U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the

U.S. Highway system The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in

West Sacramento, California West Sacramento (also known as West Sac) is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. The city is separated from Sacramento by the Sacramento River, which also separates Sacramento and Yolo counties. It is a fast-growing community; the ...

, to

Maryland Route 528 Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Coastal Highway, the state highway runs from the southern terminus of its companion route, unsigned Maryland Route 378 (MD 378), in ...

(MD 528) in

Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic resort town in Worcester County, Maryland along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 U.S. census, although during summer weekends the city hosts b ...

, on the Atlantic Ocean. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended (by way of Stockton, the

Altamont Pass Altamont Pass, formerly Livermore Pass, is a low mountain pass in the Diablo Range of Northern California between Livermore in the Livermore Valley and Tracy in the San Joaquin Valley. The name is actually applied to two distinct but nearby ...

, and the Bay Bridge) to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, near the Pacific Ocean. The Interstates were constructed later and are mostly separate from this route. It generally serves a corridor south of

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...

and I-80 and north of

I-64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...

and

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

. The route runs through mostly rural desert and

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

s in the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

, with the section through

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

known as " The Loneliest Road in America". In the Midwest, US 50 heads through mostly rural areas of farms as well as a few large cities including Kansas City, Missouri;

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

; and

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

. The route continues into the eastern United States, where it passes through the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

before heading through

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

From there, US 50 continues through

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

as a high-speed road to Ocean City. Signs at each end give the length as , but the actual distance is slightly less, due to realignments since the former figure was measured in the early 1980s. US 50 passes through a total of 12 states;

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, Nevada,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, West Virginia,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and Maryland, as well as the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. US 50 was created in 1926 as part of the original U.S. Highway system. The original route planned in 1925 ran from

Wadsworth, Nevada Wadsworth is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washoe County, Nevada. The population was 834 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area and located entirely within the Pyramid Lake Indian R ...

, east to Annapolis, Maryland, along several

auto trail The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in ...

s including the

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...

Midland Trail The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C. west to Los Angeles, California and San Francisco, California ('' though the Lincoln Highway guide published i ...

, and the

National Old Trails Road National Old Trails Road, also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, was established in 1912, and became part of the National Auto Trail system in the United States. It was long and stretched from Baltimore, Maryland (some old maps indicate N ...

. The final 1926 plan had US 50 running from

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, east to Annapolis with a gap in west Utah that was bridged by running the route north via

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

before rerouting it to US 6 in the 1950s. US 50 was extended west from Sacramento to San Francisco in the 1930s, replacing US 48; this was reversed in 1964 when I-580 replaced much of the route between the two cities. In addition, US 50 was extended east from Annapolis to Ocean City prior in 1949, replacing a portion of US 213. US 50 had two split configurations into US 50N and US 50S, one in Kansas and another in Ohio and West Virginia; both of these instances have been removed.

Route description

Western U.S.

US 50 begins as a major freeway at its junction with Interstate 80 in

West Sacramento West Sacramento (also known as West Sac) is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. The city is separated from Sacramento by the Sacramento River, which also separates Sacramento and Yolo counties. It is a fast-growing community; the ...

and continues into

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

. The portion of US 50 west of and including its interchange with California's State Highway 99 in Sacramento is also designated, but not signed as, Interstate 305. The signage along this portion of the highway indicates Business Loop I-80 and a portion of the way (2 miles/3.33 km) as California State Highway 99. From Sacramento, the highway heads eastward as the William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. Memorial Highway, continuing as a freeway to the

Gold Country The Gold Country (also known as Mother Lode Country) is a historic region in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, that is primarily on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines ...

foothills, then following the

American River , name_etymology = , image = American River CA.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = The American River at Folsom , map = Americanrivermap.png , map_size = 300 , map_caption ...

up the Sierra Nevada as a conventional highway, until cresting the Sierras at

Echo Summit Echo Summit is a mountain pass over the Sierra Nevada in the western United States, located in eastern El Dorado County, California. At above sea level, it is the highest point on U.S. Route 50 in California, which traverses it at postmil ...

and descending to Lake Tahoe, where the highway enters

. In Nevada, the highway crosses a series of north–south running mountain ranges that break up the Nevada desert which are called

Basin and Range Basin and range topography is characterized by alternating parallel mountain ranges and valleys. It is a result of crustal extension due to mantle upwelling, gravitational collapse, crustal thickening, or relaxation of confining stresses. The e ...

. East of

Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

, the road enters the heart of the Great Basin, passing by few communities and minimal services, giving it the name " Loneliest Road in America" until reaching

. In Utah, US 50 also passes through desolate, remote areas with few inhabitants. After crossing the

Confusion Range The Confusion Range is a north-south trending mountain range in west-central Utah, United States. It is bounded by Snake Valley to the west, Tule Valley to the east, the Great Salt Lake Desert to the north, and the Ferguson Desert to the south ...

via Kings Canyon and the

House Range The House Range is a north-south trending mountain range in Millard County, of west-central Utah. The House Range was named in 1859 by James H. Simpson. It was named by Simpson because "...of its well-defined stratification and the resemblance ...

, the road traverses the north shore of the

endorheic An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...

Sevier Lake Sevier Lake is an intermittent and endorheic lake which lies in the lowest part of the Sevier Desert, Millard County, Utah. Like Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake, it is a remnant of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. Sevier Lake is fed primarily by t ...

. In Holden, US 50 shortly overlaps

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Cana ...

to cross the

Pavant Range The Pahvant Range (also Pavant Range) is a mountain range in central Utah, United States, east of Fillmore. Description The range is named for the Pahvant tribe, a branch of the Ute people. The tallest peak is Mine Camp Peak at . Most of the lan ...

. The road begins a much longer overlap with

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

in Salina crossing the

Wasatch Plateau The Wasatch Plateau is a plateau located southeast of the southernmost part of the Wasatch Range in central Utah. It is a part of the Colorado Plateau. Geography The plateau has an elevation of and includes an area of . Its highest point in the ...

and

San Rafael Swell The San Rafael Swell is a large geologic feature located in south-central Utah, United States about west of Green River. The San Rafael Swell, measuring approximately , consists of a giant dome-shaped anticline of sandstone, shale, and limesto ...

into

. US 50 leaves I-70 upon entering the state and heads southeast through Grand Junction and into the southern part of Colorado. Once there, the road climbs to its highest elevation of over the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...

and in

Monarch Pass Monarch Pass (elevation ) is a high mountain pass in central Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. Location and basic details The pass is located on the Continental Divide at the southern end of the Sawatch Range along ...

where it crosses the Continental Divide. After descending from the Rockies, US 50 passes by

Royal Gorge The Royal Gorge is a canyon of the Arkansas River located west of Cañon City, Colorado. The canyon begins at the mouth of Grape Creek, about west of central Cañon City, and continues in a west-northwesterly direction for approximately until ...

near

Cañon City A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...

and serves

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

. The route then joins

U.S. Route 400 U.S. Route 400 (US 400) is a mostly east–west U.S. Highway, commissioned in 1994. The highway's western terminus is in Granada, Colorado, at an intersection with US 385. The highway's eastern terminus is southwest of Joplin, Missouri, ...

in Granada and follows the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

into

Midwestern U.S.

Upon entering Kansas, US 50,

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with US 400, runs along the Arkansas River to

Dodge City Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town ...

where US 50 splits from US 400 and takes a more northerly course. US 50 continues to traverse the farmlands and small towns of the Great Plains mostly as a straight two-lane road until Emporia where it joins

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

and splits onto

Interstate 435 Interstate 435 (I-435) is an Interstate Highway beltway that encircles much of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the states of Kansas and Missouri in the United States. Route description I-435, a loop route of I-35, is long and i ...

to bypass the center of the Kansas City Area. In

, US 50 leaves I-435 for Interstate 470 splitting at

Lee's Summit Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in both ...

. US 50 runs as a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

across the Western Plain to Sedalia where it continues as a two-lane road until reaching California, MO about 20 miles west of

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the principa ...

. The road continues as a four-lane divided highway into

where it joins US 63 just south of the Missouri River Bridge. It continues 12 miles east of Jefferson City to the Osage River where US 63 splits off to the south. It then continues as a two-lane road as it traverses the northern sections of the Ozark Highlands east to

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

where it begins an overlap with

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Fal ...

which goes through

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

. The routes separate in Sunset Hills where US 50 migrates southeast bypassing

St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

by joining

Interstate 255 Interstate 255 (I-255) is a bypass route of I-55 in Greater St. Louis. Along with I-270, it forms a loop around the central portion of the bi-state metro area; a majority of I-255 is located on the Illinois half. It shares its souther ...

to cross

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

into

. In that state, US 50 switches to

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...

before splitting onto its own alignment in eastern O'Fallon. It heads east through Trenton, Breese, Carlyle crossing the

Kaskaskia River The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 in central and southern Illinois in the Un ...

, Salem,

Flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

and Lawrenceville to the

Wabash River The Wabash River (French: Ouabache) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 13, 2011 river that drains most of the state of Indiana in the United States. It flows from ...

along a corridor between Interstates 64 and 70. US 50 enters

at the Wabash River, bypassing

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attache ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and passing through

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, Seymour, and

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

. It meets the Ohio River at

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, and soon crosses into

, running through downtown

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

via

Fort Washington Way Fort Washington Way is an approximately section of freeway in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The eight-lane divided highway is a concurrent section of Interstate 71 (I-71) and U.S. Route 50 (US 50) that runs from west to east ...

(

Interstate 71 Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 in Kentucky, I-64 and ...

). The route crosses southern Ohio via Hillsboro, Chillicothe, and

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, joining the four-lane divided

Corridor D In the United States, Corridor D is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System. In Ohio, it follows State Route 32 from the eastern Cincinnati suburbs until a point west of Albany, where it becomes concurrent with U.S. Route 50. Afte ...

( State Route 32) west of Athens. It meets the Ohio River around Belpre, and crosses the newer

Blennerhassett Island Bridge Blennerhassett Island Bridge, with a network arch design, carries U.S. Route 50 ( Appalachian Development Highway System's Corridor D) over the Ohio River and the historic Blennerhassett Island between Belpre Township, Washington County, Ohio ...

(previously crossing the Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge) into greater Parkersburg, West Virginia.

Mid-Atlantic states

The portion of US 50 from Parkersburg, West Virginia to

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

follows the historic

Northwestern Turnpike The Northwestern Turnpike is a historic road in West Virginia (Virginia at the time the road was created), important for being historically one of the major roads crossing the Appalachians, financed by the Virginia Board of Public Works in the 183 ...

, which crosses the southern tip of Garrett County, Maryland. From Parkersburg to Interstate 79 east of Clarksburg, US 50 has been upgraded as part of the four-lane divided

. US 50 is a curving two-lane mountain road, east of Clarksburg through Grafton, a bit of Maryland, and Romney to Winchester. This portion of the road is so curvy that locals claim "you can meet yourself coming". The land flattens out after the route crosses the

Blue Ridge Mountain Blue Ridge Mountain, also known as Blue Mountain, is the colloquial name of the westernmost ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The Appalachian Trail traverses the entire length of th ...

east of Winchester, and it follows the old

Little River Turnpike State Route 236 (SR 236) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 29 and US 50 in Fairfax east to SR 400 in Alexandria. SR 236 is a major suburban arterial highway that connects the inde ...

from Aldie to Fairfax City and the newer

Arlington Boulevard Arlington Boulevard is a major arterial road in Arlington County, Fairfax County, and the independent City of Fairfax in Northern Virginia in metropolitan Washington, DC, United States. It is designated U.S. Route 50 (US 50) for its entire ...

to Rosslyn, where it crosses the

line on the west shore of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

and joins

Interstate 66 Interstate 66 (I-66) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It runs from an interchange with I-81 near Middletown, Virginia, on its western end to an interchange with U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Washing ...

on the

Theodore Roosevelt Bridge The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge (also known as the Teddy Roosevelt Bridge or the Roosevelt Bridge) is a bridge crossing the Potomac River which connects Washington, D.C., with the Commonwealth of Virginia. The bridge crosses over Theodore Roosevelt ...

. Within the District, US 50 immediately exits the freeway onto

Constitution Avenue Constitution Avenue is a major east–west street in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the city of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was originally known as B Street, and its western section was greatly lengthened and widened bet ...

along the north side of the National Mall and south of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. After turning north on 6th Street Northwest, it exits the city to the northeast on New York Avenue. Upon crossing into

, it passes the south end of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and becomes the

John Hanson Highway U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. In the U.S. state of Maryland, US 50 exists in two section ...

, a freeway to Annapolis. The portion of this highway east of the

Capital Beltway The Capital Beltway is a Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase " inside ...

(

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

I-495 Interstate 495 (I-495) is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to Interstate 95, listed from south to north: * The Capital Beltway, a beltway around Washington, D.C., running through Virgin ...

) is also designated, but not signed as, Interstate 595, and U.S. Route 301 joins from the south at Bowie. The freeway continues beyond Annapolis as the

Blue Star Memorial Highway Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Council of State Garden Clubs, now known as National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the program in 1945 after World W ...

which crosses the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

on the

Chesapeake Bay Bridge The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (also known locally as the Bay Bridge) is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the urban Western Shore, between ...

and continues to Queenstown. There the Blue Star Memorial Highway continues northeast as US 301, while US 50 turns south, passing through Easton to

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, and then east through

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

to Ocean City on the four-lane divided Ocean Gateway. US 50 ends near the Atlantic Ocean shore at Baltimore Avenue (

Maryland Route 378 Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Coastal Highway, the state highway runs from the southern terminus of its companion route, unsigned highway, unsigned Maryland Route 3 ...

northbound); its westbound beginning is one block to the west, at Philadelphia Avenue (

southbound).

History

Before the creation of the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, US 50 was a major east–west route. Numbered highways in the United States follow a pattern of odd numbers for north–south routes and even numbers for east–west routes, hence the designation of "50" for this route. In the preliminary report, approved by the Joint Board on Interstate Highways in late 1925, US 50 ran from

to Annapolis, Maryland, passing through

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most populo ...

; Kansas City, Missouri;

Tipton, Missouri Tipton is a city in Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,262 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Tipton was a predominately a German-American community, ...

;

, and

The route did not directly replace any

, instead combining portions of many into one continuous route. It followed the historic

across

, and portions of other historic roads. Major auto trails followed, including the

in part of

, and parts of

and

. The

(

Old Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, ...

) was designated in

and eastern Colorado, and the

was constructed in

. In most states that had numbered their state highways, US 50 followed only one or two numbers across the state.The following routes were used, mostly shown on the 1926 Rand McNally: * Nevada: 2 * Utah: 8 (in the east half of the state; the west half was unnumbered) * Colorado: 6 * Kansas: state highways were not numbered prior to the U.S. Highway system * Missouri: 12, shown on

Missouri State Highway Commission The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT, ) is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of Missouri under the guidance of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. MoDOT designs, ...

Route Map Showing Designated Routes and Numbers
Approved September 19, 1922 * Illinois: 12 * Indiana: 4 and 5; by 1926, a short piece was 41, but this was originally part of 5, shown on the description of th
1917 Indiana State Highway Map
at the

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...

Libraries * Ohio: mostly 26; it had been Main Market Route V in the 1910s, shown on 1914, 1915, and 191
Ohio Transportation Maps
* West Virginia: 1 * Virginia: 36; it had been 6 until the 1923 renumbering, shown in th
route descriptions as defined by the General Assembly
on January 31, 1918 * Maryland: state highways were not numbered prior to the U.S. Highway system One major controversy related to the preliminary route of US 50. The through route had been assigned to the

, while the spur U.S. Route 250 followed the competing

New Santa Fe Trail The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in ...

to the south. As a compromise, the Joint Board on Interstate Highways approved a split configuration— U.S. Route 50N and

U.S. Route 50S U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

—in January. Another problem was in western Utah, where no improved road existed for US 50 to use. The final numbering plan, approved in November 1926, left a gap in US 50 between

Ely, Nevada Ely (, ) is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. In 1906 copper was discovered. Ely's mining boom came later tha ...

and Thistle, Utah. Finally, rather than ending US 50 at Wadsworth, where the Lincoln and

Victory Highway The Victory Highway was an auto trail across the United States between New York City and San Francisco, roughly equivalent to the present U.S. Route 40. It was created by the Victory Highway Association, which was organized in 1921 to locate and m ...

s merged, it was sent over the Lincoln Highway's Pioneer Branch, past the south side of Lake Tahoe, to

. The gap in Utah was soon bypassed by taking US 50 to the north, crossing the

Great Salt Lake Desert The Great Salt Lake Desert (colloquially referred to as the West Desert) is a large dry lake in northern Utah, United States, between the Great Salt Lake and the Nevada border. It is a subregion of the larger Great Basin Desert, and noted for wh ...

with U.S. Route 40 to

, and using long portions of U.S. Route 93 in Nevada and

U.S. Route 89 in Utah U.S. Route 89 (US 89) in the U.S. state of Utah is a north-south United States Highway spanning more than through the central part of the state, making it the longest road in Utah. Between Provo and Brigham City, US-89 serves as a local road, ...

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...

was marked along the direct, but still partially unimproved, route in 1937; it was finally paved in 1952, and US 50 was moved to it within a few years. Another straightening was made in 1976, when US 50 in central Utah was moved south onto the new extension of

at the request of the National Highway 50 Federation, a group dedicated to promoting US 50. Among other things, the group has unsuccessfully pushed for an extension of

west along US 50 to

. The north–south split in Kansas was eliminated in the late 1950s, with the south route—which was to be US 250—becoming part of US 50, and most of US 50N becoming part of a new U.S. Route 56. Another split was located between Athens, Ohio and

Ellenboro, West Virginia Ellenboro is a town in Ritchie County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 222 at the 2020 census. The town is located at the junction of U.S. Route 50 and West Virginia Route 16; the North Bend Rail Trail also passes through the t ...

from the late 1920s to the mid-1930s, when US 50 went back to its original southern route; that U.S. Route 50N (Ohio-West Virginia), U.S. Route 50N is now Ohio State Route 550 and part of West Virginia Route 16. At its west end, US 50 was extended south from Sacramento along U.S. Route 99 to Stockton, CA, Stockton and west to the San Francisco Bay Area, replacing U.S. Route 48 (California), U.S. Route 48, by the early 1930s. US 50 was officially cut back to Sacramento in the 1964 renumbering (California), 1964 renumbering, replaced by Interstate 580 (California), Interstate 580, but remained on maps and signs for several more years. US 50 was extended east from Annapolis to

in 1949, three years prior to the opening of the

in 1952; this extension replaced Maryland Route 404 between Annapolis and Wye Mills, Maryland, Wye Mills and U.S. Route 213 between Wye Mills and Ocean City. Prior to the bridge opening, US 50 used a ferry across the Chesapeake Bay between Sandy Point, Maryland, Sandy Point and Matapeake, Maryland, Matapeake and followed present-day Maryland Route 8 between Matapeake and Stevensville, Maryland, Stevensville before continuing east.

Major intersections

;California : in West Sacramento, California, West Sacramento : in Sacramento, California, Sacramento ;Nevada : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Fallon, Nevada, Fallon. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Ely, Nevada, Ely. The highways travel concurrently to Majors Place, Nevada, Majors Place. : in Ely. The highways travel concurrently to Delta, Utah. ;Utah : north-northeast of Holden. The highways travel concurrently to Scipio, Utah, Scipio. : in Salina. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Salina. I-70/US 50 travels concurrently to south-southwest of Mack, Colorado. : west of Green River, Utah, Green River. US 6/US 50 travels concurrently to Grand Junction, Colorado. US 50/US 191 travels concurrently to west-southwest of Thompson Springs, Utah, Thompson Springs. ;Colorado : in Grand Junction : in Montrose, Colorado, Montrose : in Poncha Springs, Colorado, Poncha Springs. The highways travel concurrently through the town. : in

. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in La Junta, Colorado, La Junta : south of Wiley, Colorado, Wiley. The highways travel concurrently to Lamar, Colorado, Lamar. : in Lamar. US 50/US 385 travels concurrently to Granada. : in Granada. US 50/US 400 travels concurrently to west of Dodge City, Kansas. ;Kansas : north-northwest of Garden City, Kansas, Garden City. The highways travel concurrently to Garden City. : in Dodge City. US 50/US 56 travels concurrently to Kinsley, Kansas, Kinsley. US 50/US 283 travels concurrently to west-southwest of Wright, Kansas, Wright. : in Kinsley : south of St. John, Kansas, St. John : in Newton, Kansas, Newton. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Florence, Kansas, Florence. The highways travel concurrently on a roundabout at the intersection. : in Emporia, Kansas, Emporia : east of Emporia. The highways travel concurrently to Lenexa, Kansas, Lenexa. : south-southeast of Olivet, Kansas, Olivet : in Ottawa, Kansas, Ottawa. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Ottawa. : in Gardner, Kansas, Gardner. The highways travel concurrently to Lenexa. : in Olathe, Kansas, Olathe. The highways travel concurrently to Lenexa. : in Lenexa. I-435/US 50 travels concurrently to Kansas City, Missouri. : in Overland Park, Kansas, Overland Park ;Missouri : in Kansas City. I-470/US 50 travel concurrently to

. : in Sedalia, Missouri, Sedalia : in Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City. US 50/US 63 travels concurrently to north of Westphalia, Missouri, Westphalia. : south-southwest of Villa Ridge, Missouri, Villa Ridge. The highways travel concurrently to the Sunset Hills, Missouri, Sunset Hills–Kirkwood, Missouri, Kirkwood city line. : in Sunset Hills : on the Sunset Hills–Kirkwood city line. US 50/US 61/US 67 travels concurrently to Mehlville, Missouri, Mehlville. : in Mehlville. The highways travel concurrently to Caseyville, Illinois. ;Illinois : in Caseyville. I-64/US 50 travels concurrently to O'Fallon, Illinois, O'Fallon. : in Sandoval, Illinois, Sandoval. The highways travel concurrently through the village. : in Salem, Illinois, Salem : northwest of Flora, Illinois, Flora. The highways travel concurrently to east of Flora. ;Indiana : in Vincennes, Indiana, Vincennes. US 41/US 50 travels concurrently through the city. US 50/US 150 travels concurrently to Shoals, Indiana, Shoals. : east of Washington, Indiana, Washington : in Loogootee, Indiana, Loogootee. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : in Seymour, Indiana, Seymour : in Seymour : in Versailles, Indiana, Versailles. The highways travel concurrently through the town. : in Greendale, Indiana, Greendale. ;Ohio : in Cincinnati : in Cincinnati. I-71/US 50 travels concurrently through the city. : in Cincinnati : in Cincinnati : in Fayetteville, Ohio, Fayetteville : in Hillsboro, Ohio, Hillsboro : in Scioto Township, Ross County, Ohio, Scioto Township. US 23/US 50 travels concurrently through the township. US 35/US 50 travels concurrently to Schrader, Ohio, Schrader. : in

. The highways travel concurrently to Athens Township, Athens County, Ohio, Athens Township. ;West Virginia : east of Parkersburg, West Virginia, Parkersburg : in Clarksburg : in Clarksburg : west-southwest of Pruntytown, West Virginia, Pruntytown. The highways travel concurrently to Pruntytown. : in Grafton ;Maryland : in Red House, Maryland, Red House ;West Virginia : southeast of New Creek, West Virginia, New Creek. The highways travel concurrently to Junction, West Virginia, Junction. ;Virginia : in Winchester, Virginia, Winchester. US 11/US 50 travels concurrently through the city. US 17/US 50 travels concurrently to Paris, Virginia, Paris. US 50/US 522 travels concurrently to southeast of Winchester. : in Winchester, Virginia, Winchester : in Waterloo, Clarke County, Virginia, Waterloo : in Gilberts Corner, Virginia, Gilberts Corner : in Fair Oaks, Fairfax County, Virginia, Fair Oaks : in Fairfax, Virginia, Fairfax. The highways travel concurrently through the city. : on the Annandale, Virginia, Annandale–Merrifield, Virginia, Merrifield–West Falls Church, Virginia, West Falls Church line ;District of Columbia : in Washington, D.C., Washington. The highways travel concurrently through the city, to the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. : in Washington, in the National Mall. The highways travel concurrently to Mount Vernon Square. : in Washington, in Mount Vernon Square ;Maryland : in Lanham, Maryland, Lanham. The unsigned I-595 (MD), I-595 is entirely concurrent with US 50 from here to Annapolis, Maryland, Annapolis. : in Bowie, Maryland, Bowie. The highways travel concurrently to southwest of Queenstown, Maryland, Queenstown. : in Parole, Maryland, Parole : in Salisbury, Maryland, Salisbury. The highways travel concurrently around the northeastern corner of the city. : in Berlin, Maryland, Berlin : in Ocean City, Maryland, Ocean City

Notes

References

External links

Endpoints of U.S. Highway 50
* Kansas Highway Maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT U.S. Route 50, United States Numbered Highway System, 50

Route description

Western U.S.

Midwestern U.S.

Mid-Atlantic states

History

Major intersections

See also

Related U.S. Routes

Notes

References

External links