This is the Orlando-area page, initially created / maintained by flmbray.
ACTIVE Orlando Area Managers
Road Classifications
To help prevent re-classing of major roads, the following are the expected list of major road types.
Classification Philosophy
The Map Legend has a fairly broad definition of how to classify different types of roads based on what they look like, what kind of road it is, what kind of connections it uses, etc., and is a good general guide. My philosophy is to take a more practical approach to be utilized in day-to-day mapping. That philosophy says that in general, freeways connect different areas of states or cities, major highways connect to freeways, minor highways connect to major freeways, primary roads connect to major or minor highways or freeways, and streets connect to primary roads or major or minor highways, or freeways. Thus, there will almost always be (or should be) at least one major highway going thru any highly populated area, and there likely are several, possibly also one or more freeways.
The Map Legend also indicates that minor highways aren't supposed to be split, and a strict reading would imply that they are mostly inter-city, but both of those restrictions seem a bit tightly contrained to me. The benefit of minor highways is that they tend to appear on the Live Map and on the clients at a higher zoom level than Primary Streets, so they are useful to show the interconnection between major highways and/or freeways.
Here are some general guidelines that can be used to help determine how to classify. Think of each of these as leading towards an answer, not providing a specific answer. None of these are rules, and there will always be exceptions.
- If the road is divided, it is more likely to be a freeway, a major or minor highway, or a primary road. If the division is more than 2 meters, it is more likely to be a major highway.
- If the road is an inter-city road, it is more likely to be a minor or major highway, or a freeway
- If the road has a "State Road" designation then it is more likely to be a minor or major highway
- If the road has a "County Road" designation then it is more likely to be a primary street or a minor highway
- If the road mostly provides access to residential streets, it is more likely to be a primary street although it could be just a street
- If the road is residential, it is almost certainly just a street
Specific Roads
Freeways
- I-4
- SR 408 (East-West Expressway)
- SR 414 (Maitland Blvd Extension Tollway) - west of Orange Blossom Trail only
- SR 417 (Eastern Beltway)
- SR 429 (Western Expressway)
- SR 528 (Beachline Expressway)
- Florida Turnpike
Major Highways
- US 441 (Orange Blossom Trail)
- Exception: Apopka where it is Main Street - Minor Highway
- SR 436 (Semoran Blvd)
- SR 414 (Maitland Blvd)
- Exception: Maitland Extension Tollway - Freeway
- SR 434 (Forest City Rd, SR 434)
- Exception: in Orlando / Oviedo, Alafaya Trail - Primary Street
- US Hwy 17/92
- SR 423 (Lee Rd, John Young Pkwy)
- SR 50 (Colonial Dr)
- SR 435 (Kirkman Rd)
- SR 482 (Sand Lake Rd, McCoy Rd)
- US 192 (Space Coast Parkway, Irlo Bronson Highway)
- Lake Mary Blvd
TO-DO
- Convert Lake Mary Blvd to Major Highway