Wisconsin/Major roads/Main

Functional Classifications

Wisconsin follows the Functional Classification (FC) system for the USA.

To help update the current Wisconsin roadways to the new functional classifications, go to the Wisconsin Functional Classification Inventory.

Locking standard

The following defines a set of minimum locking standards proposed for all roads within Wisconsin. Any road of a certain type or category must be locked at least to the level in the chart below. Roads may be locked higher for protection and special situations (tricky design, frequent mistakes, imaging inaccuracies, and the like), but should not be locked lower.

It is understood that more rural or inactive areas may not yet meet this standard: editors are encouraged to recruit and mentor additional editors to build coverage.

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.

Wisconsin Minimum Road Locking Standard

Segment Type	Two-way	One-way
Freeway	5
Ramp	Highest lock of connected segment
Major Highway	3
Minor Highway	3
Primary Street	2	3
Street	1	2
Private Road	1	2
Parking Lot Road	1	1see note
• • • • Ferry • • • •	5
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|	2
⁃     ⁃        ⁃        ⁃        ⁃ Runway ⁃        ⁃        ⁃        ⁃        ⁃	5
Other named types	1	2
Construction (outdated imagery)	3
Waze Beacons installed	6

Note: One-way PLRs used outside of parking lots, such as alleys and streets through apartment complexes, should be locked at 2. See the GLR major roads page for additional information on the standards listed here.

Name Normalization

Wisconsin will use the following standards for road naming:
Freeways - I-###
US Highways - US-###
State Highways - WIS-###
County Highways - CH-XXX
Forest Roads - FR-###

There are no Township (Town) Roads in the state. All Town Roads are named, and those names will be used. The only exceptions would be if the road signage states differently.

Additional notes for this state

Dirt Roads

In Wisconsin all drivable roads that are unpaved are considered Dirt Road/4X4 Trail; this is how drivers expect the "Avoid Dirt Roads" feature to behave. Note that Functional Classification WILL override the Dirt Road type. Set those roads to their proper PS, mH, MH, FW type.

Toll Roads

There are currently no toll roads in Wisconsin. No segments within the state of Wisconsin should be marked as 'Toll Road'.

Pedestrian Boardwalk, Walking Trail, Stairway

These should not be mapped without approval from a State Manager for Wisconsin or the Regional Coordinator. These segment types can cause routing issues even when not connected to a drivable segment.

Solid White Lines

It is not illegal to cross a solid white line in the state of Wisconsin, unless posted Wisconsin Statute 346.13(3).

Solid white lines such as road edge lines, lane divider lines, or on/off ramp lane lines. Even though it is not illegal, it is good safe driving practice to not cross these lines. When mapping on/off ramps, please follow national guidelines in the Junction Style Guide/Interchanges section.




There may be times when this is impractical, in such instances, contact a State Manager for further guidance.

Roundabouts at Freeway Interchanges

When there are roundabouts at freeway interchanges, leave the connecting overpass/underpass roads un-named. Waze will read forward to the next roundabout and provide proper TTS and visual prompts for the user to aid in proper lane selection at multi-lane roundabouts.
Here is an example of when not to name the segment(s): Do Not Name
Here is an example of when to name the segment(s): https://www.waze.com/editor/?env=usa&lon=-88.19137&lat=43.28296&layers=5&zoom=6

U-Turns

The state of Wisconsin allows u-turns at most intersections and divided road cross-overs, unless posted. U-Turns are not allowed on any Freeway. Wisconsin Statute 346.33