Former US highway segments

[TheStranger]

When the new US 1 became I-95; MA 17 reverted back to its old US 1 designation, a practice that no longer adhered to today... a former US route going back to its pre-highway road when a US highway receives an Interstate number.

Except that did occur recently in North Carolina with US 117/I-795 in Goldsboro, if I'm not mistaken.

[Big John]

Can anybody in Illinois confirm if SR 251 was US 51?

Yes, Ill. Rte 251 was US Rte 51. 

http://www.highwayexplorer.com/il_EndsPage.php?id=1251&section=1 amongst other links

[countysigns]

US-25 between Cygnet and Toledo is now OH-25 and the stretch of US-25 between Toledo and Monroe is now M-125.

[froggie]

Except that did occur recently in North Carolina with US 117/I-795 in Goldsboro, if I'm not mistaken.

I don't remember all the backstory, but this was either a case of NCDOT flubbing AASHTO, or AASHTO not adhering to their own policy.

[The Nature Boy]

When US 74 was aligned with I-74, the old alignment through the Lumberton, NC area just became "ALT US 74."

[Brandon]

Can anybody in Illinois confirm if SR 251 was US 51?

Yes, Ill. Rte 251 was US Rte 51. 

http://www.highwayexplorer.com/il_EndsPage.php?id=1251&section=1 amongst other links

And before that, IL-351 was also US-51 and then Bus US-51.

[agentsteel53]

When US 74 was aligned with I-74, the old alignment through the Lumberton, NC area just became "ALT US 74."

does NC just plain not realize that other numbers exist?

[The Nature Boy]

When US 74 was aligned with I-74, the old alignment through the Lumberton, NC area just became "ALT US 74."

does NC just plain not realize that other numbers exist?

The NC DOT is a mysterious being whose decisions make no sense to anyone outside of Raleigh.

[PHLBOS]

AASHTO not adhering to their own policy.

Personally, that's one policy that should be either changed or scrapped; it's created several unnecessary route multiplexes.

[bassoon1986]

For the most part Louisiana uses Business bannered US routes for old US alignments. The newest ones being BUS US 171 in Zwolle and BUS US 84 in Mansfield as highways were four-laned around those towns. Some old alignments are 3xxx state routes like LA 3208 being the old US 80 to the old Mississippi River Bridge. Many (very old) alignments of US 71 in particular say Jefferson Hwy or Old Jefferson Hwy and a few of them are still state routes (LA 480, LA 1225, LA 1239-1 to name a few)

[agentsteel53]

In addition to SR 99, there are two exits off I-5 in Washington for "Old Hwy 99".  One down south by Vancouver, the other up north just south of Mount Vernon.

we've got an "Old Highway 395" exit off I-15.

California generally relegates to town control bypassed US highways, even when the number is decommissioned.  the one example where there isn't a bypass, just a decommissioned number, is CA-99.

BUSINESS bannered routes are pretty rare; and most of them are relics.  I don't know which 99 and 101 business loops remain state-maintained.  I think most are not; just signed that way.

[Henry]

I think state routes are the most common form of marking former US routes. Of course, if there is no other alignment to use, then historic brown signs will suffice, as with US 66 and the former routes out West that no longer exist (such as US 40 west of UT and US 80 in the Southwest).

[TheStranger]

In addition to SR 99, there are two exits off I-5 in Washington for "Old Hwy 99".  One down south by Vancouver, the other up north just south of Mount Vernon.

we've got an "Old Highway 395" exit off I-15.

California generally relegates to town control bypassed US highways, even when the number is decommissioned.  the one example where there isn't a bypass, just a decommissioned number, is CA-99.

BUSINESS bannered routes are pretty rare; and most of them are relics.  I don't know which 99 and 101 business loops remain state-maintained.  I think most are not; just signed that way.

The ones that are tend to be paired with other state routes:

Route 204 in Bakersfield (includes a freeway segment of Golden State Avenue!)
Route 135 in Santa Maria
unsigned Route 283 in Rio Dell

the short portion of Route 132 in Modesto that runs along Business Route 99
the short portion of Route 128 in Cloverdale that runs along pre-2000s US 101
the portion of Route 146 that follows Business US 101 in Soledad
the segments of Route 68 and 183 that briefly overlap Business US 101 in Salinas

[Avalanchez71]

The majority of times in Tennessee the old alignments are relagated to local control.  Often the road is named Old XX Hwy or Old 31.  However, there are instances that the old road retains the hidden state designation such as SR 1 in Sparta, TN or SR 15 over in Bolivar.  There are a few Business designations.  Other times the old route gets a new state road designtion and the new alignment gets the hidden state route number.

[froggie]

Personally, that's one policy that should be either changed or scrapped; it's created several unnecessary route multiplexes.

Disagree, but that's for another discussion...

[Avalanchez71]

Personally, that's one policy that should be either changed or scrapped; it's created several unnecessary route multiplexes.

Disagree, but that's for another discussion...

I agree.  They should revert back to the US highway designation.  This way there is an easily identifible system of alternate routes in case the freeway is closed or traffic is severly delayed.

[froggie]

This way there is an easily identifible system of alternate routes in case the freeway is closed or traffic is severly delayed.

There is no reason why these need to be US routes, however...

[SSOWorld]

Any US Route that's routed around a city got business route designations for the most part in WI.  These business routes with the exceptions of Wausau and Stevens Point are not part of the state highway system and are instead locally maintained.  Some that had been signed in the past are now marked as either county trunk highways or not numbered (lettered).  WIS 16 is most of the old alignment of US-16 - which also carries into Minnesota as TH 16 to where it merged with I-90 at Dexter.  Froggie mentioned TH 61 earlier, and TH 169 from Virginia to Ely may be - I can't prove it now.

[hbelkins]

There have been at least two old alignments of US 58 in Virginia signed as Old US 58. One near Coeburn is now signed as VA 158. Another, between Jonesville and Big Stone Gap, was signed as Old US 58 (with "Old" on a banner) as late as 2010.

[PHLBOS]

Personally, that's one policy that should be either changed or scrapped; it's created several unnecessary route multiplexes.

Disagree, but that's for another discussion...

I agree.  They should revert back to the US highway designation.  This way there is an easily identifible system of alternate routes in case the freeway is closed or traffic is severly delayed.

There is no reason why these need to be US routes, however......

Froggie, it looks like you were about to write something else; care to elaborate?

Avalanchez71, If I were you, I would've worded your above-post differently.  At a glance, you're stating that you "agree" implies that you support the idea of US routes should not return to its old road when a highway version of it becomes an Interstate (i.e. the freeway becomes a multiplex); but your next sentences completely contradicts such perspective.  Which is it?

Back to the topic at hand.

When the US 202 Parkway in Bucks County, PA opened in late 2012 (AARoads hosted a meet shortly after it opened); the former surface-streets (Doylestown Rd./Butler Ave.) that were US 202 simply became unnumbered.

When the Exton Bypass (US 30) in Chester County, PA opened in the mid-90s; the old US 30 along the Lincoln Highway became Business US 30.

[froggie]

and TH 169 from Virginia to Ely may be - I can't prove it now.

It wasn't.  At one point, US 169 went from Virginia to International Falls, but that only lasted 2 years, from 1932 (when US 169 was introduced to MN) to 1934 (when US 53 was introduced to MN).  MN 169 has always been a state highway extension of US 169.

Froggie, it looks like you were about to write something else; care to elaborate?

I wasn't, but to clarify my point, there is no reason why "an easily identifible system of alternate routes in case the freeway is closed or traffic is severely delayed" needs to be a US route.  It can be any sort of route.  Pennsylvania has their colored routes (i.e. "Red Route", "Orange Route", etc).  Wisconsin signs "Alternate I-xx".  Minnesota signs them as county routes, as in most cases the old highway is now, at best, functionally classified as a minor arterial (and more often/likely a collector).

[roadman65]

Orange Avenue between Orlando and Kissimmee and Old Dixie Highway in Kissimmee itself were the original routes of US 17-92-441 before Orange Blossom Trail was built in 1945.

Then South of Kissimmee the road next to the CSX line known as Old Tampa Highway was old US 17-92. 

East of Kissimmee between Kissimmee and St. Cloud Neptune Road was the original US 192.

Other areas of Central Florida you have Lee- Jackson Highway between Haines City and Lake Alfred was old US 17-92.

[The Nature Boy]

I was driving on I-74 today near Maxton, NC and saw that an I-74 shield was missing. There was empty spot on a pole next to the US 74 shield.

Okay guys, which one of you took it? 

[PHLBOS]

Froggie, it looks like you were about to write something else; care to elaborate?

I wasn't, but to clarify my point, there is no reason why "an easily identifible system of alternate routes in case the freeway is closed or traffic is severely delayed" needs to be a US route.  It can be any sort of route.  Pennsylvania has their colored routes (i.e. "Red Route", "Orange Route", etc).  Wisconsin signs "Alternate I-xx".  Minnesota signs them as county routes, as in most cases the old highway is now, at best, functionally classified as a minor arterial (and more often/likely a collector).

With regards to PA's colored DETOUR routes (I'm assuming that's what you're referring to); when those were first erected, the press (at least in the Philly area) was very quick to slam the nomanclature on the grounds of being overtly vague & convoluted.  One editorial suggested using a simple ROUTE XX DETOUR instead and be done with it.  Even worse if one ever tried to follow one of these colored detour routes, the signage is extremely sparse and inconsistent (again, at least around the Greater Philadelphia area).

As far as your "an easily identifible system of alternate routes in case the freeway is closed or traffic is severely delayed" needs to be a US route comment is concerned, if the I-99 Freeway example of US 220 was PA 220 instead; I'd be stating the same argument (move the non-Interstate back to its original pre-freeway route). 

IMHO, if there's two parallel routes (one freeway, one not) and the non-freeway was numbered before the freeway was built and said-freeway later becomes an Interstate (like the US 220/I-99 example in PA); rather than have one road w/two numbers on it and the other road remain unnumbered, why not have both roads carry separate numbers?

Let's be honest, while the US system still has some federal hierarchy in it (namely AASHTO); it's not as full-blown a federal system like the newer Interstate system is.

[hbelkins]

Let's be honest, while the US system still has some federal hierarchy in it (namely AASHTO); it's not as full-blown a federal system like the newer Interstate system is.

Quick, someone tell Calrog.