1927 state highway renumbering (New York) facts for kids

New York's roads got their first official numbers in 1924. This was done to make it easier for people to find their way around the state. The first roads to get numbers were given numbers up to 34. Usually, roads going north and south had even numbers, while roads going east and west had odd numbers. By 1927, the system grew to include numbers up to the 70s, and some smaller roads, called "spurs," had letters added to their numbers.

In 1926, the U.S. Highway System was created. This was a new national plan to number important roads across the whole country. Even though New York's roads weren't immediately part of this new national system, a small change was made in 1927. This was to make sure New York's road numbers didn't overlap or get confused with the new U.S. Highway numbers.

How Roads Got Their Numbers in New York

Before 1924, finding your way on New York's roads could be tricky because they didn't have a clear numbering system. To make travel simpler, the state decided to give numbers to its main highways. This helped drivers know exactly which road they were on and where it was going.

The First Numbering System (1924)

When the first system started in 1924, New York gave numbers to its most important roads. These numbers went from 1 up to 34 at first. There was a simple rule:

• Roads that mostly ran north and south were given even numbers.
• Roads that mostly ran east and west were given odd numbers.

Over the next few years, more roads were added to this system, and the numbers expanded into the 70s. Sometimes, a shorter road that branched off a main highway would get the same number as the main road, but with a letter added, like "2A" or "6B."

Why Roads Changed Numbers (1927)

A big change happened in 1926 when the United States started its own national road numbering system, called the U.S. Highway System. This system was designed to connect major cities across different states with clear, consistent numbers.

New York had to make some adjustments to its own road numbers to avoid confusion. Imagine if a road in New York had the number 5, but a U.S. Highway also had the number 5! That would be very confusing for drivers. So, in 1927, New York changed some of its state road numbers. This made sure that New York's numbers didn't clash with the new national U.S. Highway numbers.

What Changed in 1927

The 1927 renumbering was a big update for New York's roads. Many of the original 1924 state routes were either changed to new state numbers or became part of the new U.S. Highway System.

For example:

• Old Route 1, which went from New York City to the Connecticut state line, became part of U.S. Route 1.
• Old Route 2, from Pennsylvania to Rouses Point, became part of U.S. Route 11.
• Some routes, like old Route 4, were simply given a new state number, becoming Route 2.
• Other routes, like old Route 3, kept their original numbers because they didn't conflict with the new U.S. Highways.
• New U.S. Highways, like U.S. Route 4 and U.S. Route 6, were introduced, taking over parts of older state routes or creating new connections.

This renumbering helped create a more organized and easy-to-understand road network for everyone traveling in New York and across the country.