Highway Functional Classification It is the process by which streets and highways are grouped into classes or systems according to the character of services they are intended to provide, i.e. the type of travel associated with the road. The classification of highways is important for: - Design purposes to enable the road designer to relate the structure and design standards to different roads under different classes. - Planning purposes to provide a basic long-term plan where different properties could be assigned to different classes - Administration needs. Highways are classified in accordance with functional characteristics. These characteristics are based on the location of the road such as urban or rural, width of the road (single lane or multilane) and the type of service the road provides such as local access or travel between cities.
