Mapping/Features/Road
From OpenStreetMap
There is conflicting information on this topic at several places. Please see Talk:Highway tag usage for discussion.
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How to Map
Global
Most roads should be tagged with highway=unclassified. If a road has residences along both sides, it should be tagged highway=residential. Significant through roads should be tagged as highway=tertiary (Significance is subjective, and will vary with location). Service roads (roads which exist to provide access for trash collection or parking, and campground roads) should be tagged with highway=service. Roads for which the classification is not known should be temporarily tagged with highway=road until they are properly surveyed.
If a stretch of highway has multiple reference numbers, they should be semicolon-delimited. (examples: ref=I 39;US 51, ref=US 51;US:WI 54)
Bridges should be indicated by splitting the way where the bridge begins and ends, and marking the middle way as bridge=yes. Tunnels should be similar, with tunnel=yes.
Pedestrianized roads (roads which have been converted to pedestrian walkways either by physical barriers or by signage) should be tagged with highway=pedestrian
Tracks
Unimproved roads should be tagged with highway=track. These are generally lower quality than paved gravel roads. The relative quality should be indicated by the tracktype=* tag, with values ranging from grade1 (the best) to grade5 (the worst). This should not be used to tag trails.
Complex intersections
If an intersection has more than two levels (one road bridged over another, or under another), the levels should be indicated with layer=* tags that are on the same ways as the bridge=yes values.
USA
Highway Types
Interstate highways should always be tagged with highway=motorway.
US Highways should be tagged with highway=primary. State Highways and County Highways should be tagged with highway=secondary. Any of these which is a divided highway with high speeds (65mph+) and intersections with other roads, and legal for bicycles and motorbikes to use, should be tagged with highway=trunk.
Sometimes a tertiary road will be physically larger than a primary or secondary road. This is acceptable.
Alleys should be tagged as highway=service
Reference numbers
Interstates, US Highways, State Highways, and County Highways should be tagged with ref=*. The value of ref should be as follows: Interstates: I ##. US Highways: US ##. State Highways: US:XX ##. (where XX is the state abbreviation). County highways: CTH ###.
numbered exits
Exit ramps/slip roads should be tagged as highway=motorway_link or highway=primary_link based on the most significant of the roads they connect. A ref=* tag may also be included, which should reflect the number of the exit. The first node of the exit ramp may also be tagged with the same ref=* tag. In places where a ramped junction is named, all ramps should be tagged with name=*.
Rendering
Tags
| Type | Key | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | highway | motorway | |
| | highway | trunk | |
| | highway | primary | |
| | highway | secondary | |
| | highway | tertiary | |
 | highway | motorway_link | |
| | highway | primary_link | |
| | highway | unclassified | |
| | highway | road | |
| | highway | residential | |
| | highway | service | |
| | highway | track | |
| | highway | pedestrian | |
| | ref | various | |
| | bridge | yes | |
| | tunnel | yes | |
| | layer | -5 through +5 | |
| | tracktype | grade1 through grade5 |
Open Issues
(Please use the Talk page if you want to discuss open issues.)
