1933 Virginia state highway renumbering facts for kids

Imagine a big puzzle where all the pieces suddenly get new numbers! That's a bit like what happened in Virginia, a U.S. state, in 1933. Almost all of its state highways got new numbers.

This huge change happened for a few reasons. First, Virginia was creating a new "secondary system" of roads. These new roads needed numbers, and they decided to use numbers from 600 and up. This meant that many existing roads, especially those with three-digit numbers, had to change.

Also, some state highway numbers were the same as U.S. Route numbers. This could be confusing! So, most of these conflicting numbers were changed. For example, if a state road was called "State Route 50" and there was also a "U.S. Route 50," one of them had to get a new number. Only one road, State Route 13, kept its old number even though it conflicted with a U.S. Route.

Another big reason for the changes was to get rid of long "overlaps." An overlap is when two different roads use the exact same stretch of pavement. This can make maps messy and directions confusing. After 1933, many long overlaps with U.S. Routes were removed. Interestingly, some new state routes were given the same numbers as U.S. Routes, but they acted as extensions, meaning they continued the path of the U.S. Route.

Why Roads Got New Names

Before 1933, Virginia organized its roads by "districts." Think of districts as different areas of the state. Roads with two-digit numbers usually crossed these district lines, connecting different areas. Roads with three-digit numbers were mostly found within a single district, and their first digit often matched the district number.

The new system still grouped roads by district, but it wasn't as strict. Roads could cross district lines more easily. This new system also didn't leave much room for adding more roads later. So, when new roads were added after 1933, they often received numbers starting from 283 and higher.

• Note: Some roads were added in 1932, just before the big renumbering. Their old numbers aren't always clear in the official records, so they are sometimes marked as "unknown."

Changes to Main Roads and U.S. Route Extensions

Many important two-digit state routes and roads that became extensions of U.S. Routes were part of this renumbering. Here are some examples of how these roads changed:

• US 1 used to be SR 31.
• SR 2 was parts of SR 50 and SR 421. It was renumbered because of the new U.S. Route 50.
• SR 6 was parts of SR 18 and SR 19. It was renumbered because of U.S. Route 19.
• SR 13 was a part of the old SR 13. This was the only state route that kept its number even though it conflicted with a U.S. Highway.
• US 17 was made up of several old state routes, including SR 40 and parts of SR 29.
• SR 17 became an extension of U.S. Route 17, using part of the old SR 38.
• US 29 was formed from parts of old state routes like SR 14 and SR 18.
• SR 29 became an alternate route for U.S. Route 29, using part of the old SR 28.
• US 58 was created from many different old state routes, including parts of SR 12 and SR 10.
• US 340 used parts of SR 37 and SR 54.
• SR 340 became an extension of U.S. Route 340, using several old state routes like SR 809.

District-Based Renumbering

The renumbering also affected many roads within specific districts. These roads were given new numbers to fit into the new statewide system. Here's a general idea of how the numbers were assigned in different districts:

District 1 Roads (Numbers 59-98)

Roads in District 1, which used to have numbers like SR 121 or SR 101, were changed to numbers between 59 and 98. For example, SR 59 used to be SR 121. SR 64 was renumbered because of U.S. Route 11.

District 2 Roads (Numbers 99-124)

In District 2, roads were renumbered to be between 99 and 124. For instance, SR 99 was previously parts of SR 212 and SR 228. Some new routes in this district, like SR 105 and SR 107, had unknown old numbers.

District 3 Roads (Numbers 125-135 and 150-152)

District 3 roads received numbers mainly between 125 and 135, and also 150 to 152. An example is SR 125, which was formerly SR 300.

District 4 Roads (Numbers 136-149 and 153-163)

For District 4, new numbers ranged from 136 to 149, and 153 to 163. SR 136 was created from SR 403 and SR 404.

District 5 Roads (Numbers 164-196)

Roads in District 5 were renumbered to be between 164 and 196. For example, SR 164 used to be SR 501.

District 6 Roads (Numbers 198-229)

District 6 roads received numbers from 198 to 229. SR 198 was formed from parts of SR 38 and SR 601.

District 7 Roads (Numbers 230-248)

In District 7, roads were renumbered to be between 230 and 248. SR 230 was made up of SR 700, SR 704, and SR 722.

District 8 Roads (Numbers 249-282)

Finally, District 8 roads were renumbered to be between 249 and 282. For instance, SR 249 was previously SR 801.

This big renumbering in 1933 helped organize Virginia's growing road system, making it clearer for drivers and easier to manage for the state.