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[leifvanderwall]

I think these 400 numbers came about because the people naming the roads at the AASHO were newcomers to the labeling game - they did not know about how the old system works. Or they didn't want to repeat numbers that were in used in the past.

[Hellfighter]

I say they were lazy...

[Scott5114]

KDOT is the one who came up with the number 400. When it was submitted, AASHTO inexplicably approved it. (There was no real reason Kansas wanted 400 other than it was nifty.)

[vdeane]

Sounds like I-99.

[Scott5114]

Sounds like I-99.

Although I-99 was written into law by a legislator who had no transportation background. Neither PennDOT nor AASHTO ever had any say about I-99.

[bugo]

My source for the 400-series numbering convention is (ultimately, I think) the AARoads High Priority Corridor page dealing with US 400/future I-66.  It is certainly not anything I have seen in official AASHTO documentation, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything since so little of it is put online where it can be viewed free of charge.  I think it is a reasonable inference on the basis not just of US 400, but also US 412 being in the wrong half of the country for a fourth branch of US 12.

Don't take that seriously, it's not meant to be.  We've been saying that 12.5 thing for years on these roadgeek sites.  Anyway, that isn't the way it works.  AASHTO doesn't assign numbers for US Routes; states request them.  In the past, we've had roadgeeks communicate with state DOT's asking why they wanted both 400 and 425 for those routes, and both were answered "no real reason."  If the Route Numbering committee had minutes online going that far back, maybe we could find out more on why those particular numbers were selected.

I found this from January 30, 1980:

http://www.arkansashighways.com/minute_orders/MO80-89.pdf (page 6):

WHEREAS, the various Chambers of Commerce in Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee
have requested the redesignation of State Highways from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, via Kennett
and Hayti, Missouri, thence north and easterly via Dyersburg to Jackson, Tennessee, as U. S.
Number Route 412; and

WHEREAS, the States of Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee concur on the merit and
continuity of the route, and

WHEREAS, the route is functionally classified as a Minor Arterial and is on the Federal-
Aid Primary System;

NOW THEREFORE, the Director is authorized to proceed with the change of Route and
Section numbers on State Highway 25 between Walnut Ridge and Missouri State Line, as shown
on attached sketch, subject to the approval of the United States Route Number Committee of the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Maybe we can blame the chambers of commerce in the towns along the highway?

[Revive 755]

Maybe we can blame the chambers of commerce in the towns along the highway?

Nah, blame the state departments for not changing the number requested from 412 to an x62 or x64.

[sandiaman]

Here's another  weird  highway designation  ...  US  138   which is primarily in NE  Colorado,  running from Sterling to a point in Nebraska, just  a few miles north of the border.  Where does  the   route number come from?    There   is no parent route 38.  Was there  once a US  38  floating around this area?

[bugo]

Here's another  weird  highway designation  ...  US  138   which is primarily in NE  Colorado,  running from Sterling to a point in Nebraska, just  a few miles north of the border.  Where does  the   route number come from?    There   is no parent route 38.  Was there  once a US  38  floating around this area?

Yes.  US 6 was once US 38.

[agentsteel53]

yep, US-6 expanded west from New York in the 30s and ate both US-32 and US-38 in their entirety!  38 went between Omaha, NE and Greeley, CO, while 32 went from Chicago to Council Bluffs, IA. 

seeing as Council Bluffs is just across the river from Omaha, I don't know why they didn't make a single route number starting from the beginning!

[US71]

Maybe we can blame the chambers of commerce in the towns along the highway?

Doubtful. AHTD probably persuaded them to go along with it. The answer lies with whoever dreamed this up and their supposed reasoning for it.

[Scott5114]

Perhaps some research needs to be done into contemporary newspaper articles in the affected region. If someone went around convincing chambers of commerce this was a good idea, they inevitably left a paper trail, and likely in there somewhere is the "marketing reason" behind the 412 number.

[Hellfighter]

Hmmm, this sounds like the I-41 of the 80's...

[US71]

Perhaps some research needs to be done into contemporary newspaper articles in the affected region. If someone went around convincing chambers of commerce this was a good idea, they inevitably left a paper trail, and likely in there somewhere is the "marketing reason" behind the 412 number.

I can't speak for the number, but the idea, I think, was to create a multi-state economic corridor.

May have been the same con men who got XNA built.

[CoreySamson]

This may be an awful bump, but I'm not sure where else to put this. I was driving the easternmost section of US 400 in far SE Kansas between Baxter Springs and Joplin today and I noticed some construction on what I must assume is a new alignment of US 400. It appears to be a continuation of the Baxter Springs bypass, crossing US 166 at the current US 166/400 diverge, running south of the current alignment. There were several new bridges over creeks and ditches being constructed there, as well as an interchange at that aforementioned diverge. The new alignment swung east to connect back up with US 400 just to the south of the K-26 intersection. East of that, it appears that the current US 166/US 400 is getting widened into 4 lanes all the way to the Missouri border.

Anybody know what is going on in this area and what the future goal is?

[J N Winkler]

This may be an awful bump, but I'm not sure where else to put this. I was driving the easternmost section of US 400 in far SE Kansas between Baxter Springs and Joplin today and I noticed some construction on what I must assume is a new alignment of US 400. It appears to be a continuation of the Baxter Springs bypass, crossing US 166 at the current US 166/400 diverge, running south of the current alignment. There were several new bridges over creeks and ditches being constructed there, as well as an interchange at that aforementioned diverge. The new alignment swung east to connect back up with US 400 just to the south of the K-26 intersection. East of that, it appears that the current US 166/US 400 is getting widened into 4 lanes all the way to the Missouri border.

Anybody know what is going on in this area and what the future goal is?

You were driving through construction for KDOT project 166-11 KA-1005-02, which is an upgrade of US 166/US 400 to function as a freeway connector between US 69 and I-44.  The contract was let in September 2021 for a bit under $55 million.

Leaflet explaining project concept (probably from 2012)

It was originally included in T-Works, the 2010's transportation program, but was delayed when highway funding was diverted to cover shortfalls elsewhere in the state budget due to ill-conceived tax cuts ("Bank of KDOT").

[CoreySamson]

Interesting, thank you!