Roads that have had their directions changed

[roadman65]

NJ 440 was signed E-W in Middlesex County, NJ that was change to N-S in the late 80s.  There is still a sign showing EB NJ 440 on the Garden State Parkway Service Road at New Brunswick Avenue in Woodbridge, and on NJ Turnpike signs at Exit 10 in Edison my last time up there a few years back.

They replaced the sign on the "service road" (just before the US 9 merge)... and they made a carbon copy that still says EAST!

Did they place the TO I-287 shield on the US 9 SB overhead and finally add on South Amboy as a control point to follow up on the NJT's "The Amboys" on Exit 11 guide signs?

[jdb1234]

I-565 was once signed North-South from Decatur to Huntsville.  It is now East-West.

[jcarte29]

two NC examples-

I-440 was "inner" and "outer" and about the time everyone figured it out, they changed it to "east" and "west" to "eliminate confusion, funny enough.

Also (this may be more of a question), US 52 runs N-S throughout the entire state, but I noticed further north in OH it runs E-W, is that true?

[1970_i feel alright]

I just remembered another highway which had its directions changed ; one so obvious that I'd forgotten to mention it earlier :

CA 91 , the Riverside , et al. , Freeway . It was originally US 91 , and it ran north-south , starting in the Long Beach area , through the Santa Ana Canyon in O.C. , following much of what is today I-215 (at the CA 60 interchange) , then up through the Cajon Pass , after junctioning with I-15 in Devore , then up its close-to-original routing through Las Vegas , Salt Lake City , etc.

When the 1964 Renumbering was enacted (albeit , slowly in Riverside and San Bernardino counties) , US 91 was decomissioned , and re-dubbed CA 91 , with no apparent thought to its oddball status as a 2-digit state highway which runs east-west !

[OracleUsr]

two NC examples-

I-440 was "inner" and "outer" and about the time everyone figured it out, they changed it to "east" and "west" to "eliminate confusion, funny enough.

Also (this may be more of a question), US 52 runs N-S throughout the entire state, but I noticed further north in OH it runs E-W, is that true?

Not just there, but in North Dakota also (it parallels I-94 for a bit past Fargo before turning north towards Manitoba)

[bulkyorled]

The only one I can think of right-off is CA 2 , the Glendale Freeway .
Originally slated to run the length of Santa Monica Blvd , and dubbed "Beverly Hills Freeway" , its direction was East-West ; some signs still show this E/W destination .

Route 2 was on Santa Monica Boulevard for many years though (and is still on some part of that street), and is east-west past I-210 to Route 138. 

Is the Glendale Freeway consistently signed north-south? 

I know there are a few "101 East/West" signs along surface streets crossing the Ventura Freeway, but never on the actual freeway itself.

The portion of the 2 thats the Fwy is signed North/South consistently and yes the portion that follows Santa Monica Bl is signed east/west. Example is at Highland & Santa Monica, on the eastbound light theres a 2 sign marked East. I don't think I've ever noticed a N/S sign on the surface street portion.
its nearly treated like two separate routes

I hate that the 101 has W/E signs because I know it as N/S and it throws me off but its so frustrating on that part of 101 most of the time I try and avoid it.

Oh lookie pictures, everyone loves pictures;

[cpzilliacus]

Md. 32 runs west-to-east from Md. 108 at Clarksville in Howard County to I-97 and Md. 3 at Gambrills in Anne Arundel County. 

But from Md. 97 in Westminster in Carroll County to Md. 108 it is posted N-S. 

Curiously, the E-W section is at least four lanes divided, with full access control, but the N-S section is mostly two lanes with partial or no access control.

[Coelacanth]

Not just there, but in North Dakota also (it parallels I-94 for a bit past Fargo before turning north towards Manitoba Saskatchewan)

Fixed that for you.

[agentsteel53]

US-42 in Ohio was once signed N-EAST and S-WEST.

[hbelkins]

US-42 in Ohio was once signed N-EAST and S-WEST.

So, too, were several other diagonal highways. US 33 had a directional banner survive into the 1990s. I also remember seeing such signage for US 62 when I was a kid.

[bulldog1979]

Not sure if this fits the original parameters, but the 1919—26 edition of M-69 in the UP of Michigan was a north-south highway that ran from Covington south through Crystal Falls to the state line. When the US Highways were assigned, M-69 was replaced by US 102 from Covington to Crystal Falls and US 2 from there to the state line. The M-69 number was then turned 90° to follow the segment of M-12 from Crystal Falls east to Sagola. (The remainder of M-12 from Sagola south to Iron Mountain was added to M-45 [now M-95] as US 2 otherwise replaced M-12 1:1 in the state.)

In short, from 1919 until 1926, M-69 was a north—south highway, and since 1926, it has been an east—west trunkline.

[ftballfan]

Another Michigan example: M-115 used to be signed north-south. It is now correctly signed east-west. Osceola County, in numbering houses, treats M-115 as a north-south road even though it tends to run a little more east-west than north-south.

[national highway 1]

I just remembered another highway which had its directions changed ; one so obvious that I'd forgotten to mention it earlier :

CA 91 , the Riverside , et al. , Freeway . It was originally US 91 , and it ran north-south , starting in the Long Beach area , through the Santa Ana Canyon in O.C. , following much of what is today I-215 (at the CA 60 interchange) , then up through the Cajon Pass , after junctioning with I-15 in Devore , then up its close-to-original routing through Las Vegas , Salt Lake City , etc.

When the 1964 Renumbering was enacted (albeit , slowly in Riverside and San Bernardino counties) , US 91 was decomissioned , and re-dubbed CA 91 , with no apparent thought to its oddball status as a 2-digit state highway which runs east-west !

Wasn't Artesia Blvd pre-1964 CA 14, and didn't CA 18 extend along old US 91/395 to Long Beach?

[PurdueBill]

US-42 in Ohio was once signed N-EAST and S-WEST.

So, too, were several other diagonal highways. US 33 had a directional banner survive into the 1990s. I also remember seeing such signage for US 62 when I was a kid.

Interestingly, when they changed to straight E-W or N-S labels, most of the diagonal US routes in Ohio wound up with the "wrong" ones--US 33 and 35 became E-W, while US 42 and 68 became N-S; US 62 has signage reflecting both. 

[bugo]

The southern portion of I-540 was once signed east-west, but when 540 was extended north of I-40 it became north-south. 

AR 375, section 0 west of Mena was once signed north-south (as it was when the eastern half was US 71) but is now signed east and west.  It is heading virtually due east at its western terminus.

[hbelkins]

Interestingly, when they changed to straight E-W or N-S labels, most of the diagonal US routes in Ohio wound up with the "wrong" ones--US 33 and 35 became E-W, while US 42 and 68 became N-S; US 62 has signage reflecting both.

In US 33's case, it is signed as an E-W route in West Virginia and Virginia. What I don't get is West Virginia's insistence on signing US 250 as an N-S route when it's E-W in both Ohio and Virginia.

[HighwayMaster]

I-380 (PA):  originally signed east-west, changed to north-south during the exit number conversion of 2001

This sign dates back to when I-380 was E-W, and considering the difference between the I-84/380 shields and the I-81 shield, it could also date back to when I-380 was I-81E:

[agentsteel53]

This sign dates back to when I-380 was E-W, and considering the difference between the I-84/380 shields and the I-81 shield, it could also date back to when I-380 was I-81E:

I remember there being button copy signs at that junction in 1993, as well as a major reconstruction.  Perhaps those signs date to 1993?

[HighwayMaster]

This sign dates back to when I-380 was E-W, and considering the difference between the I-84/380 shields and the I-81 shield, it could also date back to when I-380 was I-81E:

I remember there being button copy signs at that junction in 1993, as well as a major reconstruction.  Perhaps those signs date to 1993?

Possible, but that postdates I-81E by 20 years.

[Avalanchez71]

US-42 in Ohio was once signed N-EAST and S-WEST.

So, too, were several other diagonal highways. US 33 had a directional banner survive into the 1990s. I also remember seeing such signage for US 62 when I was a kid.

Was this changed made as a result in of not being able to use funding for this?  I always thought that was innovative and correct.

[Occidental Tourist]

For awhile, the beginning of CA 91 at the 215/60 interchange in Riverside was signed as the 91 south, even though the rest of the 91 is signed as east/west.

Here's a pic of a greened-out sign on the 60 east.  They added the west over the south when they started replacing some of the button copy signs with retroreflective ones.

[formulanone]

I-75 east of Naples was signed East/West for a while at FL 29, since Interstate 75 had taken over FL 84.

There were some signs labeled that way in 2012:

[Scott5114]

For awhile, the beginning of CA 91 at the 215/60 interchange in Riverside was signed as the 91 south, even though the rest of the 91 is signed as east/west.

I imagine this probably has something to do with CA-91 replacing US-91, which was a north—south route.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

US-42 in Ohio was once signed N-EAST and S-WEST.

So, too, were several other diagonal highways. US 33 had a directional banner survive into the 1990s. I also remember seeing such signage for US 62 when I was a kid.

Was this changed made as a result in of not being able to use funding for this?  I always thought that was innovative and correct.

In the case of Ohio, I don't believe it had anything to do with funding, just feedback that drivers had trouble comprehending the combinations of North/South with East/West. ODOT started phasing out those (semi) directional signs in the 1970s.

[ilpt4u]

I-94 along the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois was signed, at least in places, as North-South (which is the direction of travel). ISTHA has since signed it uniformly East-West



Images sourced from http://www.billburmaster.com/rmsandw/illinois/index.html