99-547: U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 ( US 20 ) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England . The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. Spanning 3,365 miles (5,415 km), it is the longest road in the United States, and, in the east, the route is roughly parallel to Interstate 90 (I-90), which
198-425: A banner such as alternate or bypass —are also managed by AASHTO. These are sometimes designated with lettered suffixes, like A for alternate or B for business. The official route log, last published by AASHTO in 1989, has been named United States Numbered Highways since its initial publication in 1926. Within the route log, "U.S. Route" is used in the table of contents, while "United States Highway" appears as
297-458: A distinctively-shaped white shield with large black numerals in the center. Often, the shield is displayed against a black square or rectangular background. Each state manufactures their own signage, and as such subtle variations exist all across the United States. Individual states may use cut-out or rectangular designs, some have black outlines, and California prints the letters "US" above the numerals. One- and two-digit shields generally feature
396-655: A four-lane limited access freeway, then returns to surface road east of Elkhart. US 20 then passes through LaGrange and Angola , intersecting with I-69 before leaving Indiana just north of the eastern terminus of the Indiana Toll Road . From Gary to South Bend , US 20 was built as the Dunes Relief Road. During the 1930s and 1940s the Dunes Highway, US 12 , was becoming more crowded as housing lots and communities developed in
495-623: A main route. Odd numbers generally increase from east to west; U.S. Route 1 (US 1) follows the Atlantic Coast and US 101 follows the Pacific Coast. (US 101 is one of the many exceptions to the standard numbering grid; its first "digit" is "10", and it is a main route on its own and not a spur of US 1.) Even numbers tend to increase from north to south; US 2 closely follows the Canadian border, and US 98 hugs
594-441: A means for interstate travelers to access local services and as secondary feeder roads or as important major arteries in their own right. In other places, where there are no nearby Interstate Highways, the U.S. Routes often remain as the most well-developed roads for long-distance travel. While the system's growth has slowed in recent decades, the U.S. Highway System remains in place to this day and new routes are occasionally added to
693-866: A mile of the Pacific Ocean . US 20 begins at an intersection with US 101 in Newport, Oregon , and runs generally eastward towards Idaho . On the way it goes over the Central Oregon Coast Range , through several Willamette Valley cities including Corvallis and Albany , climbs the Cascade Mountains over Santiam Pass , goes through Bend , and traverses the Oregon High Desert after passing through Burns . It eventually overlaps US 26 in Vale , and
792-544: A part of popular culture. US 101 continues east and then south to end at Olympia, Washington . The western terminus of US 2 is now at Everett, Washington . Arco, Idaho Arco is a city in Butte County , Idaho , United States. The population was 879 as of the 2020 United States census , down from 995 at the 2010 census . Arco is the county seat and largest city in Butte County. Arco
891-602: A rough grid. Major routes from the earlier map were assigned numbers ending in 0, 1 or 5 (5 was soon relegated to less-major status), and short connections received three-digit numbers based on the main highway from which they spurred. The five-man committee met September 25, and submitted the final report to the Joint Board secretary on October 26. The board sent the report to the Secretary of Agriculture on October 30, and he approved it November 18, 1925. The new system
990-495: Is Number Hill, a rocky hill with numbers painted all over it. Butte County High School has a tradition of each class since 1920 painting its graduation year on the face of hill. As of the 2010 United States Census of 2010, there were 995 people, 417 households, and 254 families living in the city. The population density was 938.7 inhabitants per square mile (362.4/km ). There were 504 housing units at an average density of 475.5 per square mile (183.6/km ). The racial makeup of
1089-800: Is a state highway that begins on the Wyoming –Nebraska state line west of Harrison near the Niobrara River and runs to the Nebraska–; Iowa state line in South Sioux City . Throughout its 431.60-mile (694.59 km) length the route passes through a diverse range of landscapes including bluffs and escarpments in the Northwest Panhandle , the Nebraska Sandhills in the northern part of
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#17327824485861188-578: Is a continuous four-lane highway for its entire length in Iowa. It passes to the north of Sac City , where it has another interchange with the realigned U.S. Route 71 , then passes to the south of Fort Dodge and Webster City before intersecting I-35 near Williams . A new segment of freeway between US 65 south of Iowa Falls and Iowa Highway 14 opened in 2003 creating a continuous four-lane route from Moorland to Dubuque. The new segment shaved 16 miles (26 km) off US 20's length in Iowa. In
1287-488: Is a few miles north of the present route except between I-35 and Waterloo . There, the old route is farther north, going through Iowa Falls , Aplington , and the north side of Cedar Falls along what is now Iowa Highway 57 . From just west of South Bend, Indiana , to the St. Joseph – Elkhart county line, the old route of US 20 through St. Joseph County is now Business US 20. In Elkhart County , its old route
1386-477: Is a mixture of four-lane expressway, four-lane limited access freeway, and winding two-lane surface road. It is signed as "General U.S. Grant Highway" after Ulysses S. Grant . U.S. 20 runs through the south side of Chicago as 95th Street. US 20 exits Illinois along with US 12 and US 41 as Indianapolis Boulevard south of the Chicago Skyway . In the state of Indiana, US 20 enters from
1485-637: Is a north–south route, unlike its parent US 22 , which is east–west. As originally assigned, the first digit of the spurs increased from north to south and east to west along the parent; for example, US 60 had spurs, running from east to west, designated as US 160 in Missouri , US 260 in Oklahoma , US 360 in Texas , and US 460 and US 560 in New Mexico . As with
1584-439: Is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States . As the designation and numbering of these highways were coordinated among the states, they are sometimes called Federal Highways , but the roadways were built and have always been maintained by state or local governments since their initial designation in 1926. The route numbers and locations are coordinated by
1683-509: Is co-signed with I-291 until Page Boulevard, where it heads back to Boston Road via the former route of 20A. In 2012, the Historic US Route 20 Association was formed to identify, promote and preserve the history of the route and original alignments that were once signed "Route 20" from Boston to Newport . United States Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways )
1782-721: Is in Kenmore Square at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue , Beacon Street , and Brookline Avenue , where the alignment becomes Massachusetts Route 2 . Route 2 continues for a short distance where it terminates at Massachusetts Route 28 . Before the U.S. Highway System, the route in New England and New York was designated as New England Interstate Route 5 (NE-5), part of the New England Interstate Route system that existed between 1922 and 1927. Around 1923, from Springfield to Pittsfield, NE-5
1881-772: Is in the process of eliminating all intrastate U.S. Highways less than 300 miles (480 km) in length "as rapidly as the State Highway Department and the Standing Committee on Highways of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials can reach agreement with reference thereto". New additions to the system must serve more than one state and "substantially meet the current AASHTO design standards ". A version of this policy has been in place since 1937. The original major transcontinental routes in 1925, along with
1980-762: Is joined by State Route 18 . From there the four-lane highway continues through Monroeville and bypasses Norwalk , then becomes a two-lane highway from there to Oberlin . Continuing east, US 20 traverses through Elyria , North Ridgeville , Westlake , Rocky River , Lakewood and Cleveland , where it goes right through Public Square . East of Cleveland US 20 follows the southern shore of Lake Erie , following Euclid Avenue from Public Square, and traverses Euclid , Wickliffe , where it intersects with I-90, Mentor , Painesville , Madison , Geneva , Ashtabula and crosses into Pennsylvania at Conneaut . US 20 runs for nearly 50 miles (80 km) across Erie County, Pennsylvania , most of that time just south of
2079-855: Is known as the "Jacob's Ladder Trail" as it crosses the Berkshire Hills between Lee in Berkshire County and Chester in Hampden County . From Chester to Westfield , US 20 and the Boston and Albany Railroad follow the Westfield River down to the broad valley of the Connecticut River . In Springfield , US 20 runs concurrently with I-291 between Plainfield Street and Page Boulevard; it follows Boston Road as it leaves Springfield and travels through
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#17327824485862178-481: Is located east of Arco. Arco Peak, located two mile north of the community at an elevation of 7547 feet, rises 2220 feet above the city. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 1.07 square miles (2.77 km ), of which, 1.06 square miles (2.75 km ) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km ) is water. In town, the most striking physical feature
2277-624: Is now classified as a county road and is simply called Old US 20. The St. Joseph Valley Parkway is the present route of US 20 in the South Bend ;– Elkhart Area. From 1930 to 1933, US 20 followed what are now Massachusetts Route 67 and Massachusetts Route 9 from Worcester to Palmer via Shrewsbury and Northborough . The 1953 Massachusetts Department of Public Works Master Plan would have relocated US 20 between Palmer, Massachusetts and either West Springfield, Massachusetts or Westfield, Massachusetts along
2376-949: Is primarily derived from the Idaho National Laboratory (formerly the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory or INEL), agricultural products, and recreation in the Lost River Valley. Arco is located along the Big Lost River and is a gateway to the Lost River Range from the Snake River Plain . Craters of the Moon National Monument is located along U.S. Route 20 , southwest of the city. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
2475-658: Is the longest Interstate Highway in the U.S. There is a discontinuity in the official designation of US 20 through Yellowstone National Park , with unnumbered roads used to traverse the park. US 20 and US 30 break the general U.S. Route numbering rules in Oregon , since US 30 actually starts north of US 20 in Astoria , and runs parallel to the north throughout the state (the Columbia River and Interstate 84 ). The two run concurrently and continue in
2574-484: The 2000 United States Census of 2000, there were 1,026 people, 427 households, and 269 families living in the city. The population density was 1,163.9 inhabitants per square mile (449.4/km ). There were 505 housing units at an average density of 572.9 per square mile (221.2/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 95.13% White, 0.49% African American, 1.36% Native American, 1.75% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.61% of
2673-566: The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), worked to form a national numbering system to rationalize the roads. After several meetings, a final report was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in November 1925. After getting feedback from the states, they made several modifications; the U.S. Highway System was approved on November 11, 1926. Expansion of the U.S. Highway System continued until 1956, when
2772-532: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The only federal involvement in AASHTO is a nonvoting seat for the United States Department of Transportation . Generally, most north-to-south highways are odd-numbered, with the lowest numbers in the east and the highest in the west, while east-to-west highways are typically even-numbered, with the lowest numbers in
2871-671: The Bayfront Connector , then turns east again as Buffalo Road through Wesleyville and Harborcreek Township . Buffalo Road turns sharply northward at the town of Harborcreek. US 20 intersects with Pennsylvania Route 955 and resumes its eastward journey. At North East Township , US 20 becomes West Main Road. Within the town limits, it becomes West Main Street until it reaches the town center at its intersection with Pennsylvania Route 89, where it becomes East Main Street. Outside
2970-638: The Boston and Worcester Turnpike . In parts of eastern Massachusetts, US 20 follows the route of the old Boston Post Road and passes by Longfellow's Wayside Inn , in Sudbury , the oldest continually operated Inn in America. In 1926, after engineers determined that heavy truck traffic on the Boston Post Road was damaging the foundations of the Inn, Henry Ford , then owner and proprietor, ordered
3069-583: The CSX / Amtrak railroad tracks. US 20 appears as West Ridge Road eastward from the Ohio border through Springfield , Girard , Fairview and Millcreek townships. At the intersection with Pennsylvania Route 832 , just outside the Erie city limits, it becomes West 26th Street. After it reaches city center at the intersection with State Street, it becomes East 26th Street. It turns sharply northward as Broad Street at
U.S. Route 20 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3168-505: The Everett Turnpike . However, US Routes in the system do use parts of five toll roads: U.S. Routes in the contiguous United States follow a grid pattern, in which odd-numbered routes run generally north to south and even-numbered routes run generally east to west, though three-digit spur routes can be either-or. Usually, one- and two-digit routes are major routes, and three-digit routes are numbered as shorter spur routes from
3267-688: The Gulf Freeway carried US 75 , the Pasadena Freeway carried US 66 , and the Pulaski Skyway carries US 1 and US 9 . The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 appropriated funding for the Interstate Highway System, to construct a vast network of freeways across the country. By 1957, AASHO had decided to assign a new grid to the new routes, to be numbered in the opposite directions as
3366-539: The Interstate Highway System was laid out and began construction under the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower . After the national implementation of the Interstate Highway System, many U.S. Routes that had been bypassed or overlaid with Interstate Highways were decommissioned and removed from the system. In some places, the U.S. Routes remain alongside the Interstates and serve as
3465-506: The Missouri River crossing with I-129 and US 75 . After skirting the southeast side of Sioux City as a freeway with US 75, US 20 continues east as an expressway to Moville . From Moville through north of Early at the junction with U.S. Route 71 and Iowa Highway 471 , US 20 was reconstructed from a rural two-lane highway to a four-lane road. This segment re-opened October 19, 2018 and made it so that US 20
3564-618: The New England states got together to establish the six-state New England Interstate Routes . Behind the scenes, the 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. The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 limited the routes to 7% of each state's roads, while 3 in every 7 roads had to be "interstate in character". Identification of these main roads
3663-537: The Pacific coast . Many local disputes arose related to the committee's choices between designation of two roughly equal parallel routes, which were often competing auto trails. At their January meeting, AASHO approved the first two of many split routes (specifically US 40 between Manhattan, Kansas and Limon, Colorado and US 50 between Baldwin City, Kansas and Garden City, Kansas ). In effect, each of
3762-705: The Waterloo / Cedar Falls area, the segment of US 20 overlapped by the Avenue of the Saints , which is also designated as Iowa Highway 27. US 20 passes Independence , Manchester , and Dyersville before reaching Dubuque . At Dubuque, US 20 crosses into Illinois over the Julien Dubuque Bridge . In the state of Illinois, US 20 begins in East Dubuque , following southeastward along
3861-415: The auto trails which they roughly replaced, were as follows: US 10, US 60, and US 90 only ran about two thirds of the way across the country, while US 11 and US 60 ran significantly diagonally. US 60's violation of two of the conventions would prove to be one of the major sticking points; US 60 eventually was designated as US 66 in 1926, and later it became
3960-409: The 1940s and 1950s to adopt the same number as the U.S. Route they connected to – mostly in the western provinces. Examples include British Columbia 's highways 93 , 95 , 97 , and 99 ; Manitoba 's highways 59 , 75 , and 83 ; or Ontario King's Highway 71 . The reverse happened with U.S. Route 57 , originally a Texas state highway numbered to match Mexican Federal Highway 57 . In the 1950s,
4059-484: The Gulf Coast. The longest routes connecting major cities are generally numbered to end in a 1 or a 0; however, extensions and truncations have made this distinction largely meaningless. These guidelines are very rough, and exceptions to all of the basic numbering rules exist. The numbering system also extended beyond the borders of the United States in an unofficial manner. Many Canadian highways were renumbered in
U.S. Route 20 - Misplaced Pages Continue
4158-637: The Indiana Dunes. Today, there are numerous communities along US 20 and the lakefront, including Gary, Portage , Burns Harbor , Porter , Chesterton , Pines , and Michigan City . Most notably, the route is one of the main access roads to Indiana Dunes National Park . US 20 enters Ohio from Indiana just west of Columbia and traverses east through Pioneer and Alvordton to Fayette . It continues east through Oakshade , Assumption and becomes five-lane, non-limited access roadway into Sylvania to Toledo , and then turns south until into
4257-597: The Mississippi River, and continues into the very hilly Driftless Area of northwest Illinois through Galena and Elizabeth . The highway then transitions eastward from the Driftless Area to the Interior Plains near Stockton . The road continues as a bypass north of Freeport , and then runs as a freeway along the southern fringe of Rockford . From Rockford to Chicago, Illinois , US 20
4356-662: The Montana–Wyoming state line. In the state of Wyoming, the eastern segment of US 20 starts at the eastern entrance to Yellowstone National Park along with the western termini of US 14 and US 16 . These three routes run east to Greybull , where US 14 continues east and US 16/US 20 turns south; at Worland , US 16 turns east while US 20 continues south, passing through Wind River Canyon south of Thermopolis . US 20 joins US 26 in Shoshoni , where it turns east, and they continue all
4455-601: The Northeast, New York held out for fewer routes designated as US highways. The Pennsylvania representative, who had not attended the local meetings, convinced AASHO to add a dense network of routes, which had the effect of giving six routes termini along the state line. (Only US 220 still ends near the state line, and now it ends at an intersection with future I-86 .) Because US 20 seemed indirect, passing through Yellowstone National Park , Idaho and Oregon requested that US 30 be swapped with US 20 to
4554-456: The Toledo suburb of Maumee . After Maumee, US 20 crosses Maumee River curving back east becoming 2 lanes through Perrysburg to Woodville , where it becomes a four-lane, non-limited access highway. It bypasses Fremont while concurrent with US 6 , State Route 53 , and State Route 19 , and then travels through the northern edge of Clyde and the downtown area of Bellevue , where it
4653-752: The U.S. Highway grid. Though the Interstate numbers were to supplement—rather than replace—the U.S. Route numbers, in many cases (especially in the West ) the US highways were rerouted along the new Interstates. Major decommissioning of former routes began with California 's highway renumbering in 1964 . The 1985 removal of US 66 is often seen as the end of an era of US highways. A few major connections not served by Interstate Highways include US 6 from Hartford, Connecticut, to Providence, Rhode Island and US 93 from Phoenix, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada, though
4752-535: The US Highway system, three-digit numbers are assigned to spurs of one or two-digit routes. US 201 , for example, splits from US 1 at Brunswick, Maine , and runs north to Canada. Not all spurs travel in the same direction as their "parents"; some are connected to their parents only by other spurs, or not at all, instead only traveling near their parents, Also, a spur may travel in different cardinal directions than its parent, such as US 522 , which
4851-477: The US highway, which did not end in zero, but was still seen as a satisfyingly round number. Route 66 came to have a prominent place in popular culture, being featured in song and films. With 32 states already marking their routes, the plan was approved by AASHO on November 11, 1926. This plan included a number of directionally split routes, several discontinuous routes (including US 6 , US 19 and US 50 ), and some termini at state lines. By
4950-504: The United States Numbered Highways system had a total length of 157,724 miles (253,832 km). Except for toll bridges and tunnels , very few U.S. Routes are toll roads . AASHTO policy says that a toll road may only be included as a special route , and that "a toll-free routing between the same termini shall continue to be retained and marked as a part of the U.S. Numbered System." U.S. Route 3 (US 3) meets this obligation; in New Hampshire , it does not follow tolled portions of
5049-409: The approval of the states along the former US 60. But Missouri and Oklahoma did object—Missouri had already printed maps, and Oklahoma had prepared signs. A compromise was proposed, in which US 60 would split at Springfield, Missouri , into US 60E and US 60N, but both sides objected. The final solution resulted in the assignment of US 66 to the Chicago-Los Angeles portion of
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#17327824485865148-405: The auto trail associations were not able to formally address the meetings. However, as a compromise, they talked with the Joint Board members. The associations finally settled on a general agreement with the numbering plans, as named trails would still be included. The tentative system added up to 81,000 miles (130,000 km), 2.8% of the public road mileage at the time. The second full meeting
5247-403: The average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males. The median income for a household in the city
5346-543: The city was 95.1% White, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 1.7% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population. There were 417 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who
5445-548: The construction of the mile-and-a-half-long Route 20 bypass. Upon its completion on December 11, 1928, he sold it to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for $ 1 and never cashed the check. According to the Boston Herald the by-pass cost Ford $ 288,000, equivalent to roughly $ 4.7 million in 2021. The original route of US 20 is now called Wayside Inn Road. US 20 continues from Sudbury through Wayland , Weston , Waltham , Watertown and then into Boston through Allston and Fenway–Kenmore . U.S. Route 20's official eastern terminus
5544-450: The correct positioning near Caldwell, Idaho . This is because US 20 was not a planned coast-to-coast route while US 30 was. US 20 originally ended at the eastern entrance of Yellowstone Park; it was extended in 1940. The highway's eastern terminus is in Boston, Massachusetts , at Kenmore Square , where it meets Massachusetts Route 2 . Its western terminus is in Newport, Oregon , at an intersection with US 101 , within
5643-407: The first documented person to drive an automobile from San Francisco to New York using 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
5742-449: The heading for each route. All reports of the Special Committee on Route Numbering since 1989 use "U.S. Route", and federal laws relating to highways use "United States Route" or "U.S. Route" more often than the "Highway" variants. The use of U.S. Route or U.S. Highway on a local level depends on the state, with some states such as Delaware using "route" and others such as Colorado using "highway". In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson became
5841-410: The highways split just west of Atomic City ; US 26 heads to Blackfoot and US 20 to Idaho Falls , where it turns north-northeast to pass near Rexburg as a freeway. US 20 then climbs through the communities of St. Anthony , Ashton , and Island Park , and crosses the Continental Divide at Targhee Pass at 7,072 feet (2,156 m), entering Montana west of West Yellowstone . In
5940-408: The intended use, provide a parallel routing to the mainline U.S. Highway. Before the U.S. Routes were designated, auto trails designated by auto trail associations were the main means of marking roads through the United States. These were private organizations, and the system of road marking at the time was haphazard and not uniform. In 1925, the Joint Board on Interstate Highways , recommended by
6039-427: The intersection in Blaine County with State Highway 75 , the route to Sun Valley , Galena Summit , and Stanley . US 20 continues east through Picabo and Carey , joined with US 26 and US 93 , to Craters of the Moon and Arco , where US 93 splits off and turns north-northwest to climb the Big Lost River valley. US 20/US 26 continues on through the Idaho National Laboratory , where
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#17327824485866138-403: The latter is planned to be upgraded to Interstate 11 . Three state capitals in the contiguous U.S. are served only by U.S. Routes: Dover, Delaware ; Jefferson City, Missouri ; and Pierre, South Dakota . In 1995, the National Highway System was defined to include both the Interstate Highway System and other roads designated as important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. AASHTO
6237-416: The more colorful names and historic value of the auto trail systems. The New York Times wrote, "The traveler may shed tears as he drives the Lincoln Highway or dream dreams as he speeds over the Jefferson Highway , but how can he get a 'kick' out of 46, 55 or 33 or 21?" (A popular song later promised, " Get your kicks on Route 66! ") The writer Ernest McGaffey was quoted as saying, "Logarithms will take
6336-402: The nearby National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS), now the Idaho National Laboratory . NRTS made further history on January 3, 1961, when the SL-1 reactor was destroyed through an operator maintenance error, with the ensuing steam explosion causing the deaths of all three personnel present. It was the world's first and the United States' only fatal reactor accident. The town's economic base
6435-467: The new recreation of long-distance automobile travel. The Yellowstone Trail was another of the earliest examples. While many of these organizations worked with towns and states along the route to improve the roadways, others simply chose a route based on towns that were willing to pay dues, put up signs, and did little else. Wisconsin was the first state in the U.S. to number its highways , erecting signs in May 1918. Other states soon followed. In 1922,
6534-593: The north, and the highest in the south, though the grid guidelines are not rigidly followed, and many exceptions exist. Major north–south routes generally have numbers ending in "1", while major east–west routes usually have numbers ending in "0". Three-digit numbered highways are generally spur routes of parent highways; for example, U.S. Route 264 (US 264) is a spur off US 64 . Some divided routes , such as US 19E and US 19W , exist to provide two alignments for one route. Special routes, which can be labeled as alternate, bypass or business, depending on
6633-458: 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 conflict with US 50 and US 60 . In
6732-437: The optional routes into another route. In 1934, AASHO tried to eliminate many of the split routes by removing them from the log, and designating one of each pair as a three-digit or alternate route, or in one case US 37 . AASHO described its renumbering concept in the October 1934 issue of American Highways : "Wherever an alternate route is not suitable for its own unique two-digit designation, standard procedure assigns
6831-404: The other states. Many states agreed in general with the scope of the system, but believed the Midwest to have added too many routes to the system. The group adopted the shield, with few modifications from the original sketch, at that meeting, as well as the decision to number rather than name the routes. A preliminary numbering system, with eight major east–west and ten major north–south routes,
6930-412: The place of legends, and 'hokum' for history." When the U.S. numbered system was started in 1925, a few optional routings were established which were designated with a suffixed letter after the number indicating "north", "south", "east", or "west". While a few roads in the system are still numbered in this manner, AASHO believes that they should be eliminated wherever possible, by the absorption of one of
7029-406: The population. There were 427 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and
7128-624: The right-of-way now used by the Massachusetts Turnpike , but this was never implemented. Until 1970–72, US 20 followed an old route through downtown Springfield—Boston Road and State Street—crossing the Connecticut River via the older Memorial Bridge (now Massachusetts Route 147 ). The construction of I-291 prompted a change. US 20 now crosses from West Springfield at the North End Bridge, and
7227-594: The route and the nominal direction of travel. Second, they are displayed at intersections with other major roads, so that intersecting traffic can follow their chosen course. Third, they can be displayed on large green guide signs that indicate upcoming interchanges on freeways and expressways. Since 1926, some divided routes were designated to serve related areas, and designate roughly-equivalent splits of routes. For instance, US 11 splits into US 11E (east) and US 11W (west) in Bristol, Virginia , and
7326-646: The routes rejoin in Knoxville, Tennessee . Occasionally only one of the two routes is suffixed; US 6N in Pennsylvania does not rejoin US ;6 at its west end. AASHTO has been trying to eliminate these since 1934; its current policy is to deny approval of new split routes and to eliminate existing ones "as rapidly as the State Highway Department and the Standing Committee on Highways can reach agreement with reference thereto". Special routes —those with
7425-500: The same large, bold numerals on a square-dimension shield, while 3-digit routes may either use the same shield with a narrower font, or a wider rectangular-dimension shield. Special routes may be indicated with a banner above the route number, or with a letter suffixed to the route number. Signs are generally displayed in several different locations. First, they are shown along the side of the route at regular intervals or after major intersections (called reassurance markers ), which shows
7524-564: The southwest to Oklahoma City , from where it ran west to Los Angeles . Kentucky strongly objected to this designated route, as it had been left off any of the major east–west routes, instead receiving the US ;62 designation. In January 1926, the committee designated this, along with the part of US 52 east of Ashland, Kentucky , as US 60 . They assigned US 62 to the Chicago-Los Angeles route, contingent on
7623-538: The splits in US 11 , US 19 , US 25 , US 31 , US 45 , US 49 , US 73 , and US 99 . For the most part, the U.S. Routes were the primary means of inter-city vehicle travel; the main exceptions were toll roads such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike and parkway routes such as the Merritt Parkway . Many of the first high-speed roads were U.S. Highways:
7722-659: The state of Montana, US 20 runs for less than 10 miles (16 km). It runs from the Idaho state line to West Yellowstone, Montana , the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park . US 20 is known as the Targhee Pass Highway in Montana. While US 20 and other U.S. Routes are officially discontinuous through the park, some commercially produced maps show these highways running inside Yellowstone National Park itself along its unnumbered roads and across
7821-432: The state, and rolling hills and plains through Randolph, Nebraska as the highway approaches the Missouri River valley south of Sioux City, Iowa . Throughout its length, US 20 is a two-lane highway with the exception of the easternmost 8.45 miles (13.60 km) which is four-lane divided highway, the last 3.21 miles (5.17 km) of which is concurrent with Interstate 129 . US 20 enters Iowa at Sioux City via
7920-430: The system. In general, U.S. Routes do not have a minimum design standard, unlike the later Interstate Highways , and are not usually built to freeway standards. Some stretches of U.S. Routes do meet those standards. Many are designated using the main streets of the cities and towns through which they run. New additions to the system, however, must "substantially meet the current AASHTO design standards ". As of 1989,
8019-550: The time the first route log was published in April 1927, major numbering changes had been made in Pennsylvania in order to align the routes to the existing auto trails. In addition, U.S. Route 15 had been extended across Virginia . Much of the early criticism of the U.S. Highway System focused on the choice of numbers to designate the highways, rather than names. Some thought a numbered highway system to be cold compared to
8118-748: The top of the Finger Lakes crossing Canandaigua and Seneca Falls along the way. US 20 runs across the rural Cherry Valley Turnpike between Skaneateles and Albany . US 20 was also known as the Boston-Buffalo highway prior to the construction of the New York Thruway and Massachusetts Turnpike. In Massachusetts, US 20 runs roughly parallel to I-90 Mass Pike , intersecting it directly at exit 10 and indirectly at exit 94. In part of Berkshire County , US 20 runs north–south as it runs concurrently with US 7 . It
8217-482: The town limits it becomes East Main Road until it reaches Pennsylvania's border with New York . In New York , US 20 runs roughly parallel to the New York State Thruway (I-90) throughout the state. The route runs concurrently with New York State Route 5 twice, with the second overlap extending 68 miles (109 km) across Western and Central New York from Avon to Auburn running along
8316-604: The town of Wilbraham , eventually becoming Main Street in Palmer . In Shrewsbury , US 20 is called "Hartford Turnpike". In Northborough , and Worcester it is called "Southwest Cutoff", until it merges with the original Boston Post Road in Northborough (Southwest Cutoff and West Main Street). Southwest Cutoff was created at the turn of the century to bypass truck traffic around Shrewsbury center as well as connecting to
8415-931: The two highways continue concurrently to the Idaho border. US 20 crosses into Idaho from Oregon northwest of Parma . It runs concurrently with US 26 and joins US 95 through Parma. US 20/US 26 leaves US 95 southeast of Parma and runs to Caldwell where US 20/US 26 joins with I-84 and US 30 for a short time. These four highways parallel each other (on two roadways) to Boise where US 20/US 26 runs through downtown before joining with I-84 and US 30 again to Mountain Home , where it departs at exit 95 to head east, past Rattlesnake Station , Anderson Ranch Dam road, and cresting at Cat Creek summit at 5,527 feet (1,685 m) above mean sea level . It continues into and across Camas County through Fairfield to Timmerman Junction,
8514-548: The two routes received the same number, with a directional suffix indicating its relation to the other. These splits were initially shown in the log as—for instance—US 40 North and US 40 South, but were always posted as simply US 40N and US 40S. The most heated argument, however, was the issue of US 60. The Joint Board had assigned that number to the Chicago-Los Angeles route, which ran more north–south than west–east in Illinois, and then angled sharply to
8613-468: The two-digit routes, three-digit routes have been added, removed, extended and shortened; the "parent-child" relationship is not always present. AASHTO guidelines specifically prohibit Interstate Highways and U.S. Routes from sharing a number within the same state. As with other guidelines, exceptions exist across the U.S. Some two-digit numbers have never been applied to any U.S. Route, including 37, 39, 47, 86, and 88. Route numbers are displayed on
8712-477: The unqualified number to the older or shorter route, while the other route uses the same number marked by a standard strip above its shield carrying the word 'Alternate'." Most states adhere to this approach. However, some maintain legacy routes that violate the rules in various ways. Examples can be found in California , Mississippi , Nebraska , Oregon , and Tennessee . In 1952, AASHO permanently recognized
8811-505: The way through Casper . From Casper, the two highways parallel I-25 and US 87 for 26 miles, until all four link up together just southeast of Glenrock . These four routes stay combined to Orin , where US 20 turns east from I-25, at the western end of US 18 . US 18 and US 20 are concurrent from Orin to Lusk , where US 18 turns north and US 20 continues east into Nebraska. Within Nebraska , US 20
8910-447: The west beneath the Chicago Skyway with US 12 and US 41. US 20 passes through heavily industrialized northwestern Indiana and is the main east–west artery through Gary . It then parallels US 12 to just west of Michigan City before running due east through New Carlisle to South Bend . US 20 travels around South Bend and Elkhart on the St. Joseph Valley Parkway ,
9009-399: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age in the city was 41.2 years. 26.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 18.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.8% male and 48.2% female. As of
9108-720: Was also chosen, based on the shield found on the Great Seal of the United States . The auto trail associations rejected the elimination of the highway names. Six regional meetings were held to hammer out the details—May 15 for the West , May 27 for the Mississippi Valley , June 3 for the Great Lakes , June 8 for the South , June 15 for the North Atlantic , and June 15 for New England . Representatives of
9207-510: Was both praised and criticized by local newspapers, often depending on whether that city was connected to a major route. While the Lincoln Highway Association understood and supported the plan, partly because they were assured of getting the US 30 designation as much as possible, most other trail associations lamented their obsolescence. At their January 14–15, 1926 meeting, AASHO was flooded with complaints. In
9306-583: Was completed in 1923. The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), formed in 1914 to help establish roadway standards, began to plan a system of marked and numbered "interstate highways" at its 1924 meeting. AASHO recommended that the Secretary of Agriculture work with the states to designate these routes. Secretary Howard M. Gore appointed the Joint Board on Interstate Highways , as recommended by AASHO, on March 2, 1925. The Board
9405-418: Was composed of 21 state highway officials and three federal Bureau of Public Roads officials. At the first meeting, on April 20 and 21, the group chose the name "U.S. Highway" as the designation for the routes. They decided that the system would not be limited to the federal-aid network; if the best route did not receive federal funds, it would still be included. The tentative design for the U.S. Route shield
9504-518: Was deferred to a numbering committee "without instructions". After working with states to get their approval, the committee expanded the highway system to 75,800 miles (122,000 km), or 2.6% of total mileage, over 50% more than the plan approved August 4. The skeleton of the numbering plan was suggested on August 27 by Edwin Warley James of the BPR, who matched parity to direction, and laid out
9603-424: Was held August 3 and 4, 1925. At that meeting, discussion was held over the appropriate density of routes. William F. Williams of Massachusetts and Frederick S. Greene of New York favored a system of only major transcontinental highways, while many states recommended a large number of roads of only regional importance. Greene in particular intended New York's system to have four major through routes as an example to
9702-405: Was known as "Jacob's Ladder", and from Boston to Albany, the "Hubway". When US 20 was first commissioned, it took over the entirety of NE-5. Until 1940, the western endpoint of US 20 was the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park . Between Fort Dodge, Iowa , and Dubuque, Iowa , the route has been widened to four lanes, the last link of this completed in 2003. Much of the old route
9801-618: Was named as early as 1860 based on the name of a local rancher, Louis Arco. Louis Arco is also mentioned in the National Park Service’s Teacher's Guide to Craters of the Moon with the line “[around] 1862 Louis Arco establishe[d] a ranch and trading post at Arco." Arco was the first community in the world ever to be lit by electricity generated solely by nuclear power . This occurred for about an hour on July 17, 1955, powered by Argonne National Laboratory ’s BORAX-III reactor at
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