United States Numbered Highways facts for kids
The United States Numbered Highways are a big network of roads in the United States. These roads help people travel all over the country. Some parts are like freeways. On freeways, cars use special ramps to get on and off. Other parts are regular roads you can drive on. Many old U.S. Highways, like U.S. Route 66, changed when the Interstate Highway System was built.
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How U.S. Highways Get Their Numbers
U.S. Highways have a special way of being numbered. Most main U.S. Highways have one or two digits. For example, U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Route 66. An exception is U.S. Route 101. It has three digits but is treated like a two-digit road.
Roads that go from east to west have even numbers. Think of numbers like 2, 4, 6, 8, or 0. Roads that go from north to south have odd numbers. These are numbers like 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9.
For east-west roads, the smaller numbers are in the east. The bigger numbers are in the west. For north-south roads, the smaller numbers are in the north. The bigger numbers are in the south.
Important east-west roads often end in "0". Important north-south roads often end in "1". Many of these "0" or "1" roads used to go across the whole country. Now, some parts have been replaced by the Interstate Highway System.
Examples of U.S. Highways
- U.S. Route 20 is an important east-west road. It runs across the northern U.S. from Newport, Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts.
- U.S. Route 90 is an important east-west road. It runs across the southern U.S. from Van Horn, Texas to Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
- U.S. Route 1 is an important north-south road. It runs along the eastern U.S. from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine.
- U.S. Route 101 is an important north-south road. It runs along the western U.S. from Los Angeles, California to Olympia, Washington.
Three-Digit U.S. Highways
Some U.S. Highways have three-digit numbers. These roads are usually "spurs" or branches off a main one or two-digit highway. For example, U.S. Route 201 is a branch that connects to U.S. Route 1.
Special Cases and Exceptions
Most rules have exceptions, and U.S. Highways are no different!
- U.S. Route 2 is a major U.S. Highway. But it does not end in "0" or "1".
- Some three-digit roads are not branches of a main route. These include U.S. Route 163, U.S. Route 400, U.S. Route 412, and U.S. Route 425.
Images for kids
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The "final" U.S. Highway plan as approved November 11, 1926
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This sign, photographed in 1941 on US 99 between Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, shows why a national road system was important for defense.
See also
In Spanish: Red de Carreteras Federales de Estados Unidos para niños
