Route number


A route 'number, designation or abbreviation' is an identifying numeric designation assigned by a highway authority to a particular stretch of roadway to distinguish it from other routes and, in many cases, also to indicate its classification, general geographical location and/or orientation. The numbers chosen may be used solely for internal administrative purposes; however, in most cases they are also displayed on roadside signage and indicated on maps.

Prefixes

are often used in road designations to indicate a class of roadways. Within such a class, roads are distinguished from each other by a road number. The way such letters are used depends on the country or other political jurisdiction which contains and controls the road. For instance, among A1 motorways, the one in Spain has a hyphen between the A and the 1 while in Germany the Autobahn 1 is written A 1, with a space between the A and the 1. In Argentina there are zeros between the A and the 1.

Single-letter abbreviations

  • "A" may mean "motorway" in a number of countries, usually the largest and highest-quality roadways in the country. Is also used for primary roads in the UK. It also means a road of national significance in Australia and the United Kingdom.
  • "B" roads in the United Kingdom are distributor roads which have lower traffic densities than the main trunk roads, or A roads. In certain Australian states, a B road is a road of state significance.
  • "C" may mean county in the US and means a connecting route that connects two places in Victoria, Tasmania or the Northern Territory. Means "Circle" or "Circular road" in Japan.
  • "D" may mean départementale in France, or dálnice in the Czech Republic and analogous diaľnica in Slovakia
  • "E" may mean "European" road, or "Expressways" in Japan, Zimbabwe
  • "F"
  • "G" may be used for a national highway or freeway in China
  • "H" may mean "Hawaiian Interstate" in the US
  • "I" may mean "Interstate" in the US
  • "J"
  • "K" may be used for a state highway in Kansas in the US or Kreisstraße in Germany
  • "L" may mean "local" route in Ireland or Landesstraße in Germany
  • "M" used for motorways in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia, metropolitan routes in South Africa, municipal roads in Portugal, and also used for state highways in Michigan in the US
  • "N" may mean "national" road or for state highways in Nebraska
  • "O" may mean "Otoyol" in Turkey
  • "P"
  • "Q"
  • "R" may mean "regional" route in South Africa, Ireland, Portugal and Ukraine or "ring" road, or "rýchlostná cesta" in Slovakia
  • "S" may mean expressways in Austria and Poland or "Shengdao/Provincial Highways" in China
  • "T" T roads in Malaysia are roads in Terengganu; in some parts of the U.S., they are township roads; In Estonia, T is the official prefix for national routes; "territorial" roads in Ukraine; in Italy T is used for tunnels when separately classified, like the Great St Bernard Tunnel
  • "U" may mean "unclassified" road; also used in Utah routes in the US
  • "V"
  • "W"
  • "X" may mean "Xiandao/County Highways" in China
  • "Y" may mean "Xiangdao/Town Highways" in China
  • "Z"

    Multiple-letter abbreviations

  • AP: Autopista de peaje in Spain
  • BAB: Bundesautobahn in Germany, only used in documents, normally just A
  • BR: Brazilian Federal Highway
  • CH/CR: County Highway, Route or Road in the US or Canada among other countries
  • CT: cao tốc in Vietnam
  • DC: drum comunal in Romania
  • DG: droga gminna in Poland
  • DJ: drum județean in Romania
  • DK: droga krajowa in Poland
  • DN: drum național in Romania
  • DP: droga powiatowa in Poland
  • DW: droga wojewódzka in Poland
  • EO: in Greece
  • Fv: Fylkesvei in Norway
  • IC: Itinerário complementar in Portugal
  • IP: Itinerário principal in Portugal
  • NH: Is used to designate National Highway network in India. Also used to designate State Highways in the US State of New Hampshire.
  • QL: quốc lộ in Vietnam
  • SH/SR: State Highway, Route or Road in New Zealand or the US
  • SS/SR/SP/SC: Strada statale, regionale, provinciale or comunale
  • TH/TR: Township Highway, Route or Road in the US
  • TL: tỉnh lộ in Vietnam
  • US: United States Numbered Highway
  • USBR: United States Bicycle Route

    Roman numeral prefixes

  • I: first-class roads in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, first-class roads in Bulgaria
  • II: second-class roads in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, second-class roads in Bulgaria
  • III: third-class roads in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, third-class roads in Bulgaria
While in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Roman numeral is followed by a slash, Bulgaria uses a hyphen.

By country

Depending on the country, the letter attributed to a road may be part of a road grading system, be a shortening for a type of road especially in a foreign language or refer to a geographical zoning system, such as the Appalachian Development Highway System or the county highway systems of California, Iowa, and Michigan in the United States.

International systems

In Australia, road routes are allocated along sections of named roads, often along parts of multiple roads. Unlike many other countries, most highways in Australia tend to be referred to only by their names. State road authorities have separate numbering systems, for internal use only.
The first route marking system was introduced to Australia in the 1950s. National Routes were assigned to significant interstate routes – the most important road links in the country. National Route 1 was designated to a circular route around the Australian coastline. A state route marking system was designed to supplement the national system, for inter-regional and urban routes within states. When the National Highway system was introduced, National Routes along it became National Highway routes with the same numbers, but with distinctive green and gold route markers. Alphanumeric routes were introduced in Tasmania in 1979, and during the 1990s, planning began for nationally consistent route markings, using the alphanumeric system. Alphanumeric routes have been introduced in most states and territories in Australia, partially or completely replacing the previous systems.

National Routes and Highways

In 1955, the Australian National Route Numbering System was introduced to simplify navigation across Australia. The National Route Numbers are marked by white shields that are present in directional signs, distance signs or trailblazers. The general rule was that odd-numbered highways travel in north–south directions and even-numbered highways in east–west directions, with only a few exceptions. National Route 1 was assigned to a network of highways and roads, which together linked all capital cities and coastal towns circumnavigating the mainland. The National Route system initially linked the centres of towns and cities and terminated at the junction of other national routes, however many bypasses have been constructed since then. National Routes often terminated at the metropolitan city limits rather than the individual city centres.
In 1974, the federal government assumed responsibility for funding the nations most important road links, with the introduction of the National Highway. These highways were marked with distinctive green and gold route marker shields instead of the plain National Route shield. Though the National Highway system has been superseded in subsequent legislation, National Highway route markers are still used on many of the routes. Additionally, National Highways and National Routes have been phased out, or are in the process of being phased out, in all states and territories except Western Australia, in favour of the alphanumeric system.

State Routes

Important urban and inter-regional routes not covered by the National Highway or National Route systems are marked under the State Route system. They can be recognised by blue shield markers. They were practically adopted in all states by the end of the 1980s, and in some states, some less important National Routes were downgraded to State Routes. Each state has or had its own numbering scheme, but with the exception of QLD, do not duplicate State Route numbers in the same state, or nearby routes in another state.
As with the National Routes and National Highways, State Routes are being phased out in most states and territories in favour of alphanumeric routes. However, despite the fact that Victoria has fully adopted alphanumeric routes in regional areas, state route numbers are still used extensively within the city of Melbourne as a part of its Metropolitan Route Numbering Scheme.

Metroads

In the 1990s in Sydney and Brisbane, urban route numbering system were streamlined under the Metroad scheme. Metroad route numbers were assigned to the key navigational corridors, along ring and radial routes, and marked by distinctive hexagonal shields. Most Metroads were replaced by alphanumeric route numbers in the mid 2010s; to such an extent that only Metroads 2 and 5 still exist in Brisbane, and none remain in Sydney. However, remnant signage still exists along the old routes.

Alphanumeric routes

Tasmania introduced an alphanumeric route numbering system in 1979, based on the British system from 1963. The new system aimed to upgrade the signing of destinations, including previously unmarked roads, and to simplify navigation by allowing visitors to follow numbered routes. National Highway 1 was retained as the only route without an alphanumeric designation.
In the 1990s Victoria and South Australia also overhauled their systems. While South Australia discarded the National and State Route Numbering Systems, those shield-based schemes were retained in the Melbourne metropolitan area as the Metropolitan Route Numbering Scheme. The route numbers used in the alphanumeric schemes were generally inherited from the original National Route Numbering System, with only a few exceptions, and prefixed with letters denoting their grade. For example, Western Freeway is M8 until Ballarat and continues beyond as A8 Western Highway. They are not used extensively in the Melbourne metropolitan area where the blue-shield metropolitan route system is retained for most routes. The National Highways were retained, but with the route numbers changed to alphanumeric designations.
New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory introduced the alphanumeric system from early 2013. Before being officially announced, new road signs were fitted with such numbers and then being "coverplated" with the existing route number. However, the new system does not distinguish between the former National Highways and other routes.
Alphanumeric routes have also been introduced for many major highways and urban routes in Queensland, although many other roads retain markers from the National Route, National Highway, State and Metroad numbering systems. According to the New South Wales Roads & Maritime Services, the Northern Territory has similarly begun converting their numbered routes to alphanumeric routes, with a "progressive replacement" scheme that sees alphanumeric route markers introduced only when signs are replaced. There are no plans to introduce an alphanumeric route numbering system in Western Australia.