State Route Oddities

[bzakharin]

NJ 94 is the only NJ state highway that doesn't pick up as a numbered highway across the border. (It's a 4-digit road in PA.)

NJ 90 doesn't either. PA 90 either was never built or was decommissioned when plans its extension were abandoned depending on whom you ask.

[bzakharin]

Also, there are both NY 2 and US 2 in the same state.

US 4 and NH 4 both exist in New Hampshire - and they are very close to each other!



Additionally, NH 111A exists 3 times.

Delaware 202 is an old alignment of US 202 and splits of from same. DE 9 has nothing to do with US 9, but both exist in Delaware.

[NE2]

NH 4 was probably intended as an extension of US 4: http://www.floodgap.com/roadgap/me/r?4

[Charles2]

Alabama has numerous state routes that terminate at junctions with county roads.  AL-145, AL-235, and AL-261 all come to mind.

AL-759 (the surface road continuation of I-759, and the only east-west odd-numbered route in the state) has its east bound terminus at a T-intersection with AL-291 in Gadsden.  AL-291 has its south bound terminus at the same intersection.  There is no route designation for the third leg of the T.

[jp the roadgeek]

CT 272 is the only route in CT that ends at a state border, but does not cross into another state as a numbered route (either state or county)

[TheOneKEA]

VA 154 has two segments. Only one has any postings, and even that is only from I-64.

Has there ever been a MD 9?

No. 7-10 (and 11) were skipped in the initial numbering, just as NJ skipped 13-20.

I always wondered about this! Do you know of any books or other sources that explain why the SRC skipped 7 through 10 when mapping out the original number clusters?

[MDRoads]

I always wondered about this! Do you know of any books or other sources that explain why the SRC skipped 7 through 10 when mapping out the original number clusters?

I haven't seen any official documents that specifically discuss Maryland's original numbering pattern.  The MD numbers are just out there in the documents and on the maps, on which the clustering patterns appear.  Would love to find some documents about exactly how the numbers were originally assigned, including why 7-10 was left out.  The answers are probably buried in old minutes of the SRC meetings, which are mentioned in lists of later route downloads/decommissionings.

MD 9 was almost used by SHA for part of decommissioned US 140 northwest of Baltimore in 1979, before deciding to just use MD 140.  I get MD 7's relative importance as the old US 40, same with MD 10 as an expressway... but I can't figure out why they assigned MD 8 where they did.

[NE2]

7-10 were reserved for when Maryland takes over Delaware

Hey, that's as good a theory as any.

PS: have you seen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_U.S._Roads/Maryland/All-time_list? There are some routes I found that aren't on your site.

[Rupertus]

M-3 ends where M-29 begins and vice versa in Chesterfield Township, northeast of Detroit.

There's a similar spot in the U.P., where M-38 and M-64 intersect with US 45 in Ontonagon. http://goo.gl/maps/3YEXT

[Big John]

In Sheboygan, WI, WI 23,28 and 42 all end at the same intersection. (Erie and 14th)

[sdmichael]

Not sure this has been covered... but in California - State 18 ends at State 138 and State 138 ends at State 18.

[hotdogPi]

128 ends at 127 in both Massachusetts and Maine.

Going north on I-89 in Vermont, you will cross VT 66, 65, 64, 63, and 62 in that order.

MA 108, MA 110, and MA 113 are very close to each other. So are CT 108, CT 110, and CT 113.

NH 16 begins at US 1 and has concurrency with US 4, NH 9, and NH 25. The first five square numbers are all there.

[TheOneKEA]

I always wondered about this! Do you know of any books or other sources that explain why the SRC skipped 7 through 10 when mapping out the original number clusters?

I haven't seen any official documents that specifically discuss Maryland's original numbering pattern.  The MD numbers are just out there in the documents and on the maps, on which the clustering patterns appear.  Would love to find some documents about exactly how the numbers were originally assigned, including why 7-10 was left out.  The answers are probably buried in old minutes of the SRC meetings, which are mentioned in lists of later route downloads/decommissionings.

MD 9 was almost used by SHA for part of decommissioned US 140 northwest of Baltimore in 1979, before deciding to just use MD 140.  I get MD 7's relative importance as the old US 40, same with MD 10 as an expressway... but I can't figure out why they assigned MD 8 where they did.

MD 8 never made much sense to me either. Considering the fragmentary nature of the existing system as well as the hole in the number clusters at 321-327, it does stand out as a very unusual use of a single digit route number.

Another oddity is MD 6. It could easily be county-maintained in places and a three digit route number in others.

Finally, I would love to know why US 40's original routings northeast of Baltimore deserved a single digit route number but the same US highway's routings west of Baltimore received a three digit route number instead.

[MDRoads]

MD 8 never made much sense to me either. Considering the fragmentary nature of the existing system as well as the hole in the number clusters at 321-327, it does stand out as a very unusual use of a single digit route number.

Another oddity is MD 6. It could easily be county-maintained in places and a three digit route number in others.

Finally, I would love to know why US 40's original routings northeast of Baltimore deserved a single digit route number but the same US highway's routings west of Baltimore received a three digit route number instead.

Most major state routes have at least one number associated with its old sections, usually in the >600 range.   When SRC pulled a low number, it usually was in a different county's cluster for use elsewhere in the state.  Some routes had different numbers for different sections, like MD 144 and 7.  Old parts of MD 2 became 648 (Baltimore-Annapolis), 775 in southern Anne Arundel Co., and 765 down in Calvert Co.

Would have thought maybe the reason for MD 7 being used was it was so soon thereafter when Pulaski Hwy was completed (~1938), but old 2 became MD 648 at around the same time to make way for Ritchie Hwy.

MD 6, while twisting and meandering, is quite long for MD, over 45 miles.  In the 1930s-40s, most of the other low-numbered routes were the same way.  A major issue in the pre-Interstate era was the primary roads were the same width/quality as the over-numerous secondary roads, which back then covered the state in almost Kentuckian thickness; were MD the size of KY, we'd need 4-digit numbers too.

[TheOneKEA]

Most major state routes have at least one number associated with its old sections, usually in the >600 range.   When SRC pulled a low number, it usually was in a different county's cluster for use elsewhere in the state.  Some routes had different numbers for different sections, like MD 144 and 7.  Old parts of MD 2 became 648 (Baltimore-Annapolis), 775 in southern Anne Arundel Co., and 765 down in Calvert Co.

Is that why MD 135 took over parts of MD 38 and all of MD 41 instead of using one of the two digit numbers? 135 is nominally part of the Baltimore County route cluster but it is in Garrett County instead.

MD 17 stands out too as a number out of place. I'd love to know if the predecessor to VDOT really was lobbying for US 17 to be extended north, and if the SRC wanted US 17 too.

Would have thought maybe the reason for MD 7 being used was it was so soon thereafter when Pulaski Hwy was completed (~1938), but old 2 became MD 648 at around the same time to make way for Ritchie Hwy.

MD 6, while twisting and meandering, is quite long for MD, over 45 miles.  In the 1930s-40s, most of the other low-numbered routes were the same way.  A major issue in the pre-Interstate era was the primary roads were the same width/quality as the over-numerous secondary roads, which back then covered the state in almost Kentuckian thickness; were MD the size of KY, we'd need 4-digit numbers too.

Was the length of the state-maintained secondary road a factor in the 1956 downsizing?

[roadman]

128 ends at 127 in both Massachusetts and Maine.

In Massachusetts, 128 both intersects with 127 in Gloucester (Grant Circle) and then terminates at 127 in Rockport (Eastern Avenue).  However, if you're in a hurry, be sure to consult a map before you decide to take 127 between the two points.

[agentsteel53]

128 ends at 127 in both Massachusetts and Maine.

In Massachusetts, 128 both intersects with 127 in Gloucester (Grant Circle) and then terminates at 127 in Rockport (Eastern Avenue).  However, if you're in a hurry, be sure to consult a map before you decide to take 127 between the two points.

I believe it is this segment of 127 which has some 1950s oval-button shields on it.

[froggie]

MD 17 stands out too as a number out of place. I'd love to know if the predecessor to VDOT really was lobbying for US 17 to be extended north, and if the SRC wanted US 17 too

Although we (myself and mapmikey) haven't been able to find proof in the CTB minutes archive, it's theoretically possible that such a US extension was briefly considered in the early 1940s.

MD 17 used to be MD 33 (and vice versa...both confirmed on my 1932 MD map).  Per MDRoads, the two were swapped to their current corridors in 1940, which makes sense as that's the same year that the former north leg of VA 234 (more or less along today's VA 287) was renumbered as a north leg of VA 17 (CTB minutes put this as October 1940).  Prior to this, VA 17 ended at US 15/29 Opal, but was extended north along then-US 15 to Middleburg (roughly today's US 17/VA 245/SR 626), plus the segment north of Purcellville into MD mentioned above.  There was a gap in VA 17 at this time, from Middleburg to just south of Purcellville.

This scenario didn't last long.  In 1944, VA 17 was rerouted to continue to Winchester along what became US 17 around 1965, and old VA 17 north of Purcellville became VA 287.

[Alps]

128 ends at 127 in both Massachusetts and Maine.

In Massachusetts, 128 both intersects with 127 in Gloucester (Grant Circle) and then terminates at 127 in Rockport (Eastern Avenue).  However, if you're in a hurry, be sure to consult a map before you decide to take 127 between the two points.

I believe it is this segment of 127 which has some 1950s oval-button shields on it.

Tis.

[Mapmikey]

MD 17 stands out too as a number out of place. I'd love to know if the predecessor to VDOT really was lobbying for US 17 to be extended north, and if the SRC wanted US 17 too

Although we (myself and mapmikey) haven't been able to find proof in the CTB minutes archive, it's theoretically possible that such a US extension was briefly considered in the early 1940s.

Even though no CTB documentation we've seen indicates it for US 17 back in the 1930s-40s, my sense is that all original state route extensions were considered potential extensions (except maybe VA 121) of their US route counterparts.  I could even argue the weird VA 29 was a potential US 29 ALT.

Note that in the 1933 route log US routes with state route extensions were considered one route...



Mapmikey

[PHLBOS]

128 ends at 127 in both Massachusetts and Maine.

In Massachusetts, 128 both intersects with 127 in Gloucester (Grant Circle) and then terminates at 127 in Rockport (Eastern Avenue).  However, if you're in a hurry, be sure to consult a map before you decide to take 127 between the two points.

Actually, 128 terminates at 127A (Bass Ave.) in Gloucester.  One needs to ride MA 127 (Eastern Ave.) or MA 127A (Bass Ave. & Thatcher Rd.) for just over a mile before one crosses into Rockport.

128's Northern/Eastern terminus in Gloucester

[doogie1303]

CT-78, Pretty much the only part of it that's actually in CT is the western terminus on/off ramps.

[jbnv]

Louisiana oddities not mentioned thus far:

* LA 182 is the second-longest state highway behind LA 1, having been made from old parts of US 167 and US 90.

* LA 27 has a flipped-J shape.

* LA 1's northern terminus is just barely south of the TX-AR-LA corner.

* LA 63 and US 63 are completely different routes on opposite ends of the state.

Also one for Texas: Due to the proximity of FM 105 to TX 105 (a major route from Beaumont to Conroe), there is a sign on I-10 WB near the FM 105 junction directing TX 105 travelers.

[bassoon1986]

Louisiana oddities not mentioned thus far:

* LA 182 is the second-longest state highway behind LA 1, having been made from old parts of US 167 and US 90.

* LA 27 has a flipped-J shape.

* LA 1's northern terminus is just barely south of the TX-AR-LA corner.

* LA 63 and US 63 are completely different routes on opposite ends of the state.

Also one for Texas: Due to the proximity of FM 105 to TX 105 (a major route from Beaumont to Conroe), there is a sign on I-10 WB near the FM 105 junction directing TX 105 travelers.

LA 182 is fourth longest. LA 10 and LA 15 have it beat.

[yakra]

ME103 ends at ME236, and ME236 ends at ME103.