Hierarchy of US Highways in your State

[GaryV]

Following from the Interstates thread of the same name ...  Which US highways are of most importance to your state?


For Michigan:

US-23
US-131
US-31
US-10
US-12
US-127
US-2
US-41
US-141
US-24
US-45
US-223
US-8

[hotdogPi]

Massachusetts:

1
20
3
6
44
7
202
5

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Stab at Minnesota:

1. US 169
2. US 10
3. US 52
4. US 61
5. US 12
6. US 2
7. US 212
8. US 14
9. US 8
10. US 71
11. US 75
12. US 59
13. (tie) US 65/US 69

Historically 61 and 65 would have been higher before parts of their routes suffered decommissioning within the state.

God dammit, I forgot US 63. I'd probably put that inbetween US 71 and US 75.

[hbelkins]

Kentucky:

23
127
25E
119
27
150
Southern Alternate 41

The above are pretty much free-standing routes.

68
60
431
31E
31W
460
231
41

With one exception, the above routes are significant only in portions (the exception being 431, which doesn't have a freeway companion). The remaining portions of the rest of them either parallel freeways or don't serve a particularly important corridor.

79
51
421
641

There are really no alternatives to these routes, but they don't serve particularly vital through corridors.

25
42
62
25W

All the above parallel freeways for their entirety, except for 62. It's not the best route between the Mississippi River and Paducah (that's KY 286) and the segment northeast of Versailles is not really that important, except between I-64 and Cynthiana.

Northern Alternate 41
Alternate 60

No need for these routes to be on the US system.

I'd be hard-pressed to do a ranking for West Virginia. I'd think 22 would rank number one, since it's a full freeway for its entire length across the state. Then 35, because it's such a heavily used commercial transportation route. Then the completed part of 48. Other US routes are only significant in portions (19, 33, 50, 52, 119), parallel interstates (11, 40, 60) or are generally just not vital through routes of any consequence (30, 219, 250). I realize that doesn't account for 220, 340 and 522, which do get a decent amount of through traffic, but I'm not really sure where to rank them.

[Thing 342]

Not really sure about definite rankings for VA, so I'll sort them into tiers.

Tier 1: 29, 58, 460. Cross-state routes that are mostly independent from Interstates.
Tier 2: 1, 11, 60, 301. Cross-state routes that, while still important, have been diminished in importance somewhat by interstates.
Tier 3: 17, 19, 23, 50, 52, 211, 220, 360, 421. Routes that are regionally important, but either only serve a portion of the state or are only important in certain portions.
Tier 4: 15, 21, 33, 250, 258, 340, 501, 522. Serve as "backdoor routes", connecting areas served by other, more major highways.
Tier 5: 11EW, 48, 219, 311. Mostly unimportant stubs necessary for connectivity.

[Pink Jazz]

Not really sure about definite rankings for VA, so I'll sort them into tiers.

Tier 1: 29, 58, 460. Cross-state routes that are mostly independent from Interstates.
Tier 2: 1, 11, 60, 301. Cross-state routes that, while still important, have been diminished in importance somewhat by interstates.
Tier 3: 17, 19, 23, 50, 52, 211, 220, 360, 421. Routes that are regionally important, but either only serve a portion of the state or are only important in certain portions.
Tier 4: 15, 21, 33, 250, 258, 340, 501, 522. Serve as "backdoor routes", connecting areas served by other, more major highways.
Tier 5: 11EW, 48, 219, 311. Mostly unimportant stubs necessary for connectivity.

You missed US 13, a very important route for those traveling from Hampton Roads to NYC.

[Thing 342]

Not really sure about definite rankings for VA, so I'll sort them into tiers.

Tier 1: 29, 58, 460. Cross-state routes that are mostly independent from Interstates.
Tier 2: 1, 11, 60, 301. Cross-state routes that, while still important, have been diminished in importance somewhat by interstates.
Tier 3: 17, 19, 23, 50, 52, 211, 220, 360, 421. Routes that are regionally important, but either only serve a portion of the state or are only important in certain portions.
Tier 4: 15, 21, 33, 250, 258, 340, 501, 522. Serve as "backdoor routes", connecting areas served by other, more major highways.
Tier 5: 11EW, 48, 219, 311. Mostly unimportant stubs necessary for connectivity.

You missed US 13, a very important route for those traveling from Hampton Roads to NYC.

Crap. I had it in an earlier draft, but deleted it for some reason. Revised list:

Tier 1: 29, 58, 460. Cross-state routes that are mostly independent from Interstates.
Tier 2: 1, 11, 60, 301. Cross-state routes that, while still important, have been diminished in importance somewhat by interstates.
Tier 3: 13, 17, 19, 23, 50, 52, 211, 220, 360, 421. Routes that are regionally important, but either only serve a portion of the state or are only important in certain portions.
Tier 4: 15, 21, 33, 250, 258, 340, 501, 522. Serve as "backdoor routes", connecting areas served by other, more major highways.
Tier 5: 11EW, 48, 219, 311. Mostly unimportant stubs necessary for connectivity.

[Pink Jazz]

Crap. I had it in an earlier draft, but deleted it for some reason. Revised list:

Tier 1: 29, 58, 460. Cross-state routes that are mostly independent from Interstates.
Tier 2: 1, 11, 60, 301. Cross-state routes that, while still important, have been diminished in importance somewhat by interstates.
Tier 3: 13, 17, 19, 23, 50, 52, 211, 220, 360, 421. Routes that are regionally important, but either only serve a portion of the state or are only important in certain portions.
Tier 4: 15, 21, 33, 250, 258, 340, 501, 522. Serve as "backdoor routes", connecting areas served by other, more major highways.
Tier 5: 11EW, 48, 219, 311. Mostly unimportant stubs necessary for connectivity.

I would put US 13 in Tier 2, since it is the only major route on the Eastern Shore and is an important connector for Hampton Roads to the Northeast.

[jp the roadgeek]

CT: 1, 6, 5, 7, 44, 202, 1A
RI: 1, 6, 44, 1A
DE: 13, 40, 113, 202, 301

[myosh_tino]

California...

1st - US 101
2nd - US 50
3rd - US 395
T-4th - US 97, 95, 199, 6

[corco]

Idahoooo is easy

1. 95 (Idaho's only road, likely the most important road in Idaho as it is the ONLY road, paved or unpaved, that connects northern and southern Idaho)
2. 20
3. 26
4. 93
5. 30
6. 91
7. 195 (very short, but serves an important role)
8. 12
9. 89
10. 2

Montana:
1. 2 (interesting juxtaposition, while 2 is of basically no use for people that live in Idaho beyond being the second fastest way to get from Sandpoint to Spokane, 2 is a very important east-west highway in Montana that is a very long distance from an interstate corridor. In Montana, 2 is still referred to as the Hi-Line, after the rail line that runs across the northern tier of the state)
2. 87 (connects Montana's two largest cities and the Hi-Line)
3. 93
4. 287
5. 12
6. 212
7. 89
8. 191
9. 20
10. 310

[doorknob60]

My view on Oregon:
US-97
US-26
US-20
US-101
US-30
US-395
US-199
US-197
US-730
US-95 (this one is pretty useless to Oregonians, more useful to ID and NV)

[NE2]

ITD doesn't even consider US 195 to enter Idaho. It's just a pair of ramps.

[froggie]

Stab at Minnesota:

1. US 169
2. US 10
3. US 52
4. US 61
5. US 12
6. US 2
7. US 212
8. US 14
9. US 8
10. US 71
11. US 75
12. US 59
13. (tie) US 65/US 69

I'd do something a bit different, including putting 71 higher since it's the longest route in the state:

1) US 10 (historically the busiest route in the state and one of the first to be mostly 4-laned)
2) US 169
3) US 52
4) US 2
5) US 71
6) US 12
7) US 61
8) US 14
9) US 59
10) US 212
11) US 75
12) US 63
13) US 8
14) US 218
15) US 65
16) US 69

You'd also forgotten US 218 on your list.


For Virginia, I'd keep Thing's tier idea, but would change some up:

Tier 1:  13, 15, 23, 29, 58, 460. Cross-state routes that are mostly independent from Interstates.
Tier 2:  1, 11, 17, 50, 60, 301. Cross-state routes that, while still important, have been diminished in importance somewhat by interstates.
Tier 3:  19, 48, 52, 211,219, 220, 360, 421. Routes that are regionally important, but either only serve a portion of the state or are only important in certain portions.
Tier 4:  21, 33, 250, 258, 340, 501, 522. Serve as "backdoor routes", connecting areas served by other, more major highways.
Tier 5: 11EW, 48, 219, 311. Mostly unimportant stubs necessary for connectivity.

The reason I bump most of these up is because they are not just cross-state, but are important for Virginia's connections to adjacent states.

[froggie]

For Vermont:

1) US 7
2) US 4
3) US 2
4) US 302
5) US 5

5 ranks low as it's almost completely redundant to I-91.


For Mississippi:

1) US 78
2) US 49 (with 49W)
3) US 61
4) US 82
5) US 45 (with ALT 45)
6) US 84
7) US 278 (was lower before its 1998 extension)
8) US 72
9) US 98
10) US 90 (mostly redundant to I-10)
11) US 49E (less important than 49W)
12) US 51 (redundant to I-55)
13) US 80 (redundant to I-20)
14) US 11 (redundant to I-59)
15) US 425 (redundant period in Mississippi)

[golden eagle]

I think US 49 is more valuable than 78 in Mississippi. Also, even though 90 is redundant to I-10, I'd put them second, due to the traffic it generates.

[KEK Inc.]

Washington:  101, 12, 2, 395, 97, 195, 730
Alaska:
Hawaii: 

[SectorZ]

New Hampshire:

3, 302, 202, 4, 1, 2

Rationale mostly based on what they serve and importance to longer distance travel (for trucking, hence why 302 and 202 as high as they are). 2 is barely there, despite carrying a lot of traffic between Vermont and Maine.

[TXtoNJ]

In Texas, it's something like the following:

59
75
290
281
183
287
83
84
90
80
77
67
87
380
377
54

The rest are markedly less important.

[SP Cook]

In WV, I would say, that first you have the Appalachian Corridors, which carry US numbers (50, 48, 19, 119, 460) and the other major roads (35 and 22).  The rest, including the non-corridor parts of those routes, are of no more significance or greater quality than a state route.

[empirestate]

New York:

9 — Important in Westchester, surprisingly less so in the mid-Hudson Valley, big in the Capital District on up. GW Bridge.
11 — Major local route all along I-81, plus across the northern tier.
1 — Heavy local traffic on the Westchester shore, not to mention the GW Bridge.
20 — Vast extent, but avoids cities between Albany and Buffalo. Several redundant routes, including NY 5 for local traffic.
9W — Perhaps more important than 9 through the lower Hudson Valley, but spans less of the state overall.
6 — Local traffic in populous exurban areas, and the Bear Mountain Bridge.
15 — Part of an important corridor from Rochester/Buffalo to the interior mid-Atlantic.
202 — Similar to 6, but with a little less reach.
62 — Substantial between Buffalo and Niagara, a bit superfluous elsewhere.
219 — Not without merit, but feels kind of like a road to nowhere.
44 — A little aimless, but does have an important Hudson River crossing.
4 — Of some importance along the mid-upper Hudson, more so locally in Renssalaer County.
209 — Important, but to a very specific corridor.
20A — A road I actually like quite well, but it's largely remote.
2 — A way into Vermont; a crossing of Lake Champlain.
220 — Uhh...yeah.

I could be convinced to re-order this somewhat. BUS routes (62, 219) are excluded.

[Gnutella]

Pennsylvania

1. U.S. 30
2. U.S. 22
3. U.S. 322
4. U.S. 222
5. U.S. 422 (east)
6. U.S. 422 (west)
7. U.S. 202
8. U.S. 15
9. U.S. 219
10. U.S. 119
11. U.S. 6
12. U.S. 40
13. U.S. 209
14. U.S. 62
15. U.S. 522
16. U.S. 220
17. U.S. 1
18. U.S. 19
19. U.S. 11
20. U.S. 20
21. U.S. 13
22. U.S. 224
23. U.S. 206


Georgia

1. U.S. 19
2. U.S. 78
3. U.S. 23
4. U.S. 129
5. U.S. 441
6. U.S. 82
7. U.S. 84
8. U.S. 27
9. U.S. 341
10 U.S. 76
11. U.S. 280
12. U.S. 319
13. U.S. 301
14. U.S. 411
15. U.S. 221
16. U.S. 80
17. U.S. 25
18. U.S. 29
19. U.S. 278
20. U.S. 378
21. U.S. 123
22. U.S. 41
23. U.S. 17
24. U.S. 11


NOTE: Routes that have been functionally replaced for their entire lengths are shaded in RED.

[Zeffy]

Hmm... this is going to be a tricky one...

New Jersey:

1. US 1
This was a hard one, but the fact that US 1 runs with the Turnpike and I-95 near the George Washington Bridge makes it a no-brainer. It serves large amounts of areas directly, connecting Trenton all the way to New York, while still hitting Newark and New Brunswick in between.
2. US 202
I'm going to give 202 the benefit of the number two spot. As a principal route throughout the state, it connects many of the smaller towns to some of the more populated areas (such as Morristown), and also serves as a corridor connecting eastern Pennsylvania to New York State.
3. US 9
This is so high because of the shore traffic. Whenever people are going down the Jersey Shore, US 9 and the Garden State Parkway both explode in traffic volumes. Plus, US 9 runs concurrent with some of the Parkway as well, so I'm going to give US 9 the number three spot.
4. US 206
I hate this route, honestly, but it's extremely important. Thanks to the botched Somerset Freeway, 206 is the main corridor through "central" Jersey (apparently Central Jersey is a made-up thing; I don't think it is), connecting lots of small and large communities. It allows people from the Burlington / Atlantic County area to reach Trenton and the more rural-y parts of New Jersey (Sussex, Hunterdon, Warren Counties). Just look at the traffic volumes and you'll see how important this route is. You'll also see why a 2-lane bypass in Hillsborough is just a waste of money.
5. US 22
22 is a major corridor throughout central and northeastern New Jersey - connecting a lot of small towns to some of the big areas (such as Newark and Jersey City). It also provides access to Newark Liberty International Airport, so just by that alone, it's decently important.
6. US 46
In the western parts of the state, US 46 isn't too important. As you head east into the more urban parts of New Jersey, it changes dramatically.
7. US 30
Good connector route between Camden and Philadelphia and Atlantic City.
8. US 130
US 130 serves a lot of smaller towns in both Central and South Jersey, but it's importance is higher near the Deptford area, where it joins I-295 and continues south towards the Delaware border.
9. US 40
While it does provide a connection between Wilmington, Delaware and Atlantic City, there's not many large communities it serves in New Jersey.
10. US 322

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Alaska:
Hawaii: 

Rest of the world:

Alaska would have had US 97 if it got signed.

[Charles2]

Alabama's tough, since interstate routes handle most of the traffic.  Here goes:

1.  US 231
2.  US 280
3.  US 331
4.  US 72
5.  US 431
6.  US 278
7.  US 80
8.  US 82

Most insignificant US routes in Alabama:

1.  US 29
2.  US 411
3.  US 43
4.  US 84

Formerly significant, now lost in the interstate shuffle:

1.  US 31
2.  US 78
3.  US 11

Barely in the state, do they really count?:

1.  US 90
2.  US 98
3.  US 45