Public Rights-of-Way Assessment Instrumentation to Determine Accessibility

City planners and engineers need detailed assessments of public rights-of-way to evaluate existing conditions, determine compliance with draft accessibility guidelines, and plan reconstruction projects. Current assessment methods are inadequate and inefficient due to the time and resources required. This project will develop an automated public rights-of-way assessment process and the measurement instrumentation necessary to accurately and efficiently assess public rights-of-way corridors, sidewalk elements, and sidewalk features. The instrumentation will include software with a graphical user interface, a Structured Query Language (SOL) data structure, and a report generator to facilitate the creation of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plans. Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping tools will also be created to build sidewalk mapping layers. An assessment process training and certification program will be developed to ensure proper instruction and to facilitate widespread implementation. This project will develop the methodologies, instrumentation, and training required to economically generate the objective information needed to improve the safety and accessibility of public rights-of-way.