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This page serves as the primary resource for editors of Illinois. Review all the sections to better understand how the guidelines for this state might deviate from the overall USA or worldwide guidelines. If you have any comments or questions about this page or state refer to the community links below.
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Introduction
Illinois is a part of the Great Lakes region, which includes the states and/or territories of:
Thank you for your interest in editing Waze maps in the State of Illinois. Please note Illinois follows the US national guidance with a few exceptions. Be sure to click on and read every link from this page for in-depth tips, guidance and advice.
All editors should have a real username, not a usa_username and are required to have their private messaging turned on.
Refer to the Glossary for common Waze related terms.
Tip: Editors are strongly encouraged to download & install the Validator Plugin. This tool will identify map errors and offers guidance on how to fix them. Use this to identify issues in areas you are working on but make sure not to be distracted by errors that do not pertain to you.
Mapping resources
Before editing the maps in Illinois, be sure to fully review and understand the editing manual.
The Waze user community follows the Waze etiquette guidelines discussed in the Wiki. Be sure to familiarize yourself with these guiding principals while editing the maps and this Wiki, as well as when communicating with other Waze users.
Statewide
Functional Classification Maps
The Illinois DOT (IDOT) has confirmed that the GIS-based interactive maps are more current than the 5-Year PDF maps. The PDF maps require additional manual steps to update and may lag.
It is important to note that the interactive (GIS-based) functional classification map uses a third-party base map whose accuracy in road naming cannot be guaranteed. While the functional classification (FC) indications are provided by the State, the third-party base map data is not an appropriate external source of information (see Using external sources).'
The Waze forum is a great place to find answers to previously asked questions and also a place to ask new ones. Below are links to the forums specific to Illinois.
The Illinois editor community (along with the Great Lakes Region) uses Discord to gather and communicate. In the #Illinois channel editors hangout you can interact with other Illinois editors, Area and State Managers. Here you can ask questions, share ideas, stay in touch, as well as get help with map issues or unlock and other requests. It's a great place for peer-to-peer mentoring (not to be confused with more formal mentoring opportunities).
Please join us on the GLR server soon by clicking the link below. Please be sure you have read and understand the Waze Etiquette rules.
One of the most common errors when editing the maps is when an editor creates a road and does not confirm the road by setting the city and road name (or stating it has none).
Some states and territories manage a separate page on cities and towns to identify the specific city names that should be entered, and no others. For states that do not have a separate page to track the names, see this Wikipedia link and find the state or territory in question.
The following naming conventions are used in Illinois for US, State, and County route naming.
US Highways
US Highways (or routes) are named in Illinois using the standard US Road Naming guidelines. The base format of the name for these road types is:
US-66 For U.S. Route 66
State Highways (Routes)
Illinois state highways are named as follows:
SR-23 For Illinois Route 23
SR-23 S For Illinois Route 23, Southbound
SR-23 BUS For Illinois Route 23 Business
SR-23 BUS N For Illinois Route 23 Business, Northbound
SR-23 ALT For Illinois Route 23 Alternate
SR-23 ALT S For Illinois Route 23 Alternate, Southbound
Note: BUS must be completely in uppercase when used for proper TTS
County Highways
County highways in Illinois are named with a "CH" prefix as illustrated below.
CH-4 For County Highway 4
CH-4 S For County Highway 4, Southbound
Where Counties have highway designations beginning with a letter, the format looks like this:
CH-T4 For County Highway T4
CH-T4 E For County Highway T4, Eastbound
Proper sourcing of county routes and highways is important for applying road type guidance (Road types). CH may or may not always be shielded. Sources other than WME SV may need to be used. The interactive IDOT functional classification map uses a third-party base map source which is subject to copyright restrictions and may not be correct, therefore, it should not be used as a source for naming information. In order of preference, source county route/highway numbering from WME SV images less than three years old (consult LAM or SM if images are older), published county information, or the IDOT county highway maps available at IDOT Maps.
County Roads
Rural counties in Illinois employ a geographic coordinate system to name roads outside established communities. These roads are prefixed with a "CR." These names employ a number and a cardinal direction, general north (N) or east (E) of a specified locus. For example:
CR-1000 E Refers to county road 1000 E
CR-3000 N Refers to county road 3000 N
Township Roads
A select few counties may employ township roads. Please consult with the state managers before editing names of township roads.
Road Type (Functional Classification)
Illinois follows standard USA guidance (Road types) for assignment of road type assignment. It is important to remember that the interactive IDOT map uses a base map that may have yellow colored roads that are not collectors. Minor collectors are bright yellow.
Turning Restrictions
The provisions for turning in Illinois are defined in Rules of the Road, in Illinois Compiled Statutes 625 ILCS 5/11. In this wiki section we cover two specific situations: Left turns across medians and U-Turns.
Left Turns across Medians
Left turns across paved non-curbed medians are allowed in Illinois, defined in 625 ILCS 5/11-708 (e).
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) defines several types of medians in Bureau of Design and Environment Manual Ch. 34, Cross Section Elements:
Flush - A median which is adjacent to traffic lanes and on the same plane as the lanes. These are painted on the pavement surface.
Depressed - The median between opposing traffic lines is slightly below the elevation of the traffic lanes. It is also designed for drainage and storage of plowed snow.
Raised-Curb - The curb on these medians is greater than two inches in height.
Traversable - This type of median has a curb two inches in height.
A Two-Way Left Turn Lane (TWLTL) is typically a flush median. IDOT allows a traversable median to be used as a TWLTL in place of a flush median.
U-Turns
In Illinois, U-Turns can be performed unless specifically prohibited by law. Illinois statute defining the limitations on U-Turns is 625 ILCS 5/11-802 and can be reviewed in the Illinois Secretary of State Rules of Road booklet.
U-Turns can be enabled when editing by enabling the U-Turn flag or at box (#) and partial-box (H) intersections when the median segment is more than 15m in length (See Avoiding U-turns in box and partial box intersections).
When considering enabling a U-Turn, do so only if there is a strong potential to provide improved routing. Some examples of U-Turn implementations are:
Where driveways or parking lots are connected to a median-divided roadway and doing so would eliminate complex routing to reach the proper side of the road.
At both connected end-points of a single segment parking lot or gas station to provide an optimal exit route.
Before enabling a U-Turn on public streets, these conditions should be met:
No traffic control devices posted prohibiting the movement.
The movement may not be performed on a curve.
The movement may not be performed on a hill or incline.
A driver must be able to see in all directions on all roadways a at least 500 feet (153 meters).
The turn must be able to be completed as a single continuous movement. While not a legal requirement, is best practice for safer navigation.
At least 15 meters (49 feet) exist from the left edge of the legal departure lane to the right edge of the destination lane, including any median to the left of the departure lane, to allow single continuous movement.
Speed limits
Illinois follows the general speed limit guidelines for the USA with this local guidance.
In addition to posted speed limits, Illinois has several default speed limits that are applicable in different circumstances. These are defined in Illinois Compiled Statutes 625 ILCS 5/Ch. 11 Art. VI (Speed Restrictions) with supporting information in 625 ILCS 5/Ch. 1 (Definitions). The maximum speed limits to be used are for private passenger vehicles.
The default speed limits that should be added to the Waze map in Illinois are:
Interstates and tollways — 70 mph.
Highways with four lanes, having a separation between roadways moving in opposite directions — 65 mph.
Other highways, roads and streets (non-urban areas) — 55 mph.
Other highways, roads and streets (urban districts) — 30 mph.
The counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Madison, McHenry, St. Clair, and Will, may set maximum speed limits lower than the state defaults.
An urban district is "The territory contiguous to and including any street which is built up with structures devoted to business, industry or dwelling houses situated at intervals of less than 100 feet for a distance of a quarter of a mile or more." [625 ILCS 5/1-214]
Illinois default speed limits not currently applicable and not to be added to the Waze map:
Alleys — 15 mph.
School Zones — 20 mph (on school days between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. when children
are present and signs are posted).
School and park speed limits
These special zones are not added to the map. At the present time there is no way to support the time- and condition-based aspects of speed zones at schools and parks. The speed limit before entering one of these zones should be carried through, in the direction of travel, to the point the special speed zone ends.
Work zone speed limits
A work zone (WZ) may have a lower advisory speed limit (SL) posted in black on orange
, or a regulatory speed limit posted in black on white with an orange "Work Zone" banner across the top .
We only consider the regulatory signs, and never map advisory speed limits.
Only add Work Zone speed limits (WZSL) if they are anticipated to persist more six months.
For projects expected to last less than six months:
Use the regular underlying SL on affected segments.
Document the WZSL as a [CONSTRUCTION] UR with the keyword WZ: mph included in the text. Also include area under construction and expected completion date.
For projects scheduled to continue for more than six months:
Document the construction in a [CONSTRUCTION] UR, including: Area/segments involved, expected completion date, original speed limit using SL: mph, and work zone speed limit using WZ: mph (example: SL: 45 / WZ: 35).
Update affected segments with posted WZSL.
Projects of shorter duration may be added as well, IF the editor has access to frequent status updates on the project, and is willing to monitor and adjust as soon as the SL is restored.
Where speed limits change
In Illinois, speed limit changes are mapped at the point nearest the posted speed limit sign with these considerations:
Changes should be mapped at or before the sign in the direction of travel..
Changes should be mapped at definite changes in roadway characteristics: urban boundaries, intersecting roadways, or driveways, etc.
Changes should not be mapped less than 200 feet from an existing junction. This can have a negative impact on turn delay calculations.
If an editor has any questions regarding the placement of a speed limit change or feels discussion is needed regarding an exception to these guidelines, please reach out to area managers.
True Elevation
In Illinois, an expanded implementation of the general guidance for elevation and overpasses, underpasses, and bridges, has been adopted. Please refer to the these sections for additional guidance.
True Elevation refers to relative layers of road decks supported above and below the terrain (ground) with open space between them. In essence, adjusting the segment elevation like a layered cake as segments pass above, or below, terrain features and other segments.
What is an overpass? An overpass is a general term for any road, walkway, railroad, bridge, or other mapped structure crossing over an impediment such as a waterway, natural formation, or another road, walkway, railroad, or bridge. In our mapping context it can also be conceptualized underground where tunnels crossing over, or under, one another.
Elevation
Apply these points to the use of true elevation:
All roads when not supported above or tunneled below the terrain are set to ground elevation unless otherwise noted.
If a road segment is supported above the terrain or another road segment, the elevation of the segment should be set one higher (+1) than the segment or terrain (ground) immediately beneath.
The elevation of road segments completely or transitionally sub-surface should be negative and one less than (-1) the surface, tunnel, or level immediately above.
Ramps are to be set to the lower elevation of the roadways to which they junction unless passing over or under other segments.
Segmentation
When creating segments to implement this guidance, please observe these precepts:
Create junction nodes for elevation purposes at the point the physical change in elevation occurs unless otherwise specified.
Do not cut a segment within 200 feet (60m) of an existing junction.
Do not create a segment less than 200 feet (60m) in length.
Underground segments should be cut at least 50 feet (15m) before, or after, the entrance to the subterranean section.
Check the tunnel option for any underground segment.
Culverts
A culvert is a tunnel allowing a stream or open drain to pass under a roadway. Under normal circumstances these are not to be mapped. However, an elevated segment for a culvert may be created to support real-time closures (due to significant flooding or repair) when all these conditions are met:
The culvert is of significant construction requiring multiple day closures to repair or has major flooding potential.
The culvert not located near the center of the segment.
The segment is heavily populated by potential destinations and a route to the wrong end of the segment would result in a un-routed detour of more than one mile.
Locking standard
The following defines a set of minimum locking standards proposed for all roads within Illinois.
Any road of a certain segment type must be locked at least to the 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.
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 state-wide 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.
Illinois Minimum Road Locking Standard
Segment Type
Two-way
One-way
Chicago Zone
Freeway
5
Ramp
Highest rank of connected segment
Major Highway
3
Minor Highway
3
Primary Street
2
3
Street
1
2
3
Private Road
1
2
Parking Lot Road
1
1see note
2
• • • • Ferry • • • •
5
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|
2
⁃ ⁃ ⁃ ⁃ ⁃ Runway ⁃ ⁃ ⁃ ⁃ ⁃
5
Other named types
1
3
Construction (outdated imagery)
3
Note: One-way PLRs used outside of parking lots, such as alleys and streets through apartment complexes, should be locked at 2. The Chicago Zone is bordered by Lake Michigan on the east, the Chicago River on the north and west and Polk on the south. See the GLR major roads page for additional information on the standards listed here.
Special roads
Drivable roads
Illinois follows the standard USA guidelines for all of the following special road types.
Review the Wiki guidelines for non-drivable roads to ensure compliance with the general guidelines.
The | | | | | Walking Trails | | | | | and | | | | | Pedestrian Boardwalks | | | | |road types are not added to the map in Illinois. In general, these road types do not add to the routing function of the application.
Special exceptions may be made with the approval by State Managers. For example, a | | | | | Boardwalk | | | | | may be used to support house numbers in situations where they are not assigned to drivable road types. This use must be approved by a State Manager (refer to Area Managers table).
Please consult with a State Manager before adding or removing these road types.
Unpaved and Unmaintained Roads
Illinois follows this specific guidance on the use of Off-road / Not maintained road types and unpaved roads in the state. This supplements the guidance for road types.
Unpaved roads may or may not be classified on IDOT Functional Classification maps. Maintained, but unpaved, roads should have the unpaved attribute checked. Unpaved driveways should be mapped using the Private Road type, regardless of their condition. Similarly, alleys and parking lot roads should use the appropriate road type. Unpaved roads classified in one of the arterial classes will be mapped as specified in road types guidance. Collector, local and unclassified roads will be mapped as shown in the table below.
^a A road in a county highway system is always mapped as a primary street, adding the unpaved attribute if the county highway is gravel rather than a paved surface.
^b A narrow gravel road is defined as one less than 14.5 feet from edge to edge. This is less than the minimum width of two lanes as defined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Vehicles approaching from opposite directions would likely need to leave the roadway to pass. ^c Gravel surfaces on maintained roads should be mapped with the unpaved attribute checked.
Legend
PS
Primary Street
Street
Street
N/M
Off-road / Not maintained
To determine if a road falls into the "narrow" category, measure the distance from edge to edge using by creating a temporary, un-saved, segment (using zoom level 9). Create the segment perpendicular to the roadway with end-points at the road edge at each side. The edge being a solid line of grass or other material not part of the road surface. Use the WME Meausurement Tool in WME Toolbox, or the WME True Segment Length script, to measure the length of the segment without saving the temporary segment.
Alleys
Alleys are driveable roads passing between or behind buildings and are not intended for thru-traffic. They can be an important component in routing when primary access is not on a local street or drivers start a route from an alley.
Generally speaking, only residential alleys should be mapped. An alley should only be mapped if it is a locally accepted parking destination near a residence. It should function only as the starting point or destination of a route.
Within District 1 (LAMD1), including the Chicagoland, alleys are mapped as the likely starting point for many routes. Do not delete any alleys mapped within this district. Outside LAMD1, alleys may be mapped or removed after careful consideration of the above guidance and their routing benefit. Please consult with a LAM or SM before adding alleys.
If an alley is to be mapped or updated, be sure to review nearby house numbers and nudge them if needed.
All alleys should have their road type set to Parking Lot Road and should be named "Alley".
Update Requests
Illinois encourages cooperation between editors in resolving issues. Clear status notes in URs are strongly suggested. While keeping a reporter apprised on a timely basis, detailed inter-editor conversations are often best kept in private messages or in hangout conversation to avoid involving a reporter in editing minutia or protracted discussions. Remember: Courtesy counts.
NOTE: all day values are relative to the date the FIRST editor response is sent to the reporter.
Response Timeline
Day 0: The first editor who is able to respond to UR should attempt to resolve the UR. If they are successful, they should comment as such in the UR and mark it closed. If more information from the reporter is required to make progress towards closure, a response should be sent to the reporter containing the information needed for resolution.
Day 4+: Polite reminders should be sent to reporters who have not responded to the initial at any time, provided at least four full days have elapsed since the initial response was sent.
Day 8+: URs may be noted as closed due to lack of reporter response at any time, provided at least four full days have elapsed since the followup message was sent.
Shared Ownership
All editors are considered to have equal ownership of and responsibility for all URs in the Great Lakes Region. All editors, regardless of whether they have worked the UR previously, may send any of the responses describe above, provided they adhere the minimum time spacing guidance between responses.
All editors are explicitly encouraged to attempt resolving URs at any point during their lifecycle, even if others happen to be actively working it at the same time.
Notes
The ideal timeline for UR response is when responses are sent as early as the minimum required time spacing between messages permits. Experience has reliably shown that UR response rates are much higher when editors are able to send responses promptly.
While strongly recommended, it is not required to send the followup message.
Closures
When managing a section of roadway under construction or being closed for a major event, follow the Wiki guidelines on construction zones and Real time closures.
Special Events
Do you have or know about an upcoming event, and want to get it on the Waze map?
Whether or not you're an editor: Events such as parades, sporting events, festivals, or concerts, can be added. While the form below can provide us with helpful information, events can be submitted for addition to the Illinois Waze map using any of these methods:
Event / Weather Closures
Editors can help track segments closed by using the form below. The form is used to submit closed segments for: large public events, weather, or other emergencies; and construction projects or other events where the closure will need to be monitored for duration. The form can be largely auto-completed using the Form Filler script (selecting "Illinois event/weather closures").
Illinois follows the USA standard for Places. Do not deviate from the guidelines without first obtaining consensus to do so via the state forum linked on this page.
See Illinois/Places for guidance in Illinois that may not be universal to all other states and territories.
Cameras
Not every camera-looking device at an intersection is a speed or red light camera. Generally speaking:
a speed camera takes a photograph of a vehicle when it passes by the camera at too high a speed.
a red light camera takes a photograph of a vehicle that enters an intersection after the light is red. In some areas, it takes the photograph when a vehicle is not clear of the intersection some period after the light turns red.
When adding a camera, be sure to review the camera placement recommendations.
Laws regarding speed and red light cameras vary between the states and territories, so be sure to understand the details of camera legality in Illinois.
Based on information researched at the time this page was created, the limited legality of speed cameras in Illinois is described below, and red light cameras are legal statewide in Illinois.
No other camera types should be mapped in Waze.
Mobile speed cameras may be in use in construction zones statewide; these cameras should not be mapped.
Municipalities with a population of 1,000,000 or more may use speed cameras in safety zones (one-eighth mile from school or park). The City of Chicago is currently the only Illinois community to qualify for speed camera placement.
To do list
Many states and territories keep an active list of pending or closed actions that need to be done in the state by the editors. All editors are welcome to contribute to the list of activities.
Want to help out with the map in Illinois? Check out the To Do list for the state.
If you are working on one of these projects in a county, please send a private message to the state managers to update the project maps.
The table below identifies the editors also designated as Area Managers or higher who are editing in Illinois. If you have any questions, please consider contacting them directly as needed. If you are an Area Manager that covers Illinois, or a USA Country Manager that does a lot of work in Illinois, please add yourself to this list (alphabetical by username) in the correct rank section.
The editor who also serves as the Regional Coordinator for Illinois is automatically listed at the top of the table. That editor may not be highly active in this state and therefore may not be listed separately in the table.
Interested in becoming an Illinois Area Manager or think you qualify for a promotion? Talk to a State Manager. Then with State Manager approval, fill out an area manager application, and speak to a Regional Coordinator. Remember to contact both State Managers before completing the Area Manager application. This will help save time in area selection and requirements for the area to be reviewed as part of the application.
Click the [Expand] link on the right to see a map of the LAM and AM areas in Illinois.
Large Area Managers
Large Area Managers (LAM) help manage large sections of the state working with the local Area Managers. You can also reach out to them for assistance. A map of the areas they coordinate is below.
If you're already an Area Manager and you're interested in becoming a Large Area Manager in Illinois, please complete this form. Upon completion, State Managers will contact you to review your application. Large Area Managers must be approved by State Managers and the Regional Coordinator.
It is requested that an Area Manager who will be away from map editing activities for more than a week please notify the State Managers by private message (PM). This is simply to ensure, if needed, that any adjustments can be made for handling update requests or other activities.
Illinois — Area, State, Country Managers, and Regional Coordinators
, or a regulatory speed limit posted in black on white with an orange "Work Zone" banner across the top 
