End of US highway 25

View a map showing this route.

Photo credits: Shawn De Cesari; H.B. Elkins; Don Hargraves; Dan Moraseski; Alex Nitzman; Greg Osbaldeston; me
Additional research: Paul DiGianfrancesco

Approx. time period North terminus South terminus
1926-1929 Port Huron, MI North Augusta, SC
1929-1933 Port Huron, MI (near Statesboro, GA)
1933-1936 Port Austin, MI (near Statesboro, GA)
1936-1974 Port Austin, MI Brunswick, GA
1974-present Cincinnati, OH Brunswick, GA

Originally US 25 roughly followed what is now I-75 through Cincinnati, and north through Dayton, Lima, Toledo, and Detroit. From there it went to Port Huron MI via a road which today is signed with several different state and county highway numbers. The photo below was taken on Military Street facing north towards Water Street (Lapeer Road):

Hargraves, 2005

This was probably where M-21 ended, and thus would've been a logical point to terminate US 25.

In 1934, the US 25 designation was extended northward about 85 miles to Port Austin; the shot below is facing west on Spring Street at the meeting point with Lake Street:

Hargraves, 2005

Don writes, "US 25 most likely would have followed Port Au Barques Road into town, where it changed to Spring Street. Later on, US 25 was rerouted south, coming in on Grindstone Road to the south of Port Austin. I'm guessing they routed the road north so that it ended downtown, and thus this picture of Lake Street looking north onto the intersection with Spring Street...

Hargraves, 2005

...which would've been the second and final US 25 terminus in Port Austin."

US 25 was an original 1926 route; at the time it ran down to North Augusta SC, ending unceremoniously at the Georgia stateline for a few years. Georgia picked up the route in 1929, extending the south end of US 25 to its junction with US 80 just west of Statesboro GA (USGS maps label this junction "Hopeulikit"). The shot below is looking west on US 80:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That's actually northbound US 25 as well, which continues straight ahead. But straight ahead was the south beginning of US 25 during the early 1930s... well, actually, this junction is the modern functional equivalent of the historic junction, which was about a quarter-mile to the southeast. The photo below was taken from there, looking east on historic US 80:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

Just ahead was the Y-junction where US 25 came in from the left and ended (today that's both US 25 and US 80).

In 1936 the south end of US 25 was extended out of Statesboro along its current corridor, ending in Brunswick GA. It comes into Brunswick having been co-signed with US 341 for about 40 miles, from Jesup. At first, US 25 probably ended north of downtown (at the same place where US 341 had ended since 1926), where those routes junctioned US 17 - you can view photos and get more info on my US 341 page.

After US 17 was rerouted (perhaps in the 1950s), US 25 and US 341 were extended into town along what had been US 17. Traffic was originally directed through Brunswick on Newcastle Street, but today bypasses the downtown area via Bay Street. US 25 splits off onto Gloucester Street, while US 341 continues about a mile further south, then heads east on Fourth Avenue. Both routes end at their junctions with US 17, or Glynn Avenue. The photo below is from eastbound Gloucester at Glynn:

Osbaldeston, Mar. 2002

There was some construction at that intersection in 2003, and some re-signing as well - here's how that same view looked in 2004:

Nitzman, July 2004

For one thing, US 25 is now co-signed with GA hwy. "Connector 25", and US 17 is co-signed with mainline GA 25 - all of which serves to complicate things, if you ask me. Moving a little closer, we have this assembly...

Nitzman, July 2004

...and the "End" assembly in the distance looks like this:

Nitzman, July 2004

The assembly below is posted on northbound Glynn (US 17), approaching the south beginning of US 25...

Nitzman, July 2004

...and the overhead signage in the distance is shown close-up below:

Nitzman, July 2004

Southbound Glynn used to look like this...

Osbaldeston, Mar. 2002

...but now overhead signage has been added to that direction as well:

Nitzman, July 2004

In 1974 the US 25 designation was eliminated in Michigan and Ohio. I had assumed that, since then, the north end of US 25 was technically in Covington KY, at the Ohio state line above the river. But according to Dan Moraseski, US 25 actually makes it into Ohio. He writes:

"All signage has US 25 ending at the north end of the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. Although this bridge enters Ohio, it is completely maintained by Kentucky. In other words, US 25 enters OH, but it is not maintained by OH DoT. The bridge is also US 42 and US 127. Both routes used to be directed onto 3rd Street eastbound (right) at the north end of the bridge. However 3rd is now one-way westbound east of Central Ave (the next intersection east of the bridge), where US 42 north used to run. There is a new ramp from the bridge to 2nd St (the new south frontage road for US 50, or Fort Washington Way). There is no signage in the area for US 42 north, but it is the most logical way for it to go. So US 25 north ends multiplexed with US 127 north and US 25 south begins multiplexed with US 42 south and US 127 south."

The photo below is looking west on KY hwy. 8 (4th Street) in Covington. Note that US 25 is still signed northbound from this point. It follows the white car over the old bridge:

Moraseski/De Cesari, Nov. 2001

The driver of the white car will soon see the signs shown in the shot below. It's approaching the north terminus of US 25 (in the distance), and it also shows the last northbound sign...

Moraseski/De Cesari, Nov. 2001

...although that US 25 sign was gone by 2008 (the others remained). The photo below was taken from westbound 3rd Street in Cincinnati, which serves as southbound US 42/US 127:

Moraseski/De Cesari, Nov. 2001

If you follow that arrow, you'll soon see the first southbound US 25 sign, shown below:

Moraseski/De Cesari, Nov. 2001

That's heading south over the Ohio River, and (unlike its counterpart), that US 25 sign was still there in 2008.