[OSM-talk] Interstate naming in the United States

[Paul Johnson]

On Thu, Mar 5, 2020 at 10:32 AM Jack Armstrong <jacknstacy at sprynet.com>
wrote:

> I'm not an expert in the field of naming U.S. interstate highways. I'd
> like some opinions from others with more experience with this.
>
> A new OSM user has just "named" Interstate 25 (I-25) as the "CanAm
> Highway".
>

It's been a while since I've been on I 25, but at least as of then, I never
saw anything referring to it as such.


> As a native Coloradan, I can say I've never heard anyone refer to I-25 as
> the CanAm Highway. There is a Wikipedia page on the name. This highway
> might also be referred to as the PanAmerican Highway, but again, nobody in
> this region refers to it as such.
>

If it enjoys any kind of status beyond an informal collection of routes in
the US and Canada, I'm not aware of it.


> I suppose almost all U.S. interstate highways could be "named" the Dwight
> D. Eisenhower Interstate Highway. A few years ago a user "named" I-70 and
> I-25 in Colorado as the "Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway", which I deleted
> explaining to the user this was not how Coloradans referred to these
> interstates.
>

You're conflating the name of single roads with the name of the route
system of which they are members.  The name of a route doesn't necessarily,
and often is completely unrelated, to the names of the ways that are
members.  The name of the network (in this case, the network is officially
called "Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense
Highways") tends to be even further removed from what individual roads are
actually named.  I think there is a tunnel in that network, within
Colorado, named for Eisenhower, though.


> Before I (gently) approach the new user, what is the best way for this
> name to be tagged? I assume a relation is not the best answer. I would
> think alt_name, alt_name_1, alt_name_2, etc., is the best method?
>

For the pan-am/can-am, within the US, I question ground truth veracity, but
open to other opinions.
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