Numbered highways in the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Highways in the United States are split into at least four different types of systems.
- Interstate Highways
- The Interstate Highway System is a federally funded and administered (but state-maintained) system of freeways that forms the transportation backbone of the U.S., with millions of Americans relying on it for commutes and freight transport daily. Interstate highways are all constructed to precise standards, designed to maximize high-speed travel safety and efficiency. Interstate Highways also contain auxiliary routes, which are normally assigned a three-digit route number. All Interstate Highways are part of the National Highway System, a network of highways deemed essential to the defense, economy, and mobility of the country.
- U.S. Highways
- The U.S. Highway System is an older system, coordinated by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and maintained by state and local governments. Because of the prominence of the Interstate System, many U.S. Routes have been downgraded to state-numbered routes over the years, most famous being the decommissioning of the well-known U.S. Route 66.
- State Highways
- Each state also has a state highway system (see also: State highway#United States). State highways are of varying standards and quality. Some state highways become so heavily traveled they are built to Interstate standards; others are so lightly traveled they are roads of minimal quality.
- County Highways
- The final administrative level in some states is the county-maintained county highway. County routes vary widely from well-travelled expressways to dirt access roads into remote parts of the county.
Highways are generally organized by a route number or letter. These designations are generally displayed along the route by means of a highway shield; each system has its own unique shield design that will allow quick identification to which system the route belongs. Below is a list of the different highway shields used throughout the U.S.
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[edit] Shield list
[edit] Interstate Highways
Shown: Interstate 95
Interstate Highway, 3-digit variant
Shown: Interstate 695
Interstate Highway, state-name variant
Shown: Interstate 80 in California
Shown: Interstate H-1
Shown: Interstate A-1
Puerto Rico Interstate Highway**
Shown:PRI-1
Shown: Interstate 96 Business (Lansing, Michigan)
Shown: Interstate 75 Business (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan)
** Note that the Alaska and Puerto Rico Interstates exist but are not signed as such - the above shields are theoretical only, and based on the real-life Hawaii Interstate Highways (H1, H2, H3, and H201), which are signed.
[edit] U.S. Numbered Highways
United States Numbered Highways
Shown: U.S. Route 30
United States Numbered Highways, California variant
Shown: U.S. Route 50 in California
United States Numbered Highways, Old Style variant
Shown: U.S. Route 66 in Arizona
Suffixed United States Numbered Highways
Shown: U.S. Route 25E
Historic United States Numbered Highways
Shown: Historic U.S. Route 66
Historic United States Numbered Highways, California variant
Shown: Historic U.S. Route 99 in California
Shown: U.S. Route 1 Business
Shown: U.S. Route 60 Bypass
Business Route, Maryland variant
Shown: U.S. Route 13 Business in Maryland
Truck Route
Shown: U.S. Route 9 Truck
Shown: U.S. Route 40 Alternate
Scenic Route
Shown: U.S. Route 412 Scenic
[edit] Generic routes
Generic county route
Shown: County Route 64 in Baldwin County, Alabama
Generic county route (Alternate shield)
Shown: County Route 7 in St. Louis County, Minnesota
Generic Forest Route
Shown: Forest Route 7
Generic Indian Route
Shown: Indian Route 18
Generic U.S. Bicycle Route
Shown: U.S. Bicycle Route 76
Generic U.S. Bicycle Route (Alternate shield)
Shown: U.S. Bicycle Route 13
[edit] State highways and other similar systems
Many state highway markers are designed to suggest the geographic shape of the state or some other state symbol such as its flag. Most of the others are generically rectangular or some other neutral shape. Pennsylvania uses the unique shape of a keystone, designating "The Keystone State".
Shown: State Route 67
Shown: Alaska Route 5
Shown: State Route 48
Shown: State Highway 87
Shown: State Route 2
Shown: State Highway 62
Shown: Route 16
Shown: State Route 1
Shown: District of Columbia Route 295
Shown: State Road 13
State Roads in Florida, tolled
Shown: State Road 869
Shown: State Route 3
Shown: Route 66
Shown: State Highway 41
Shown: Illinois Route 19
Shown: State Road 67
State Highway in Iowa*
Shown: Iowa Highway 92
State Highway in Kansas*
Shown: K-99
Shown: State Highway 1
Shown: Louisiana Highway 3021
State Route in Maine
Shown: State Route 9
Shown: Maryland Route 2
Shown: Route 24
Shown: M-28
Shown: Highway 62
Shown: Mississippi Highway 1
Shown: Route 43
Route in Missouri, supplemental variant
Shown: Route K
Shown: Montana State Highway 80
Shown: Montana Secondary Highway 201
Shown: Nebraska Highway 2
Shown: State Route 28
Shown: New Hampshire Route 16
Route in New Jersey
Shown: Route 33
Shown: New Mexico State Highway 516
Shown: New York State Route 15
Shown: Bronx River Parkway
Parkway on Long Island, New York
Shown: Meadowbrook Parkway
State Highway in North Carolina
Shown: North Carolina Highway 130
State Highways in North Dakota*
Shown: State Highway 23
State Route in Ohio
Shown: State Route 2
State Highway in Oklahoma, new shield
Shown: State Highway 1
State Highway in Oklahoma, old shield
Shown: State Highway 1
Shown: Oregon Route 58
Shown: Pennsylvania Route 39
Shown: Route 3
State Highway in South Carolina, new shield
Shown: South Carolina Highway 462
State Highway in South Carolina, old shield
Shown: South Carolina Highway 64
Shown: South Dakota Highway 10
Shown: State Route 14
Secondary State Route in Tennessee
Shown: Secondary State Route 14
Shown: State Highway 6
State Highway in Texas, tolled
Shown: State Highway 121
Shown: Loop 1
Shown: Spur 366
Shown: Texas Beltway 8
Shown: Farm to Market Road 1093
Shown: Ranch to Market Road 2243
Shown: Park Road 5
Shown: Recreational Road 2
Shown: NASA Road 1
Shown: Texas OSR the first road in Texas
State Route in Utah
Shown: State Route 201
Shown: Vermont Route 15
Vermont Route, "state numbered town highway" variant
Shown: Locally maintained Vermont Route 1
Shown: State Route 7
Virginia State Highway, secondary or frontage state highway
Shown: State Route 7100
Shown: State Route 202
Primary State Highways in Washington
Shown: PSH 1
Shown: West Virginia Route 46
Shown: County Route 5
Shown: State Trunk Highway 29
Wisconsin County Trunk Highway
Shown: County Trunk Highway L
State Highway in Wyoming*
Shown: Wyoming Highway 24
- A * means that the official name is unconfirmed.
[edit] Territorial Highways
Shown: Territorial Route 001
Shown: Guam Highway 8
Shown: Puerto Rico Primary Highway 1
Puerto Rico Urban Primary Highway*
Shown: Puerto Rico Urban Primary Highway 1
Puerto Rico Secondary Highway*
Shown: Puerto Rico Secondary Highway 970
Shown: Puerto Rico Tertiary Highway 3
Shown: U.S. Virgin Islands Highway 10
- A * means that the official name is unconfirmed.
[edit] See also
- List of roads and highways
- List of toll roads
- Circular highway shield
- National Highway System
- Numbered highways in Canada
[edit] External links
- Full list of state route markers
- Road Signs (drawings and photos of old and new signs)
- Old Trails - US and Canadian Roads in the 20th Century (includes drawings and photos of old signs)
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