U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Our Nation's Highways: 2008Figures 1-1 and 1-2: Hierarchy of Our Highway System and Access and MobilityThe functional classification schema developed by the Federal Highway Administration classifies roadways by their function within the State’s network of public roads. The three basic categories of functional classification are local roads, collectors, and arterials. Local roads serve homes, businesses, farms, and small communities, and provide access to collector roadways. Collectors channel traffic from the local roads to the arterials, which provide safe, reliable, and efficient travel between larger towns and major cities. The key purposes of all roadways are to provide access and mobility. Local roads chiefly provide access, while mobility is the primary function of arterials. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the relationships between classes of roadways and their relative functions. Figure 1-1. Hierarchy of Our Highway System
Data represented in the figure Figure 1- 2. Access and Mobility
Data represented in the figure Data Source: Figures 1-1 and 1-2 are redrawn from Figure II-1 and II-4 of FHWA Functional Classification Guidelines, 1989, Office of Planning, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation (www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/fcsec2_1.htm).
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