This is something that seems to have varied significantly between states over time...I'm surprised that there never has been a national standard for this type of auxiliary route, though the argument can be easily made that an "A" route forces the motorist to guess at what it stands for - which could be the result of the state-by-state differences in its usage.
Tendencies of some of states I've been to:
Arizona: suffix - http://www.arizonaroads.com/us/us89a.html
California: banner (for its one post-1964 alternate, Alternate US 50)
Delaware: banner
District of Columbia: banner
Kentucky: banner
Maryland: banner
Nevada: banner
New York: suffix
Ohio: suffix
Rhode Island: suffix
Texas: banner
Tennessee: suffix
Utah: suffix
Washington: banner
Wyoming: suffix
Missouri : Banner, though I believe they are all defunct now
Arkansas: has no Alternate Routes, but would post with a suffix
Iowa - banner (no alts)
Wisconsin - Banner (but the bannering of Alt is different from how most other states do it - the purpose is to provide relief routes for busy highways Illinois - Banner (at least up north - they do the same thing as WI for Alternates (likely a spillover from WI)
Minnesota - Banner (there's just a few - all business)
(90, 94, 43 and 41.)
Michigan - I believe Banner - I only know the UP though.
North Carolina - suffix for alternate, banner for the rest
QuoteWyoming: suffix
Wyoming is entirely bannered. I've clinched and photographed (see my website at the bottom of the page for extensive photographic evidence) every single bannered route but US-14 Business in Sundance and US-16 Bypass in Newcastle, and all routes but 14 Alternate are signed with a banner, and then 14 Alternate is signed with a shield like this:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidjcorcoran.com%2Fhighways%2Fwy%2F14a%2F37to310%2F1.jpg&hash=7082f399943964a3fdae8a53403d43affb44d08a)
There is exactly one "14A" shield on a trucker information board, but that's more of an anomaly than anything.
Let's see:
Idaho- bannered
South Dakota- usually suffixed
QuoteCalifornia: banner (for its one post-1964 alternate, Alternate US 50)
have never seen a pre-1964 "A" either, but have seen "alternate" banner.
add to that: Florida has both banner, suffix AND prefix. See "ALT A1A", good grief.
(//www.aaroads.com/shields/img/FL/FL19640012i1.jpg)
I have also seen secondary S-A1A but never (mercifully) ALT S-A1A.
Also, Idaho has the banner.
Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming have had the banner inside the shield before. As has Ohio.
(//www.aaroads.com/shields/img/NV/NV19560504i1.jpg)
QuoteIdaho, Nevada, and Wyoming have had the banner inside the shield before. As has Ohio.
As does Washington with Alternate 97 (the other signed Alternates, ALT 141 and ALT 101 are bannered)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidjcorcoran.com%2Fhighways%2F97ALT%2F97to150%2F1.JPG&hash=c540015a50fb8cb24dace051f9c06f2575337e79)
Texas sometimes does too for business loops
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidjcorcoran.com%2Fhighways%2Ftx%2F87%2F385to54%2F3.jpg&hash=50f07443c0d18c1ff5f7c38ebff2b91af0a4ed63)
also, Massachusetts suffixes their alternate state routes, which are old alignments of either state (2A, etc) or US routes (1A, 3A, etc).
I have never seen a photo of the single alternate US route in Mass: 5A, from 1938-1942 or so. I would assume it had an A after the 5.
Maine also suffixes, and I have seen a single shield for 202A with the A centered directly underneath the 202. Conn and RI suffix as well, as does NH (at least for state routes) and VT. Suffixing seems to be a vestige of the old New England highway system.
the word "business" inside the shield is fairly common - Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota also do it as well, sometimes with green shields.
then there's this in South Dakota.
(//www.aaroads.com/shields/img/SD/SD19950141i1.jpg)
QuoteMinnesota - Banner (there's just a few - all business)
No Alternate routes in Minnesota. OP looks like he's focusing on just ALT routes, not the other bannered routes.
Mississippi, Alabama, and Virginia are all bannered.
Quote from: froggie on August 06, 2010, 10:32:05 AM
Mississippi, Alabama, and Virginia are all bannered.
I have seen a 9F Mississippi circle shield (or 9V? Some very strange suffix.) I've also seen a 58A shield from Virginia, but this is a much older cutout so it may be an older standard.
Connecticut: suffix
There used to be several 1A's, but only one remains (Stonington). Old alignment hunters have a lot to search for. :)
Although, 1A in Stamford isn't even walkable anymore unless you have the ability to walk through walls.
Quote from: Master son on August 06, 2010, 07:05:07 AM
North Carolina - suffix for alternate, banner for the rest
I've never seen a suffixed route in North Carolina, just bannered.
I just looked up a few alternate routes that I know of on Google Maps, and according to the streetview images all have banners.
Quote from: corco on August 06, 2010, 10:21:32 AM
South Dakota- usually suffixed
Alt 16 is 16A, but are there any other Alternates?
I know SD's Business Routes are Bannered.
New Hampshire mostly does suffixed, but there are a number of bannered routes where the banner is inside the actual shield (e.g. Bypass NH 28, Bypass US 1). Pennsylvania does nothing but bannered routes, with I assume the exception of US 6N. New York does nothing but suffixes, but I believe there are a few bannered routes out there. Maine does both suffixed and bannered routes, but when you visit Damariscotta, you see this:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flh4.ggpht.com%2F_ZkmN2RrOJxw%2FSqBUtHwnpyI%2FAAAAAAAANkM%2F6Kb1qdWWKts%2Fs640%2FIMG_9994.JPG&hash=05b446a80ef49ae39e3ce9bd174da16e33955ce8)
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on August 06, 2010, 11:44:47 AM
Quote from: Master son on August 06, 2010, 07:05:07 AM
North Carolina - suffix for alternate, banner for the rest
I've never seen a suffixed route in North Carolina, just bannered.
I just looked up a few alternate routes that I know of on Google Maps, and according to the streetview images all have banners.
US 1 Alternate through Wake Forest/Youngsville and Franklinton are both signed as US 1A.
https://www.aaroads.com/southeast/north_carolina001/us-001_sb_at_us-001a_sb_youngsville.jpg
It appears that NC originally used the A suffix and has switched to bannered over the years.
I have only ever seen bannered routes on New Jersey state routes. Two former ones, Alt U.S. 22 and Bus U.S. 1-9 were converted to state routes 122 and 139, respectively.
I have seen it both ways (not simultaneously) on county routes in New Jersey, including the designation Spur.
QuoteAlt 16 is 16A, but are there any other Alternates?
Alt 14 is 14A, but if the business routes are usually bannered I stand corrected- I thought they were suffixed but I don't have anything to back that up with.
Quote from: akotchi on August 06, 2010, 01:04:50 PM
I have only ever seen bannered routes on New Jersey state routes. Two former ones, Alt U.S. 22 and Bus U.S. 1-9 were converted to state routes 122 and 139, respectively.
Wouldn't US 1-9 Truck be considered a bannered route?
Quote from: PennDOTFan on August 06, 2010, 03:35:40 PM
Quote from: akotchi on August 06, 2010, 01:04:50 PM
I have only ever seen bannered routes on New Jersey state routes. Two former ones, Alt U.S. 22 and Bus U.S. 1-9 were converted to state routes 122 and 139, respectively.
Wouldn't US 1-9 Truck be considered a bannered route?
Yes, it would be. I got caught in professional speak, where anything interstate, federal or state is considered a "state" route. I was distinguishing state routes from county routes.
Nebraska has only 1 "alternate" route and it is suffixed-NE 25A. I've never seen a picture of any Alternate US 30 shields, so I don't know how they were signed, but it's usually referred to as US 30A, so I am guessing they were suffixed too. Business routes are bannered.
Oklahoma uses both, sometimes on the same road. For example, ALT US 75/US 75A is signed both ways:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2734%2F4229062102_4f83184780_z.jpg%3Fzz%3D1&hash=6b7b9584d8ae3660cf866cde392c1e209262a58d)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2687%2F4441752632_132908d57b_z.jpg&hash=069cae675f49c53f39ac70aeb19c3823aad3e08c)
It's also signed as OK 75A in at least one place:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3279%2F2968504470_78052ef97e_z.jpg%3Fzz%3D1&hash=31e945a830ef52369ddfca0c8b1d3a7df0c972ad)
Thanks to US 71 for the first and third photo.
Oregon uses banner.
Quote from: corco on August 06, 2010, 02:15:53 PM
QuoteAlt 16 is 16A, but are there any other Alternates?
Alt 14 is 14A, but if the business routes are usually bannered I stand corrected- I thought they were suffixed but I don't have anything to back that up with.
I think it's both
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm5.static.flickr.com%2F4041%2F4186454116_1ea674529d_d.jpg&hash=08dfdf62102c4aca307f6d6af221c866c8e6eaf4)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2721%2F4185697003_e334df2de2_d.jpg&hash=ac51ff8a43ff66555d9accea9722f3b79361d6e1)
With Ohio, the only A route i have ever seen was US 20A in northwest Ohio....
most other Ohio alternate routes use ALT tabs over the shields
NH and ME use suffix.
QuoteNebraska has only 1 "alternate" route and it is suffixed-NE 25A. I've never seen a picture of any Alternate US 30 shields, so I don't know how they were signed, but it's usually referred to as US 30A, so I am guessing they were suffixed too. Business routes are bannered.
Then there's also the unofficial alternate routes along the interstates- signed along I-76 as
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidjcorcoran.com%2Fhighways%2Fne%2F138%2F80toco%2F2.JPG&hash=ec400a580e24cad584a852388cbfa0885ae96324)
and I-80 as
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.davidjcorcoran.com%2Fhighways%2Fne%2F30%2F385to27%2F3.JPG&hash=e1e6f0e2573e0404f9e12d51294b14e7d91ae503)
Utah alternate routes used to be bannered before all of them were eliminated in the '70s. From then until 2008 Utah didn't have an alternate route until UDOT decided to recognize US-89A (before they signed it as SR-11).
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on August 06, 2010, 11:44:47 AM
Quote from: Master son on August 06, 2010, 07:05:07 AM
North Carolina - suffix for alternate, banner for the rest
I've never seen a suffixed route in North Carolina, just bannered.
I just looked up a few alternate routes that I know of on Google Maps, and according to the streetview images all have banners.
The US routes I'm familiar with in western North Carolina that have alternate routes (321, 221, 25, 74, etc.) all have the suffix "A" instead of banners.
One example: (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2F2010_TN_Day_1-2%2FThumbnails%2F123.jpg&hash=d0df1902b1d71eef8717cf4a58d4b758f4b61305)
Another: (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2F2010_TN_Day_1-2%2FImages%2F232.jpg&hash=7008fd66ba9eaf4831eb9d82aadfad254daefb81)
And if you ever wanted to know what four digits would look like in a US shield: (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2F2008_VA_NC%2FImages%2F91.jpg&hash=3d1c4e5235edd195d0350649c7cee612c7a02bde)
I've never been to western NC, and the routes I looked at as examples were along US 64 and US 264 mostly. It may be that the A rather than ALT is older practice and all of the alternate routes in the eastern part of the state are relatively new.
I've seen a historic photo of a US 80A from Texas, but I do not know if that is in recent vogue. Hell, I do not know of any extant alternate routes in Texas that still exist.
(//www.aaroads.com/shields/img/TX/TX19480801i1.jpg)
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 09, 2010, 03:05:26 AM
Hell, I do not know of any extant alternate routes in Texas that still exist.
The most prominent one I can think of is Alternate US 90 through Houston (and for quite a bit of distance westward), given the banner treatment:
https://www.aaroads.com/texas/ih010/i-010_eb_exit_603_02.jpg
http://www.okroads.com/031605/bw8atus90alt_01.JPG
Alternate US 77 also gets the banner style:
https://www.aaroads.com/texas/sh050-099/sh-072_n_us_077a_02.jpg
Quote from: TheStranger on August 09, 2010, 04:01:19 AM
The most prominent one I can think of is Alternate US 90 through Houston (and for quite a bit of distance westward), given the banner treatment:
wow totally forgot about that one, despite the fact that this 1961-spec shield still is around:
(//www.aaroads.com/shields/img/TX/TX19700901i1.jpg)
Interesting to see the "Old Spanish Trail" initials in button copy there...wonder why that was removed, considering the name is still in use!
So that adds Texas to the list of "in-shield banner" jurisdictions (albeit probably for only a few examples) I think several other states have been listed so far that do this practice.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 09, 2010, 03:05:26 AM
I've seen a historic photo of a US 80A from Texas, but I do not know if that is in recent vogue. Hell, I do not know of any extant alternate routes in Texas that still exist.
(https://www.aaroads.com/shields/img/TX/TX19480801i1.jpg)
Where did the ALT US 80 go besides El Paso?
Since this thread has been bumped... I prefer suffixes to banners. 1A can easily be followed by 1B and 1C if you need to create another one (and New Hampshire and New York are known for doing this), while 1 Alternate can only be duplicated.
Quote from: 1 on November 12, 2020, 02:39:59 PM
Since this thread has been bumped... I prefer suffixes to banners. 1A can easily be followed by 1B and 1C if you need to create another one (and New Hampshire and New York are known for doing this), while 1 Alternate can only be duplicated.
Arkansas generally uses Letters for Business (B) or Spur (S). I know of one instance of T (AR 7T [Truck] Russellville.
Quote from: US71 on November 12, 2020, 02:53:14 PM
Quote from: 1 on November 12, 2020, 02:39:59 PM
Since this thread has been bumped... I prefer suffixes to banners. 1A can easily be followed by 1B and 1C if you need to create another one (and New Hampshire and New York are known for doing this), while 1 Alternate can only be duplicated.
Arkansas generally uses Letters for Business (B) or Spur (S). I know of one instance of T (AR 7T [Truck] Russellville.
Arkansas also has y for wye. US 412Y in Paragould for instance.