State highways in Washington

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State Highways in Washington

Interstate 5 marker

U.S. Route 2 marker

State Route 20 marker

Standard route signage in Washington
Map of Washington's highways
System information
Length7,000 mi (11,000 km)
NotesDefined by RCW 47.17;[1] maintained by WSDOT
Highway names
InterstatesInterstate X (I-X)
US HighwaysU.S. Route X (US X)
StateState Route X (SR X)
System links

The State Highways of Washington in the U.S. state of

maintained by the county.[4] The state highway symbol is a white silhouette of George Washington
's head (whom the state is named after).

System description

All state highways are designated by the

U.S. Route 101 Alternate.[1][2] WSDOT has also defined some spurs that mainly serve to provide full access between intersecting routes.[a]

Although most state highways as defined by law are open to traffic,

Most state routes are numbered in a grid, with even-numbered routes running east–west and odd-numbered routes running north–south.

SR 41 are extensions of highways in adjacent states.) Three-digit routes (and SR 92 and SR 96) are usually numbered by taking the first one or two digits of a route it connects to and adding another digit or two.[16] In some cases, instead of using the two-digit route's actual number, a number that would fit the grid is used instead.[17]
Three-digit routes have been numbered as follows:

Main Branches Notes
SR 9 92, 96
US 101 100-119
SR 11
110 Only existed from 1967 to 1975; SR 110 has since been re-applied to a spur of US 101
US 12 121-131
US 410
120-129 Only existed from 1964 to 1967, when US 830 and SR 12 became
US 12
US 97 131 Fits in the grid as SR 13; only existed from 1964 to 1975, when US 97 replaced SR 131; SR 131 has since been re-applied to a spur of US 12
SR 14 140-143
SR 14
141-143 Only existed from 1964 to 1967, when SR 14 became US 12
US 97 150-155 Fits in the grid as SR 15
SR 410
160-169
SR 17 170-174
SR 18 181
US 195 193-194
US 2 202-209
SR 20 211-215, 237 SR 237 replaced SR 537 in 1975 after SR 20 replaced part of SR 536. SR 237 was then decommissioned in 1991.
SR 22 220-225
SR 23 230-232
SR 24 240-243
SR 25 251
SR 26 260-263
SR 27 270-278
SR 28 281-285
US 395 290-294 Fits in the grid as SR 29
SR 3 300-310, 339
SR 31 311
SR 20
replaced part of SR 31
US 395 397
SR 4 401-409, 411, 431-433 431-433 replaced 831-833 in 1967 when SR 4 replaced US 830
I-5 500-548, 599
SR 6 603
SR 7 702-706
SR 8
801 Only existed from 1964 to 1967, when SR 8 became part of
SR 121
I-82 821-823
US 830 831-833 Only existed from 1964 to 1967, when US 830 became SR 4 and 831-833 became 431-433
I-90 900-908, 920
US 97 970-971

History

Washington's first connected state highway system, 1913

After passing several early laws designating state roads starting in 1893, the

Chuckanut Drive and a road around the west side of the Olympic Peninsula.[18] Under a 1909 law, the State Highway Board surveyed a connected network of proposed state roads,[19] The legislature added most of these routes to the state highway system in 1913, when they formed a two-tiered system of primary and secondary roads. Primary roads were completely controlled by the state, including maintenance, and received only names, while secondary roads kept their numbers and county maintenance. Unlike the earlier state roads, these primary roads mostly followed existing passable county roads.[20][21][22]

A 1923 restructuring of the system reassigned numbers to almost all the primary state highways,

final renumbering[26][27] was authorized by law in 1963 and posted in January 1964, when new "sign route" numbers were assigned that matched the inter-state systems and otherwise formed the present grid. Until 1970, these numbers coexisted with the older primary and secondary state highways, when the legislature adopted the sign route numbers as "state routes",[citation needed] finally eliminating all vestiges of the 1905 numbering.[c]

The state legislature adopted new standards for designating state highways in 1990, following a three-year study from the Road Jurisdiction Committee. Among the changes were recommending highways serving state parks and ferry terminals be added to the system.[28] A major restructure was passed by the legislature in 1991 and took effect on April 1, 1992.[29]

See also

Notes

  1. SR 906 Spur
    to WSDOT maintenance areas.
  2. ^ Only SR 501, SR 523, SR 531, and SR 548 run in a perpendicular direction.
  3. PSH 4
    until 1970.

References

  1. ^ a b c Staff. "RCW 47.17 State highway routes". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c Staff (2006). State Highway Log (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 10, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  3. ^ Staff (2006). Annual Mileage and Travel Information (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  4. ^ a b Staff. "RCW 47.04.020 Classification of highways". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  5. ^ Staff. "RCW 41.04.010 Definitions". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  6. ^ Staff. "RCW 47.28.010 Latitude in selecting route". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  7. ^ Staff. "RCW 47.01.260 Authority of department". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  8. ^ Staff. "RCW 47.24.020 Jurisdiction, control". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  9. ^ "WSDOT - Statewide Mountain Pass Map". www.wsdot.com.
  10. U.S. Department of Transportation. Table 8c. there are two state highway crossings at Blaine, and the four non-state highway crossings are at Boundary (former State Route 251), Ferry, Nighthawk, and Point Roberts
    .
  11. ^ Washington State Legislature (1994). "An act relating to state highway routes; amending RCW 47.17.080, 47.17.081, 47.17.175, 47.17.305, 47.17.317, 47.17.556, 47.17.560, and 47.17.735; and adding new sections to chapter 47.17 RCW.". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1994 chapter 209.
  12. ^ Staff (2006). "Washington Driver Guide" (PDF). Washington State Department of Licensing. p. 36. Retrieved May 26, 2012. Driving on ocean beaches—Driving is allowed on ocean beaches in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties. The beach is considered a state highway so all road, vehicle registration, and driver licensing regulations apply. The speed limit is 25 mph (40 km/h) and pedestrians have the right-of-way at all times. You may only enter the beach with your vehicle through marked beach approaches and you may only drive on hard-packed sand. Watch for beach closure signs and signs that occasionally prohibit beach driving.
  13. ^ Staff. "RCW 79A.05.010 Definitions". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  14. ^ Staff. "RCW 79A.05.693 Ocean beaches in Seashore Conservation Area declared public highways". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  15. ^ Staff. "RCW 79A.05.610 Jurisdiction over and administration of area". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  16. East Side Journal
    . January 30, 1964. p. 1.
  17. ^ "Washington State Highway System Legislative Statutes". Washington State Department of Transportation. 1979. Retrieved August 18, 2018 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
  18. ^ Washington State Legislature (1905). "An act providing for the survey establishment and repair of certain State highways, and making an appropriation therefor.". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1905 chapter 7, p. 18.
  19. ^ Washington State Legislature (1909). "An act providing for the survey of certain proposed state roads, and state road extensions, by the State Highway Commissioner, and a report on the feasibility of the same.". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1909 chapter 51, p. 94.
  20. State Highway Board
    . 1912. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  21. ^ Washington State Legislature (1913). "An act relating to public highways, classifying the same and naming and fixing the routes of certain state roads.". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1913 chapter 65, p. 221.
  22. ^ Staff. "Forty Years with the Washington Department of Highways" (PDF). Washington Department of Transportation. pp. 1–2, 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 30, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  23. ^ Washington State Legislature (1923). "An act relating to, classifying, naming and fixing the routes of certain state highways, amending Section 6796, and repealing Sections 6791, 6792, 6793, 6794, 6795, 6797, 6798, 6799, 6800, 6801, 6802, 6803, 6804, 6805, 6806, 6808, 6809, 6811, 6812, 6813 and 6816 of Remington's Compiled Statutes.". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1923 chapter 185, p. 627.
  24. ^ Washington State Legislature (1937). "An act relating to public highways, creating and establishing, describing and designating the primary state highways of the State of Washington and declaring an emergency.". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1937 chapter 190, p. 933.
  25. ^ Washington State Legislature (1937). "An act relating to public highways; classifying public highways outside incorporated cities and towns; establishing, designating and describing secondary state highways as branches of primary state highways of this state; defining the powers and duties of certain public officers with respect thereto; providing for application of laws, rules and regulation of vehicles thereon; repealing acts and parts of acts in conflict; providing for constitutionality; and declaring an emergency.". Session Laws of the State of Washington. Olympia, WA: State of Washington. 1937 chapter 207, p. 993.
  26. Washington State Highway Commission
    . Part 1. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  27. ^ Staff (December 1, 1965). Identification of State Highways (PDF) (Report). Washington State Highway Commission. Part 2. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  28. ^ "Chapter 233: State Highway Designation Criteria" (PDF). Session Laws of Washington, 1990. Washington State Legislature. March 28, 1990. pp. 1277–1279. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  29. Newspapers.com
    .

External links