US Highways that never were, US Highways that should be (US 47), US Highways that almost were (US 60N), and US Highways that could have been, and might still be (proposed US 121).
US Highways that Never Were: US Highway route numbers that I have not found any evidence of ever being utilized
US 0, US 39, US 47, US 88, US
100, US 103, US 105, US 107,
US 108, US 114, US 115, US 125, US 128, US 132, US 133, US 134,
US 135, US 137, US 139, US 142, US 144, US 145, US 146, US 147,
US 148, US 149, US 153, US 155, US 157, US 162, US 172, US 173,
US 174, US 179, US 182, US 184, US 186, US 188, US 193, US 194,
US 196, US 198, US 200, US 203, US 204, US 205, US 207,
US 214, US 215, US 225, US 226, US 228, US 229, US 232, US 233,
US 234, US 235, US 236, US 237, US 238, US 239, US 242, US 243,
US 244, US 245, US 246, US 247, US 248, US 249, US 251, US 252,
US 253, US 254, US 255, US 256, US 257, US 261, US 262, US 263,
US 265, US 267, US 268, US 269, US 272, US 273, US 274, US 279,
US 282, US 284, US 286, US 288, US 289, US 291, US 292, US 293,
US 294, US 296, US 297, US 298, US 300, US 303, US 304, US 305, US 306,
US 307, US 308, US 313, US 314, US 315, US 316, US 317, US 318,
US 323, US 324, US 325, US 326, US 327, US 328, US 329, US 332,
US 333, US 334, US 335, US 336, US 337, US 338, US 339, US 342,
US 343, US 344, US 345, US 346, US 347, US 348, US 349, US 351,
US 352, US 353, US 354, US 355, US 356, US 357, US 358, US 359,
US 361, US 362, US 363, US 364, US 365, US 367, US 368, US 369,
US 372, US 373, US 374, US 375, US 376, US 379, US 381, US 382,
US 384, US 386, US 387, US 388, US 389, US 390, US 391, US 392,
US 393, US 394, US 396, US 397, US 398, US 402, US 403, US 404, US 405, US 406,
US 407, US 408, US 409, US 413, US 414, US 415, US 416, US 417,
US 418, US 419, US 423, US 424, US 426, US 427, US 428, US 429,
US 432, US 433, US 434, US 435, US 436, US 438, US 439, US 440,
US 442, US 443, US 444, US 445, US 446, US 447, US 448, US 449,
US 451, US 452, US 453, US 454, US 455, US 456, US 457, US 458,
US 459, US 461, US 462, US 463, US 464, US 465, US 467, US 468,
US 469, US 471, US 472, US 473, US 474, US 475, US 476, US 477,
US 478, US 479, US 480, US 481, US 482, US 483, US 484, US 486,
US 487, US 488, US 489, US 490, US 491, US 492, US 493, US 494,
US 495, US 496, US 497, US 498, US 499, US 500, US 502, US 503, US 504, US 505,
US 506, US 507, US 508, US 509, US 510, US 512, US 513, US 514,
US 515, US 516, US 517, US 518, US 519, US 520, US 523, US 524,
US 525, US 526, US 527, US 528, US 529, US 531, US 532, US 533,
US 534, US 535, US 536, US 537, US 538, US 539, US 540, US 542,
US 543, US 544, US 545, US 546, US 547, US 548, US 549, US 551,
US 552, US 553, US 554, US 555, US 556, US 557, US 558, US 559,
US 560 *, US 561, US 562, US 562, US 563, US 564, US 565. US 567,
US 568, US 569, US 570, US 571, US 572, US 573, US 574, US 575,
US 576, US 577, US 578, US 579, US 580, US 581, US 582, US 583,
US 584, US 585, US 586, US 587, US 588, US 589, US 590, US 591,
US 592, US 593, US 595, US 596, US 597, US 598, US 599, US 600, US 602,
US 603, US 604, US 605, US 606, US 606, US 607, US 608, US 609,
US 610, US 612, US 613, US 614, US 615, US 616, US 617, US 618,
US 619, US 620, US 621, US 623, US 624, US 625, US 626, US 627,
US 628, US 629, US 631, US 632, US 633, US 634, US 635, US 636,
US 637, US 638, US 639, US 640, US 642, US 643, US 644, US 645,
US 646, US 647, US 648, US 649, US 651, US 652, US 653, US 654,
US 655, US 656, US 657, US 658, US 659, US 660, US 661, US 662,
US 663, US 664, US 665, US 667, US 668, US 669, US 670, US 671,
US 672, US 673, US 674, US 675, US 676, US 677, US 678, US 679,
US 680, US 681, US 682, US 683, US 684, US 685, US 686, US 687,
US 688, US 689, US 690, US 691, US 692, US 693, US 694, US 695,
US 696, US 697, US 698, US 699, US 700, US 702, US 703, US 704, US 705,
US 706, US 707, US 708, US 709, US 710, US 712, US 713, US 714,
US 715, US 716, US 717, US 718, US 719, US 720, US 721, US 722,
US 723, US 724, US 725, US 726, US 727, US 728, US 729, US 731,
US 732, US 733, US 734, US 734, US 735, US 736, US 737, US 738,
US 739, US 740, US 741, US 742, US 743, US 744, US 745, US 746,
US 747, US 748, US 749, US 750, US 751, US 752, US 753, US 754,
US 755, US 756, US 757, US 758, US 759, US 760, US 761, US 762,
US 763, US 764, US 765, US 766, US 767, US 768, US 769, US 780,
US 781, US 782, US 783, US 784, US 785, US 786, US 787, US 788,
US 789, US 790, US 791, US 792, US 793, US 794, US 795, US 796,
US 797, US 798, US 799, US 800, US 801, US 802, US 803, US 804,
US 805, US 806, US 807, US 808, US 809, US 810, US 811, US 812,
US 813, US 814, US 815, US 816, US 817, US 818, US 819, US 820,
US 821, US 822, US 823, US 824, US 825, US 826, US 827, US 828,
US 829, US 831, US 832, US 833, US 834, US 835, US 836, US 837,
US 838, US 839, US 840, US 841, US 842, US 843, US 844, US 845,
US 846, US 847, US 848, US 849, US 850, US 851, US 852, US 853,
US 854, US 855, US 856, US 857, US 858, US 859, US 860, US 861,
US 862, US 863, US 864, US 865, US 866, US 867, US 868, US 869,
US 870, US 871, US 872, US 873, US 874, US 875, US 876, US 877,
US 878, US 879, US 880, US 881, US 882, US 883, US 884, US 885,
US 886, US 887, US 888, US 889, US 890, US 891, US 892, US 893,
US 894, US 895, US 896, US 897, US 898, US 899, US 900, US 901,
US 902, US 903, US 904, US 905, US 906, US 907, US 908, US 909,
US 910, US 911, US 912, US 913, US 914, US 915, US 916, US 917,
US 918, US 919, US 920, US 921, US 922, US 923, US 924, US 925,
US 926, US 927, US 928, US 929, US 930, US 931, US 932, US 933,
US 934, US 935, US 936, US 937, US 938, US 939, US 940, US 941,
US 942, US 943, US 944, US 945, US 946, US 947, US 948, US 949,
US 950, US 951, US 952, US 953, US 954, US 955, US 956, US 957,
US 958, US 959, US 960, US 961, US 962, US 963, US 964, US 965,
US 966, US 967, US 968, US 969, US 970, US 971, US 972, US 973,
US 974, US 975, US 976, US 977, US 978, US 979, US 980, US 981,
US 982, US 983, US 984, US 985, US 986, US 987, US 988, US 989,
US 990, US 991, US 992, US 993, US 994, US 995, US 996, US 997,
US 998, US 999.
* US 560 was proposed in BPR
1925 for what became US 666 but never actually utilized on any US
highway.
US Highways that Should Be (or Should Have Been) : AKA : My Wild Idea Bin.
US 0 is
implied by the 1925-1926 numbering scheme. US 2 occupies where a
major "0" digit route might have gone, but AASHO and
BPR of the day decided against 0 as a route number. If it had
actually used, it would have most likely gone from Sault St Marie,
MI to Bonners Ferry, ID over the west section of US 2. What I
would like to see would be 'The Canadian Route'. It would have
run along the Canadian border, starting at Calais, ME. and ending
at Blaine, WA. It would have followed US 1 to ME 6, then ME 16 to
NH 16, NH 26, then US 3, VT 114, VT 111, VT 105, VT 78, onto US 2,
US 11, NY 122, NY 37, NY 12, NY 12E, NY 3, NY 104, NY 18, I-190,
NY 5, then PA 5, US 20 to OH 2, up I-75, I-94, MI 25, MI 13, US
23, I-75, MI 28, US 2, over to MN 61, MN 1, US 53, US 71, MN 11,
US 59, MN 175, to ND 5, then MT 5, MT 13, US 2, MT 40, US 93, MT
37, again on US 2, WA 20, ending up on I-5. This route won't be
signed because there is no need for a new transcontinental
highway along this corridor. I don't think there are any Route
Zeroes in existance, currently, anywhere. (RVD)
US A1A could
be an extension of a numbering quirk in Florida. When FL 1 was
reassigned in 1946, the new grid routing for it paralleled the
existing US 1. It was rechristened FL A1A in 1947 to alleivate
confusion and to pretend to be a US 1 Alternate route. (Highway
enthusiasts, also known as "road geeks" refer to it as
Atlantic 1 Alternate, even though there is no evidence that was
the intent.) There is no single highway number stretching along
the Atlantic coast as US 101 does along the Pacific coast. US 1,
US 9, US 13, and US 17 come close at times to being a true
Atlantic Coast Highway. A US A1A would start at Calais, ME,
possibly connecting to a Canadian A1A. It would end in Key West,
supplanting FL A1A on Roosevelt Blvd. It would cross the states
of ME, NH, MA, CT, NY, NJ, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL. Routes
along its alignment: US 1, ME 189, ME 191, US 1, ME 187, US 1,
Alt US 1, US 1, ME 186, US 1, ME 172, ME 175, US 1, ME 9, US 1,
NH 1A, MA 110, US 1, MA 1A, MA 133, MA 128, MA 127, MA 127A, MA
127, MA 1A, US 1, MA 3A, MA 3, MA 6A, MA 28, MA 28A, MA 28, US 6,
MA 177, RI 177, RI 81, RI 179, RI 77, RI 24, RI 138, RI 138A, RI
138, RI 1A, US 1, RI 1A, US 1, Alt US 1, US 1, CT 251, US 1,
Ferry, NY 25, Ferry, NY 114, Ferry, NY 114, NY 27, NY 27A, NY 27,
I-278, Hylan Blvd, NY 440, NJ 440, NJ 35, NJ 36, NJ 71, NJ 35, NJ
37, US 9, Ferry, US 9, DE 1, MD 528, US 50, MD 611, MD 376, US
113, US 13, US 60, VA 149, VA 165, VA 168, NC 168, US 158, Bus US
158, US 264, NC 99, NC 92, Ferry, NC 306, Ferry, NC 33, NC 304,
NC 306, Ferry, NC 306, NC 101, US 70, NC 58, NC 24, NC 172, US 17,
NC 133, NC 87, NC 211, US 17, Bus US 17, NC 179, US 17, Bus US 17,
US 17, US 21, SC 170, US 17, GA 204, GA 144, US 17, GA 99, US 17,
FL A1A, US 1, FL A1A, US 1, FL A1A. If they ever bridge over or
tunnel under the Florida Straits to Cuba, this road could extend
even further. (Original idea by David Sturm) It is doubtful the
public would accept this odd highway numbering. A true single
Atlantic Coastal Highway would be nice.
US 39 was
left blank in all numbering plans I know of, and has never been
in any published list or map as a proposed number for a US
highway. One possible corridor would link Clarksville, TN to
Florence, AL. It would be routed down TN 13, then down AL 17. It
could possibly be extended to Deer Park, AL down the rest of AL
17. This possible extended route is straddled by US 45 and US 51
through Alabama, and has relatively little population. (Original
idea RVD, modified by Dave Schul, who also suggested US 143 for
this route.)
US 47 was
left blank in all numbering plans I know of, and has never been
in any published list or map as a proposed number for a US
highway. One possible corridor would link Union City, TN to Yazoo
City, MS. It would replace US 45W south to Fairview. It would
multiplex with US 45 for two miles to Byp US 45 at Jackson, then
multiplex agian for four miles. It would follow TN 18 across the
border, then down MS 7 to Greenwood and replace US 49E to Yazoo
City, MS where it would terminate. Current US 49E from Greenwood
to Tutwiler could become part of MS 7. This route could even be
extended up TN 21 and KY 239 & KY 123, then cross the
Mississippi between KY 80 and MO 80 , then turn north at Whiting
to terminate at Charleston, MO after a short trip up MO 102. One
reason this route was chosen because it linked a pair of divided
routes, a type which AASHTO is discouraging. (Original idea RVD,
modified by Adam Froehlig, with other suggestions by Dave Schul.)
US 88 was
left blank in all numbering plans I know of, and has never been
in any published list or map as a proposed number for a US
highway. This route would link El Paso, TX to Benson, AZ. It
would begin at US 85, or even replace part of it into El Paso. It
would cross the Rio Grande on current TX-273 / NM-273 then to
Santa Theresa, then follow NM 9 to NM 80 near Rodeo, then AZ 80
to Benson. If it was extended further up the old US 80 alignment,
it would multiplex with I-10 from there to Tuscon, where it would
head north on AZ 77 to Catalina, then north on AZ 79 to end at
Florence Junction. It would multiplex with US 60 from Florence
Junction to Phoenix, then with I-10 to near Buckeye. The final
leg would run down AZ-85 to Gila Bend at I-8. A more southern
extension would multiplex with I-10 from there to Tuscon, then
west on AZ 86 to Why, AZ. From there it could go north on AZ 85
to Buckeye, AZ or south on AZ 85 to Lukeville, AZ and Mexico. In
the event of a possible US 93 extension to Lukeville, US 88 would
be truncated at Why. (RVD, with suggestions by Alan Hamilton)
US 99
existed from 1926 to 1974 along what is now the I-5 corridor.
Washington, Oregon, and California still have highways with the
"99" number. This is a possible recommissioning. If
adopted, this new 99 would provide an additional Canamex trade
corridor along the west coast. A new US 99 would start at the
Canadian border at Lynden, WA where Alt US 99 used to end. Former
Alt US 99 would be followed south along current WA 539, then down
another former Alt US 99 south of Bellingham, WA along WA 11.
From Burlington, WA to Everett, WA, US 99 would have to be signed
along I-5. From Everett southward, WA 99 is the obvious choice.
Where WA 99 ends near Tacoma, WA the new US 99 would continue
south on WA 7 till WA 507 breaks free from it south of Spanaway,
WA. WA 507 would be followed south to Centralia, WA. US 99 would
hop back on I-5 after that, and leave it at Toledo, WA. WA 411
would be followed south from there to Longview, WA, and across
the existing bridge to Oregon. In Oregon, US 99 would follow US
30 south to west of Portland, then BYP US 30 up to OR 99W. OR 99W
(Former US 99W) would become the new mainline US 99 southward, at
Oregon's option OR 99E (old US 99E) would become Alt US 99. At
Junction City, OR, US 99 would start to replace OR 99 southwards.
At Eugene, OR, US 99 would rejoin I-5, following or paralleling
it southwards to California, absorbing posted OR 99 into its
alignment. US 99 would do much the same thing in California,
absorbing former US 99 along its route to Red Bluff. From there
southward, US 99 would start to follow CA 99, the former US 99E.
At Bakersfield, CA, the new US 99 would leave CA 99, the remained
of CA 99 would have to be re-numbered, possibly as CA 58. New US
99 would head eastward on CA 58 (former US 466) to Barstow, CA.
From there, US 99 would go south on CA 247, then west around
Joshua Tree National Monument on CA 62, cross I-10, then follow
CA 111 (former US 99) to near Mecca, CA, south on CA 86 (former
US 99) to Heber, CA, then it would finish its route south to
Calexico, CA on the Mexican border on CA 111 (former US 99). (RVD)
US 100 is
implied by the 1925-1926 numbering scheme. 'The Trans-Mexican
Route' would have run along the Gulf of Mexico to the Mexican
Border, starting at Miami, FL and ending at Chula Vista, CA.
Routes along its alignment (per 1998 RMcN): US 41, US 19, US 98,
US 90, LA 14, LA 27, LA 82, TX 87, TX 3005, TX 332, TX 36, TX 35,
US 181, TX 44, US 77, US 281, US 83, US 277, US 90, I-10, TX 20,
NM 9, NM 80, AZ 80, AZ 92, AZ 90, AZ 82, I-19, AZ 86, AZ 85, I-8,
CA 98, I-8, CA 94, CA 188, CA 54. This route won't be signed
because there is no need for a new transcontinental highway along
this corridor. (RVD)
US 402 is
often kicked about as a potential highway number. MSR 200 is
often mentioned as a potential candiate. Steve Riner suggests a
"Soo to Soo Highway." His route would run from just
east of Sioux Falls, SD to just south of Sault Ste. Marie, MI (Thus
the name). It would run on existing highways as follows: MN-23
from Beaver Creek, MN (Junction with I-90) northeast to I-35 just
south of Hinckley. Brief duplex with I-35 north about five miles
to the junction with MN-48. Past the Grand Casino and east into
Wisconsin and WI-77. Across Wisconsin on WI-77 to Hurley and
Junction U.S. 51. Business route through downtown Hurley and
Ironwood, mainline marked on U.S. 51 and U.S. 2 east. East to
Wakefield duplexed with U.S. 2, then replace M-28 east past
Marquette to I-75. Most of the Minnesota and Michigan segments of
this route are NHS designated. The Wisconsin segment is not NHS,
but is a major connecting route.
What if there had been no Interstates?
If you have posted
an idea for the routing of a new ,improved, or extended US
highway on a web site, E-mail me and I will add your site to the
links below.
Andrew Field has proposals for US 289, US 430, US 530, and US 789.
US highways existed for about a year, many only in the planning stage. State highway agencies have sometimes reported these as posted. Some map companies have 'jumped the gun', making a map from a proposal as opposed to the approved plan. The most famous example is the 1926 Rand McNally US Road Atlas, based on the preliminary report from BPR of 1925. Click here to see those 1925 routes. All routes are historic (retired), but were not labeled in (this) manner for space considerations.
| Route | Year | Start | End | States passed thru | Replaced by | Notes |
| US 42 | 1926 | Manteca, CA | Hayward, CA | CA | US 48 | In 1926 RMcN (Misprint?) |
| US 56 | 1925 | Maine | -- | ME | -- | 1st US hwy shield made (Sample) |
| US 60E | 1926 | Virginia Beach, VA | Springfield, MO | VA WV KY MO | US 60 | Was not reassigned; Rejected compromise number |
| US 60N | 1926 | Chicago, IL | Springfield, MO | IL MO | US 66 | Was not reassigned; Rejected compromise number |
| US 62 | 1925 | Chicago, IL | Los Angeles, CA | IL MO KS OK TX NM AZ CA |
US 66 | Rejected compromise number |
| US 121 | 1926 | Cleveland, OH | Lisbon, OH | OH | OH 14 | Early proposal in 1926 RMcN |
| US 125 | 1933 | Findlay, OH | Maysville, KY | OH KY | US 68 | Was not reassigned |
| US 170 | 1926 | Williard, NM | Albuquerque, NM | NM | US 470 | In 1926 RMcN (Misprint?) |
US Highways that Could Have Been, and Might Yet Still Be.
Some of the numbers in this table have confused road enthusiasts at times, and some of these have even been referred to as US highways in some national publications. Also listed here are US highways recently propsed by State DOT's. NOTE: To keep this table managable, only the maximum termini have been shown if the highway was truncated, with the cities and states it is no longer in are italicized. Matthew Salek researched these and other multi-state state routes in a site now maintained by J.P. Kirby.
 |
Start | Via | End | Routing | Notes |
| US 48 [III] | Strasburg, VA | VA WV | Elkins, WV | VA-55 WV-55 WV-93 WV-32 US-219 | Proposed by WVDOT & VaDOT. |
| MSR 120 | Toledo, OH | OH MI IN | Elkhart, IN | OH-120 CR-120 IN-120 | US 120? MI part now a CR. |
| MSR 121 | Rock Hill, SC | SC GA FL | Lebanon Sta., FL | SC-121 GA-121 FL-121 | US 121? Extnd FL @1961; One of the very few numbers FL carries over from another state that is not a US or I-route. |
| US 121 [II] | Beckley, WV | WV VA | Grundy, VA | WV-16 WV-83 VA-83 | Proposed by WVDOT & VaDOT, a US 419 would fit the numbering scheme better. |
| MSR 200 | (Duluth, MN) Jacobson, MN |
MN ND MT ID WA | Sandpoint, ID (Spokane, WA) |
MN-210 MN-200 ND-200 MT-200 ID-200 US-2 | US 402?, maybe US 102 [II]?. US 200 is a possibility, there is a US 400. |
| MSR 789 | (Sweetgrass, MT) Frannie, WY |
MT WY CO NM AZ | Baggs, WY (Douglas, AZ) |
I-15 US-89 US-87 I-90 US-310 WY-789 CO-13 US-6 US-50 US-550 US-160 US-666 I-40 US-191 AZ-61 US-60 AZ-79 AZ-77 I-19 | US 289? US 789 would be a major exception to the numbering rules. There would be too many parts of the route concurrent with other numbers for AzDOT. Has existed since 1954, exten S to CO in 1955, NM and AZ in 1956 |
Last update to this page on Thursday, May 25, 2000 01:49:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time
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