Massachusetts/Major roads/Main

Important Note

Massachusetts Functional Classification settings are dictated by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), at the request of the local jurisdictions, and in coordination with neighboring states. If you do not agree with our FC levels, please petition MassDOT to change the rating they've assigned.

Do NOT make random changes on your own.

Locking Standard

In Massachusetts 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.

Massachusetts Minimum Locking Rank Standard

Segment Type	Statewide
Freeway	5
Ramp	Highest rank of connected segments
Major Highway	4
Minor Highway	3
Primary Street	1 (Auto)
Street	1 (Auto)
Private Road	1 (Auto)
• • • • Ferry • • • •	5
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|	2

Note: Do Not Mass Edit just to update locks to these standards, these can be adjusted as you find them while editing other aspects of the segments such as FC, speed limits, naming, etc.

Some segments still warrant higher locks and care should be taken when setting segment lock to these standards to look for and protect these special setups with higher locks. Some examples; segments which are part of BDP, U-turn prevention, or using micro-doglegs, or other complex intersection setups.

Roadway Naming

Massachusetts follows the US Road Naming conventions for Interstate, US and State routes, with the following considerations.

The naming format for Numbered State Highways in Massachusetts is "SR-###".

State alternate routes have signage of "###A". Do NOT use the style employed for US alternate routes "US-### ALT" when naming state alternate routes. Instead, use Waze names of the form SR-###A. Example: "SR-2A"

Cardinal Direction indicators will be used in accordance with National standards, except in the following situations:

• Undivided US Highway/State Highway
• US Highway with a primary name other than "US-##"
• State Highway with a primary name other than "SR-##"

City Names on Freeway Segments

If a road segment is classified as a Freeway, there shall be No City Names listed, as well as no Alternate Names.

• For the "Mass Turnpike," we add the name "Mass Pike" to the on-ramp name.

City Names on MH/mH Numbered Highways

With the exception of Freeway segments (as mentioned above) all road segments should have a Primary city name assigned to them.

Street Name as Primary Name

The Primary Street name shall be whatever name is in common usage in that area. (Check business addresses, GIS, etc). If the Primary Name is an actual Street Name (Main St, etc), please add the "SR-##" to the Alternate Name field, with no City name.

State Route as Primary Name

However, if the commonly used name is "SR-##" then enter the street name, along with city, in the Alt Name.

If a segment has more than one State/US route number, follow the Concurrent Road Naming guidelines from the Wiki. Just remember, please no city names in the Alt Name field for numbered routes. (see examples on the right)

If a Major/Minor classed segment is not a numbered highway, there should be no alternate names listed.

Clear as mud? Contact the State Manager if you need help figuring this out.

PS and Lower

List the Primary street name, and city. No Alternate names are to be listed.

Functional Classification

See Massachusetts/Major roads for procedures specific to Functional Classification in Massachusetts.

Speed Limits

Speed Limit Sign

Speed limit data added to segments in the WME is used in the Waze app to display an app user's speed relative to the speed limit. In addition, the app notifies users if they exceed a speed limit designated on the Waze map.

The ONLY speed limits added to the map must match federal, state, and municipal laws or regulations that designate maximum speeds for passenger vehicles.

Any highway ramp with speed limits posted on the regulatory black and white signs should be added to the road segments in the WME. Ramps with advisory speed signs, as shown below, should have no speed limit in the WME.

Speed limits that are designated on private property may be added to road segments on the Waze map at the discretion of the regional coordinator or state manager(s).

Speed Limits are added to parking lot and private road types by changing type to street, adding limits, then reverting to the original road type.

State Specific Laws

Massachusetts has specific laws pertaining to speed limits for areas that are not posted. Please refer to the following table below for guidance for speed limits on road segments with no signage. As of February 2016, there are currently no roads in Massachusetts that have a speed limit greater than 65 mph. If you have a question regarding the speed limit of an area please consult with your State Manager.

Variable Speed Limits

The WME and Waze app do not support Variable Speed Limits (VSLs) that are changed based on traffic and road conditions. These VSLs can be changed at any time by government officials. If there is a 'standard' speed limit at which the signs on a stretch of road are usually set, this 'standard' speed COULD BE added to the associated road segments in the WME. However, the setting of any speed limit on a road with VSLs must be done in consultation with the appropriate State Manager.

Variable Speed Limits

Unsupported Speed Limits

The following speed limits are unsupported by the WME and the Waze app, and MUST NOT be added to road segments in the WME. Road segments with posted 'advisory' speeds or special speed limits should continue the Speed Limit for passenger vehicles as posted on the black and white signs pictured above.

Advisory Speed Limits

In addition, yellow 'advisory' speed signs (as shown below) are usually not enforceable; therefore, 'advisory' speeds, like the ones shown below, should NOT be added to the waze map.

• 

  Advisory Plaque

• 

  Turn Advisory

• 

  Exit Advisory

• 

  Exit Sign Plaque

Special Speed Limits

As of February 2016, the WME and Waze App only support maximum speed limits for passenger vehicles, without variation for time of day, or day of the week. Specialty, also known as 'bannered', speed limits, like the ones shown below, should NOT be added to the Waze map.

• 

  Night Speed

• 

  Truck Speed

• 

  School Speed

• 

  Minimum Speed

School zone speed limits that are in effect 24 hrs per day, and 365 days a year, should be added to the map.