Choose a symbol for each Interstate

[empirestate]

I'll try my hand at New Jersey:

I-95(NJ) - Really I think the Turnpike shield in itself is iconic enough, although south of exit 6...
I-295(NJ) - Can't think of anything here
I-195(NJ) - Either the Trenton skyline, a picture of a rollercoaster, or a boardwalk with the ocean under it
I-78(NJ) - Newark Airport outline
I-280(NJ) - Newark's skyline
I-80(NJ) - The Great Falls of Paterson?
I-278(NJ) - A silhouette of the Goethals Bridge
I-76(NJ) - Walt Whitman Bridge or Philadelphia skyline
I-676(NJ) - Camden Waterfront or the Ben Franklin Bridge

I-95 spends a good bit of time in the Meadowlands; anything that could represent that? It also passes the air and sea ports of Newark/Elizabeth, a major aspect of northeastern NJ's commerce. Perhaps a shipping symbol?

For I-295, it traverses an area with a pretty rich history, I should think. Are there any figures that stand out from this heritage?

I-195: I agree, something reflecting the Jersey Shore's recreational importance is quite apt.

I-78: Even within NJ, it traverses a lot of territory besides the airport. What fueled the growth of Hunterdon & Somerset Counties, mining?

I-80: What about the water gap? Seems like a pretty prominent aspect of the development of this route. There are also a lot of Indian placenames along the way; how about a symbol reflecting that heritage?

I-76: How about Whitman himself? Or is that better suited to I-676?

Those are just some more ideas for different ways to approach the question (and I'm only picking on Zeffy's post since it's the most recent). Applying some of these to my own state of NY:

I-90 (NY): Represents the water-level route between the Hudson and the Finger Lakes, an important transportation route exemplified by the Erie Canal. A canal lock, packet boat or even a mule would be possible symbols for this. Or, what about an Iroquois longhouse, since the route pretty much crosses the whole of Six Nations territory?

I-87: Connects NYC to Canada along the Hudson River and the general vicinity of the Champlain Canal/Lake George/Lake Champlain water route, all of which had major strategic importance in our early history. An image of Fort Ticonderoga, or just a generic fort, would make sense for this route.

I-81: This route seems so firmly entrenched in Appalachia along its entire length that a symbol from that heritage seems more appropriate than just picking one for the NYS segment. This could be something depicting the coal and/or steel industries, a musical symbol such as a dulcimer or banjo, or even a stylization of the ridge-and-valley topographic province.

I-390: Identifies with the Genesee River and valley, and by extension the frontier period of early Western New York. Mary Jemison was a prominent figure from the interactions between white settlers and the Seneca, but Letchworth Gorge offers a good natural landmark as a possible symbol.

I-278: Serves all five borough of NYC, and by extension recalls the unification of the city. The Brooklyn Bridge symbolizes this process eminently (and has been mentioned previously as a candidate), although an outline map of the five borough themselves could also work.

I-86: The Southern Tier is hard to pin down (and always has been). Its Seneca heritage is probably its most prominent cultural hallmark, but difficulty of transportation also presents an ongoing theme throughout history, exemplified by the commercial struggles faced by railroads and canals through the area. The present-day project at Prospect Mountain reflects this now, so maybe a curving road alongside a steep rock cut is a good symbol.

I-190: This was my original example, using Niagara Falls as an obvious symbol. But of course, the route serves Buffalo just as much as Niagara, and both follows and reaches the Canadian Border. Crossed American and Canadian flags could symbolize this, or an arch bridge spanning both river and border. (The Rainbow Bridge and Peace Bridge are the ones most overtly dedicated to this idea, though they aren't actually on I-190.)

I-490: It's all about Rochester, and it crosses the Genesee mid-city, just above the High Falls. The city grew out of grist mills at this location, so that's what I'd choose for this route (a millrace and wheel, for example).

[on_wisconsin]

I-94 (ND & MN): Hot Dish (WI): a Cheese wheel
I-355 (IL): a subdivision
I-39 (both): corn
Future I-41 (WI): a paper mill
I-90 (MN): Spam & wind mills (WI): bluffs

[Roadgeekteen]

Interstate 84 in Connecticut: a sleeping person. Sorry for digging this thread from the grave, but this was one of my favorite threads to read before I joined.

[ColossalBlocks]

I-55 = Blue musical note.

I-90 = Sears tower.

I-44 = Thunderstorm.

I-35 = Combine.

I-30 = Arkansas.

I-40 = Canyons and cacti.

I-15 = A mormon at a slot machine.

I-5 = Desert, forests, and mountains.

I-99 = The cutting of the red tape that is AASHTO.

I-43 = Cheese, and cows.

I-95 = A traffic jam next to the ocean.

I-10 = Deserts and a beach.

I-8 = A taco.

I-70 = Mountains, the arch, and a river.

I-80 = Bay bridge, Chicago, and New York.

I-76 = Penna Turnpike shield.

I-45 = Cowboy.

I-25 = Cactus, and crazy horse.

I-17 = Arizona.

I-49 = Plains, forests, and Louisiana.

I-280 = Google logo.

I-65 = Indianapolis speedway.

I-64 = Merging cars.

I-85 = Confederate playing the banjo in the back of a pickup truck.

I-29 = Missouri river.

I-4 = Disney logo.

I-75 = Mackinac bridge.

I-12 = Lake Pontchartrain.

I-59 = Guy playing the saxophone.

I-87 = Montreal.

[jp the roadgeek]

Gonna take a stab at CT:

I-84: Empire State Building and The Pru (since it's mostly used to get from New York to Boston)
I-91: Slice of pizza or a hamburger (in homage to both being invented/popular in New Haven)
I-95:  Crab, lobster, or a one lane road with a chain of taillights
I-384: The skyline of Providence (because it was originally supposed to go there)
I-684: A paperclip (since it "clips the corner of CT)
I-291: A road with cinder blocks at the end of it (since it took 40+ years to commission the little piece that was built)
I-691: A silver nugget (Meriden being The Silver City)
I-395: A tumbleweed (since it's so desolate)
US 7: An orange (since it exists in many sections)
CT 2: A slot machine with a feather
CT 8: A bread mixer (in homage to The Mixmaster)
CT 9: A traffic light
CT 11: A Dead End sign.
CT 15: A truck stuck under an overpass, or David Letterman driving a racecar.
CT 20: A tobacco leaf
CT 25: A pair of scissors (since it cuts off abruptly)
CT 40: An appendix (serves no useful purpose)
CT 72: A hammer (in honor of Stanley Tools)

[empirestate]

I-84: Empire State Building and The Pru (since it's mostly used to get from New York to Boston)

The idea is to find a single symbol; what one graphical image could represent this connection?

[LM117]

After living in both North Carolina and Virginia, this comes to mind after noticing differences between those states.

I-95 & I-295 in Virginia:



I-95 & I-795 in NC:

[paulthemapguy]

I-4:  Cinderella's Castle
I-5:  Pacific waves overlooked by mountains across the top
I-8:  Joshua tree
I-10:  Sunshine
I-12:  Bayous
I-15:  Red rock
I-17:  A cougar
I-19:  Cactus
I-20:  A rocking chair
I-22:  Some Elvis thing
I-24:  A country guitar
I-25:  Rocky mountains
I-26:  Horse drawn carriage referencing Charleston SC
I-27:  Spurs or something Texas-like
I-29:  Sioux garb
I-30:  A diamond (gem)
I-35:  Fields representing the Heartland
I-37:  An armadillo
I-39:  Evergreens for the north woods, maybe a pastie
I-40:  General reference to touring
I-41:  Cheese
I-43:  Harbor boats
I-44:  US66 memorabilia
I-45:  Rockets
I-49:  Pelicans
I-55:  Blue musical notes (inspired by a previous post) (blue because of the blues)
I-57:  Bust of Lincoln
I-59:  Cotton
I-64:  Hills
I-65:  Nascar or something
I-66:  Monticello or some DC monument
I-68:  Harpers Ferry in memoriam
I-69:  something involving reciprocation
I-70:  National road memorabilia
I-71:  A river that catches on fire
I-72:  Picture of a guy shrugging wondering why this road was built
I-73:  Same
I-74:  Tractor
I-75:  Automobiles
I-76W:  Denver skyline
I-76E:  Penna Turnpike
I-77:  Biscuits and gravy
I-78:  Statue of Liberty
I-79:  Steel mills...or ketchup
I-80:  Two coasts--the first coast-to-coast Interstate
I-81:  Appalachian Trail
I-82:  Evergreens
I-83:  Crabs or Harbors
I-84W:  Oregon Trail (inspired by earlier post)
I-84E:  The Constitution (inspired by earlier post)
I-85:  Coke or the CDC
I-86W:  Mormons
I-86E:  Allegheny/Catskill Mtns
I-87:  Adirondacks...or the chair
I-88W:  Wayne's World
I-88E:  A baseball (EDITED. Thanks, two people)
I-89:  Maple syrup
I-90:  Northern exposure
I-91:  Canadian friendship, or Supertroopers
I-93:  Old man of the mountain
I-94:  Chicago skyline
I-95:  Atlantic seaboard
I-96:  Motor City
I-97:  Navy
I-99:  Little league

[jp the roadgeek]

I-88E:  No idea

Baseball Hall of Fame

[TheHighwayMan3561]

My Minnesota take:

35: A tractor (southern MN farms), a lighthouse (North Shore), and the state capitol
35W: Minneapolis skyline
90: Farm imagery
94: MSP skylines with Mississippi River
494/694: Beltway
394: Target Field
535: Blatnik Bridge (what else could you do?)

[empirestate]

I-88E:  No idea

Baseball Hall of Fame

So, maybe a baseball (or bat, or glove)? The hall of fame itself mightn't be terribly recognizable...

35: A tractor (southern MN farms), a lighthouse (North Shore), and the state capitol

That's three...you gotta pick one!

535: Blatnik Bridge (what else could you do?)

Anything that might represent Great Lakes shipping in general? Or Lake Superior in particular?

[Bickendan]

I-5: Donald Duck in University of Oregon uniform under the Disneyland Castle.

[US71]

I-49 in Arkansas: a big red hog

[empirestate]

I-5: Donald Duck in University of Oregon uniform under the Disneyland Castle.

Ha! A bit hard to boil down to a recognizeable graphical symbol, but hey.