Roadway ROW FAQ
Why is the product called Roadway ROW?
Roadway ROW was chosen for this product name as it was important to ensure clarity of what the product entailed. Roadways are generally understood to be the part of a road specifically intended for vehicles. This is inclusive of the paved area, or the areas the rails are physically located in the case of railroads. ROW (right-of-way) is a term that includes not just the paved, or railed, roadway but also is inclusive of unimproved portions of the roadway's right-of-way such as medians and shoulders. We also thought it was important to not just call the product “ROW” as that term includes many items that are not roadways such as utility easements.
What type of roadways are included?
The Roadway ROW product contains all manner of roads inclusive of not only Highways and State roads, but including county, municipal, and even private roads. Railroads are included, as are some trails and pathways with specific set aside right-of-way.
Is this a “streets” or “roads” product?
No. While Roadway is included in the name this is not a Roads or Streets product. This product exists to provide insights into the area that is occupied by the entirety of a roadway's right-of-way inclusive of both the paved service and the unpaved/unimproved area around the paved roadway that is still present within the established right-of-way of the roadway.
Is this an “easement” product?
No. While roadways are almost always present with an easement this is not an easement product. Easements are a much broader category or express or implied land use, or restriction, that exists far beyond the presence of a roadway. The Regrid Roadway ROW product only provides insights into easements which are themselves part of a roadway's right-of-way.
Does the Roadway ROW data contain all access easements and private roads?
The Regrid Roadway ROW product relies on several sources of data to inform the presence of a roadway, in some instances these sources will provide indication of a private road or non-public roadway right-of-way easement however the reality is that not all private roadways or recorded access easements will be included within the product. This product is not a replacement for a true survey and field research.
Does this product contain right-of-way easements for Utilities?
No, the Regrid Roadway ROW product does not include easement or right-of-way (ROW) data that is not directly related to a public roadway.
How are the Roadway ROW polygons segmented?
A standard segmentation tool was used to produce polygons that are a reasonable size for attributing and geoprocessing.
Are the Roadway ROW polygons created from buffered lines? If so, what buffer was utilized?
Buffered street lines are one of several interconnected inputs used to build and validate the Roadway ROW polygons. Buffering of street lines was utilized as a method to define planning grade polygons reflecting ROWs where parcel boundaries were coincident with each other along an indicated roadway within the street data. Buffers were applied to roadways in increasing width depending on the classification of the road itself with Interstate and US Roads receiving larger buffers than County, Common Name, or Other road classifications. Regrid does not currently publish additional details on the specific buffer sizes utilized, and reserves the right to adjust these buffers in the future.
What are the labels for the different road_type codes?
- C = County
- I = Interstate
- M = Common Name
- O = Other
- S = Statewide
- U = US
We are utilizing the US Census Bureaus Classification system as defined within the Tiger/Line Geodatabases and the Master Address File (MAF) maintained by the Census bureau. The full list of codes and labels can be found on on the Census departments website.
What does “MTFCC” stand for in field names mtfcc and mtfcc_name?
MTFCC is a complicated abbreviation that stands for “MAF/Tiger Feature Class Code” (MAF is itself also an abbreviation for “Master Address File”). More information on the MAF/Tiger Feature Class Code definitions can be found on the Census departments website.