Most "persistent" route in your state

[wriddle082]

For SC I think it's SC 6.  Has at least five different multiplexes with various US and state highways, and it most certainly has never been the quickest route between Ballantine and Monck's Corner, even pre-interstate.  And it intersects three different interstates (20, 26, and 95).

And for TN, I'd say it's US 431.  It intersects both US 31 and US 41 twice (Franklin and Nashville, and Nashville and Springfield), and intersects all five of Greater Nashville's interstates plus both Briley and Ellington Parkways at least once.

[MATraveler128]

MA 62 would fit the bill as it contains 27 turns from Barre to Beverly.

[webny99]

The question to answer with these is this:

Does the "persistent" routing make sense, given that the route forms a single corridor?

Or is the "persistent" routing unnecessary, because it comprises multiple corridors that have been artificially strung together?

Another way of wording it is this:  Would there be any good reason for normal people to drive the entire route (or, say, half of it)?

I'm not sure the routing has to be unnecessary in order to be persistent. It wouldn't be totally illogical to drive NY 21 between its endpoints, but there's still six different locations where NY 21 turns/"persists" even though it isn't the logical through route (eight locations if you count both ends of the overlaps with NY 15 and NY 332)

[SkyPesos]

Would there be any good reason for normal people to drive the entire (or, say, half of it) of any long non-expressway route regardless of if it's persistent or not?

No

[JayhawkCO]

Would there be any good reason for normal people to drive the entire (or, say, half of it) of any long non-expressway route regardless of if it's persistent or not?

No

Confused what you're saying here. So you're saying it doesn't make sense to drive all of, say, US2 in Montana if you're driving from Williston, ND to Bonners Ferry, ID? ID28 from Rexburg, ID to Salmon, ID?

[kphoger]

I'm not sure the routing has to be unnecessary in order to be persistent.

To my mind, if the route is a logical route between two towns, then its midpoint isn't really a "logical terminus".

Would there be any good reason for normal people to drive the entire (or, say, half of it) of any long non-expressway route regardless of if it's persistent or not?

No

Confused what you're saying here. So you're saying it doesn't make sense to drive all of, say, US2 in Montana if you're driving from Williston.ND to Bonners Ferry, ID? ID28 from Rexburg, ID to Salmon, ID?

Yeah, I don't get it.

For another example, I once drove all but the northernmost 14 miles of K-25.  This is because I was driving from Atwood (KS) to Amarillo (TX) and eventually Big Bend National Park.  It was one of the two most logical routes to take to Oklahoma.

[webny99]

I'm not sure the routing has to be unnecessary in order to be persistent.

To my mind, if the route is a logical route between two towns, then its midpoint isn't really a "logical terminus".

Sure, it very well could be. Routes often involve more than one corridor, so you wouldn't expect to always be able to take a single route number between any two points. The fact that it's not illogical to do so is often proof of the "persistence" of the route.

Heading southbound, NY 21 could logically terminate at NY 332, NY 64, or NY 15/63, yet it continues through all of them. The fact that there is a single route between Williamson, NY, and Andover, NY, that weaves together what could be several different corridors and somehow makes it through Canandaigua intact, is much more a proof of the route's persistence than an indictment of its routing.

[SkyPesos]

Heading southbound, NY 21 could logically terminate at NY 332, NY 64, or NY 15/63, yet it continues through all of them. The fact that there is a single route between Williamson, NY, and Andover, NY, that weaves together what could be several different corridors and somehow makes it through Canandaigua intact, is much more a proof of the route's persistence than an indictment of its routing.

Does NY have a rule that when a larger numbered state route meets a smaller one and one have to terminate, it's the larger one that terminates most of the time? Some OhioDOT representative told me about that rule for Ohio when I asked why the Columbus-Newark freeway have three state route designations on it at different points (OH 161, 37, 16) instead of a unified route number.

[webny99]

Heading southbound, NY 21 could logically terminate at NY 332, NY 64, or NY 15/63, yet it continues through all of them. The fact that there is a single route between Williamson, NY, and Andover, NY, that weaves together what could be several different corridors and somehow makes it through Canandaigua intact, is much more a proof of the route's persistence than an indictment of its routing.

Does NY have a rule that when a larger numbered state route meets a smaller one and one have to terminate, it's the larger one that terminates most of the time? Some OhioDOT representative told me about that rule for Ohio when I asked why the Columbus-Newark freeway have three state route designations on it at different points (OH 161, 37, 16) instead of a unified route number.

Not that I am aware of, but maybe there is. It does seem like lower numbered routes are often longer (NY 3, NY 5, NY 7, etc.), but there are exceptions too, such as NY 53 and NY 70 being short routes while NY 104 and NY 417 are among the longest in the state.

[kphoger]

you wouldn't expect to always be able to take a single route number between any two points

No.  But disconnecting a single route between two points, into several routes instead, doesn't exactly seem "logical" to me.

[webny99]

you wouldn't expect to always be able to take a single route number between any two points

No.  But disconnecting a single route between two points, into several routes instead, doesn't exactly seem "logical" to me.

But unless every T-junction of state routes has an overlap in one direction, one origin/destination combo or another has to be split between several routes..

[dvferyance]

I would say WI-47. It duplexes with many routes before it runs on it's own again.

[Dirt Roads]

Here's are West Virginia's state routes that seem to defy logic:

(Nine) WV-41 (Jct WV-210/Beckley***, US-19/Eisenhower Drive/Beckley, US-19/N Eisenhower Drive/Beckley, Jct WV-61/Piney View, US-60/North of Clifftop, US-60/East of Lookout, Corridor L/Mount Nebo, Broad Street*/Summersville, Main Street*/Summersville, Webster Road*/Summersville, WV-55 (former WV-43)**/Calvin***)
*Still on the original route of WV-41 through Summersville; US-19 was relocated to this route in 1947; US-19 relocated to Corridor L in
**WV-41 was extended to Calvin in 1932; extended a bit further to Craigsville in 1941; truncated back to Calvin in 1979
***illogical endpoints don't count in the persistency calculations

(Eight) WV-94 (WV-39/Laurel Creek, WV-39/Minnehaha Springs, WV-28/Dunmore, US-250/Bartow, US-219/US-250/Huttonsville, Corridor H/West Elkins, Corridor H/Harding, US-250/Belington)
*did not include the logical overlap with US-50 west of Fellowsville

(Eight) WV-55 (WV-41/Calvin, WV-20/Craigsville, WV-39/Fenwick, US-219/Mill Point, US-33/South Elkins, WV-28/Seneca Rocks, US-220/WV-28/Petersburg, US-48*/Moorefield)
*Eastern end of US-48 (Corridor H) constructed roughly along the original WV-55 routing east of Moorefield.
**WV-55 originally ended at Moorefield; was extended south and west in 1982 as a continuous scenic route to the Cranberry Highlands from the Washington DC area.

(Eight) WV-16 (WV-10/Pineville, WV-10/Mullens, Jct WV-54/Mullens, Byrd Drive/Sophia, Corridor L/Fayetteville, US-60/Chimney Corner, US-60/WV-39/Gauley Bridge, WV-39/Belva)
*did not include the logical overlap with US-52 at Welch
**did not include the logical overlap with US-19 on the Oak Hill Expressway south of Oak Hill (constructed before Corridor L)

Oddly, all three of the state routes in West Virginia's only real cluster (39/41/43) are represented here.  They were WV/VA-39 from Gauley Bridge -to- Goshen, Virginia via Summersville; WV-41 from Beckley -to- Calvin/Craigsville via Summersville; and WV-43 from Hookersville to Calvin.  WV-43 was originally numbered WV-15, renumbered as part of the WV-150 Highland Scenic Highway chain, and then renumbered again as part of the WV-55 extension.

[thspfc]

I would say WI-47. It duplexes with many routes before it runs on it's own again.

WI-47 should be three different routes: Appleton to Cecil, Keshena to near Antigo, and Rhinelander to Manitowish.

[vdeane]

Heading southbound, NY 21 could logically terminate at NY 332, NY 64, or NY 15/63, yet it continues through all of them. The fact that there is a single route between Williamson, NY, and Andover, NY, that weaves together what could be several different corridors and somehow makes it through Canandaigua intact, is much more a proof of the route's persistence than an indictment of its routing.

Does NY have a rule that when a larger numbered state route meets a smaller one and one have to terminate, it's the larger one that terminates most of the time? Some OhioDOT representative told me about that rule for Ohio when I asked why the Columbus-Newark freeway have three state route designations on it at different points (OH 161, 37, 16) instead of a unified route number.

Not that I am aware of, but maybe there is. It does seem like lower numbered routes are often longer (NY 3, NY 5, NY 7, etc.), but there are exceptions too, such as NY 53 and NY 70 being short routes while NY 104 and NY 417 are among the longest in the state.

Originally the one and two digit routes formed the main backbone of the system (I believe even was more often than not north-south and odd east-west, but I haven't verified that).  Three digit routes were assigned in clusters; suffixes were child routes.  However, these days routes are no longer assigned according to that system.  Both NY 104 and NY 417 were assigned later; NY 104 is a composite of former US 104 and another route to the east, and NY 417 is former NY 17.

[Bitmapped]

Here's are West Virginia's state routes that seem to defy logic:

(Nine) WV-41 (Jct WV-210/Beckley***, US-19/Eisenhower Drive/Beckley, US-19/N Eisenhower Drive/Beckley, Jct WV-61/Piney View, US-60/North of Clifftop, US-60/East of Lookout, Corridor L/Mount Nebo, Broad Street*/Summersville, Main Street*/Summersville, Webster Road*/Summersville, WV-55 (former WV-43)**/Calvin***)
*Still on the original route of WV-41 through Summersville; US-19 was relocated to this route in 1947; US-19 relocated to Corridor L in
**WV-41 was extended to Calvin in 1932; extended a bit further to Craigsville in 1941; truncated back to Calvin in 1979
***illogical endpoints don't count in the persistency calculations

(Eight) WV-94 (WV-39/Laurel Creek, WV-39/Minnehaha Springs, WV-28/Dunmore, US-250/Bartow, US-219/US-250/Huttonsville, Corridor H/West Elkins, Corridor H/Harding, US-250/Belington)
*did not include the logical overlap with US-50 west of Fellowsville

(Eight) WV-55 (WV-41/Calvin, WV-20/Craigsville, WV-39/Fenwick, US-219/Mill Point, US-33/South Elkins, WV-28/Seneca Rocks, US-220/WV-28/Petersburg, US-48*/Moorefield)
*Eastern end of US-48 (Corridor H) constructed roughly along the original WV-55 routing east of Moorefield.
**WV-55 originally ended at Moorefield; was extended south and west in 1982 as a continuous scenic route to the Cranberry Highlands from the Washington DC area.

(Eight) WV-16 (WV-10/Pineville, WV-10/Mullens, Jct WV-54/Mullens, Byrd Drive/Sophia, Corridor L/Fayetteville, US-60/Chimney Corner, US-60/WV-39/Gauley Bridge, WV-39/Belva)
*did not include the logical overlap with US-52 at Welch
**did not include the logical overlap with US-19 on the Oak Hill Expressway south of Oak Hill (constructed before Corridor L)

Oddly, all three of the state routes in West Virginia's only real cluster (39/41/43) are represented here.  They were WV/VA-39 from Gauley Bridge -to- Goshen, Virginia via Summersville; WV-41 from Beckley -to- Calvin/Craigsville via Summersville; and WV-43 from Hookersville to Calvin.  WV-43 was originally numbered WV-15, renumbered as part of the WV-150 Highland Scenic Highway chain, and then renumbered again as part of the WV-55 extension.

WV really likes to use 1- and 2-digit route numbers, which leads to a lot of long multiplexes to connect different sections that logically aren't really a through corridor. There are only a small number of cases where the state used a new number instead of extending another route already in the area.

I'd throw in WV 20, which currently runs from near New Martinsville to Bluewell. Starting from the north:
- at US 19 near Lumberport, removing multiplex with US 19 to Clarksburg
- at US 119 north of Buckhannon, removing the multiplex with US 119 into Buckhannon
- at WV 4 in Rock Cave, where WV 4 could easily be re-extended back up to Buckhannon
- at WV 15 in Diana, removing multiplex with WV 15 into Webster Springs
- at WV 82 near Cowen, with route back to Webster Springs being replaced by WV 82 or an extended WV 41
- at WV 55 at Craigsville, removing multiplex to Fenwick
- at WV 39 at Nettie, removing multiplex back to Fenwick
- at US 60 at Charmco, removing multiplex to Rainelle
- at Princeton slicing rest over to US 52 at Bluewell into its own route

That's nine distinct points. What is now WV 20 was once three separate state routes (Webster Springs north, Craigsville to Fenwick, and Rainelle to Princeton, with non-numbered portions in between).

WV 3 could also be reasonably sliced into other configurations. From west to east:
- at WV 34 near Hamlin, replaced by an extended WV 34
- at WV 214 near Yawkey, replaced by an extended WV 214
- at US 119 near Julian, removing multiplex to Danville
- at WV 94 at Racine, replaced by an extended WV 94
- at WV 99 at Surveyor, replaced by an extended WV 99
- at US 19 in Beckley, removing multiplex to Shady Spring
- at WV 12 east of Hinton, removing multiplex to Alderson
- at US 219 at Pickaway, removing multiplex to Union

That's also eight different ways that you could logically divide the route into smaller pieces.

[Terry Shea]

I think some people are misunderstanding the OP's post. It's not how many other routes terminate at any given route. Rather, why does a given route continue when it could logically terminate? And how many times does that happen?

An example in MI would be I-275. It could terminate at the southern I-96 interchange. But it persists up to I-696.

According to FHWA and Chris Bessert's Michigan Highways site, I-275 does indeed terminate at the southern I-96 exchange, despite the signage and appearances on maps:

   
"*Under the "Length" heading above, two separate and rather different figures are quoted as to the length of I-275, slightly less than five miles apart! This is because the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) does not share the opinion with MDOT that I-275 continues northerly from the I-96/Jeffries Frwy & M-14 jct concurrently with I-96 to the massive I-96/I-275/I-696/M-5 interchange in Novi/Farmington Hills. (The 34.903 mile length is measured to the "I-275 ENDS" sign on nbd I-96/I-275 just shy of 10 Mile Rd.)"

http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/MichHwys250-696.html

[Quillz]

Historically, CA-150 might qualify. It started at Surf (a small Amtrak station west of Lompoc). The Surf-Solvang corridor is fairly straight. But then it would run southeast through the San Marcos Pass. But just before terminating at US-101, it would then run as a parallel to US-101 until near Casitas Lake. And then instead of another short southern run to US-101, it would run instead travel northeast from there all the way to Santa Paula.

Today, Surf-Solvang is now CA-246. Solvang-Santa Barbara is now CA-154. Santa Barbara-Lake Casitas is now CA-192. Only the Lake Casitas-Santa Paula alignment remains as modern CA-150 (and is concurrent with CA-33 for a short while). I generally prefer longer state highways, but I can see why this was broken up into smaller state routes. It felt extremely forced to travel the entire route. At least 2-3 natural ending points.

But that's nothing compared to the historic extent of CA-24. Just look at a historic road map for that one. Basically it was the entirety of modern CA-70. And then ran as a totally different south-north route that is mostly CA-160 these days. And then once again turned into a different west-east route that began in the Bay Area. It had an orientation somewhat akin to I-80 being mostly diagonal, but this was far more forced. It's another route that I totally get why it was broken up into multiple smaller routes.

It seems at one point in time, it was considered for the San Rafael-Richmond Bridge alignment of I-580 to be its own interstate. Supposedly this was recommended by AASHTO to be Interstate 180. Caltrans argued against this because CA-180 already existed. Given there is a long concurrency with I-80 (and a wrong-way concurrency at that!) and this alignment also runs north-south while the rest of the route is west-east, I can see it. It could have worked. But at the same time, I prefer fewer routes. So I-580 ending up how it did is fine with me.

[FrCorySticha]

I just had an opportunity to drive the entire length of MT 3, from I-90 in Billings to I-15 in Great Falls. In fact, MT 3 mostly exists as the best route between the two cities. However, only 47 miles of its 221 mile length is solo. The rest of it is duplexed with US 12, then US 191, then US 87 and MT 200. So, it could end at US 12 in Lavina; or US 191 at Harlowton; or US 87/MT 200 at Eddies Corner.

[adventurernumber1]

In the state of Georgia, GA 17 is incredibly persistent, as it engages in many different concurrencies (adding up to a decent bit of non-independent mileage), and has many intersections where it could theoretically stop. However, GA 17 does add up to be a generally cohesive route, as an important corridor along the far eastern part of the state, paralleling the South Carolina border throughout its trek, and connecting the Savannah area with the North Carolina border. And many different parts of the road (in different parts of the state) have been undergoing expansions and improvements, and GA 17 finds itself on the route of many notable bypasses in the state, as well as part of Jimmy Deloach Parkway now in Savannah. So although it makes sense given the overall significance of the route, there is no doubting the persistence of GA 17 in the state.

[US20IL64]

IL 64 starts at US 41 [Lake Shore Dr.] as LaSalle Dr., then on commonly known North Ave segment for 25 some miles. Co-signs with US 52 in NW IL, then at MS River goes with US 52 onto a bridge, to end over the river. At that point, IA 64 starts westbound.

[Avalanchez71]

For SC I think it's SC 6.  Has at least five different multiplexes with various US and state highways, and it most certainly has never been the quickest route between Ballantine and Monck's Corner, even pre-interstate.  And it intersects three different interstates (20, 26, and 95).

And for TN, I'd say it's US 431.  It intersects both US 31 and US 41 twice (Franklin and Nashville, and Nashville and Springfield), and intersects all five of Greater Nashville's interstates plus both Briley and Ellington Parkways at least once.

TN SR 1
The Memphis to Bristol Highway intersects several US highways in Tennessee.

[roadman65]

US 98 in Florida. It could terminate at US 19 and 27 in Perry.  It could terminate at US 92 in Lakeland. US 17 in Bartow. US 27 in Frostproof. US 441 in Okeechobee.

US 319 could end at US 98 and not overlap it.

US 25 could end at North Augusta, SC.

US 23 could end at I-985 at I-85. Or it could end in Atlanta, or Waycross.

[Takumi]

For Virginia I think it’s US 522. (I’ve gone on before about how it could be dropped from the system: an extended US 17 north of Winchester, a re-extended VA 3 between Winchester and Culpeper, and an extended VA 229 south of Culpeper.)

-meets US 11, 17, and 50 in Winchester
-about 10 miles south of Winchester, it picks up US 340 and they head into Front Royal, briefly picking up VA 55 as well
-not that far south of Front Royal, it joins US 211 for nearly 10 miles, then heads south to Culpeper
-meets US 15/29 and their business routes in Culpeper
-after a relatively long 30ish mile solo stretch, picks up VA 208 near Lake Anna into Mineral
-a few miles south of Mineral, it briefly joins US 33 at Cuckoo
-a 20 mile solo stretch is followed by it joining VA 6 through Goochland
-south of VA 6 it crosses into Powhatan County and ends at US 60. Until about a decade ago this was solidly the middle of nowhere but Powhatan is rapidly becoming a Richmond exurb. In fact a very large chunk of 522’s path through Virginia is through very quiet areas.

With the exception of US 340 and VA 208, 522 is the route that changes roads in its concurrencies.

[planxtymcgillicuddy]

US-421 here in NC