U.S. Route 62

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U.S. Route 62
Length: 2,248[1] mi (3617 km)
Formed: 1930[1]
West end: US 85 at the Mexican border in El Paso, TX
(to MX 45)
Major
junctions:		 I-10 in El Paso, TX
I-27 at Lubbock, TX
I-44 at Lawton, OK
I-35/40 at Oklahoma City, OK
I-55 at Sikeston, MO
I-24 at Paducah, KY
I-65 at Elizabethtown, KY
I-75 near Georgetown, KY
I-70 at Columbus, OH
I-80 at Hubbard, OH
North end: NY 104 at Niagara Falls, NY
United States Numbered Highways
List - Bannered - Divided - Replaced

U.S. Route 62 runs from the US-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas to Niagara Falls, New York, near the United States-Canada border.

Parts of U.S. 62 follow what once was the Ozark Trail [1], including the historic bridge across the South Canadian River in Newcastle, Oklahoma[2] (the first structure built with federal highway funds in Oklahoma).

As a result of US 62 crossing the Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky concurrent with US 51 and US 60, and crossing the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri concurrent with US 60, rather than crossing the Mississippi River directly from Kentucky to Missouri, Kentucky and Missouri are the only two states of the contiguous forty-eight to share a boundary with no road (only a single ferry) directly connecting the two states.

Contents

[edit] Route description

[edit] Texas and New Mexico

In Texas, US 62 forms a spur around Ralls, locally known as the "US 62 Loop". The route has two separate stays in Texas, separated by a portion in New Mexico with the first section in Texas from its terminus in El Paso to the state line in the Guadalupe Mountains. Through New Mexico, US 62 continues past Carlsbad Caverns National Park into the city of Carlsbad and then east to Hobbs. The highway then crosses back into the Lone Star State at the Texas/New Mexico border east of Hobbs, New Mexico, continuing east through Seminole and turning north/northeast through Seagraves and Brownfield into Lubbock. To the east of Lubbock, US 62 passes through Lorenzo and Ralls before turning north to Floydada and then east through Matador to Paducah, and north again through Childress to a point 17 miles (27 km) to the north where it turns east from a concurrency with US 83 before crossing the Texas/Oklahoma border 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Hollis, Oklahoma.

Along its first section in Texas, the entire route through New Mexico and the second section in Texas from the state line east of Hobbs to Seminole, US 62 runs concurrent with US 180. US 62 runs concurrent with other highways across its "second" section in Texas including US 82 from Brownfield through Lubbock to Ralls, US 70 from Floydada to Paducah and US 83 from Paducah to a point 17 miles (27 km) north of Childress.

[edit] Oklahoma

Main article: U.S. Route 62 in Oklahoma

US 62 runs east from the Texas border across Southwest Oklahoma through Hollis, Gould and Altus and then continues east bypassing the communities of Headrick, Snyder, Indiahoma and Cache into Lawton, Oklahoma. On the north side of Lawton, US 62 joins Interstate 44 as a concurrent route for 8 miles (13 km) through the Fort Sill Military Reservation and then splits on its own at Exit 46 near Medicine Park to continue north through Apache then north and east toward Anadarko. From Anadarko, US 62 runs east through Verden to Chickasha and northeast through Newcastle before returning to a concurrent route with I-44 into Oklahoma City and then with I-240 and I-35 through much of the city before leaving I-35 at Northeast 23rd Street (Exit 130) two miles (3 km) east of the Oklahoma State Capitol. It leaves Oklahoma City at 23rd street and heads east through Choctaw, Harrah, Meeker and Boley to Okemah. At Okemah, US 62 overlaps I-40 for 18 miles (29 km) to Henryetta. US 62 then leaves I-40 to continue north to Okmulgee and east to Muskogee, and heads northeast through Fort Gibson and Tahlequah and into Arkansas.

In addition to sections of Interstate highways 44, 240, 35 and 40, US 62 also runs concurrent with other US highways over its miles across Oklahoma including US 281 from Lawton to Anadarko and US 277 from Lawton north about 11 miles (both including the 8-mile (13 km) I-44 concurrency north of Lawton), US 81 in the Chickasha city limits, a second US 277 concurrency from Chickasha to Newcastle, US 75 from Henryetta to Okmulgee, US 64 from an intersection near Taft to Muskogee and US 69 in the Muskogee city limits. US 62 business routes are designated through the cities of Snyder and Muskogee.

[edit] Arkansas

U.S. Route 62 runs with U.S. Highway 71 from Fayetteville to Rogers, Arkansas, U.S. Highway 412 from Alpena to Imboden, U.S. Highway 63 from Hardy to Imboden, U.S. Highway 65 from Bear Creek Springs to south of Harrison, and U.S. Highway 67 from Pocahontas to Corning.

[edit] Missouri

Between Malden and New Madrid, US 62 was designated as Route 82 in 1922. The part west of Malden was unnumbered until it became US 62.

[edit] Illinois

Main article: U.S. Route 60/62 in Illinois

U.S. Route 62 overlaps U.S. Route 60 for its entire length, 0.92 miles (1.48 km), in Illinois.[2] It crosses Illinois at its very southern tip between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

[edit] Kentucky

It runs right through the tourist section of Western Kentucky including the town of Eddyville, Kentucky and Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, two large ,man-made lakes. After passing through Georgetown and Paris it leaves Kentucky near Maysville. U.S. 62 overlaps U.S. Route 68 in Kentucky to Redoak, Ohio (near Georgetown).

[edit] Ohio

U.S. 62 enters Ohio from Kentucky, crossing the Ohio River at Aberdeen. It crosses southwest Ohio before entering the cities of Columbus, Canton, Alliance, and Youngstown. It leaves Ohio near Hubbard and enters Pennsylvania near the interchange for Interstate 80.

U.S. 62 is planned be rerouted onto divided highway from Alliance to Salem, part of a larger relocation of both U.S. 62 and SR-14, then from downtown Youngstown to Interstate 80 as part of the "Hubbard Arterial".[3] Parts of the highway have long been completed to the north of Alliance and Salem; the portion northwest of Alliance is known in documents as US-62T, while the portion north of Salem not already carrying U.S. 62 is known as SR-14T; neither carries a posted route but instead only carries trailblazer markers indicating routes intersected at the termini.[4]

[edit] Pennsylvania

U.S. 62 enters Pennsylvania from Ohio in Sharon. Also, at the Ohio/Pennsylvania state line, signage for U.S. 62 changes from an east-west to north-south. U.S. 62 also runs north-northeast from the Ohio border towards New York.[5] U.S. 62 passes through Mercer and runs across country to Franklin. At this point U.S. 62 enters the Allegheny River valley and follows this river for 45 miles (72 km). U.S. 62 crosses the river at Oil City and crosses again at Tionesta. This scenic highway passes through Allegheny Islands Wilderness region and by Tidioute on the north side of the river before crossing the river once again near Buckaloons Recreational Area. The road is concurrent with U.S. Route 6 for a short distance in Warren.

[edit] New York

Western terminus of the NY 394/US overlap in Poland, Chautauqua County, New York.
Western terminus of the NY 394/US overlap in Poland, Chautauqua County, New York.

While most of the route is an east-west route, US 62 takes a north-south directionality in Pennsylvania and New York. It is signed north-south in northern Pennsylvania and New York.

US 62 enters New York State from Pennsylvania in Chautauqua County, south of Frewsburg, past which it intersects with Interstate 86 (Southern Tier Expressway). Following a northeasterly course, US 62 enters Cattaraugus County, crosses Cattaraugus Creek to enter Erie County and passes through the village of Gowanda, taking a more northerly direction. At the village of Hamburg, US 62 turns northeast, crossing the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90), continues northward through Lackawanna and passes through Buffalo as Bailey Avenue. The Bailey Avenue section from NY 5 at the Buffalo city line to NY 324 is maintained by Erie County as CR 152.

US 62 briefly overlaps New York State Route 324 (Sheridan Drive) in the town of Amherst, and turns northward as Niagara Falls Boulevard, intersects Interstate 290, then exits Erie County and enters Niagara County, as US 62 crosses the Erie Canal / Tonawanda Creek and travels into the town of Wheatfield. The highway intersects New York State Route 425 and turns to the northwest intersecting New York State Route 265 and Interstate 190. On the east side of Niagara Falls the route diverges into US 62 and its parallel route, Business U.S. Route 62, (formerly NY 62A). Within the city of Niagara Falls, US 62 runs "backwards", bearing west for several miles before entering Canada, which is still signed north-south. The northern (eastern) terminus for both US 62 and New York State Route 62A (now Business US 62) is at New York State Route 104 near the Rainbow Bridge.

[edit] See also

[edit] Bannered routes

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Droz, Robert V. U.S. Highways: From US 1 to (US 830). 9 March 2006.
  2. ^ Illinois Technology Transfer Center. T2 GIS Data. Retrieved June 2, 2006. As documented in Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Roads/Lengths/Illinois.
  3. ^ Eastgate Regional Council of Governments: T.R.A.C. Projects
  4. ^ Ohio Department of Transportation Straight Line Diagrams for Columbiana and Mahoning Counties
  5. ^ Mapguy (2000-06-22). End of U.S. Highway 62. Retrieved on 2006-07-05.

[edit] External links


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Main U.S. Routes
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20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38
40 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79
80 81 82 83 84 85 87 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
101 400 412 425
Lists  U.S. Routes - Bannered - Divided - Bypassed - Portal
Browse numbered routes
< US-60 OK SH-63 >
< US 61 MO US 63 >
< IL 62 IL IL 64 >
< KY 61 KY KY 63 >
< PA 61 PA PA 63 >
< NY 61 NY NY 62A >
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