Old or incorrect local highway names

[mcdonaat]

In my neck of the woods, Louisiana Highway 7 was replaced by US 371... I don't mean overlapped, I mean LA 7 is deleted completely. Nevertheless, old alignments are called Old Hwy 7, parish roads are PR 7, and bridges have LA 7 stamped into them.

We also stamp the highway names in the bridges, so if it was built before the highway numbers were changed in 1955, it still retains "State Route No. xx." the best is State Route C-1474, with State Route No. 99 1/2 Close behind

[agentsteel53]

We also stamp the highway names in the bridges, so if it was built before the highway numbers were changed in 1955, it still retains "State Route No. xx." the best is State Route C-1474, with State Route No. 99 1/2 Close behind

now this I'd like to see pictures of!  especially the 99 1/2.

I once found a bridge with a painted shield.  I believe this is a current alignment of LA-1 but it might not be.

[mcdonaat]

We also stamp the highway names in the bridges, so if it was built before the highway numbers were changed in 1955, it still retains "State Route No. xx." the best is State Route C-1474, with State Route No. 99 1/2 Close behind

now this I'd like to see pictures of!  especially the 99 1/2.

I once found a bridge with a painted shield.  I believe this is a current alignment of LA-1 but it might not be.

Where did ya find that at? I only know of one painted bridge, along LA 182, where the end cap is painted US 90 in big letters. I'll post a few photos on the forum, I think it's only a Louisiana thing though.

[agentsteel53]

Somewhere near Thibodaux.  I believe on LA-1 but don't quote me on that.

close to LA-182, so maybe some scouring in the area of the one you know about will reveal others.

have you ever seen an engraved shield?  As opposed to the rectangle with "US 90" or whatnot in it?  I could've sworn I spotted one once in the rear-view mirror but attempting to find one later was not fruitful.

I have seen an engraved ALABAMA US 72 in a 1980s photo of a railroad overpass.

[mcdonaat]

I haven't seen any engraved shields anywhere. In other states, the U.S. route is labeled on bridges, but never any state or Interstate highways.


An old State Route 13 marker, engraved into a bridge.


State Route 152, known today as LA 19


Route 200, also known as LA 34.

Those are just a few that I have on hand... US 80 has a good number of 1920's bridges between Rayville and Delhi. I've attached a link to the only US 90 bridge that has the stamp (that I know of) along La. 182. Looks like the DOTD came through and actually repainted the "end cap"

http://showmystreet.com/0ho8tl_-1i6epm_j7d_10

[bugo]

Somewhere near Thibodaux.  I believe on LA-1 but don't quote me on that.

close to LA-182, so maybe some scouring in the area of the one you know about will reveal others.

have you ever seen an engraved shield?  As opposed to the rectangle with "US 90" or whatnot in it?  I could've sworn I spotted one once in the rear-view mirror but attempting to find one later was not fruitful.

I have seen an engraved ALABAMA US 72 in a 1980s photo of a railroad overpass.

There used to be an ALABAMA US 78 shield embossed in an overpass in Birmingham just north of I-20, but I understand that it's gone now.

[agentsteel53]

There used to be an ALABAMA US 78 shield embossed in an overpass in Birmingham just north of I-20, but I understand that it's gone now.

we're probably thinking about the same one.  78 sounds right. 

[vtk]

OH 41 has one or two alignments south of Springfield called Old 70 Rd.  OH 41 was of course OH 70 before Ohio renumbered its I-duplicate state routes in the 60s. Before that event, the road was realigned to eliminate crossings with a railroad which at the time carried significant passenger traffic.

Near Townsend, TN there is an Old 71 or Old 73 or something across the creek from the current US highway (321?).  I don't have a map handy at the moment...

[agentsteel53]

Near Townsend, TN there is an Old 71 or Old 73 or something across the creek from the current US highway (321?).  I don't have a map handy at the moment...

Ohio renumbered 73 in the 60s in anticipation of I-73?  how long ago has this silly I-73 idea been going on??

[NE2]

Tennessee. And it's still 71 or 73, just not signed as such.

[agentsteel53]

Tennessee. And it's still 71 or 73, just not signed as such.

ah, I totally failed to catch the "TN".  I looked up Gatlinburg real fast, as I know 73 was signed there at least at one point in time (we have a photo of an old triangle shield on the gallery) - a brief glance at Street View showed no 71 or 73 shields at the expected intersection locations.  or 441s, for that matter.  or any signage at all???

[NE2]

Tennessee has Florida- and Alabama-style hidden routes.

[agentsteel53]

Tennessee has Florida- and Alabama-style hidden routes.

what strikes me as odd is that 441 is treated as a "hidden route" there, too?  I just looked at my photos from Feb '10 and saw a modern 73/441 gantry.  I didn't photograph downtown Gatlinburg, though.

[NE2]

Gatlinburg's all hickster, so don't expect good signage. There is 441 reassurance (sans 321) on Google heading north away from the central intersection. There's also a wonky NPS-maintained bypass that's only signed as "Gatlinburg By-Pass".

[hbelkins]

strikes me as odd is that 441 is treated as a "hidden route" there, too?  I just looked at my photos from Feb '10 and saw a modern 73/441 gantry.  I didn't photograph downtown Gatlinburg, though.

Probably only hidden in the national park. Just as you leave the park and enter the city limits northbound, there used to be a 441/73 assembly. TN 73 was the signed route heading east out of town until US 321 was extended. It was also extended over a local road (Wears Valley) from Pigeon Forge to Townsend.

[apeman33]

South of Garden City, Kansas, one of the roads was officially christened "Old 83" when Finney County installed its E911 system. No other former routes were named as such. Old 50 from Garden City to Holcomb was named "Jones Ave." which makes sense since it's Buffalo Jones Ave. in Garden City and Jones Ave. in Holcomb.

[Avalanchez71]

Also in TN there are Old Hwy 99 and Old Hwy 20 roads along US 412.  Of course they are actually the hidden designation for US 412 but they were old roads for the former state highways prior to the US 412 designation.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

More MN examples:

Old MN 66 near Isle (MN 66 I was renumbered as part of MN 27; a second unrelated MN 66 has also come and gone)
The street name of former MN 7 east of MN 100 to Minnetonka Blvd/Lake St in St. Louis Park is still officially "Highway 7" (or at least the streets fronting it)

Thought there are still some "Old Highway 102" segments in the UP

[KCRoadFan]

I believe it's been fixed now, but this GSV photo from 2013 shows that IA 149/old US 63 north of Ottumwa was still marked as "HIGHWAY 63" on green blade signage - well after 63 was taken off the road when the eastern bypass was constructed. (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0757758,-92.4098512,3a,15y,118.41h,85.17t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sm-CP0kHQhgjcEVlQGOk9iw!2e0!5s20130801T000000!7i13312!8i6656)

Incidentally, further south along old US 63 in Ottumwa proper - namely, at the intersection with Court Street near the north end of town - the sign on the traffic signal mast arm still read "US 63" as late as 2016 (although it had been changed to read "IA 149/Bus. 63" by 2019, the next time the Street View car passed through the area). [GSV link: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0522783,-92.4099443,3a,75y,258.8h,103.94t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1stxoIdbMBq1nar_AVJfrWNw!2e0!5s20161001T000000!7i13312!8i6656]

[fillup420]

There is an "Old NC 75" that runs from Oxford to Butner via Stem. NC 75 hasn't existed there since around 1930. On top of that, NC 75 was actually replaced by US 15 on that stretch before being turned to a secondary road..

[Dirt Roads]

There is an "Old NC 75" that runs from Oxford to Butner via Stem. NC 75 hasn't existed there since around 1930. On top of that, NC 75 was actually replaced by US 15 on that stretch before being turned to a secondary road..

Same way, "Old NC 10" runs east of Hillsborough to Durham.  This used to be signed as "Old No. 10" (old number ten) before the road was straightened and had clearances raised about 8 years ago.  It runs roughly parallel to I-85 and unfortunately has become a favorite bypass route for "eastbound" traffic during the frequent shutdowns that occur from wrecks along this narrow section of original Interstate.  But the clearances are still only 12 feet, so I have witnessed a good number of "canopener" incidents at the State University Railroad trestle, which ironically is the old reference name for UNC Chapel Hill.

Similarly, there is a "West Ten Road" that runs from Exit 161 near Efland west to Mebane, and this one is truly parallel to the Interstate (I-85/I-40).  I'm pretty sure that both roads pre-date US-70 which has always been located north of the North Carolina Rail Road.

[dfilpus]

There is an "Old NC 75" that runs from Oxford to Butner via Stem. NC 75 hasn't existed there since around 1930. On top of that, NC 75 was actually replaced by US 15 on that stretch before being turned to a secondary road..

Same way, "Old NC 10" runs east of Hillsborough to Durham.  This used to be signed as "Old No. 10" (old number ten) before the road was straightened and had clearances raised about 8 years ago.  It runs roughly parallel to I-85 and unfortunately has become a favorite bypass route for "eastbound" traffic during the frequent shutdowns that occur from wrecks along this narrow section of original Interstate.  But the clearances are still only 12 feet, so I have witnessed a good number of "canopener" incidents at the State University Railroad trestle, which ironically is the old reference name for UNC Chapel Hill.

Similarly, there is a "West Ten Road" that runs from Exit 161 near Efland west to Mebane, and this one is truly parallel to the Interstate (I-85/I-40).  I'm pretty sure that both roads pre-date US-70 which has always been located north of the North Carolina Rail Road.

In both cases, NC 10 was relocated onto current US 70/US 70 Business before NC 10 was renumbered to US 70. There are at least three more "Old NC 10" roads in Burke and McDowell counties, with the same history.

http://roadgeek.filpus.org/OldNC10.html

[TheGrassGuy]

Would "Old Route 24" in NJ be another example?

[skluth]

I was curious as a kid about Watertown Plank Road when we visited Milwaukee. It was apparently once a real plank road from Milwaukee to Watertown (or at least in that direction). I had never heard of a plank road then, and it was one of the first geeky transportation topics I remember researching back in grade school. Watertown Plank Road hasn't been a plank road since at least WWII so has been incorrectly named for a long time.

[Max Rockatansky]

Old Highway 49 in Coulterville, CA.