SafetyQuestion 695 of 700
On a 40 mph roadway you must shift traffic laterally by 10 feet with a merging taper. For speeds of 40 mph or less the taper length formula is L = W x S squared / 60 (L in feet, W = offset in feet, S = speed in mph). What is the MINIMUM taper length?
a.About 400 feet
b.About 500 feet
c.About 267 feet
d.About 133 feet
Explanation
Correct: for 40 mph or less use L = W x S^2 / 60 = 10 x (40 x 40) / 60 = 10 x 1,600 / 60 = 16,000 / 60 = about 267 feet. Using the high-speed formula L = W x S (400 feet) is wrong here because 40 mph is not in the 45-mph-and-above range. 500 feet and 133 feet do not result from either correct formula with these numbers.
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