Texas

Information related to using Waze in the State of Texas. All editors in the state are required to have a non usa_username, have their private messaging turned on, and turn live users on in the layers tool. Please pay attention to the chat window in the lower right hand part of the screen. You can find useful info there and ask questions.

Cities and towns

There are 6386 Cities and Towns spread across 254 counties in the state. See Cities in Texas for proper naming information.

Roads in Texas

Road naming

Interstates = I-XX

US Highway = US-XX

State Highway = SH-XX

Farm/Ranch to Market = FM XX

County Road = CR-XX

Private Road = Private Rd XX

Interstates throughout the state

• I-2 Rio Grande Valley
• I-10 New Mexico to Louisiana
• I-20 Midland/Odessa to Louisiana
• I-27 Lubbock to Amarillo
• I-30 Fort Worth to Arkansas
• I-35 Mexico to Oklahoma
• I-35E Hillsboro to Denton through Dallas
• I-35W Hillsboro to Denton through Fort Worth
• I-37 Corpus Christi to San Antonio
• I-40 New Mexico to Oklahoma
• I-45 Galveston to Dallas
• I-69 Brownsville/Edinburg/Laredo to Texarkana (will follow US-59)
• I-369 Spur to west side of Texarkana
• I-410 Loop around San Antonio
• I-610 Loop around Houston
• I-635 Spur through DFW Metroplex
• I-820 Loop around Fort Worth 

Special roads

• When not to split a two-way road
• Divided Roads
• Carpool, HOV, Transit lanes
• Roundabouts and Traffic Circles
• Cul-de-sac's
• Dirt Roads. In Texas ALL roads that are normally unpaved are considered dirt roads as this is how GPS Nav users (any brand) expect the "Avoid Dirt Roads" feature to behave. These roads should be deleted when going through farm land, ranch land, or mountainous areas throughout the state, as they are most likely base import roads and not real roads.
• Parking Lot Roads
• Toll Roads
• Frontage roads not classified as  Primary Street  by functional class are to be classified as  Street . They are also to be labeled "Frontage Rd" unless the corresponding highway has an alternate name. I-635 Frontage roads are labeled as "Lyndon B Johnson Freeway" as that is the local name for I-635.
• Alleys and driveways are NOT MAPPED

Non-drivable roads

Generally, if a road can't be driven on (e.g. Walking Trail, Pedestrian Boardwalk, Stairway, Ranch road in the middle of nowhere) then it should not be mapped in Waze. This is due to the way the routing engine works, as Waze WILL route users to drive on these "Non-Drivable" road types. Please note there are several Railroads mapped in Texas, these railroads are mapped in a VERY particular manner by Senior Area Managers and Country Managers to prevent Waze from routing on them.

Miscellaneous

All freeways are set to ground level. If two freeways cross each other, look at the actual intersection to discover the layers of the intersection.

U-turns are labeled as "turnaround."

Username	Area Managed	Comments	Forum PM
Rank 6 Editors
txemt	US South Central & US Territories Regional Coordinator	Based out of Miami, FL born/lived/travelled through most of Texas	Functional Classification of Roads See Road names/USA and Road types/USA. Texas is participating in the new functional classification across the entire state when the new functional classification maps for the state come out. This will be a 100% changeover for the entire state. Some highways may be downgraded, others may be upgraded. US-281 will no longer be the dividing line for FM roads in the state, either as functional classification will overrule this. As of 1400 7jan15, TxDot has informed us those maps will be available in the summer of 2015. FC cross reference An Urban Interstate, Urban Principal Arterial Freeway & Expressway is a  Freeway  Any road that acts, looks, & feels like a freeway should be set to  Freeway  road type. An Urban Principal Arterial-Other is a  Major Highway  An Urban Minor Arterial is a  Minor Highway  An Urban Collector is a  Primary Street  All other roads are to be classified as  Street  Refer to this chart to determine the road type of a given road based on the functional class. (TXDOT map is here - click on Functional Class on the left).  Fw   Freeway   Major   Major Highway   Minor   Minor Highway   PS   Primary Street   Street   Street  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. Areas (formerly known as landmarks) In late 2012 a discussion was started in the Connecticut Section of the Waze Forum that determined the existing worldwide guideline of "don't map individual businesses" wasn't enough and we needed a more complete set of guidelines for landmarks in worldwide. As a result of that discussion a set of guidelines was created. If you wish to propose changes to these guidelines, please do so in the forum. Guidelines for Landmarks in Connecticut Approved Texas landmarks Current list of areas/places Please do not forget that a recent update to WME has enabled the Address properties for Landmarks (House number, street name, city, state & country) and ensure this information is filled out & correct. When to use Area or Point in Texas Here is the Texas guidance on selecting Area or Point for Places in the Waze Map Editor. All areas are to be landmarked from fence line to fence line to include all parking lots, roads, and anything associated with the property. Parking lot roads (PLRs), parking lots, and gas stations all serve the same purpose. There is no need to mark a PLR through a gas station or a parking lot. The Primary Category for a Place is used to determine whether to use a Point or Area. Parent Category Type Comments Car Services Car Wash Point Car Services Charging Station Point Car Services Garage / Automotive Shop Point Car Services Gas Station Area Many gas stations also have convenience stores and ATMs. Remember to use "Gas Station" as the primary category and the add any others which are relevant. Car Services Parking Lot Both There are very few parking lots which should be mapped at all. Please see the Places/Parking lot article. Parking lots on universities are authorized. Transportation Airport Area Special-handling Transportation Bridge NONE Transportation Bus Station Both Greyhound stations are area, city bus stops, point Transportation Ferry Pier Point Transportation Junction / Interchange NONE Transportation Seaport / Marina / Harbor Area Size-dependent. Transportation Subway Station NONE Transportation Taxi Station Point Transportation Train Station Point Transportation Tunnel NONE Professional and public Cemetery NONE Professional and public City Hall Area Professional and public College / University Area Professional and public Conventions / Event Center Area Size-dependent Professional and public Courthouse Area Professional and public Embassy / Consulate Area Professional and public Factory / Industrial NONE Professional and public Fire Department Area Professional and public Government Area Professional and public Hospital / Medical Care Area Professional and public Information Point Point Professional and public Kindergarten Point Professional and public Library Point Professional and public Military NONE See below Professional and public Offices NONE Professional and public Organization or Association Point Professional and public Police Station Area Professional and public Prison / Correctional Facility NONE Professional and public Post Office Area Professional and public Religious Center Area Professional and public School Area Shopping and services Arts & Crafts Point Shopping and services ATM NONE Shopping and services Bank / Financial Point Shopping and services Bookstore Point Shopping and services Car Dealership Point Size-dependent Shopping and services Car Rental Point Shopping and services Convenience Store Point Shopping and services Currency Exchange Point Shopping and services Department Store Point Shopping and services Electronics Point Shopping and services Fashion and Clothing Point Shopping and services Flowers Point Shopping and services Furniture / Home Store Point Shopping and services Gifts Point Shopping and services Gym / Fitness Point Shopping and services Hardware Store Point Shopping and services Jewelry Point Shopping and services Laundry / Dry Cleaning Point Shopping and services Market Point Shopping and services Music Store Point Shopping and services Personal Care Point Shopping and services Pet Store / Veterinarian Point Shopping and services Pharmacy Point Shopping and services Photography Point Shopping and services Shopping Center Area Shopping and services Sporting Goods Point Shopping and services Supermarket / Grocery Point Standalone could be an Area, but a Point if it is part of larger shopping mall/center. Shopping and services Swimming Pool Point Shopping and services Toy Store Point Shopping and services Travel Agency Point Food and drink Bakery Point Food and drink Bar Point Food and drink Coffee shop Point Food and drink Dessert Point Food and drink Fast Food Point Food and drink Food Court Point Food and drink Ice Cream Point Food and drink Restaurant Point Culture & entertainment Art Gallery Point Culture & entertainment Casino Area There's only one casino in Texas Culture & entertainment Club Point Culture & entertainment Game Club Point Culture & entertainment Movie Theater Point Culture & entertainment Museum Point Culture & entertainment Music Venue Point Culture & entertainment Performing Arts Venue Point Culture & entertainment Racing Track Area Culture & entertainment Stadium / Arena Area Culture & entertainment Theme Park Area Culture & entertainment Theater Point Culture & entertainment Tourist Attraction / Historic Site Both Size-dependent. If not sure, ask Culture & entertainment Zoo / Aquarium Area Size-dependent Other Construction Site NONE Other Residence / Home NONE Lodging Bed & Breakfast Point Lodging Camping / Trailer Park Point Lodging Cottage / Cabin Point Lodging Hostel Point Lodging Hotel Point Outdoors Beach NONE Outdoors Golf Course Area Outdoors Park Area Outdoors Playground Point Outdoors Plaza Point Outdoors Promenade Point Unsure about mapping these at all Outdoors Scenic Lookout / Viewpoint Point Outdoors Ski Area NONE Not in Texas Outdoors Sports Court Point Natural features Farm NONE Natural features Forest / Grove Area Only map official state/national forests, not every stand of trees. Natural features Island NONE Natural features River / Stream NONE Natural features Sea / Lake / Pond NONE Major construction projects See TxDot for a list of LONG TERM road closures & changes to traffic flow that impact the Waze map. If you are aware or made aware of any long term closures (construction, work closures and emergency closures), please fill out this form. Your submission will be reviewed by US Champs and submitted to the Waze team upon approval. I-35 (Austin to DFW) pjlasl PM is the lead editor for changes for I-35 between Austin and DFW. Please contact him prior to making any major changes (i.e. adding or removing ramps). Cameras Currently, the only way to add cameras to the editor are from the app. When placing a camera in the app, drop a general error with "RLC W" where W = the direction the camera is facing. This will allow other editors to know which way the camera is facing when they go to approve it in the editor. Red light cameras Red Light Cameras are LEGAL in the State of Texas. Contrary to popular belief, these cameras do not sit on the top of lights at an intersection. If you've gotten to an intersection, you've already passed the red light camera.These cameras mounted on traffic signals are used as part of the signal control. These compare sequential images of the intersection approach to determine if there is a vehicle (car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, etc) waiting and will trigger the sequence. These devices CANNOT issue tickets. There are traditional traffic monitoring cameras covering most of the major highways in the state. These send live feeds to the various traffic agencies around the state and are for monitoring traffic only. Know your Cameras Speed Cameras Speed cameras are currently ILLEGAL in the State of Texas. Any request for a speed camera, or any approved speed cameras need to be removed from the map. Military Bases Texas has a long standing tradition for support the US military. If you have questions concerning any military base in the state, please do not hesitate to ask. All military bases in the state are set to the current installation standard. All gates at the military bases are set to private road in/street out with some gates having restrictions on them for the various gate closures. If you know of any changes in the hours of a gate, please let a US Champ know and they will adjust it accordingly. All gates are locked at a level 5 or 6. Landmarks approved for military bases are: Commissary PX/BX Gas stations Parks Museums To do list Want to help out with the map in Texas? Stop adding parking lot roads everywhere, solve URs, ask questions to anyone listed below, and seek out advice when/where needed. Please adhere to the rules for editing. Parking lot roads do not need to go through gas stations. The gas station area suppresses traffic so map problems (MP) do not show up in the editor. Mapping utilities TxDot Maps Road Conditions throughout the state. List of State Routes in Texas Editors in the State Username Area Managed Comments Forum PM Rank 6 Editors txemt US South Central & US Territories Regional Coordinator Based out of Miami, FL born/lived/travelled through most of Texas PM jasonh300 US South Central Regional Coordinator Based out of New Orleans, LA PM pjlasl North Texas Based out of Weatherford PM Rank 5 Editors LittlestLou DFW Metroplex Based in the DFW Metroplex PM ctpoole Austin State Manager PM karlrc9911 Longview State Manager PM Rank 4 Editors coontex Houston Lived in central Louisiana most of my life and now in the Katy/Houston TX area. PM danofsatx San Antonio Live in San Antonio, love to drive the state! PM Jakflash Lampasas PM jstrangfeld DFW Metroplex PM randcon Houston Houston native (40+ years) PM shadoh DFW Metroplex El Paso native (25+ years) - live in DFW Metroplex (15+ years). PM tcalvert317 San Antonio PM Rank 3 Editors itzrandi Houston/East Texas Metro Houston and Hwy 59/96 corridor PM jeigh17 El Paso PM MisterTodd East DFW Metroplex PM PvilleT Austin Based of out Pflugerville, born in Corpus Christi PM Audi_Chris Houston, San Marcos Lived in Texas for majority of my life! PM If you are an editor in Texas, or a USA Country Manager that does a lot of work in Texas, please add yourself to this list or ask to be added. Discipline Waze has been designed to be an open community with various levels of editors. Rank 5 and 6 editors are senior editors. They are here to help you and are to be respected at all times. Instructions from senior editors are to be followed, unless it conflicts with this page. If you have any questions or issues, please feel free to PM one of the rank 6s or 5s in the list (if you're having a problem with one, please PM the regional coordinators). We will try to handle the issue as quickly and peacefully as possible. It is not possible to list every occurrence of problems which can occur in the editor, but the following are some examples of what has happened in the past: Deleting and redrawing roads Creating mass amounts of parking lot roads Creating roads on top of already existing roads Disrespect to higher ranking editors Not cleaning up your own mess Not responding to private messages Willful damage to the map Editing just to clear geometry nodes will result in an instant blocking of your editing rights Everyone is allowed one free pass, but disciplinary actions after the first occurrence for the above may include: Formal mentoring Temporary suspension of editing rights Permanent suspension of editing rights User Reports (URs) Recently, there have been a rash of editors giving long winded responses to URs. The average person is not going to read beyond the 3rd or 4th line. In this example: "Many drivers think a report shows their destination and route information, it doesn't. It doesn't even tell us who filed the report. We volunteer map editors only see where you are when you start your report and short pieces of the recommended and driven routes. We need more information to fix your problem. Thank you for the report and all the WAZE you help. If you respond to my query and I do not acknowledge within 1 day, please e-mail me at xxxxxxxxx@waze.com with a repeat of the information. This report will be closed as 'not identified' if there is no response within 7 days." and this example: "Please provide more details so we can investigate the "General error" you reported. Volunteer map editors only fix map problem. We don't see what you see on your screen. We only see where you were located when you started your report and a short segment of the WAZE recommended route and a short segment of the route taken. To test the routing, we need to know the approximate start and end points of your route. Your routing options are important. Do you Avoid toll roads? Avoid major highways? Dirt roads allow/don't allow/avoid long ones? Have you selected 'fastest route' or 'shortest route'? Thank you for the report and all the WAZE you help. If no response within 7 days, this report will be closed as 'Not identified'." the user will most likely either not get beyond the "We need more information to fix your problem" or they will skim through it and not pay attention to what is being asked of them. Please keep responses to URs at a minimum. Asking someone to explain more information about their issue does not require a novel, it should read like the box score to a game in the newspaper. A shorter, more to the point response should suffice. An example: "You reported a general error at ______________________ and ______________________ but left no info as to what's wrong. Can you please elaborate, so we may look into and resolve the issue? Thank you." or "You reported a missing road, but didn't tell us the name of the road. Could you please give us the name, so we may add it to the map? Thank you." These are short, simple, to the point, and don't bother the driver with useless information about satellites, sun spots, the curvature of Earth's horizon in relation to Mars' gravitational pull, or other weird explanations from editors which have popped up on URs.