Illinois/Special roads/Main Discussion View history



The  |   |   |   |   | Walking Trails |   |   |   |   |  and  |  |  |  |  | Pedestrian Boardwalks |  |  |  |  |  road types are not added to the map in Illinois. In general, these road types do not add to the routing function of the application.

Special exceptions may be made with the approval by State Managers. For example, a  |  |  |  |  | Boardwalk |  |  |  |  |  may be used to support house numbers in situations where they are not assigned to drivable road types. This use must be approved by a State Manager (refer to Area Managers table).

Please consult with a State Manager before adding or removing these road types.

Unpaved and Unmaintained Roads

Illinois follows this specific guidance on the use of  Off-road / Not maintained   road types and unpaved roads in the state. This supplements the guidance for road types.

Unpaved roads may or may not be classified on IDOT Functional Classification maps. Maintained, but unpaved, roads should have the unpaved attribute checked. Unpaved driveways should be mapped using the Private Road type, regardless of their condition. Similarly, alleys and parking lot roads should use the appropriate road type. Unpaved roads classified in one of the arterial classes will be mapped as specified in road types guidance. Collector, local and unclassified roads will be mapped as shown in the table below.

Highway System & Road Surface
County
Highway[a][c]
Paved
Street
Gravel
Street[c]
Narrow
Gravel Street[b]
Soil
Street
examples CH-14 Main St Side St Farm Dr Farm Ln
Functional
Classification
Major Collector  PS   PS   PS   N/M   N/M 
Minor Collector  PS   PS   PS   N/M   N/M 
Local  PS   Street   Street   N/M   N/M 
Unclassified  PS   Street   N/M   N/M   N/M 

^a A road in a county highway system is always mapped as a primary street, adding the unpaved attribute if the county highway is gravel rather than a paved surface.
^b A narrow gravel road is defined as one less than 14.5 feet from edge to edge. This is less than the minimum width of two lanes as defined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Vehicles approaching from opposite directions would likely need to leave the roadway to pass.
^c Gravel surfaces on maintained roads should be mapped with the unpaved attribute checked.

Legend
 PS   Primary Street 
 Street   Street 
 N/M   Off-road / Not maintained 


To determine if a road falls into the "narrow" category, measure the distance from edge to edge using by creating a temporary, un-saved, segment (using zoom level 9). Create the segment perpendicular to the roadway with end-points at the road edge at each side. The edge being a solid line of grass or other material not part of the road surface. Use the WME Meausurement Tool in WME Toolbox, or the WME True Segment Length script, to measure the length of the segment without saving the temporary segment.

Alleys

Alleys are driveable roads passing between or behind buildings and are not intended for thru-traffic. They can be an important component in routing when primary access is not on a local street or drivers start a route from an alley.

Generally speaking, only residential alleys should be mapped. An alley should only be mapped if it is a locally accepted parking destination near a residence. It should function only as the starting point or destination of a route.

Within District 1 (LAMD1), including the Chicagoland, alleys are mapped as the likely starting point for many routes. Do not delete any alleys mapped within this district. Outside LAMD1, alleys may be mapped or removed after careful consideration of the above guidance and their routing benefit. Please consult with a LAM or SM before adding alleys.

If an alley is to be mapped or updated, be sure to review nearby house numbers and nudge them if needed.

All alleys should have their road type set to  Parking Lot Road  and should be named "Alley".


Update Requests

Illinois encourages cooperation between editors in resolving issues. Clear status notes in URs are strongly suggested. While keeping a reporter apprised on a timely basis, detailed inter-editor conversations are often best kept in private messages or in hangout conversation to avoid involving a reporter in editing minutia or protracted discussions. Remember: Courtesy counts.

Illinois uses the Great Lakes Region Update Requests Response System outlined below.

Overview

NOTE: all day values are relative to the date the FIRST editor response is sent to the reporter.

Response Timeline

    • Day 0: The first editor who is able to respond to UR should attempt to resolve the UR. If they are successful, they should comment as such in the UR and mark it closed. If more information from the reporter is required to make progress towards closure, a response should be sent to the reporter containing the information needed for resolution.
    • Day 4+: Polite reminders should be sent to reporters who have not responded to the initial at any time, provided at least four full days have elapsed since the initial response was sent.
    • Day 8+: URs may be noted as closed due to lack of reporter response at any time, provided at least four full days have elapsed since the followup message was sent.


Shared Ownership

    • All editors are considered to have equal ownership of and responsibility for all URs in the Great Lakes Region. All editors, regardless of whether they have worked the UR previously, may send any of the responses describe above, provided they adhere the minimum time spacing guidance between responses.
    • All editors are explicitly encouraged to attempt resolving URs at any point during their lifecycle, even if others happen to be actively working it at the same time.

Notes

    • The ideal timeline for UR response is when responses are sent as early as the minimum required time spacing between messages permits. Experience has reliably shown that UR response rates are much higher when editors are able to send responses promptly.
    • While strongly recommended, it is not required to send the followup message.