U.S. Routes in the U.S. state of New Mexico account for 2,980.838 miles (4,797.194 km) of the state highway system. The first United States Numbered Highways U.S. Routes were formed in 1926,[1] and served as the primary thoroughfares across the entire state. Twenty six of the 33 counties in New Mexico are served by current U.S. Routes. The only counties lacking U.S. Route coverage are: Bernalillo, Cibola, Harding, Los Alamos, Mora, Sierra, and Valencia.[2]
System information | |
---|---|
Length | 2,980.838 mi[n 1] (4,797.194 km) |
Highway names | |
Interstates | Interstate XX (I-XX) |
US Highways | U.S. Route XX (US XX) |
State | State Road XX (NM XX) |
System links | |
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One decommissioned U.S. Route, U.S. Route 66, colloquially known as the nation's Mother Road,[3] and briefly known as U.S. Route 60,[4] crossed through Northern New Mexico, connecting the cities of Albuquerque and Gallup.[1] The state recognized its historical value, and has posted commemorative signs, and has painted the old shield on some of the roadways that make up the path of the former highway, such as New Mexico State Road 333.[5] Other highways have been renamed or renumbered, such as U.S. Route 491, which was formerly U.S. Route 666. With the 666 designation, the road was nicknamed Devil's Highway because of the common Christian belief that 666 is the Number of the Beast. The effort to get the route renumbered was led by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.[6]
The longest current U.S. Route in New Mexico is U.S. Route 70, spanning 448.264 miles (721.411 km) across southern New Mexico, while the shortest is U.S. Route 160, which clips the extreme northwestern corner of the state, measuring 0.86 miles (1.38 km) long between the Arizona and Colorado borders.[2] U.S. Route 160, in conjunction with New Mexico State Road 597, provide access to the Four Corners Monument where the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah meet.[7]
List
editNumber | Length (mi)[2] | Length (km) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Formed | Removed | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US 54 | 356.076 | 573.049 | US 54 at the Texas state line | US 54 at the Texas state line | [1] | 1926current | ||
US 56 | 94.172 | 151.555 | I-25 Bus. in Springer | US 56 / US 64 / US 412 at the Oklahoma state line | [8] | 1957current | ||
US 60 | 397.895 | 640.350 | US 60 at the Arizona state line | US 60 at the Texas state line | [9] | 1931current | ||
US 62 | 109.710 | 176.561 | US 62 at the Texas state line | US 62 at the Texas state line | [10] | 1932current | ||
US 64 | 430.634 | 693.038 | US 64 at the Arizona state line | US 56 / US 64 / US 412 at the Oklahoma state line | [1] | 1926current | ||
US 66 | — | — | US 66 at the Arizona state line | US 66 at the Texas state line | [1] | 1926[11] | 1985Replaced by I-40; also known as the Mother Road[3] | |
US 70 | 448.264 | 721.411 | US 70 at the Arizona state line | US 70 / US 84 at the Texas state line | [1] | 1926current | ||
US 80 | — | — | US 80 at the Arizona state line | US 80 at the Texas state line | [1] | 1926[12] | 1991Replaced by I-10; formed part of the Dixie Overland Highway | |
US 82 | 192.557 | 309.890 | US 54 near Alamogordo | US 82 at the Texas state line | [13] | 1960current | ||
US 84 | 357.47 | 575.29 | US 70 / US 84 at the Texas state line | US 84 at the Colorado state line | [14] | 1936current | ||
US 85 | 483 | 777 | US 85 at the Texas state line | US 85 at the Colorado state line | [1] | 1926current | Replaced by I-10 and I-25; New Mexico portion still recognized by AASHTO[15] | |
US 87 | 99.85 | 160.69 | US 87 at the Texas state line | US 87 at the Colorado state line | — | — | ||
US 160 | 0.861 | 1.386 | US 160 at the Arizona state line | US 160 at the Colorado state line | — | — | Was formerly US 164 | |
US 164 | — | — | US 164 at the Arizona state line | US 164 at the Colorado state line | — | — | Renumbered US 160 | |
US 180 | 245.77 | 395.53 | US 180 at the Arizona state line | US 180 at the Texas state line | — | — | ||
US 180 | 111.71 | 179.78 | US 62 / US 180 at the Texas state line | US 62 / US 180 at the Texas state line | — | — | ||
US 285 | 412.654 | 664.102 | US 285 at the Texas state line | US 285 at the Colorado state line | — | — | ||
US 366 | — | — | US 366 at the Texas state line | US 566 near Lincoln | [1] | 1926— | Replaced by US 54 | |
US 380 | 242.092 | 389.609 | I-25 near San Antonio | US 380 at the Texas state line | — | — | ||
US 385 | — | — | US 64 | US 385 at the Texas state line | [1] | 1926— | Replaced by US 87 | |
US 412 | 94.172 | 151.555 | I-25 Bus. in Springer | US 56 / US 64 / US 412 at the Oklahoma state line | — | — | ||
US 485 | — | — | US 85 near Santa Fe | US 85 near Raton | [1] | 1926[16] | 1933Replaced by US 64 | |
US 491 | 107.308 | 172.695 | I-40 / NM 602 in Gallup | US 491 at the Colorado state line | — | — | Was formerly US 666 | |
US 550 | 174.885 | 281.450 | I-25 in Bernalillo | US 550 at the Colorado state line | — | — | ||
US 566 | — | — | US 85 near Socorro | US 70 in Clovis | [1] | 1926[17] | 1932Replaced by US 380 | |
US 666 | — | — | I-40 / NM 602 in Gallup | US 666 at the Colorado state line | [1] | 1926[2] | 2003Renumbered US 491; also known as the Devil's Highway[6] | |
US 789 | — | — | Arizona state line | Colorado state line | — | — | Proposed, but never commissioned; would have been co-signed with US 66 then US 666 | |
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Special routes
editNumber | Length (mi) | Length (km) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Formed | Removed | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US 54 Bus. |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Serves Alamogordo | |
US 54 Bus. |
2.410 | 3.879 | — | — | — | — | Serves Tucumcari | |
US 64 Bus. |
3.1 | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | Serves Farmington | |
US 70 Bus. |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Serves Alamogordo | |
US 70 Bus. |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Served Ruidoso | |
US 70 Truck |
7.5 | 12.1 | — | — | — | — | Serves Roswell | |
US 70 Bus. |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Served Portales | |
US 80 Alt. |
— | — | Las Cruces | Anthony | — | — | ||
US 82 Truck |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Serves Artesia | |
US 82 Truck |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Serves Lovington | |
US 85 Alt. |
— | — | Anthony | Las Cruces | — | — | ||
US 85 Byp. |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Served Santa Fe | |
US 85 Alt. |
— | — | Barelas | Alameda | — | — | ||
US 285 Alt. |
— | — | Artesia | South Springs Acres | — | — | ||
US 285 Truck |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Serves Roswell | |
US 285 Alt. |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Served Santa Fe | |
US 285 Byp. |
— | — | — | — | — | — | Served Santa Fe | |
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See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Sum of the mileage of current U.S. Routes listed, and cited, on this page.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bureau of Public Roads & American Association of State Highway Officials (November 11, 1926). United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). 1:7,000,000. Washington, DC: United States Geological Survey. OCLC 32889555. Retrieved November 7, 2013 – via Wikimedia Commons.
- ^ a b c d New Mexico Department of Transportation. "State Routes" (PDF). New Mexico Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
- ^ a b McClure, Rosemary (November 29, 2010). "Get your kicks on Route 66—and 499 other great highways". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ Rand McNally (1926). "New Mexico" (Map). Auto Road Atlas. Scale not given. Chicago: Rand McNally. p. 69. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ "Route 66 Stencil Project In Moriaty" (PDF). ¿Que Pasa?. New Mexico Department of Transportation. August 2005. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 26, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ a b Weingroff, Richard F (June 18, 2003). "US 666: Beast of a Highway?". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved November 11, 2007.
- ^ "NM 597" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
- ^ Hesch, Louis (1957). Official Road Map of New Mexico (ZIP) (Map). 1:1,267,200. Santa Fe: New Mexico State Highway Department. §§ 9B, 8B. Retrieved August 3, 2019 – via University of New Mexico RGIS.
- ^ Weingroff, Richard (June 18, 2003). "U.S. Route 666: "Beast of a Highway"?". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^ Broome, B.C.; Hesch, Louis (1932). Official Road Map of New Mexico (ZIP) (Map). 1:1,267,200. Santa Fe: New Mexico State Highway Department. Retrieved August 3, 2019 – via University of New Mexico RGIS.
- ^ "No more kicks on Route 66". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. June 29, 1985. p. 10A. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ Weingroff, Richard F. (April 6, 2010). "US Route 80: The Dixie Overland Highway". Highway History. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
- ^ Weingroff, Richard (June 27, 2017). "U.S. 82". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- ^ Broome, B.C.; Hesch, Louis (1936). Official Road Map of New Mexico (ZIP) (Map). 1:1,267,200. Santa Fe: New Mexico State Highway Department. Retrieved August 3, 2019 – via University of New Mexico RGIS.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (December 2009). "U.S. Route Number Database". American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
- ^ Broome, B.C.; Hesch, Louis (1933). Official Road Map of New Mexico (ZIP) (Map). 1:1,267,200. Santa Fe: New Mexico State Highway Department. Retrieved August 3, 2019 – via University of New Mexico RGIS.
- ^ "End of US highway 566". Retrieved August 20, 2019.[self-published source]