diff --git a/pkg/router/controller/hostindex/hostindex.go b/pkg/router/controller/hostindex/hostindex.go
index 5e1a7bd5201f..1e57202913a4 100644
--- a/pkg/router/controller/hostindex/hostindex.go
+++ b/pkg/router/controller/hostindex/hostindex.go
@@ -100,7 +100,10 @@ func (hi *hostIndex) add(route *routeapi.Route, changes *routeChanges) bool {
 			hi.remove(existing, false, changes)
 			// uid changed, which means this is
 		case existing.Spec.Path != route.Spec.Path:
-			// path changed, must check to see if we displace / are displaced by another route
+			// path changed, must check to see if we displace / are displaced by
+			// another route. Remove the existing state to avoid maintaining a
+			// duplicate claim in the index.
+			hi.remove(existing, false, changes)
 		default:
 			// if no changes have been made, we don't need to note a change
 			if existing.ResourceVersion == route.ResourceVersion {
diff --git a/pkg/router/controller/hostindex/hostindex_test.go b/pkg/router/controller/hostindex/hostindex_test.go
index afac756fe23b..cb1e2062bb91 100644
--- a/pkg/router/controller/hostindex/hostindex_test.go
+++ b/pkg/router/controller/hostindex/hostindex_test.go
@@ -232,6 +232,64 @@ func Test_hostIndex(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			active: map[string][]string{"test.com": {"001"}},
 		},
+		{
+			name:       "multiple changes to same path-based route",
+			activateFn: SameNamespace,
+			steps: []step{
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 1, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 2, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/bar"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 3, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 4, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/bar"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 5, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+			},
+			active:    map[string][]string{"test.com": {"001"}},
+			activates: map[string]struct{}{"001": {}},
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "remove unchanged path-based route",
+			activateFn: SameNamespace,
+			steps: []step{
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 1, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+				{remove: true, route: newRoute("test", "1", 0, 1, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "remove updated path-based route",
+			activateFn: SameNamespace,
+			steps: []step{
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 1, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 2, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/bar"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 3, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 4, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/bar"})},
+				{remove: true, route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 4, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/bar"})},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "missed delete of path-based route",
+			activateFn: SameNamespace,
+			steps: []step{
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 2, 1, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "2", 1, 1, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+			},
+			newRoute:  true,
+			active:    map[string][]string{"test.com": {"001"}},
+			activates: map[string]struct{}{"001": {}},
+			displaces: map[string]struct{}{"002": {}},
+			inactive:  map[string][]string{"test.com": {"002"}},
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "path-based route rejection",
+			activateFn: SameNamespace,
+			steps: []step{
+				{route: newRoute("test", "1", 1, 1, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/x/y/z"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "2", 2, 1, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/foo"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "2", 2, 2, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/bar"})},
+				{route: newRoute("test", "2", 2, 3, routev1.RouteSpec{Host: "test.com", Path: "/x/y/z"})},
+			},
+			active:    map[string][]string{"test.com": {"001"}},
+			displaces: map[string]struct{}{"002": {}},
+			inactive:  map[string][]string{"test.com": {"002"}},
+		},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {