Create a route

Available with Location Referencing license.

Routes are created in an LRS Network using centerline features that define the location and geometry of a route.

The centerline features used to create routes can exist in the centerline feature class, be digitized into the centerline feature class (using aerial photography or other basemaps for guidance), be copied and pasted from other feature classes, or be imported from CAD files or other ArcGIS-supported data sources.

Note:

• The centerline and network feature classes must be present in the map to run this tool.
• An additional attribute table appears in the Create Route pane if your network feature class has extra fields. You can enter a route name here if your network is configured to use a user-generated route ID.
• Gap calibration rules are followed when creating routes.

1. Add the centerline and network feature class to a map.

   You can also open a map in which the centerline and network feature class is already present.

   Note:

   The information model expects only one centerline at any given location. Ensure that the centerlines you're using for your edit do not overlap other centerlines in your LRS.

   Note:

   Traditionally versioned networks must be edited through a direct connection to the geodatabase. Branch versioned networks, including any network configured with a user-generated route ID, must be edited through a feature service.

2. Zoom in to the location where you want to create the route.

   Note:

   The centerline features for the route must exist in the centerline feature class before creating the route.

   

3. On the Location Referencing tab, in the Routes group, click Create .

   

   The Create Route pane appears with the Select By Rectangle option selected by default.

4. Use your mouse to select one or more centerlines by rectangle at the location of the new route.

   You can also click the Select one or more centerlines drop-down arrow to choose one of the remaining selection tools: Select By Polygon , Select By Lasso , Select By Circle , Select By Line , or Select By Trace .

   Alternatively, you can use the interactive selection tools on the Map tab on the ArcGIS Pro ribbon:

   The selected centerlines are highlighted on the map and the Allow choosing of one or more centerlines button appears in the Create Route pane. The Selected Centerlines count is shown above the table.

   Tip:

   • The direction of digitization determines the direction of calibration, increasing in the direction of digitization. You can reverse direction for the chosen centerlines using the Flip the direction of the centerlines button .
   • You can keep the chosen centerlines after creating the route.

   

5. Click the Allow choosing of one or more centerlines button .

   A table appears in the Create Route pane with each chosen centerline in a numbered row that corresponds to the selection order. Chosen centerlines are numbered on the map and highlighted. The Chosen Centerlines count is shown below the table.

   

6. Optionally, change the centerline selection order table by choosing one or more table rows and using the buttons below the table to reorder the selection. You can also drag rows into the desired order.

   Changes in the table selection order are also shown on the map.

   Tools available in the centerlines table

   Tool	Tool name	Tool description
   	Allow choosing one or more centerlines	Allows you to choose the centerlines in the map and displays them in a table by order of selection. Use the move buttons below the table or drag rows to reorder the chosen centerlines.
   	Clear the currently chosen centerlines	Clears the chosen centerlines and keeps the selected centerlines. You can reselect after clicking this button or click the Allow choosing one or more centerlines button a second time.
   	Move chosen centerlines up	Moves one or more selected centerlines up a row in the table order.
   	Move chosen centerlines to the top	Moves one or more centerlines to the top of the table order.
   	Move chosen centerlines down	Moves one or more centerlines down a row in the table order.
   	Move chosen centerlines to the bottom	Moves one or more centerlines to the bottom of the table order.
   	Flip the direction of the centerlines	Reverses the direction of the chosen centerlines.
   	Remove the chosen centerlines	Removes the chosen centerline from the table order but leaves it selected.

   Tip:

   To change the display field shown in the centerlines table, right-click the centerline feature class in the Contents pane and choose Properties from the context menu. On the Layer Properties dialog box, click the Display tab, and click the Display field drop-down arrow to change its value. In the previous image, the display field is OBJECTID.

7. Choose the Network to which the new route will be added.

   Note:

   To edit using feature services, the LRS Network must be published with the linear referencing and version management capabilities.

   Depending on the network configuration you are using, you may have a multifield route ID to enter. If that's the case, the following Create Route pane will appear with Route ID Attributes:

8. Provide a Route ID.

   The route ID must be unique for the chosen network. If you're using a multifield route ID, create the route ID by selecting or entering values for the fields that comprise the route ID. This is configured using the Create LRS Network From Existing Dataset tool.

   The screen capture above shows the Route ID Attributes that are used to create the route ID.

9. Click the Calendar button next to Start Date to choose a start date for the route.

   Tip:

   You can also double-click the Start Date text box to automatically populate it with today's date, or type a date in the Start Date text box.

10. Type a value in the From Measure text box. The default is 0.000.

    If you don't know the From Measure value, you can do the following to calculate one by subtracting the geometrical length of the centerline from the To Measure value:

    1. Type a value in the To Measure text box.
    2. Click the Recalculate From Measure button next to the From Measure text box.
11. Update the To Measure value if necessary.

    The To Measure value is automatically populated with the geometric length of the chosen centerline by default.

    Note:

    • Z-values are considered when calculating the geometric length of the centerlines.
    • Centerlines and routes support z-values.

    If you don't know the To Measure value, you can do the following to allow Location Referencing to calculate one by calculating the count of the To Measure value and From Measure value:

    1. Update the From Measure value if necessary.
    2. Click the Recalculate To Measure button next to the To Measure text box.
12. Fill in additional field attributes in the network feature class as necessary.

    The attribute fields in the Create Route pane support coded value and range domains. This is helpful when you want to limit attribute values to a predefined list or range of values.

13. Click Run.

    The route is created, and calibration points are added at the ends of the route with the From Measure and To Measure values.

    Tip:

    Click Identify Routes on the Location Referencing tab and select the new route in the map to view details about it.

    

    Note:

    You can keep the centerlines chosen after creating the route.

Complex route creation scenarios

The following sections provide examples of complex route creation, including loop, lollipop, branch, alpha, barbell, and infinity routes.

Create a loop route

In the following example, four centerlines (CL1, CL2, CL3, and CL4) are used to create a loop route.

Calibration points are added at the start of the loop (0), end of the loop (10), and at a third (3.33) and two-thirds of the loop (6.67).

Create a lollipop route

In the following example, two centerlines (CL1, CL2) are used to create a lollipop route.

RouteX is created with calibration points at the start of the stick portion (0), the end of the loop portion (12), and at a third (5.33) and two-thirds of the loop portion (8.67).

In the second example, two centerlines (CL1, CL2) with different directions compared to the example above are used to create a lollipop route.

RouteX is created with calibration points at the start of the loop portion (0), at a third (3.33) and two-thirds of the loop portion (6.67), and in the stick portion (12) at the end of the lollipop.

Create a branch route

In the following example, two centerlines (CL1, CL2) are used to create a branch route.

RouteX is created with calibration points at the start of the branch, the end of the branch, and at the start and end of an imaginary branch edge.

In the second example, two centerlines (CL1, CL2) are used to create a branch route.

RouteX is created with calibration points at the start of the branch, the end of the branch, and at the start and end of an imaginary branch edge.

Create an alpha route

In the following example, three centerlines (CL1, CL2, CL3) are used to create an alpha route.

RouteX is created with calibration points at the start (0) and end (16) of the alpha portion, and at a third (6.33) and two-thirds (9.67) of the loop portion.

Create a barbell route

In the following example, three centerlines (CL1, CL2, CL3) are used to create a barbell route.

RouteX is created with calibration points at the start (0) and end (18) of the barbell, and at a third (2.67 and 12.67) and two-thirds (5.33 and 15.33) of each loop portion.

Create an infinity route that starts and ends at an intersection

In the following example, one centerline (CL1) is used to create an infinity loop route that starts and ends at an intersection.

RouteX is created with calibration points at the start (0) and end (20) of the infinity route, and at a third (3.33 and 13.33) and two-thirds (6.67 and 16.67) of each loop portion.

In the following example, one centerline (CL1) is used to create an infinity loop that starts and ends on a loop.

RouteX is created with calibration points at the start (0) and end (10) of the infinity route, and at the middle (1.25 and 8.75) of every path from the base of the primary loop to each secondary loop. In this example, that is at a third (4.17) and two-thirds (5.83) of the secondary loop.

A route in a line network with a multifield route ID

Note:

Use the previous steps to create routes in a line network with a multifield route ID.

The following examples show route creation in a line network with a multifield route ID.

In the first example, there are two existing routes on a line, R1 and R2. A new route, R3, is created by selecting CL1 at the beginning of the existing routes on the line. Consequently, the line order is updated for the existing downstream routes R1 and R2.

Example 1: Input Measures

Route ID	From Measure	To Measure	Line Order
R1	14	20	100
R2	24	30	200

Example 1: Output Measures

Route ID	From Measure	To Measure	Line Order
R3	1	10	100
R1	14	20	200
R2	24	30	300

In the second example, there are two existing routes on a line, R1 and R2. A new route, R3, is created by selecting CL2 in the middle of existing routes in a line. Consequently, the line order of the existing downstream route, R2, is updated, while the line order of upstream route R1 remains same.

Example 2: Input Measures

Route ID	From Measure	To Measure	Line Order
R1	1	10	100
R2	24	30	200

Example 2: Output Measures

Route ID	From Measure	To Measure	Line Order
R1	1	10	100
R3	14	20	200
R2	24	30	300

In the third example, there are two existing routes on a line: R2, and a gapped route, R1. CL2 is located inside the R1 gap. A new route, R3, is created by selecting CL2 in the middle of the existing routes on the line. Consequently, the line order of the existing downstream route R2 is updated to 300. The line order of the upstream route, R1, remains the same.

Example 3: Input Measures

Route ID	From Measure	To Measure	Line Order
R1	1	15	100
R2	17	20	200

Example 3: Output Measures

Route ID	From Measure	To Measure	Line Order
R1	1	15	100
R3	14	20	200
R2	17	20	300