CA RxR 3.11: US 6: A Major Route no More

[cahwyguy]

Once a major route running from Provincetown MA to Long Beach CA, today's US 6 in California is a shadow of its former self. For your lunchtime enjoyment (and mine), here's our podcast on Route 6 in California: LRN 6, Sign Route 6, and of course, US 6 and all of its history.

On CA Route by Route: https://caroutebyroute.org/2025/05/23/ca-rxr-3-11-us-6-a-major-route-no-more/
On Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/caroutebyroute/episodes/CA-RxR-3-11-US-6-A-Major-Route-no-More-e3398sf/a-abv8gja

Ready, set, discuss.

[NWI_Irish96]

I live on a former alignment of US 6 from before it got re-routed onto I-80/94 between IN 51 and IL 83.

[mgk920]

US 6 is still the HAZMAT and oversized vehicle route over the Continental Divide (Loveland Pass) to bypass the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnels on I-70 in Colorado.

Mike

[Max Rockatansky]

US 6 is still the HAZMAT and oversized vehicle route over the Continental Divide (Loveland Pass) to bypass the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnels on I-70 in Colorado.

Mike

For context, the podcast is only about California.  In California US 6 isn't anything all that special anymore.

I did mention Dale's research (on USends) which suggests US 6 is now nominally longer than US 20.  Daniel in podcast also asked me if I thought US 6 was the loneliest US Route (referring to Nevada).  My response was US 191 given it has absolutely desolate stretches like the Coronado Trail.

[ClassicHasClass]

I dunno, US 6 between Tonopah and Ely is pretty darn desolate.

[Max Rockatansky]

I dunno, US 6 between Tonopah and Ely is pretty darn desolate.

Not Coronado Trail desolate.  If I recall correctly the Coronado Trail and another segment of US 191 in Wyoming had two of the top three traffic counts in the US Route System.  I can't for the life of me find the thread where we discussed that.

[The Ghostbuster]

I think US 6 should have been truncated to Interstate 5 in 1964 instead of to US 395 in Bishop. If the unbuilt CA 14 extension to CA 1 had been constructed, it should have been part of US 6 as well.

[Max Rockatansky]

I think US 6 should have been truncated to Interstate 5 in 1964 instead of to US 395 in Bishop. If the unbuilt CA 14 extension to CA 1 had been constructed, it should have been part of US 6 as well.

The problem there is the 1964 Renumbering was big on emphasizing "one route, one number."  Given the Tioga Road was being improved at the time my preference would to revisit that 1936-1937 option that was floated alongside Long Beach.  Pole Line Road (CA 167) and pretty much all of CA 120 to I-5 near Manteca would be my preferred outcome.

[cahwyguy]

I think US 6 should have been truncated to Interstate 5 in 1964 instead of to US 395 in Bishop. If the unbuilt CA 14 extension to CA 1 had been constructed, it should have been part of US 6 as well.

The problem there is the 1964 Renumbering was big on emphasizing "one route, one number."  Given the Tioga Road was being improved at the time my preference would to revisit that 1936-1937 option that was floated alongside Long Beach.  Pole Line Road (CA 167) and pretty much all of CA 120 to I-5 near Manteca would be my preferred outcome.

Of course, doing that would have ignored all of the history of US 6 as Provincetown to Long Beach, and confused things even more. I don't think there was any precedent in the renumbering to extend an existing route (especially a US highway) in a new direction (except one or two exceptions for state routes). Certainly, I don't think AASHO would have gone along with it.

[Max Rockatansky]

I think US 6 should have been truncated to Interstate 5 in 1964 instead of to US 395 in Bishop. If the unbuilt CA 14 extension to CA 1 had been constructed, it should have been part of US 6 as well.

The problem there is the 1964 Renumbering was big on emphasizing "one route, one number."  Given the Tioga Road was being improved at the time my preference would to revisit that 1936-1937 option that was floated alongside Long Beach.  Pole Line Road (CA 167) and pretty much all of CA 120 to I-5 near Manteca would be my preferred outcome.

Of course, doing that would have ignored all of the history of US 6 as Provincetown to Long Beach, and confused things even more. I don't think there was any precedent in the renumbering to extend an existing route (especially a US highway) in a new direction (except one or two exceptions for state routes). Certainly, I don't think AASHO would have gone along with it.

I don't know, AASHO (and AASHTO) always bent over backwards to placate US Route requests from California.  When US 6 was extended the highway wasn't finished in Nevada.  Having a finished highway was a caveat that the committee almost always stuck with when other states when they wanted an extension of a US Route.  The Nevada State Highway Engineer even called the hypocrisy of the committee when they refused to extend US 95 (even referenced US 6).  The only time the AASHO committee ever stood in the way of a request from California when was with US 60 and Riverside County ownership of the Colorado River Bridge.

In the Interstate era AASHTO did start putting their foot down with stuff like the I-210 extension.  All of that came after I-238 was approved.   Had the Division of Highways really wanted to reroute US 6 in 1964 I suspect AASHO would have rubber stamp approved it.