Embedded Files
100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
1926-1931
North: Kings Mountain, NC
South: Tuskegee, AL
1931-1933
North: Culpeper, VA
South: Tuskegee, AL
1933-1934
North: Baltimore, MD
South: Tuskegee, AL
1934-1950
North: Baltimore, MD
South: Pensacola, FL
Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 1153 miles for US 29... however, that included the mileage of US 29's associated business/bypass/alternate routes. According to the state subtotals on AASHTO's 1989 spreadsheet, mainline US 29's actual end-to-end total at the time was 1036 miles. That closely matches our own 2020 measurement, which yielded 1039.6 miles. Want historic mileages? Our handy reference book includes the mileages that were published in all 13 of AASHO/AASHTO's historic route logs (spanning the years 1927 to 1989).
Tuskegee
US 29 was an original 1926 route; at the time it went only as far south as US 80 in Alabama:
c. 1928, ALDoT
During that timeframe, US 29 followed today's AL hwy. 14 west out of Auburn, then AL 81 south into Tuskegee, so US 29 ended right at the downtown square. This shot is looking north on Main Street:
Karner, May 2013
Today that is northbound US 29, which continues with US 80 to the right. But originally the southernmost segment of US 29 was straight ahead in the distance on Main, or AL 81. However, since Main is interrupted for one block there by the town square, traffic must go around it, so the historic beginning was a half-block to the right, and the historic endpoint was a half-block to the left.
Kings Mountain
From Tuskegee, US 29 initially ran only to Kings Mountain NC:
The designation ended at its junction with US 74, which was not marked on that part of the map, but it overlapped with NC hwy. 20. This photo was looking north on Battleground Avenue, or NC hwy. 216. The crossroad is King Street, which originally carried mainline US 74, so US 29 ended here:
Karner, May 2013
Culpeper
In 1931 the north end of US 29 was extended to Culpeper. This photo was looking north on Main Street. US 15 came in from the right on Orange Road and continued ahead on Main, so US 29 ended here:
Roberson, Mar. 2007
This shot was taken from the opposite direction (south on Main). Southbound US 15 veered to the left on Orange, so straight ahead was the north beginning of US 29:
Roberson, Mar. 2007
Two years later (in 1933) US 29 was extended further north: to Baltimore. And the year after that the US 29 designation was extended to the south: from Brewton AL it overlapped with US 31 for 14 miles to Flomaton, and then it replaced historic US 331[i] running down to its current terminus in Pensacola.
Ellicott City
US 29 traffic had been directed right through old town Ellicott City on its way to downtown Baltimore. But in 1950 it was truncated to its junction with US 40, and in 1953 US 29 was redirected along a new alignment, bypassing Ellicott City to the west, and ending at the Baltimore National Pike (which had been US 40 Bypass, but was then changed to mainline US 40), as illustrated on these maps:
c. 1954, Rand McNally
c. 1956, Gousha
This 1962 topo map shows that US 29's original configuration at Ellicott was essentially the same as today (even though US 29 has since been extended north of the Baltimore Pike):
c. 1962, USGS
This 1953 photo was taken from eastbound US 40, and it shows signage for the north beginning of US 29. The overpass in the background is for eastbound US 40 to southbound US 29, and as of 2023 it was still in use:
c. 1953 (linked to original)
That map indicates that drivers on northbound US 29 who wanted westbound US 40 would have had to turn onto a short section of Ridge Road. Just beyond there, US 29 ended at what is now the ramp from northbound US 29 to eastbound US 40:
Karners, Jan. 2017
Looking the opposite direction (west on US 40), US 29 formerly went only to the left, using the same alignment as today's ramp towards Columbia...
Wiley
Karners, Jan. 2017
...but when I-70 was built through the area in about 1968, the US 29 designation was extended north (right) a mile or two to the I-70 interchange (exit 87). Actually it is signed just a little ways beyond there, ending at MD hwy. 99. For the past several years, approaching that junction, a couple different versions of an unusual "End" sign have been posted:
Nitzman, Sep. 2004
Karners, Jan. 2017
The signage in the distance is shown close-up here; these cars were at the north end of US 29:
Nitzman, Sep. 2004
These shots show the same intersection, approaching via eastbound MD 99:
Karners, Jan. 2017
Formerly there was another sign ahead to mark the north beginning of US 29, but it was gone by 2017:
Nitzman, Sep. 2000
Historically, drivers who took that right turn would immediately see the first southbound US 29 confirming marker, but this was also gone as of 2017:
Wiley
The small marker below the US 29 sign said "29th Division Memorial Highway". The signs visible in the distance are for the I-70 interchange; here is a closer view:
Karners, Jan. 2017
Research and/or image credits: Nathan Edgars; Chris Elbert; Adam Froehlig; Karin and Martin Karner; Alex Nitzman; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Mike Wiley
Page originally created 1999;last updated Sep. 21, 2025.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse