Two highways that could be decommissioned at any time are US 61 north of Saint Paul and US 60 west of Phoenix. Both of these stretches of highway are in states that have historically been very hostile to US routes. I'm not talking about highways that parallel future interstate corridors, I'm talking about roads that could easily be decommissioned without any existing roads being built. US 266 also comes to mind, but I think ODOT forgot about it (not to mention that an OK 266 exists north of Catoosa.)
US-95 could potentially be eaten up by an extension of I-11, since I could see Reno eventually pushing for a Vegas-Reno Interstate corridor.
I'm surprised US-85 still exists in Texas.
US 400 runs concurrent with other U.S. routes in most of Kansas. It doesn't seem to add a lot of value to the system, in addition there not being a US 00 parent route (I doubt if that bothers the average motorist though).
If I-73 (at least to Roanoke) & I-99 are ever completed, then I suspect that most, if not all, of US-220 will be decommissioned.
All of them, according to FritzOwl.
US 46? I feel like it could turn into a state route at any time, even though I don't think the US 46 designation would be used anywhere else...
Quote from: 1 on April 30, 2014, 03:22:05 PM
All of them, according to FritzOwl.
:-D
I always felt that when US 222 was shortened to Conowingo, MD its days were numbered. Years later its still hanging on, but more of it is freeway.
US 113 in Delaware could go by the wayside with it being shortened from Dover to Milford in 2004. Both causes would require two states to petition for their removal, so that is likely going to save them.
Quote from: Quillz on April 30, 2014, 02:27:59 PM
US-95 could potentially be eaten up by an extension of I-11, since I could see Reno eventually pushing for a Vegas-Reno Interstate corridor.
What are the current Reno-Vegas traffic volumes like? I recall that being a sleepy corridor.
US 460 in Kentucky west of Pikeville.
Quote from: Quillz on April 30, 2014, 02:27:59 PM
US-95 could potentially be eaten up by an extension of I-11, since I could see Reno eventually pushing for a Vegas-Reno Interstate corridor.
Quote
I'm not talking about highways that parallel future interstate corridors, I'm talking about roads that could easily be decommissioned without any existing roads being built.
US 15 north of Williamsport
All of these routes are redundant to Interstates and could be eliminated:
US 5 - whole route
US 11 - all except the part across northern NY, which could be renumbered an extension of US-2
US 12 - east of twin cities
US 19 - along I-79 corridor
US 21 - whole route
US 22 - east of Harrisburg
US 30 - whole route
US 31 - south of Indianapolis
US 36 - east of Indianapolis
US 42 - whole route
US 46 - whole route
US 51 - south of Memphis
US 65 - north of Des Moines
US 69 - north of Kansas City
US 71 - south of Shreveport
US 80 - Cut back to exist only between Meridian and Macon
US 81 - north of Watertown, SD
US 85 - south of Cheyenne.
US 90 - whole route. Section west of San Antonio taken over by extended US-285. TX-54 extended to cover remaider to Van Horn.
US 91 - whole route
US 92 - whole route
US 113 - whole route
US 117 - whole route
US 130 - whole route
US 138 - whole route
US 159 - whole route
Quote from: Chris on April 30, 2014, 03:12:47 PM
US 400 runs concurrent with other U.S. routes in most of Kansas. It doesn't seem to add a lot of value to the system, in addition there not being a US 00 parent route (I doubt if that bothers the average motorist though).
The state of Kansas already knows that. US 400 is merely a placeholder for their near-impossible dream of running I-66 through that corridor. Sure, US 400 is pretty useless, but it will stay until Kansas gets bored with it.
US 46, though short, is separate from I-80 for its entire length and serves a ton of local traffic (5-10 mile range) through NJ. It deserves to remain in the network just like US 309 and 611 should.
US 78 between Memphis and Birmingham? Or for that matter, between Memphis and Atlanta?
US 11 between New Orleans and Bristol, or even further north into Virginia?
Once I-49 is completed, should US 71 be put on a death watch?
Quote from: Charles2 on April 30, 2014, 09:25:36 PM
Once I-49 is completed, should US 71 be put on a death watch?
No. Arkansas will hide it, but south of Shreveport it will still exist, as it will north of St Joseph, MO
I-49 ends at Three Trails Crossing, but 71 continues to I-29 unless you redesignate it MO x49 or MO x29.
Quote from: US71 on April 30, 2014, 09:57:02 PM
No. Arkansas will hide it
Even though AHTD has opted to have 71 parallel route 549 rather than follow it?
Quote from: agentsteel53 on April 30, 2014, 02:33:44 PM
I'm surprised US-85 still exists in Texas.
Especially when there is not one sign for it in New Mexico.
The list of US Highway eliminations I would like to see is too large to put in words. I've been working on maps, but it's a long project. There are a LOT of redundancies, illogical meandering and other unnecessary bullcrap.
The amount of mileage I would get rid of is in the 10's of thousands of miles.
US 71 south of Shreveport is still an active route. Sure, it parallels an Interstate in a sense, but it gives a route from Alexandria to Shreveport that passes through some real places. I'd rather get stranded on US 71 than LA 1, since you have Tioga, Colfax, Montgomery, Clarence, Campti, Coushatta, and then Bossier City. For LA 1, you have Boyce and Natchitoches. Plenty of gas stations along US 71 as well. It's the preferred route from Pineville (across the river from Alexandria) to Shreveport-Bossier without having to cross the river.
Now, south of Alexandria, you have Lecompte and Bunkie, and that's it. It does, however, give a direct route from US 190 to Alexandria.
I would like to see US 165 decommissioned below Kinder, and US 167 decommissioned below Lafayette.
Does US 60 need to exist east of Sam Black Church, WV? From there to Lexington, Va., it either runs parallel to or concurrently with I-64. From Lexington on eastward to Richmond, it's not really a major highway the way US 460 or US 58 are across Virginia. And from Richmond on east to Hampton Roads, again it's either adjacent to or concurrent with I-64.
Quote from: FightingIrish on April 30, 2014, 05:58:54 PM
Quote from: Chris on April 30, 2014, 03:12:47 PM
US 400 runs concurrent with other U.S. routes in most of Kansas. It doesn't seem to add a lot of value to the system, in addition there not being a US 00 parent route (I doubt if that bothers the average motorist though).
The state of Kansas already knows that. US 400 is merely a placeholder for their near-impossible dream of running I-66 through that corridor. Sure, US 400 is pretty useless, but it will stay until Kansas gets bored with it.
Eh, I don't know the actual counts between Wichita and the Eastern terminus at Three Corners (KS OK MO), but every time I drive the stretch it's well worn and full of trucks. It was, in it's previous life, a very busy 2-lane K-96. I hate the number, of course, but it does have a value regionally. It won't go away... unless a new number is assigned... which won't happen.
ICTRds
I'm surprised that US 166 and US 266 have been allowed to survive while their parent route was entirely replaced by parts of (in east to west order): I-55, I-44, I-40, I-15 and I-10. What's wrong with making them state routes of the same number?
Quote from: Henry on May 01, 2014, 04:02:04 PM
I'm surprised that US 166 and US 266 have been allowed to survive while their parent route was entirely replaced by parts of (in east to west order): I-55, I-44, I-40, I-15 and I-10. What's wrong with making them state routes of the same number?
238 138.
Quote from: Molandfreak on May 01, 2014, 04:11:33 PM
Quote from: Henry on May 01, 2014, 04:02:04 PM
I'm surprised that US 166 and US 266 have been allowed to survive while their parent route was entirely replaced by parts of (in east to west order): I-55, I-44, I-40, I-15 and I-10. What's wrong with making them state routes of the same number?
238 138.
At least it has interstate company - I-238.
Quote from: Molandfreak on April 30, 2014, 10:17:39 PM
Quote from: US71 on April 30, 2014, 09:57:02 PM
No. Arkansas will hide it
Even though AHTD has opted to have 71 parallel route 549 rather than follow it?
Wherever 71 follows an Interstate, it's rarely posted. For now, it parallels 549/Future 49. In the future, who knows.?
I dunno. I grew up thinking of pairs as being the norm (I-95 and US 1, I-93 and US 3, I-91 and US 5, I-87 and US 9, I-84 and US 6, I-80 and US 46, I-78 and US 22, etc.). I don't see how a US route is worthy of elimination simply because it follows the same corridor as an interstate. It would be weird to see all those interstates without their US partners.
The only time it really makes sense to truncate a US highway on account of an interstate being introduced is if the interstate is placed on the same highway that was formerly the US route.
On that note, if you are going to truncate US 15 to Williamsport because of I-99... you pretty much might as well truncate it to Harrisburg. Most of the route between the two is concurrent with US 11, and the short piece that isn't is unimportant enough to just become a state highway.
Shouldn't US 42 be added to the list of "should be doomed" highways? Its significance has long been replaced by I-71. Heck, good luck finding where it ends in Louisville.
US 264, IMO. It's redundant west of Zebulon (soon to be doubly redundant with I-495), and its route is short enough to be a state route. I say replace the part between Zebulon and Greenville with an interstate designation of some sort (I-195, perhaps) and the rest (along with US-264 ALT) can become a new NC route.
It's easy to find where US 42 ends in Louisville. I took a crapload of pictures of the end point about 14 years ago and manipulated the Louisville inset on the official Kentucky map and sent it all to Dale Sanderson to put on the US Ends site. Granted, it's not signed really well, but it's there.
Quote from: vdeane on April 30, 2014, 05:39:02 PM
US 15 north of Williamsport
Quote
I'm not talking about highways that parallel future interstate corridors, I'm talking about roads that could easily be decommissioned without any existing roads being built.
None of you are getting it. Your posts have nothing to do with the subject I created. Mods: please lock this thread.
Quote from: Beeper1 on April 30, 2014, 05:50:31 PM
All of these routes are redundant to Interstates and could be eliminated:
west of San Antonio taken over by extended US-285. TX-54 extended to cover remaider to Van Horn.
Hey 90 is important for getting to Big Bend NP. How about 57?
US-395 in Washington, between the Tri-Cities and Ritzville is ripe for an Interstate to replace it.
Quote from: Duke87 on May 01, 2014, 08:19:01 PM
I dunno. I grew up thinking of pairs as being the norm (I-95 and US 1, I-93 and US 3, I-91 and US 5, I-87 and US 9, I-84 and US 6, I-80 and US 46, I-78 and US 22, etc.). I don't see how a US route is worthy of elimination simply because it follows the same corridor as an interstate. It would be weird to see all those interstates without their US partners.
The only time it really makes sense to truncate a US highway on account of an interstate being introduced is if the interstate is placed on the same highway that was formerly the US route.
I agree.
I don't understand why US highways are decommissioned in the first place. States currently maintain them, so it's not like there's a change in maintenance.
I would agree with a previous post that mentioned US 113. Since it has been truncated from Dover to Milford, it doesn't currently go through any cities or major destinations.
iPhone
because once an interstate is built hardly anyone drives on the old US route. It should be decommissioned.
Quote from: texaskdog on May 02, 2014, 07:56:09 PM
because once an interstate is built hardly anyone drives on the old US route.
Out west, maybe. But the examples in the northeast that I mentioned above still have plenty of traffic on the US route. In some cases the "old route" paralleling the interstate might even be well improved and a major thoroughfare in its own right.
Quote from: texaskdog on May 02, 2014, 07:56:09 PM
because once an interstate is built hardly anyone drives on the old US route. It should be decommissioned.
In the case of US 81, it's the free alternative from Arkansas City to Wichita. It's co-signed with I-135 to Salina, but continues on after that.
Decommissioning routes would be hard in places: US 64 parallels I-40 to Conway, but US 70 parallels from Little Rock to West Memphis.
So would you decommission portions or the whole road?