One-, two-, and three-digit shields and tollway shield |
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| System information | |
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| Maintained by Secretariat of Communications and Transportation | |
| Highway names | |
| Federal: | Federal Highway X (Fed. X) |
Mexican Federal Highways, are roads maintained and built by the federal government of Mexico, through the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (in Spanish: SecretarÃa de Comunicaciones y Transportes, SCT). The Federal Highways in Mexico can be classified as high speed roads with restricted access and low speed roads with open access. Some Federal Highways charge a toll (cuota).
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Restricted access roads, known as Autopistas or Supercarreteras, are limited access expressways with predetermined points-of-access interchanges. Access to these roads is generally prohibited for pedestrians and animal traction vehicles, as fences are located at a side of the road for most of the length. Autopistas are a divided highway with 4 or more lanes. Supercarreteras are always two-lane highways and are most commonly found in mountain areas. The maximum speed limit is 110 km/h (68 mph) for cars and 95 km/h (59 mph) for buses and trucks. In some cases, the maximum speed can be 120 km/h (75 mph).
Low speed/open access roads, known as Autopistas or Carreteras, conform the majority of the road network. Autopistas are a divided highway with 4 or more lanes. Most of these Autopistas were single carriageway roads converted into dual carriageway by building an adjacent road body next to the existing one. Carreteras are free and in most cases two-lane highways that cover almost all of Mexico. These roads have interchanges at major roads, but most intersections are at-grade. The maximum speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mph) for cars and 95 km/h (59 mph) for buses and trucks.
North-south highways are assigned odd numbers, east-west highway are identified by even numbers. The start of the numbering schema is located on the northwest of the country.
There are two exceptions to the numbering schema: Federal Highway 14 from Uruapan, MICH to Morelia, MICH located in the mid-west of the country and Federal Highway M-40 the new Mexico City orbital road.