found a better quality scan of the 1926 U.S. Highway plan

[NE2]

http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth298433/m1/1/zoom/

[Brandon]

Sweeeeet. 

[Alex4897]

I noticed that MD 213 was labelled on there, I guess that makes some sense that it would originally be planned as a US route.

[NE2]

I noticed that MD 213 was labelled on there, I guess that makes some sense that it would originally be planned as a US route.

It was a U.S. Route until the 1970s.

[Alex4897]

I noticed that MD 213 was labelled on there, I guess that makes some sense that it would originally be planned as a US route.

It was a U.S. Route until the 1970s.

Hm.
Any reason why they removed the designation?  It seems like it'd be more logical to have an x13 US route on the western half of the Delmarva to mirror US 113, but that's just me.

[hotdogPi]

What happened to US 15 in New York?

[agentsteel53]

What happened to [...] New York?

their AASHO representative didn't want many highways at all, so a bunch stopped at the state line.

[NE2]

Any reason why they removed the designation?  It seems like it'd be more logical to have an x13 US route on the western half of the Delmarva to mirror US 113, but that's just me.

US 50 taking over the south half and AASHTO policies discouraging single-state routes.

[Alex4897]

Any reason why they removed the designation?  It seems like it'd be more logical to have an x13 US route on the western half of the Delmarva to mirror US 113, but that's just me.

US 50 taking over the south half and AASHTO policies discouraging single-state routes.

Well.  The more you know. 

[WichitaRoads]

What's with US 50 stopping abruptly in Middle of Nowhere, Nevada?

ICTRds

[NE2]

What's with US 50 stopping abruptly in Middle of Nowhere, Nevada?

Ely is not quite the middle of nowhere. It was mainly poolitics related to the Lincoln Highway; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendover_Cut-off has a reasonable summary.

One of the primary reasons for this change was commerce. If the Lincoln Highway was improved into Nevada, the Midland Trail, which split at Ely, could be used to reach Southern California, but there was no such branch off the Humboldt River Route. Thus Southern California-bound motorists sticking to improved roads would use the Arrowhead Trail through southwest Utah along the present route of Interstate 15, remaining in the state for about 200 miles (300 km) more. This position was solidified by Utah's decision in 1921 to place the Wendover Cut-off on its network of Federal-aid highways; the Lincoln Highway Association protested, but on June 6, 1923 the Secretary of Agriculture ruled that the Bureau of Public Roads could only accept proposals that the states put forth.

The upshot is that there was no good road east from Ely until 1930, when the road to Wendover was completed. The gap in US 50 was then filled via Wendover and Salt Lake. US 6 took the more direct southerly route east from Ely in 1937, but was unpaved until the early 1950s, when US 50 was rerouted to follow US 6 all the way from Ely to Grand Junction (the old Wendover route became US 50 Alternate; the only independent pieces are now US 93 Alternate and SR 171-201).

[WichitaRoads]

What's with US 50 stopping abruptly in Middle of Nowhere, Nevada?

Ely is not quite the middle of nowhere. It was mainly poolitics related to the Lincoln Highway; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendover_Cut-off has a reasonable summary.

One of the primary reasons for this change was commerce. If the Lincoln Highway was improved into Nevada, the Midland Trail, which split at Ely, could be used to reach Southern California, but there was no such branch off the Humboldt River Route. Thus Southern California-bound motorists sticking to improved roads would use the Arrowhead Trail through southwest Utah along the present route of Interstate 15, remaining in the state for about 200 miles (300 km) more. This position was solidified by Utah's decision in 1921 to place the Wendover Cut-off on its network of Federal-aid highways; the Lincoln Highway Association protested, but on June 6, 1923 the Secretary of Agriculture ruled that the Bureau of Public Roads could only accept proposals that the states put forth.

The upshot is that there was no good road east from Ely until 1930, when the road to Wendover was completed. The gap in US 50 was then filled via Wendover and Salt Lake. US 6 took the more direct southerly route east from Ely in 1937, but was unpaved until the early 1950s, when US 50 was rerouted to follow US 6 all the way from Ely to Grand Junction (the old Wendover route became US 50 Alternate; the only independent pieces are now US 93 Alternate and SR 171-201).

Thanks, NE2. I wasn't sure that was Ely... the map just shows a stop with no destination marked. So, politics as usual explain the sudden and abrupt end there.

ICTRds