design
Last updated Feb. 28, 2026
Pedestrian access, accommodation, and safety should be given full consideration during all project planning, scoping, and design.

Chapter 13 - Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities
Last updated Dec 02, 2024
Bicycle and pedestrian modes of transportation are key elements of CDOT’s mission to provide an integrated multimodal transportation system to accommodate walking and biking as viable transportation modes that contribute to the health, safety, equity, and equality of our communities.

Chapter 14 - Bridges
Last updated Dec. 02, 2024
(Rev: 2-20-2024) This chapter addresses the basic issues when designing a roadway project that includes major or minor structures incoordination with the other CDOT specialty groups.

Chapter 15 - Traffic Safety and Engineering
Last updated Feb. 28, 2026
(Rev: 2-20-2024) This chapter addresses important design issues related to providing a safer transportation system.

Chapter 16 - Noise Guide
Last updated Dec. 02, 2024
This chapter is intended to help designers understand issues related to highway traffic noise. This includes understanding the applicable federal and state regulations and guidelines, traffic noise analyses for specific projects, highway traffic noise mitigation measures, and construction noise mitigation measures.

Chapter 17 - Construction Specifications
Last updated Feb. 19, 2025
(Rev: 2-20-2024) This chapter defines Standard Specifications and Special Provisions. It provides details on the format and guidelines for writing Special Provisions and describes the approval process for both Standard and Project Special Provisions.

References.pdf
Last updated Nov. 14, 2023

Front and Back Covers
Last updated Nov. 14, 2023