The U.S. Roads Portal
The highway system of the United States is a network of interconnected state, U.S., and Interstate highways. Each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands own and maintain a part of this vast system, including U.S. and Interstate highways, which are not owned or maintained at the federal level.
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Interstate Highways have the highest speed limits and the highest traffic. Interstates are numbered in a grid: even-numbered routes for east–west routes (with the lowest numbers along Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico), and odd-numbered routes are north–south routes (with the lowest numbers along the Pacific Ocean). Three-digit Interstates are, generally, either beltways or spurs of their parent Interstates (for example, Interstate 510 is a spur into the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and is connected to Interstate 10).
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U.S. Numbered Highways are the original interstate highways, dating back to 1926. U.S. Highways are also numbered in a grid: even numbered for east–west routes (with the lowest numbers along Canada) and odd numbered for north–south routes (with the lowest numbers along the Atlantic Ocean). Three-digit highways, also known as "child routes," are branches off their main one- or two-digit "parents" (for example, U.S. Route 202 is a branch of U.S. Route 2). However, US 101, rather than a "child" of US 1, is considered a "mainline" U.S. Route.
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State highways are the next level in the hierarchy. Each state and territory has its own system for numbering highways, some more systematic than others. Each state also has its own design for its highway markers; the number in a circle is the default sign, but many choose a different design connected to the state, such as an outline of the state with the number inside. Many states also operate a system of county highways.
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State Route 103 (SR-103) is a 0.225-mile (0.362 km) long urban minor arterial state highway in the U.S. state of Utah. It branches off from SR-126 in downtown Clearfield and extends east to Interstate 15 (I-15), terminating at Hill Air Force Base. The entire route is located in Davis County and was formed in 1965 coinciding with the construction of I-15. The eastern terminus has changed hands in the same location several times since its designation, and the route was eventually given the moniker of 650 North in 1979.
SR-103 is one of four Utah state highways that connect to Hill Air Force Base, the others being SR-97, SR-168 and SR-232, and has the second lowest average daily traffic, higher only than SR-168.
Recently selected: U.S. Route 20 in Indiana • Interstate 680 • High Five Interchange
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Recently selected: California State Route 1 • Interstate 40 in Oklahoma • Delaware Route 82
Did you know...
- ...that Idaho State Highway 1, U.S. Route 2, U.S. Route 95, Washington State Route 20, and Washington State Route 31 make up the U.S. portion of the International Selkirk Loop (pictured), the only international scenic byway in North America?
- ...that Ranch to Market Road 187 was the site for filming portions of the 2011 film Seven Days in Utopia?
- ...that the Gila River Native Americans opposed the naming of Arizona State Route 347 after actor John Wayne because he had appeared in movies where he killed Native Americans?
- ...that in 1821, the Maryland General Assembly conscripted several banks to fund the construction of a turnpike between Boonsboro and Hagerstown along what is now U.S. Route 40 Alternate between Hagerstown and Frederick?
- ...that U.S. Route 160 was satirized in a song popularized by C. W. McCall, where he humorously describes an out-of-control truck's descent from Wolf Creek Pass, describing it as "37 miles 'o hell"?
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U.S. Roads news
- May 1: The Maryland State Highway Administration will close the southbound ramps of the interchange between the Baltimore–Washington Parkway and Arundel Mills Boulevard starting Monday, May 7, 2012. The closure is for the expedited replacement of the existing dumbbell interchange with Maryland's first diverging diamond interchange. The new interchange, which is expected to open by June 2, is part of $5 million in road upgrades being funded by the Cordish Company ahead of the June 6 opening of the company's Maryland Live! development, which will feature a slot machine casino, near Arundel Mills.[1]
- April 23: The final strand of the cable supporting the self-anchored portion of the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge east span was pulled into place this month. The span will be the largest self-anchored suspension bridge in the world once completed. [2]
- March 29: The Texas Transportation Commission votes to raise the speed limits on State Highway 45 and State Highway 130 which serve as the bypass of Austin to 80 mph (130 km/h). In total, 54 miles (87 km) of freeways will have their speed limits increased once the signs are updated.[3]
- February 16: The Virginia Department of Transportation transfers three parkways in Northern Virginia to primary roads. The Fairfax County Parkway becomes State Route 286, the Franconia–Springfield Parkway becomes State Route 289, and the Prince William Parkway becomes State Route 294.[4]
- February 15: Construction begins to extend Route 18 from its current northern terminus at Hoes Lane to I-287 in Piscataway, New Jersey, by upgrading existing Hoes Lane and Centennial Avenue. The project is to cost $28 million and be completed in 2014.[5][6]
- January 11: The U.S. Route 322 bypass of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, opens to traffic.[7]
- December 10: Discovery of substandard soil thought to be bedrock along a portion of the Interstate 580 Extension between Reno and Carson City, Nevada, has increased the project cost by $20 million and added an additional six months to the construction schedule. Now projected to be open in June 2012 at a cost of $555 million, the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) project is the largest highway construction contract ever awarded by the Nevada Department of Transportation.[8]
- November 28: As part of the 11th Street Bridges project in Washington, D.C., I-695 is signed along the Southeast Freeway.[9]
WikiProjects
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Nominations and votes for selected articles and selected pictures are always needed. Anyone can nominate an article, and anyone can vote for an article. You can also recommend items for Did you know?. If you have news related to U.S. roads, you can add it to the news section above.
See also Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Roads/to do, Category:U.S. road articles needing attention and individual state highway project to-do lists.
Related portals
United States | Roads | Canada Roads | California Roads |
---|---|---|---|
Maryland Roads | Michigan Highways | New York Roads | Washington Roads |
Numbered highways in the United States
References and notes
- ^ Fuller, Nicole (May 1, 2012). "Temporary Road Closures Planned Around Arundel Mills". The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore: Tribune Company). http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-ar-slots-traffic-20120501,0,4856667.story. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
- ^ Rubenstone, Jeffery (April 23, 2012). "Final Strand of Bay Bridge Cable in Place". Engineering News Record. http://enr.construction.com/infrastructure/transportation/2012/0423-final-strand-of-cable-in-place-.asp. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ Dunbar, Wells (March 29, 2012). "Two Highways You'll Soon Be Able to Drive 80 mph On". Austin, TX: KUT-FM. http://www.npr.org/local/stories/KUT/149636631. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ Morris, Joan; McCord, Jennifer (February 16, 2012). "Three Major Parkways Now Primary Roads" (Press release). Virginia Department of Transportation. http://www.vdot.virginia.gov/newsroom/northern_virginia/2012/three_major_parkways_now56533.asp. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
- ^ Dee, Joe; Greeley, Tim (February 15, 2012). "NJDOT breaks ground on project to complete Route 18 extension to Interstate 287 in Piscataway" (Press release). New Jersey Department of Transportation. http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2012/021512.shtm. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- ^ Haydon, Tom (February 15, 2012). "$28M project will help connect Route 18 with I-287 in Piscataway". The Star-Ledger. Newark, NJ. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/02/28m_project_will_help_connect.html. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- ^ Forand, Rebecca (January 11, 2012). "Route 322 Bypass now open". Gloucester County Times. http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2012/01/route_322_bypass_now_open.html. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- ^ Delong, Jeff (December 7, 2011). "Geologic surprise boosts freeway's cost $20 million". Reno Gazette-Journal. http://www.rgj.com/article/20111211/NEWS/112070409/Geologic-surprise-boosts-freeway-s-cost-20-million. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ DeBonis, Mike (November 28, 2011). "Interstate 695 reappears in D.C.". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/mike-debonis/post/interstate-695-reappears-in-dc/2011/11/28/gIQAcelz5N_blog.html?socialreader_check=0&denied=1. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
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