Functional Classification
According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, Functional Classification is described as the following.
Functional classification is the process by which streets and highways are grouped into classes, or systems, according to the character of service they are intended to provide. Basic to this process is the recognition that individual roads and streets do not serve travel independently in any major way. Rather, most travel involves movement through a network of roads. It becomes necessary then to determine how this travel can be channelized within the network in a logical and efficient manner. Functional classification defines the nature of this channelization process by defining the part that any particular road or street should play in serving the flow of trips through a highway network. (FHWA Functional Classification Guidelines)
The easiest resource to use for Functional Classification data in Indiana is the Indiana Roadway Inventory site. To show Functional Class information, go to the Map Contents box in the lower left corner, click the checkmark next to Functional Class, and uncheck any other items that you would not want to see.
If you'd prefer offline PDFs, the Indiana Department of Transportation has maps for major cities and all counties in Indiana.
FC cross reference
Refer to this chart to determine the road type of a given paved public road based on the functional class.
To use this chart, first determine the functional class of a road, and whether it is a signed, numbered highway in a particular highway system.
Where the column for the road's highway system and the row for the road's functional class meet, you will find the proper road type for that particular road.
A number of examples are given below the chart.
| Highway Systems | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interstate | Interstate Business Loop/Spur | US Hwy (incl. some special routes) | US Hwy BUS, SPUR, LOOP | State Hwy (incl. some special routes) | State Hwy BUS, SPUR[a], LOOP | County Route | Locally-maintained | ||
| example | I-64 E | I-94 BUS | US-50 | US-50 BUS | IN-62 | IN-62 BUS | E CR-15 W | Robertson St | |
| F u n c t i o n a l C l a s s |
Interstate 1 | Fw | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Other Fwy or Expwy 2 (Controlled Access)[b] | n/a | Fw | Fw | Fw | Fw | Fw | Fw | Fw | |
| Other Fwy or Expwy 2 (All others)[b] | n/a | Major | Major | Major | Major | Major | Major | Major | |
| Other Principal Arterial 3 | n/a | Major | Major | Major | Major | Major | Major | Major | |
| Minor Arterial 4 | n/a | Major | Major | Minor | Minor | Minor | Minor | Minor | |
| Major Collector 5 | n/a | Major | Major | Minor | Minor | PS | PS | PS | |
| Minor Collector 6 | n/a | Major | Major | Minor | Minor | PS | PS | PS | |
| Local/not mapped | n/a | Major | Major | Minor | Minor | PS | Street | Street | |
^a When a state highway "SPUR" route is used to connect a state highway with another state highway, a US highway, or an Interstate (i.e., when it is used as a connector/CONN route), use the first state highway column.
For example,
- An Interstate Business Loop classified as a Minor Arterial is a Major Highway .
- A US Highway classified as a Minor Arterial is a Major Highway .
- A US Highway Spur route classified as a Minor Arterial is a Minor Highway .
- A State Highway classified as a Collector is a Minor Highway .
- A County Route classified as a Minor Arterial is a Minor Highway .
- A County Route classified as a Collector is a Primary Street
- A locally-maintained road classified as an Other Principal Arterial is a Major Highway .
- A locally-maintained road classified as a Collector is a Primary Street .
| Fw | Freeway |
| Major | Major Highway |
| Minor | Minor Highway |
| PS | Primary Street |
| Street | Street |
^b The following roads shall be classified as Freeway :
- All Interstate Highways.
- This includes all roads classified in FHWA's functional classification as Interstates.
- This includes three-digit Interstate spurs and loops (e.g., I-610; I-585).
- This includes the few grade-intersected, undivided, and/or narrow portions of the Interstate Highway System.
- This does not include Interstate Business Loops and Business Spurs (e.g., I-69 Business Loop), unless they meet the standards for Other Freeways and Expressways defined below.
- Roads classified in FHWA's functional classification as Other Freeways and Expressways which meet the criteria of a controlled-access highway:
- No at-grade crossings.
- No at-grade intersections.
- No direct property access.
- No stop lights (except sometimes on ramps).
- No stop signs.
- Except at the beginning or end of the controlled-access roadway, connected to other roads exclusively by interchanges:
- Entrance via ramps only, typically with acceleration zones.
- Exit via ramps only, typically with deceleration zones.
- Note: Many freeways continue as non-controlled-access roadways; the road should be set as Freeway until the point at which access becomes non-controlled.
- Note: Indiana refers to some US-XXX and IN-XXX as Other Fwy or Expwy. Only set these roads to Freeway if they are fully controlled access. If they are NOT fully controlled access Major Highway shall be used.