WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) has introduced bipartisan legislation into the 119th Congress aimed at improving the public’s access to map and road records.
The Modernizing Access to Public Roads (MAPRoads) Act would establish a five-year pilot program through the U.S. Department of Transportation to implement map standardization, improve road access and resolve user challenges.
“In a time when the vast majority of us carry a digital map in our pockets,” Moore explains, “many areas of the county still rely on outdated physical maps that lack standardization and are often inaccessible.”
The MAPRoads Act would support map digitization while continuing efforts to make public records more convenient and organized.
Many rural counties throughout the United States still rely on outdated or incomplete maps for official road records, according to Moore’s staff in Washington.
Most of the public roads in the United States are digitized through official sources like the U.S. Census Bureau and the Federal Highway Administration. As of 2023, the U.S. had about 4.2 million statute miles of public roads in total.
The degree to which these are mapped with high-definition accuracy varies by road type, with major interstates being the most comprehensively mapped.
The total digitized mileage figures can differ depending on the source, as some databases categorize road types differently or include unpaved rural routes.
Moreover, no consistent data on private road mileage currently exists.
Lacking standardization and accessibility, outdated or incomplete maps throughout the U.S. create unnecessary challenges for emergency responders; freight and commerce operations; outdoor recreationists; and the tourism industry.
Moore’s proposed legislation would support county road digitization efforts by converting paper and other outdated formats into standardized data sets.
The proposal would also create statewide road data repositories that would be publicly accessible and compatible with third-party mapping platforms. Those would clearly distinguish between public and private roads.
Additionally, the MAPRoads Act would support data conversion by allow states to utilize federal grant funds for personnel training or hiring contractors for data conversion.
Moore’s proposed legislation is closely modeled after legislation he introduced into the 118th Congress dubbed the Modernizing Access to our Public Waters (MAPWaters) Act.
That proposal was passed by the House on Dec. 18, during the lame duck session following the 2024 presidential election.
The Modernizing Access to Public Roads (MAPRoads) Act is being co-sponsored by Representatives Val Hoyle (D-OR), Jeff Hurd (R-CO) and Susie Lee (D-NV).
“By making this (road) data more digitally available,” More adds, “it will benefit outdoor enthusiasts, emergency response personnel, freight and commerce operators, tourists and many others who routinely navigate open roads and access our public lands.”