Auxiliary Interstate Highways (also called three-digit Interstate Highways) are a subset of highways within the United States' Interstate Highway System. The 323 auxiliary routes generally fall into three types: spur routes, which connect to or intersect the parent route at one end; bypasses, which connect to the parent route at both ends; and beltways, which form a circle that intersects the parent route at two locations. Some routes connect to the parent route at one end but to another route at the other end; some states treat these as spurs while others treat them as bypasses. Like the primary Interstate Highways, auxiliary highways meet Interstate Highway standards (with rare exceptions).
The shorter auxiliary routes branch from primary routes; their numbers are based on the parent route's number. All of the supplement routes for Interstate 95 (I-95) are designated with a three-digit number ending in "95": I-x95. With some exceptions, spur routes are numbered with an odd hundreds digit (such as I-395), while bypasses and beltways are numbered with an even hundreds digit (such as I-695). Because longer Interstates may have many such supplemental routes, the numbers can repeat from state to state along their route, but they will not repeat within a state.
There are three states that have no auxiliary Interstate Highways: Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico. North Dakota has an auxiliary route, but it is unsigned, and Wyoming's does not meet Interstate Highway standards.
Terminology and guidelines
Routes that begin with an even number generally connect to the main highway in two locations, while odd numbers only connect in one location.
Auxiliary Interstates are divided into three types: spur, loop, and bypass routes.
The first digit of the three digits usually signifies whether a route is a bypass, spur, or beltway. The last two digits are derived from the main Interstate Highway. For instance, I-515 contains an odd number in the first digit (5), which indicates that this freeway is a spur. The last two digits signify the highway's origin. In this case, the "15" in I-515 shows that it is a supplement to I-15.
Exceptions to the standard numbering guidelines exist for a number of reasons. In some cases, original routes were changed, extended, or abandoned, leaving discrepancies in the system. In other cases, it may not be possible to use the proper number because the limited set of available numbers has been exhausted, causing a "non-standard" number to be used.
Spur route
A spur route's number usually has an odd number for its first digit.[2] It is usually one of the following:
It may serve another section of a city or metropolitan area not served by the main freeway (most often the central business district), terminating at a regular city street/avenue or at a substandard freeway, such as I-185 in Columbus, Georgia.
It may represent the first portion of a contemplated extended freeway, one that downgrades to below Interstate standards with plans to upgrade it later on. An example is I-540 in Arkansas.
States differ on their interpretation of the numbering convention in this case. In the I-390 example above, the route has both ends at Interstates, but not at the same Interstate on both ends, and is assigned an odd first digit. Another example is I-275 in Tennessee: it is a connector between I-40 and I-75 (a similar case of having both ends at Interstates but not at the same Interstate) and is assigned an even first digit.
This may even vary within the same state. For example, in Michigan, both I-196 and I-696 intersect I-96 at one end and I-94 at the other end.
Sometimes, a three-digit Interstate Highway branches off from another three-digit Interstate Highway. These spurs do not connect directly with their parent highways, but are associated with them via the three-digit highways they do intersect with.
A bypass route may traverse around a city, or may run through it with the mainline bypassing. In a typical 3-digit Interstate Highway, bypasses usually have both its two termini junctioned with another Interstate highway. Bypass routes are preceded by an even number in the first digit.[2]
In the case of an auxiliary Interstate highway which has both ends at Interstates but not the same Interstate, some states treat these as bypasses while others treat these as spurs—see Spur route above.
Beltway
A beltway (also known as a loop route) completely surrounds a metropolitan city, and it is often connected with multiple junctions to other routes. Unlike other auxiliary Interstate Highways (and by extension, all primary Interstate Highways), beltways do not have termini; however, they have a place where the highway mileage resets to zero. Beltways are also preceded by an even number in the first digit.[2]
Was given a future designation during its existence due to not being upgraded to Interstate Highway standards; freeway became part of I-49 once completed
Proposed loop route of I-66 between the District, and Arlington County; if built, would have been the only auxiliary route of I-66; canceled in the face of community opposition during Washington's freeway revolts
Construction completed in October 2018; co-signed with SR 304 in Mississippi; extension to Millington, TN to connect with the proposed I-69 extension planned
An unconfirmed section of Future I-285 is to continue north of I-40 for 10 miles (16 km) along US 52, through downtown Winston-Salem, to the proposed Winston-Salem Northern Beltway.[15][16]
^According to the FHWA, I-275 in Michigan is only 29.97 mi (48.23 km) because they do not count the length overlapping I-96.[3] MDOT and most major map publishers do count the overlap.[12][13][14]
^ abcDeSimone, Tony (October 31, 2002). "Interstate Route Numbering". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
^Warring, KS (January 2, 2008). "Interstate 905 Freeway Interchanges"(PDF). California Numbered Exit Uniform System. Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
^Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2013). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
^Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 14, 1980). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda"(PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 519. Retrieved November 13, 2014 – via Wikimedia Commons.
^Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2013). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
