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 on the map to run this tool.
  • An additional attribute table appears in the Create Route pane if the network feature class has extra fields. You can provide a route name here if the 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.

    Alternatively, open a map in which the centerline and network feature class are 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 the LRS.

    Note:

    Traditionally versioned networks must be edited through a direct connection to the geodatabase. Branch versioned networks, including networks 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.

    Identifying the route to be added in the network
  3. On the Location Referencing tab, in the Routes group, click Create Create.
    Location Referencing tab with the Create button highlighted

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

  4. 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 and choose one of the other selection tools: Select By Polygon Select by Polygon, Select By Lasso Select by Lasso, Select By Circle Select by Circle, Select By Line Select by Line, or Select By Trace Select By Trace.

    Alternatively, 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 Allow choosing of one or more centerlines 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 Flip the direction of the centerlines.
    • You can keep the chosen centerlines after creating the route.
    • If the centerline was created as a curve, Roads and Highways converts the curve into a densified polyline feature.
    Choosing the centerline on the map
  5. Click the Allow choosing of one or more centerlines button Allow choosing of one or more centerlines.

    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.

    Create Route pane with Route ID Attributes
  6. Optionally, choose one or more rows from the Order column and use the buttons below the table to change the centerline selection order. You can also drag rows to change the order.

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

    Tools available in the centerlines table

    ToolTool nameTool description
    Allow choosing of one or more centerlines

    Allow choosing of one or more centerlines

    Allows you to choose the centerlines on 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

    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

    Move chosen centerlines up

    Moves one or more selected centerlines up a row in the table order.

    Move chosen centerlines to the top

    Move chosen centerlines to the top

    Moves one or more centerlines to the top of the table order.

    Move chosen centerlines down

    Move chosen centerlines down

    Moves one or more centerlines down a row in the table order.

    Move chosen centerlines to the bottom

    Move chosen centerlines to the bottom

    Moves one or more centerlines to the bottom of the table order.

    Flip the direction of the centerlines

    Flip the direction of the centerlines

    Reverses the direction of the chosen centerlines.

    Remove 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 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. Click the Network drop-down arrow and choose the network to which you want to add a route.
    Note:

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

    Depending on the network configuration you are using, you may have a multifield route ID to provide. If that's the case, the Create Route pane appears with Route ID Attributes to configure attributes.

  8. Click the Calendar button Calendar next to Start Date and 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 provide a date in the Start Date text box.

  9. Provide a Route ID value.

    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 providing values for the fields that comprise the route ID. This is configured using the Create LRS Network From Existing Dataset tool.

    The image above shows Route ID Attributes with attributes that are used to create the route ID.

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

    To calculate the from measure value, do the following:

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

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

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

    To calculate the to measure value, do the following:

    1. Update the From Measure value if necessary.
    2. Click the Recalculate To Measure button Recalculate To Measure 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.
    Note:

    If your route edit will result in the introduction of one or more physical gaps on the route, a prompt appears to alert you before the tool is run. If you don't plan to create a gapped route, answer No and edit the digitized centerlines so that no gaps result during route editing.

    If the route being edited already had one or more physical gaps, and no more physical gaps were introduced by the edit, no prompt will appear.

    You can prevent unplanned centerlines by enabling snapping in the active map, or by enabling snapping using the Edit tab, Snapping group, Snapping button List By Snapping.

    You can disable this warning by unchecking Warn before allowing route edits that can create physical gaps in Location Referencing options.

    Tip:

    Click Identify Routes Identify Routes in the Tools group on the Location Referencing tab, and click the new route to view information about it.

    Alternatively, move the pointer over the route to display route and measure information on the map. The route and measure update as you move the pointer. If multiple routes and measures exist at a location, all of them are shown.

    You can set map scale options for the display of route and measure information on the Options dialog box, on the Location Referencing tab.

    New route with start measure and end measure values
    Note:

    You can keep the centerlines chosen after creating the route.

Complex route creation scenarios

Examples of complex route creation, including loop, lollipop, branch, alpha, barbell, and infinity routes are described below.

Loop route

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

Four centerlines 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).

The output is a loop route with four calibration points

Lollipop route

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

Two centerlines 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).

A lollipop route is created with four calibration points

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

Two centerlines 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.

A lollipop route is created with four calibration points

Branch route

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

Two centerlines 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.

A branch route is created with four calibration points

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

Two centerlines 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.

A branch route is created with four calibration points

Alpha route

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

Three centerlines 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.

An alpha route is created with four calibration points

Barbell route

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

Three centerlines 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.

A barbell route is created with six calibration points

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:

One centerline is used to create an infinity route

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.

One centerline is used to create an infinity route

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

One centerline is used to create an infinity route

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 in the primary loop, and at a third (4.17) and two-thirds (5.83) of the secondary loop.

An infinity route is created with six calibration points

Create a route in a line network

The following examples show route creation in a line network.

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 IDFrom MeasureTo MeasureLine Order

R1

14

20

100

R2

24

30

200

Example 1 Input: There are two existing routes on a line, R1 and R2.

Example 1: Output Measures

Route IDFrom MeasureTo MeasureLine Order

R3

1

10

100

R1

14

20

200

R2

24

30

300

Example 1 Output: A new route, R3, is created by selecting CL1 at the beginning of the existing routes; the line order of existing routes is updated.

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 IDFrom MeasureTo MeasureLine Order

R1

1

10

100

R2

24

30

200

Example 2 Input: There are two existing routes on a line, R1 and R2, with CL2 in the middle.

Example 2: Output Measures

Route IDFrom MeasureTo MeasureLine Order

R1

1

10

100

R3

14

20

200

R2

24

30

300

Example 2 Output: A new route, R3, is created by selecting CL2 in the middle of existing routes in a line.

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 IDFrom MeasureTo MeasureLine Order

R1

1

15

100

R2

17

20

200

Example 3 Input Measures: There are two existing routes on a line, R2, and a gapped route, R1.

Example 3: Output Measures

Route IDFrom MeasureTo MeasureLine Order

R1

1

15

100

R3

14

20

200

R2

17

20

300

Example 3 Output Measures: A new route, R3, is created by selecting CL2 and the line order of R2 is updated.