Talk:Connecticut/Roads by type

Suggested road type definitions (Saxteacher3)

Freeway
I want to suggest that a Freeway is a limited-access highway. I would define that as:

• no stop lights or stop signs
• no intersections (bridges or overpasses used for ALL crossing roads and railways)
• on and off ramps
• speed limit 55 or higher

Could I get consensus from the other CT Waze Editors on the above definition?

Based on that definition, the following should be Freeways, not major highways:

• the limited-access portions of CT route 7 (in Norwalk and Danbury)
• the limited-access portions of CT route 8 (from Bridgeport to Torrington)
• the limited-access portions of CT route 15 (from the NY border until I-91)

Major Highway
Major Highway and Minor Highway should be defined not by the speed or shape of the road, but by its route number designation. That is:

• A "major highway" is any U.S. Highway (US Route 1, US Route 7, etc) that isn't freeway.

So for instance US 7 between Wilton and Danbury is a Major Highway, regardless of its number of lanes. So is The Boston Post Road, for its entire length from the NY border to the RI border. It doesn't make sense to have such a major important to

• A minor highway is any Connecticut highway (CT route 106, CT route 110, etc.) that isn't freeway.

Minor Highway
Any road with a Connecticut route number.

Primary Street
Any "main road" that is one of the main thoroughfares of a town. Should be set only by local users who drive in that town regularly and know which roads are primary.

I haven't made these changes to the [Connecticut Roads By Type] page yet but would like to do so, unless there are any strong objections. --Saxteacher3 19:21, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

My Road Type Proposal (AndyPoms)

Both my proposals use the Waze provided definitions of Road Types (How to label and name roads) which are fairly clear that the key distinction between Freeways/Major Highways and Minor Highways/Primary Roads is the presence of Exit/Entrance Ramps.

My first proposal is based off ConnDOT's Official Road Classifications - they do this for every road in the state (even town maintained roads). (Official Map Legend to the left, my proposed matches to the right). ConnDOT Road Classification maps found at Functional Classification Maps.

My second is an alternate proposal is more of a flow chart based off of looking at the road and ignoring the official classifications.

Both of these deal with the fact that CT 15 (Merritt/Wilbur Cross), CT 9, CT 2, CT 8, CT 7, etc... do not rise to the same level of highway as the Interstates do, and should not (in my opinon) be classified as Freeways.

I prefer my first proposal, as it would keep US 44, US 1, etc as Minor Highways their entire length in CT instead of dropping it to a Primary Road where they become one lane in each direction.

Freeway vs Major Highway

The fact that the ConnDOT classification shows a different color for interstates vs non-interstates doesn't mean that they need to be shown differently in Waze. The Merritt Parkway, CT Route 8, and US Route 7 (note, it's a US route, not a CT route) all meet every definition of limited access highway. They are most certainly "expressways" in every sense of the word and should appear as such in Waze. The fact that they don't have an Interstate designation is immaterial to the Waze driver.

Ask any resident of Fairfield county what the big highways (or "expressways") are and they will tell you: I-95, the Merritt Parkway, US 7, and CT 8. All of these should be the same classification. --Saxteacher3 20:49, 14 March 2012 (UTC)

The Waze definitions indicate that both Freeways & Major Highways are limited access roads. I don't think that your proposal that would define a Major Highway as "any U.S. Highway (US Route 1, US Route 7, etc) that isn't freeway" takes into consideration that US 1, US 6, US 7 (non-limited access part), US 44, US 202, etc don't meet the Waze definition of Major Highway.

I also think we need to determine a logical division between Freeway & Major Highway. I think we both agree that the Interstates are certainly freeways, but where is that dividing line? Based on the fact I spend an extraordinary amount of time driving around the entire state, I think this line needs to be based on capacity & speed similar to how ConnDOT determines a road's "functional classification". However, this is something we all (the AMs) need to get together on and address.

The same applies to your definition of a Minor Highway being "any road with a Connecticut route number". This doesn't take into consideration that, in addition to the list I generated, an entire series of unsigned, but numbered State Roads exists. We need to find that dividing line between Minor Highway and Primary Road much the same as we do for Freeway vs Major Highway. --Andypoms 17:48, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

I see what you're saying about route 1 not being a major highway, and also that you feel the Merritt Parkway, despite its limited-access and high speed, should not be classified as "freeway" in order to differentiate it from e.g. I-95.

So I agree with you on all points except one: I feel that it's immaterial whether a limited access highway has two lanes or three lanes, and that it's not helpful to use 2 lanes vs. 3 lanes to classify certain large, limited-access, two-lanes-in-each direction highways as "major highway" instead of "freeway." I'm referring here specifically to the limited-access portions of CT route 7, 8, and 9.

Here's an example. Yesterday I was using Waze to get directions while driving from southern Stamford to northern Milford. By looking at a paper map, or google maps, or mapquest, it's clear the quickest and most direct route is I-95 to route 8, route 8 to route 15, and route 15 to exit 55B.

Waze, however, wanted me to take I-95 all the way to the Milford Connector and use that to get to exit 55B. I believe this is because route 8 is not currently classified as a freeway.

The freeway portions of Route 7 and Route 8 are indistinguishable in every way from an interstate. They have two lanes (three or four lanes in some places), limited access, high speed... the 'only' difference is that the route number sign is not a red and blue shield.

I propose we at least 'try' changing the limited access parts of routes 7, 8, and 9 from "major highway" to "freeway," and see whether this improves the routing. Thanks for considering this :) --Saxteacher3 15:11, 19 October 2012 (UTC)