U.S. Route 50
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Length | 3,019 mi[1] (4,859 km) | |||
Existed | November 11, 1926[2]–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | I-80 in West Sacramento, CA | |||
| ||||
East end | MD 528 in Ocean City, MD | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
States | California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the
The route runs through mostly rural
The route continues into the eastern United States, where it passes through the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia before heading through Washington, D.C. From there, US 50 continues through Maryland as a high-speed road to Ocean City.
Signs at each end give the length as 3,073 miles (4,946 km), but the current distance is slightly less due to realignments since that figure was calculated.
US 50 was created in 1926 as part of the original U.S. Highway system. The original route planned in 1925 ran from
Route description
mi | km
| |
---|---|---|
CA | 109 | 175 |
NV | 409 | 658 |
UT | 335 | 539 |
CO | 468 | 753 |
KS | 448 | 721 |
MO | 264 | 425 |
IL | 166 | 267 |
IN | 171 | 275 |
OH | 209 | 336 |
WV | 196 | 315 |
VA | 86 | 138 |
DC | 8 | 13 |
MD | 150 | 240 |
Total | 3,019 | 4,859 |
Western U.S.
US 50 begins as a major freeway at its junction with
In Utah, US 50 also passes through desolate, remote areas with few inhabitants. After crossing the
Midwestern U.S.
Upon entering Kansas, US 50,
In that state, US 50 switches to
Mid-Atlantic states
The portion of US 50 from
Within the District, US 50 immediately exits the freeway onto
History
Before the creation of the
One major controversy related to the preliminary route of US 50. The through route had been assigned to the
The gap in Utah was soon bypassed by taking US 50 to the north, crossing the
The north–south split in Kansas was eliminated in the late 1950s, with the south route—which was to be US 250—becoming part of US 50, and most of US 50N becoming part of a new
At its west end, US 50 was extended south from Sacramento along
Major intersections
- California
- I-80 in West Sacramento
- I-5 in Sacramento
- Nevada
- I-580 / US 395 in Carson City. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
- US 95 in Fallon. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
- US 93 in Ely. The highways travel concurrently to Majors Place.
- US 6 in Ely. The highways travel concurrently to Delta, Utah.
- Utah
- I-15 north-northeast of Holden. The highways travel concurrently to Scipio.
- US 89 in Salina. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
- I-70 / US 89 in Salina. I-70/US 50 travels concurrently to south-southwest of Mack, Colorado.
- US 6 / US 191 west of Green River. US 6/US 50 travels concurrently to Grand Junction, Colorado. US 50/US 191 travels concurrently to west-southwest of Thompson Springs.
- Colorado
- I-70 in Grand Junction
- US 550 in Montrose
- US 285 in Poncha Springs. The highways travel concurrently through the town.
- I-25 / US 85 / US 87 in Pueblo. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
- US 350 in La Junta
- US 287 south of Wiley. The highways travel concurrently to Lamar.
- US 287 / US 385 in Lamar. US 50/US 385 travels concurrently to Granada.
- US 385 / US 400 in Granada. US 50/US 400 travels concurrently to west of Dodge City, Kansas.
- Kansas
- US 83 north-northwest of Garden City. The highways travel concurrently to Garden City.
- US 56 / US 283 in Dodge City. US 50/US 56 travels concurrently to Kinsley. US 50/US 283 travels concurrently to west-southwest of Wright.
- US 183 in Kinsley
- US 281 south of St. John
- I-135 / US 81 in Newton. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
- US 77 in Florence. The highways travel concurrently on a roundabout at the intersection.
- I-335 in Emporia
- I-35 east of Emporia. The highways travel concurrently to Lenexa.
- US 75 south-southeast of Olivet
- US 59 in Ottawa. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Ottawa.
- US 56 in Gardner. The highways travel concurrently to Lenexa.
- US 169 in Olathe. The highways travel concurrently to Lenexa.
- I-35 / I-435 / US 56 / US 169 in Lenexa. I-435/US 50 travels concurrently to Kansas City, Missouri.
- US 69 in Overland Park
- Missouri
- I-49 / I-435 / I-470 / US 71 in Kansas City. I-470/US 50 travel concurrently to Lee's Summit.
- US 65 in Sedalia
- US 54 / US 63 in Jefferson City. US 50/US 63 travels concurrently to north of Westphalia.
- I-44 south-southwest of Villa Ridge. The highways travel concurrently to the Sunset Hills–Kirkwood city line.
- I-270in Sunset Hills
- I-44 / US 61 / US 67 on the Sunset Hills–Kirkwood city line. US 50/US 61/US 67 travels concurrently to Mehlville.
- I-255 in Mehlville. The highways travel concurrently to Caseyville, Illinois.
- Illinois
- I-64 / I-255 in Caseyville. I-64/US 50 travels concurrently to O'Fallon.
- US 51 in Sandoval. The highways travel concurrently through the village.
- I-57 in Salem
- US 45 northwest of Flora. The highways travel concurrently to east of Flora.
- Indiana
- US 41 / US 150 in Vincennes. US 41/US 50 travels concurrently through the city. US 50/US 150 travels concurrently to Shoals.
- I-69 east of Washington
- US 231 in Loogootee. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
- I-65 in Seymour
- US 31 in Seymour
- US 421 in Versailles. The highways travel concurrently through the town.
- I-275 in Greendale.
- Ohio
- US 27 / US 42 / US 52 / US 127 in Cincinnati
- I-71 / I-75 in Cincinnati. I-71/US 50 travels concurrently through the city.
- I-471 in Cincinnati
- US 52 in Cincinnati
- US 68 in Fayetteville
- US 62 in Hillsboro
- US 23 / US 35 in Scioto Township. US 23/US 50 travels concurrently through the township. US 35/US 50 travels concurrently to Schrader.
- US 33 in Athens. The highways travel concurrently to Athens Township.
- West Virginia
- I-77 east of Parkersburg
- US 19 in Clarksburg
- I-79 in Clarksburg
- US 250 west-southwest of Pruntytown. The highways travel concurrently to Pruntytown.
- US 119 in Grafton
- Maryland
- Red House
- West Virginia
- US 220 southeast of New Creek. The highways travel concurrently to Junction.
- Virginia
- US 11 / US 17 / US 522 in Winchester. US 11/US 50 travels concurrently through the city. US 17/US 50 travels concurrently to Paris. US 50/US 522 travels concurrently to southeast of Winchester.
- I-81 in Winchester
- US 340 in Waterloo
- US 15 in Gilberts Corner
- I-66 in Fair Oaks
- US 29 in Fairfax. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
- line
- District of Columbia
- I-66 in Washington. The highways travel concurrently through the city, to the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.
- US 1 in Washington, in the National Mall. The highways travel concurrently to Mount Vernon Square.
- I-395in Washington, in Mount Vernon Square
- Maryland
- I-595 is entirely concurrent with US 50 from here to Annapolis.
- US 301 in Bowie. The highways travel concurrently to southwest of Queenstown.
- I-97 in Parole
- US 13 in Salisbury. The highways travel concurrently around the northeastern corner of the city.
- US 113 in Berlin
- MD 528 in Ocean City
See also
Related U.S. Routes
- U.S. Route 150
- U.S. Route 250
- U.S. Route 350
- U.S. Route 450
- U.S. Route 550
- U.S. Route 650
- Special routes of U.S. Route 50
Notes
- ^ The following routes were used, mostly shown on the 1926 Rand McNally:
- Nevada: 2
- Utah: 8 (in the east half of the state; the west half was unnumbered)
- Colorado: 6
- Kansas: state highways were not numbered prior to the U.S. Highway system
- Missouri: 12, shown on Missouri State Highway Commission, Route Map Showing Designated Routes and Numbers, Approved September 19, 1922
- Illinois: 12
- Indiana: 4 and 5; by 1926, a short piece was 41, but this was originally part of 5, shown on the description of the 1917 Indiana State Highway Map Archived May 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries
- Ohio: mostly 26; it had been Main Market Route V in the 1910s, shown on 1914, 1915, and 1917 Ohio Transportation Maps
- West Virginia: 1
- Virginia: 36; it had been 6 until the 1923 renumbering, shown in the route descriptions as defined by the General Assemblyon January 31, 1918
- Maryland: state highways were not numbered prior to the U.S. Highway system
References
- ^ Figure derived from summing mileages provided by each state DOT.
- ^ .
- ^ Dildine, Dave (November 27, 2017). "How did that Sacramento road sign end up in Ocean City?". Washington, DC: WTOP-FM. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Nevada Commission on Tourism. "The Official Hwy 50 Survival Guide: The Loneliest Road in America" (PDF). Nevada Commission on Tourism. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
- ISBN 1-55591-294-X. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Google (July 31, 2009). "National Map of U.S. Route 50" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
- .
- ^ United States Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 1926. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
- ^ Weingroff, Richard F. "From Names to Numbers: The Origins of the U.S. Numbered Highway System". Federal Highway Administration.
- American Association of State Highway Officials. April 1927.
- Nevada Department of Highways, Road Map, 1932
- ^ Weingroff, Richard F. "US 6: The Grand Army of the Republic Highway". Federal Highway Administration.
- Nevada Department of Highways. 1954. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
- Salinareceive a single number
- ^ "SR-50". Utah Department of Transportation. pp. 4–12. Archived from the original on October 19, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
- ^ "Highway to Heaven". Rocky Mountain News. November 1, 1992.
- ^ "Ask the Rambler: Why Does I-70 End in Cove Fort, Utah?". Federal Highway Administration.
- ^ KDOT Historic State Maps, 1956 and 1957–1958
- ^ "Ohio Transportation Maps". 1928–1935. Archived from the original on June 25, 2007.
- Rand McNally & Company (1933). California (Map). Archived from the originalon December 2, 2011.
- ^ California Streets and Highways Code, 1963: "Route 50 is from Route 80 in Sacramento to the Nevada state line near Lake Tahoe via Placerville. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1963, Ch. 385.)"
- ^ Thomas Guide (1967). San Francisco (Map). Archived from the original on June 5, 2004.
- Modesto Bee and News-Herald. July 19, 1967. p. C1. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
Route 205, which will be the North Tracy Bypass linking Route 580 (the present Route 50) to Interstate 5
- ^ Maryland State Roads Commission (1949). Maryland: Official Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Baltimore: Maryland State Roads Commission.
- ISBN 978-0-528-00771-2.
External links
- Endpoints of U.S. Highway 50
- Kansas Highway Maps: Current, Historic, KDOT