There has been an agreement to use the DOT Functional Classification for road typing.
In looking at the DOT’s website http://hwypgis.dot.hawaii.gov/HDOT/index_2nd.htm it looks like the most recent functional classification is from 2006. In looking at Maui’s classification, it looks dubious to say the least.
I’m also concerned about how some parts of the island (e.g. Makena) would be completely unserviced by Primary Streets.
I’ve tried to use that link to see the maps, but unfortunately, there’s a bug involving the IE version I have (IE-11) and this add-on SVG viewer. So I haven’t been able to see it.
I searched and found a very rough draft of a plan including some of the major roadways, but my email to DOT locally has gone unanswered.
doctorkb, if you have any suggestions for how I might see the maps properly, I’d appreciate it.
On your specific question: I’m doubting there’s much wrong with the primary streets as identified on Maui, regardless. I doubt Waze is overly concerned with Hawaii; I’m guessing it’s more a case of having routing on the contiguous 48 behave optimally.
I was able to get IE to display it by enabling Compatibility View for that site. (on IE 11, click the Gear icon, then “Compatibility View settings”. Ensure that the site has been added to the list. I don’t recall if I had to restart IE, or just reload the page. You’ll also need to install the SVG viewer addon.
It (like the data) appears archaic, but also seems to be the most current.
I think the biggest concern is consistency. If we’re all using the state-defined functional classifications, there’s no argument towards whether a street should be X or Y.
What I did notice is that this will usually lead to more use of Minor Highways and less use of Primary Streets (in general). This is good for long-distance routing, but is also counter-intuitive to the thought that anything labelled a highway should actually be a highway.
Let me try that when I get home (where the PC is located – I’m in Mac World at work). Thanks.
Maybe we should start island-by-island posts in this forum to discuss any potential borderline cases or exceptions? The parameters didn’t sound entirely exacting to me, though maybe I need to read them more carefully.
I did find the following (archived) federal DOT document that suggests a bit more leeway for Hawaii:
Classification Criteria for Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico
The classification of rural and urban systems in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico can generally be consistent with the functional system characteristics described in the preceding sections. However, there may be roads on small islands or in other areas that are isolated from the remaining parts of the State or Commonwealth, and none of these roads may meet the criteria for classification as arterial because of the absence of long-distance, through trips. Conversely, there may be undeveloped areas that have very few miles of collector and local roads. Thus, because of the considerably different geographic conditions existing in these areas as compared to the other 48 States, the systems extent for the rural functional classes may vary from that shown in Table II-2. The systems extent for the urban functional classes should be fairly consistent with that shown in Table II-3.
Frustrating. I only see the frame, menu bar, layers panel (when selected), but the map display area is blank. Not sure what’s wrong. Off to work again!
Still having trouble with this. Tried it on the IE machines I have access to, and even with the compatibility view enabled, I can’t get the streets to display. I’m going to check with DOT to see if there’s another source I can see.
doctorkb, would you list any FC discrepancies for what you see on Maui? We don’t have US highways here – only state, county and freeway, methinks – so not all the criteria really fit us anyway.
My guess is that the class that would be debatable would be Major Highway. Also, there may be some Streets that should be upgraded to Primary, but that’s just a guess.
On the other hand, I’m not sure all this is that critical for an island state. My sense is the concern is for consistent navigation across state lines.
Well, let’s start by saying the GIS system is crap for me, too… but I am able to see it.
Overall, the FC method looks like it will virtually eliminate Primary Streets for Kihei, replacing them with Minor Highways.
And there’s nothing but “Streets” south of the terminus of the Piilani Hwy.
I’m sure it has to do with funding… but to use it without modification will present some challenges – some of which the shift to FC was supposed to resolve.
I’ve emailed a contact at DOT and am trying to find the maps in another format. It’s ludicrous that they even bother posting this stupid interface, but there you have it.
Finally found the final document of the draft I mentioned previously. It’s titled “Statewide Federal-Aid Highways 2035 Transportation Plan,” dated July 2014.
Because I’m still unable to use the linked interface (have no idea if/when it’s being updated), I’m posting the plan on my Google Drive:
The relevant maps are in Appendix A, which start on page 121. I thought I’d look at it and see if I can find any examples of changes to be made, based on the FC coding on the maps and the guidance in the wiki. I’ll post any observations here.
When I have a chance, maybe I can just save the maps as a separate document and see if we can host it in our own resources section.
EDIT: Having taken a brief look at the maps, they’re useful for checking state roads, but the detail isn’t fine enough to evaluate the streets/primary streets distinction. Maybe I need to see if counties have more detailed street FC maps.