The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) adopted a new rule with new accessibility guidelines for federal buildings.
The rule establishes that pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way are readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. GSA’s action creates a uniform federal standard that aims to ensure all new and modified pedestrian facilities, such as sidewalks and crosswalks, are accessible and meet the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended.
The new rule requires enhanced accessibility features, including pedestrian signals and alternate access routes. The new standards:
- Increase sidewalk sizes and widths to make it easier for people to pass on the sidewalk, reducing accidental collisions and better accommodating mobility aids such as walkers, rollators, and wheelchairs.
- Regulate the ground slope at passenger loading zones, preventing them from being too steep for people with mobility disabilities to climb.
- Mandate better audio and tactile warning systems, including audio signal warnings, truncated domes, and detectable warning pavexxrs, increasing pedestrian safety by alerting pedestrians to an imminent street crossing or to when they have the right-of-way to cross the street.
This new rule is applicable to all federal new construction, alterations, and renovation projects.
Related Stories
Cultural Facilities | Jun 19, 2020
A new ULI report chronicles the depaving of America
Fifteen examples of how parks and green spaces emerged from parking lots, garages, and underpasses.
Green | Mar 9, 2020
BuroHappold commits to all new building projects achieving net-zero carbon by 2030
The engineering firm also launched a long-term partnership with ILFI.
Giants 400 | Jan 23, 2020
Government Buildings Sector Giants Report for 2019 [Updated]
AECOM, HOK, Jacobs, and Turner Construction top the rankings of the nation's largest government buildings sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2019 Giants 300 Report.
Government Buildings | Nov 13, 2019
The Washington Monument reopens with a new visitor center
This is one of several landmark restoration projects underway in the nation’s capital.
Government Buildings | Apr 17, 2019
St. Petersburg’s police headquarters is a transparent yet secure government facility
Harvard Jolly designed the building.
Industrial Facilities | Mar 10, 2019
The burgeoning Port San Antonio lays out growth plans
Expansions would accommodate cybersecurity, aerospace, and defense tenants, and help commercialize technologies.
Government Buildings | Feb 27, 2019
Design unveiled for U.S. embassy in New Delhi
Weiss/Manfredi is designing the project.
Government Buildings | Oct 5, 2018
Six-story courthouse under construction in Nashville
Fentress Architects, Michael Graves Architecture & Design, and Hensel Phelps Construction Company are collaborating on designing and building the facility.
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
Government Buildings | Apr 26, 2018
DLR Group’s design for the new Lansing Correctional Facility focuses on energy-efficiency
JE Dunn will manage the design and construction of the Kansas-based facility.
