US route wannabes: US 37 and US 143
^ date reposted to this blog Jan. 20, 2021: originally posted to my old blog Dec. 2, 2023: last updated Did these routes ever exist? Short answer: they were designated by AASHO (very briefly), and for that reason they existed on some maps, but they were almost certainly never signposted. Read on for more details. Background: split US routes When the Bureau of Public Roads was planning the US route system in the mid-1920s, most local leaders wanted a US highway to pass through their town, because they recognized that such a designation would bring the perception of prestige and the potential for economic gain. Drivers traveling between two larger cities often had more than one route available to them, each having comparable distance, road surface quality, etc. Towns situated along the optional routes sometimes clashed over which route should be awarded a US designation, and sometimes these fights were so bitter that the state departments of transportation could not resolve them...