I came across something last week that I did not know existed. Marine Highways. These are for ships to use navigable waters. And the all have designations. A lot of the water designations coincide with a land designation.
Here is the map:
https://geodata.bts.gov/datasets/2f8f522f630e4cf5b754ab9e4b64e37e_0/explore?location=36.219778%2C-95.283523%2C4.70
Here is a quick rundown of the routes for which waterways:
M-2 - Puerto Rico coastline loop
M-3 - Kaskaskia River - Chester IL to Fayetteville IL
M-5 - Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound - San Diego CA to Bellingham WA
M-5 AK - Alaska coastline
M-10 - Gulf of Mexico/America - Brownsville TX to Port Manatee FL
M-29 - Missouri River - Kansas City MO to Sioux City IA
M-35 - Upper Mississippi River - Grafton IL to Minneapolis MN
M-40 - Arkansas, Verdigris and White Rivers - Catoosa OK to Napoleon AR
M-49 - Atchafalaya River and J. Bennett Johnson Waterway - Morgan City LA to Shreveport LA
M-55 - Lower Mississippi, Illinois, and Des Plaines Rivers and Ship Channel - New Orleans LA to Chicago IL
M-65 - Mobile Bay, Black Warrior River and Tombigbee Waterway - Mobile AL to Birmingham AL and Cairo IL
M-64 - Hampton Roads, Chesapeake Bay and James River - Norfolk VA to Richmond VA
M-70 - Missouri, Mississippi and Ohio Rivers - Kansas City MO to Pittsburgh PA
M-71/M-77 - Lake Erie - Cleveland OH to Detroit MI
M-75 - Detroit River and Lake Erie - Toledo OH to Detroit MI
M-84 - Columbia, Williamette and Snake Rivers - Astoria OR to Lewiston ID
M-87 - Hudson River and Erie Canal - New York NY to Albany NY
M-90 - The Great Lakes and St Lawrence Seaway - Duluth MN and Chicago IL to St Lawrence Seaway and Albany NY
M-95 - Atlantic Ocean - Miami FL to Portland ME
M-146 - Galveston Bay, Buffalo Bayou and Houston Ship Channel - Galveston TX to Houston TX
M-295 - East River, Long Island Sound, Block Island Sound - New York NY to Block Island RI
M-495 - Anacostia, Potomac and Occoquan Rivers - Chesapeake Bay to Washington DC
M-580 - San Francisco Bay, Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers - San Francisco CA to Sacramento CA and Stockton CA
M-A1 - Matanuska and Susitna Rivers - Palmer AK to Cook Inlet AK
M-AS1 - American Samoa coastline loop
M-GNM1 - Guam and Northern Mariana Islands coastline loop
M-H1 - Hawaii coastline loop
M-V1 - US Virgin Islands coastline loop
I did notice quite a few other navigable bodies of water not on the list.
That list will be posted later.
I think M-65 has signage for it as you cross it on US 72 in Burnsville, MS, ain't seen any anywhere else though, at least off the top of my head.
Mississippi likes to sign them...
I-22/US 78 at the Tombigbee Waterway:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/1912/44576906584_fa3cd3dd98_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2aV7ihU)
US 49 out of Mississippi; though the little bridge tag looks like we're technically in Arkansas.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51838971376_8d215bef71_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYQh9y)
Arkansas and Oklahoma probably don't sign M-40 because it's close to I-40.
The White River should be M-140 anyways.
Quote from: Road Hog on June 20, 2025, 10:19:13 PMArkansas and Oklahoma probably don't sign M-40 because it's close to I-40.
The White River should be M-140 anyways.
I, too, have noticed that most of the M-numbers duplicate the Interstates that serve the same areas. So unoriginal of them, and why do they have to exist in the first place?
Quote from: Henry on June 20, 2025, 10:50:00 PMQuote from: Road Hog on June 20, 2025, 10:19:13 PMArkansas and Oklahoma probably don't sign M-40 because it's close to I-40.
The White River should be M-140 anyways.
I, too, have noticed that most of the M-numbers duplicate the Interstates that serve the same areas. So unoriginal of them, and why do they have to exist in the first place?
Then I assume the Kaskaskia River got its number from IL 3, because otherwise I'm not sure how such a short bit of navigable river got a single-digit number. Given the other waterways listed I'm a little surprised it's even in the system.
Quote from: Road Hog on June 20, 2025, 10:19:13 PMArkansas and Oklahoma probably don't sign M-40 because it's close to I-40.
(https://i.imgur.com/8GJZ5o4.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lCv9Pl2.jpeg)
mic drop
Quote from: TheCatalyst31 on June 21, 2025, 12:02:01 AMQuote from: Henry on June 20, 2025, 10:50:00 PMQuote from: Road Hog on June 20, 2025, 10:19:13 PMArkansas and Oklahoma probably don't sign M-40 because it's close to I-40.
The White River should be M-140 anyways.
I, too, have noticed that most of the M-numbers duplicate the Interstates that serve the same areas. So unoriginal of them, and why do they have to exist in the first place?
Then I assume the Kaskaskia River got its number from IL 3, because otherwise I'm not sure how such a short bit of navigable river got a single-digit number. Given the other waterways listed I'm a little surprised it's even in the system.
That is correct. Apparently, the Kaskaskia River is deep enough for barge traffic.
The other bodies of water that are not listed that one would think could be on the list are:
Alabama River - Mobile AL to Montgomery AL
Apalachicola and Chattahoochee River - Apalachicola FL to Columbus GA
Calcasieu River - Cameron LA to Lake Charles LA
Chesapeake & Delaware Canal - Crystal Beach MD to Delaware City DE
Connecticut River - Old Saybrook CT to Greenfield MA
Cooper, Congaree, and Broad Rivers - Charleston SC to Lockhart SC
Delaware Bay and Delaware River - Lewes DE to Easton PA
Housatonic River - Stratford CT to Shelton CT
Kennebec River - Popham Beach ME to Augusta ME
Merrimack River - Newburyport MA to Nashua NH
Narragansett Bay - Narragansett RI to Providence RI
Penobscot Bay and Penobscot River - Vinalhaven ME to Medway ME
Red River - Shreveport LA to Dennison TX
Sabine River - Port Arthur TX to Carthage TX
Savannah River - Tybee Island GA to Augusta GA
St Johns River - Palatka FL to Atlantic Beach FL
Susquehanna River - Havre de Grace MD to Harrisburg PA
Tennessee River - Florence AL to Chattanooga TN
Thames River - New London CT to Norwich CT
Quote from: formulanone on June 20, 2025, 07:28:33 PMUS 49 out of Mississippi; though the little bridge tag looks like we're technically in Arkansas.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51838971376_8d215bef71_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mYQh9y)
shoutout to the Helena Bridge, here's the other side, it's also signed there too!
(https://i.imgur.com/5I58X8C.jpeg)
Is this "highway system" used by anyone? I mean, there's obviously lots of river shipping and pleasure boating, but does anyone use these highway numbers, or consider which waterways are and are not included in the system, when planning a trip?
Or is its main function just to try to educate the general public about how significant water traffic is to the economy?
Quote from: GaryA on June 22, 2025, 11:27:28 AMIs this "highway system" used by anyone? I mean, there's obviously lots of river shipping and pleasure boating, but does anyone use these highway numbers, or consider which waterways are and are not included in the system, when planning a trip?
Or is its main function just to try to educate the general public about how significant water traffic is to the economy?
Here's the government website giving you the "purpose".
https://www.maritime.dot.gov/grants/marine-highways/marine-highway#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20has%20a,that%20promote%20marine%20highway%20transportation.