States that align odd-numbered routes latitudinally?

[Quillz]

Do any states do this? It seems the "standard" is to have odd-numbered routes travel north-south and even-numbered routes travel east-west, but do any states intentionally reverse this? I thought New York did, but there are several routes that appear to not follow such a pattern.

It seems that most countries also align their odd-numbered routes to be north-south, as well.

[NE2]

New York did. So did Pennsylvania. The New England numbering system from the early 1920s also did this.

[Quillz]

Out of curiosity, is there a reason why that method of aligning routes never seemed to catch on? It seems the standard almost anywhere is to have odd-numbered routes travel north-south. Is it because of lines of latitude and longitude? Or is that just how the earliest road systems were aligned and others followed?

[NE2]

Why would lines of longitude be associated with odd numbers?

[Quillz]

No idea, really, just a guess. I just wonder why most states have chosen to go with odd-numbered routes north-south and even-numbered routes east-west.

[Scott5114]

At first glance Oklahoma's numbering appears to be flipped in the way you describe, but there are numerous exceptions, and Oklahoma's numbering has evolved organically from the original route system of 1926. So any resemblance of conformance to such a thing is accidental.

[hbelkins]

Do any states do this? It seems the "standard" is to have odd-numbered routes travel north-south and even-numbered routes travel east-west, but do any states intentionally reverse this? I thought New York did, but there are several routes that appear to not follow such a pattern.

It seems that most countries also align their odd-numbered routes to be north-south, as well.

West Virginia, in general, signs its odd-numbered routes east-west and its even numbered routes north-south.

[mightyace]

New York did. So did Pennsylvania. The New England numbering system from the early 1920s also did this.

I think it was true at one time, but there are many examples both ways.

A few off the top of my head (by no means complete):
Odd:
E-W: 17, 45

N-S: 29, 35, 41, 61, 93, 115, 147, 183, 225, 309, 339, 405, 487, 501, 611, 9 (when it was the NE extension)

Even:
N-S: 8, 14, 42, 60, 66, 100, 118

E-W: 44, 54, 442, 940

[Michael in Philly]

New York did. So did Pennsylvania. The New England numbering system from the early 1920s also did this.

I think it was true at one time, but there are many examples both ways.

A few off the top of my head (by no means complete):
Odd:
E-W: 17, 45

N-S: 29, 35, 41, 61, 93, 115, 147, 183, 225, 309, 339, 405, 487, 501, 611, 9 (when it was the NE extension)

Even:
N-S: 8, 14, 42, 60, 66, 100, 118

E-W: 44, 54, 442, 940

Is that for Pennsylvania or New York?
Somewhere on the Internet there's an explanation for the Pennsylvania numbering system.
If memory serves:

Even-numbered single-digit routes ran north and south, from Pa. 2 in the east of the state to Pa. 8 out west; odd-nmbered single-digit routes ran east and west, from Pa. 1 in the south to Pa. 9 in the north.  Most of these routes have disappeared, due to the coming of the US system (US 6 didn't need to carry a state number any more and precluded Pa. 6); Pa. 8 is the only one I can think of that still exists.  (Well, there's a Pa. 3 in and west of Philadelphia which is only about 20 miles long now, but I wonder whether it used to continue farther west, and Pa. 5 up near Erie apparently takes its number from NY 5.)

For two-digit routes...I forget the explanation, but there is a reason that Pa. 34, 74 and 94 (for example) are close to each other.  It may be that x4's are north-south routes in the east-central part of the state.  (So x2's would be north-south routes in the east, x4's a bit farther west... likewise x1's would be east-west routes along the southern edge of the state, x3's a bit farther north....)

EDIT:  Adding, on rereading hours later, that the difference between single-digit routes and two-digits is that the former were supposed to cross the entire state, border to border, or come close to doing so, while the others could be shorter.  Pa. 8 is the only one that still does.  Plenty of the two-digit routes are still in place.

Three-digit routes mostly take their last two digits from a parent route, which is why 72, 272, 372, etc., are close together, but I don't think these care about direction.

Incidentally, route 272 is an interesting example of a route that crosses a state line (Pennsylvania-Maryland), keeps its number, and has a number that works in both states' systems:  Pa. 272 fits in, as said, with the rest of the x72 series, and most of Maryland's 270s are in that corner of the state.  I have no idea how that happened.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Mississippi and Louisiana does (did?) E-W routes as evens and N-S routes as odds.

[mightyace]

Is that for Pennsylvania or New York?

What I mentioned are all current PA routes with the exception of PA 9 being the Northeast Extension's designation.

[dave19]

Somewhere on the Internet there's an explanation for the Pennsylvania numbering system.

Here it is:
http://www.m-plex.com/roads/numbering.html
The original PA 9 was replaced by US 20 in Erie County.

quote tag

[Michael in Philly]

Is that for Pennsylvania or New York?

What I mentioned are all current PA routes with the exception of PA 9 being the Northeast Extension's designation.

Sorry, wasn't reading that carefully.  Although 309 and 611 are inherited US numbers, so I don't know if they count.

[mightyace]

^^^

True on 309 and 611.

And even if we are only counting the 1dis and 2dis, it surprised even me that it was much easier for me to find N-S odd 2dis and E-W odd 2dis.

[PAHighways]

(Well, there's a Pa. 3 in and west of Philadelphia which is only about 20 miles long now, but I wonder whether it used to continue farther west, and Pa. 5 up near Erie apparently takes its number from NY 5.)

PA 3 was the designation for the William Penn Highway and PA 5 was the Lakes to Sea Highway that followed what is now US 322.

[Michael in Philly]

(Well, there's a Pa. 3 in and west of Philadelphia which is only about 20 miles long now, but I wonder whether it used to continue farther west, and Pa. 5 up near Erie apparently takes its number from NY 5.)

PA 3 was the designation for the William Penn Highway and PA 5 was the Lakes to Sea Highway that followed what is now US 322.

The William Penn being the current US 22 all the way across the state?

[kharvey10]

IDOT doesn't even align their state routes, they did some clustering but no odd/even rules exist

[triplemultiplex]

Seems pretty common for states in the Upper Midwest to not do any sort of numbering scheme.  Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan; it's as though someone loaded a shotgun with numbers and let loose on a map of the state.
In Wisconsin, there's only a few instances of 3 digit state highways that are numbered as "spurs" of off major state or US highways.  Other than that, it's entirely random.

[PAHighways]

The William Penn being the current US 22 all the way across the state?

Not the complete current alignment as PA 3 then US 22 left Harrisburg following what is now US 322 to Hershey and US 422 to Reading, then turned northeast following what is now US 222 prior to 1932.

[NE2]

Pennsylvania's early numbering: http://www.m-plex.com/roads/maps/paus1928map.gif (http://www.mapsofpa.com/art5pics/1928phila3.jpg has a few corrections for US 309 near Allentown)

[sandiaman]

New Mexico's  numbering system  looks  like  the legislature  got drunk  on tequila  one night  and started numbering roads  any old which  way,  even numbers N-S,  odd numbers  E-W,  it    made no stinkin'  difference    at the  time.  The  lower numbers  , such as NM 8  were  way down in the corner of the state  for a  road  that  goes   20  miles  or so,  NM  7    lasts  for  less  than  a mile before it turns  into   a National  Park Service road.  They wasted  lower  numbers  for rather unimporant  highways.

[NE2]

Are you aware of New Mexico's 1988 renumbering (and earlier ones)?
http://www.steve-riner.com/nmhighways/roadinfo.htm
http://www.highplainstraveler.info/maps/nmmaps.htm

Even so, the initial NM 7 was relatively minor (Alameda to Jemez).

[Brandon]

IDOT doesn't even align their state routes, they did some clustering but no odd/even rules exist

And only for routes numbered above 85 or so.  The original SBI (state bond issue) routes were numbered as they came through the legislature.