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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 u n c t 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)
Locking standard
Lock the roads based on type after they've been set to FC standards.
| Segment Type | Lock | |
|---|---|---|
| Freeway | 5 | |
| Ramp | Highest lock of connected segment | |
| Major Highway | 4 | |
| Minor Highway | 3 | |
| Primary Street | 2 | |
| Street | 1 | |
| :|:|:|:|:Railroad:|:|:|:|: | 2 | |
| Ferry | 5 | |