Dumbest decommissionings

[TheStranger]

If it's signed to terminate at CA-1, then by golly, it does terminate at CA-1.  Good to know that our highway sign planners have more sense than our legislature.

My guess is that this may actually be one of those silly cases in which the legislative redefinition SPECIFICALLY authorizes for signing to continue on a "non-state-maintained" portion of the original route.

to which i say, then why bother with the legislative handling of this in the first place?

I think part of Route 1 along the PCH has this "exception," which should be the rule by default - let sign people determine signed routes, and the legislature can handle who maintains what (which should not be directly correlated).

Now can we slap a few CA-39 shields on county route N6?

Or for that matter, Route 93 shields on the Richmond Parkway!  I know the city of Richmond (according to Wikipedia) has not had success getting CalTrans to start maintaining the route...fine, but I'd think that a signed Route 93 along a city-maintained road beats the current "TO 580" that the road is signed for at present.

Amazingly, CalTrans has gotten better at identifying certain hidden routes even on a sporadic basis (259, 262, and a complete stretch, but I'd include 275 compared to how it had been signed previously).

[Bickendan]

Now can we slap a few CA-39 shields on county route N6?

N8.

[SSOWorld]

WIS 24 went from then WIS 15 (now I-43) in East Troy northeast into Milwaukee ending at then US 41 (Now WIS 241).  Racine, Walworth, and Waukesha counties decommissioned the route within their borders, but Milwaukee County didn't, so the highway stubs at the county line and becomes CTH L.

Speaking of WIS 241, it and WIS 24 meet and end at each other

[texaskdog]

The first two that come to mind are US 61 and US 75.  Old US 61 north of Duluth is a major route and the main route for a large part of Minnesota.  Old US 75 south of Dallas has a very lengthy section that does not duplex with I-45.  What are some other boneheaded decommissionings that have occurred?

I agree on 61.  Minnesota doesn't like duplexing the US highways on to interstates much.  But why 61 has to run from Saint Paul to Wyoming still I have no clue. 

US 75 hugs I-45 the whole way, why would it not have been decommissioned?  I could see changing US 175 into 75.

[silverback1065]

For me, I'd say US 31 and 40 and SR 37 in Indianapolis, also California 1, they may be redundant in some ways, but still would be useful for travelers unfamiliar with the area. 

[roadman65]

The first two that come to mind are US 61 and US 75.  Old US 61 north of Duluth is a major route and the main route for a large part of Minnesota.  Old US 75 south of Dallas has a very lengthy section that does not duplex with I-45.  What are some other boneheaded decommissionings that have occurred?

I agree on 61.  Minnesota doesn't like duplexing the US highways on to interstates much.  But why 61 has to run from Saint Paul to Wyoming still I have no clue. 

US 75 hugs I-45 the whole way, why would it not have been decommissioned?  I could see changing US 175 into 75.

I would like to know why TexDOT kept US 181 alive, considering it goes from San Antonio to Corpus Christi like I-35 now does.  Considering all other roads have been decommissioned that run where interstates do in a state that loves to either truncate, decommission, or not sign US routes where interstate freeways have taken over, this is very strange.

[texaskdog]

Yes, US 181 is a pretty useless US highway. 

[TheStranger]

also California 1, they may be redundant in some ways, but still would be useful for travelers unfamiliar with the area. 

Route 1 hasn't been decommissioned anywhere except for the portion north of Route 211 on the north coast that was never fully constructed.

[silverback1065]

also California 1, they may be redundant in some ways, but still would be useful for travelers unfamiliar with the area. 

Route 1 hasn't been decommissioned anywhere except for the portion north of Route 211 on the north coast that was never fully constructed.

o really? I stand corrected, I thought it had been decommissioned south of I-10 for a few miles in santa monica

[Bickendan]

CA 1 (and 2) have been segmented and the localities are required to maintain guide signs to the next portion of the route. The reason they might as well have just outright decommissioned along those segments is because the trailblazers and reassurance markers aren't there post-maintenance turnback.

[cl94]

also California 1, they may be redundant in some ways, but still would be useful for travelers unfamiliar with the area. 

Route 1 hasn't been decommissioned anywhere except for the portion north of Route 211 on the north coast that was never fully constructed.

o really? I stand corrected, I thought it had been decommissioned south of I-10 for a few miles in santa monica

SR 1 is too much of a tourist destination to go away. It's a well-known scenic drive and Caltrans knows that.

[Henry]

Routes 66 and 99, for sure!

[cl94]

If anything, US 66 should be brought back as a continuously-signed historic route sticking to the original routing as much as possible, if only so people can follow it. Doesn't have to be brought up to NHS standards (and it shouldn't be), but there's enough of a tourist trade based around it.

[andy3175]

I've always disliked the decommissioning of US 25 north of the Ohio River. Much of the route is still traversable and serves as a local alternative to I-75 and I-94. Certain sections retain state maintenance.

[DandyDan]

Another one you can blame on Minnesota is US 16 east of Rapid City, SD.  US 16 had a separate existence from the current west end of MN 16 near Austin to the Milwaukee area.  If Minnesota wanted to pretend US 16 didn't exist from the Austin area west, I suppose that's all right, but they didn't have to make Wisconsin decommission US 16. 

If you want another one to blame on Minnesota, there's also US 55.  Extending US 52 westward from Indiana as they did is quite ridiculous.

[texaskdog]

Another one you can blame on Minnesota is US 16 east of Rapid City, SD.  US 16 had a separate existence from the current west end of MN 16 near Austin to the Milwaukee area.  If Minnesota wanted to pretend US 16 didn't exist from the Austin area west, I suppose that's all right, but they didn't have to make Wisconsin decommission US 16. 

If you want another one to blame on Minnesota, there's also US 55.  Extending US 52 westward from Indiana as they did is quite ridiculous.

I don't know why gaps are such a bad thing.  I don't think anyone who travels US 52 to Saint Paul is dying to travel the part in ND, or would be confused by it being a separate road.

[silverback1065]

Another one you can blame on Minnesota is US 16 east of Rapid City, SD.  US 16 had a separate existence from the current west end of MN 16 near Austin to the Milwaukee area.  If Minnesota wanted to pretend US 16 didn't exist from the Austin area west, I suppose that's all right, but they didn't have to make Wisconsin decommission US 16. 

If you want another one to blame on Minnesota, there's also US 55.  Extending US 52 westward from Indiana as they did is quite ridiculous.

I don't know why gaps are such a bad thing.  I don't think anyone who travels US 52 to Saint Paul is dying to travel the part in ND, or would be confused by it being a separate road.

I think gaps should be avoided whenever possible, continuity should be preserved, even if people don't travel the whole route anymore.  I see your point, but when a route constantly disappears and reappears it can get very confusing in the situations when someone actually is trying to use the route as a through route

[ATLRedSoxFan]

Having grown up in So. California, all of Cali's decommissionings for US highways were dumb, especially US 6, 99 and 101 as well as US 60&70.

[kkt]

Having grown up in So. California, all of Cali's decommissionings for US highways were dumb, especially US 6, 99 and 101 as well as US 60&70.

Put in US 299 too.  It went from border to border and was over 300 miles.

[roadman65]

US 211 with US 29 from Warrenton to Washington, DC.  I know it was done when I-66 became complete as that now functions as what US 211 used to do which was connect US 11, later I-81 to our nation's capital.  Then when the final segment west of US 29 opened, it assumed the role that US 211 played, so that was the logic of truncating US 211 back to Warrenton to avoid the long overlap with US 29.

Even though it was not dumb to eliminate dual signage from Warrenton to the Key Bridge, being that they did not commission all of US 211 is dumb.  VDOT should have made it VA 211 instead.

[texaskdog]

Another one you can blame on Minnesota is US 16 east of Rapid City, SD.  US 16 had a separate existence from the current west end of MN 16 near Austin to the Milwaukee area.  If Minnesota wanted to pretend US 16 didn't exist from the Austin area west, I suppose that's all right, but they didn't have to make Wisconsin decommission US 16. 

If you want another one to blame on Minnesota, there's also US 55.  Extending US 52 westward from Indiana as they did is quite ridiculous.

I don't know why gaps are such a bad thing.  I don't think anyone who travels US 52 to Saint Paul is dying to travel the part in ND, or would be confused by it being a separate road.

I think gaps should be avoided whenever possible, continuity should be preserved, even if people don't travel the whole route anymore.  I see your point, but when a route constantly disappears and reappears it can get very confusing in the situations when someone actually is trying to use the route as a through route

I don't mean the little hops, I mean like US 85, US 87, US 52 that break for hundreds of miles. 

[ctsignguy]

Three dumb decommissionings to me

1. I concur with US 25 north of Kentucky.  in Ohio, CR 25A is a pretty busy stretch of road from Dayton north to Toledo in its various incarnations....

2. Why did Michigan decommission US 27 in favor of US 127?  Woulda made more sense to realign 27 onto its child route and abolished 127....

3. US 6 in California.  So it ran concurrent with US 395 for a stretch...so what?  It became its own route and headed to LA....

[corco]

Another one you can blame on Minnesota is US 16 east of Rapid City, SD.  US 16 had a separate existence from the current west end of MN 16 near Austin to the Milwaukee area.  If Minnesota wanted to pretend US 16 didn't exist from the Austin area west, I suppose that's all right, but they didn't have to make Wisconsin decommission US 16. 

If you want another one to blame on Minnesota, there's also US 55.  Extending US 52 westward from Indiana as they did is quite ridiculous.

I don't know why gaps are such a bad thing.  I don't think anyone who travels US 52 to Saint Paul is dying to travel the part in ND, or would be confused by it being a separate road.

I think gaps should be avoided whenever possible, continuity should be preserved, even if people don't travel the whole route anymore.  I see your point, but when a route constantly disappears and reappears it can get very confusing in the situations when someone actually is trying to use the route as a through route

Sure, I agree in concept, but is it worth thousands of dollars in signage to give the four people that drive from Dubuque to Minot every year via US 52 a single route number, or is it easier to say "take US 52 to I-94, then get on I-94 until central North Dakota, then get back on US-52."

I was driving from Phoenix to Vegas a number of years ago with some non-roadgeeks. We were discussing how to get there, and I said "just take US 93 the whole way" and then they felt like I was full of shit and didn't know what I was doing when we had to get on I-40 for a few miles, even though that road is part of and signed as US 93. In their minds, the route was US 93 to I-40 to US 93, and I don't think that thought process is that uncommon outside of roadgeek circles.

I'd hazard that if you directed somebody going from Great Falls MT to San Angelo TX to take US 87 the whole way, they'd get confused, and not because the route is unsigned in Colorado (or leaves I-25/90 in a couple places in Wyoming), but because in their mind the portion of US 87 that is concurrent with I-25 is I-25, not US 87. US 87 to I-90 to I-25 to US 87 is more steps, but is arguably more intuitive because it reflects the major route movements.

[GaryV]

I've always disliked the decommissioning of US 25 north of the Ohio River. Much of the route is still traversable and serves as a local alternative to I-75 and I-94. Certain sections retain state maintenance.

Why do local alternative roads need to be US highways?

To me, Michigan and Ohio's decommissioning make sense.  Only those taking "the old road" for nostalgic or road-geek reasons care about the old US numbers.  Granted, some of these roads do have enough local traffic to warrant being a state route, or in some cases being a "hidden" state maintained route.

Incidentally, Michigan also decommissioned or truncated several state highways that were replaced by Interstates:  M-21, M-76, M-78.

KY and TN could follow MI and OH and decommission US-25 north of Corbin and all of US-25W, making US-25E just US-25.

[GaryV]

2. Why did Michigan decommission US 27 in favor of US 127?  Woulda made more sense to realign 27 onto its child route and abolished 127....

Because the remaining section could be attached to US-127 as is.  If it were to be US-27, all the signs from Cincinnati to Fort Wayne and from Cincinnati to Grayling would have had to be reversed (swapping 27 for 127).