It's a Team's Life

US Route Numbers

Ever wonder how United States Route Numbers were developed?  We sure did, doing research here is how the United States created the route system.

Before 1926 these routes were called auto trails.  This was a very informal way of marking the roads.  They utilized colored bands on the utility poles that line the road.  The trails were maintained by individuals and also marked by the same people.  Many of these auto trails became part of the United States Routes.  Also, these auto trails each had names such as Albert Pike Highway, Ben Hur Highway, Dixie Highway, and the list goes on for about 85 highways.

Here are a split map of the United States showing the auto trails in 1922.

West Auto Trails:

East Auto Trails:

In 1925 the Joint Board of Interstate Highways on the recommendation of the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) started working on developing a numbering system (US Route Numbers).  The AASHO put a final report that the US Department of Agriculture approved in November 1925.  The report was provided to each state that then provided feedback the was incorporated into the report.  The US Highway System (Route Numbers) was approved on November 11, 1926.

The US Highway System continued to expand until 1956 when the Interstate Highway System was created.  Construction of the Interstate Highway System started also in 1956 during the Dwight Eisenhower administration.  With this some of the US Highway System routes were discontinued and/or replaced by the Interstate Highway System.

How the US Route numbers get assigned.  Most of the North-South highways are odd numbered.  Those with the lowest numbers are in the east and they get higher in number as you go west.  Major North-South highways have numbers ending with “1”.  For the East-West highways they are even numbered.  Those with the lowest are in the north and they get higher in number as you go south.  Major East-West highways have numbers ending with “0”.  Most three-digit highways are spur routes off of a major highway such as US 264 is a spur for US 64.  Other routes you will see are alternate, bypass, or business routes.

Some of you might have noticed that some US Highway System routes have signs that say “Future …..”.  One example is that US 59 in Texas most of it is “Future Interstate 69” and 69W, 69E in Victoria Texas.  Most of the US Routes like US 59 will in the future become Interstates.  But, acquiring the land and the construction will take a long time.  Most of the time when the US Route goes through downtown, they will build the new road as a bypass around downtown and.

As we said in 1956 the Federal Aid Highway Act was funded and the start of construction, griding, numbering was started.

Believe it or not but still today US Highways are being added to the US system.

US Route Map:

Sandy & Stephen

Let’s Roll We’re Burning Daylight - “Wil Anderson” (The Cowboys) John Wayne