Functional Classification
Vermont follows the Functional Classification (FC) system for both state and non-state roads. As of January 2016 all counties in Vermont have been updated to the new Functional Classification standard and the state is 100% complete.
- VTrans 2016 Functional Classification Map - superseded by 2020
- VTrans 2020 Functional Classification Map
- VTrans Interactive Functional Classification Map
VTrans to Waze FC Mapping
Resources including color legend mapping the VTrans Functional Classification to Waze Road Types.
State Resources
Day to Day Resources
These resources are the most useful for day-to-day editing in Vermont and all editors should be familiar with them:
Vermont E911 Viewer
https://maps.vermont.gov/e911/Html5Viewer/?viewer=e911viewer
Waze accepted street names, state road classes, house numbers and other features
WME GIS Layers
https://greasyfork.org/en/scripts/369632-wme-gis-layers
Script to display Vermont E911 address points and property parcels
WME Cities Overlay Script
https://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=819&t=256369
Script to display the Vermont municipal boundaries
VTrans Town Highway Maps
http://vtransmaps.vermont.gov/mapsftp/current.asp
Maps of cities, towns and villages in PDF format - only includes municipally accepted roads
Reference Resources
County-Town Map Series
WME Scripts
In addition to the scripts noted above there are many other scripts that can assist editors in their efforts. Please read the General installation instructions before installing scripts. Members of the editing community would be glad to assist you with the setup and configuration of scripts - please join us on our Discord server!
WME Road Type Guidance
Questions often arise regarding when to use Parking Lot Roads versus Private Roads:
Parking Lot Road Usage
- Parking Lots
- Apartment and condo complexes
- Cemeteries
Private Road Usage
- Driveways
- Any road with controlled access: gated communities, businesses with gates or a guard
- Campgrounds or trailer parks designed for short term guests
- Never use the private road type for an unrestricted public road!
Vermont's System of Roads
State and Municipal Roads
Every state and municipal road in Vermont is assigned a class as defined by statues which is used for funding under state programs. Classes 1-3 qualify for funding while class 4 and other designations do not.
VTrans municipal highway maps only show municipally accepted roads. By convention, each road is assigned a town highway number. Many street signs still include the designation: MAIN ST TH-1
Of these roads, over 50% of the roads in Vermont are dirt - please be sure to select Unpaved where appropriate.
| Paved Miles | Unpaved Miles | Total Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 7,151 | 8,650 | 15,801 |
https://vtrans.vermont.gov/planning/maps/stats
Vermont Private Roads
In addition to municipally accepted roads most towns also have private road that are not maintained by the town. These are NOT indicated on VTrans maps but ARE found on the VT E911 viewer.
Private / non-municipal roads should be assigned the Local Street type in WME.
Assigning Street Names
- The Vermont E911 Viewer is the authoritative source for Waze street names
- The Primary Street name should always match the Vermont E911 Viewer name including US and Vermont highways
- For US and VT highways - if the VT E911 name is a normal street name then add the US-XX or VT-XX name as a secondary name and leave the secondary city name blank
- Ensure streets have nodes at city / town / village boundaries in accordance with the WME Cities Overlay script
- This approach will ensure that there will not be duplicate house numbers within the same city / town / village
The Vermont E911 viewer is updated in real-time and accurately reflects the names of every road in the state. Each municipality has a representative who is responsible of reporting changes to the state E911 board.
Almost everywhere in Vermont a road will have a formal street name, e.g., Main St, VT-100, US-5. There are a few places though where a road may only be known by its town highway number. If you encounter one of these you would name the street segment TH-nnn where nnn is the highway number.
Vermont Classes of Roads
| Class | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Roads that carry a state highway number within a town |
| 2 | Locally designated roads that typically connect neighboring towns or have higher amounts of traffic |
| 3 | All other town highways that are maintained for year-round use by pleasure cars |
| 4 | All other town highways - often with minimal maintenance and may not be plowed in the winter |
| Legal Trail | Public rights of way that are not roads |
Vermont Class 3 Roads
- Almost always should use the Waze Local Street type
- Quite often are unpaved
- Many class 3 roads will transition into a class 4 road
Vermont Class 4 Roads
Vermont class 4 roads require editors to investigate the quality and purpose of the road to determine appropriate mapping. Many class 4 roads are not suitable for normal cars. Class 4 roads:
- Normally receive no winter maintenance!
- If mapped in WME should end at the last routable destination on the road, e.g., a HN, RPP or PP
- Should not be drawn such that Waze will route traffic across them
- Some class 4 roads are well maintained and are similar to class 3 roads - editors should use best judgement based on aerial views and local experience
- In questionable situations always ask a state manager
Legal Trail and Other Classes
Legal Trail and other municipal classifications should not be mapped in WME. In some cases the original 2009 TIGER base map import into WME included these segments: they should be removed. The Vermont E911 Viewer and VTrans maps are good sources for verification.
Other Roads
Vermont also has numerous roads within the Green Mountain National Forest as well as numerous Vermont State and local parks and forests. While some of these have been mapped many have not. If you would like to work on editing in any of these areas please reach out to a State Manager to coordinate that activity:
- Many of these roads are only open on a seasonal basis and we manually enter closures for each winter season
- Careful coordination is needed to ensure that we do not route Waze traffic through forest roads
Railroad Crossings
In April 2020 Waze introduced railroad crossing (RRC) alerts. At its debut almost 400 grade crossings in Vermont were included. This feature is currently limited to editors R4 or above. If you encounter a grade crossing that has not been included and you believe it should please add it or reach out to an R4+ editor for assistance.
VTrans map of active Vermont rail lines: https://vtrans.vermont.gov/sites/aot/files/rail/Rail%20Contact%20Info%20Color%2011x17%2020190610.pdf
| Miles | Ownership | Mark | Railroad | Owned/Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0 | Private | CN | Canadian National | |
| 6.3 | Private | PAR | Pan Am Railways | |
| 13.1 | State | WACR | Washington County Railroad | Vermont Railway |
| 17.9 | Private | CLP | Clarendon & Pittsford | |
| 24.4 | Private | CMQ | Central Main and Quebec Railway | (holdings) |
| 30.7 | Private | SLR | St Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad | Genesee and Wyoming |
| 50.0 | State | GMRC | Green Mountain Railroad Corp | |
| 102.2 | State | WACR | Washington County - CT River Division | Vermont Railway |
| 139.8 | State | VTR | Vermont Railway | |
| 190.9 | Private | NECR | New England Central Railroad | Genesee and Wyoming |
Notes:
- Approximately 52 percent (305 of the 573) track miles in Vermont are state owned
- The Twin State Railroad from St Johnsbury east to New Hampshire is closed and no longer in service
- The GIS-L script displays railroad crossings (US section) and identifies if a crossing is at grade or above/below street level