Functional reclassification of a road

This does not guarantee an official approval by FHWA. This does ensure they have the required paperwork and the approvals in place. We recommend the following steps to revise the functional classification.

Step 1:

One or more municipalities write a letter to their MPO requesting a functional classification change. Please include maps highlighting the roadway(s) under review.

Step 2:

The MPO staff reviews the letter to determine whether the request makes sense.

Step 3:

The MPO staff works with the municipality(ies) to get traffic counts to support a change. NOTE: When updating the functional classification, try including an opposite change in a parallel roadway's classification. This will keep the percentage of roadway centerline mileage by functional class as close to the existing amounts as possible.

Step 4:

The MPO should informally send the request to the Office of Transportation Planning's (OTP) GIS Services group for a quick review prior to MPO adoption. It might make sense to follow this step in the early stages of Step 3 to avoid unnecessary work.

Step 5:

Upon completing the package outlined in Step 3, present to the MPO Board for their approval.

Step 6:

Once the MPO Board approval is granted and documented, send the approved package to OTP GIS Services. The package should include the following:

• Letter(s) from municipality(ies) requesting the change
• Volume counts along roadways under review
• Maps highlighting roadways under review
• Descriptive text explaining why the change is warranted, citing land use changes, roadway alignment changes, or other reason
• MPO Board approval
• A cover letter addressed to OTP 

Step 7:

If the package is complete, OTP will submit to FHWA for their approval. Once FHWA provides a ruling, OTP will provide the results to the MPO.