Wegnet

Wegnet is a term used to describe the road network within a country or region. It encompasses the interconnected system of roads, streets, and supporting infrastructure that enables land transport for people and goods. A wegnet typically includes major highways, arterial roads, collector roads, and local streets, along with associated elements such as bridges, tunnels, interchanges, roundabouts, and access points.

The wegnet is usually organized by a functional hierarchy that reflects traffic flow and accessibility. Arterials carry through traffic and provide high-capacity routes between urban areas. Collectors gather traffic from local streets and distribute it to arterials, while local roads give direct access to properties. The network’s performance depends on the design and operation of intersections, interchanges, and traffic management devices, as well as the availability of multimodal connections.

Management and data about the wegnet are typically maintained by public authorities at national, regional, and municipal levels. Road registries, planning documents, and traffic inventories record geometry, length, speed limits, capacity, restrictions, and maintenance status. Open data initiatives and mapping platforms, including crowdsourced sources, contribute to the current understanding of the wegnet. In transport analysis, the wegnet is modeled as a graph with nodes representing intersections and edges representing road segments, enabling calculations of connectivity, traffic flow, and network resilience.

Planning and policy focus on improving accessibility, efficiency, safety, and sustainability within the wegnet. This includes maintenance scheduling, capacity expansion, incident management, and the integration of public transit, cycling, and pedestrian networks.

See also: road classification, transport network, geographic information systems.