Maryland Route 491

Maryland Route 491 (MD 491) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Raven Rock Road, the state highway runs 6.78 miles (10.91 km) from MD 64 in Smithsburg north to MD 550 in Fort Ritchie. The middle portion of MD 491 was constructed in the mid-1950s. The highway was extended south to Smithsburg along a partially new alignment in the early 1960s, replacing a road that had been designed MD 92 from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s. MD 491 was extended north toward Fort Ritchie in the late 1960s.

Route description

MD 491 begins at an intersection with MD 64 (Smithsburg Pike) in Smithsburg. The state highway heads northeast as two-lane Raven Rock Road, which flanks the western slope of South Mountain and parallels CSX's Hanover Subdivision. MD 491 veers east away from the railroad at Fruit Tree Drive and crosses Little Antietam Creek. The Appalachian Trail then crosses MD 491 approximately 1/2 mile further. The state highway follows the creek into Raven Rock Hollow, a gap in South Mountain between Buzzard Knob to the south and Raven Rock to the north. MD 491 follows the creek east and then northeast to an unnamed gap near Mt. Zion Road where the highway enters Frederick County. The state highway continues north to a four-way intersection next to the historic summer cottage Tipahato. From this intersection on the county line, Fort Ritchie heads east toward Sabillasville and Moyer Road heads north toward the communities of Highfield and Cascade. MD 491 turns west onto Macfee Hill Road into Washington County. The state highways descends to the site of the former U.S. Army installation Fort Ritchie within the community of Fort Ritchie, where the highway reaches its northern terminus at MD 550. MD 550 heads northeast as Military Road and northwest along Macfee Hill Road toward Pen Mar.

Pennsylvania Route 491

Pennsylvania Route 491 (PA 491) is a state highway in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Also known as Naamans Creek Road, the route runs from U.S. Route 202 (US 202) in Concord Township east to the Delaware border in Lower Chichester Township, where the route continues as Delaware Route 491 (DE 491), a 0.36 mi (0.58 km) connector between the Pennsylvania border and Delaware Route 92 (DE 92) near Claymont, Delaware. PA 491 runs closely parallel to the Delaware border throughout its route. It intersects Pennsylvania Route 261 (PA 261) in the Booths Corner section of Bethel Township. The western portion of PA 491 was first designated as part of Legislative Route 135 in 1911. In the 1920s, the Delaware portion of road was built as a state highway while PA 491 was created in 1928.

Route description

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Route 491 (PA 491) begins at an intersection with US 202 in Concord Township, Delaware County, heading east-southeast on two-lane undivided Naamans Creek Road. The route passes through residential areas, crossing into Bethel Township at the Pyle Road intersection. Upon reaching the community of Booths Corner, PA 491 passes businesses and comes to an intersection with PA 261. Following this intersection, the route runs past more neighborhoods as it enters Upper Chichester Township. Upon reaching the community of Ogden, PA 491 turns to the southeast as it crosses CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision railroad line. After crossing into Lower Chichester Township, the route passes under I-95 as it heads south into woodland to the Delaware border.

U.S. Route 69

U.S. Route 69 is a north–south United States highway. When it was first created, it was only 150 miles (241 km) long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to Texas cross-country route. The highway's southern terminus (as well as those of US 287 and US 96) is in Port Arthur, Texas at an intersection with State Highway 87. Its northern terminus is in Albert Lea, Minnesota at Minnesota State Highway 13.

Route description

Texas

US 69 begins at its southern terminus with SH 87 in Port Arthur. This intersection is also the southern terminus for US 96 and US 287, which are concurrent with US 69. US 69, US 96, and US 287 continue in a northwest, then west, route until its intersection with Interstate 10 in southern Beaumont. At this intersection, US 69, US 96, and US 287 merge with I-10. I-10/US 69/US 96/US 287 continue in a northerly direction through Beaumont for several miles. Just after the intersection with US 90, I-10 splits from the multiplex and resumes its easterly course, leaving US 69, US 96, and US 287 heading northwest through Beaumont. US 69 north of I-10 is also known officially known as Eastex Freeway, and is an official evacuation route, just as Interstate 69/US 59 heading north from Houston is known as Eastex Freeway as well.

U.S. Route 399

U.S. Route 399 was a U.S. Highway that ran from Ventura, California to Bakersfield, California. It was established in 1934 and deleted in 1964, as it was only 137 miles (219 km) long, less than the minimum 300 miles (480 km) that AASHTO set as the threshold for U.S. Highways. It has been replaced with a segment of State Route 33, all of State Route 119, and a segment of State Route 99.

Route description

From its original junction at U.S. Route 101 in Ventura, California, the route continues along State Route 33 up to Ojai, temporarily joining State Route 150. Leaving Ojai, it continued into the Los Padres National Forest along the Maricopa Highway, with its summit at Pine Mountain. Descending into the Cuyama River Valley, it met State Route 166 and travelled east towards Maricopa past what is now the Carrizo Plain National Monument and crossing the axis of the San Andreas Fault into the southern San Joaquin Valley. In Maricopa, it continued north again with State Route 33 into the southern Midway-Sunset Oil Field and intersecting modern State Route 119 in Taft. From Taft, U.S. 399 followed State Route 119 out of town through Valley Acres and past the modern Buena Vista Recreation Area (the old Buena Vista Lake) towards U.S. Route 99 (now State Route 99) in Pumpkin Center and Greenfield, then with the old alignment of U.S. Route 99 (Union Avenue, SR 99 Bus.) north into Bakersfield where it terminated. This ending, being a useless concurrency, was later truncated to U.S. Route 99 until U.S. Route 399 was decommissioned.

U.S. Route 431

U.S. Route 431 is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently runs for 556 miles (895 km) from Owensboro, Kentucky at U.S. Route 60 to Dothan, Alabama, at U.S. Route 231 and U.S. Route 84.

Route description

Alabama

U.S. 431 is paired with unsigned State Route 1 throughout almost all of Alabama, with the exception Dothan, where it is paired with unsigned State Route 210. Within Dothan, AL 1 is also paired with US 231 between the Florida State Line and the Dothan Loop, and US Business Routes 231 and 431 in Dothan, Alabama.

The route takes a rather meandering path through southeast Alabama. It heads in a northeast direction to pass through Phenix City near the Georgia state line, then cuts back to the west to pass through Opelika; the portion between Phenix City and Opelika is concurrent with U.S. Route 280. From Opelika, US 431 swings back and forth between northwest and northeast as it works its way through the southern extent of the Appalachian Mountains, then turning northwest to pass through the Talladega National Forest, arriving at a junction with Interstate 20 a few miles east of Oxford. The combined routes travel westward from Exit 191 into Oxford, where US 431 splits off at Exit 188 and heads northward through Oxford and the adjacent city of Anniston; through this section the route is named Veterans Memorial Parkway.