Former U.S. 420

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U.S. 420 was one of the original U.S. routes established in the Equality State in 1926. It was decommissioned along with U.S. 116, U.S. 185, U.S. 216 and U.S. 285 in 1936.

Rroughly 41 mile long highway, U.S. 420 joined U.S. 20 at Cody with U.S. 310 at Deaver. A road between Cody and Thermopolis via Meeteetse was developed in the 1930s and eventually designated as Wyoming Highway 420.

Changes made to the alignment of U.S. 14 in 1936 replaced all of what was U.S. 116 and U.S. 420. The section of U.S. 310 between Deaver and Lovell were concurrently U.S. 14 and U.S. 310. Farther east, U.S. 16 between Moorcroft and South Dakota became U.S. 14, and U.S. 216 was recommissioned as U.S. 16. Wyoming Highway 420 south of Cody remained.

U.S. 14 was rerouted to its current course between Cody and Burgess Junction via Greybull and Shell Canyon in 1939. For that one year, what was formerly U.S. 14 and U.S. 420 between Cody and Deaver was recommissioned as WY 420. The short cut-off between Powell and Lovell became WY 310 in 1939.

The Wyoming Highway Department considered designating the entire road between Thermopolis and Deaver via Cody and Powell as WY 420 in 1939. However in 1940, the highway was reconstructed between U.S. 310 at Lovell and U.S. 14 at Burgess Junction via Medicine Wheel. The highway department then renamed the whole road, from Cody to Burgess Junction via Powell, as WY 14. WY 14 included not only WY 420 from Cody to Powell, but also WY 310 through Lovell. The northernmost portion of WY 420, between Powell and Deaver, was recommissioned as WY 114, a designation that remains to this day. This entire route would later become U.S. 14 Alternate in 1965.

Wyoming Highway 420 south of Cody remained designated for another five years. WY 420 was recommissioned in 1945 as WY 120 between Thermopolis and Cody. WY 120 was subsequently extended north to connect with Montana Highway 72.



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    Page Updated 09-22-2005.

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