National Highway System | |
---|---|
System information | |
Length | 160,955 mi (259,032 km) |
Formed | November 28, 1995 |
Highway names | |
Interstates | Interstate nn (I-nn) |
US Highways | U.S. Highway nn, U.S. Route nn (US nn, US-nn) |
State | Varies by state |
County roads | County Road nn, County Route nn (CR nn, Co. Rd. nn) |
Other local roads | Varies by locality |
System links | |
The National Highway System (NHS) is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, military bases, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities. Altogether, it constitutes the largest highway system in the world.
Individual states are encouraged to focus federal funds on improving the efficiency and safety of this network. The roads within the system were identified by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) in cooperation with the states, local officials, and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and approved by the United States Congress in 1995.
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) in 1991 established certain key routes such as the Interstate Highway System, be included. [1] [2] The act provided a framework to develop a National Intermodal Transportation System which "consists of all forms of transportation in a unified, interconnected manner, including the transportation systems of the future, to reduce energy consumption and air pollution while promoting economic development and supporting the Nation's preeminent position in international commerce". [3]
The National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–59 (text) (PDF), 109 Stat. 568, COMPS-1425) is a United States Act of Congress that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 28, 1995. The legislation designated about 160,955 miles (259,032 km) of roads, including the Interstate Highway System, as the NHS.
Aside from designating the system, the act served several other purposes, including restoring $5.4 billion in funding to state highway departments, giving Congress the power to prioritize highway system projects, repealing all federal speed limit controls, and prohibits the federal government from requiring states to use federal-aid highway funds to convert existing signs or purchase new signs with metric units. [4]
The act also created a State Infrastructure Bank pilot program. Ten states were chosen in 1996 for this new method of road financing. These banks would lend money like regular banks, with funding coming from the federal government or the private sector, and they would be repaid through such means as highway tolls or taxes. In 1997, 28 more states asked to be part of the program. Ohio was the first state to use a state infrastructure bank to start building a road. An advantage of this method was completing projects faster; state laws and the lack of appropriate projects were potential problems. [5]
According to the Federal Highway Administration, the 160,000-mile (260,000 km) National Highway System includes roads important to the United States' economy, defense, and mobility, from one or more of the following road networks (specific routes may be part of more than one sub-system): [6]
The system includes 4% of the nation's roads, but carries more than 40% of all highway traffic, 75% of heavy truck traffic, and 90% of tourist traffic. [2] All urban areas with a population of over 50,000 and about 90% of America's population live within 5 miles (8.0 km) of the network, [2] which is the longest in the world. [9]
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 is a United States federal law that posed a major change to transportation planning and policy, as the first U.S. federal legislation on the subject in the post-Interstate Highway System era.
State Route 165 is a rural north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California. It runs in the San Joaquin Valley from Interstate 5 south of Los Banos to State Route 99 in Turlock.
State Route 96 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that follows the Trinity and Klamath Rivers between State Route 299 in Willow Creek and Interstate 5 near Yreka in Northern California. For most of the route it goes through the Karuk Tribal Reservation, the Yurok Tribal Reservation, and the Hoopa Tribal Reservation. Over half of the length is the Bigfoot Scenic Byway, passing through "the region boasting the most sightings of Bigfoot of anywhere in the country" according to the National Forest Scenic Byway Program.
State Route 242 is an approximately 3.4-mile (5.5 km) state highway in Contra Costa County, California that links Interstate 680 at the Pleasant Hill–Concord border to State Route 4 in Concord. Along with Interstate 580, State Route 24, Interstate 680 and State Route 4, it serves as the most direct route between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta region.
State Route 177 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Riverside County. The route runs along Rice Road, linking Interstate 10 (I-10) midway between the Coachella Valley and Blythe on the California–Arizona border, to SR 62 near Rice. SR 177 travels along the eastern portion of the Joshua Tree National Park; like the eastern 100 miles (160 km) of SR 62, it passes through some of the most desolate areas of the Mojave Desert.
State Road 51 in the U.S. state of Indiana is a north–south route on the state highway system in northwest Indiana. It consists of a route 9.56 miles (15.39 km) long from a point on U.S. Route 30 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Merrillville and 8 miles (13 km) west of Valparaiso, north to U.S. Route 20 in Gary. Immediately north of US 30, the highway is signed as the Adam Benjamin Highway.
State Road 115 is a State Road in the north section of the state of Indiana. Running for about 3 miles (4.8 km) in a general north–south direction, connecting rural portions of Wabash County. SR 115 was originally introduced in the early 1930s routed along its modern routing. The road became an intermediate road surface in the mid-1930s and it was upgraded to a high type of road surface shortly after. The southern end of SR 115 was moved north in the late 1970.
State Road 121 (SR 121) is a part of the Indiana State Road that exists in two sections. The first runs between Metamora and Connersville and the second from Richmond to the Ohio state line in US state of Indiana. The 19.52 miles (31.41 km) of SR 121 that lie within Indiana serve as a minor highway. No section of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. The entire route is rural two-lane highway that passes through farmland, residential and commercial properties.
State Road 249 (SR 249) is a part of the Indiana State Road that runs between Portage and Burns Harbor in the US state of Indiana. The 2.42 miles (3.89 km) of SR 249 that lie within Indiana serve as an access to the Port of Indiana. No section of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Most of the road is an urban four-lane divided highway, passing through farmland, residential and industrial properties.
State Road 312 in the U.S. state of Indiana is an east–west state highway in the northwestern part of the state.
State Road 332 (SR 332) is a part of the Indiana State Road that runs between Interstate 69 (I–69) and Muncie in US state of Indiana. The 7.64 miles (12.30 km) of SR 332 that lie within Indiana serve as a minor highway. No section of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Various sections are rural four-lane divided highway and urban four-lane highway. The highway passes through farmland, residential and commercial properties.
State Route 200 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California near Arcata in Humboldt County. It is a cut-off connecting U.S. Route 101 and State Route 299. It runs along the north bank of the Mad River, to the north of the 101-299 junction. It is also known as North Bank Road.
State Route 263 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California in Siskiyou County, running parallel to Interstate 5 to the west. Route 263 connects State Route 3 near the north city limits of Yreka to State Route 96 eight miles (13 km) north. Although SR 263 was once part of U.S. Route 99, it is not signed as part Business Loop 5.
State Route 265 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that is part of both Business Loop 5 and Weed Boulevard in the City of Weed in Siskiyou County. SR 265 runs from U.S. Route 97 to Interstate 5.
State Route 273 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that serves as a business loop of Interstate 5 that travels directly through the downtown districts of Anderson and Redding in Shasta County.
Highway 156 is a designation for three east–west state highways in Washington County, Arkansas. The first segment was created in 1937, with two more created in 1973. All are minor state highways established to provide system connectivity and are maintained by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT).
State Road 441 (SR 441) is a part of the Indiana State Road that runs through Vincennes in the US state of Indiana. The 2.61 miles (4.20 km) of SR 441 that lie within Indiana serve as a minor highway. None of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Most of the route is an urban two-lane highway. The highway passes through residential and commercial properties.
The National Network is a network of approved state highways and interstates for commercial truck drivers in the United States. The Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 authorized the establishment of a national network of highways designated for use by large trucks. On these highways, Federal width and length limits apply. The National Network (NN) includes almost all of the Interstate Highway System and other, specified non-Interstate highways. The network comprises more than 200,000 miles (320,000 km) of highways.
Airport Expressway, is a 7.9-mile (12.7 km) long expressway located in Allen County and the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The expressway, completed in 2001, provides access to the Fort Wayne International Airport. Airport Expressway begins as an extension of Lower Huntington Road in rural Allen County at an interchange with Interstate 69 (I–69) exit 299 and travels northeast, then east to end at Fairfield Avenue. None of the highway is listed on the National Highway System. Various sections are rural four-lane undivided highway and urbanized four-lane divided highway.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of Transportation .