Strategic Highway Network Road Segments and Attributes

Updated in August 2025, this dataset contains 626,366 vector objects representing the Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET), a subset of the National Highway System. It includes road segment attributes such as direction, build date, state codes, and functional classification, prepared by the Federal Highway Administration with a minimum spatial resolution of 1:100,000.

Use Cases

• Analyze road segment attributes like functional classification and ownership to model military and civilian transportation capacity.
• Map the STRAHNET network using state codes and route IDs to visualize critical highway infrastructure for defense planning.
• Calibrate Begin_Point and End_Point fields based on shape length and sequence for accurate linear referencing of split highway links.

Strengths

• Contains 626,366 spatially referenced vector objects, providing a detailed national network.
• Features a minimum positional accuracy of 1:100,000, with most state-submitted data ranging from 1:5,000 to 1:10,000 for high precision.
• Includes specific attributes from HPMS 2020 such as State_Code, Route_ID, and F_SYSTEM, enabling detailed analysis.

Limitations

• The exact number of tabular rows and columns is unspecified, making initial data schema exploration necessary.
• Attribute definitions require external reference to a data dictionary, adding a step for full comprehension.

Provenance

Source

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation/Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD).

Collection Method

Conflated from the HPMS 2020 Geometric network, transferring attributes like State_Code and Route_ID, with calibration of linear referencing points.

Time Range

Based on HPMS 2020 data; specific temporal coverage of road segments is not explicitly stated.

Freshness

Updated on August 08, 2025, with a metadata last updated date of September 05, 2025.

Geography

United States.