New England highway numbering conventions: what makes the unique?

[jon daly]

I'm asking that question due to something I saw in another thread:

Your state's most important highway in each range?

Bending rules for Rhode Island due to New England numbering conventions:
0-9 and 100-109: US 1, over 6 (because 101 and 6 split traffic)
10-19 and 110-119: RI 114, over 10
20-29 and 120-129: RI 122
30-39 and 130-139: RI 138
40-49 and 140-149: RI 146
50-59 and 150-159: RI 51 wins by default over RI 152, but neither is a great choice
60-69 and 160-169: RI 165 is the only one
70-79 and 170-179: RI 77
80-89 and 180-189: RI 81 is the only one, but at least it's decent
90-99 and 190-199: I-95
200+: I-295

What makes New England different? I couldn't find a previous discussion here and I suspect it has to do with the New England routes that pre-dated the US Highway system, but could any one expand on this topic? In particular, what's the difference between an Iowa 3 digit state route and one in Vermont?

[NE2]

In the initial 1920s numbering, one- and two-digit numbers were used for interstate routes. Three-digit numbers were assigned to state routes. Many of the interstate routes became U.S. Highways in 1926, but many remain. Southern New England states later used more one- and two-digit numbers, but most of the important routes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island were already three-digit. (Not so in Connecticut, which renumbered everything in 1932.)

[5foot14]

I'm not by any means an expert, but I believe it has to do with the New England route marking system that does in fact predate the US highway system by about 4 years. Under the NE system 100 and up was reserved for state routes, while one and two digit routes were for the regional NE routes (the highest numbered route being 32). Many New England states most likely have a large amount of 3 digit routes due to this, although many new one and two digit routes have been added since the system was abandoned in the late 20s, and with the creation of the US highway system.

SM-G900P

[jon daly]

(Not so in Connecticut, which renumbered everything in 1932.)

Ok. That helps. I'm most familiar with Conn. Eyeballing Whiskeypedia, R.I. appears to have twice as many 1xx state routes as xx (2 digit) state routes.

[Rothman]

MA/NH/CT 10 wasn't part of the original system? 

[froggie]

^ Yes it was.

[Rothman]

Got confused by the idea that CT renumbered everything in 1932.

[Alps]

Got confused by the idea that CT renumbered everything in 1932.

Well, not EVERYTHING (8 and 12 also stayed, for example, and I think 32). But they renumbered a lot of their 3 digits down.

[jon daly]

I don't know much about pre-1932, but 32 is one of those NE highways.

[hotdogPi]

New Hampshire also does the same as Massachusetts and Rhode Island in having a lot of low 1xx routes. Not sure about Vermont.

[5foot14]

According to Wikipedia...

Vermont
100 to 130, all used except 124 and 126.
After that the numbers get spotty.

Maine
100-238, every number has been used used at one point or another, not surprising given the size of Maine compared to the rest of New England.

Of note is that assigned route numbers below 100 are quite spotty in both states.

SM-G900P

[froggie]

^ Yes, Vermont has a number of low 100s, but some of them were renumberings.  For example, VT 125 used to be VT 19.

Also, add 115 and 130 to your unused list there.  And, while it's signed in Brattleboro, VT 119 does not officially exist.

[jp the roadgeek]

Got confused by the idea that CT renumbered everything in 1932.

Well, not EVERYTHING (8 and 12 also stayed, for example, and I think 32). But they renumbered a lot of their 3 digits down.

And then CT renumbered again in 1963, consolidating many routes and promoting  several SR's to signed status and demoting several routes, many of them suffixed, to SR status.

[NE2]

And, while it's signed in Brattleboro, VT 119 does not officially exist.

Who put up the signs? Nobody official?

[froggie]

The town likely did.  Or VTrans put them up to show relationship to NH 119 which is literally feet away.  But VTrans records do not show VT 119 as officially existing.

[NE2]

The town likely did.  Or VTrans put them up to show relationship to NH 119 which is literally feet away.  But VTrans records do not show VT 119 as officially existing.

If VTrans put them up, their records (if properly kept) show those signs being installed, hence the route existing.

[Alps]

The town likely did.  Or VTrans put them up to show relationship to NH 119 which is literally feet away.  But VTrans records do not show VT 119 as officially existing.

If VTrans put them up, their records (if properly kept) show those signs being installed, hence the route existing.

OK... semantics. Let it go.

[Roadsguy]

Seems like an appropriate place to pull an NJ 90 and just sign it as NH 119 on the VT side.

[KEVIN_224]

The signs in downtown Brattleboro definitely say VERMONT 119, right by their Amtrak station. Maybe it'll have a slight concurrency with VT Route 142 soon? There's a project to put a new bridge over the Connecticut River. It would immediately be south of the existing one.

[bzakharin]

Are there New England routes that keep their numbers outside New England? I know there are routes in New England that keep their numbers into NY, but are not part of the New England system, such as CT/NY 137, 123, 116, and 55, MA/NY 71, VT/NY 67, 313, 149, 74.

CT/NY 135 and 343, and MA/NY 43 and 23 might be closer, as these were New England routes, but with different numbers (3, 4, 7, and 17 respectively).

[connroadgeek]

CT/NY 116, 123, and 35.

[Conn. Roads]

The post about Connecticut mentions the 1963 renumbering. Being from Connecticut, and a big fan of Kurumi.com, I'd like to mention what I've noticed. It seems like some routes were changed in 1963. Some routes added or deleted mileage. Other segments of routes had parts assigned to other routes. The main point is that the 1963 project was not a start from scratch ordeal, as the 1932 renumbering. It appears that the skeleton of the 1932 plan was kept, but things were rearranged within the general scheme, as many routes remained unmodified.

[jon daly]

big fan of Kurumi.com

We should start a club. He's the reason I found out that "I'm not the only one" and, eventually, his site led me here.

[hotdogPi]

big fan of Kurumi.com

We should start a club. He's the reason I found out that "I'm not the only one" and, eventually, his site led me here.

Same, at least for the link to this forum.

[jp the roadgeek]

Also discovered this site through Kurumi.com.  Of course, the man himself posts in this thread on an occasional basis.

The 1963 renumbering seemed to be a combination of promoting several SR's to signed status, the elimination of many "A" routes by demotion and/or renumbering US to state, state to SR or turned over to the corresponding town(s), and the conglomeration and absorption of several shorter state routes to create a longer one.