North Dakota/Highway Classification
General guidelines
These are largely based on my opinion and should be discussed with the ND mapping community prior to being applied to the map. Thus, if you're still seeing this written here, do not use these as active guidelines for adjusting highway classifications in North Dakota!
- highway=motorway - This should only apply to high-speed, limited-access highways that aren't isolated motorway islands.
- On US-2, this should exclude the partially-limited-access portions around Minot and Grand Forks Air Force Base.
- highway=trunk - This should apply to high-speed divided highways, but only the segments that connect major population centers.
- We may consider broadening the use of this tag to include both high-speed divided highways along with undivided, lower-speed US highways that connect major population centers (e.g. US 52 from Jamestown to Minot).
- highway=primary - This should be used for any remaining US highways along with the most important state highways.
- highway=secondary - This should be used for most of the remaining state highways along with unusually important county roads.
- For example, this should exclude ND-10 since it is just a frontage road for I-94 but include CR-81 south of Grand Forks since it is a major connection from I-29 to South Washington Street.
- highway=tertiary - This should be used for most county roads.
Population centers
The following is a list of the twenty largest cities in North Dakota, along with their populations as of the 2020 United States census and the major highways that serve them. Some of these are suburbs of other cities on this list, and many likely shouldn't be deemed as "important" cities regardless, but all are listed here for consideration.
| City | Population | Highways |
|---|---|---|
| Fargo | 125,990 |      
|
| Bismarck | 76,622 |   
|
| Grand Forks | 59,166 |  
|
| Minot | 48,377 |
|
| West Fargo | 38,626 | 
|
| Williston | 29,160 | 
|
| Dickinson | 25,689 | 
|
| Mandan | 24,206 |   
|
| Jamestown | 15,849 |  
|
| Wahpeton | 8,007 |   
|
| Devils Lake | 7,192 | 
|
| Valley City | 6,575 | 
|
| Watford City | 6,207 | 
|
| Lincoln | 4,257 | |
| Grafton | 4,170 | 
|
| Horace | 3,085 | |
| Beulah | 3,058 |  
|
| New Town | 2,764 |
|
| Rugby | 2,509 | 
|
| Casselton | 2,479 | 
|
Next is a very incomplete collection of notable "nearby" cities to North Dakota and their populations, along with a distance along a route from a sensible ND terminus (e.g. Fargo to Minneapolis rather than Grand Forks to Minneapolis or Wahpeton to Minneapolis).
| City | Population | Distance (mi) | ND Terminus | Reach Via |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg, MB | 705,244 | 67 | |
|
| Minneapolis, MN | 429,954 | 232 | |
|
| Regina, SK | 215,106 | 150 | |
 
|
| Sioux Falls, SD | 192,517 | 175 | |
|
| Billings, MT | 117,116 | 256 | |
|
| Brandon, MB | 48,859 | 62 | |
|
| Aberdeen, SD | 28,180 | 34 | |
|
| Fergus Falls, MN | 13,794 | 25 | |
|
| Spearfish, SD | 11,756 | 111 | |
|
Finally, to get an idea for how important each border crossing is at the US-Canada border, I've collected some statistics for the various ports of entry (BTS public domain data), colored with proposed classifications based on these statistics (red for trunk, green for primary, yellow for secondary, and blue for tertiary):
| Highway | Port Name | Port Code | Personal Vehicles | Personal Vehicle Passengers | Trucks | Buses | Bus Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 85 |
Fortuna | 3417 | 1,842 | 4,056 | 411 | ||
 ND 42 |
Ambrose | 3410 | 156 | 296 | |||
 ND 40 |
Noonan | 3420 | 2,845 | 5,127 | 332 | ||
| US 52 |
Portal | 3403 | 9,382 | 21,716 | 6,790 | 8 | 329 |
 ND 8 |
Northgate | 3406 | 1,483 | 3,182 | 1,107 | ||
 ND 28 |
Sherwood | 3414 | 1,603 | 3,055 | 517 | ||
 ND 256 |
Antler | 3413 | 761 | 1,597 | 249 | ||
| US 83 |
Westhope | 3419 | 1,059 | 2,293 | 671 | ||
 ND 14 |
Carbury | 3421 | 1,335 | 2,700 | 184 | ||
| US 281 |
Dunseith | 3422 | 8,967 | 20,882 | 2,197 | 7 | 225 |
 ND 30 |
Saint John | 3405 | 1,467 | 2,988 | 105 | 2 | 26 |
 ND 4 |
Hansboro | 3415 | 697 | 1,448 | 18 | ||
| ND 20 |
Sarles | 3409 | 362 | 736 | 30 | 7 | 46 |
| CR-13 | Hannah | 3408 | 101 | 162 | 4 | ||
| ND 1 |
Maida | 3416 | 947 | 2,063 | 179 | ||
 ND 32 |
Walhalla | 3407 | 3,801 | 7,839 | 1,124 | ||
| ND 18 |
Neche | 3404 | 3,719 | 6,738 | 841 | ||
| I 29 |
Pembina | 3401 | 29,266 | 72,550 | 18,090 | 60 | 1,456 |
Inventory and proposals
In all tables below, a city name in bold as a terminus denotes that the highway classification reaches its terminus at the state border.
Motorways
Current Status
North Dakota's motorways are primarily limited to I-29 and I-94, which are limited-access freeways for their entire lengths across the state. These should need no attention.
| Highway | S/W Terminus | N/E Terminus | Length (mi) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hankinson | Pembina | 218 |
|
Beach | Fargo | 352 |
There is, however, one small abnormality in Bismarck, with the very short existence of I-194 along with ND-810's brief motorway status. Both of these highways serve to connect I-94 to the east end of Mandan and into the downtown area in Bismarck, and should arguably be left as motorways since they constitute a completely limited-access, high-speed highway from I-94 to the Bismarck side of the Missouri River.
| Highway | S/W Terminus | N/E Terminus | Length (mi) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mandan | Mandan | 1 |
|
Mandan | Bismarck | 2 |
Proposal
Nothing really changes.
| Highway | S/W Terminus City | N/E Terminus City | S/W Terminus Milepost | N/E Terminus Milepost | Length (mi) | Justification/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 29 |
Hankinson | Pembina | 0.000 | 217.517 | 217.517 | Limited-access, high-speed freeway the entire length of the state except for the Pembina port of entry, where it should arguably be tagged as a trunk highway to offer consistency with the Manitoba side. |
| I 94 |
Beach | Fargo | 0.000 | 352.454 | 352.454 | With no exceptions, I 94 is a limited-access, high-speed freeway across North Dakota. |
| I 194 |
Mandan | Mandan | 0.000 | 1.072 | 1.072 | Freeway connection between I 94 and ND 810. |
| ND 810 |
Mandan | Bismarck | 0.000 | 2.154 | 2.154 | Acts as a freeway continuation of I 194 and connects Mandan to the southern business district of Bismarck. |
Trunk highways
Current Status
Currently, the only fully-connected trunk highways in North Dakota are high-speed divided highways that connect Minot to both Bismark and Grand Forks.
| Highway | S/W Terminus | N/E Terminus | Length (mi) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Minot | Grand Forks | 212 |
|
Bismarck | Minot | 110 |
US-2 continues toward Williston and then connects to US-85, which continues to Watford City where the high-speed divided highway downgrades to a normal highway. However, neither connect to a broader motorway or trunk highway system to the west, north, or south. Futhermore, ND-13 connects I-29 to Wahpeton as a high-speed divided highway, but does not connect to any trunk highway in Minnesota.
| Highway | S/W Terminus | N/E Terminus | Length (mi) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Williston | Minot | 131 |
|
Watford City | Williston | 56 |
|
Mooreton | Wahpeton | 11 |
Proposal
As the current interpretation of "trunk highway" in North Dakota is effectively high-speed divided highway, my proposed trunk highway network below is largely an expansion of the current network of trunk highways (with the exception of a few downgrades). These would also require changes to be made in both Montana, South Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in order to offer consistency across the state borders, which isn't necessarily out of the question but would require broader collaboration.
| Highway | S/W Terminus City | N/E Terminus City | S/W Terminus Milepost | N/E Terminus Milepost | Length (mi) | Justification/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 29 |
Pembina | Pembina | 217.517 | 217.517 | 0.000 | Right at the port of entry, I 29 should be tagged as a trunk since it is no longer a high-speed freeway (due to there being a port of entry and at-grade intersections) and because the highway it connects to in Manitoba is a trunk highway. |
| US 2 |
Round Prairie | Grand Forks | 0.000 | 358.090 | 358.090 | US 2 is arguably a pretty important roadway in the northern US as it provides a northern alternative to I 90 and I 94 from Saint Ignace, MI to Spokane, WA. Furthermore, throughout North Dakota, US 2 traverses all of the state's northern tier of significant population centers (i.e. Grand Forks, Devils Lake, Minot, and Williston). |
| US 10 |
West Fargo | Fargo | 932.625 | 940.668 | 8.043 | Continues as US 10 in Minnesota, which is (currently) a trunk highway. Furthermore, it is a major street in Fargo. |
| US 52 |
Portal | Burlington | 0.000 | 82.696 | 82.696 | This portion of US 52 serves as a connection between Minot and Regina, SK. |
| US 52 |
Minot | Carrington | 97.052 | 222.719 | 125.667 | This is perhaps a little less worthy of being a trunk route, but it does offer a connection from Fargo and Jamestown to Minot via US 281. |
| US 83 |
South Emmons | Sterling | 0.000 | 65.934 | 65.934 | Connects cities in central South Dakota (such as Pierre, SD) to central North Dakota, including Bismarck. |
| US 83 |
Bismarck | Minot | 88.998 | 198.581 | 109.583 | On this segment, US 83 serves as a major connector between Bismarck and Minot, both of which are major population centers in North Dakota, using a high-speed divided highway. |
| US 85 |
Ladd | Williston | 0.000 | 196.705 | 196.705 | Connects cities in western South Dakota to the Medora area (tourism) and the Watford City/Williston area. |
| US 281 |
Ellendale | Leeds | 0.000 | 175.184 | 175.184 | Connects Aberdeen, SD to Jamestown and to US 2. |
| US 281 |
Dunseith | Dunseith | 253.208 | 267.190 | 13.982 | Provides a connection to the Canadian border and up to Brandon, MB. |
| ND 3 |
Rugby | Dunseith | 201.880 | 233.528 | 31.648 | This connects US 2 at Rugby to US 281, eventually connecting to the Canadian border and up to Brandon, MB. |
| ND 13 |
Mooreton | Wahpeton | 380.194 | 390.820 | 10.626 | This connects I 29 to Wahpeton as a high-speed expressway, but it's unclear if this should connect to Fergus Falls, MN via MN 210 (is I 94 too close for another trunk in a rural area?). |
| ND 20 |
Devils Lake | Devils Lake | 97.709 | 102.654 | 4.945 | This, in junction with the ND 57 segment from US 281 to the casino, connects US 281 to Devils Lake. |
 ND 57 |
Lallie | Devils Lake | 0.000 | 13.277 | 13.277 | This, in junction with the ND 20 segment from the casino to Devils Lake proper, connects US 281 to Devils Lake. |
Primary highways
As of right now, North Dakota's primary highway system on the map generally consists of two-lane US highways and some of the more important state highways. For the sake of brevity, the list of current highways will not be included here.
Proposal
This proposal is currently largely based on the functional classes given to North Dakota's highways as per the NDDOT's traffic information map (largely selecting "principal arterial" segments that aren't being assigned to our new trunk highway system). Note: This list is incomplete.
| Highway | S/W Terminus City | N/E Terminus City | S/W Terminus Milepost | N/E Terminus Milepost | Length (mi) | Justification/Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ND 200 |
Grassy Butte | Coalharbor | 75.083 | 188.892 | 113.809 | West of US-83, ND-200 provides an important connection from central ND to western ND, serving multiple cities of modest population along the way (e.g. Hazen, Beulah, Killdeer). This segment includes all of ND-200 between US-85 and US-83. |
| ND 200 |
Underwood | Hillsboro | 192.873 | 395.560 | 202.687 | East of US-83, ND-200 provides an important connection from central ND to eastern ND, serving multiple cities of modest population along the way (e.g. McClusky, Carrington, Cooperstown, Mayville). This particular segment includes all of ND-200 between US-83 and I-29, but not the remainder of ND-200 between I-29 and the MN border. |
| ND 200 |
Hillsboro | Halstad (MN) | 406.526 | 415.778 | 9.252 | Connects I-29 near Hillsboro to MN-200 near Halstad. This should be discussed with Minnesota mappers. |
| ND 200 ALT |
Hazen | Washburn | 900.000 | 925.654 | 25.654 | Provides an alternate connection between ND-200 near Hazen to US-83, serving the cities of Stanton and Washburn. |
| ND 200 ALT |
Hillsboro | Hillsboro | 959.367 | 959.790 | 0.423 | Connects I-29 to ND-200 (which is also a proposed primary) near Hillsboro. |
Resources
I've found a variety of useful resources for this project:
- FHWA NHS North Dakota Map: May be useful for classification consideration.
- Manitoba Provincial Highways Functional Classification Map: Useful for border classification disputes.
- MDT Highway Functional Classification - Similar to the NDDOT classification map, but for Montana (for considering border highway disputes). Doesn't exactly line up with the North Dakota system.
- MnDOT Functional Classification - Similar to the NDDOT classification map, but for Minnesota (for considering border highway disputes). Doesn't exactly line up with the North Dakota system.
- NDDOT Highway Performance Classification System - The NDDOT classifies the state's highways on a five-level system. This is a useful resource (especially since it was recently updated for 2021), but since we have to restrict the majority of the state's highways down to a four-level system (since the tertiary tag arguably belongs to county roads), there are some differences:
- Interstate - consists only of I-29 and I-94 and is an exact match to the motorway tag for North Dakota.
- Interregional - roughly translates to the trunk highway tag, but is a bit more inclusive as it contains US highways that connect to minor cities in South Dakota and Montana.
- State Corridor - roughly corresponds to the primary tag, but may lead to inconsistencies across the state borders.
- District Corridor - roughly corresponds to the secondary tag
- District Collector - roughly corresponds to the secondary tag, but are less important roads.
- NDDOT Route and Mileage Map - Map of all of North Dakota's state-operated highways.
- NDDOT Traffic Information Map (interactive) - Lots of useful stuff here, including performance classifications, functional classification, speed limits, traffic counts, and more.
- Saskatchewan Functional Classification of Provincial Highways Map - An old map (and not a secure link), but may be useful for border classification disputes.
- SDDOT Highway Classification - Similar to the NDDOT classification map, but for South Dakota (for considering border highway disputes). Doesn't exactly line up with the North Dakota system.
Neighboring projects
For North Dakota's three neighboring states:
- Minnesota - Initial set of roads to reclassify agreed upon.
- Montana - No known project.
- South Dakota - Draft.
North Dakota's neighboring Canadian provinces are not part of the United States reclassification project, but there should be some consideration about the classification of highways that cross the northern border into Manitoba or Saskatchewan. There are efforts in Canada to update road classification to agree with changes here in the United States.
- Manitoba – No known project.
- Saskatchewan – Draft.