US 99 prior to the Aurora Bridge

[Max Rockatansky]

Does anyone have any solid map data on where the hell US 99 was north of downtown Seattle prior to the Aurora Bridge opening in 1932?  The AASHTO database didn't have any information in filed for Washington State and topographical maps jump from 1909 to 1949.

The only solid map I've ever found is a 1931 edition from Richfield Oil Company.  Said map shows US 99 following Eastlake Avenue towards the University of Washington and Bothell Way towards Bothell.  That seems to make sense based off previous research I did for the Everett and Marysville areas but I was hoping for a better data set.

https://www.davidrumsey.com/uv/index.html?manifestUrl=%2F%2Fwww.davidrumsey.com%2Fluna%2Fservlet%2Fiiif%2Fm%2FRUMSEY~8~1~290433~90061992%2Fmanifest#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&r=180&xywh=-144%2C6786%2C2839%2C1292

[stevashe]

WSDOT has the 1931 official state highway map online which shows US 99 close to its current routing. This could be referring to the Fremont Bridge, which is close to the Aurora Bridge, but completed earlier in 1917.

https://cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16977coll25/id/89/rec/1

[kkt]

WSDOT has the 1931 official state highway map online which shows US 99 close to its current routing. This could be referring to the Fremont Bridge, which is close to the Aurora Bridge, but completed earlier in 1917.

https://cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16977coll25/id/89/rec/1

That looks like it followed Westlake, the Fremont Bridge, and 15th Ave. NW.

[Max Rockatansky]

Interestingly the 1925 Rand McNally edition has Pacific Highway on the UW/Bothell alignment and PSH 1 on Fremont Bridge alignment:

https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~2161~200067:Rand-McNally-Official-1925-Auto-Tra?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&mi=1&trs=3&qvq=q:Washington%20highway%201925;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1

[Henry]

The full story can be found on the bridge's Wikipedia page. It should come as no surprise that it opened on George Washington's 200th birthday, given that his name is also that of the state.

[Max Rockatansky]

Not really, the Wikipedia page is kind of vague about where US 99 was and sort of insinuates the Fremont Bridge.  We're all coming up with contradictory information, it could have been the Fremont Bridge but there isn't enough to say that was original alignment just yet.

[Bruce]

Not really, the Wikipedia page is kind of vague about where US 99 was and sort of insinuates the Fremont Bridge.  We're all coming up with contradictory information, it could have been the Fremont Bridge but there isn't enough to say that was original alignment just yet.

This section on the State Route 99 article is more clear. The Fremont Bridge was likely the actual routing given it was historically the shortest path from what is now Shoreline to Seattle, whether by automobile or interurban/streetcar.

[Max Rockatansky]

Not really, the Wikipedia page is kind of vague about where US 99 was and sort of insinuates the Fremont Bridge.  We're all coming up with contradictory information, it could have been the Fremont Bridge but there isn't enough to say that was original alignment just yet.

This section on the State Route 99 article is more clear. The Fremont Bridge was likely the actual routing given it was historically the shortest path from what is now Shoreline to Seattle, whether by automobile or interurban/streetcar.

Got a scan of citation 45 by chance?  Is that an article which references US 99 being on the Fremont Bridge or just PSH 1?

[pderocco]

Interestingly the 1925 Rand McNally edition has Pacific Highway on the UW/Bothell alignment and PSH 1 on Fremont Bridge alignment:

https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~2161~200067:Rand-McNally-Official-1925-Auto-Tra?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&mi=1&trs=3&qvq=q:Washington%20highway%201925;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1

That shows the later alignment (current WA-99) being under construction.

[Max Rockatansky]

Interestingly the 1925 Rand McNally edition has Pacific Highway on the UW/Bothell alignment and PSH 1 on Fremont Bridge alignment:

https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~2161~200067:Rand-McNally-Official-1925-Auto-Tra?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&mi=1&trs=3&qvq=q:Washington%20highway%201925;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1

That shows the later alignment (current WA-99) being under construction.

Correct, which makes me believe that one of two things was likely with pre-1932 US 99:

-  It was signed on the existing alignment of the Pacific Highway through Bothell.
-  It was signed at all north of downtown Seattle and Pacific Highway signage was left up until the Aurora Bridge opened.

[Max Rockatansky]

Dale over at USends sent me 1930 Gallup map which agrees with the two earlier commercial maps I linked above showing US 99 on Eastlake.  The Gallup map is by far the most detailed out of the three commercial maps:

---Seattle by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The layout north of the Fremont Bridge is also shown in great detail.  It looks as though north of the Fremont Bridge traffic would jog over onto West Green Lake Way to continue towards the Shoreline Area via Aurora (I believe originally Trunk Road?).  In this context it certainly makes more sense to me why the Pacific Highway and early PSH 1 was routed through Bothell.  The University Bridge on Eastlake is of the period also having been completed by 1919. 

[kkt]

10th Ave. NE on the map (near the University of Washington) is now known as Roosevelt Ave., after Teddy R. 

Now I wonder when it was renamed, I'm surprised it wasn't Roosevelt by 1930.

[pderocco]

I'm also interested in the US-10 variations. That map shows it going down Rainier, and hugging the lake. All the maps on Rumsey, starting with 1939, show it splitting off onto what's now MLK, and then the current 900. It appears to go up the E side of the lake to where I-90 is now. Maps through 1949 still show this, even though Wikipedia says that the floating bridge became US-10 when it opened in 1940. I would think the latter would be correct, because why send US-10 down under the bottom of the lake when it could go straight across?

[Bruce]

I'm also interested in the US-10 variations. That map shows it going down Rainier, and hugging the lake. All the maps on Rumsey, starting with 1939, show it splitting off onto what's now MLK, and then the current 900. It appears to go up the E side of the lake to where I-90 is now. Maps through 1949 still show this, even though Wikipedia says that the floating bridge became US-10 when it opened in 1940. I would think the latter would be correct, because why send US-10 down under the bottom of the lake when it could go straight across?

The route through Renton was signed as US 10 Alt until the 1950s.

[pderocco]

The route through Renton was signed as US 10 Alt until the 1950s.

The back sides of the Washington Official maps available at Rumsey show that as US-10 Alt from 1950 to 1955, after which there is no longer any Alt route, and before which it is shown as US-10. Is it possible that the official maps were simply wrong before 1950?