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P. . 21 <br />COUNTY - SPECIFIC ROAD CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM <br />Policy Issues <br />Roads can be classified by the function they serve in the total road network. This <br />classification takes into consideration the existing conditions as well as the planned <br />future function. Some roads are more important in terms of carrying major traffic <br />volumes or in making connections between major destinations, while other roads have a <br />primary value in providing access to adjacent property. In general, there is an inverse <br />relationship between the traffic- carrying function and the land - access function; i.e., a <br />four -lane road's primary function would be to move traffic, while the function of a <br />two -lane road in a subdivision would be to serve the abutting land with frequent <br />driveways. The extreme for each case would be an Interstate freeway for the function <br />of moving traffic and a short, narrow, residential cul -de -sac for the function of land <br />access. With the exception of an Interstate freeway, all roads provide each function <br />to varying degrees. <br />Data Collection <br />There are certain roadway characteristics that are related to a properly designed and <br />classified road. To aid in developing the functional classification for Orange County, <br />the following roadway characteristics were inventoried for every public road in the <br />County, outside of the urbanized planning boundaries: length, type of surface, number <br />of lanes, road width, shoulder width, right -of -way width, type of adjacent land use, <br />extent of development, speed limit, traffic control, roadway alignment, and traffic <br />volumes. This inventory was collected by the County and, if maintained, will provide a <br />thorough and accurate data base for further planning and programming. <br />Kimley -Horn obtained mapping of public roads within the county and NCDOT roadway <br />inventory printouts, developed a spreadsheet format for recording the data, and <br />conducted a data collection training program with County staff. County staff input the <br />data from the maps and printouts, as well as data observed and checked in the field. <br />This data file originally included only the portion of the county included in the <br />classification study; i.e., the portion outside the Durham - Chapel Hill - Carrboro, <br />3 <br />