The Most Common Way to Move
Roadway Network
The roadway network brings people, places, and vehicles closer to one another, greatly benefitting the region's economy and quality of life. Efficiency, ease of use, quality of access, and harmony with existing land uses are hallmarks of a good roadway network.
The National Functional Classification of roadways was developed by the Federal Highway Administration for all public roads. The higher classifications emphasize mobility while lower ones are for the purpose of property access. This taxonomy facilitates the grouping of roadways into categories based on the character of service they are intended to provide. Functional classifications of public roads plays a critical role in transportation planning, allocation of funding, and management of the network.
National Functional Classifications
(in order of highest mobility function to the lowest mobility function)
Interstate: Designed to maximize mobility for long distance travel. Interstates link major urban areas across the United States and are generally four-lane limited access roadways which support high speed travel.
Other Freeways: Function similarly to interstate roads, however they do not cross state boundaries. These roads have directional travel lanes with access limited to on and off ramp locations.
Other Principal Arterials: Are highways in rural and urban areas which provide access between an arterial and a major land use. They typically support a high degree of mobility to centers of metropolitan areas.
Minor Arterials: Support high-capacity travel generally within urban areas. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to principal arterials, freeways, or interstates.
Collectors (Major & Minor): Mainly are low-to-moderate capacity roads which serve to move traffic from local streets to arterial roads. Generate access to residential, commercial, and industrial areas.
Local Roads: Are the lowest level of mobility regarding the NFC. These roads provide access to property and typically connect to collector roadways.
The overwhelming majority of roads in the United States are owned and maintained by state and local governments.
Roads and Streets in the MATS area
Within the MATS area, there are approximately 535 miles of public roads that are maintained through federal transportation funding as designated by the National Functional Classification System (NFC). Roughly 130 miles are a part of the MDOT trunkline system and are classified under the NFC as Interstate, Other Freeway, and Arterials. These routes include US-10, US-10 BR, M-18, M-20, M-30, and M-47. The remaining 405 miles of federal-aid eligible roads are categorized as Minor Arterials, Major Collectors, and Minor Collectors. These roads are generally owned by local road agencies such as the county road commission, cities, or villages. MATS staff annually rates these roads using the PASER system. Maps of these road ratings and rating data can be found here.
Roadways that are not funded with federal transportation money are considered “local”; there are about 850 miles of local roads within the MATS area. Local roads are also administered by local road agencies. Note that other local governments, such as townships, do not receive federal-aid funding for road projects. Instead the road commission has jurisdiction over these road and they collaborate with local governments on projects. The graphic below shows the road and street system in the MATS area.
Major Interstate and Principal Arterial Routes
US-10:
Extends from I-75 near Bay City to Ludington in western Michigan. This is an east-west limited access route that runs from the City of Auburn northwest past the City of Coleman within the MATS area. This is the main corridor of travel in MATS jurisdiction.
US-10 Business Route:
Connects US-10 to downtown City of Midland and serves as a facilitator for users to reach lower mobility routes within the MATS area. The segment of US-10 BR that extends from US-10 to Eastman Avenue within the City is an at grade route with one-way pairs in each direction east-west. This then becomes Eastman Avenue running north-south as one roadway with two lanes in each direction until it reaches US-10 to the north.
M-18:
Located in the northwestern part of the MATS area, M-18 is a north- south route which begins at US-10 and connects to M-72 in Crawford County approximately 80 miles north. The roadway has many at grade crossings and links various rural communities in the central region of the Lower Peninsula.
M-20:
Functions as an east-west corridor between the City of Midland and the City of Mount Pleasant to the west; this section has two lanes in both directions with many at grade intersections. In its entirety, the road extends to Big Rapids which is roughly 70 miles west from Midland. The segment west of Mount Pleasant has only one lane of traffic in each direction.
M-30:
Begins at M-20 and runs north-south to West Branch, Michigan about 52 miles to the north. This roadway functions very similarly to M-18 and provides access to the Village of Sanford and also links various rural communities throughout its entirety.
M-47:
Is located in the southeastern part of the MATS area near Freeland. This roadway runs north-south from US-10 west of the City of Auburn to M-46 near Saginaw. The route has two lanes in each direction and is a primary link between the Midland and Saginaw. This is one of the primary access routes for MBS Airport.
The National Highway System (NHS) is defined by law in the United States as a network of highways that are important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. The legal definition of the NHS is set forth in Title 23, United States Code, Section 103 (c).
According to the act, the NHS consists of:
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, which includes the entire interstate highway system.
Other principal arterials that connect major cities, urban centers, and rural communities and serve national defense, economic, and mobility needs.
Strategic highways that connect major military installations, ports, airports, and other strategic transportation facilities.
The purpose of the NHS is to provide an efficient and effective national transportation system that can support the movement of people and goods, enhance economic competitiveness, and enhance national security.
The NHS is eligible for federal funding under the Federal-Aid Highway Program, which provides financial assistance for the construction, improvement, and preservation of highways and bridges in the United States.
