New book covering the first century of the US route system

[usends]

In commemoration of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the US highways, I am publishing a book, available in 2025.  The title is Great Lines Across America, subtitled "Looking back at the first 100 years of the United States Numbered Highways, the country's original inter-state route system".  It is intended to complement usends.com by providing additional, deeper information gleaned from a review of all 13 route logs that AASHO/AASHTO published, and from a review of all 58,000 pages of material in AASHTO's archive.  I expect the book itself will be less than 1% of that length (around 500 pages), so in that sense it could be thought of as the Cliffs Notes for the AASHTO archive.  But it's not just facts and data; there is also some analysis, including a discussion of the four distinct phases in the history of the US route system.

If this kind of thing interests you, you can click here and sign up to be notified when the book becomes available.

[Max Rockatansky]

Registered my email.

[-- US 175 --]

In commemoration of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the US highways, I am publishing a book, available in 2025.  The title is Great Lines Across America, subtitled "Looking back at the first 100 years of the United States Numbered Highways, the country's original inter-state route system".  It is intended to complement usends.com by providing additional, deeper information gleaned from a review of all 13 route logs that AASHO/AASHTO published, and from a review of all 58,000 pages of material in AASHTO's archive.  I expect the book itself will be less than 1% of that length (around 500 pages), so in that sense it could be thought of as the Cliffs Notes for the AASHTO archive.  But it's not just facts and data; there is also some analysis, including a discussion of the four distinct phases in the history of the US route system.

If this kind of thing interests you, you can click here and sign up to be notified when the book becomes available.

Great news!  Congrats in advance.

[pderocco]

In commemoration of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the US highways, I am publishing a book, available in 2025.  The title is Great Lines Across America, subtitled "Looking back at the first 100 years of the United States Numbered Highways, the country's original inter-state route system".  It is intended to complement usends.com by providing additional, deeper information gleaned from a review of all 13 route logs that AASHO/AASHTO published, and from a review of all 58,000 pages of material in AASHTO's archive.  I expect the book itself will be less than 1% of that length (around 500 pages), so in that sense it could be thought of as the Cliffs Notes for the AASHTO archive.  But it's not just facts and data; there is also some analysis, including a discussion of the four distinct phases in the history of the US route system.

If this kind of thing interests you, you can click here and sign up to be notified when the book becomes available.

Bump this thread when it does.

[usends]

The book is available now!  Amazon is currently offering it at half price, but I don't know how long that will last.  So for those who might be interested, I wanted to let you know asap so you can save about $50.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F26W4VK5

It's still kinda pricey, but it is a big book: 536 pgs, 8x11, 1.5" thick, hardcover, so feels comparable to a textbook.  Full color with several photos and other graphics.  The link above has more details, and also has a "Read sample" button that allows you to check out the first several pages.

[hobsini2]

Congratulations on the book being published. The front cover pic I am going to guess is somewhere in Nebraska like around maybe Blair? Too green to be west of like Kearney. And too rural to be east of Ames, IA.

[usends]

Congratulations on the book being published. The front cover pic I am going to guess is somewhere in Nebraska like around maybe Blair? Too green to be west of like Kearney. And too rural to be east of Ames, IA.

Yeah, the font gives it away as Nebraska.  It actually was west of Kearney; that's the town of Brule in the distance.  Maybe they had more rain than usual (it was June 2020).

[xonhulu]

Just got my copy.  You weren't kidding with the textbook comparison!  Part of me is even a little afraid there will be a test after I read it! 

Kidding aside, it looks like it will be a great read.  It's very well-organized and readable, and I can see from my first flip through it that it's packed with information I'm going to really enjoy poring through.

Kudos for all the work that went into it, and I hope it sells well for you.

[usends]

Kudos for all the work that went into it, and I hope it sells well for you.

Thank you!  And thanks for making the book better by contributing some of your excellent photography.

[Mapmikey]

I also have received my copy.  Concur it is terrific and the photos are lovely.  It is a wonderful compendium of the mainline US Highway system and should be viewed as a foundational resource for the roadgeek hobbydom.

[Big John]

Just got it. (Sunday delivery?) Thick hardcover, scanning through it looks very involved and encyclopedic.

Edit, reading US 141, the ending was shortened in segments around 1979, but the final segment was done in 1981 when the last segment of I-43 was completed between Denmark and Green Bay (WI 54/57 interchange).

[Great Lakes Roads]

Got my book yesterday, and I love it (especially my dad)!

[catch22]

My copy arrived yesterday.  Looking forward to reading it.

On my first time flipping through it,  by chance I came upon the photograph on pages 464/465.  The 8-story building in the bottom center was my workplace from 1984 to 1991. My office window was the leftmost one on the top floor.  This was built by AT&T Long Lines in the late 1950s and originally housed the telephone switching equipment that enabled direct long-distance dialing from SE Michigan. My crew's job was installing special service circuits. The analog LD switcher was replaced with a digital one in the early 1980s.

[usends]

Edit, reading US 141, the ending was shortened in segments around 1979, but the final segment was done in 1981 when the last segment of I-43 was completed between Denmark and Green Bay (WI 54/57 interchange).

I know you've only skimmed through at this point, so you probably haven't seen the note in the Preface regarding dates.  In short, the dates listed are when AASH(T)O approved the change, not when the state DOTs completed carrying out the change.

[Rothman]

Edit, reading US 141, the ending was shortened in segments around 1979, but the final segment was done in 1981 when the last segment of I-43 was completed between Denmark and Green Bay (WI 54/57 interchange).

I know you've only skimmed through at this point, so you probably haven't seen the note in the Preface regarding dates.  In short, the dates listed are when AASH(T)O approved the change, not when the state DOTs completed carrying out the change.

The debates begin...

[Max Rockatansky]

The problem I've encountered with my own writing associated with AASHTO database stuff is that the applications don't account for temporary field signage staying in place.  A good example of this was when US 66 was truncated to Needles in 1963.  Continuation signage lasted in field on California highways way west of Needles into the 1970s.  Really unless you have first knowledge of how long that continuation signage stayed up past the official truncation there isn't a good way to account for it.

But yeah, got my book copy today.  I have a pretty good idea how much of a Herculean effort this was to condense the entire AASHTO database into a single digestible and chronological book. 

I'm glad this book exists, I can't fathom the AASHTO database will last forever.  It is pretty much an essential piece for anyone doing serious writing about the US Route System. 

[Big John]

Edit, reading US 141, the ending was shortened in segments around 1979, but the final segment was done in 1981 when the last segment of I-43 was completed between Denmark and Green Bay (WI 54/57 interchange).

I know you've only skimmed through at this point, so you probably haven't seen the note in the Preface regarding dates.  In short, the dates listed are when AASH(T)O approved the change, not when the state DOTs completed carrying out the change.

OK thanks.

[bugo]

ith my own writing associated with AASHTO database stuff is that the applications don't account for temporary field signage staying in place.  A good example of this was when US 66 was truncated to Needles in 19

Has anybody downloaded the entire archive?

[Max Rockatansky]

ith my own writing associated with AASHTO database stuff is that the applications don't account for temporary field signage staying in place.  A good example of this was when US 66 was truncated to Needles in 19

Has anybody downloaded the entire archive?

Seemingly Dale has based off what I've read in his book.  I honestly only have interest in saving stuff that I ended doing work on with GN.

[usends]

Has anybody downloaded the entire archive?

Seemingly Dale has based off what I've read in his book.  I honestly only have interest in saving stuff that I ended doing work on with GN.

Just to set the record straight, I have not downloaded the archive; just reviewed it and made notes.

Amazon has been messing with the price of the book.  After starting out at $62, and gradually raising it as high as $107 a few days ago, it's currently back down to $73.