Urban Area Boundary and Functional Classification Update Process

Background

On a decennial basis (every 10 years) following every Census, FDOT leads the process to coordinates a review of the U.S. Census defined Urban Area Boundaries and the Federal Functional Classification of the Florida’s roadways.  This review process is conducted by FDOT Districts in cooperation with local partners and concludes with official signed maps that provides information of the agreed upon adjustments (aka “Smoothing”) of an Urban Area Boundary and an update of Federal Functional Classification of roadways in each county.   The Urban Area review process incorporates information of the land use conditions and long-range plans to determine what geographic areas are considered ‘Urban’.  Adjustments are made to the Urban Area for consistency in the transportation planning and project programming process.  The review of a roadway’s Functional Classification coincides with the Urban Area adjustment process to efficiently determine the federal-aid eligibility of a roadway.  To ensure the adjustments are made uniformly across the state, the FDOT’s Transportation Data and Analytics (TDA) Office manages the adjustment process by establishing the data standards, reviewing the data, and coordinating the approvals with FHWA Division.  TDA is responsible for reconciling statewide data into the Roadway Characteristics Inventory (RCI) for consistency of reporting to the Highway Performance Monitoring System.

Functional Classification Interim Update Process:

As new roads are built, a functional classification of a roadway may be reviewed and updated as needed through a cooperative process between the FDOT, local partners, and approval by FHWA.  For more information on this process, users should reference the FDOT’s Urban Area Boundary and Functional Classification Handbook. 

Maps and Data:

Resource Information

Timeline of the 2020 Urban Area and Functional Classification Update Process

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Contacts

For update process inquires, please reach out to our Statewide Coordinators: