Road Closures FAQ

This FAQ section provides answers to commonly asked questions about this solution.

• How are road closures modeled?
• Can I track closures caused by construction, special events, and emergency incidents?
• How do I ensure that I closed the right road?
• What if I do not know when the road closure will end?
• Can I map a recurring road closure?
• Can I map a partial road closure?
• Can I map a road closure that impacts one direction of travel?
• How do I specify that an intersection is open to through traffic?
• How do I specify that an intersection is closed to through traffic?
• How do I specify specific lanes of travel at an interchange, or intersection are closed to through traffic?
• How do I specify a road is closed for an emergency incident?
• Do I need to add blocks at each intersection?
• How can I share my road closure data with consumer mapping companies?
• Which consumer mapping applications is Esri partnering with?
• Does Esri Community Maps replace support for the Waze Connected Citizens Program provided previously with the Road Closures solution?
• Do I need to use the Road Closures solution to participate in Esri Community Maps?
• Can I modify the Road Closures layers and still participate in Esri Community Maps?
• How frequently is road closure data aggregated?
• How is road closures data licensed and shared?
• Will the detour routes that I map be used by consumer mapping applications to route traffic?
• Will every closure I map be visible in consumer mapping applications?
• Can I access the Community Maps aggregated feed?

How are road closures modeled?

The Road Closures solution models closures and detours as unique linear features and helps you populate required attribution. Blocks are point features that may be used to indicate where a barrier is set up on a road to prevent traffic from passing.

Can I track closures caused by construction, special events, and emergency incidents?

Yes, the Road Closures solution can be used to inventory closures that may be caused by construction activity, special events, and hazards.

How do I ensure that I closed the right road?

The road name is automatically populated when you map a new closure. Verify the road name as you create each road closure and override any incorrect road name.

What if I do not know when the road closure will end?

The start and end date and time must be populated when you map a new road closure. If you do not know exactly when the closure will end, populate the road closure with an estimated end date and time and update it regularly during the construction project, special event, or emergency incident.

Can I map a recurring road closure?

Yes, there are two methods that can be used to map a recurring road closure. You can create a unique feature for each road closure and populate the appropriate start and end dates and times. You can also map the initial road closure, populate the start and end date and time and then routinely update the start and end dates and times.

Can I map a partial road closure?

Yes, you can specify whether a road closure impacts all lanes or some lanes.

Can I map a road closure that impacts one direction of travel?

Yes, you can specify whether a road closure impacts one direction or both directions of travel. If you want to specify that a road closure only impacts a single direction, draw the road closure in the direction of travel.

How do I specify that an intersection is open to through traffic?

To specify an intersection is open to through traffic, draw a series of road closure lines that stop at each intersection.

How do I specify that an intersection is closed to through traffic?

To specify an intersection is closed to through traffic, draw a single road closure line that crosses each intersection.

How do I specify specific lanes of travel at an interchange, or intersection are closed to through traffic?

To specify a lane of travel is closed to through traffic, draw a single road closure line in the direction of travel for each lane closure. Repeat for each lane closure at a given interchange, or intersection.

How do I specify a road is closed for an emergency incident?

To specify a road is closed for an emergency incident, create a new closure feature for each impacted road. Ensure the Reason field is set to Hazard, the Active Incident field is set to Yes, and a description of the emergency incident is provided in the Description field. Verify all other required fields are also correctly populated.

Do I need to add blocks at each intersection?

No, blocks are not required at each intersection, but they can be used by your community to identify where barriers have been placed.

How can I share my road closure data with consumer mapping companies?

Deploy the Road Closures solution and use it to map closures in your community. When your organization is ready to share road closures with residents and visitors, you can join Esri Community Maps and share your road closure information with Esri. Esri Community Maps regularly aggregates each participating organization's road closure data into a single road closure layer and shares the aggregated closure information with consumer mapping companies that partner with Esri.

Which consumer mapping applications is Esri partnering with?

Esri is building partnerships with several leading consumer mapping applications. Multiple partnerships means that your authoritative data can be accessed by a larger number of residents, commuters, travelers, and so on. A current list of partners can be found here.

Does Esri Community Maps replace support for the Waze Connected Citizens Program provided previously with the Road Closures solution?

Yes, Esri Community Maps is designed to replace support we had previously for the Waze Connected Citizens Program.

Do I need to use the Road Closures solution to participate in Esri Community Maps?

Esri Community Maps contributors do not need to use the Road Closures application included in the solution to maintain road closure data, but closure data must be shared in the format and layers included in the Road Closures solution.

Can I modify the Road Closures layers and still participate in Esri Community Maps?

Existing field names, aliases, and choice lists can not be altered but additional fields and choice lists can be added to meet an organization's specific needs.

How frequently is road closure data aggregated?

Currently, Esri Community Maps aggregates contributor's road closure data every 15 minutes.

How is road closures data licensed and shared?

Aggregated road closures data is licensed under a Creative Common by Attribution license (CC BY 4.0) and shared privately with Esri partners.

Will the detour routes that I map be used by consumer mapping applications to route traffic?

No, detour routes will not be used by consumer mapping applications to route traffic.

Will every closure I map be visible in consumer mapping applications?

No, every closure may not be visible in consumer mapping applications. Consumer mapping applications use other data sources to validate closure information and may not display a partial closure on their map if they observe vehicular traffic along the road way.

Can I access the Community Maps aggregated feed?

Yes, the Community Maps aggregated feed can be accessed by Community Maps Contributors that are actively sharing road closure data for use by Esri and it's partners. Access is granted for use within a respective ArcGIS Online organization, public sharing is not allowed. Visit the ArcGIS Marketplace for more details.