US highway map, rendered in subway map style

[usends]

I think this map is really nice - informative, innovative, and visually appealing.  It shows all 2-digit US routes (current and historic), and also includes the longest 3-dus routes.  But the geometry is abstracted and simplified, in the manner of a typical metro transit map.
http://www.cambooth.net/archives/801

[exit322]

That's pretty neat there.

[KEVIN_224]

WOW! That is pretty freakin' cool! How did I never think of that?

[corco]

I often try to sketch this exactly when I'm bored in class, and now I see what it actually is supposed to look like! Very cool- I love it!

[CanesFan27]

Someone else a number of years ago did one of the Interstate System and had it for sale.  I bought one and framed it and it is hanging up here in my office.  I'll certainly be purchasing his US highway map when available and will do the same.

[agentsteel53]

here is the interstate map, as done by Cam Booth (same guy who did this US map)

http://www.cambooth.net/archives/641

[NE2]

Interesting map.

One omission I found: the old US 75 alignment on the east side of the Missouri between Council Bluffs and Sioux City.

[CanesFan27]

The map I had was done by Chris Yates in 2007 - http://www.chrisyates.net/reprographics/index.php?page=424

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I'll have to forward this map to Dave Wickline* in the morning. See if he can get copies of this map to use as placemats for his tables. 

* - Dave is the owner of a US 66 themed restaurant in Columbus (and where we met for lunch as part of the Ohio roadmeet this year)

[Chaosboy]

Hi everyone, I'm the creator of this map, Cameron. Thanks for all the love, and thanks to Dale for featuring it here. I am working on making a whole slew of corrections and edits as we speak, and hope to have posters for sale really soon. I'd love to answer any questions you may have about the map, so fire away!

[CanesFan27]

one suggestion is to make the x5 US highways a non-grey color most of those are/were major north/south routes.

I do understand that it may be too complicated with more colors.

[Chaosboy]

Hmmm... My understanding was that x1s were designated the primary north-south routes and not x5s - which is unlike Interstates, where x5s are DEFINITELY the primary routes. EDIT: That is to say, in the original 1926 plan, the x1s were DEFINITELY given priority as main routes.

[NE2]

Hmmm... My understanding was that x1s were designated the primary north-south routes and not x5s - which is unlike Interstates, where x5s are DEFINITELY the primary routes. EDIT: That is to say, in the original 1926 plan, the x1s were DEFINITELY given priority as main routes.

I think you should look on a case-by-case basis (like you did with 2). For example, 66 should be colored (especially given that it was 60 in the 1925 plan). Some of the x5s were certainly major routes (e.g. 25). And 99 was far more important than 101.

[Chaosboy]

USS 66 *is* colored - it's black (not a 70% black like the other even "minor" routes). US 2 is really meant to be "US 0", that's why it earns a color.

For me, the idea behind the "major" routes is that they define the grid, ten numbers apart (10, 20, 30, etc and 1, 11, 21, 31 etc)... whether or not one road carried more traffic or actually served as a better route than another (agree totally that 99 performs that purpose better than 101 - that's why it's now I-5). Picking and choosing which road gets to be "important" based on arbitrary criteria messes with the uniformity of the grid, which for me as a designer is the whole point - making patterns out of chaos.

[NE2]

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/numbers.cfm
"The principal north-south routes were given numbers ending in 1, with U.S. 1 along the East Coast. The north-south routes of considerable length but secondary importance were given numbers ending in 5."

This would be all but 35, as that was not assigned yet. (55 was not in the 1925 plan but was numbered in 1926.)

[Lightning Strike]

 

Hi everyone, I'm the creator of this map, Cameron. Thanks for all the love, and thanks to Dale for featuring it here. I am working on making a whole slew of corrections and edits as we speak, and hope to have posters for sale really soon. I'd love to answer any questions you may have about the map, so fire away!

Do be sure to let us know, I would definitely love to have that poster hanging on my wall. I could stare at it all day. 
Also great job on the map, fantastic idea and wonderfully done.

[nexus73]

Hi everyone, I'm the creator of this map, Cameron. Thanks for all the love, and thanks to Dale for featuring it here. I am working on making a whole slew of corrections and edits as we speak, and hope to have posters for sale really soon. I'd love to answer any questions you may have about the map, so fire away!

Since the info is stored on a computer, all you need to avoid the Sold Out Syndrome is a printer.  Why don't you do this?  Print to demand.  I've seen other companies follow along with this concept so it's not unreasonable or unworkable to ask for this.  You could also offer the maps already laminated.  A company here in my home area charged me a whopping $2 (LOL!) to laminate an 11x17 gamesheet so it's not an expensive option by any means.

Improve your business practices and you'll improve your cash flow.  Simple Capitalism 101.

Rick

[Chaosboy]

Rick,

Capitalism 101 also preaches economies of scale. The more posters I get printed at one time, the lower the cost per unit is. Also, I print on extremely nice art paper that is acid and lignin free with archival quality inks (100 years without fading). The paper has a beautiful, slightly rough texture that it would be a crime to laminate. These posters are definitely high-end products, but that's the only way they can do justice to the hundreds of hours I've put into them. I'll take less sales over a longer period of time to maintain that quality.

[nexus73]

Another Capitalism 101 lesson for you: If you don't have it, you can't sell it.  Here's another: Pass the costs along!  Combine the two with print to demand and you would have made a sale last night.  It's not like economies of scale are going to double the price of the product if you don't max out that factor.

You could also offer various paper quality offerings too.  Printers do handle more than one kind of paper these days after all..LOL!

Rick

[Chaosboy]

By the by, 36" x 24" posters are now available for ordering at my website (http://www.cambooth.net/for-sale). My Interstates as Subway Map poster is also back due to popular demand, AND you can buy both posters as a combo pack at substantial savings. As it's the holidays, I expect these posters to start shipping in early January.

[HighwayMaster]

Wow. The Interstate one is great, but this is MUCH better.

[Chaosboy]

For those who are interested, I've just posted a newly revised version of this on my Flickr account with a whole slew of changes - most of which were inspired by the discussion here. Lots of new historical endpoints! A full change log is also over at Flickr - accessible by clicking here: http://b.cambooth.net/rRJwwp

[hobsini2]

For those who are interested, I've just posted a newly revised version of this on my Flickr account with a whole slew of changes - most of which were inspired by the discussion here. Lots of new historical endpoints! A full change log is also over at Flickr - accessible by clicking here: http://b.cambooth.net/rRJwwp

It's really cool work but can you enlarge the size? it is unreadable otherwise.

[Duke87]

It's really cool work but can you enlarge the size? it is unreadable otherwise.

Click the magnifying glass with a + sign in it to the upper right of the photo and then select "Original (4000 x 2900)" to the far right.

[Sykotyk]

Wasn't sure I'd like the pic when I read the post. But, that is really cool. Would love to have some type of large wall-map done like that. 4'x5' or so. Any idea what the price would run?