The latest in my series of transit map-style diagrams - this time, of the U.S. Highway system. That's U.S. Routes (like Route 66), not to be confused with the newer Interstate Highway system (I-5, I20, etc.). Without a doubt, this is the most complex map of this type I have attempted.
As always, comments, suggestions and corrections are gratefully accepted.
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Cameron Booth
Cameron Booth
Member since 2005
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Cameron Booth 18 months ago | reply
Artwork has been amended to its (hopefully) final state. For those that are interested, here's a complete change log to this edition. Lots of historical endpoints have been added, as well as historical "N" and "S" designations.
v3.1 CHANGE LOG - 12/25/2011
• US8 - historical western end point of Minneapolis added.
• US9 - Reconfigured layout between Laurel DE and Pleasantville NJ to show ferry route between Lewes and Cape May.
• US10 - Blue central dot added to Bay City MI terminus. Historical 10S added in Wisconsin. Historical 10N and 10S indicated in Montana. Different historical routings of US10 shown in Washington state.
• US16 - Historic alignment now shown in own corridor north of Madison WI.
• US19 - Added historical endpoint of Tallahassee FL. US19/US27 now join between Monticello and Perry. US19 southern terminus renamed to Palmetto from Memphis (a local correspondent informed me that no locals ever call it Memphis.)
• US24 - Northern endpoint of Clarkston MI moved to lie along historical US10. Historical western endpoint of Grand Junction CO added.
• US27 and US98 no longer touch west of West Palm Springs, FL
• US28 (old) - now leaves US20/US26 east of Vale, OR to reach Ontario, OR
• US31 - Historical end point of St. Ignace added.
• US33 - Historical northern end point of St. Joseph MI added.
• US40 - Historical 40N between Limon CO and Manhattan KS added. Historical 40S between Grand Junction CO and Limon CO added.
• US48 (old) - Now follows (old) US50 to Hayward, then turns south to San Jose.
• US50 - Historical 50N between Garden City KS and Baldwin City KS added. Historical route of US50 through Utah (Spanish Fork, Salt Lake City, Ely) added.
• US51 - Historical southern end point of New Orleans LA added.
• US54 - Historical northern end point of Chicago IL added.
• US59 - Historical southern end of Port Arthur TX added.
• US61 - End marker at Wyoming changed from dot to "T" to indicate no intersection at that point. Original historical northern endpoint of Pigeon River added.
• US63 - Historical northern end point of Des Moines IA added.
• US64 - Historical western end point of Santa Fe NM added.
• US71 - Historical southern end point of Baton Rouge LA added.
• US75 - Historical routing along eastern shore of the Missouri River between Sioux City and Council Bluff added.
• US79 - Historical southern endpoint of Austin TX added.
• US85 - Original historical northern endpoint of Ambrose added.
• US93 - Historical southern endpoint of Glendale AZ added.
• US98 - Historical western endpoint of Natchez MS added.
• US99 (old) at Sacramento - E/W split follows (old) US 40 to Davis and Roseville before heading north
• Southern California: US101 (old) now crosses US91 at Anaheim, not Long Beach. US395 (old) now runs concurrent with US91 (old) to Riverside before splitting to head to Long Beach. US66 at top of four routes heading west to Los Angeles represents San Bernardino, US99/US395 crossover represents Riverside. Best I can do at this scale.
• US160 - Historical western endpoint of Crescent Junction UT added.
• US180 - Historical eastern end point of Forth Worth TX added.
• Added station ticks for Port Angeles WA (US101); Lake Charles LA (US90); Lafayette LA (US90); Panama City FL (US98)
• Spelling of "White Sulphur Springs" corrected from "Sulfur"
• Double checked all cities with duplicated names - these all have their state abbreviation appended. Most duplicates: Springfield and Aberdeen with four each.
neroute2 18 months ago | reply
US 83 had a major rerouting in KS-NE-SD. Prior to the 1940s, when it swapped with US 183, it continued northeast from Selden along modern 383-183 to Presho (and then west on US 16 to Vivian).
I don't know if it's worth showing, but 72 went Memphis-Selmer-Corinth until 1935.
US 183 is longer than several three-digit routes you include. No three-digit is currently shorter than 1130 miles (US 412) but formerly longer (US 169 was cut back at the north end before being extended south).
US 59 went to Pembina until about 1955 (it split from the current route at Lancaster).
olasis 18 months ago | reply
Cameron, this amazing. Excellent work! I'm going to have purchase one of your prints to put in my engineering office! :)
Cameron Booth 18 months ago | reply
Okay, this should be the last version before printing barring a major typo hiding in there somewhere.
V3.2 CHANGE LOG - 12/29/2012
• Added US183 from Presho SD to Presidio TX - rearranged adjacent routes for a cleaner fit
• Noted historical swapping of US 83 and US 183 between Vivian SD and Selden KS
• US 9 - Added historical northern endpoint of Rouses Point NY
• US 59 - Added historical northern endpoint of Pembina ND
• US 13 - Corrected "Morristown PA" to "Morrisville PA"
• Added station dots for Tampa FL (US 41 and US 92) and Brooksville FL (US 41 and US 98)
♫ Lion ♫ 18 months ago | reply
Interesting
transport planner 18 months ago | reply
Love it!!!! Thanks for all the hard work
parapluiesdoux 18 months ago | reply
I love this. Is this something you might eventually sell?
trance_max 18 months ago | reply
Please make prints of this and sell them, I'd love a print for my apartment! Fantastic!!
LoopZilla 18 months ago | reply
Excellent...... a schema!
DigitalCzech 18 months ago | reply
Really slick. But how did you miss the PCH in California?
Cameron Booth 18 months ago | reply
@DigitalCzech - The Pacific Coast Highway is California Route 1, so it falls outside the scope of this map, which shows U.S. Highways only. California 1 shares some alignment with U.S. 101, that's the closest this map shows.
Cat Man! 17 months ago | reply
Very, very cool, Cameron.
original_MikZ 16 months ago | reply
So many kinds of awesome!
I'm curious about what made you decide to make some routes coloured and others grey. For the interstate system, you used colours for routes ending in 5 and 0, which makes sense; in this map, is there any reason US-2 is coloured and US-6 grey? And what makes a three-digit U.S. route qualify to be shown?
I love that you've included historic routes. Once I'm employed again, I look forward to buying this and comparing it to the 1940s U.S. route map I have.
Cameron Booth 16 months ago | reply
@original_MikZ: The coloured routes correspond to AASHTO's officially-designated "major" routes. Generally, even-numbered (east-west running) major routes end with a "0", but it was decided not to have a U.S. 0, so U.S. 2 takes its place as the northernmost major route. The odd numbered (north-south running) major routes end with a "1", so U.S. 11, U.S. 21, U.S. 31, etc. are coloured.
The three-digit routes shown are simply the longest of that type, all over 1,000 miles in length.
marc do 16 months ago | reply
Very original. Bravo !!!
simonGman 16 months ago | reply
Very cool indeed!
original_MikZ 16 months ago | reply
Cameron: Thanks for the response. Well researched!
Dave BNSKI 16 months ago | reply
YESSSSS!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to order. Your current one is next to my desk, www.flickr.com/photos/feb31st/4879801966
riffsyphon1024 15 months ago | reply
Outstanding effort, Cameron! A note on U.S. 21. It really hides there in the Piedmont were it not for the Interstate system consuming its portions from Ohio down to Virginia. Even in North Carolina it runs concurrently with I-77. I consider just as much a lost highway as Route 66.
Rolandito. 14 months ago | reply
Cool - made my day :-)