Talk:Washington State Route 539

No curves
Is this the only highway in Washington state without any curves? I believe so, and this might be worth mentioning. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.42.95.233 (talk • contribs) 05:34, 21 August 2006 (UTC)


 * SR 543 in Blaine is also due north-south, except for right around the customs area and the ramps to/from I-5. -- NORTH talk 07:59, 21 August 2006 (UTC)


 * While flatland streets and highways in Washington follow the underlying grid-lines, many highways in urban, rural or mountainous areas curve along topographic features (coastline, rivers, hills, mountains). HalFonts (talk) 20:43, 12 February 2017 (UTC)

Assessment
This article would be up to B-class if it weren't for the lack of the junction list. CL — 19:06, 7 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Actually, since there is no junction list, it is Start-Class, because C-Class must have all required elements but are shorter in the RD and History. This page was edited by ĈĠ 15:10, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
 * JCT list added, C-Class. ComputerGuy 20:00, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

Why the name?
The name "Guide Meridian" implies that it lies on an important survey meridian, but the relevant meridian for Washington and Oregon is the Willamette Meridian several miles to the west. So where did the name come from? —Tamfang (talk) 04:37, 8 April 2012 (UTC)

It is my understanding that the Willamette Meridian is so far west in this portion of Washington State that it runs through a significant portion of water. Therefore, an auxiliary guide meridian was established 12 miles east for practical reasons.Crashbox (talk) 14:57, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

Other info re: The {Willamette?} "Guide Meridian St" Hwy 539, Whatcom Co, WA.
Thanks to those who started this. (It's an important part of local history. I'll try to research and improve it). Re: The questions of other parallel Guide streets vs the true baseline: See the Wikipedia article: Willamette Stone#Streets Other streets that follow or parallel the meridian In Whatcom County, Washington, near Birch Bay, Washington, Jackson Road south of the bay, and Harborview Road north of the bay, both follow the meridian for a total of about five miles. In Whatcom County, Washington, Guide Meridian Road (State Route 539) is named after the Guide Meridian between R2E and R3E, 12 miles east of the Willamette Meridian.

Note also: The monument to Land Surveyors in the Fountain Park, 2398 Meridian St, Bellingham, WA HalFonts (talk) 20:29, 12 February 2017 (UTC)
 * Thank you for your interest in the article. I would advise against adding other roads on the Willamette baseline to this article, as the scope is meant to solely include the section of Guide Meridian between Bellingham and the Canadian border.  Sounder Bruce  23:01, 12 February 2017 (UTC)