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National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: Quillz on August 09, 2023, 06:09:39 AM

Title: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: Quillz on August 09, 2023, 06:09:39 AM
What are some of your state's highways that have seen little, if any, change?

In California, I would submit CA-96. It's just south of the Oregon border and has only had a single routing change around 1938. (To junction with then US-299 to the south instead of US-101 to the west, due to a segment being unconstructed, which it still is today). Beyond that, it's pretty much been the same two-lane highway since 1934. Even the surrounding area hasn't changed much at all. No major cities, rural population. Technically the eastern/northern terminus changed, now ending at I-5 instead of US-99 (present day CA-263).

I would imagine the more rural states probably have a lot of highways that have changed little since their inceptions.
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: hotdogPi on August 09, 2023, 06:11:34 AM
Most of Massachusetts's routes haven't changed since their inception, as the main roads in each town were already fully there in the 1920s and 1930s. I believe the same is true for New Hampshire.

Unless you're referring to development along the road; that's obviously changed (except possibly MA 88).
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: Quillz on August 09, 2023, 06:38:46 AM
Quote from: 1 on August 09, 2023, 06:11:34 AM
Most of Massachusetts's routes haven't changed since their inception, as the main roads in each town were already fully there in the 1920s and 1930s. I believe the same is true for New Hampshire.

Unless you're referring to development along the road; that's obviously changed (except possibly MA 88).
A little of both, I suppose. Like, many of the Central Valley California highways haven't changed much in terms of physical roadway, but the surroundings have grown a lot.
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: US 89 on August 09, 2023, 08:01:16 AM
Not many in Utah. Almost all of the really old routes have seen some amount of changes over the years, whether that’s extension or truncation or outright decommissioning. A complete numbering system to number all the state maintained roads was first assigned in 1927. Of the numbered routes created then, only three have never changed beyond maybe a minor realignment: SR 14, SR 43, and SR 46.
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: Max Rockatansky on August 09, 2023, 08:07:54 AM
Quote from: Quillz on August 09, 2023, 06:09:39 AM
What are some of your state's highways that have seen little, if any, change?

In California, I would submit CA-96. It's just south of the Oregon border and has only had a single routing change around 1938. (To junction with then US-299 to the south instead of US-101 to the west, due to a segment being unconstructed, which it still is today). Beyond that, it's pretty much been the same two-lane highway since 1934. Even the surrounding area hasn't changed much at all. No major cities, rural population. Technically the eastern/northern terminus changed, now ending at I-5 instead of US-99 (present day CA-263).

I would imagine the more rural states probably have a lot of highways that have changed little since their inceptions.

For about a year 96 also ended in Yreka via the Shasta River Canyon.  The corridor was swapped with that of CA 263. 

Off the top of my head I don't believe CA 127 has ever had a major realignment anywhere.  It did get a nominal extension on Kelbaker Road when I-15 was built. 
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: Rothman on August 09, 2023, 08:20:48 AM
Quote from: 1 on August 09, 2023, 06:11:34 AM
Most of Massachusetts's routes haven't changed since their inception, as the main roads in each town were already fully there in the 1920s and 1930s. I believe the same is true for New Hampshire.

Unless you're referring to development along the road; that's obviously changed (except possibly MA 88).

I don't know.  MA 116's four lane section in Amherst comes to mind, or MA 57's expressway section...Has the routing of State routes stayed the same in urban areas?  I'm thinking MA 141 and MA 116 through Holyoke, where new MA 116 signs were put up in the 1990s, but I'm not sure if the actual route changed.

I suppose it's still rare in MA, thinking of a lot of other routes.  MA 9 probably hasn't changed, despite traveling cross-state, having been the main route to Boston for centuries (see also "Bay Road" in its various forms in western MA)...But wait, didn't its western terminus change over the years?  Then again, MA 10's been around forever...old timers talk about driving it pre-I-91.  But MA 122/MA 122A haven't changed through Worcester?

Heh.  Fun to think about... 
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: TheHighwayMan3561 on August 09, 2023, 11:37:45 AM
MN:

TH 11 is pretty much as it was when first laid out, with (speculating) some possible minor changes in routing through International Falls probably the extent of notable changes.
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: Quillz on August 09, 2023, 05:02:20 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 09, 2023, 08:07:54 AM
Quote from: Quillz on August 09, 2023, 06:09:39 AM
What are some of your state's highways that have seen little, if any, change?

In California, I would submit CA-96. It's just south of the Oregon border and has only had a single routing change around 1938. (To junction with then US-299 to the south instead of US-101 to the west, due to a segment being unconstructed, which it still is today). Beyond that, it's pretty much been the same two-lane highway since 1934. Even the surrounding area hasn't changed much at all. No major cities, rural population. Technically the eastern/northern terminus changed, now ending at I-5 instead of US-99 (present day CA-263).

I would imagine the more rural states probably have a lot of highways that have changed little since their inceptions.

For about a year 96 also ended in Yreka via the Shasta River Canyon.  The corridor was swapped with that of CA 263. 

Off the top of my head I don't believe CA 127 has ever had a major realignment anywhere.  It did get a nominal extension on Kelbaker Road when I-15 was built. 
So that happened after the '64 renumbering?
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: JayhawkCO on August 09, 2023, 05:07:21 PM
A good many of Colorado's state highways were built around 1923 and haven't changed at all other than getting paved.
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: Max Rockatansky on August 09, 2023, 05:25:27 PM
Quote from: Quillz on August 09, 2023, 05:02:20 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 09, 2023, 08:07:54 AM
Quote from: Quillz on August 09, 2023, 06:09:39 AM
What are some of your state's highways that have seen little, if any, change?

In California, I would submit CA-96. It's just south of the Oregon border and has only had a single routing change around 1938. (To junction with then US-299 to the south instead of US-101 to the west, due to a segment being unconstructed, which it still is today). Beyond that, it's pretty much been the same two-lane highway since 1934. Even the surrounding area hasn't changed much at all. No major cities, rural population. Technically the eastern/northern terminus changed, now ending at I-5 instead of US-99 (present day CA-263).

I would imagine the more rural states probably have a lot of highways that have changed little since their inceptions.

For about a year 96 also ended in Yreka via the Shasta River Canyon.  The corridor was swapped with that of CA 263. 

Off the top of my head I don't believe CA 127 has ever had a major realignment anywhere.  It did get a nominal extension on Kelbaker Road when I-15 was built. 
So that happened after the '64 renumbering?

Regarding 96 related to the renumbering I think that I best explained it when I wrote about it:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/10/california-state-route-263-former-us.html?m=1

Regarding 127, another caveat to consider that it was also Legislative Route Number 127.  CA 127 was the only 1934 Sign Route to match what Legislative Route Number.  Of course Legislative Route Number 189 became CA 189 as part the 1964 Renumbering.
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: Dough4872 on August 09, 2023, 10:13:32 PM
There are several state routes in Pennsylvania that follow basically the same alignment today as they did in 1930. One example I can think of is PA 463.
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: Max Rockatansky on August 09, 2023, 10:37:41 PM
For Arizona more than likely AZ 82 would win this. 
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: formulanone on August 09, 2023, 11:10:27 PM
Quote from: Rothman on August 09, 2023, 08:20:48 AM
Quote from: 1 on August 09, 2023, 06:11:34 AM
Most of Massachusetts's routes haven't changed since their inception, as the main roads in each town were already fully there in the 1920s and 1930s. I believe the same is true for New Hampshire.

Unless you're referring to development along the road; that's obviously changed (except possibly MA 88).

I don't know.  MA 116's four lane section in Amherst comes to mind, or MA 57's expressway section...Has the routing of State routes stayed the same in urban areas?  I'm thinking MA 141 and MA 116 through Holyoke, where new MA 116 signs were put up in the 1990s, but I'm not sure if the actual route changed.

I suppose it's still rare in MA, thinking of a lot of other routes.  MA 9 probably hasn't changed, despite traveling cross-state, having been the main route to Boston for centuries (see also "Bay Road" in its various forms in western MA)...But wait, didn't its western terminus change over the years?  Then again, MA 10's been around forever...old timers talk about driving it pre-I-91.  But MA 122/MA 122A haven't changed through Worcester?

Heh.  Fun to think about... 

Yeah, I'm thinking the SRs which followed New England Routes and went through areas that are "bypass-averse" ARE probably the most likely.

We had a thread some years back where we discussed when a particular state's newest route was created, and so many of them were back in the 1980s, which is almost incomprehensible to me coming from places like Florida and Alabama, the former of which seems to mint a new route designation (or two) every year or so, and the latter creating bypasses and giving the old alignment a whole new number.   
Title: Re: State highways that have changed the least
Post by: IowaTraveler on August 10, 2023, 10:02:15 PM
For Iowa, the alignment of IA 128 has remained completely unaltered since it was created in 1924.