Why doesn't Missouri use all letters?

[triplemultiplex]

Just for comparison, in Wisconsin, there was a tendency to skip the letters "L" and "R".  The rationale being that motorists might confuse the designations with their directions "left" and "right".
This hesitation over using L and R has since passed as you can find examples of each around the state.  But they are almost always on county roads that became such more recently; say in the last 40 years.  As an example; CTH R in Brown and Manitowoc Counties came about when I-43 was built and the old US 141 got turned back.  I drive by a CTH L frequently that was part of US 51 north of Tomahawk until the late 80's.

One notices that in more rural counties that don't have enough county roads to use all 26 letters, L and R were never used.  And in others, they went to using double letters instead of using L and R.

[kphoger]

Getting the thread slightly back on topic, why does Missouri use O when it could be confused for 0?

Maybe because they don't have a highway Zero?

That's what I was thinking.  It's like asking why your car's VIN can include a zero when that could be confused with the letter O–just in reverse.

[Scott5114]

Just for comparison, in Wisconsin, there was a tendency to skip the letters "L" and "R".  The rationale being that motorists might confuse the designations with their directions "left" and "right".
This hesitation over using L and R has since passed as you can find examples of each around the state.  But they are almost always on county roads that became such more recently; say in the last 40 years.  As an example; CTH R in Brown and Manitowoc Counties came about when I-43 was built and the old US 141 got turned back.  I drive by a CTH L frequently that was part of US 51 north of Tomahawk until the late 80's.

One notices that in more rural counties that don't have enough county roads to use all 26 letters, L and R were never used.  And in others, they went to using double letters instead of using L and R.

This was probably because the first few editions of the MUTCD prescribed using "L" and "R" to indicate turns, usually in a smaller shield of the same type as the highway.

Here's an Oklahoma state highway example:


Later, these were replaced by arrows.

[dvferyance]

Just for comparison, in Wisconsin, there was a tendency to skip the letters "L" and "R".  The rationale being that motorists might confuse the designations with their directions "left" and "right".
This hesitation over using L and R has since passed as you can find examples of each around the state.  But they are almost always on county roads that became such more recently; say in the last 40 years.  As an example; CTH R in Brown and Manitowoc Counties came about when I-43 was built and the old US 141 got turned back.  I drive by a CTH L frequently that was part of US 51 north of Tomahawk until the late 80's.

One notices that in more rural counties that don't have enough county roads to use all 26 letters, L and R were never used.  And in others, they went to using double letters instead of using L and R.

More Examples of that would be R in Dodge County fmr WI-109 turned back in the 90's. R in Waukesha County was once part of 16 until the freeway was built. L in Dodge County was once a part of 26 until the bypass was built. RR in Sheboygan County was once part of WI-144 was turned back after being disconnected to anything after I-43 was built.

[Scott5114]

Including O and OO allows MoDOT to raise its house edge on lettered routes to 5.26%.

[skluth]

One notices that in more rural counties that don't have enough county roads to use all 26 letters, L and R were never used.  And in others, they went to using double letters instead of using L and R.

I enjoy Wisconsin's triple letters. AAA on Oneida St in Green Bay. OOO west of Fond du Lac. PPP in Sheboygan Falls. I'm sure there are others (I recall a XXX, but can't remember where I saw it).

[Shoppingforfood]

One notices that in more rural counties that don't have enough county roads to use all 26 letters, L and R were never used.  And in others, they went to using double letters instead of using L and R.

I enjoy Wisconsin's triple letters. AAA on Oneida St in Green Bay. OOO west of Fond du Lac. PPP in Sheboygan Falls. I'm sure there are others (I recall a XXX, but can't remember where I saw it).

I think that triples should be reserved for VERY minor routes.

[skluth]

One notices that in more rural counties that don't have enough county roads to use all 26 letters, L and R were never used.  And in others, they went to using double letters instead of using L and R.

I enjoy Wisconsin's triple letters. AAA on Oneida St in Green Bay. OOO west of Fond du Lac. PPP in Sheboygan Falls. I'm sure there are others (I recall a XXX, but can't remember where I saw it).

I think that triples should be reserved for VERY minor routes.

I'm not thrilled with them. They all make some sense. AAA is the main route from US/I-41 to Lambeau Field, a big destination for football fans. I can't remember where there was a AA; possibly either Ridge Road or the old Airport Drive that is now WI 172 west of US/I-41. OOO parallels OO. I don't recall when it was added. But I think it was built as an alternate for OO back in the 60's. (I was born in Green Bay in the 50's, so I'm going by memory here.) PPP is the old WI 28 on the west side of Sheboygan Falls, connecting PP (which also incorporates part of the old 28) and the newer WI-28 bypass.

I don't recall many double letter county roads other than doubled letters like OO and VV when I was a kid. There was a GV connecting County Trunks G and V, but that's the only one I recall as a teen (then a quick route from the UWGB campus to my job in De Pere). I don't know if doubled letters was policy or just convention. If it was policy, that would explain the tripled letters county routes.

[hotdogPi]

I hope there is no KKK county route. Are there any?

[US71]

I hope there is no KKK county route. Are there any?

I think there is one K/KK junction in MIssouri

[kphoger]

I hope there is no KKK county route. Are there any?

I think there is one K/KK junction in MIssouri

Laddonia, on US-54.

GSV shows every assembly being stacked, such that neither K|KK nor KK|K exists in-line.  I haven't driven that stretch since probably 2005, so my memory of what it was like before GSV is rather fuzzy.

[triplemultiplex]

I hope there is no KKK county route. Are there any?

There used to be:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=43.79471,-88.66422&z=15&t=M
And Google seems to think it still exists.