How to Read Interstate Highways Signs Numbers

For Road Types in the editor, see Road types.

1 Road naming
- 1.1 Concurrent names
  - 1.ane.one Overlapping Highways
  - ane.1.2 Surface-level highways through cities/towns
  - 1.1.3 Local expressway names and significant bridges
- 1.2 Highways
  - 1.two.1 Interstate Highways
  - 1.2.two United States Numbered Highways
  - 1.ii.three Land highways
  - 1.two.four Canton and township highways and roads
- 1.3 Ramps and wayfinders
  - i.3.1 Generally
  - one.iii.ii Get out ramps
    - i.3.two.1 Numbered exits
    - 1.3.2.2 Signed, unnumbered exits
    - ane.three.2.3 Unsigned exits
  - 1.three.3 Entrance ramps
- 1.iv Un-mapped and new streets
- 1.v Incomplete segments or red roads
- 1.half dozen Metropolis names on segments
- 1.7 Navigation instructions for unnamed segments
ii Abbreviations and acronyms
iii Construction zones and closed roads
4 Official sources of mapping data

Route naming

All roads in our base of operations maps came with the names as divers in the Us TIGER dataset.

Notwithstanding, you might detect a few problems with the original road names: Some of the names are not the 'common' names (usually, Waze will display the 'proper noun' of the highway while well-nigh people know this highway by its number).

On other examples, the aforementioned highway will have a different proper noun on each side (for case, U.s. Hwy 101 going North, and Bayshore Fwy going South).

Some roads actually have 2 'common' names (for example, the NJ Turnpike is also I-95 and both are relevant names), but currently, we can only display one name per road.

For all these issues, nosotros enquire that you lot currently go out the situation every bit is. We are working on a few fixes, that will automate the proper naming and also allow multiple names for each segments (with a 'Primary' name equally the i being displayed, but other names that bring upward the same search results).

NOTE: In the future we may exist able to display alternate names for each segment / road, and choose which ane of these is the 'common' name. This is also true for road shield generation which is partially broken and so shields may or may not be displayed in your area.

Concurrent names

Overlapping Highways

When two or more numbered highways (or interstates) run concurrently (i stretch of road has multiple route numbers), the segment should be named afterward the primary road designation, which usually has one or more than of the following attributes:

The route whose mile markers are used for the concurrent segments
The route whose go out numbers are used for the concurrent segments
When the concurrency ends, the road whose path does not get signed equally a numbered exit.

The other route number(s) can be entered as alternating names. If alternate names are entered, exist sure not to introduce any alternate name discontinuities which may trigger the large detour prevention mechanism. In item, use key (directional) names on divided highways for both primary and alternating names.

Surface-level highways through cities/towns

In situations where a highway passes through a town, the road in those areas is typically named something other than the numbered route. In these situations the route should be named based on the following weather:

If the local street signs provide guidance with the local proper name, that should exist used equally the main name in the Waze map. The numbered route should exist added as an alternate name.
If the local signs merely indicate the road number, then that should be the primary proper name and the local route name should be added as an alternate name.

Local expressway names and significant bridges

Sometimes, a numbered freeway will besides take a local proper name or will traverse a named bridge.

If the local name or bridge name is used on signage, in broadcast traffic reports, and/or colloquial conversation, the local name or span name should be added to the primary name subsequently the primary road designation, separated by a bullet " • ".
- This is done primarily to better clarity and precision of traffic, incident, and closure reports, where including the local name or bridge proper name can make such reports easier to understand at a glance, more precise equally to their specific location, or both.
Examples:
- I-94 W • Dan Ryan Expwy
- G-x Northward • Lodge Fwy
- I-five N • Santa Ana Fwy
- I-495 East • Long Island Expwy
- I-10 E • Bonnet Carré Spillway Br
- The states-ninety Motorcoach W • Crescent City Connectedness

Highways

Interstate Highways

Components of the Interstate Highway Organization should be denoted as shown:

I-10 E for Interstate 10, Eastbound

I-310 Southward for Interstate 310, Southbound

I-35E N for Interstate 35E, Northbound (Letter of the alphabet suffixes are only in Minnesota and Texas)

Nearly all interstates are divided highways by necessity, and they should be drawn as such in the map for navigational accuracy.

U.s.a. Numbered Highways

Certain formatting guidelines must be followed to ensure that highway shields are shown in the Live Map and in the client. Notation that map shield generation is not implemented for all situations, so some roads volition not display a shield. Waze has said that there will somewhen be a process assuasive map editors to add shields to road segments in a way that is not connected to the name of that segment.

United states Highways: Federal highways should be denoted equally follows. Note that the trailing N, Due south, East, Westward cardinal direction indicator is used for numbered highways and interstates which are separate into ii 1-way segments, per the guidelines.

US-61 Due south for U.Due south. Highway 61, Southbound

The states-425 Westward for U.S. Highway 425, Westbound

US-xc Omnibus South for U.S. Highway 90 Business, Southbound

(note that BUS should be all uppercase for TTS to pronounce as "business organization". "Double-decker", "passenger vehicle", etc. will pronounce as "Bus".)

US-90 ALT East for U.S. Highway ninety Alternate, Eastbound

The states-199 SPUR for U.Due south. Highway 199 Spur

Refer to the concurrent names section to determine if the US highway name should be the chief name when traveling through cities & towns.

State highways

The Live Map will parse "State Rte 20" and "State Hwy yyy" and show a sign badge. However, every bit different states accept different naming conventions (and different shields), this is non optimal for ramps.

Follow your state's naming conventions every bit defined in the highway naming by state tabular array.

The same notes and examples for U.South. Highways to a higher place applies for land highways. Refer to the concurrent names section to make up one's mind if the land route name should be the chief name when traveling through cities & towns. State routes may besides be split if information technology meets the guidelines.

County and township highways and roads

Text to speech on the client reads CR- equally "County Road." So "CR-x" is read as "County Road Ten"

Where road names are the aforementioned as cardinal directions (N, Southward, East, W), no special modification is necessary so that the voice prompt will read the alphabetic character and non say it equally a direction. Ensure there are no spaces between the hyphen and the letter of the alphabet. Double or triple-letter of the alphabet roads with directional messages (e.1000. CR-EN, CR-SAL) will non be spoken every bit directions but might be pronounced as if a discussion.

There is no other TTS abridgement for county-endemic roads in any chapters except those listed here. For these reasons: that county shields may someday be supported (and a named standard makes this easier to implement), and for brevity's sake in plow instructions and map displays, it is suggested (just past no means required) that individual states prefer one of these standards;

CR-
CH-
TR-
Thursday-

Another standard in use (which is longer, but y'all may encounter) is 'Canton Hwy Twenty'. The shortened format of CH- is available and is encouraged to be adopted when CR- is not appropriate.

Many states have adopted the curt format CR-thirty instead of the longer format. Run into the highway naming by state tabular array for specific formatting of each state.

Also, refer to the concurrent names section when the highway passes through a city or town that also has a local name for the road.

For regions that have township highways, the shortened formats of Th- and TR- are also bachelor.

Ramps and wayfinders

Get out ramps and Entrance ramps are to exist prepare as Ramp road type. The proper name of the ramp should friction match the exit or entrance signage every bit closely as possible. If the Waze instructions and display are dissimilar from the sign on the get out, Wazers may be unsure well-nigh which leave to take. Include everything that is present on the terminal sign prior to the exit. Practise non combine all possible pre-ramp signage into the single ramp segment proper noun.

By and large

Ramp names should mostly match signage as closely as possible. This maximizes driver confidence.

A ramp name is fabricated upward of one or more elements, separated past separators.

Elements of a ramp name include:
- Route names
- Highway numbers (usually shields)
- Control cities
- Other non-metropolis destinations
- Exit numbers
Separators used in ramp names include:
- Slash ( / ), used when elements are alternatives to each other (e.grand., culling destinations). The TTS engine will generate a pause in its place.
- Bullet ( • ), used when ii elements refer to alternative names for the same thing. The TTS engine will generate a break in its place.
  - The bullet can be typed by pressing Option-eight on macOS, by property Alt and pressing 0149 on the number pad in Windows, or past pressing Ctrl-Shift-U then typing 2022 on Chrome OS. Or, re-create and paste information technology from this article.
- "Toward" character ( » ), used when one element takes you toward the following element. The TTS engine will say "toward" in its identify.
  - The "toward" character can be typed by pressing Option-Shift-\ on macOS, by belongings Alt and pressing 0187 on the number pad in Windows, or by pressing Ctrl-Shift-U then typing 00BB on Chrome OS. Or, re-create and paste information technology from this commodity.

All ramp names use the aforementioned general format, with slight modifications for different situations. The three bones forms of ramp names are as follows:

Numbered leave: Exit [number]: [element] [/ or • or »] [element] [/ or • or »] [element]
All other ramps: to [chemical element] [/ or • or »] [element] [/ or • or »] [element] (unnumbered exits, on-ramps, etc.)
Wayfinder: [element] [/ or • or »] [element] [/ or • or »] [element]

Get out ramps

Generally, the name of an get out ramp segment should be named using the last sign, closest to (or at) the exit.

Call back to abbreviate common words co-ordinate to abbreviations and acronyms.
See Ramp fork naming in the Junction Style Guide for what to do when the off-ramp from main interstate or highway serves multiple exits further down the ramp.

Numbered exits

If an get out is signed and numbered, start with the give-and-take "Exit", followed by the get out number, followed past a colon (": "), followed past all the other elements on the sign, separated by the appropriate separators.

Exit [number]: [element] [/ or • or »] [chemical element] [/ or • or »] [element] (as needed)

For example,

Leave naming and separators
Road proper name	Why?	How TTS volition pronounce it
Exit 16: I-33 » Bananaville / Celery Town	I-33 takes you toward either Bananaville or Celerytown (depending on which management yous become).	"Exit 16, I-33 toward Bananaville, Celery Town"
Exit 19A: US-22 N » Critter Hollow / Goop Urban center	Northbound US-22 takes yous toward both Critter Hollow and Goop City.	"Exit 19A, U.s.a.-22 Due north toward Critter Hollow, Broth City"
Exit 24: US-103 • Schwarzenegger Rd	U.s.-103 and Schwarzenegger Rd are alternative names for the aforementioned road.	"Exit 24, U.s.a.-103, Schwarzenegger Road"
Exit 32: Terminator Blvd / Total Recall Rd	The exit takes you to either of these roads; neither road takes you lot to the other.	"Get out 32, Terminator Boulevard, Total Recall Route"
Get out 33B: Running Man St		"Exit 33B, Running Human being Street"
Get out 35C-B-A: Inferior Dr / Twins Ave / Jingleallthe Way	The exit takes you to these three roads independently; none has a "towards" human relationship with the side by side.	"Exit 35 C B A, Junior Bulldoze, Twins Avenue, Jingleallthe Style"
Get out 1E: SR-1000 Eastward » Sarah Connor Blvd	The leave takes y'all straight to SR-1000 eastbound, which in turn takes you to Sarah Connor Blvd.	"Exit 1 East, State Route yard Due east toward Sarah Connor Boulevard"

Annotation:

If an get out number contains i or more letters, include information technology exactly as displayed on the sign. Split up sub-exit messages with a hyphen.
- Practice not get out spaces betwixt the number and alphabetic character, between hyphens and adjacent letters, or between the last letter and the colon.
Note that, if the go out number contains one of the central directions (N, S, East, Westward), that alphabetic character will be pronounced as a letter, not equally the corresponding compass management. For instance, the to a higher place instance will be pronounced "Exit One E, State Road Ane Grand Due east toward Sarah Connor Boulevard".
If the Exit has an official number that is documented elsewhere, but this exit number does not appear on any signs, do not utilise it to name the exit ramp. Waze instructions should match the signs where possible to avoid confusion. Check your state's page for any local exceptions to this rule.

Signed, unnumbered exits

If an get out is signed and unnumbered, first with the word "to" (lowercase) and follow with all elements on the sign, separated with the appropriate separators:

to [element] [/ or »] [element] [/ or »] [element] (as needed)
e.g.,
- to SR-33 / Kindergarten Ct (the exit takes you lot to either SR-33 or Kindergarten Ct)
- to Usa-99 » Crazytown (US-99 takes you toward Crazytown)

Unsigned exits

If there is no sign at the exit, start with the word "to" (lowercase) and follow with the name of the route the ramp leads to. If that route has both a road number and a local name, utilize the route number start, followed by a slash, followed by the local proper noun. If only a local name or only a highway designation are present, utilise simply that. The goal is to avert confusing the driver.

to [chemical element] [/ or • or »] [element] (as needed)
eastward.thou., to US-12 • Michigan Ave

Entrance ramps

Entrance ramps should exist named similarly to unnumbered exits, following the format to [chemical element] [/ or »] [element] , etc. A typical entrance ramp should follow the format to [road name of highway] [management] » [control urban center] , where those elements are nowadays—even if the command city is on a separate sign.

to [element] [/ or • or »] [element] (as needed)
to [highway proper noun] [direction] » [command urban center] / [control metropolis]

For example,

to I-10 W » Baton Rouge
to Clearview Pkwy N » Mandeville
to U.s.-90 BUS W
to LA-1 » Thibodaux / Lockport
to I-10 E • US-ninety East » Lafayette

Note:

If signs before the on-ramp provide multiple destination data, combine them into the single on-ramp proper name.
- e.g., to US-90 BUS West / to I-10 W » Miss River Br / Billy Rouge
The highway name and direction should always come up earlier the control city, even if signage is presented in the reverse order.
Do not omit the word "to", considering this could cause confusion with, say, the "Select entire street" part. Text-to-speech (TTS) instructions volition deal properly with the discussion "to" when it constructs plow instructions.
Exercise non utilise "Ramp to" (this would result in [turn right / exit correct] to ramp to ...)
Compass directions (such as "W" or "Westbound") accompanying highway shields and road names should be abbreviated using single-letter abbreviations, such as Due west .
- due east.grand., the legend "West" in a higher place a shield for I-10 should be entered as I-x W
- Do not spell out compass directions (such as "W" or "Westbound") which accompany highway shields and road names. Do not use "WB" or other non-canonical abbreviations, as they are not supported by the TTS engine.
When multiple on-ramps combine before merging into the principal interstate or highway, it is advised to name the final common ramp with the conventions listed above. This volition usually be the last ramp which is the one which actually joins the main interstate or highway.
When naming ramps and exits that lead to state highways, refer to the route naming conventions listed in Highway naming and cross-reference the state's wiki page (therein linked).
- New Bailiwick of jersey: to SR-45 » Passaic
- Louisiana: to LA-308 » Raceland
- Due north Carolina: to NC-55 » Winston-Salem

United nations-mapped and new streets

Sometimes, there is a brand new road nosotros aren't sure of the name notwithstanding, it is okay to leave the proper name of the road bare past marking the "None" checkbox next to the Name field in the Address Backdrop in the editor. Ever make sure to cull the proper road type and confirm the other road details to ensure that the route appears on the client app. Add together a map annotate to allow other editors know that the proper name is missing and to bank check at a later on time if more than data is bachelor.

Incomplete segments or red roads

Exist certain to select country, land, enter the city name or check "None", and enter a street proper name, or bank check "None". Until you do this, your road will not be routable and will not bear witness on the client map. These incomplete segments are colored vivid cherry-red in WME.

This must be washed on all streets created in WME and on all streets created with the client "Pave" role.

"Paved" streets must also be connected to their adjacent roads, and plough restrictions must be set in guild to be routable.

For more detailed instructions on how to address scarlet roads see: Confirming the road past updating details

City names on segments

No Primary city name with alternate city name added

Every segment with addresses (House Numbers or Residential Place Points) on it, must have a urban center name. On segments which have the "None" checkbox marked for the primary city name, the urban center proper noun designated past the U.S. Mail should be set as an alternate city name for that segment.

To keep urban center names from sprawling over also wide an area in the Waze app, WME and Alive Map, except for within military machine bases a city proper noun should only exist used as a primary name for segments located in areas determined by local leadership to be displayed as cities on the map. This generally includes incorporated cities, towns, villages, etc., besides equally census-designated or other unincorporated places recognized as metropolis names past the USPS, merely rules vary by state. This may mean that many addresses on the map are in "no metropolis" areas, particularly in rural regions. The Waze addresses on these segments are otherwise non searchable without a metropolis name, and considering many Wazers volition search for a location by its postal address, U.Southward. community leadership has established the above editing standard.

In that location are other standards in place for other purposes requiring adding other street data in the the alternate. The addition of the USPS data does not change any other standards merely is in addition to anything existing already on those afflicted segments.

For more details on city naming, encounter /Metropolis names.

Navigation instructions for unnamed segments

When Waze gives navigation instructions to "turn", "go out", or "continue" onto an unnamed segment, it will look ahead on the recommended route for a road name that it can use. If there is a named segment further along the recommended route, it volition use (inherit) that proper noun in the pedagogy.

The inherited name is but used in the displayed and spoken instruction prompts, information technology does not impact the actual name of the segment. Unnamed segments are frequently used to control instructions on feeder ramps and at grade connectors (AGCs). Delight be sure to understand all the ways in which unnamed segments can touch on navigation instructions before adding names to unnamed segments or removing them from named segments.

This always works for Freeways and Ramps.

This never works for Parking Lot Roads or Individual Roads, As of October 2018^[update]

On all other road types (any road type which is not a Superhighway, Ramp, Parking Lot Road, or Private Road), this feature but works if:

The combined length of the consecutive unnamed segments is shorter than 400 meters (1,312 feet),
AND
There are 3 or fewer unnamed segments in a row.

To explicate the to a higher place weather from other perspectives:

If the sequent unnamed Local Street, Primary Street, Modest Highway, or Major Highway segments measured together are longer than 400 m (1,312 ft), or if in that location are 4 or more than unnamed segments in a row, Waze will not testify or speak a name in the instructions.
Names are never inherited through unnamed Parking Lot Road or Individual Road segments.

Abbreviations and acronyms

Only abbreviations that Waze recognizes should exist used within the editor. Since Waze uses TTS (Text-to-Speech) prompting, it is important that the correct abbreviations are used to produce the right spoken communication output.

A basic dominion of thumb is, "when in doubt, spell it out".

Refer to the Abbreviations and acronyms folio for a list of suffix and recommended abbreviations.

Structure zones and airtight roads

No naming changes are necessary for construction zone & closed roads.

For brusk-term closures or closures requiring immediate attending (e.one thousand., traffic incidents), encounter Real fourth dimension closures.

For large, long-term closures and major (re-)construction projects, run across Scheduled reconfiguration.

Official sources of mapping information

Being in the Waze community of editors means sharing information you lot discover and learning from the discoveries of others! You can see some of the (one-time) official sources of mapping information (The states only) provided in the forum or check out the (new) mapping resources wiki page (preferred).

Experience free to add together new resources as you detect them.

goldsmithwoolnemis.blogspot.com

Source: https://wazeopedia.waze.com/wiki/USA/Road_names