The first phase of this project consisted of a broad investigation of the overall concept of access management for activity centers in urban, suburban, and rural settings. The research has resulted in a comprehensive state-of-the-art report, which has been published as NCHRP Report 348.The report provides guidelines covering: (1) legal and institutional bases for controlling access, (2) access permit procedures and traffic impact studies, (3) access levels and spacing standards, and (4) design concepts and criteria.

Based on the first phase results, the researchers and the project panel concluded that due to market forces and the availability of land, today's development is in the non-CBD areas of our communities, most often in suburban settings. This led to a recommendation to perform a second, more focused research effort on non-CBD areas.

The primary objectives of the second phase research were to (1) locate roadways to which access management principles had been applied; (2) analyze and evaluate the results of managing access; and (3) summarize study results. Secondary objectives were to prepare: (a) an implementation plan for the research results and (b) an information brochure for elected officials and the public, which explains access management and its many benefits.

The primary objectives of the second phase have been achieved through the preparation of a report, ""Access Management---A Key to Mobility." This document is intended to be a guide for use by communities and public officials and is intended for widespread dissemination to decision-makers. It brings together, in a popularized format, the key findings and recommendations of the access management research conducted in the previous phase of this project, as supplemented by the case study findings of the second phase. In addition, a draft implementation plan has been prepared. The plan includes an organizational distribution list for the popularized access management guide. Examples of target organizations are the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, the Urban Land Institute, the American Planning Association, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers.