XY Challenge

[paulthemapguy]

HOW TO PLAY:

Post a photo of signage indicating a junction between two routes having the requested criteria.  The criteria will specify the type of routes and the digits that the route numbers must have. For example, January 3rd's requirement will be photos showing a junction of a route ending in 0 and a route ending 2 from your state. Your task is to post a photo of route markers that point out the requested junction. Each day will call for photos showing route numbers with different criteria.

RULES:

1. All photos posted must show signage indicating a junction between two routes having numbers whose digits meet the requirement for that day, unless a big exit sign found along an expressway is posted. Expressway signage must show one of the requested routes, and it must be found along an expressway numbered within the other requested criteria (sticklers can use GSV to verify).
2. Up to three photos may be posted each day, as long as each photo shows a distinct example of a junction of routes that meets the day's requested criteria.
3. Other routes unrelated to the satisfaction of the day's criteria may also appear in qualifying photos.
4. Permitted junctions include intersections, interchanges, concurrencies, and overpasses with connector roads, so long as those connector roads are signed.
5. The only permitted route types are state, provincial, Interstate, and US highways, plus equivalent route types in other countries.
6. Photos posted may be photos taken at any time in the past.
7. If you're from a small state and you wish to combine with surrounding states, I'll allow that. (i.e. New Englanders can encompass all of New England)
8. If you're from a Canadian province and you wish to post signs from your province, that is hereby explicitly allowed.
9. If you wish to claim another state as "your state", you may consistently post all your submissions in one particular season from that other state (added challenge for those who want it).
10. Participants are invited to post full charts similar to the ones I completed below during the "break" periods that occur at the tail end of every even-numbered month.

SCHEDULE:

Within each two-month period, requested route types will remain consistent, and only the criteria for route numbers will change. Each two-month period, or "season" will start out at 0-0 (X=0 and Y=0), and the second digit (Y) will increase until it gets to 9. Next, we move to 1-1, and the second digit increases to 9. Then, we do 2-2 to 2-9, then 3-3 to 3-9, then 4-4 to 4-9, etc. As there are 55 possible combinations of two digits (without reversal/repetition), this will go on for 55 days.

Season 1, in January and February: I specify the ones digits, and you post the junction of any two routes in your state with those ones digits.
Season 2, in March and April: I specify the tens digits, and you post the junction of any two routes in your state with those tens digits.
Season 3, in May and June: I specify the ones digits, and you post the junction of any two US routes that you have been to having those ones digits.
Season 4, in July and August: I specify the tens digits, and you post the junction of any two US routes that you have been to having those tens digits.
Season 5, in September and October: I specify the ones digits, and you post the junction of an Interstate and any other route having those ones digits.
Season 6, in November and December: I specify the tens digits, and you post the junction of an Interstate and any other route having those tens digits.


img20241231_19401206 by Paul Across America, on Flickr

img20241231_19402279 by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Background on the origin of the game:

Let's face it, a lot of us in the road enthusiast community like lists and numbers. I sure do, and I figured I would share the little numerical exercise I've been subjecting myself to, involving route numbers:

I was thinking if I'd been to a point where a route ending in 1 meets a route ending in 2. Then I thought of such a point, where US51 meets US62! Then, what about a point where a route ending in 1 meets a route ending in 3?  US11 and US43 in Tuscaloosa!  Okay, then what about 1 and 4? 1 and 5? What if I tried to complete the set? And it led me to ask the question:

Have you been to an intersection of two routes, one with a number ending in X, and one with a number ending in Y, for every possible combination of digits X and Y?

For example, think of a junction of a route ending in 0 and a route ending in 1 that you've been to. Think of a junction of a route ending in 0 and a route ending in 2 that you've been to. And so on, for all 55 combinations of digits.

Then, to take things further, I'll try to think of a route with X in the tens place meeting a route with Y in the tens place, for every combination of X and Y.

You can do this with any route system or any state or province.  It's really up to you! Try it with your home state or province, or if you're feeling bold, try it with the US highway system.  With Interstates, it's pretty much impossible to complete the set because there aren't enough Interstates ending in 2 or 8. But you can try to do the best you can!  It's a nice low-key exercise, and it's more of a marathon, like completing a sudoku or something. Here is an example of me thinking of junctions where routes ending in X meet routes ending in Y, for routes in my home state of Illinois, with combinations of the tens digits as well:


img20241120_20100749 by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Here is an example of me thinking of all the combinations of digits for the US highway system:


USxy by Paul Across America, on Flickr (click for full view)

Each cell represents an intersection of two routes having the digits specified. The grid on the left is based on every combination of ones digits. The grid on the right represents tens digits. 3-digit numbers are honored here, too. Single-digit route numbers are assumed to have a tens digit of "zero". A qualifying junction can be a crossing, a T-intersection, an interchange, or a concurrency (I have a hard time accepting routes that pass over/under each other).

Feel free to try your hand at this for any region or route system you choose! Drawing the route symbols is totally unnecessary; it's just something I like to do.  You can use THIS LINK to access a blank chart to print out. Alternately, you can take the spreadsheet AT THIS LINK and save a copy to complete your inputs using the computer.

[paulthemapguy]

I'm going to try and make this a daily photo challenge throughout 2025.  The challenge will be to post the intersection, interchange, or concurrency between two routes having numbers that fit the criteria.

January and February: I specify the ones digits, and you post the junction of any two routes in your state with those ones digits.
March and April: I specify the tens digits, and you post the junction of any two routes in your state with those tens digits.
May and June: I specify the ones digits, and you post the junction of any two US routes that you have been to having those ones digits.
July and August: I specify the tens digits, and you post the junction of any two US routes that you have been to having those tens digits.
Sept-Oct: I specify the ones digits, and you post the junction of an Interstate and any other route having those ones digits.
Nov-Dec: I specify the tens digits, and you post the junction of an Interstate and any other route having those tens digits.

The challenge will occupy the first 55 days of each two-month set, and the pairs of digits will start at 0-0 and go to 0-9. Then 1-1 to 1-9. Then 2-2 to 2-9. And so on and so forth, until we finish up with 8-8, 8-9, and 9-9.

Commencing Season 1: The Ones Digits of Routes In Your State!

First up, the challenge on January 1, 2025, will be to find a route ending in 0 connecting with another route ending in 0 in your state. The route can be a state highway, US highway, or Interstate highway, and the mode of connection can be an interchange, an intersection, or a concurrency. (An overpass with a signed connector road between the two routes counts as a valid interchange.)

Here's an example from my state to get us started: US Route 150 and Illinois 180 both end in zero. Post a photo and a little caption telling us which two routes we're looking at.

[hotdogPi]

Does the photo have to be from 2025?

[vdeane]

Does the photo have to be from 2025?

I'm reasonably sure his photo isn't.

[paulthemapguy]

Does the photo have to be from 2025?

Absolutely not. If it isn't a stated rule, it probably won't be a rule.

[mgk920]

I'll have to check to see if  a County 'X' meets a County 'Y' anywhere here in Wisconsin.

Mike

[Hunty2022]

I have plenty of possible submissions for the first challenge. Does the picture have to be just those two routes or can others be in the picture while not being played?

[paulthemapguy]

As it is past midnight in the Eastern Time Zone, Happy New Year, and let the game begin!  For January 1, post route signage at a junction where a route ending in 0 meets another route ending in 0 in your state. If we want to be picky, valid routes are US highways, Interstate highways, and state highways, and valid junctions are intersections, interchanges, and concurrencies. If you want to show off a bit, I'll allow up to 3 photos showing examples of the requested sign photos per day. Other routes can be present in the photo, as long as two of them form the pair we're looking for.

If you are unsure of the schedule indicating which sign photos are expected on each day, see here:


img20241231_19401206 by Paul Across America, on Flickr

img20241231_19402279 by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Here is a route ending in 0 meeting another route ending in 0 in the state of Illinois:

IL-40 at IL-90 north of Peoria:


IL-040-090S by Paul Across America, on Flickr

A couple more examples to show what we're looking for:

US 30 at IL-50 in Matteson:


IL-US30-050W by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Concurrency of IL-130 and IL-250 at Olney, IL:


IL-130-250NSR by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Happy posting!

[hotdogPi]

MA 110 at MA 150


Suggestion: "US routes" for rounds 3 and 4 include E-routes, and "Interstates" for rounds 5 and 6 include Québec Autoroutes and UK motorways.

[Hunty2022]

US 250 at VA-20 just east of Charlottesville:

[74/171FAN]

At the west end of the PA 10/PA 340 concurrency in western Chester County

PA 10 NORTH AND PA 340 WEST NEAR SPLIT by Mark Moore, on Flickr

[vdeane]

US 20 at NY 30

[formulanone]

US 190's start at US 90:

[paulthemapguy]

US 190's start at US 90:

{image removed}

Nice, you caught on early--when a day asks for the same last digit twice, an easy way to slam-dunk is to post the point where a child route meets its parent route.

Starting at midnight, January 2's requirement will be a route ending in 0 meeting a route ending in 1 in your state.

[LilianaUwU]

A-20 with QC 201:

A-20 WB/QC 201 SB by Liliana Vess, on Flickr

[74/171FAN]

The west end of the short PA 130/PA 981 concurrency in Westmoreland County.

PA 130 WEST AND PA 981 SOUTH SPLIT by Mark Moore, on Flickr

[hotdogPi]

MA 110 and US 1

[paulthemapguy]

To restate, today's challenge is to find places where a route ending in 0 meets a route ending in 1 in your state. Here are my Illinois examples for the day.

US150 meets the west end of IL-81, a few miles south of Orion, Illinois:


IL-U150-081NA by Paul Across America, on Flickr

US51 sharing a short concurrency with US50 in Sandoval, IL.


IL-US51-US50SSA by Paul Across America, on Flickr

A nearly 20-year-old picture of IL-21 at IL-60 in Vernon Hills.


IL-021-060 by Paul Across America, on Flickr

A few more little non-prohibitive rules:

- If you're from a small state and you wish to combine with surrounding states, I'll allow that.
- If you're from a Canadian province and you wish to post signs from your province, that is hereby explicitly allowed.
- If you wish to claim another state as "your state", you may consistently post all your submissions in season 1 and/or season 2 from that other state (added challenge for those who want it).

Also, if mods believe this thread would be better suited for the category of "Traffic Control", "Photos, Videos & More", or "Travel", feel free to migrate this thread to the preferred location. I will be updating the OP to be more of a one-stop shop for all the rules and guidelines.

[formulanone]

Just realized the "xy00" also was supposed to be from your state; so here's US 280 and US 80 in Phenix City:



US 80 at US 31 (or with Alabama 21) just outside Montgomery:



Further south, I have US 31's start at US 90; I would have pulled over for this shot but it was raining (as it does around Mobile), and was lucky to get this one.

[Hunty2022]

US 50 at I-81 in Winchester:

[paulthemapguy]

Today's objective: post a route ending in 0 meeting a route ending in 2 in your state.

IL-40 at IL-92 near Deer Grove


IL-092-040E by Paul Across America, on Flickr

US30 crosses US52 southeast of Dixon


IL-US30-US52E by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Illinois 40 at Illinois 2 in Sterling, taken during the Sauk Valley Road Meet


IL-002-040WW by Paul Across America, on Flickr

[74/171FAN]

This photo is actually on MaClay St approaching the US 22/PA 230 intersection, but it was too good to pass up.

MACLAY ST AT NEAR PA 230 AND US 22 by Mark Moore, on Flickr

And on US 22 WB approaching the same intersection in case someone wants to say I did not follow the rules.

US 22 WEST AT PA 230 EAST AND MACLAY ST by Mark Moore, on Flickr

[Hunty2022]

US 340 at US 522 in Front Royal:

[mgk920]

US 12 meets oodles of highways with numbers ending in '0' here in Wisconsin.  US 10, I-90, WI 50, etc.

Mike

[mgk920]

Also here in Wisconsin:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2TwguG5wLenH6ZdQA (Florence, WI)

Mike