Pedestrian Safety - Report to Congress

August 2008

5. Integration into National Design Guidelines

Long Description: The FHWA Process for Amending the MUTCD

This flow diagram describes the FHWA process for amending the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

The first step in the process occurs when a jurisdiction or interested party recommends that the FHWA revise the MUTCD. The party cites successful research, analytical studies, laboratory studies, or non-U.S. experimentation or successful experimentation in the U.S.

The FHWA reviews this information and if it does not approve the request, any jurisdictions that established experimental sites must restore those sites to their original condition.

If FHWA approves the request, the FHWA goes on to prepare a notice of proposed amendment (NPA) and publishes the NPA in the Federal Register. Note that this process takes 9 months to a year. The NPA for MUTCD changes occurs approximately every 5 years and results in the Final Rule for a new edition of the MUTCD.

After being published in the Federal Register, there is a document comment period that lasts from 3 to 6 months. This is followed by a period lasting 9 months to a year during which FHWA reviews comments, prepares the final rule, and publishes the final rule.

Over the next 2 years, states will adopt the new edition of the MUTCD, and then the cycle repeats.

A note to the figure indicates that the next Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) for the MUTCD is scheduled to occur in 2008.

Return to figure.