The highway plan was developed after a careful consideration of social, economic, land use and environmental concerns. The planned system is closely tied to the travel demands of projected land uses and is financially realistic in that most of the improvements can be carried out with the financial resources expected to be available during the planned period.
The highway plan is actually a hierarchy of road systems called functional classifications. There are two basic functions that a road can perform: moving traffic, and providing access to abutting land uses. The higher functional classifications are devoted more to moving traffic, while the lower classifications primarily serve abutting land uses. Relevant functional classifications that make up the highway plan follow:
MINOR ARTERIAL (MA): Provides for the movement of through traffic between minor population and employment centers and across urban areas. While the primary purpose is the movement of traffic, some access to abutting land use is a normal secondary function. A minor arterial is a two- or four-lane facility designed to accommodate 6,000 - 18,000 vehicles per day.
COLLECTOR: Provides access to the arterial system and simultaneously provides access to abutting land uses. Since a collector does not carry very long trips, it need not be continuous for a long distance. It is usually a two-lane facility designed to accommodate 2,500 - 8,000 vehicles per day.
LOCAL ACCESS (LA): Provides access to abutting land uses, serves local traffic movements, and connects to collector roads and/or minor arterials.
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