My personal viewpoint on Historic US Routes is Option 1. There's no background system source, it seems to be shifting with the winds, and there's no consistency. Worse than Truck routes in those regards.
Seconded. While it's nice to be able to add some additional mileage, this entire system has been problematic from the beginning.
Here's an excerpt of my comments from 2 1/2 years ago.
Is the some sort of "official designation" by state DOTs for historic routes?
If not, who determines which routes are included?
How will we know if the route list is complete? Is there some "master" list?
What about routes that had different alignments over time?
This system just feels a bit slapdash especially if TM contributors are relying on "reports from the field" to make sure the route list is complete. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the effort and will be glad to add any new routes to my list file. I'm just looking for a bit of clarity on this route system. It's still somewhat confusing as to the criteria for a route to be included.
Those comments were quickly shot down so I let it go. While I'd hate to lose the roughly 500 miles I've driven on these routes, my comments from Feb 2016 seem just as relevant today as they did then. As far as I can tell, if the route is signed (officially or otherwise) it gets included. Not a bad approach, but as others have also pointed out, there is no source material and no consistency.
I'd be fine if the system got activated as is or dropped. As the saying goes, "this decision is above my pay grade."