2019 U.S. Primary and Secondary Road Network Shapefiles

U.S. Census Bureau shapefiles contain geographic data for primary and secondary roads across the United States. Primary roads are divided, limited-access highways like interstates, while secondary roads include main arteries like U.S. and State Highways. The data is extracted from the Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database.

Use Cases

• Map primary road networks using the MAF/TIGER Feature Classification Code (MTFCC) S1100 for interstate and state-managed highways.
• Analyze secondary road connectivity and intersections using MTFCC S1200 for U.S., State, and County Highway system arteries.
• Combine standalone state-based shapefiles to create a seamless national road network layer without overlaps or gaps.

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative U.S. Census Bureau MAF/TIGER Database, ensuring national coverage.
• Shapefiles are topologically integrated, representing a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts.
• Includes specific MAF/TIGER Feature Classification Codes (MTFCC S1100 and S1200) for precise road type identification.

Limitations

• Data is from 2019 and may not reflect recent road construction, closures, or changes.
• Unknown row count and file size limit ability to assess the dataset's scale and processing requirements.
• Lacks detailed column information, making specific attribute analysis difficult without inspecting the files.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Extracted from the Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB).

Time Range

2019

Freshness

Last updated in January 2021, but the underlying data represents the 2019 series.

Geography

United States