U.S. Highway 50

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U.S. Highway 50
The Loneliest Road in America
Length	3073 miles
General direction	West/East
From	Sacramento, California
To	Ocean City, Maryland
Major cities	Sacramento, Cincinnati, Washington, D.C., Ocean City
Established	1926
System	U.S. Highway system

United States Highway 50 is an east-west United States highway. As the "0" in its route number suggests, US 50 is a coast-to-coast route, or at least nearly so. Signs at both termini give the Maryland to California distance as 3,073 miles (4,946 km), though that mileage is based off of an older measurment and has likely changed due to bypasses, Interstate highway co-signings, and other realignments.

US 50 serves both Jefferson City, Missouri, and Carson City, Nevada, two of only five state capitals not served by an Interstate highway.

In Nevada, US 50 is known as "The Loneliest Road in America", due to the bleak terrain and very low traffic. This stretch is also home to "The Loneliest Payphone in America".

Contents 1 Termini 2 States traversed 3 Alternate names and multiplexes 3.1 Maryland 3.2 District of Columbia 3.3 Virginia, West Virginia 3.4 Missouri 3.5 Kansas 3.6 Nevada 3.7 California 4 Historic sites along US 50 4.1 Maryland 4.2 Virginia 4.3 West Virginia 4.3.1 Hampshire County 4.3.2 Mineral County 5 Major water crossings 6 Associations Regarding US 50 7 Alternate routes 8 Related US routes 9 See also 10 Sources and external links

Termini

As of 2005, the highway's eastern terminus is in Ocean City, Maryland at the southern end of a barrier island, where it intersects Maryland State Highway 528. Its western terminus is in West Sacramento, California at an interchange with Interstate 80.

The Sacramento terminus used to have a sign saying "US 50 East / Ocean City, MD / 3073 Miles". It was stolen by a fraternity sometime during 2002, and was replaced with a more ordinary mileage sign. When installed, the replacement erroneously listed the distance as 3,037 miles (4,888 km), but it was subsequently patched over with the correct mileage. [1]

US 50 once extended all the way to San Francisco, by going south through Stockton and then west to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. This part was decommissioned in favor of Interstate 580.

States traversed

The highway passes through the following states:

• Maryland
• District of Columbia (via New York Avenue)
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Back into Maryland (for less than 10 miles)
• Back into West Virginia
  • US 50 is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System's Corridor D from Clarksburg, West Virginia to Parkersburg, West Virginia at the Ohio River
• Ohio
  • US 50 is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System's Corridor D from Parkersburg, West Virginia at the Ohio River to Cincinnati, Ohio
• Indiana
• Illinois
• Missouri
• Kansas
• Colorado
• Utah
• Nevada
• California

Alternate names and multiplexes

Maryland

• Known as Ocean Gateway from its eastern terminus to its multiplex with US 301
• Maryland State Highway 16 in Cambridge, Maryland
• U.S. Highway 301 from Queenstown, Maryland to Bowie, Maryland
• Blue Star Highway from the east end of the US 301 multiplex to Annapolis, Maryland
• Maryland State Highway 2 in Annapolis, Maryland
• Known as the John Hanson Highway from Annapolis, Maryland to Washington, DC
• Interstate 595 (unsigned) from Annapolis to the Capital Beltway in New Carrollton, Maryland

District of Columbia

• Known as New York Avenue from Maryland border to 6th Street NW
• U.S. Highway 1 along 6th St and part of Constitution Avenue (see Constitution Avenue article for a detailed explanation)
• Interstate 66 across the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge between Washington, D.C., and Arlington County, Virginia

Virginia, West Virginia

• Known as the Northwestern Turnpike from Winchester, Virginia to Parkersburg, West Virginia where it crosses the Ohio River.

Missouri

• Interstate 44 around St. Louis, Missouri

Kansas

• Interstate 35 from Lenexa, Kansas to Emporia, Kansas

Nevada

• Known as the Loneliest Road in America in Nevada.
• In Nevada it follows closely the route of the Pony Express
• U.S. Highway 6 from Ely, Nevada to Delta, Utah.
• U.S. Highway 93 (the "Great Basin Highway") from Ely, Nevada to junction near Great Basin National Park.
• Passes by ancient petroglyph sites at Grimes Point (just east of Fallon) and Hickison Petroglyphs (20 miles east of Austin).
• Passes by Sand Mountain, a six-hundred-foot high sand dune 25 miles east of Fallon.
• The Nevada Shoe Tree is two miles east of the roadhouse at Middlegate.

California

Legal Definition of Route 50: California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 304

Route 50 is part of the Freeway and Expressway System, as stated by section 253.1 of the California State Highway Code.

Route 50 is part of the Scenic Highway System, as stated by section 263.2 of the California State Highway Code.

• Known as the Lincoln Highway in California
• Known as the Capital City Freeway sharing the route with Business Loop Interstate 80 between I-80 in West Sacramento and California State Route 99 in Sacramento.

Historic sites along US 50

Maryland

• Kent Island, Maryland, first English settlement within Maryland

Virginia

• Arlington National Cemetery
• Ox Hill Battlefield Park (site of the Battle of Chantilly during the United States Civil War)

West Virginia

Prior to the US Numbered Highway System it was West Virginia State Route 1

Hampshire County

• Hook's Tavern, 1790
• Frye's Inn, c. 1800
• Straw's Country Store Museum
• West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, 1846
• Historic Downtown Romney
• Indian Mound Cemetery
• Fort Mill Ridge Civil War Trenches
• The Burg, built c. 1769
• Sloan-Parker House (Stone House), built 1790

Mineral County

• Weaver’s Antique Service Station
• Claysville Church
• Patterson Creek Manor
• Saddle Mountain

Major water crossings