Major roads
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Primary route marker
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Secondary route marker
Naming
Virginia folows the general road naming guidelines of the USA. The local name of a road should always be set as the primary name and the route number should be set as an alternate name; there are very few state routes in Virginia that do not have a local name.
Primary state routes have numbers in the range of 2 to 599 (and, as exceptions, 785, 895), displayed in a route marker using a shield design. Using the example above, the road should be named SR-28.
Secondary state routes are those with route numbers greater than 600; if these roads have route markers (many do not), they use a circle design or a small rectangle instead of a shield. Using the example above, the road should be named VA-613.
Frontage roads are roads run parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private driveways, industries, farms, etc.. A list of these roads can be found here. They should be named F-###
Town Roads or T-Roads are roads that are maintained by incorporated towns on an optional basis. They should be named T-###
Road typing
Virginia follows the national guidelines for road types. VDOT Functional Classification The VDOT Functional Classification Maps have been approved for setting road type in WME based on the quick reference chart and other considerations listed below.The functional classifications are available via an interactive map that can be found here. Alternatively, maps have been made to match WME in both old and current road colors.
For Waze routing, we only treat primary state routes as "numbered state highways" for purposes of applying the “US road type guidelines”. Primary state routes must be designated as at least "Minor Highway" in Waze, unless the road's functional classification requires a higher designation. For state maintained roads that access state facilities (parks, educational/correctional institutions, etc.) the FC should match the maps published by VDOT rather than being set to a Minor Highway. Many, but not all of the routes that service state institutions are SR-3##; a non-exhaustive list can be found here All secondary state routes should be set to match the VDOT FC map.
The Dirt Road/4x4 Trail designation should be reserved for public (state/locality maintained) dirt roads and Forest Service roads, etc and should not be set to follow US or Virginia FC rules. The Private Road designation should be used for rural farm and logging roads that are never open to the public to prevent routing. Most should be left off the map unless they serve multiple residences or residences out of sight of the main road. Consult the Road Types (USA) page for further guidance on how to type based on functional class and road signage
Locking
In Virginia we have a set minimum standard for locking roads based on segment type. Any road of a certain segment type must be locked at least to the rank (level) in the chart below. Roads may be locked higher for protection and special situations (areas with construction, tricky design, frequent mistakes, imaging inaccuracies, and the like), but should not be locked lower. A great time to implement these locks is while bringing the road types of an area into compliance with the current US road type standards (FC and highway systems). Lock the roads based on type after they've been set to current US road type standards and connecting roads are set up correctly and all other edits are complete for the segment.
Actual locks used may be more or less than values in the table below, depending on area circumstance
Please consult RC, SM, or appropriate AM for guidance
| Segment Type | Urban | Rural | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeway | 5 | ||||||||||
| Ramp | Highest rank of connected segment | ||||||||||
| Major Highway | 4 | 3 | |||||||||
| Minor Highway | 3 | 2 | |||||||||
| Primary Street | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| Street | 1 | ||||||||||
| |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| | 2 | ||||||||||
| • • • • Ferry • • • • | 5 | ||||||||||
Note: Certain areas may be locked higher than the above minimums. Please do not lower locks unless approved by the RC or a Virginia SM.