Pennsylvania View history

USA Pennsylvania

Information related to using Waze in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

There are many active PA editors working on this page to keep it accurate and up to date. Before making any changes to this page, please post your proposed changes to this forum first for discussion.

Mapping resources

Map Editing Resources

Tip: Editors are strongly encouraged to download & install the Waze Validator Plugin. This is a VERY helpful tool for identifying problems and even offers advice how to fix them.

Forums

Cities and towns

In WME, every segment of every Minor Highway, Primary Street, Street, Private Road, Parking Lot Road, and Dirt Road/4x4 Trail should have a city name applied to it.  Major Highways  should have a city name applied to all segments that also have street addresses.

City names are not required on Freeways and Ramps and may interfere with navigation instructions at ramp interchanges on all highway types. Set city names on highway segments which junction with ramps or on ramps, only if you know how to avoid the navigation problems. Paragraph under review & up for discussion in PA forum

The only city name that should be applied to a segment is the incorporated municipal name or the official 2010 Census Designated Place (CDP) name. Do not use other unincorporated names such as villages or neighborhoods. Do not use postal names or areas.

See PennDOT's municipal maps for incorporated city borders and proper naming information. For city maps that are missing from this list, you might be able to get the information you need from PennDOT's County Maps or by visiting that city's GIS website. CDP outlines and names for Pennsylvania are found here.

If a road runs on a border, according to Waze statements, the other city should be in the alternate name field to support future address searches.

If a road segment runs across a border, it should be split with a junction on the border if there should be house numbers applied within each city. This supports future address search. Otherwise apply the city name that makes the most sense, or none at all for highways.

See Duplicate cities for information on resolving the numerous conflicting city names in Pennsylvania. When a municipality has the same name and city type (i.e. Borough, Township, City), append the county after the city name in the format Cityname, Countyname. This is based on a recommendation by Waze for future database organization.

Road Naming, Abbreviations & Locking Standard

When naming roads or Ramps, use Penna as the abbreviation for Pennsylvania. Penn causes text-to-speech conflicts with the numerous items named after William Penn. PA should not be used except as shown below.

Penna Tpk is the proper abbreviation for naming ramps, and for alternate names for the Turnpike.

Shortened state route names

The format SR-xxx (State Route) should be used when naming ramps (e.g., to SR-28 S / Pittsburgh). See also: Ramps. To maintain uniformity across the state, the PA-xxx format should not be used unless it is on the road signs that drivers would see.

Locking Standard

Pennsylvania has implement a locking standard of certain road types to prevent damage to the map. The following road types should be locked at a minimum of the corresponding ranks after they've been set to FC standards..

Pennsylvania Minimum Locking Rank Standard
Segment Type Lock
 Freeway  5
 Ramp  Highest lock of connected segment
 Major Highway  4
 Minor Highway  3
 Primary Street  2
 Street  1
 :|:|:|:|:Railroad:|:|:|:|:  5
 Ferry  5
 Parking Lot Road [1] 2

^1 This only applies to LARGE parking lots such as shopping malls/centers/plazas or tourist attractions/sports & music venues, large office buildings and schools/colleges.

Major roads


Pennsylvania follows the general road naming and road type guidelines of the USA. The Functional Classification chart shown below has been modified from the national chart to more closely reflect the roads in Pennsylvania.

Functional Classification reference chart

Use this chart to determine the road type for Pennsylvania roads based on the functional class.

First, find the functional class of the road from the PennDOT Functional Classification county maps and determine if it is a signed, numbered highway in a one of the highway systems.

Follow the column for the road's highway system down to the row for the road's functional class to find the proper road type for that particular road.

The PennDOT color coding is cross-referenced in the first column of the table for your convenience.


Highway Systems
Interstate Interstate Business, Loop, Spur US Hwy (incl. some special routes) US Hwy BUS, SPUR, LOOP State Route Shielded State Route Unshielded Locally Maintained
Examples I-80 I-94 Business US-190 US-460 Business SR-23 SR-309 SR-2006 Roberts St
F
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n
c
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i
o
n
a
l

C
l
a
s
s 		Interstate
  Fw  n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Other Freeway[a] n/a  Fw   Fw   Fw   Fw   Fw   Fw 
Other Expressway[a] n/a  Major   Major   Major   Major   Major   Major 
Other Principal Arterial n/a  Major   Major   Major   Major   Major   Major 
Minor Arterial n/a  Major   Major   Minor   Minor   PS   PS 
Urban or Rural-Major Collector n/a  Major   Major   Minor   Minor   PS   PS 
Rural Minor Collector

n/a  Major   Major   Minor   Minor   PS [b]
 Street 		  Street 
Local Roads or
Not Classified 		n/a  Major   Major   Minor   Minor   PS [b]
 Street 		  Street 

^a Since Pennsylvania combines these two classes, use the criteria from the USA Freeway page to determine if the road should typed as a freeway or major highway.

^b Some 4-digit State Routes are numbered for legacy or maintenance reasons, but they do not serve as primary thoroughfares for the area and should be classified as  Street .

State routes with 2 or 3 digit route numbers

In Pennsylvania all State Routes should have any common name as displayed on street signs as the primary name in WME, and the route number in the alternate name field. The city name should be the same for both the common name and route number. SR-111 is the current acceptable format. The use of State Hwy or PA-xxx and other variations should not be used unless it is on the road signs that drivers would see.

State Route naming should follow the following format:

  • SR-28 S (divided one-way segments).
  • SR-309 (undivided two-way segments).

Note: Some state routes have mixed signage, with route numbers at major intersections and road names at minor intersections. Until Waze gets state shields working completely, the best practice is to name the segments according the the signage that the motorist will see as he approaches the state route, with priority given to the major intersections.

State routes with 4 digit route numbers

State Routes with 4 digits (e.g. SR-3001) should not have the route number in the alternate field. SR-xxxx should be removed from the alt field, if you find it.

County or township roads

County (Co) and Township (T) roads need no special designation or road type. Road number info is not needed in the alternate name field.

Ramps

When naming a Ramp to a State Route, use the SR-111 format. PA-111 format should not be used unless it matches exactly what is on the big green sign directing you to the ramp. It is best to reference Google Street View in WME, where available.

Adhere to national standards for Exit ramps and Entrance ramps (on-ramps). Ramp names should use these formats:

Off-ramps:

  • Numbered exit: (Exit 16: SR-15 / Scranton)
  • Numbered exit with multiple Cities or Routes: (Exit 16: SR-15 N / SR-86 E / Wilkes / Scranton)
  • Numbered exit with multiple exits: (Exit 16A-B: SR-15 N / SR-86 E / Scranton)
  • Non-numbered exit: (to SR-15 / Scranton)

Splitting and un-splitting roads

Splitting and un-splitting roads should follow the national guidelines on the When to Split a Two-Way Road page. Also see: How to Un-Split a Road

Special roads

Alleys

  • An alley should be mapped if it is named.
  • An alley should be mapped if it is the address of a home or business.
  • An alley should always be set to type "Private Road".
  • An alley is normally mapped if it is acknowledged by the municipality.

If an alley does not meet the above criteria, mapping is optional. Check the "No name" box in WME.

Non-drivable roads

Because of the way the routing engine works, Waze will route users to drive onto "non-drivable" road types. Generally, if a path can't be driven on (e.g. Walking Trail, Pedestrian Boardwalk, Stairway, Runway/Taxiway) then it is not normally mapped. If it is mapped, it should not be connected to any roads. "Emergency and Authorized Vehicles Only" and PennDOT Service Roads are to be treated as non-drivable roads as well. You primarily see these between interstate roads and on the Turnpike. If mapped, they should not be connected to any drivable road, the road type should be set as Private Road and locked at the highest rank of the editor.

Railroads may be mapped since some people use Waze while on the train, contributing false traffic data to the system. This false data has been known to affect drivers on adjacent roads. Railroads should be elevation -5 and locked at the highest rank of the editor, up to 5. Railroads should not be connected to any drivable road.

Time restricted turns

The Waze Map Editor and routing engine supports scheduled restrictions (time of day, day of week, turns, traffic flow direction, vehicle type, etc.).

Please see the Scheduled Restrictions page for full documentation on this feature.

Road closures and construction projects

Pennsylvania should follow the US Standard for Road Closures or Major/Long Term Construction projects. Please see the US Construction Zones & Road Closure Wiki for information regarding closing & flagging roads in the editor that are under construction or closed.

Places & Areas (formally Landmarks)

Pennsylvania should follow the Places Wiki for guidance in regards to mapping Points of Interest & Businesses. There are many categories of Places to add to the map, Please see the the places post regarding information pertaining to important places that should be added to the map. These include Hospitals, Police Stations, Fire Departments, Colleges and Universities, Municipal Courthouses, County Courthouses, Airports, Military Bases, Theme Parks, Zoos, and Aquariums, Ski resorts, and Golf Courses.

Speed / red light cameras

Limited Red Light Cameras are legal in Pennsylvania.

Red light cameras

Red light cameras are legal in a few cites and suburban towns in Pennsylvania. The following cities & municipalities are the only places where the use of Red Light Cameras are permitted at this time. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and municipalities with a population >20,000 and police departments accredited by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties & have a local ordinance permitting the use of Red Light Enforcement Cameras. See Red Light Camera Laws in Pennsylvania

As of October 2014, red light cameras are in service at the following intersections: PENNDOT district 6 (Philadelphia area)

Speed cameras

Not legal in Pennsylvania and should not be approved in WME anywhere in PA.

Other camera types

These are cameras or signs that either provide driver feedback or are used for traffic control. These devices CANNOT issue tickets and should not be approved in WME. See How to Identify Cameras.

To do list

Want to help out with the map in Pennsylvania? Check out the To Do List. (Might be out of date.)

NOTE: You should always finish any work you start... Please do not leave it incomplete.

Pennsylvania Editors List & Contact Information

We would like to keep track of all active editors here in Pennsylvania, if you can please take a few moments and enter your information in the Google Doc's Spreadsheet below to help us contact you if need be &/or to be sure you are notified of local meet-ups/events accordingly.

Pennsylvania Map Editors List

Area & State Managers

Username Area Managed Comments Forum PM
orbitc Region 9 Northeast Regional Coordinator Rank 6 PM
Rank 6 - Country Managers (Pennsylvania Based)
jondrush USA Philadelphia Area PM
Rank 5 - Country Managers (Pennsylvania Based)
attheyard Chester County mainly in Maryland PM
MGODLEW All of Pennsylvania Waze Mentor & US Champ PM
mpawlicki T.B.D. T.B.D PM
svance92 T.B.D. T.B.D PM
Rank 5 - State Managers
MGODLEW All of Pennsylvania Waze Mentor & US Champ PM
no1uknow All of Pennsylvania Waze Mentor PM
Rank 4 - State Managers
TBD All of Pennsylvania TBD TBD
Rank 5 - Area Managers
TBD TBD TBD TBD
Rank 4 - Area Managers
Kodi75 Indiana County PM
PhantomSoul Bucks & Northampton counties Primarily Central New Jersey PM
rleejr79 Southwestern PA Current project: Fayette and Greene counties. PM
tibble Southeastern PA T.B.D. PM
Dogshrink Lehigh Valley, Hazleton Orbitc PM
kmart27 Dauphin & Lancaster counties T.B.D. PM
Rank 3 - Area Managers
CptCranky T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
Cpttim Mahantongo,Shamokin T.B.D. PM
DrNeubie Montgomery County T.B.D PM
hickpop T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
LeoKantus T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
letukka T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
MarkInMd T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
mreich00 T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
nepahxc Wayne & Lackawanna County T.B.D. PM
NevynPA T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
PhillyRace T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
Odessit68 Central Bucks County I often travel to and very familiar with NE Philly PM
regsv T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
steelsandals T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
steinbdj Philadelphia area, primarily Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery, and Bucks counties PM
yrrabsille T.B.D. T.B.D. PM
cecil-t West Chester Area T.B.D. PM

If you are an Area Manager that covers Pennsylvania, or a USA Country Manager that does a lot of work in Pennsylvania, please add yourself to this list (alphabetical by username within rank section).

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