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This page serves as the primary resource for editors of Oregon. Review all the sections to better understand how the guidelines for this state might deviate from the overall USA or worldwide guidelines. If you have any comments or questions about this page or state refer to the community links below.

Please remember to only assign road shields to signed route number(s). Road shields currently hide the street name so if we have the street name set as primary because it has the most important/visible signage, it should be left without a shield for now.


Introduction

Oregon is a part of the Northwest region, which includes the states and/or territories of:

Alaska / Idaho / Montana / Oregon / Washington / Wyoming.


Mapping resources

Before editing the maps in Oregon, be sure to fully review and understand the editing manual.

The Waze user community follows the Waze etiquette guidelines discussed in the Wiki. Be sure to familiarize yourself with these guiding principals while editing the maps and this Wiki, as well as when communicating with other Waze users.

Functional Classification

Oregon follows the Functional Classification (FC) system for both state and non-state roads.

To properly type a Freeway, Major Highway, Minor Highway, or Primary Street, refer to the Oregon TransGIS site and cross reference that against the Waze Functional Classification table.

Exceptions

While TransGIS Is a useful tool for determining functional classification, it does not perfectly match how roads should be classified in WME. TransGIS often includes functional classifications for planned or proposed roads or other projects. TransGIS will also often not show a complete connections of classified roads, especially when they are divided highways. If you believe a significant deviation from the suggested functional classification is needed, please contact a State Manager.

Below are examples & explanations of some current deviations from TransGIS;

  • This segment of Everett St in Portland is classified in TransGIS as a Local Street. However, it provides an important connection between MLK and the I-84 E on-ramp. Without this change, Waze would likely ignore this route as an alternative to I-5 S.
  • Oak & Pine Streets in Grants Pass are currently mapped in TransGIS as Minor Arterial & Local Street, respectively. This is likely due to a proposed route that would connect Oak to the north side of town via Dimmick St. Viewing the roads from street view, Pine has right of way between G St and Bridge St, which often indicates that a road has a higher classification than the intersecting streets and Waze will benefit from preferring this route though the neighborhood. Conversely, Oak has stop signs at each intersection so it is likely being treated like a normal street.

State-wide

Counties

PLEASE NOTE: Many counties use base maps which are copyrighted. Only information provided by the county (addresses, road names, etc.) may be used to map in Waze.

  • Douglas
  • Grant
  • Harney
  • Hood River
  • Jefferson
  • Josephine
  • Klamath
  • Lake
  • Marion
  • Morrow
  • Multnomah
  • Polk
  • Wallowa
  • Wasco
  • Wheeler


Community

The Waze forum is a great place to find answers to previously asked questions and also a place to ask new ones. Below are links to the forums specific to Oregon.

Area Managers for Oregon can be found in the table below.

New editors should consider checking into the formal mentoring program available at no charge.

Discord (Chat)

Oregon uses Discord to chat with local editors and area/state/regional management. If you're a new/existing editor in Oregon or even if you're just visiting and want to relay information to local editors you can do so by clicking the link below to jump onto the server.

Join Northwest Region Discord

There is also a separate countrywide Discord Server, which connects editors across the USA.

Join Waze USA Discord

Discord has a free app available on Android and iOS devices as well as stand-alone clients for Windows/Mac/Linux and a web-based client.


Cities and towns

One of the most common errors when editing the maps is when an editor creates a road and does not confirm the road by setting the city and road name (or stating it has none).

Duplicate cities can be caused by incorrectly named segments and should be corrected following the guidelines in the duplicate cities article.

City info

Cities with population > 5000.

  • Portland (Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington County)
  • Eugene, Lane County
  • Salem (Marion, Polk)
  • Gresham, Multnomah County
  • Beaverton, Washington County
  • Hillsboro, Washington County
  • Medford, Jackson County
  • Springfield, Lane County
  • Bend, Deschutes County
  • Corvallis, Benton County
  • Aloha CDP, Washington County
  • Tigard, Washington County
  • Albany (Benton, Linn)
  • Lake Oswego (Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington)
  • Keizer, Marion County
  • McMinnville, Yamhill County
  • Oregon City, Clackamas County
  • Grants Pass, Josephine County
  • Tualatin (Clackamas, Washington)
  • West Linn, Clackamas County
  • Milwaukie (Clackamas, Multnomah)
  • Woodburn, Marion County
  • Roseburg, Douglas County
  • Altamont CDP, Klamath County
  • Ashland, Jackson County
  • Klamath Falls, Klamath County
  • Hayesville CDP, Marion County
  • Newberg, Yamhill County
  • Forest Grove, Washington County
  • Pendleton, Umatilla County
  • Oatfield CDP, Clackamas County
  • Coos Bay, Coos County
  • Wilsonville (Clackamas, Washington )
  • Four Corners CDP, Marion County
  • Troutdale, Multnomah County
  • Redmond, Deschutes County
  • Hermiston, Umatilla County
  • Lebanon, Linn County
  • Oak Grove CDP, Clackamas County
  • Canby, Clackamas County
  • Cedar Mill CDP, Washington County
  • Central Point, Jackson County
  • Dallas, Polk County
  • La Grande, Union County
  • The Dalles, Wasco County
  • Sherwood, Washington County
  • Gladstone, Clackamas County
  • Ontario, Malheur County
  • St. Helens, Columbia County
  • Baker, Baker County
  • Astoria, Clatsop County
  • Cornelius, Washington County
  • North Bend, Coos County
  • Newport, Lincoln County
  • Rockcreek CDP, Washington County
  • Oak Hills CDP, Washington County
  • Cedar Hills CDP, Washington County
  • Cottage Grove, Lane County
  • Sweet Home, Linn County
  • Monmouth, Polk County
  • Fairview, Multnomah County
  • Lincoln City, Lincoln County
  • Silverton, Marion County
  • Prineville, Crook County
  • Florence, Lane County
  • West Haven-Sylvan CDP, Washington County
  • Jennings Lodge CDP, Clackamas County
  • Garden Home-Whitford CDP, Washington County
  • Stayton, Marion County
  • Sunnyside CDP, Clackamas County
  • Sutherlin, Douglas County
  • Milton-Freewater, Umatilla County
  • West Slope CDP, Washington County
  • Green CDP, Douglas County
  • Independence, Polk County
  • Seaside, Clatsop County
  • Raleigh Hills CDP, Washington County
  • Redwood CDP, Josephine County
  • Hood River, Hood River County
  • La Pine CDP, Deschutes County
  • Molalla, Clackamas County
  • Talent, Jackson County
  • Roseburg North CDP, Douglas County
  • White CDP, Jackson County
  • Brookings, Curry County
  • Sandy, Clackamas County
  • Clackamas CDP, Clackamas County
  • Madras, Jefferson County
  • Happy Valley, Clackamas County



Major roads

Oregon follows the general road naming and road type guidelines of the USA.

The purpose of the Oregon Major Roads page is to inform map editors on what is being worked on or is completed in the State of Oregon, as well as what is planned according to ODOT or other cities as we find out about them.

Locking standard

In Oregon we have a set minimum standard for locking roads based on segment type. Any road of a certain segment type must be locked at least to the rank (level) in the chart below. Roads may be locked higher for protection and special situations (areas with construction, tricky design, frequent mistakes, imaging inaccuracies, and the like), but should not be locked lower.

A great time to implement these locks is while bringing the road types of an area into compliance with the current US road type standards (FC and highway systems). Lock the roads based on type after they've been set to current US road type standards.

Oregon Minimum Locking Rank Standard
Segment Type Statewide
 Freeway  5
 Ramp  5
 Major Highway  3
 Minor Highway  3
 Primary Street  2
 Street  1
 • • • • Ferry • • • •   5
 |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|  2

Note: Certain roads may be locked higher than the above minimums. Please do not lower locks unless approved by the RC or SM of Oregon.

Road Elevations

These are the general guidelines for elevation in Oregon:

  • Drivable and non-drivable segments are handled the same way with elevation.
  • Set elevation to ground in most cases.
    • Segment(s) passing over other segment(s), rivers, major waterways, and all bridges shall have higher elevation, relative to ground.
    • Only elevate/lower the actual bridge/tunnel section of the road.
    • Elevation of overlapping segments should be set relative to each other, with the lowest segment as Ground (unless a tunnel).
    • Tunneled segments shall have lower elevation, relative to ground.
    • Only segments that "cannot see the sky" should have negative elevation (i.e. tunnels).
    • Only set elevation as low/high as necessary.
  • If you use the Bridge tool to join segments, be aware that it raises the elevation of the joined segment. Lower the joined segment as appropriate.
  • "True Elevation" guidelines apply to elevation in Oregon.
    • Bridges should be cut at the start/end of the bridge.
    • Tunnels should be cut at least 15m/50ft before and after the tunnel, to allow time for the GPS to regain signal.
    • Do not cut segments for elevation purposes if the bridge/tunnel starts/stops within 60m/200ft of an existing junction.


Special roads

Drivable roads

Oregon follows the standard USA guidelines for all of the following special road types.

Non-drivable roads

Review the Wiki guidelines for non-drivable roads to ensure compliance with the general guidelines.

Forest Service Road Numbers

Explanation of Forest Service road types & signs
Low-standard route signs

While Oregon follows the national guidance for Forest Service roads, the guidance for road numbers does not cover the Forest Service's numbering convention used in Oregon. Forest Service roads in Oregon are all assigned a 7-digit number that can be found in the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). To avoid unnecessarily long names for general use, Forest Service road signs and many map products use an abbreviated version of the MVUM number which also aligns with Waze's needs. As stated in the national guidance, roads with signed or popular names should have those set as the primary name with the Forest Service road number as an alternate. Road numbers should be assigned as follows:

Primary Routes: Use the first two digits of the MVUM number.

Example: Breitenbush Rd / FS-46 (MVUM #: 4600000)

Secondary Routes: Use the first four digits of the MVUM number.

Example: FS-4697 (MVUM #: 4697000)

Low-Standard Routes: Use the last 3 digits of the MVUM number (including any leading zeros).

Example: FS-350 (MVUM #: 4697350)

NOTE: A road with the MVUM # 1800000 may be a primary route (FS-18) or a secondary route (FS-1800). This distinction can not generally be determined from the MVUM alone.

Mapping Resources

Currently, the most useful reference map known for Waze editing in National Forests is the Forest Service Topographical (FSTopo) Map Service. This map is believed to provide the most up-to-date road types and road condition assessments among the many products provided by the Forest Service, including the MVUM.


Closures

When managing a section of roadway under construction or being closed for a major event, follow the Wiki guidelines on construction zones and Real time closures.

This section contains details about road closures currently in place in Waze, usually through disconnecting of segments to prevent Waze from routing along a certain stretch of road. If you perform a closure in Waze, please document it here so other area managers can ensure the roads are reconnected at the appropriate time.

Road Name Editor Closed Date Est Open Date Links and comments
Old McKenzie Pass OR-242 FzNk 11-5-2020 Summer 2021

Closed for the winter season.

KEEP THE FOLLOWING FOR FUTURE REFERENCE:

Area Places for the closure gates should be large in the winter for better app visibility. Shrink the area in the summer.

West-end Gate @ MP61.91

East-end Gate @ MP83.71


Places

Oregon follows the USA standard for Places. Do not deviate from the guidelines without first obtaining consensus to do so via the state forum linked on this page.

Oregon Place Locking Standards

To prevent loss of data due to automatic acceptance of submissions from "trusted users", all area places and points with complete data should be locked to Level 3 at a minimum. Additionally, please consult the following table for minimum lock level for completed places.

Place Type Minimum Lock Level
Hospital/Urgent Care 4
Airport 4


Cameras

Not every camera-looking device at an intersection is a speed or red light camera. Generally speaking:

  • a speed camera takes a photograph of a vehicle when it passes by the camera at too high a speed.
  • a red light camera takes a photograph of a vehicle that enters an intersection after the light is red. In some areas, it takes the photograph when a vehicle is not clear of the intersection some period after the light turns red.

Be sure to know your cameras before accepting new camera reports.

When adding a camera, be sure to review the camera placement recommendations.

Laws regarding speed and red light cameras vary between the states and territories, so be sure to understand the details of camera legality in Oregon.


Based on information researched at the time this page was created, the limited legality of speed cameras in Oregon is described in this page, and red light cameras are permitted statewide in Oregon.

No other camera types should be mapped in Waze.


To do list

Many states and territories keep an active list of pending or closed actions that need to be done in the state by the editors. All editors are welcome to contribute to the list of activities.


This state does not currently have an active "to do" list at this time. Check in the Oregon section of the Waze forums to discuss creating one.


Area Managers

The table below identifies the editors also designated as Area Managers or higher who are editing in Oregon. If you have any questions, please consider contacting them directly as needed. If you are an Area Manager that covers Oregon, or a USA Country Manager that does a lot of work in Oregon, please add yourself to this list (alphabetical by username) in the correct rank section.

The editor who also serves as the Regional Coordinator for Oregon is automatically listed at the top of the table. That editor may not be highly active in this state and therefore may not be listed separately in the table.

Oregon — Area, State, Country Managers, and Regional Coordinators
Regional Coordinator(s):
[RC] turbomkt (PM [Help])  
[ARC1] FzNk (PM [Help])  
Username Area Managed Comments
Country Managers (Northwest region)
(Add to or edit Country and State sections of table)
FzNk(6) [PM [Help]]  Countrywide
NWR ARC
Resident of Oregon
AlanOfTheBerg(5) [PM [Help]]  Countrywide
Lifelong Pacific NW resident
State Managers (Northwest region)
FzNk(6) [PM [Help]]  Statewide
Resident of state
whyamikeenan(5) [PM [Help]]  Statewide Resident of state
Airchair(5) [PM [Help]]  Statewide and SW Washington
Area Resident
Area Managers
(Add to or edit this section)
j-d-(5) [PM [Help]]  Statewide
Northwest
mapman44(5) [PM [Help]]  Statewide
Northwest
SeveriorumPatrem(5) [PM [Help]]  SW Washington
Can help along the Columbia from PDX to Clatskanie, or Bridal Veil to The Dalles
SkyviewGuru(5) [PM [Help]]  Edge of Eastern Oregon
Idaho State Manager


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