Mexico/National Road Network
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National Network of Roads in Mexico (RNC)
Types of Road Networks
I. Federal Highway Network
This network consists of a series of highways that connect two or more states of the Federation; and are built wholly or mostly by the federal government with federal, state, and/or municipal funds, or by concession to private individuals or corporations.
Locally known as federal highway corridors, they are built and maintained by the Mexican federal government through the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT). Federal highways in Mexico can be classified into:
- High-speed roads with restricted access: these are toll roads that can be segmented into several sections, their maintenance is very good, traveler insurance is provided to its users and for their identification through the "D" suffix that is added to the roadway number of the federal highway. Known as Superautopistas or Supercarreteras (Expressways or Superhighways), they are limited-access highways with controlled access points. Access to these roads is generally prohibited for pedestrians, bicycles, and animal-drawn vehicles, as there are fences located on either side of the road for most of its length. Superautopistas are highways with four or more defined lanes. Supercarreteras are always two-lane highways and are most commonly found in mountainous areas. The maximum speed limit is normally 110 km/h (68 mph) for cars and 95 km/h (59 mph) for buses and trucks.
- High-speed highways with unrestricted access: these are highways where access is free, their maintenance is regular, but they do not offer any type of insurance to the traveler. Known as Autopistas or Carreteras (Freeways or Highways), they comprise most of the road corridors in Mexico. Autopistas are divided highways with four or more lanes while Carreteras have roads with two lanes. These highways have intersections with major highways, but most of these are without grade crossings. The maximum speed limit is usually 100 km/h (62 mph) for cars and 95 km/h (59 mph) for buses and trucks.
- Mixed access highways: these are highways made up of free and toll roads.
II. State Highway Network
This network consists of a series of highways that connect two or more towns or cities within a state; and they are built wholly or mostly by the state government with state or municipal funds or by concession to individuals or corporations. Its maintenance is in charge of the state agency responsible for road infrastructure. State highways in Mexico can be classified into:
- Low-speed roads with restricted access: these are toll roads that can be segmented into several sections, their maintenance is very good, traveler insurance is provided to its users and for their identification through the "D" suffix that is added to the roadway number of the state highway.
- Low-speed roads with unrestricted access: these are roads where access is free, their maintenance is regular, but they do not offer any type of insurance to the traveler.
III. Rural Road Network and improved gaps
This network consists of a series of modest roads and dirt roads that connect two or more communities within a state; and are built by the state or municipal government with federal, state, and/or municipal funds. Its maintenance is in charge of the municipal agency responsible for the road infrastructure. They generally lack paving, their importance is more social than economic, because they provide access to small communities that would be isolated without them. Therefore, its value and effect on the activities and quality of life of these communities are of great relevance.
Classification of the National Network of Roads
When labeling a road or highway and selecting the type of highway, the administrative class should not be taken into account, but rather the importance of the route in the road network, using the recommendation in the following table to determine and standardize the criteria used in selecting the type nationwide.
Route numbering
Highways in Mexico have odd numbers in the north to south direction and even numbers from east to west. The numbering begins in the northwest of the country in Tijuana, BC, and increases as you go south and east.
There are two exceptions to the numbering system: Federal Highway 14 (MEX-14) and Federal Highway 14D (MEX-14D) from Uruapan, Michoacán, to Morelia, Michoacán, located in the midwest part of the country. Various highways also have varied lettered designations: Autopista Arco Norte (MEX-M-40D), Libramiento de Irapuato (MEX-I-20D), Libramiento Norponiente de Saltillo (MEX-S30), Libramiento Surponiente de Querétaro (MEX-Q20), Macrolibramiento Sur de Guadalajara (MEX-GUA-10D), Carretera Lerma - Tenango Del Valle (MEX-A-10D), Libramiento Bicentenario de la Independencia (MEX-A-6D and EM-A-7D).
Route signage
Route signs on roads and highways are shield-shaped and go on rectangular road markers or on destination informational signs. The shield can be in three forms, depending on whether it is a federal, state or rural road.
Federal highways can be identified by the word MEXICO and the shield has concave arcs on the sides and top parts, state highways by the abbreviation of the state (eg: EM, AGS, etc.) and there are straight lines at the top and side ends, and rural roads by the word RURAL and an inverted triangle shape with curved edges. On restricted access or toll roads, the letter "D" is added at the bottom of the shield. [1][2]
How to map roads on the National Network of Roads
The labeling of roads or highways in the network must follow the following guidelines.
I. Group the sections that make up the road in a route-type relationship
| Tag | Notes |
|---|---|
type=route
|
Defines the relationship as type route. |
route=road
|
Defines the route as type road. |
name=*
|
The name of the roadway as given by the SCT. |
network=*
|
Federal Highway: MX:MEX
State Highway: MX:<State abbreviation> Federal/State Highway: MX:MEX; MX:<State abbreviation> |
ref=*
|
Route identifier as given by the SCT. |
distance=*
|
The distance of the route. |
from=*
|
The origin of the route. |
to=*
|
The destination of the route. |
II. Label each of the sections that make up the route according to the following table
| Tag | Notes |
|---|---|
highway=*
|
Defines the kind of road, street or path. |
name=*
|
In a city, the name of the street through which the route crosses or the official name of the route as given to the road by the SCT. |
ref=*
|
Route identifier as given by the SCT. |
lanes=*
|
The number of lanes for each segment of the route. |
surface=*
|
The type of surface for each segment of the route. |
smoothness=*
|
The physical usability of each segment of the route for wheeled vehicles. |
width=*
|
The width of each segment of the route. |
Notes:
- A road can be part of several routes. In these cases, they must all be included through separation by semicolon(;).
Highway Index and their respective Road Data by State
References
- ↑ Manual de Señalización Vial y Dispositivos para Calles y Carreteras, cap III, SCT
- ↑ Manual de Señalamiento Vial y Dispositivos de Seguridad, 2014, SCT
- ↑ The shields of the highways of the State of Mexico in their signaling the word MEX appears . To avoid confusion with federal highways, the acronym EM is used.