US 6 questions

[Inyomono395]

I would like to get some information on US 6 because someday I would like to travel the entire length.
Where in the country is US 6 more than just a rural 2 lane Highway(not including concurrencies with interstate highways)?
Are there freeway segments of US 6 that aren't part of the interstate highway system?
What is the length of US 6 that's not included on the interstate highway system?

Sorry if I worded any of my questions weird. Thanks in advance for any responses.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

US 6 has a freeway section in downtown Denver. It also has expressway status in part of Massachusetts.

[Super Mateo]

I would like to get some information on US 6 because someday I would like to travel the entire length.
Where in the country is US 6 more than just a rural 2 lane Highway(not including concurrencies with interstate highways)?
Are there freeway segments of US 6 that aren't part of the interstate highway system?
What is the length of US 6 that's not included on the interstate highway system?

Sorry if I worded any of my questions weird. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Where I'm at (northeast IL/Chicago suburbs), US 6 is an urban arterial.  It has a freeway segment going into IN, then becomes an arterial again in NW IN.  Traffic will calm down further east.  Pretty much everywhere from Joliet, IL to Hobart, IN will include heavy traffic in the daytime.

[cpzilliacus]

U.S. 6 follows I-70 in Utah and Colorado from Green River to Grand Junction, for almost 100 miles (Google Maps here). It's not signed especially well with U.S. 50 and U.S. 6 shields.  There's an "Old U.S. 6/U.S. 50" road that runs roughly parallel to parts of this segment of I-70.

I realize you were asking about sections of U.S. 6 that do not overlap with Interstates, but wanted you to be aware of the relative lack of signage here.

[epzik8]

I think U.S. 6 is divided in the area of Warren, Pennsylvania, where it overlaps with U.S. 62.

[vdeane]

There's also the freeway section northeast of Scranton.  Plus it overlaps the Palisades Parkway in NY (and has a divider going up the mountain).  And the Willimantic bypass in CT.

[jp the roadgeek]

Also is an expressway through Johnston, RI into downtown Providence, as well as the Mid-Cape Highway from Sagamore to Orleans. 

[Max Rockatansky]

U.S. 6 follows I-70 in Utah and Colorado from Green River to Grand Junction, for almost 100 miles (Google Maps here). It's not signed especially well with U.S. 50 and U.S. 6 shields.  There's an "Old U.S. 6/U.S. 50" road that runs roughly parallel to parts of this segment of I-70.

I realize you were asking about sections of U.S. 6 that do not overlap with Interstates, but wanted you to be aware of the relative lack of signage here.

The Old US 50/6 through Thompson Springs and Cisco is especially worth checking out since both are fairly modern ghost towns.  Part of the Cisco alignment was absorbed into UT 128. 

[KEVIN_224]

Besides the short highway near Willimantic, CT (one of two segments built for a relocated I-84), US 6 overlaps I-84 from Exit 60 in Manchester west to Exit 38 in Farmington, rejoins in Southbury (over the Housatonic River), leaves in Newtown and then joins I-84 again from Exit 8 near the Bethel/Danbury city line, finally splitting off at Exit 4, which starts a concurrency with US Route 202 towards Brewster, NY.

[cl94]

There's a decent-length overlap with NY 17 in Orange County. Overall, between super twos and full freeway sections, US 6 is limited-access from Goshen to the Hudson River, about 23 miles.

[Bickendan]

I'd say if you're planning on eventually clinching the entire route, you might as well include its historical southern leg south of Bishop. That is, US 395, CA 14 (and specifically the Sierra Highway from Lancaster/Palmdale to Newhall Pass), and tracing its route through the San Fernando Valley to the Harbor Freeway.

[oscar]

In Nevada, US 6 is two-lane and very lightly traveled. While Nevada tourism officials plug US 50 to the north as the "loneliest road", I think the honor really belongs to US 6. Between Tonopah and Ely, US 6 has what may be the longest stretch in the lower 48 with no gas stations (over 160 miles).

[PHLBOS]

In MA, much of US 6 is either a 4-lane arterial or expressway (Mid-Cape Highway west of MA 134).

[frankenroad]

There is a short (3-4 miles) freeway section near Bowling Green, Ohio.   If you look at Google earth, you can also see that when 6 was re-routed around Bowling Green, that the state bought enough right-of-way to make the entire section (about 12 miles) 4-lanes.   Wooster Street through Bowling Green is the original routing of US-6.

There is also a freeway section around Fremont, OH, and US-6 is co signed on the OH-2 freeway for about 1/2 mile between Sandusky and Huron.

A cross-country trip on US-6 is on my bucket list, too.

[RobbieL2415]

US 6 also forms the northern portion of a sort of inner loop in downtown Providence, and is also multiplexed with I-95 and briefly I-195.

[coatimundi]

I've actually spent several years researching US 6 and have traveled its length; multiple times in a number of sections. To me, the majority of it is really interesting. As a cross-country route, I think it's a much more representative highway than the more iconic ones - 66, Lincoln Highway, 20 - due to its more diagonal routing and true coastal endpoints. Plus, the majority of it still exists as it was, with relatively short sections paralleled or supplanted by interstates.
But, if you follow the historic sections, it takes a really long time to drive.

Your question about non-interstate mileage would be pretty difficult to calculate. But Wikipedia has its current (i.e. - missing the pre-1964 section through CA) mileage numbers by state:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_6

Top of my head, freeway sections, where it's not on an interstate in bold:
- I-110 in the LA area (6 was routed on it for only a few years)
- I-5 in the LA area north of 110 (again, not on there for very long)
- I-15 south of Provo
- I-70 in portions of Utah and Colorado (it jumps on and off, but is mostly off in CO)
- 6th Avenue freeway west of Denver and partially through Golden
- I-76 east of Denver
- Dodge Street freeway west of Omaha
- I-480 in Omaha and Council Bluffs
- Parts of I-80 in Iowa (historic sections mostly along the White Pole Road)
- I-80/94 south of Chicago and into Northwest Indiana
- Western section of Cleveland Shoreway
- Bypass of Warren, PA
- Part of I-81 in northern Scranton
- Freeway from Scranton to Carbondale, PA
- NY 17 west of Bear Mountain
- Portions of I-84 in Connecticut
- I-384 in Connecticut
- Planned I-84 routing in Providence
- Freeway through much of Barnstable County, MA

[PHLBOS]

- Planned I-84 routing in Providence

Don't forget the Planned I-84 routing in Willamantic, CT as well.

[Buck87]

- Western section of Cleveland Shoreway

Most of that is being downgraded to a 35 mph boulevard

[Buck87]

There is a short (3-4 miles) freeway section near Bowling Green, Ohio.   If you look at Google earth, you can also see that when 6 was re-routed around Bowling Green, that the state bought enough right-of-way to make the entire section (about 12 miles) 4-lanes.   Wooster Street through Bowling Green is the original routing of US-6.

There is also a freeway section around Fremont, OH, and US-6 is co signed on the OH-2 freeway for about 1/2 mile between Sandusky and Huron.

There's also another freeway segment in NW Ohio around Napoleon. Most of it is concurrent with US 24, but there's one short segment where 6 is a freeway by itself, where it crosses the Maumee River and has interchanges with state routes on both sides of the river.

[kphoger]

U.S. 6 follows I-70 in Utah and Colorado from Green River to Grand Junction, for almost 100 miles ... There's an "Old U.S. 6/U.S. 50" road that runs roughly parallel to parts of this segment of I-70.

The Old US 50/6 through Thompson Springs and Cisco is especially worth checking out since both are fairly modern ghost towns.  Part of the Cisco alignment was absorbed into UT 128. 

I plan to be on a part of that in June, from UT-128 east to I-70.  From what I've seen in pictures, Cisco seems to be pretty junky due to easy access by vandals.

[Max Rockatansky]

U.S. 6 follows I-70 in Utah and Colorado from Green River to Grand Junction, for almost 100 miles ... There's an "Old U.S. 6/U.S. 50" road that runs roughly parallel to parts of this segment of I-70.

The Old US 50/6 through Thompson Springs and Cisco is especially worth checking out since both are fairly modern ghost towns.  Part of the Cisco alignment was absorbed into UT 128. 

I plan to be on a part of that in June, from UT-128 east to I-70.  From what I've seen in pictures, Cisco seems to be pretty junky due to easy access by vandals.

Thompson Springs is much more intact by a significant margin.  I would owe that too an active DOT station and Shell just south of town.  There was some really interesting stuff created by the vandals in Cisco a couple years back.  In particular there was a stuffed bear displayed in an ominous way that was strangely fitting.  Surprisingly there are a lot of intact homes in Cisco with "no trespassing" signs....I guess they worked?   Also there is virtually no background noise aside from Oil Derricks chugging away. 

[Inyomono395]

I'd say if you're planning on eventually clinching the entire route, you might as well include its historical southern leg south of Bishop. That is, US 395, CA 14 (and specifically the Sierra Highway from Lancaster/Palmdale to Newhall Pass), and tracing its route through the San Fernando Valley to the Harbor Freeway.

I've driven US 395 and CA 14 a thousand times over, but I've only driven short sections of the Sierra highway in the Lancaster/Palmdale area.
I would like to drive the entire Sierra Highway from just south of Mojave to Newhall Pass.
Is it a continuous and well signed route?
What are some interesting stops on the Sierra Highway?
After Newhall Pass how do I follow the original alignment of US 6?

[Quillz]

Sierra Highway is an important local road for most of the towns that CA-14 goes through. It's not obviously signed as US-6 anymore, but you shouldn't have any trouble following it from roughly Lancaster down to its southern terminus at San Fernando Road/The Old Road.

As for stops... You've got the Vasquez Rocks, which is a popular off-roading site. There are a few entrances to the Pacific Crest Trail, IIRC, and the Sierra Highway itself deviates from CA-14 in a few places, notably near Soledad Canyon.

[TheStranger]

After Newhall Pass how do I follow the original alignment of US 6?

Here's what I recall (feel free to correct me if I'm off) was the pre-freeway alignments:

San Fernando Road from Sylmar to Avenue 26 near Dodger Stadium (this is also former US 99)
Avenue 26 to Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street (including today's Route 110/Arroyo Seco Parkway through the tunnels) south to PCH/Route 1 in Wilmington.  Co-signed with old Route 11 for just about that entire length, IIRC.
PCH/Route 1 southbound (actual direction eastbound) to Atlantic Avenue (old Route 15) in Long Beach

Note that the western (southern) terminus of US 6 in Long Beach was cut back to today's I-710/Long Beach Freeway in the late 1950s

[MNHighwayMan]

I'll just add that historic sections of US-6 in Iowa are actually signed pretty well with "Historic US-6" markers. It's pretty easy to follow without needing a map or knowing the route in advance - I did this once about a month ago, from Davenport to Des Moines.