 U.S. Route 50 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 50 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 3,019 mi[1] (4,859 km) | |||
| Existed | November 11, 1926 (1926-11-11)[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  I-80 inWest Sacramento, CA | |||
| Major intersections |
| |||
| East end |  MD 528 inOcean 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 orU.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of theU.S. Highway system, stretching 3,019 miles (4,859 km) fromInterstate 80 (I-80) inWest Sacramento, California, toMaryland Route 528 (MD 528) inOcean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic Ocean. Until 1972, when it was replaced byInterstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended (by way ofStockton, theAltamont Pass, and theBay Bridge) toSan Francisco, near the Pacific Ocean. The Interstates were constructed later and are mostly separate from this route. It generally serves a corridor south ofI-70 and I-80 and north ofI-64 andI-40.
The route runs through mostly ruraldesert andmountains in thewestern United States, with the section throughNevada known as "The Loneliest Road in America". In theMidwest, US 50 heads through mostly rural areas of farms as well as a few large cities includingKansas City, Missouri;St. Louis, Missouri; andCincinnati, Ohio.
The route continues into the eastern United States, where it passes through theAppalachian Mountains inWest Virginia before heading throughWashington, D.C. From there, US 50 continues throughMaryland as a high-speed partially limited access road. It crosses theChesapeake Bay on theChesapeake Bay Bridge and then continues on Maryland’s eastern shore 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.[3] US 50 passes through a total of 12 states:California, Nevada,Utah,Colorado,Kansas,Missouri,Illinois,Indiana,Ohio, West Virginia,Virginia, and Maryland, as well as theDistrict of Columbia.
US 50 was created in 1926 as part of the original U.S. Highway system. The original route planned in 1925 ran fromWadsworth, Nevada, east toAnnapolis, Maryland, along severalauto trails including theLincoln Highway,Midland Trail, and theNational Old Trails Road. The final 1926 plan had US 50 running fromSacramento, California, east to Annapolis with a gap in west Utah that was bridged by running the route north viaSalt Lake City before rerouting it toUS 6 in the 1950s. US 50 was extended west from Sacramento to San Francisco in the 1930s, replacingUS 48; this was reversed in 1964 whenI-580 replaced much of the route between the two cities. In addition, US 50 was extended east from Annapolis to Ocean City prior in 1949, replacing a portion ofUS 213. US 50 had two split configurations into US 50N and US 50S, one in Kansas and another in Ohio and West Virginia; both of these instances have been removed.
| 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 |
US 50 begins as a major freeway at its junction withInterstate 80 inWest Sacramento and continues intoSacramento. The portion of US 50 west of and including its interchange with California's State Highway 99 in Sacramento is also designated, but not signed as, Interstate 305. The signage along this portion of the highway indicates Business Loop I-80 and a portion of the way (2 miles/3.33 km) as California State Highway 99. From Sacramento, the highway heads eastward as the William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. Memorial Highway, continuing as a freeway to theGold Country foothills, then following theAmerican River up theSierra Nevada as a conventional highway, until cresting the Sierras atEcho Summit and descending toLake Tahoe, where the highway entersNevada. In Nevada, the highway crosses a series of north–south running mountain ranges that break up the Nevada desert which are calledBasin and Range. East ofCarson City, the road enters the heart of theGreat Basin, passing by few communities and minimal services, giving it the name "Loneliest Road in America" until reachingUtah.[4]
In Utah, US 50 also passes through desolate, remote areas with few inhabitants. After crossing theConfusion Range viaKings Canyon and theHouse Range, the road traverses the north shore of theendorheicSevier Lake. InHolden, US 50 shortly overlapsInterstate 15 to cross thePavant Range. The road begins a much longer overlap withInterstate 70 inSalina crossing theWasatch Plateau andSan Rafael Swell intoColorado. US 50 leaves I-70 upon entering the state and heads southeast throughGrand Junction and into the southern part of Colorado. Once there, the road climbs to its highest elevation of 11,312 feet (3,448 m)[5] over theRocky Mountains and inMonarch Pass where it crosses theContinental Divide. After descending from the Rockies, US 50 passes byRoyal Gorge nearCañon City and servesPueblo. The route then joinsU.S. Route 400 inGranada and follows theArkansas River intoKansas.[6]
Upon entering Kansas, US 50,concurrent with US 400, runs along the Arkansas River toDodge City where US 50 splits from US 400 and takes a more northerly course. US 50 continues to traverse the farmlands and small towns of theGreat Plains mostly as a straight two-lane road untilEmporia where it joinsInterstate 35 and splits ontoInterstate 435 to bypass the center of theKansas City Area. InMissouri, US 50 leaves I-435 forInterstate 470 splitting atLee's Summit. US 50 runs as a four-lanedivided highway across theWestern Plain toSedalia where it continues as a two-lane road until reachingCalifornia, MO about 20 miles west ofJefferson City. The road continues as a four-lane divided highway intoJefferson City where it joins US 63 just south of the Missouri River Bridge. It continues 12 miles east of Jefferson City to the Osage River where US 63 splits off to the south. It then continues as a two-lane road as it traverses the northern sections of theOzark Highlands east toUnion where it begins an overlap withInterstate 44 which goes throughPacific. The routes separate inSunset Hills where US 50 migrates southeast bypassingSt Louis by joiningInterstate 255 to crossMississippi River intoIllinois.[6]
In that state, US 50 switches toInterstate 64 before splitting onto its own alignment in easternO'Fallon. It heads east throughTrenton,Breese,Carlyle crossing theKaskaskia River,Salem,Flora andLawrenceville to theWabash River along a corridor between Interstates64 and70. US 50 entersIndiana at the Wabash River, bypassingVincennes andWashington and passing throughBedford,Seymour, andVersailles. It meets theOhio River atAurora, and soon crosses intoOhio, running through downtownCincinnati viaFort Washington Way (Interstate 71). The route crosses southern Ohio viaHillsboro,Chillicothe, andAthens, joining the four-lane dividedCorridor D (State Route 32) west of Athens. It meets the Ohio River aroundBelpre, and crosses the newerBlennerhassett Island Bridge (previously crossing theParkersburg-Belpre Bridge) into greaterParkersburg, West Virginia.[6]
The portion of US 50 fromParkersburg, West Virginia toWinchester, Virginia follows the historicNorthwestern Turnpike, which crosses the southern tip ofGarrett County, Maryland. From Parkersburg toInterstate 79 east ofClarksburg, US 50 has been upgraded as part of the four-lane dividedCorridor D. US 50 is a curving two-lane mountain road, east of Clarksburg throughGrafton, a bit of Maryland, andRomney to Winchester. This portion of the road is so curvy that locals claim "you can meet yourself coming." The land flattens out after the route crosses theBlue Ridge Mountain east of Winchester, and it follows the oldLittle River Turnpike fromAldie toFairfax City and the newerArlington Boulevard toRosslyn, where it crosses theWashington, D.C. line on the west shore of thePotomac River and joinsInterstate 66 on theTheodore Roosevelt Bridge.[6]
Within the District, US 50 immediately exits the freeway ontoConstitution Avenue along the north side of theNational Mall and south of theWhite House. After turning north on 6th Street Northwest, it exits the city to the northeast onNew York Avenue. Upon crossing intoMaryland, it passes the south end of theBaltimore-Washington Parkway and becomes theJohn Hanson Highway, a freeway toAnnapolis. The portion of this highway east of theCapital Beltway (I-95/I-495) is also designated, but not signed as,Interstate 595, andU.S. Route 301 joins from the south atBowie. The freeway continues beyond Annapolis as theBlue Star Memorial Highway which crosses theChesapeake Bay on theChesapeake Bay Bridge and continues toQueenstown. There the Blue Star Memorial Highway continues northeast as US 301, while US 50 turns south, passing throughEaston toCambridge, and then east throughSalisbury toOcean City on the four-lane dividedOcean Gateway. US 50 ends near theAtlantic Ocean shore at Baltimore Avenue (Maryland Route 378 northbound); its westbound beginning is one block to the west, at Philadelphia Avenue (Maryland Route 528 southbound).[6]
Before the creation of theInterstate Highway System afterWorld War II, US 50 was a major east–west route. Numbered highways in the United States follow a pattern of odd numbers for north–south routes and even numbers for east–west routes, hence the designation of "50" for this route. In the preliminary report, approved by theJoint Board on Interstate Highways in late 1925, US 50 ran fromWadsworth, Nevada toAnnapolis, Maryland, passing throughPueblo, Colorado;Kansas City, Missouri;Tipton, Missouri;St. Louis, Missouri;Cincinnati, Ohio, andWashington, D.C.[7] The route did not directly replace anyauto trail, instead combining portions of many into one continuous route. It followed the historicNorthwestern Turnpike acrossWest Virginia, and portions of other historic roads. Major auto trails followed, including theMidland Trail in part ofIndiana,Illinois,Missouri, and parts ofUtah andColorado. TheNational Old Trails Road (Old Santa Fe Trail) was designated inKansas and eastern Colorado, and theLincoln Highway was constructed inNevada.[8] In most states that had numbered theirstate highways, US 50 followed only one or two numbers across the state.[note 1]
One major controversy related to the preliminary route of US 50. The through route had been assigned to theOld Santa Fe Trail, while the spur U.S. Route 250 followed the competingNew Santa Fe Trail to the south. As a compromise, theJoint Board on Interstate Highways approved a split configuration—U.S. Route 50N andU.S. Route 50S—in January.[9] Another problem was in western Utah, where no improved road existed for US 50 to use. The final numbering plan, approved in November 1926, left a gap in US 50 betweenEly, Nevada andThistle, Utah. Finally, rather than ending US 50 at Wadsworth, where the Lincoln andVictory Highways merged, it was sent over the Lincoln Highway's Pioneer Branch, past the south side ofLake Tahoe, toSacramento, California.[2][10]
The gap in Utah was soon bypassed by taking US 50 to the north, crossing theGreat Salt Lake Desert withU.S. Route 40 toSalt Lake City, and using long portions ofU.S. Route 93 in Nevada andU.S. Route 89 in Utah.[11]U.S. Route 6 was marked along the direct, but still partially unimproved, route in 1937; it was finally paved in 1952,[12] and US 50 was moved to it within a few years.[13] Another straightening was made in 1976, when US 50 in central Utah was moved south onto the new extension ofInterstate 70 at the request of the National Highway 50 Federation,[14][15] a group dedicated to promoting US 50.[16] Among other things, the group has unsuccessfully pushed for an extension ofInterstate 70 west along US 50 toCalifornia.[17]
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 newU.S. Route 56.[18] Another split was located betweenAthens, Ohio andEllenboro, West Virginia from the late 1920s to the mid-1930s, when US 50 went back to its original southern route; thatU.S. Route 50N is nowOhio State Route 550 and part ofWest Virginia Route 16.[19]
At its west end, US 50 was extended south from Sacramento alongU.S. Route 99 toStockton and west to theSan Francisco Bay Area, replacingU.S. Route 48, by the early 1930s.[20] US 50 was officially cut back to Sacramento in the1964 renumbering, replaced byInterstate 580,[21] but remained on maps and signs for several more years.[22][23] US 50 was extended east from Annapolis toOcean City, Maryland in 1949, three years prior to the opening of theChesapeake Bay Bridge in 1952; this extension replacedMaryland Route 404 between Annapolis andWye Mills andU.S. Route 213 between Wye Mills and Ocean City. Prior to the bridge opening, US 50 used a ferry across the Chesapeake Bay betweenSandy Point andMatapeake and followed present-dayMaryland Route 8 between Matapeake andStevensville before continuing east.[24]
I-80 inWest Sacramento
I-5 inSacramento
I-580 /US 395 inCarson City. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 95 inFallon. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 93 inEly. The highways travel concurrently toMajors Place.
US 6 in Ely. The highways travel concurrently toDelta, Utah.
I-15 north-northeast ofHolden. The highways travel concurrently toScipio.
US 89 inSalina. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-70 /US 89 in Salina. I-70/US 50 travels concurrently to south-southwest ofMack, Colorado.
US 6 /US 191 west ofGreen River. US 6/US 50 travels concurrently toGrand Junction, Colorado. US 50/US 191 travels concurrently to west-southwest ofThompson Springs.I-70 in Grand Junction
US 550 inMontrose
US 285 inPoncha Springs. The highways travel concurrently through the town.
I-25 /US 85 /US 87 inPueblo. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 350 inLa Junta
US 287 south ofWiley. The highways travel concurrently toLamar.
US 287 /US 385 in Lamar. US 50/US 385 travels concurrently toGranada.
US 385 /US 400 in Granada. US 50/US 400 travels concurrently to west ofDodge City, Kansas.
US 83 north-northwest ofGarden City. The highways travel concurrently to Garden City.
US 56 /US 283 in Dodge City. US 50/US 56 travels concurrently toKinsley. US 50/US 283 travels concurrently to west-southwest ofWright.
US 183 in Kinsley
US 281 south ofSt. John
I-135 /US 81 inNewton. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 77 inFlorence.
I-35 /I-335 inEmporiaI-35 east of Emporia. The highways travel concurrently toLenexa.
US 75 south-southeast ofOlivet
US 59 inOttawa. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Ottawa.US 56 inGardner. The highways travel concurrently to Lenexa.
US 169 inOlathe. The highways travel concurrently to Lenexa.
I-35 /I-435 /US 56 /US 169 in Lenexa. I-435/US 50 travels concurrently toKansas City, Missouri.
US 69 inOverland Park
I-49 /I-435 /I-470 /US 71 in Kansas City. I-470/US 50 travel concurrently toLee's Summit.
US 65 inSedalia
US 54 /US 63 inJefferson City. US 50/US 63 travels concurrently to north ofWestphalia.
I-44 south-southwest ofVilla Ridge. The highways travel concurrently to theSunset Hills–Kirkwood city line.
I-270 in Sunset Hills
I-44 /US 61 /US 67 on the Sunset Hills–Kirkwood city line. US 50/US 61/US 67 travels concurrently toMehlville.
I-255 in Mehlville. The highways travel concurrently toCaseyville, Illinois.
I-64 /I-255 in Caseyville. I-64/US 50 travels concurrently toO'Fallon.
US 51 inSandoval. The highways travel concurrently through the village.
I-57 inSalem
US 45 northwest ofFlora. The highways travel concurrently to east of Flora.
US 41 /US 150 inVincennes. US 41/US 50 travels concurrently through the city. US 50/US 150 travels concurrently toShoals.
I-69 east ofWashington
US 231 inLoogootee. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-65 inSeymour
US 31 in Seymour
US 421 inVersailles. The highways travel concurrently through the town.
I-275 inGreendale.
US 27 /US 42 /US 52 /US 127 inCincinnati
I-71 /I-75 in Cincinnati. I-71/US 50 travels concurrently through the city.
I-471 in CincinnatiUS 52 in Cincinnati
US 68 inFayetteville
US 62 inHillsboro
US 23 /US 35 inScioto Township. US 23/US 50 travels concurrently through the township. US 35/US 50 travels concurrently toSchrader.
US 33 inAthens. The highways travel concurrently toAthens Township.
I-77 east ofParkersburg
US 19 inClarksburg
I-79 in Clarksburg
US 250 west-southwest ofPruntytown. The highways travel concurrently to Pruntytown.
US 119 inGrafton
US 219 inRed House
US 220 southeast ofNew Creek. The highways travel concurrently toJunction.
US 11 /US 17 /US 522 inWinchester. US 11/US 50 travels concurrently through the city. US 17/US 50 travels concurrently toParis. US 50/US 522 travels concurrently to southeast of Winchester.
I-81 inWinchester
US 340 inWaterloo
US 15 inGilberts Corner
I-66 inFair Oaks
US 29 inFairfax. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-495 on theAnnandale–Merrifield–West Falls Church lineI-66 inWashington, D.C. The highways travel concurrently through the city, to theFoggy Bottom neighborhood.
US 1 in Washington, in theNational Mall. The highways travel concurrently toMount Vernon Square.
I-395 in Washington, in Mount Vernon Square
I-95 /I-495 inLanham. The unsignedI-595 is entirely concurrent with US 50 from here toAnnapolis.
US 301 inBowie. The highways travel concurrently to southwest ofQueenstown.
I-97 inParole
US 13 inSalisbury. The highways travel concurrently around the northeastern corner of the city.
US 113 inBerlinMD 528 inOcean CityRoute 205, which will be the North Tracy Bypass linking Route 580 (the present Route 50) to Interstate 5
Routes initalics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system. |
