What was the reasoning behind this intrastate U.S. highway? It travels north-south in eastern Texas and could have been assigned as a 3dus, could it not? I thought that perhaps it was truncated from a longer alignment, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
Is there a particular reason why that number was used as opposed to an available 3dus?
It's Texas, 'nough said. Somehow they got I-45 as well.
Well, I can understand I-45, it serves an important corridor and follows the proper numbering grid pattern.
But U.S. 96 is near other U.S. highways such as US-90 or (for a time) U.S. 75, and neither of those used up all their available 3dus.
Maybe US 359?
Quote from: Quillz on January 07, 2011, 12:23:09 AM
...Is there a particular reason why that number was used as opposed to an available 3dus?
South from Tenaha TX, US 59 originally followed what is now US 96 (which is actually the second US 96), ending where US 96 ends today (Pt. Arthur). In 1939, several changes happened in Texas. US 59 was rerouted to its current corridor, part of which follows the
original US 96 (which was also a Texas intrastate route). When that happened, the original segment of US 59 from Tenaha to Pt. Arthur probably should've been renumbered as an x59. But, since the number 96 was then available, my guess is that TX felt justified in applying it to a different corridor that was in need of a new number. To them, it probably felt like a simple swapping of numbers.
Quote from: Quillz on January 07, 2011, 01:00:42 AM
Well, I can understand I-45, it serves an important corridor and follows the proper numbering grid pattern.
But U.S. 96 is near other U.S. highways such as US-90 or (for a time) U.S. 75, and neither of those used up all their available 3dus.
Here's something else: it
should end at US 69 in Lumberton, but piggybacks with 69 (and US 287) to Port Arthur where all 3 end.
287 should end in Woodville instead of a useless multiplex.
You got that right, US 96 is and always has been an oddity. From a 1934 Gousha map: US 96 heads south from Rosenberg TX, thru Victoria and Beeville until Alice, where 96 heads west thru San Diego and Hebbronville, ending in Laredo, TX.
Quote from: sandiaman on January 16, 2011, 10:45:55 PM
You got that right, US 96 is and always has been an oddity. From a 1934 Gousha map: US 96 heads south from Rosenberg TX, thru Victoria and Beeville until Alice, where 96 heads west thru San Diego and Hebbronville, ending in Laredo, TX.
That was the original US 96, which later was mostly subsumed by US 59. In what way was that US 96 an "oddity"?
US 96 is an oddity because it generally runs norh- south instread of east- west like most even numbered routes.
Quote from: sandiaman on January 19, 2011, 06:22:57 PM
US 96 is an oddity because it generally runs norh- south instread of east- west like most even numbered routes.
That's true of the
current US 96. But you were discussing the 1934 routing. Rosenburg to Laredo could be construed to run east-west, so I don't consider
that version of US 96 to be an oddity.
http://usends.com/mapguy/MapPgs/mapx98.htm