The FHWA has issued interim approval for the use of the RRFB (IA-21). State and local agencies must request and receive permission to use this interim approval before they can use the RRFB. Many State Traffic Departments have implemented a blanket approval for RRFBs.
For a list of State blanket approvals, see the list of Approved Requests for Interim Approval.
IA-21 does not provide guidance or criteria based on number of lanes, speed, or traffic volumes. FHWA does have a decision matrix that considers vehicle volume and speed AADT, roadway configuration (including number of lanes and whether a median island is present), pedestrian volume and classification.
RRFBs are placed on both ends of a crosswalk. If the crosswalk contains a pedestrian refuge island or other type of median, an RRFB should be placed to the right of the crosswalk and on the median (instead of the left side of the crosswalk). IA-21 provides conditions for the use of accessible pedestrian features with the RRFB assembly. When RRFBs are not in common use in a community, consider conducting an outreach effort to educate the public and law enforcement officers on their purpose and use.
The average cost associated with RRFB installation ranges from $4,500 to $52,000 each, with the average cost estimated at $22,250; at Availed Technologies, we often quote half of the average cost. These costs include the complete system installation with both labour and materials incorporated.
