Since the
1964 state highway renumbering, which established the current state route system, the
Washington State Department of Transportation has
decommissioned some state routes. Once a highway has been decommissioned, the highway is turned over to the local county or city that it is in, they are then responsible for all maintenance on the former highway. All former highways are codified in Washington law under the Revised Code of Washington, chapter 47.17, section 420.[citation needed]
Other highways during the transition between the 1964 renumbering and codification of the new system in 1970 are not listed here.
Following the completion of the
North Cascades Highway in 1972,
SR 20 was extended east to form a cross-state route under a single number. SR 30 and
SR 294 were decommissioned in 1973 and incorporated into the extended highway, which became the state's longest.[4][5]
US 95, a major north–south route between
Arizona and the
Canadian border, ran for 0.91 miles (1.46 km)[1]: 75 in
Whitman County, Washington, from 1926 to 1979. The short section, between two crossings of the
Idaho state line, connected to
US 195 northwest of
Lewiston, Idaho.[6] The Washington section was
bypassed through the opening of a new highway in October 1977 that stayed within Idaho;[7] the former highway was absorbed into US 195 and a new
spur route created in 1979.[8]
State Route 110 was established in 1967 as SSH 1F, a short connector between Chuckanut Drive (
SR 11) and
I-5 (formerly PSH 1) that had been planned to be built.[10] The route was intended to provide automobile and truck access to the freeway from the
Fairhaven neighborhood and nearby industrial areas, bypassing residential areas in Bellingham.[11] The city government had proposed the highway in 1966 and studied several routings for the 1.2-mile (1.9 km) highway,[12] ultimately recommending route that generally followed the former
Fairhaven and Southern Railroad;[13] state highway engineers recommended against a
limited-access road due to the corridor's development potential.[14]
The state government approved plans in 1969, despite local opposition, and the highway was named the Valley Parkway by the city government in January 1972.[15][16] Construction began later that year and the highway opened to traffic in November 1972 at a cost of $615,479.[17][18] SR 11 was routed onto the new highway upon its completion as part of a provision added by the state legislature in 1971.[18][19] SR 110 was repealed and decommissioned in 1975;[20] the designation was later assigned to a
separate route in 1991.[21]
State Route 126 was an auxiliary route of
US 12 in southeastern Washington that ran 17 miles (27 km) from
Dayton in the west to
Pomeroy in the east. It was a steep and unpaved route that connected two sections of US 12 with the foothills of the
Blue Mountains in
Columbia and
Garfield counties.[6] SR 126 was created during the 1964 state highway renumbering as a replacement for Secondary State Highway 3L.[23] It was removed from the state highway system by the state legislature in 1991 and transferred to county control in April 1992.[24] The former highway followed Patit Road, Hartstock Grade Road, Tucannon Road, Blind Grade Road, Linville Gulch Road, and Tatman Mountain Road.[citation needed]
State Route 131 was a 16-mile (26 km) highway[1]: 106 that connected two sections of
US 97 between
Ellensburg and
Virden in
Kittitas County.[3] It was established in 1964 as a replacement for
SSH 2I.[23] The highway was rebuilt in 1975 and incorporated into US 97, as it provided a shorter route between Ellensburg and
Blewett Pass.[20][25] SR 131 was later reassigned in 1991 to a
short highway near
Randle.[24]
State Route 143 was a short connector between the
Umatilla Bridge, which crosses over the
Columbia River to
Umatilla, Oregon, and
SR 14 in
Plymouth.[6] It was created in 1973 as part of an agreement with the
Umatilla County government to transfer control of the Umatilla Bridge to the states of Oregon and Washington once its tolls had paid off its construction bonds.[5][26] The tolls were removed on August 30, 1974, and ownership was transferred on November 1, with Washington assuming maintenance duties.[27][28] SR 143 was decommissioned in 1985 and replaced by
I-82 and
US 395,[29] which were routed over the Umatilla Bridge and a new northbound bridge that opened in 1988.[30]
State Route 276 was a proposed northern bypass of
Pullman between
US 195 and
SR 270 that was never built. It was added to the state highway system in 1973 during property acquisition, but construction was stalled and shelved.[31][32] A route development plan was published in 2007 but construction was not expected to begin for at least another decade.[33] SR 276 was removed from the state highway system in 2016 to allow for expansion of
Pullman–Moscow Regional Airport.[34][35]
State Route 306 was a short auxiliary route of
SR 3 in
Kitsap County that connected
Bremerton to
Illahee State Park. It traveled east on Sylvan Way for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from
SR 303 to the state park entrance.[36] SR 306 was created during the 1964 renumbering as a replacement for a branch of SSH 21B, which became SR 303.[37] It was planned to be removed from the highway system by the state legislature in 1991, but a technical error inadvertently removed
SR 304 instead. SR 306 was decommissioned in 1993 and SR 304 was restored.[38]
State Route 407 was an auxiliary route of
SR 4 that connected
Cathlamet to
Elochoman State Forest. It was previously designated as SSH 12D prior to the 1964 renumbering and was removed as a state highway in 1992.[citation needed]
A 1973 proposal to extend SR 407 to a junction with
SR 506 near
Vader was considered by the state legislature but was not recommended for construction.[39]
State Route 431 was a short auxiliary route of
SR 4 in
Kelso, Washington. It traveled along North Pacific Avenue and North Kelso Avenue to connect its parent highway to an interchange with
I-5.[40] The highway was originally assigned the designation of SR 831 during the 1964 renumbering to replace a short branch of
PSH 12 that had been created a year earlier.[41][42] It was renumbered to SR 431 in 1967 following the replacement of parent route
US 830 with SR 4.[43] Control of the highway was transferred to local governments in 1992 as part of a swap that included an extension of
SR 432.[40]
State Route 540 was an auxiliary route of I-5 that connected the freeway to the
Lummi Indian Reservation. It was added to the state highway system in 1953 as Secondary State Highway 1Z, replacing an earlier county road that served an oil refinery.[46] It was renumbered to SR 540 in 1964.[47] Its intersection with PSH 1/US 99 was replaced with an interchange that was constructed from 1976 to 1977 during a grade separation project on I-5.[48][49] An earlier plan to build a
cloverleaf interchange was scrapped in favor of a conventional diamond interchange.[50] The highway sustained major damage during a December 1979 flood of the Nooksack River.[51]
SR 540 was removed from the state highway system in 1984 and transferred to Whatcom County as part of a swap; the state instead took over maintenance of the Sumas–Kendall Road, which became
SR 547.[52][53]
State Route 603 was an auxiliary route of
SR 6 that connected
I-5 near
Toledo to
Winlock and its parent highway west of
Chehalis. The majority of the highway was transferred to county control in 1992, with the exception of the east–west section between Winlock and I-5 that was renumbered to part of
SR 505.[40]
SR 901 was created in 1964 from Secondary State Highway 2D. At the time of its creation, SR 901 began at the intersection of Lake Washington Boulevard and
State Route 520, on the border of
Kirkland and
Bellevue. It then traveled north along Lake Washington Blvd. to downtown Kirkland. At the intersection of Lake St. and Central Way, SR 901 turned right, traveling east along Central Way. It then continued as Redmond Way into
Redmond turning south onto West
Lake Sammamish Parkway when the roads intersected. It then followed West Lake Sammamish Parkway into
Issaquah, ending at its intersection with
State Route 900. SR 901 also had a spur leading from West Lake Sammamish Parkway into downtown Redmond along Redmond Way.[citation needed]
In 1971, SR 901 was broken into two parts. The western part, from SR 520 to the intersection of Redmond Way and West Lake Sammamish Parkway (including the spur into Redmond), was renamed
State Route 908. The remainder retained the SR 901 designation, with one exception; West Lake Sammamish Parkway lost its state route designation from Exit 13 of
Interstate 90 to its intersection with SR 900.[citation needed]
Effective April 1, 1992, SR 901's path was changed again; now it ran through the city of
Sammamish along East Lake Sammamish Parkway from Front Street in Issaquah to
State Route 202 east of downtown Redmond. In June, SR 901 was completely dropped as a state route in Washington, following outcry from residents on East Lake Sammamish Parkway.[54]
State Route 920 (SR 920) was the temporary designation for a section of
SR 520 bypassing downtown
Redmond. It was created in 1975 and opened in July 1977, connecting SR 901 to SR 202.[20][57] Four years after the missing link in SR 520 was completed in 1981,[58] SR 920 was deleted from the state highway system.[59]
^
abcdWashington State Legislature (April 25, 1973).
"Chapter 151: State Highways—Route Designations"(PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1973 1st extraordinary session. Washington State Legislature. pp. 1094, 1099. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
^
abcWashington State Department of Transportation (1978).
Washington State Highway Map and Guide (Map). Olympia: Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
^Washington State Legislature (April 23, 1979).
"Chapter 33: State Highway Routes"(PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1979 1st extraordinary session. Washington State Legislature. p. 1118. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
^Washington State Legislature (May 11, 1967).
"Chapter 145: Highways"(PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1967 1st extraordinary session. Washington State Legislature. p. 2303. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
^
ab"Truck route now Highway 11". The Bellingham Herald. November 2, 1972. p. 2. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^Washington State Legislature (May 18, 1971).
"Chapter 73: State Highway Routes"(PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1971 1st extraordinary session. Washington State Legislature. p. 524. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
^
abcWashington State Legislature (April 5, 1975).
"Chapter 63: State Highways—Route Designations"(PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1975. Washington State Legislature. pp. 125, 131–132. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
^Washington State Legislature (April 25, 1973).
"Chapter 151: State Highways—Route Designations"(PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1973 1st extraordinary session. Washington State Legislature. p. 1097. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
^Washington State Legislature (April 4, 2016).
"Chapter 239: State Route 276—Elimination"(PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 2016. Washington State Legislature. p. 1. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
^"Chapter 6: Highway Route Studies".
Report of the Legislative Transportation Committee (Report). Washington State Legislature. January 1973. p. 20. Retrieved October 29, 2021 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
^Washington State Legislature (April 6, 1963).
"Chapter 3: Highways"(PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1963 1st extraordinary session. Washington State Legislature. p. 1289. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
^Washington State Department of Highways (1968).
Washington State Highways (Map). Olympia: Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
^Washington State Department of Highways (1970).
Washington State Highways (Map). Olympia: Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved February 20, 2023 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
^Washington State Department of Highways (1969).
Washington State Highways (Map). Olympia: Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
^"New Redmond bypass will open tomorrow". The Seattle Times. July 14, 1977. p. D5.
^Case, Rebecca (December 18, 1981). "Redmond 520 link opens today". Journal-American. Bellevue, Washington. p. A1.
^Washington State Legislature (April 25, 1985).
"Chapter 177: State Highways Routes Revised"(PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1985. Washington State Legislature. p. 674. Retrieved August 8, 2018.