National Highway System
In General.—
For the purposes of this title, the Federal-aid system is the National Highway System, which includes the Interstate System.
National Highway System.—
Description.—
The National Highway System consists of the highway routes and connections to transportation facilities that shall—
serve major population centers, international border crossings, ports, airports, public transportation facilities, and other intermodal transportation facilities and other major travel destinations;
meet national defense requirements; and
serve interstate and interregional travel and commerce.
Components.—
The National Highway System described in paragraph (1) consists of the following:
The National Highway System depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary of Transportation to Congress with the report entitled “Pulling Together: The National Highway System and its Connections to Major Intermodal Terminals” and dated
Other urban and rural principal arterial routes, and border crossings on those routes, that were not included on the National Highway System before the date of enactment of the MAP–21.
Other connector highways (including toll facilities) that were not included in the National Highway System before the date of enactment of the MAP–21 but that provide motor vehicle access between arterial routes on the National Highway System and a major intermodal transportation facility.
A strategic highway network that—
consists of a network of highways that are important to the United States strategic defense policy, that provide defense access, continuity, and emergency capabilities for the movement of personnel, materials, and equipment in both peacetime and wartime, and that were not included on the National Highway System before the date of enactment of the MAP–21;
may include highways on or off the Interstate System; and
shall be designated by the Secretary, in consultation with appropriate Federal agencies and the States.
Major strategic highway network connectors that—
consist of highways that provide motor vehicle access between major military installations and highways that are part of the strategic highway network but were not included on the National Highway System before the date of enactment of the MAP–21; and
shall be designated by the Secretary, in consultation with appropriate Federal agencies and the States.
Modifications to nhs.—
In general.—
The Secretary may make any modification to the National Highway System, including any modification consisting of a connector to a major intermodal terminal or the withdrawal of a road from that system, that is proposed by a State if the Secretary determines that the modification—
meets the criteria established for the National Highway System under this title after the date of enactment of the MAP–21; and
enhances the national transportation characteristics of the National Highway System; or
in the case of the withdrawal of a road, is reasonable and appropriate.
Cooperation.—
In general.—
In proposing a modification under this paragraph, a State shall cooperate with local and regional officials.
Urbanized areas.—
In an urbanized area, the local officials shall act through the metropolitan planning organization designated for the area under section 134.
Interstate System.—
Description.—
In general.—
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways within the United States (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) consists of highways designed, located, and selected in accordance with this paragraph.
Design.—
In general.—
Except as provided in clause (ii), highways on the Interstate System shall be designed in accordance with the standards of section 109(b).
Exception.—
Highways on the Interstate System in Alaska and Puerto Rico shall be designed in accordance with such geometric and construction standards as are adequate for current and probable future traffic demands and the needs of the locality of the highway.
Location.—
Highways on the Interstate System shall be located so as—
to connect by routes, as direct as practicable, the principal metropolitan areas, cities, and industrial centers;
to serve the national defense; and
to the maximum extent practicable, to connect at suitable border points with routes of continental importance in Canada and Mexico.
Selection of routes.—
To the maximum extent practicable, each route of the Interstate System shall be selected by joint action of the State transportation departments of the State in which the route is located and the adjoining States, in cooperation with local and regional officials, and subject to the approval of the Secretary.
Maximum mileage.—
The mileage of highways on the Interstate System shall not exceed 43,000 miles, exclusive of designations under paragraph (4).
Modifications.—
The Secretary may approve or require modifications to the Interstate System in a manner consistent with the policies and procedures established under this subsection.
Interstate system designations.—
Additions.—
If the Secretary determines that a highway on the National Highway System meets all standards of a highway on the Interstate System and that the highway is a logical addition or connection to the Interstate System, the Secretary may, upon the affirmative recommendation of the State or States in which the highway is located, designate the highway as a route on the Interstate System.
Designations as future interstate system routes.—
In general.—
Subject to clauses (ii) through (vi), if the Secretary determines that a highway on the National Highway System would be a logical addition or connection to the Interstate System and would qualify for designation as a route on the Interstate System under subparagraph (A) if the highway met all standards of a highway on the Interstate System, the Secretary may, upon the affirmative recommendation of the State or States in which the highway is located, designate the highway as a future Interstate System route.
Written agreement.—
A designation under clause (i) shall be made only upon the written agreement of each State described in that clause that the highway will be constructed to meet all standards of a highway on the Interstate System by not later than the date that is 25 years after the date of the agreement.
Failure to complete construction.—
If a State described in clause (i) has not substantially completed the construction of a highway designated under this subparagraph by the date specified in clause (ii), the Secretary shall remove the designation of the highway as a future Interstate System route.
Effect of removal.—
Removal of the designation of a highway under clause (iii) shall not preclude the Secretary from designating the highway as a route on the Interstate System under subparagraph (A) or under any other provision of law providing for addition to the Interstate System.
Retroactive effect.—
An agreement described in clause (ii) that is entered into before
References.—
No law, rule, regulation, map, document, or other record of the United States, or of any State or political subdivision of a State, shall refer to any highway designated as a future Interstate System route under this subparagraph, and no such highway shall be signed or marked, as a highway on the Interstate System, until such time as the highway—
is constructed to the geometric and construction standards for the Interstate System; and
has been designated as a route on the Interstate System.
Financial responsibility.—
Except as provided in this title, the designation of a highway under this paragraph shall create no additional Federal financial responsibility with respect to the highway.
Exemption of interstate system.—
In general.—
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Interstate System shall not be considered to be a historic site under section 303 of title 49 or section 138 of this title, regardless of whether the Interstate System or portions or elements of the Interstate System are listed on, or eligible for listing on, the National Register of Historic Places.
Individual elements.—
Subject to subparagraph (C)—
the Secretary shall determine, through the administrative process established for exempting the Interstate System from section 306108 of title 54, those individual elements of the Interstate System that possess national or exceptional historic significance (such as a historic bridge or a highly significant engineering feature); and
those elements shall be considered to be historic sites under section 303 of title 49 or section 138 of this title, as applicable.
Construction, maintenance, restoration, and rehabilitation activities.—
Subparagraph (B) does not prohibit a State from carrying out construction, maintenance, preservation, restoration, or rehabilitation activities for a portion of the Interstate System referred to in subparagraph (B) upon compliance with section 303 of title 49 or section 138 of this title, as applicable, and section 306108 of title 54.
Source
(Pub. L. 85–767,Notes
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Codification
Amendments
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2015 Amendment
Effective Date of 2012 Amendment
Effective Date of 1994 Amendment
Effective Date of 1991 Amendment
Effective Date of 1978 Amendment
Effective Date of 1973 Amendment
Effective Date of 1968 Amendment
Effective Date of 1962 Amendment
Effective Date of 1959 Amendment
State Flexibility for National Highway System Modifications
National Highway System Flexibility.—
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act [
to review roads classified as principal arterials in the State that were added to the National Highway System as of
to identify any necessary functional classification changes to rural and urban principal arterials.
Administrative Actions.—
The Secretary shall direct the division offices of the Federal Highway Administration to work with the applicable State department of transportation that requests assistance under this section—
to assist in the review of roads in accordance with guidance issued under subsection (a);
to expeditiously review and facilitate requests from States to reclassify roads classified as principal arterials; and
in the case of a State that requests the withdrawal of reclassified roads from the National Highway System under section 103(b)(3) of title 23, United States Code, to carry out that withdrawal if the inclusion of the reclassified road in the National Highway System is not consistent with the needs and priorities of the community or region in which the reclassified road is located.
National Highway System Modification Regulations.—
The Secretary shall—
review the National Highway System modification process described in appendix D of part 470 of title 23, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations); and
take any action necessary to ensure that a State may submit to the Secretary a request to modify the National Highway System by withdrawing a road from the National Highway System.
Report to Congress.—
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report that includes a description of—
each request for reclassification of National Highway System roads;
the status of each request; and
if applicable, the justification for the denial by the Secretary of a request.”
Real-time System Management Information Program
Establishment.—
In general.—
The Secretary [of Transportation] shall establish a real-time system management information program to provide, in all States, the capability to monitor, in real-time, the traffic and travel conditions of the major highways of the United States and to share that information to improve the security of the surface transportation system, to address congestion problems, to support improved response to weather events and surface transportation incidents, and to facilitate national and regional highway traveler information.
Purposes.—
The purposes of the real-time system management information program are to—
establish, in all States, a system of basic real-time information for managing and operating the surface transportation system;
identify longer range real-time highway and transit monitoring needs and develop plans and strategies for meeting such needs; and
provide the capability and means to share that data with State and local governments and the traveling public.
Data Exchange Formats.—
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act [
Regional Intelligent Transportation System Architecture.—
Addressing information needs.—
As State and local governments develop or update regional intelligent transportation system architectures, described in section 940.9 of title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, such governments shall explicitly address real-time highway and transit information needs and the systems needed to meet such needs, including addressing coverage, monitoring systems, data fusion and archiving, and methods of exchanging or sharing highway and transit information.
Data exchange.—
States shall incorporate the data exchange formats established by the Secretary [of Transportation] under subsection (b) to ensure that the data provided by highway and transit monitoring systems may readily be exchanged with State and local governments and may be made available to the traveling public.
Eligibility.—
Subject to project approval by the Secretary [of Transportation], a State may obligate funds apportioned to the State under [former] sections 104(b)(1), 104(b)(2), and 104(b)(3) of title 23, United States Code, for activities relating to the planning and deployment of real-time monitoring elements that advance the goals and purposes described in subsection (a).
Limitation on Statutory Construction.—
Nothing in this section shall be construed as altering or otherwise affecting the applicability of the requirements of chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code (including requirements relating to the eligibility of a project for assistance under the program, the location of the project, and the Federal-share payable on account of the project), to amounts apportioned to a State for a program under section 104(b) that are obligated by the State for activities and projects under this section.
Statewide Incident Reporting System Defined.—
In this section, the term ‘statewide incident reporting system’ means a statewide system for facilitating the real-time electronic reporting of surface transportation incidents to a central location for use in monitoring the event, providing accurate traveler information, and responding to the incident as appropriate.”
Freight Intermodal Distribution Pilot Grant Program
Administration of National Highway System and Interstate Maintenance Program
Unobligated Balances of Interstate Substitute Funds
Intermodal Freight Connectors Study
Functional Reclassification of Highways
State action.—
Each State shall functionally reclassify the roads and streets in such State in accordance with such guidelines and time schedule as the Secretary may establish in order to carry out the objectives of this section [amending this section and sections 101, 104 and 113 of this title and enacting provisions set out as a note under section 311 of this title], including the amendments made by this section.
Approval and submission to congress.—
Not later than
State defined.—
In this subsection, the term ‘State’ has the meaning such term has under section 101 of title 23, United States Code, and shall include the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas.”