End of US highway 6N

Photo credits: the Bees; Dave Brunot; Cameron Kaiser; Doug Kerr; Jeff Morrison; Adam Prince

(Note: my mainline US 6 page is here)

The 1925 plan had US 6 running from Provincetown to Brewster NY. After changes that resulted in the plan's actual approval by the states in late 1926, the map included two disconnected segments of US 6: an east leg running from Provincetown to the NY state line west of Danbury CT, and a west leg running from Kingston NY to Erie PA. The segment from Kingston to Port Jervis NY was along today's US 209, and modern US 6 between Danbury and Port Jervis wasn't in the plan.

However, it appears that neither segment was actually signed with US 6 markers until 1928 - and by then the route had changed again. The two segments were now joined between Danbury and Port Jervis - so when US 6 was first signed, it essentially followed its current alignment from Provincetown all the way to Union City PA. From that point, US 6 was routed northwest along what is now PA hwy. 97, and then co-signed north with US 19 to a common terminus at US 20 in Erie PA. The segment of the originally-planned US 6 that was to run from Kingston to Port Jervis was designated US 6N. The photo below was taken in Port Jervis, looking eastbound on US 6 / northbound on US 209:

Kaiser, July 2006

Today US 6 and US 209 are cosigned east from Milford to this point, where they diverge again. But originally US 209 didn't come this far north. Instead it was US 6N [II] that began to the left.

Then, in the early 1930's, the US 6 designation got a major extention to the west: all the way to Greeley CO. The sources I've seen disagree on the exact routing of US 6 after this westward extension. Some say it continued to directly serve Erie for another year. Regardless, by 1933 US 6 went from Union City through Edinboro to US 20 at West Springfield, bypassing Erie to the south. Its former route from Union City to Erie was then designated US 6N [II]. Around this time, US 6N [I] between Kingston and Port Jervis was decommissioned (US 209 was extended north along that route by 1935). If you have (or could obtain) a photo of any of these signs or places, please let me know!

US 6N [II] only lasted a few years, because in the mid- to late-1930's, the route of US 6 was changed again: this time to its current alignment through Meadville PA. At that time, US 6N [II] was decommissioned, and that designation was instead re-applied to a third route: the modern US 6N running between West Springfield and Mill Village PA.

Whereas US 6 is one of the longest of all US highways, US 6N [III] is one of the shortest. A strange little fellow, too - why it wasn't called "US 306" or "US 6 Spur" is beyond me. To call it "US 6N" implies that US 6 splits into two equal alternative routes which rejoin at another point. However, that's not the case here. There is no "US 6S", and US 6N never re-connects with US 6. Maybe it should be co-signed with US 20 back to US 6 at Cleveland. Anyway, the photo below is looking west on US 6:

Brunot

Just across the bridge in the distance, US 6 takes a left with southbound US 19, and both go to Meadville. Straight ahead is the east beginning of US 6N, which goes to Edinboro. The bridge is also visible in the photo below, which is looking east at the end of US 6N:

Brunot

The shot below shows the signage approaching that same intersection from eastbound US 6/northbound US 19:

Prince

US 6N continues westward for just 27 miles. It ends at its junction with US 20 in West Springfield PA, just shy of the Ohio line. The junction is shown below:

the Bees

I'm not sure when that photo was taken, or if that assembly is still there. The "End" sign Jeff photographed in 2007 seems to be posted further back:

Morrison, July 2007

The photo below is from eastbound US 20 at the west beginning of US 6N:

Morrison, July 2007

I-90's interchange 1 is about a half-mile to the right. The first eastbound trailblazer is shown below:

Kerr, Dec. 2002

(Note: my mainline US 6 page is here)