Major Thoroughfare Plan

Major Thoroughfare Plan Purpose             

The Major Thoroughfare Plan (MTP) is a graphic illustration of the long-range plan that identifies the general alignments and functional classifications of roadway facilities that are needed to meet projected long-term transportation needs within the county. It is also used to develop appropriately sized transportation facilities to serve the needs of the community as development occurs. The MTP is not a list of construction projects; please refer to the Five Year Project Plan within Jefferson County's most recent adopted budget for a list of planned public improvement projects over the next five years.

The last update to the MTP was adopted by the Jefferson County Planning Commission, which is authorized to approve updates and changes to the MTP, on January 10, 2018.

Plan Considerations

The MTP displays all existing and future roadway alignments with a functional classification of collector or higher within Jefferson County. Please note that the actual alignments of “proposed” roadways may vary somewhat from this plan and will be determined through the development process and the preliminary engineering phase of design. The plan does not show local roadways because they function to provide access to individual sites and parcels, so their ultimate alignments vary depending upon individual land development plans. Local roadway alignments are determined by the County in conjunction with land owners as part of the development process.

Functional Classification 

An effective transportation system is a network of roadways that provide a continuum of mobility and access.

The functional classification determines where on the mobility and access continuum a roadway serves. Each roadway segment contributes to the interconnectivity of the network, and the network is designed based on a hierarchy of functional classifications, from freeways to arterial and collector streets, to the local street network. Each roadway link is intended to function according to its design and distribute traffic from the highest functional classification to the lowest design classification. The table below summarizes the different functional classifications of roadways, as well as typical associated design criteria, within Jefferson County. Please refer to the Jefferson County Transportation Design and Construction Manual for more details.

Please refer to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Webpage for proposed and existing bicycle facilities on Jefferson County roadways.