Highway Priority
| Priority | Definition |
|---|---|
| Priority 1 Roads | These roads include the Maine Turnpike, the interstate system and key principal arterials designated as the National HIghway System (NHS) like State Route 9 Brewer- Calais, US Route 2 Newport-Gilead and US Route 1 Houlton-Madawaska. The 1,873 miles of Priority 1 highway represent only 8 percent of the miles, but carry fully 40 percent of all vehicle miles traveled in Maine. |
| Priority 2 Roads | These roads include high-priority, non-NHS arterials like State Route 161 Caribou-Ft. Kent, State Route 15 Bangor-Greenville, US Route 1 Ellsworth-Eastport, State Route 4 Farmington-Rangeley. The HCP 2 roads total about 1,252 miles. They represent about 5 percent of the total miles of roadway and carry 18 percent of overall traffic. |
| Priority 3 Roads | These roads generally are the remaining arterials and major collector highways. They include corridors like US Route 202 China-Hampden, State Route 5 Cornish-Fryburg, State Route 6 Lincoln-Topsfield, US Route 1 Baileyville-Houlton. These 1,257 miles represent 5 percent of miles, and carry 12 percent of the traffic. |
| Priority 4 Roads | These roads generally are the remainder of the major collector highways, minor collector highways, and often also part of Maine's unique state aid system, in which road responsibilities are shared between the state and municipalities. These 4,670 miles represent about 20 percent of total miles, and carry 17 percent of the traffic.
(Priority 1-3 roadways are 19% of public road miles and carry 70% of all VMT.) (Priority 1-4 roadways are 39% of public road miles and carry 87% of all VMT.) |
| Priority 5 Roads | These roads are local roads and streets, and are the year-round responsibility of our municipal partners. Though they carry just 13 percent of the statewide traffic, these 14,446 miles make up 61 percent of the total miles. |