- This article is about the idea of state highways worldwide. For a specific highway in New Jersey, U. S. A. referred to in some signage as the State Highway, see: New Jersey Route 139. Route 139 is a State highway in Jersey City New Jersey, extending the Pulaski Skyway east to the Holland Tunnel.
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state government in a country that is divided into states (including the United States, Australia and Mexico):
- A road numbered by the state, falling below numbered national highways (like U.S. Routes) in the hierarchy
- A road maintained by the state, including nationally-numbered highways
Depending on the state, state highway may be used for one meaning and state road or state route for the other. A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The system of United States Numbered Highways (often called U A third meaning, used in some countries such as New Zealand, uses the word "state" in its sense of a nation. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island By this meaning a state highway is a road maintained and numbered by the national government rather than local authorities.
Contents |
Terminology
The usage of the terms "state highway", "state route", etc. may vary from country to country or even from state to state. In the United States, it is not uncommon for the general public to use different conventions even within a particular state. For example, in Washington, a state highway would be referred to as SR 500 (for State Route 500). Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. State Route 500, commonly known as SR 500, Highway 500, or 500, is a state highway in the U In Oregon, it could be referred to as OR 18 (for Oregon Route 18), while in Idaho it would be SH-51, short for State Highway. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Oregon Route 18 is a State highway that runs between the Oregon Coast, near Lincoln City and the Willamette Valley, near Dayton. The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. State Highway 51 is a 92 mile (148 km road connecting State Route 225 at the border of Idaho and Nevada with Mountain Home at the junction of
National usage
Australia
Australia's State Route System is a system of urban and inter-regional routes that are not covered by the National Route System, or the National Highway System. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. These routes are marked with a blue shield. Sometimes a state route may be formed when a former national route is decommissioned. A decommissioned highway is a Highway that has been removed from service shut down or has had its authorization as a federal or state highway removed
Italy
Italy's Strade Statali extend for some 12,000 km, overseen by the Azienda Nazionale Autonoma delle Strade (ANAS) founded in 1946, replacing the A. A. S. S. (Azienda Autonoma delle Strade Statali) of 1928.
New Zealand
New Zealand's state highway system is a nationwide network of roads covering the North and South Islands. The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. As of 2006, just under 100 roads have a "State Highway" designation: Transit New Zealand administers them. Transit New Zealand ( Māori: Ararau Aotearoa) was the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for operating and planning the New Zealand The speed limit for most State Highways is 100 km/h, with reductions when a State Highway passes through a built-up area. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport.
The highways were originally designated on a two-tier system, National (SH 1-8) and Provincial, with national highways having a higher standard and funding priorities. Now all are State Highways, and the network consists of SH 1 running the length of both main islands, SH 2-5 and 10-58 in the North Island, and SH 6-8 and 60-99 in the South Island. National and Provincial highways are numbered approximately North to South. State Highway 1 runs the length of both islands. State Highway 1 is the most significant road in the New Zealand roading network.
United States
State highways are generally a mixture of primary and secondary roads, although some are freeways (for example, Route 128 in Massachusetts, Ronald Reagan/Cross County Highway (Route 126) in Cincinnati, or parts of Route 101 in New Hampshire). Route 128, also known as the Yankee Division Highway (for the 26th Infantry Division) and originally the Circumferential Highway, is a partial State Route 126 is a State route starting at the Ohio - Indiana border at a split with State Route 129 near Scipio Ohio, and New Hampshire Route 101 is a state-maintained highway in southern New Hampshire extending from Keene to Hampton Beach. Each state has its own system for numbering and its own marker. The default marker is a white circle containing a black sans serif number (often inscribed in a black square or slightly rounded square), according to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). A circular highway shield is a route marker consisting of a number superimposed on a circle The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA of the United States Department of Transportation However each state is free to choose a different marker, and many states have. States may choose a design theme relevant to its state to distinguish state route markers from interstate, county, or municipal route markers. Several states simply use an outlined shape of its state; others, such as Pennsylvania, nicknamed the "Keystone State," uses the shape of a keystone for its state highway markers. In the US state of Pennsylvania, State highways are maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Kansas uses the shape and color of a sunflower. The following is a list of Kansas numbered highways. The list includes the Kansas state highways, e The sunflower ( Helianthus annuus) is an Annual plant in the family Asteraceae and native to the Americas, with a large flowering Yet other states, such as Illinois and Indiana, use neither the MUTCD default or a theme design. The organized system of Illinois Routes (typically abbreviated as ILL) the State highway system for the U State Roads in the US state of Indiana are numbered rationally in general odd one-digit and two-digit highways are north-south highways numbers increasing Instead these states standardized white signs with a black-border, containing only the state name and route or highway number.
Some states have a system of secondary highways in addition to state routes. A prominent example is Missouri, which designates its so-called supplemental routes with letters instead of numbers. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee A supplemental route is a state secondary road in Missouri, designated with letters
See also
- List of Canadian highways by province
- List of numbered highways in the United States
- Interstate Highway System, U.S. Highway System
- Missouri Supplemental Route
- County highway
- Highways in Australia
- New Zealand State Highway network
- List of State Highways in Kerala