New York State uses NY-##, and NY-##X for all state routes and their spurs, loops, etc. (e.g. NY-27, NY-17M)
Concurrent routes which are signed/shielded with both names, AND commonly referred to using both names together, should use both names separated by a slash (/) as the primary name, and each individual named as an alternate name. (e.g. US-1 / US-9)
Interstate highways in New York City only which also have a historical or local freeway name should have that historical or local name appended after the Interstate designation, separated by a slash. (e.g., I-495 E / Long Island Expwy or I-95 N / Cross Bronx Expwy)
Highway name descriptors, such as TRUCK, EXPRESS, etc. should be added in ALL CAPS after the name. (e.g. US-1 TRUCK, or on a concurrent road US-1 TRUCK / US-9 TRUCK)
Roads which have a parallel service road (i.e. are split in a single direction such as Ocean Parkway) should have the service roads named uniquely so Wazers understand which roadway they are being routed onto. They should be named with "(Service Rd)" following the actual road name. (e.g. Ocean Pkwy, and Ocean Pkwy (Service Rd).) This will also identify which roadway incident and error reports were sent from. These are commonly referred to as service roads in New York, but may also be known as frontage roads, or outer roads.
FC Upgrade
New York State is currently in the process of upgrading the entire road network to meet the national guidance for road type classification. This will ensure a consistent, and better navigational experience to wazers around the country. The general guidelines for implementation are in the Road Types (USA) page. Any local deviations, and special information for New York State will be listed below.
If you would like to assist in this project in any county of the state, please ensure you are listed in the appropriate table in the Area Managers section below, and list which county you will be upgrading. Please also update the entry for that county to "in progress", with your username, and the date in the the FC Upgrade project table on the To-Do subpage.
If another editor has already started on working on that county, please add your name after them, update the date, and coordinate directly with that editor. Once you have completed the FC upgrade for an entire county, please mark it as "complete" in the table, with the completion date.
If you have trouble, or are not comfortable with updating the table, please ask someone (try any AM, or SM) to do it for you.
The Mapping Resources section has links to several FC data sources including a State DOT maintained GIS, CSV lists of all FC roads by county, and general FC information.
Tip: for editors using the FC Color Highlights script: These colors will more-or-less match the NYS DOT FC map:
NYS FC GIS Color Highlights
NYS FC Type
Highlight Color
Interstate = Fwy
black
Principal Arterial = MH
green
Minor Arterial = mH
red
Collector = PS
blue
Ramp
#8c6946 (unclassified)
Locking standard
In New York 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.
New York Minimum Locking Rank Standard
Segment Type
NYC Only
Everywhere Else
Freeway
5
Ramp
Highest rank of connected segment
Major Highway
5
3
Minor Highway
4
3
Primary Street
3
1 (Auto)
Street
1 (Auto)
Private Road
1 (Auto)
• • • • Ferry • • • •
5
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|
2
Note: Do Not Mass Edit just to update locks to these standards, these can be adjusted as you find them while editing other aspects of the segments such as FC, speed limits, naming, etc.
Some segments still warrant higher locks and care should be taken when setting segment lock to these standards to look for and protect these special setups with higher locks. Some examples; segments which are part of BDP, U-turn prevention, or using micro-doglegs, or other complex intersection setups.
You can use WME Validator to highlight segments which are locked below these standards using the custom check fields.
Roads which are Private (not accessible to the general public i.e. a gated entrance, buses only, etc.), Parking Lot Roads, or Non-Drivable (i.e. pedestrian plazas, boardwalks, etc.) should be classed as such (Private, PLR, Non-Drivable), regardless of what their official FC class is.
The NYS FC GIS is incomplete, and does not show all roads highlighted correctly for the full length on the road. When in doubt consult the Inventory Lists.
The NYS FC GIS will only highlight one direction (side) of a split roadway, in these cases both directions should be classed the same (at the highlighted class).
From this point, roads may be adjusted up or down the scale as indicated by the road's setup and usage ONLY with the consensus of a local RC, or SM. Examples:
Most of NY-17 from Binghamton to Harriman is fully limited access; it is therefore typed as Freeway (except for one 5½-mile stretch of at-grade intersections between Sanford and Hancock, where it is typed Major Highway).
CR-56 in Steuben County is barely wide enough for two cars, has no appreciable shoulders, and is only rarely used; based on that, its type was downgraded to Street.
See New York/Major roads for a list of Major Highways in New York which are or were being worked on.
Speed limits
New York follows the national guidelines for adding speed limits to the map. There are a few items left up to local guidance which will be enumerated below.
The ONLY speed limits which should be added to the map are Regulatory Speed Limits. These are marked with black lettering on white rectangular signs.
The following speed limits are unsupported by the WME and the Waze app, and MUST NOT be added to road segments in the WME. Road segments with posted 'advisory' speeds or special speed limits should continue the Speed Limit for passenger vehicles as posted on the black and white signs pictured above.
Segments with time based different speed limits should use the speed limit which is in effect the majority of the time (most hours of the day, days of the week).
Speed limits should change where they legally go in effect. When a speed limit changes in the middle of a segment, a new junction should added to support the SL change. However a new junction should never be added for a SL if it will be within 200 feet of an existing junction, or potential junction.
Work zone speed limits
A work zone (WZ) may have a lower advisory speed limit (SL) posted in black on orange
, or a regulatory speed limit posted in black on white with an orange "Work Zone" banner across the top .
We only consider the regulatory signs, and never map advisory speed limits.
Now that the Speed Limit feature has gone live in the production client app (as of June 2016[update]), adding WZ SLs to segments is generally allowed.
Typically only projects which are expected to last at least 3 months should be added to the map.
The underlying SL, and expected project completion date should be documented in a [CONSTRUCTION] UR with the keyword mph included in the text.
Projects of shorter duration may be added as well, IF the editor has access to frequent status updates on the project, and is willing to monitor and adjust as soon as the SL is restored.
Where speed limits change
The NYS Supplement to the MUTCD stipulates that a Speed Limit sign shall be placed at, or as near as practicable to, the beginning of a speed limit.
When adding speed limits to WME we should try to be as accurate as reasonable, while still preserving turn delays. Therefore if a speed limit changes in middle of a segment we will create a new junction to support the SL change. However if there is already an existing junction, or we can see the need to create a new junction to connect another segment to the road within 200 feet of the speed limit sign, we should mark the SL change using that existing (potential) junction node.
If at the editor's discretion in consultation with local managers, it is determined that a new junction to support a SL change between 200 - 1,000 feet away from a junction would have a negative impact on turn delay calculations, they may instead affect the SL change at an existing (potential) junction up to 1,000 feet away from the SL sign. This may be because the SL change is posted in middle of turning or exit lane where traffic regularly backs up from the following junction to before the position of the SL sign.
Click Expand for details on the direct quote from the NYS Supplement
Standard:
00M
A R2-1 sign shall be placed at, or as near as practicable to, the beginning of a linear speed limit facing traffic entering the restriction. Additional R2-1 signs shall be placed at intervals throughout restrictions longer than 1100 feet.
Option:
00N
The R2-1 sign may be omitted when the beginning of a linear speed limit is at, or near, the closed end of a dead-end highway.
Guidance:
00O
Where the beginning of a linear speed limit is at, or just before, an intersection, the Speed Limit sign should be placed beyond the intersection. Where a Speed Limit sign and a Political Boundary sign (see Section 2D.110) would conflict, the Political Boundary sign should be placed at a suitable location before or after the Speed Limit sign.
and Error in Parameter to RC/Data or RC/Forum (in Parameter to RC/Data or RC/Forum PM [Help]) 
, or a regulatory speed limit posted in black on white with an orange "Work Zone" banner across the top