36 CFR Part 1190, Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)

Costs to Provide Accessible Pedestrian Signals and Pedestrian Pushbuttons (Section-by-Section Analysis)

The Volpe Center estimated the additional cost for an accessible pedestrian pushbutton compared to conventional pushbutton is $350 per unit. For a typical intersection with four crosswalks, two accessible pedestrian pushbuttons would be required at each corner for a total of eight units per intersection and a total additional cost of $2,800 for the eight units. The cost of the units is expected to decrease as a result of the proposed guidelines due to greater standardization of customer requirements and increased orders. The total additional cost to provide accessible pedestrian signals and pedestrian pushbuttons, including labor and other equipment such as stub poles and conduit, will vary by location. The Volpe Center estimated that the total additional costs are $3,600 per intersection based on a published cost study and interviews with local transportation departments.

Question 10. The Access Board seeks information from state and local transportation departments that currently provide accessible pedestrian signals and pedestrian pushbuttons on the additional costs to provide the accessible pedestrian signals and pedestrian pushbuttons.

The Volpe Center estimated that pedestrian signals are newly installed or replaced at 13,095 signalized intersections on an annual basis based on the following assumptions:

• There are over 300,000 existing signalized intersections in the United States using a rule-of-thumb of one signalized intersection per 1,000 population.³⁶  There are 2,550 new signalized intersections in the United States each year based on the US Census Bureau forecast of future population growth (0.85 percent).Ninety (90) percent of new and existing signalized intersections in the United States provide pedestrian signals.  The life cycle or replacement rate for existing pedestrian signals is 25 years.

The Volpe Center estimated that the total annual costs are $47 million for requiring accessible pedestrian signals and pedestrian pushbuttons when pedestrian signals are newly installed or replaced at signalized intersections.

Question 11. Comments are requested on the assumptions used to estimate the total annual costs for requiring accessible pedestrian signals and pushbuttons when pedestrian signals are newly installed or replaced at signalized intersections.

³⁶See MUTCD “Frequently Asked Questions – Part 4 – Highway Traffic Signals” at: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/knowledge/faqs/faq_part4.htm.