1964 state highway renumbering (California) facts for kids

In 1963 and 1964, California made a big change to how its state highways were numbered. Imagine your favorite roads suddenly getting new names! This project was handled by the California Division of Highways. Most of the roads you saw signs for, called sign routes, kept their numbers. The biggest changes were to the legislative routes, which are the official numbers used by the government. These were updated to match the sign routes. Many roads that didn't have public signs before now got new numbers that matched their official legislative numbers.

A smaller but important change was removing many U.S. Routes. This happened because of the new Interstate Highways, which started in 1959. Some State Routes also had to change their numbers if they were the same as a new Interstate number. Even though some U.S. Routes were officially removed, their signs stayed up until the new Interstate highways were finished. The law allowing this big renumbering was passed on September 20, 1963. All the new signs were put up by July 1, 1964.

California's Big Road Number Change

In the early 1960s, California decided to give many of its highways new numbers. This was a huge project! Think of it like reorganizing a giant library of roads. The main goal was to make the system simpler and clearer for everyone, especially with the new Interstate highways being built across the country.

Why Did Roads Get New Numbers?

The biggest reason for this change was the new Interstate Highway System. These are major, long-distance highways that connect states. When new Interstates were built in California, they sometimes took over parts of older U.S. Routes or State Routes. To avoid confusion, the old numbers had to change or disappear. For example, if a new Interstate was called "I-80," an old U.S. Route 80 might have to change its number.

Another reason was to make the "sign routes" (what drivers see) match the "legislative routes" (the official numbers used by the state). Before 1964, these numbers were often different, which could be confusing.

How U.S. Routes Changed

Many well-known U.S. Routes in California were affected by this renumbering. Here are some of the most important changes:

• U.S. Route 6 was shortened. The southern part became new State Routes and parts of Interstates like I-5.
• U.S. Route 40 became I-80. This was a major change, as I-80 became the main east-west route.
• U.S. Route 50 was also shortened. West of Sacramento, it became parts of new State Routes and Interstates.
• U.S. Route 60 became I-10 in some areas and a new State Route 60 in others.
• U.S. Route 66, the famous "Mother Road," was shortened in California. Parts of it became new State Routes or Interstates like I-40.
• U.S. Route 70 and U.S. Route 80 were completely removed from California. Their routes were replaced by new Interstates like I-10 and I-8.
• U.S. Route 99, a very important north-south route, was completely eliminated in California. Its path was taken over by I-5 and the new State Route 99.
• U.S. Route 101 was shortened in Los Angeles. Parts of its old route became I-5 or new State Routes.

Some U.S. Routes, like U.S. Route 95 and U.S. Route 395, kept their numbers.

How State Routes Changed

Many State Routes also got new numbers or had their paths changed. This happened for several reasons:

• To avoid number conflicts with new Interstates.
• To make the routes more logical or to use new freeway sections.
• To give numbers to roads that didn't have public signs before.

Here are some examples of how State Routes changed:

• State Route 1, the scenic Pacific Coast Highway, was extended south.
• State Route 2 was extended west, taking over part of old U.S. Route 66.
• Several State Routes, like State Route 5 and State Route 8, were replaced by new State Routes because their numbers conflicted with new Interstates (like I-5 and I-8).
• State Route 9 was shortened and moved to a different path. Its old path became parts of other State Routes.
• State Route 14 took over a section of the old U.S. Route 6.
• State Route 24 was shortened and rerouted. Its old path became many different State Routes.
• State Route 35 replaced an old State Route 5. The old State Route 35 became I-605.
• State Route 46 and State Route 58 took over parts of the old U.S. Route 466.
• The new State Route 99 replaced much of the old U.S. Route 99.

By 1964, all available numbers up to State Route 255 were assigned. New numbers above 255 started being used from 1965 onwards. This massive renumbering helped organize California's growing highway system for the future.