In 1903, shortly after the birth of the auto industry, Horatio Nelson Jackson became the first documented person do drive an automobile from San Francisco to New York City. He used only a connection of dirt roads, cow paths, and railroad beds. His journey, covered by the press, became a national sensation and called for a system of long-distance roads.
In the early 1910s, auto trail organizations—most prominently the Lincoln Highway—began to spring up, marking and promoting routes for the new recreation of long-distance automobile travel. Yes, that is the same Lincoln Highway that passes through my part of the country here in North Central Ohio.
A federal aid program had begun with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, providing 50% monetary support from the federal government for improvement of major roads. With this, the US Highway system was born.
The two-digit U.S. Routes follow a simple grid in the contiguous United States, in which odd-numbered routes run generally north to south and even-numbered routes run generally east to west. (US 101 is considered a two-digit route, its “first digit” being 10.) The numbering pattern for U.S. Routes was established first: U.S. Routes proceed from low even numbers in the north to high even numbers in the south, and from low odd numbers in the east to high odd numbers in the west. Numbers ending in 0 or 1 (and US 2), and to a lesser extent in 5, were considered main routes in the early numbering, but extensions and truncations have made this distinction largely meaningless. For example, US 6 was until 1964 the longest route (that distinction now belongs to US 20).
In the 1950s, the numbering grid for the new Interstate Highway System was established as intentionally opposite from the US grid insofar as the direction the route numbers increase. Interstate Highway numbers increase from west-to-east and south-to-north, to keep identically numbered routes geographically apart in order to keep them from being confused with one another, and it omits 50 and 60 which would potentially collide with US 50 and US 60. Both highway systems still number the routes ending in odd numbers north–south and the even-numbered highways run east–west, although the Interstate System labels its main north–south highways with numbers ending in 5, rather than 1.
State Routes are owned by the state and maintained by the state except in cities. In Ohio, they are signed with a white silhouette of Ohio against a black background. The US Route system routes are signed with a white shield silhouetted against a black background.
The roadways that are designated by state routes may cross state lines, but when they do, the route number often changes to the number that the adjoining state has assigned. US Routes maintain the same route number for the length of the route. Each state has their own design for the state route signage in their state. Many use the silhouette of their state, but some use basic shapes like circles or squares in varying colors.
Many in the media or advertising often misstate the names of the routes in our local community. Radio stations and newspapers report on traffic issues or accidents on “State Route 30.” Local businesses advertise their furniture and mattress store as being located on “State Route 42.” Both of these routes are US Routes, and the term “state route” does not apply here. Below I have added lists of state and US Routes in my local area to help in identifying what kind of route it is.
US Routes in North Central Ohio
- US 42
- US 30
- US 224
- US 250
- US 6
- US 36
- US 20
- US 23
- US 40
State Routes in North Central Ohio
- SR 61
- SR 314
- SR 430
- SR 309
- SR 95
- SR 96
- SR 97
- SR 98
- SR 99
- SR 100
- SR 13
- SR 602
- SR 603
Although not a complete list, this will help sort out some of the routes in my immediate area. I hope you found my explanation of the US and State Route system interesting and educational.
I would like to cite a book written by my friend Dan McNichol as the source of some of the information included in this post. In 2006 I had the opportunity to spend some time on the road with Dan in his Hudson. We were part of a coast-to-coast convoy commemorating the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Interstate Highway System.
- McNichol, Dan (2006). The Roads that Built America: The Incredible Story of the US Interstate System. New York: Sterling Publishing. ISBN 1-4027-3468-9.
Randy Broderick 