Regional Boards > Pacific Southwest
Winnemucca to the Sea Highway
Bickendan:
A possible reason why OR/NV 140 never became US 140? Were there any unassigned x40's, so the DOT's settled on 140 as (at least in Oregon) the number was still low enough to function as a primary highway?
roadfro:
--- Quote from: Tarkus on July 02, 2009, 11:28:35 PM ---According to Wikipedia, OR-138 and OR-140 were commissioned in the 1960s, before US-126 had been decommissioned. I'd be curious to know a more precise date on that, as well as the date when NV-140 got its current number.
--- End quote ---
Oregon seems to have made the paved connection between Adel and the OR/NV state line by the beginning of 1963; it first appears on the 1963-64 edition of NDOT's state highway maps. Previously, the connection was more indirect heading south from Adel to NV 34, then east via NV 34A to NV 8A, all of which were unimproved or gravel roads; the paved road went southeast directly to an unnumbered extension of NV 8A.
The road appears to have received the 140 number in both states at some point in 1967. NDOT's 1967 still shows NV 8A on the Nevada side and no number on the Oregon side. The 1968 map shows SR 140 in Oregon and replacing NV 8A between the state line and US 95. 140 is not shown as overlapping with US 95 to Winnemucca, however.
Since Nevada routes were mentioned in state law at the time, the number change would probably have occurred while the legislature was in session. The Nevada Legislature typically passes its bills in second quarter of odd numbered years.
agentsteel53:
--- Quote from: AARoads on July 03, 2009, 01:34:55 PM ---How would the number of MSR 140 to U.S. 140 played out given that the Maryland to Pennsylvania one lasted until 1980?
--- End quote ---
that I couldn't even begin to tell you. I need to hear Andy's explanation of it again. I remember raising that exact objection and he just shrugged.
in general, as for it being an x40, as opposed to an x95, is, I believe, because US-95 came down from Idaho in 1939. This leads me to believe the original US-140 plan dates back to before then, and when 95 was extended, that section of road did not need to be planned to be an x40 any more. At that time, why they didn't propose the route be called US-495, I do not know. It would've even made sense in the numbering order, as 195, 295, and 395 were all north of it. (this as opposed to US-460, which is far east of other x60 branches)
US-495 would've been accepted without reservation, I'd imagine.
another question I do not know the answer to is: where did the proposed route go "to the sea"? Oregon 140 does not make it all the way to the coast. It ends in Medford. One possible routing is to go along US-99 from Medford to Grants Pass, and then down US-199 to Crescent City. Alternately, one can take the Merlin road west out of Grants Pass, to Agness and Gold Beach. This road is shown as a gray line on my Rand McNally map.
Bickendan:
OR 140 doesn't even make it to Medford. It begins at OR 62 about 10 miles north of Medford in White City.
Also, I wouldn't consider using any non-SR roads across the Coastals south of OR 42 due to poor (nonexistant) signing in the mountains.
agentsteel53:
maybe today the signage is pretty terrible, but back in the 1920s when the trail was originally being considered, that gray line road through the coastal range may have been the primary through route.
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