How are Missouri roads named?

[cmd]

I just traveled through Missouri from St. Louis to the Arkasas border south of Branson. (My dad lives in Harrison, Arkansas.) I noticed that many of your local roads have names like C, D, J, Y,ZZ etc. I'm sure there is some logical reason for the names and wonder how it is done.

[whatever4]

1. "I'm sure there is some logical reason" whatever for? ;) nm

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Don't know what the reason is, but it's enough to drive people over

the edge! I've often wondered if 'D' exists in more than one county. Surely, they have more than 26 roads.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. DD

They double the letter. :) Really.

[AllegroRondo]

3. Each county can name the road how they want

county roads are given letters, but each county gets to pick their ownn lettering system. It is quite common for roads to change names when you cross a county line.

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. It's been about 18 years since I lived there, but as I remember

those are county roads. And, yes, there could be the same county road designation for different roads in different counties.

(Of course, I could be mis-remembering that.)

[cmd]

5. Thanks, everyone

I guess I was wrong about the logical reasoning. Though letter names are unimaginative, they are quick and easy to write.

[Solar]

6. it is odd

There are state highways (370 in St Louis and 94 from St Charles to Jefferson City). These are shown on roadsigns enclosed in the shape of Missouri or in circles on maps. There are also state routes (Highway K in O'Fallon). As you have noticed, letters can be combined in to ZZ, AH, DD etc. These are enclosed in squares. What determines if it gets a letter or a number? Quite frankly I don't know.

As others have said though, watch out for changing names. Page Avenue in St Louis is Route D until it passes Interstate 270. The road was extended into a highway from there just recently to become Highway 364, dropping the Highway D designation. Sometimes highways can have more than one name, such as Highway 40-60-61 in St Louis. Its US Interstate 40 and US Highways 40 and 61 all in one, but everyone just calls it Interstate 40. I guess thats just when highways combine into urban areas and later split apart outside the city again.

Come to think of it, I pity anyone who tries to navigate the US road system without prior understanding of it :( .

[AllegroRondo]

9. I think you mean I-64 in St Louis

which everyone calls highway 40. very confusing for the non-natives.

[Solon]

10. Its Interstate 70 that extends to Kansas City...

And it stretches from close to one coast to another. State Highway 94 goes from Alton, Illinois and travels southwest a little past Weldon Springs. To make things even more confusing, in St. Charles city, 94 is also known as First Capitol Dr. and 3rd street. Confused yet? :) Also, State Highway 370 only connects I-70 to I-270 from the exit between mine(Cave Springs) and Mid Rivers Mall Dr at the start, to 270 across the river. For those who don't know I-270 is the one circles around St. Louis City.

Couple other things, its 64/40, as in I-64 and State highway 40, but yeah, everyone calls it "foarty" around here. and it is 61 for a small stretch.

[bigfootme]

8. I couldn't find anything out about this

particular subject myself but upon inspection it appears that the one letter roads are usually from town to town while the two letter ones are from like, nowhere off of some highway or to nowhere on some other highway where there isn't a town on one or the other or even either end.

It would be much easier if they were numbered to indicate whether they are going north and south as the odd numbered highways go or east and west as the even numbered ones do.