Highways you're surprised it hasn't gotten truncated/decommissioned

[mgk920]

US-266 really what is the purpose of it? It's like 40 miles long and runs close to I-40. In my state I would say WI-127 and WI-134. WI-127 is just a parallel route with WI-16 and does not serve any towns. WI-134 is a short spur to an unincorporated town that nobody cares about.

WI-127 probably continues to exist solely because the Columbia Correctional Institution (coincidentally the prison where Jeffrey Dahmer got killed at) is on the route, even though it's close to the east end.

WI 127 is a US 16 'old' road that Columbia County refused to take over.

In that light, I wonder why WI 152 exists, running northeastward from WI 21 in Wautoma to unincorporated Mount Morris.  It barely makes the grade as a county highway.

Mike

[jmacswimmer]

I don't think anyone has mentioned the easternmost few miles of US 46 yet. What is the point of having it continue past where it begins overlapping with US 1-9, just so it can end in the middle of the GW Bridge?

Based on this sign, the NJTA seems to agree with me

[ftballfan]

US-266 really what is the purpose of it? It's like 40 miles long and runs close to I-40. In my state I would say WI-127 and WI-134. WI-127 is just a parallel route with WI-16 and does not serve any towns. WI-134 is a short spur to an unincorporated town that nobody cares about.

WI-127 probably continues to exist solely because the Columbia Correctional Institution (coincidentally the prison where Jeffrey Dahmer got killed at) is on the route, even though it's close to the east end.

WI 127 is a US 16 'old' road that Columbia County refused to take over.

In that light, I wonder why WI 152 exists, running northeastward from WI 21 in Wautoma to unincorporated Mount Morris.  It barely makes the grade as a county highway.

Mike

Did WI 152 ever run farther, such as to WI 49?

[mwslater]

most of ohio's state routes are superfluous, especially in cities

Thank you the state that does NOT sign roads within cities.

there are tons of routes in every one of their cities. aren't they maintained by odot? that statement isn't relevant to the topic at hand anyway

Cities and villages are responsible for maintaining state and US routes within their boundaries in Ohio.  ODOT maintains them in townships.

[Roadwarriors79]

Some have been mentioned, but off my head, US 46, US 9 in Delaware, US 60 west of I-10 in the Phoenix area.

[Big John]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_285_(Georgia)

Florida Highway-400 and Georgia Highway-407 should be decommissions because they are entirely inside signed interstate routes.

And all Georgia Interstates have a hidden 400 series state route attached to it.

[US 89]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_285_(Georgia)

Florida Highway-400 and Georgia Highway-407 should be decommissions because they are entirely inside signed interstate routes.

And all Georgia Interstates have a hidden 400 series state route attached to it.

Plus SR 10 Loop, which is also entirely hidden SR 422.

[Scott5114]

US-266 really what is the purpose of it? It's like 40 miles long and runs close to I-40.

US-266 was there first and I-40 took over the corridor. The parts that were entirely redundant to I-40 were decommissioned, and what's still around is what was left over.

[sparker]

US-266 really what is the purpose of it? It's like 40 miles long and runs close to I-40.

US-266 was there first and I-40 took over the corridor. The parts that were entirely redundant to I-40 were decommissioned, and what's still around is what was left over.

Until US 62 was extended to become a border-to-border diagonal, US 266 extended west from Henryetta to US 66 in OKC.  It just happened to be the "straightline" route to the Arkansas River Valley between the Ozarks and Ouachitas, so it was the obvious place to locate I-40.  But it still remains a local server; renumbering it would serve little or no purpose. 

[Kulerage]

Here's a few examples I found in North Carolina:
NC 101 really has no reason to continue past the new US 70 less than a mile into Beaufort when BUS 70 does the job pretty well.

NC 213 also has a useless overlap with US 25/70 that isn't even signed. Delete it west of Marshall.

NC 136. Why was this designated in the first place? The only places of interest it serves are a post office and a boat ramp.

NC 214 is also confusing. While I can see a purpose for it when it was designated, nowadays its completely redundant with US 74/76. Just make it a Business loop.

Another highway that used to serve a purpose but now has little reason to exist is NC 610. It was a brief connector between US 311 and NC 62, but with US 311 removed from that routing (and later deleted entirely in High Point), it's just a random stub off of NC 62 that goes basically nowhere. Hell, even its numbering is outdated, as NC 610 was a branch off of NC 61, but NC 61 was superseded by NC 62 in 1940.

[Bitmapped]

If we're talking about state routes, WV 55 is the most obvious choice I can think of. It's concurrent with another route (WV 20, WV 39, US 219, US 33, WV 28, US 220 and US 48) for most of its route, except for the westernmost few miles between US 19 and WV 41.

Among WV routes, WV 92 would be another choice. The northern multiplex into Morgantown was truncated back to Reedsville, but it still follows US 250 and WV 28 for extended periods. I'd truncate the southern end at Belington, move US 33 back to its historical route through Elkins, and replace the southern end of WV 92 with an extended/realigned WV 28.

US 19 north of Sutton, WV would probably be a good candidate from truncation. It doesn't stray too far from I-79, and when it does, it's either a city street (Pittsburgh area) or a bad back road that through traffic shouldn't use (Lewis and Braxton counties in West Virginia).

[DandyDan]

One for Minnesota that I didn't see listed was MN 105. It's not the main road south of Austin, it maxes out at a 50 mph speed limit, and you have to stop 3 times en route, one for a railroad crossing I doubt gets much train traffic. Also, there's nothing of significance in Iowa once you get to the end. It's a nice drive in the country, but not worthy of state highway status.

[74/171FAN]

NC 101 really has no reason to continue past the new US 70 less than a mile into Beaufort when BUS 70 does the job pretty well.

Actually that brief US 70 BUS in Beaumont has been decommissioned.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

One for Minnesota that I didn't see listed was MN 105. It's not the main road south of Austin, it maxes out at a 50 mph speed limit, and you have to stop 3 times en route, one for a railroad crossing I doubt gets much train traffic. Also, there's nothing of significance in Iowa once you get to the end. It's a nice drive in the country, but not worthy of state highway status.

It can probably be put in with the 200-series spurs which MnDOT has seemed to make a priority of eliminating recently, usually turning back around one per year for the last 10+ years (last year they eliminated at least two, the adjacent MN 253 and 254)

[Kulerage]

NC 101 really has no reason to continue past the new US 70 less than a mile into Beaufort when BUS 70 does the job pretty well.

Actually that brief US 70 BUS in Beaumont has been decommissioned.

Well then... that was short-lived

[bugo]

One US Route I question the existence of is US 275 and I mean more than just its multiplex with US 20 eastward out of O'Neill NE. It is essentially two different highways with a long chain of multiplexes in the middle. The Missouri section going north out of Rock Port to the Iowa border was entirely replaced by I-29 and could be replaced with either MO 111 or a Missouri secondary route. The Iowa section south of US 34 is a minor state highway also generally replaced by I-29, but at least connects the cities on its route. It then becomes a series of multiplexes (US 34, I-29, IA 92) until it enters Nebraska with NE 92 in Omaha. It finally gets its own route again west of Omaha, and eventually makes its way northwest to O'Neill, but it bears no relationship with the Iowa/Missouri section of the route. The Iowa section can be IA 275 and the NE section NE 275.

US 275 originally ended in St Joseph, getting there via modern US 136, MO 111 and US 59. It was intended to carry traffic between US 71 that went south to Kansas City and Omaha via Council Bluffs, connecting to US 71 in St Joseph. US 275 was commissioned in 1931, while US 59 wasn't commissioned until 1934, so for three years the highway from Craig to St Joseph was solo US 275. When US 59 was commissioned, US 275 was dual signed with US 59 until 1963, when US 275 was truncated to US 136 at Rock Port. It was once a major highway.

[Takumi]

NC 136. Why was this designated in the first place? The only places of interest it serves are a post office and a boat ramp.

Oddly, it’s been around (as NC 3 until 2002) since the 1930s, basically unchanged except for the number. Maybe for the post office?

[Mapmikey]

NC 136. Why was this designated in the first place? The only places of interest it serves are a post office and a boat ramp.

Oddly, it's been around (as NC 3 until 2002) since the 1930s, basically unchanged except for the number. Maybe for the post office?

Certainly not necessary anymore (might this go away whenever they finally build the mid-Currituck bridge?), but the 1938 Currituck County map shows Poplar Branch as easily the most built up area not directly served by NC 34 (now US 158-NC 168) or NC 30 (now NC 34)

[DJ Particle]

In MN:

US-61's multiplex with US-10 and its points north.  Does US-61 still need to exist as US-61 north of St. Paul?  Make it CSAH-61 and be done with it.  Of course, this would mean renumbering the exits around and south of I-494 with US-10 mileposts  *heh* 

Now that MN-5 got truncated back to MN-120, it could probably stand to be truncated further back...to at least I-35E, maybe even back to MN-62.

MN-121...  why does this still exist?

In MA:

MA-39 - remove the designation from the MA-124 multiplex

MA-6A in N Truro and P-town...  why...is it because the easternmost mile of Commercial Street is still under state maintenance (last I knew)?

[DandyDan]

In MN:

US-61's multiplex with US-10 and its points north.  Does US-61 still need to exist as US-61 north of St. Paul?  Make it CSAH-61 and be done with it.  Of course, this would mean renumbering the exits around and south of I-494 with US-10 mileposts  *heh* 

Now that MN-5 got truncated back to MN-120, it could probably stand to be truncated further back...to at least I-35E, maybe even back to MN-62.

MN-121...  why does this still exist?

I personally think they could make US 61 north of I-94 MN 561 and CSAH 61 if it ever turns over to the counties. As for MN 5 east of downtown St.Paul, isn't some of it a 2 lane residential street? If so, why is that a state highway?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Eliminating US 61 north of 94 is on MnDOT's wish list, I think by 2030 was their hope.

[roadman65]

US 63 south of I-40 should be decommissioned for another number.  Being AR won't sign it on the freeways due to their dumb rule, that particular route is really severed as US 63 going south actually disappears in Jonesboro as all signs to Turell were all replaced with I-555 shields completely.  No follow ups at I-55 or at I-40 either. 

So give it a new number instead.

[Mapmikey]

US 63 south of I-40 should be decommissioned for another number.  Being AR won't sign it on the freeways due to their dumb rule, that particular route is really severed as US 63 going south actually disappears in Jonesboro as all signs to Turell were all replaced with I-555 shields completely.  No follow ups at I-55 or at I-40 either. 

So give it a new number instead.

US 63 is being rerouted to follow US 49 south from Jonesboro

[sparker]

US 63 south of I-40 should be decommissioned for another number.  Being AR won't sign it on the freeways due to their dumb rule, that particular route is really severed as US 63 going south actually disappears in Jonesboro as all signs to Turell were all replaced with I-555 shields completely.  No follow ups at I-55 or at I-40 either. 

So give it a new number instead.

US 63 is being rerouted to follow US 49 south from Jonesboro

Which is only a marginal improvement over the mostly unsigned all-freeway reverse-L -- but a halfway imaginative (ok, it's ADOT) reroute scheme would be to replace US 167 between Ash Flat and Bald Knob and AR 11 between Searcy and I-40 near Hazen; US 167 would be cut back to the I-530 interchange.  US 412 would be the sole designation from Cherokee Village to the split west of Hoxie, with AR 555 (a state extension of you-know-what) from there to Jonesboro.  That would make much more sense as a US 63 direct route while eliminating the current long US 67/167 multiplex.   

[bugo]

US-266 really what is the purpose of it? It's like 40 miles long and runs close to I-40.

US-266 was there first and I-40 took over the corridor. The parts that were entirely redundant to I-40 were decommissioned, and what's still around is what was left over.

Not exactly. US 266 used to run from the state capitol building east to US 64 in Warner, but when US 62 was commissioned in 1932, it was cut back to Henryetta and the western section of US 266 was renumbered as US 62. I-40 came long after US 266 was truncated, and the part that still exists is redundant to I-40 (if you believe in such a concept.) I-40 coming along had nothing to do with it.

You might say "Just make it OK 266." The problem there is that there is already an OK 266 in the NE part of the Tulsa metro area, which is a major route that connects US 169 and I-44 to the Port of Catoosa. If they decommissioned US 266, they would have to change the number. ODOT is obviously fine with the status quo, and sees no reason to add confusion by changing the number of a highway, so I don't expect for it to be decommissioned unless AASHTO goes radical and declares jihad on one state US highways, and forces them to decommission it. ODOT might continue to sign it as US 266 anyway, because they obviously don't care about AASHTO's blessing (See US 377.)