Road Types
Rhode Island roads are categorized based on the RIDOT Functional Classification Maps. See Rhode Island/Major roads for exceptions to these categorizations.
Do not change the type of any Highway/Street-level roads without first consulting your State Manager or Regional Coordinator
Locking Standards
In Rhode Island 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.
| Segment Type | Statewide |
|---|---|
| Freeway | 4 |
| Ramp | Highest rank of connected segments |
| Major Highway | 3 |
| Minor Highway | 3 |
| Primary Street | 2 |
| Street | 1 |
| • • • • Ferry • • • • | 5 |
| |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| | 2 |
Route Naming
In Rhode Island, all numbered state highways should be given the designation "RI-##", where ## represents the highway number (e.g. "RI-24"). These designations should be given as the primary or alternate name for a given segment based on the following rules:
- If the road is a divided highway, the designation should be the primary name. Any common names for the road should be listed as alternate names.
- If the segment is considered an urban road, the common name should be the primary name, and the route designation should be the alternate name.
- If the segment is part of a rural road, the route designation should be the primary name, while the common name should be listed as the alternate name.
Consult the RIDOT Functional Classification Maps to determine where roads pass through urban and rural areas.