List of Primary State Highways in Washington

Last updated

WA-PSH1.svg
Marker for PSH 1
Highway names
Primary:Primary State Highway X (PSH X)
Secondary:Secondary State Highway X (SSH X)
System links
State highways in 1970: primary in red and secondary in purple 1970 Washington state highways (primary-secondary).svg
State highways in 1970: primary in red and secondary in purple

Primary State Highways were major state highways in the U.S. state of Washington used in the early 20th century. They were created as the first organized road numbering system in the state in stages between 1905 and 1937 and used until the 1964 state highway renumbering. These highways had named branch routes as well as secondary state highways with lettered suffixes. The system of primary and secondary state highways were replaced by sign routes (now state routes) to consolidate and create a more organized and systematic method of numbering the highways within the state.

Contents

History

The first state road, running across the Cascade Range roughly where State Route 20 now crosses it, was designated by the legislature in 1893 (However, this road wasn't actually opened until 1972). Two other roads—a Cascade crossing at present State Route 410 and a branch of the first road to Wenatchee—were added in 1897. The Washington Highway Department was established in 1905, and a set of twelve State Roads, numbered from 1 to 12, were assigned. A thirteenth was added in 1907, and State Roads 14 to 18 in 1909. [1]

However, it was not until 1913 that a connected system was laid out—earlier state roads had been disconnected segments of road needing improvements. The seven primary roads were only assigned names, while the older state roads kept their numbers as secondary roads. In 1923, most state roads were assigned new numbers, though the primary and secondary split remained, and several roads remained named only. The United States Numbered Highways were assigned in late 1926, overlapping some of the State Roads.

The first major reworking of the system was passed in 1937, including a complete renumbering. A number of Primary State Highways were designated, while Secondary State Highways were suffixed spurs off those. For instance, Primary State Highway 1 was the Pacific Highway (present Interstate 5), and Secondary State Highway 1B was a spur from Bellingham to the Canadian border (now State Route 539). U.S. Routes kept dual designations with State Highways. By 1952, the present highway shield, in the shape of George Washington's head, had been adopted.

The primary/secondary state highway systems were replaced by the current numbering system in the 1960s, at the behest of the state legislature following the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle. [2] The signs for the new highway numbers, which would be organized based on their general direction and—for secondary routes—a leading digit, first were posted in late 1963 and took effect in January 1964. [2] [3] The new numbers also coincided with existing U.S. Routes and new Interstate Highways to reduce confusion and eliminate duplicate numbers. [4] The PSH/SSH signs were removed by 1970.

Secondary State Highways

Secondary State Highways (SSH) were branches of Primary State Highways with lettered suffixes used from 1937 to 1964. [5] [6]

Primary State Highway 1

WA-PSH1.svg

Primary State Highway 1

Location Vancouver to Canada–United States border
Existed1937–1964

PSH 1 followed the route of U.S. Route 99 (replaced by Interstate 5) from Vancouver to Blaine. It also served U.S. Route 99 Alternate (now SR 11) in Skagit and Whatcom counties.

Primary State Highway 2

WA-PSH2.svg

Primary State Highway 2

Location Seattle to Idaho State Line
Existed1937–1964

This route followed the route of U.S. Route 10 (replaced by Interstate 90) from Seattle to near Ellensburg, then U.S. Route 97 to Peshastin, then U.S. Route 2 to Spokane, then US 10/I-90 from Spokane to the Idaho state line. A southern branch of PSH 2 followed the route of Washington State Route 18 from Snoqualmie to Tacoma.

Primary State Highway 3

WA-PSH3.svg

Primary State Highway 3

Location Cle Elum to Canada–United States border
Existed1937–1964

This route followed Interstate 82 from Ellensburg to the Oregon State line (concurrent with U.S. Route 97 from Ellensburg to Union Gap and U.S. Route 410/12 from Union Gap to the Tri-Cities), U.S. Route 410 (now U.S. Route 12) from the Tri-Cities to Clarkston, U.S. Route 195 from Clarkston to Pullman, SR 27 from Pullman to Oaksedale, US 195 from Oakesdale to Spokane, U.S. Route 2 from Spokane to Mead and U.S. Route 395 from Mead to the U.S.-Canada border. Spurs extended along I-82/, SR 125 and SR 129 from Tri-Cities, Walla Walla and Clarkston to the Oregon State Line

This route was also known as the "Inland Empire Highway" and crossed the first, and for a time, the only highway bridge over the middle Columbia River. That bridge was located between the towns of Kennewick, WA and Pasco, WA.

Primary State Highway 4

WA-PSH4.svg

Primary State Highway 4

Location Tonasket to Wilbur
Existed1937–1964

This route followed State Route 30 (now part of State Route 20) from Tonasket to Republic and State Route 21 from Republic to Wilbur.

Primary State Highway 5

WA-PSH5.svg

Primary State Highway 5

Location Seattle to Yakima
Existed1937–1964

PSH 5 began at PSH 2 in Seattle and traveled south along the Green River Valley and across the Cascade Range to a junction with PSH 3 in Yakima. The section from Enumclaw to Yakima was co-signed with US 410. [7] PSH 5 had several branch routes that connected to Renton, Tacoma, Mount Rainier National Park, and Cayuse Pass. [8] [9] Two branches, the White Pass Highway and Naches Pass Highway, were fully not built at the time.

During the 1964 renumbering, the trunk route of PSH 5 was divided between SR 167 from Seattle to Enumclaw and US 410 (now SR 410) from Enumclaw to Yakima. SR 167 was later rerouted away at Auburn, leaving the former highway to Enumclaw signed as SR 164. Its branches became various highways, including SR 7 from Tacoma to Morton, the former SR 14 (now US 12) from Morton to Yakima, SR 165, SR 169, and SR 706. [9]

Branches [9]

Primary State Highway 6

WA-PSH6.svg

Primary State Highway 6

Location Spokane to Canada–United States border
Existed1937–1964

The route followed present-day U.S. Route 2 from Spokane to Newport, and State Route 31 (a portion of which is now State Route 20) from Newport to the Canada-United States border

Primary State Highway 7

WA-PSH7.svg

Primary State Highway 7

Location Ellensburg to Davenport
Existed1937–1964

This route followed U.S. Route 10/Interstate 90 from Ellensburg to George, State Route 281 from George to Quincy, and State Route 28 from Quincy to Davenport

Primary State Highway 8

WA-PSH8.svg

Primary State Highway 8

Location Vancouver to Buena
Existed1937–1964

Known as the Evergreen Highway, the route followed State Route 14 (designated as Washington State Route 12 from 1964-67) from Vancouver, Washington to Maryhill, U.S. Route 97 from Maryhill to Toppenish and State Route 22 from Toppenish to Buena.

Primary State Highway 9

WA-PSH9.svg

Primary State Highway 9

Location Olympia to Mud Bay
Existed1937–1964

This route followed U.S. Route 101 from Olympia to Aberdeen.

Primary State Highway 10

WA-PSH10.svg

Primary State Highway 10

Location Olds Station to Canada–United States border
Existed1937–1964

This route ran on U.S. Route 97 from the U.S.-Canada border to Wenatchee, and State Route 28 from Wenatchee to Quincy. A spur extended along State Route 17 from Brewster to Coulee City

Primary State Highway 11

WA-PSH11.svg

Primary State Highway 11

Location Pasco to Spokane
Existed1937–1964

This route followed U.S. Route 395 from Pasco to Ritzville and U.S. Route 10/Interstate 90 from Ritzville to Spokane

Primary State Highway 12

WA-PSH12.svg

Primary State Highway 12

Location Chehalis to Kelso
Existed1937–1964

This route followed State Route 6 from Chehalis to Raymond, and U.S. Route 101 from Raymond to Johnsons Landing, and State Route 4 from Johnsons Landing to Kelso.

Primary State Highway 13

WA-PSH13.svg

Primary State Highway 13

Location Aberdeen to Raymond
Existed1937–1964

This route followed U.S. Route 101 in Washington from Aberdeen to Raymond.

Primary State Highway 14

WA-PSH14.svg

Primary State Highway 14

Location Hoodsport, Washington to Tacoma
Existed1937–1964

This route followed State Route 16 from Hoodsport to Tacoma

Primary State Highway 15

WA-PSH15.svg

Primary State Highway 15

Location Everett to Peshastin
Existed1937–1964

This route followed U.S. Route 2 from Everett to Peshastin

Primary State Highway 16

WA-PSH16.svg

Primary State Highway 16

Location Fredonia to Twisp
Existed1937–1964

This route followed State Route 20 from Fredonia to Pateros, and State Route 153 from Pateros to Twisp

Primary State Highway 17

WA-PSH17.svg

Primary State Highway 17

Location Twisp to Marblemount
Existed1937–1964

Primary State Highway 18

WA-PSH18.svg

Primary State Highway 18

Location George to Ritzville
Existed1937–1964

The route followed the route of U.S. Route 10 (now Interstate 90) from George to Ritzville

Primary State Highway 19

WA-PSH19.svg

Primary State Highway 19

Location Auburn to Bothell
Existed1964

The provisional designation of a proposed outer bypass of the Seattle metropolitan area between Auburn and Bothell, also known unofficially as Interstate 605. [10]

Primary State Highway 21

WA-PSH21.svg

Primary State Highway 21

Location Kingston to Skokomish, Washington
Existed1937–1964
Primary State Highway No. 21, Tidewater Creek to Bremerton Section, 1941 View shows in foreground rock fill slope protection at about Sta.75. Line of high stakes at toe of fill slope low... - NARA - 298221.jpg
Primary State Highway No. 21, Tidewater Creek to Bremerton Section, 1941

The route followed present-day State Route 104 from the Kingston Ferry to the Hood Canal Bridge, then State Route 3 from the Hood Canal Bridge to Belfair, then State Route 106 from Belfair to Skokomish

Primary State Highway 22

WA-PSH22.svg

Primary State Highway 22

Location Davenport to Canada–United States border
Existed1937–1964

The route followed present-day Washington State Route 25.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 195</span> U.S. Highway in Washington (state) and Idaho in the United States

U.S. Route 195 (US 195) is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.65 miles of its 94.02 miles are within the state of Washington. The highway starts in rural Idaho north of the city of Lewiston as a state highway in an interchange with US 95. As the road crosses into Washington it becomes a state highway that connects communities in the Palouse region of Eastern Washington. US 195 travels north, serving the cities of Pullman, Colfax and Rosalia in Whitman County before continuing into Spokane County to its terminus in the city of Spokane at an interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 410</span> Highway in Washington

State Route 410 is a 107.44-mile (172.91 km) long state highway that traverses Pierce, King, and Yakima counties in the US state of Washington. It begins at an interchange with SR 167 in Sumner and travels southeast across the Cascade Range to a junction with U.S. Route 12 (US 12) in Naches. While the western part of SR 410 is a freeway that serves built-up, urban areas, the remainder of the route is a surface road that traverses mostly rural areas as it passes through the mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 168</span> State highway in Washington

State Route 168 (SR 168) is a legislated, but not constructed, state highway located in Washington, United States. The highway is meant to serve as an alternate crossing through the Cascade Range at Naches Pass, supplementing the seasonal Chinook Pass on SR 410. Proposals were first drawn in the 1930s, and the highway has been codified in law under its current designation since 1970, but no construction has occurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 10</span> State highway in Washington

State Route 10 (SR 10) is a 16.16-mile-long (26.01 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway is a remnant of U.S. Route 10 (US 10) in Kittitas County, traveling southeast along the Yakima River from SR 970 in Teanaway to US 97 northwest of Ellensburg. SR 10 was established in 1970 as the successor to US 10 after the completion of I-90 across the Snoqualmie Pass in 1968. The highway was previously part of State Road 3 from 1923 to 1937 and Primary State Highway 3 (PSH 3) until the 1964 highway renumbering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 410</span> Former highway in Washington and Idaho, United States

U.S. Route 410 (US 410) was a U.S. Highway in Washington and Idaho that existed from 1926 to 1967. It ran 469 miles (755 km) from US 101 in Aberdeen, Washington, to US 95 in Lewiston, Idaho, passing through the cities of Olympia, Tacoma, Yakima, the Tri-Cities, and Walla Walla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 23</span> State highway in Washington, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 123</span> State highway in Washington, United States

State Route 123 (SR 123) is a state highway in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Mount Rainier National Park east of Mount Rainier in the U.S. state of Washington. Located in the counties of Lewis and Pierce, the 16.34-mile (26.30 km) long roadway extends through a heavily forested canyon from U.S. Route 12 (US 12) to SR 410. First established as a branch of State Road 5 in 1923, the designation of SR 123 has changed from a branch of Primary State Highway 5 (PSH 5) in 1937 to SR 143 during the 1964 highway renumbering and SR 123 in 1967. The northern terminus of the highway, Cayuse Pass, is closed annually and in late 2006, the Hanukkah Eve windstorm of 2006 washed out a 10.90-mile (17.54 km) long segment of the roadway.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Primary State Highway 6 (Washington)</span> Former highway in Washington

Primary State Highway 6 (PSH 6) was a Washington state highway in the older primary and secondary system that existed from 1937 until 1964 in Spokane and Pend Oreille counties. The road ran from an intersection with PSH 3, U.S. Route 2 and US 395 in Spokane north to British Columbia Highway 6 (BC 6) at the Canada–US border near Metaline Falls, passing its branch route and two secondary routes.

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U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs from California to the inland regions of Oregon and Washington. It travels north–south through Washington, including long concurrencies with Interstate 82 (I-82) and I-90, and connects the Tri-Cities region to Spokane and the Canadian border at Laurier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 171</span> State highway in Washington, United States

State Route 171 is a 3.79-mile (6.10 km) long state highway serving the city of Moses Lake in Grant County, located in the U.S. state of Washington. Broadway Avenue begins at an interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90) and travels northeast through Downtown Moses Lake concurrent to Interstate 90 Business and parallel to Parker Horn before ending at an intersection with SR 17. Broadway Avenue was previously part of Primary State Highway 18 (PSH 18) and U.S. Route 10 (US 10) until the 1964 highway renumbering. The highway also has an un-built extension from Moses Lake northeast to Odessa that was first legislated in 1955 as Secondary State Highway 7E (SSH 7E).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 97 in Washington</span> Segment of American highway

U.S. Route 97 in the U.S. state of Washington is a 322-mile (518 km) route which traverses from the Oregon state line at the northern end of the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge in Maryhill, north to the Canada–US border in Okanogan County near Oroville. The highway serves major cities such as Goldendale, Yakima, Ellensburg and Wenatchee before continuing towards the Alaska Highway at the Yukon border as British Columbia Highway 97. Along the length of the roadway, US 97 is concurrent with State Route 14 in Maryhill, Interstate 82 (I-82) and US 12 between Union Gap and Ellensburg, I-90 briefly in Ellensburg, US 2 between Peshastin and rural Douglas County and SR 20 near Omak. An alternate route connects the highway with Chelan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 230</span> Never-built highway in Washington

State Route 230 (SR 230) is a legislated, but unconstructed, state highway to be located in Adams and Whitman counties in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway would begin at a junction with concurrent highways Interstate 90 (I-90) and U.S. Route 395 (US 395) near Ritzville and travel east to an intersection with SR 23 near Ewan.

References

General
Notes
  1. State Roads As Established by Legislature, 1893 to 1935 -
  2. 1 2 Hauptli, Jack (February 23, 1964). "Highway Department Plays The Numbers Game!". The Seattle Times. pp. 10–11.
  3. Hannula, Don (November 29, 1963). "Just Ignore Signs On New Freeway". The News Tribune . p. 2. Retrieved November 17, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. Smith, Lee (January 12, 1964). "Days Numbered For State Highway Daze—New Designations Scheduled". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 14.
  5. Washington State Department of Highways (1965), p. 4.
  6. "New Numbers For Highways In State Urged". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. September 18, 1962. p. 4.
  7. Washington State Department of Highways (1963). Washington State Highways: Official Highway Map and Tourist Guide of the State of Washington (Map). Olympia: Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved November 17, 2022 via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  8. Hauptli, Jack (July 1, 1962). "2B or Not 2B—Maybe It Is 2A". The Seattle Times. p. 3.
  9. 1 2 3 Washington State Department of Highways (1965), pp. 10–11.
  10. Andrews, G. H. (January 8, 1971). "A Legislative Study: Kenmore to Swamp Creek". Washington State Legislature Joint Committee on Highways. p. 2. Retrieved October 6, 2021 via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.