The BEST Transportation Agency in the U.S. (2021 Edition)

[andrepoiy]

- I'd also say that Ontario's decommissioning of routes in 1997 had made the system less useful due to random/large gaps in routes, random stubs routes (e.g. Highway 20), and the system doesn't actually go anywhere in population centres. ...

Ontario doesn't seem to care about system connectivity in general.  ...

That's a really interesting point. I would also suggest the Red Hill Valley Pkwy not getting a 400-number and the QEW narrowing from eight lanes down to six at the Parkway's eastern terminus as evidence of this.

A lot of the roads (especially 400-series highways) that go to the border stop short of it, on the reasoning that MTO doesn't maintain it/"it's not a freeway because of customs/toll plazas/etc." (I know ON 402, ON 405, and the QEW have this issue ...

As for ON 405, Google says it goes right to the border. Is that incorrect?

The reason why the Red Hill Valley Parkway, along with other municipal expressways such as Don Valley Parkway, Gardiner Expy, Allen Road, Lincoln Alexander Parkway, and E.C. Row Expressway do not get a 400-number is that they are not owned nor maintained by the province.

The privately-owned section of the 407 is also technically not part of the provincial system, as it doesn't have that crown shield. It's just that the freeway's name happens to be 407 Express Toll Route.

Google Maps is incorrect in a lot of places in Ontario, as it often shows decommissioned Ontario highways; For example, Highway 9 on Google Maps shows the section from Orangeville to Harriston as Hwy 9, even though it was decommissioned back in 1998 and is now a county route.

Another funny thing is that ON511 (the government website to see road conditions/traffic/construction) doesn't include reports on any Connecting Link section of provincial roads either. It makes the already-discontinuous system look even more discontinuous. (A Connecting Link is a municipal or county maintained road that is signed as an Ontario route and gets subsidized from the provincial government). Check it out: https://511on.ca/

[Revive 755]

INDOT has gotten a lot better since the gas tax has passed. They have a lot more money to do badly needed work. There are tons of preventative maintenance projects now and road quality is much better now.

INDOT may have improved the quality of their roads, but there's still a lot to dislike:

* The decommissioning of through town routes and the resulting gaps.

* New construction/reconstructions resulting in significant downgrades at major junctions - the latest would be the proposed Veterans Parkway interchange with the new I-69 Ohio River Bridge around Evansville.  The previous example would be the downgrades to the I-465/Sam Jones interchange - should have been a direct ramp for SB to EB rather than the triple left.

* Plenty of work zones with speed limit reductions that appear unwarranted.

[sprjus4]

NCDOT if you like interstates.

if you like small sections of pointless interstates that don't go anywhere 

Besides I-87, which will be extended, where else are you talking about?

[Roadgeekteen]

NCDOT if you like interstates.

if you like small sections of pointless interstates that don't go anywhere 

Besides I-87, which will be extended, where else are you talking about?

I-74?

[sprjus4]

NCDOT if you like interstates.

if you like small sections of pointless interstates that don't go anywhere 

Besides I-87, which will be extended, where else are you talking about?

I-74?

While the routing of I-74 can be disputed, it is at least signed or will be with the completion of various under construction or planned projects, between I-77 and somewhere outside of Wilmington.

I applaud NCDOT for at least pushing forth with highway projects instead of remaining dormant as many states do. The latest interstate additions in the past decade may seem over the top, but they do have merit and connectivity purposes. More than most states can say.

[Roadgeekteen]

NCDOT if you like interstates.

if you like small sections of pointless interstates that don't go anywhere 

Besides I-87, which will be extended, where else are you talking about?

I-74?

While the routing of I-74 can be disputed, it is at least signed or will be with the completion of various under construction or planned projects, between I-77 and somewhere outside of Wilmington.

I applaud NCDOT for at least pushing forth with highway projects instead of remaining dormant as many states do. The latest interstate additions in the past decade may seem over the top, but they do have merit and connectivity purposes. More than most states can say.

I thought that I-74 was supposed to go to Myrtle Beach?

[SkyPesos]

The previous example would be the downgrades to the I-465/Sam Jones interchange - should have been a direct ramp for SB to EB rather than the triple left.

Is the downgrade of 465 and San Jones because of the IND airport terminal relocation? I checked Historic Aerials for the previous configuration, and it was a cloverstack with the SB-EB direction served by a flyover, and it was reconfigured just a couple of years after the terminal got relocated. If that's the case, I get the reason for the downgrade, as the airport traffic isn't there anymore.

[sprjus4]

NCDOT if you like interstates.

if you like small sections of pointless interstates that don't go anywhere 

Besides I-87, which will be extended, where else are you talking about?

I-74?

While the routing of I-74 can be disputed, it is at least signed or will be with the completion of various under construction or planned projects, between I-77 and somewhere outside of Wilmington.

I applaud NCDOT for at least pushing forth with highway projects instead of remaining dormant as many states do. The latest interstate additions in the past decade may seem over the top, but they do have merit and connectivity purposes. More than most states can say.

I thought that I-74 was supposed to go to Myrtle Beach?

It's never gonna happen. Wilmington is ultimately where any connection is going to end up.

[SkyPesos]

NCDOT if you like interstates.

if you like small sections of pointless interstates that don't go anywhere 

Besides I-87, which will be extended, where else are you talking about?

I-74?

While the routing of I-74 can be disputed, it is at least signed or will be with the completion of various under construction or planned projects, between I-77 and somewhere outside of Wilmington.

I applaud NCDOT for at least pushing forth with highway projects instead of remaining dormant as many states do. The latest interstate additions in the past decade may seem over the top, but they do have merit and connectivity purposes. More than most states can say.

I thought that I-74 was supposed to go to Myrtle Beach?

It's never gonna happen. Wilmington is ultimately where any connection is going to end up.

If SC really want an interstate to Myrtle Beach, kind of wondering, why specifically I-73/I-74? An I-20 eastern extension is shorter than anything that involves those two routes.

[Great Lakes Roads]

I gotta get a nod for Wisconsin when it comes to their interchange choices more recently.

Freeway-to-freeway interchanges are (mostly) stacks, roundabout interchanges are on the rage, and they are starting to use Diverging Diamond Interchanges on some of their busier interchanges! They have also raised the speed limit to 70 mph to match their neighbors as they were the last to do so. WisDOT has a "either go big or go home attitude" when it comes to their road design!

WisDOT has also widened a lot of roads in the past 10 years to catch up with the growth of the state as well as the traffic from Chicagoland. Widening projects include:

• I-39/90 between Beloit and Madison
• I-94 North-South Freeway between IL State Line to Milwaukee
• WI-441 in Appleton
• I-41 Expansion in Green Bay and Fond du Lac/Oshkosh
• Soon-to-get underway: I-43  between Milwaukee and Grafton

[sprjus4]

If SC really want an interstate to Myrtle Beach, kind of wondering, why specifically I-73/I-74? An I-20 eastern extension is shorter than anything that involves those two routes.

Construction of an I-20 extension would likely be longer than I-73, if it's a direct shot.

But realistically, if you extend I-20, you can't go through Florence obviously in a straight line - you're likely going to head up I-95 North for some distance. You could split off around SC-327 and follow it back to US-76, but then you're now having to build a new interstate through the Great Pee Dee River and associated wetlands - environmental issues are already an obstacle to getting the present routing built - no way another wetland crossing would fly. So, you could then extend this theoretical I-20 extension further north along I-95 across its crossing of the Great Pee Dee River, then follow the SC-38 corridor to US-501 - and at that point that's the proposed routing for I-73.

So either way, you end up with the same routing. It's merely a matter of what number it will be called. And considering a much future Phase 2 would extend I-73 from I-95 to North Carolina to tie into their portion, along a totally different route, it's now unrelated to I-20 entirely.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Also, the VDOT Northern Virginia District's PIO is probably the best PIO in the whole damn country.

H.B. Elkins has entered the chat

Oops, sorry, H.B.

[Angelo71]

VDOT just because it is Virginia. They have some cool interchanges too.

[vdeane]

NCDOT if you like interstates.

if you like small sections of pointless interstates that don't go anywhere 

Besides I-87, which will be extended, where else are you talking about?

I-74?

While the routing of I-74 can be disputed, it is at least signed or will be with the completion of various under construction or planned projects, between I-77 and somewhere outside of Wilmington.

I applaud NCDOT for at least pushing forth with highway projects instead of remaining dormant as many states do. The latest interstate additions in the past decade may seem over the top, but they do have merit and connectivity purposes. More than most states can say.

I wouldn't count the planned projects.  At one time, NY 17 was planned to be upgraded to a full freeway around Hale Eddy back in 2017.  Obviously that didn't happen.  As it is now, I-74 is signed on a bunch of short sections and the concurrency with I-73.  I-87 is only about ten miles long.  I-26 exists in two sections.  It's a mess, and with how many designations NC is working on, probably will be for quite some time to come; even when I-74 is done, it will be other routes.

[silverback1065]

for worst i will put penndot here. so many terrible substandard interstates!

[Angelo71]

for worst i will put penndot here. so many terrible substandard interstates!

penndot is horrible they work on us-30 for like hundreds of time in a month but then there are hundreds of potholes everywhere

[JoePCool14]

for worst i will put penndot here. so many terrible substandard interstates!

Breezewood alone disbars PennDOT from winning. Not that that's their only issue.

[CoreySamson]

I've got mostly positive, but nevertheless mixed opinions about TXDOT.

Pros:
- Projects actually get started and completed
- Freeway design is looking up
- Signage, though Clearview, is usually amazing
- Roads are usually very well surfaced and free of potholes
- Uses high-efficiency junctions well

Cons:
- Quality of new construction is concerning
- The Houston district is a hotbed of mediocre signage and quality
- Signs seem to be damaged easily in heavy winds
- Not very much attention given to pedestrians

Probably somewhere around 5th-10th place in the overall scheme of things.

[CoreySamson]

Let's get back on topic.

I haven't heard much on this forum regarding ALDOT, SCDOT, or NDDOT. How do we feel on those?

[kphoger]

Really.  If this can't get back on topic, I actually think it might be time for moderator intervention.

[sprjus4]

As it is now, I-74 is signed on a bunch of short sections and the concurrency with I-73.

Once the construction of the Winston-Salem Beltway and the Rockingham Bypass (both currently under construction) are complete by 2024, I-74 will exist in 3 segments. One 17 mile segment between the Virginia state line following I-77 and US-52, a second 122 mile segment between Winston-Salem and Rockingham, and a third 18 mile segment near I-95.

US-74 is actively getting upgraded extending east from I-95 with the construction of numerous interchanges over the last decade, with more planned, and an eventual upgrade to the Rockingham-Laurinburg segment planned in the next decade. US-52 north of Winston-Salem is already built to freeway standards - various smaller upgrades are needed to meet full interstate standards. Once those projects are complete, I-74 will be continuously signed throughout the state.

They've made significant progress so far in the past 2 decades with more planned.

I-26 exists in two sections.

Technically, yes, though it's functionally one interstate with a small segment that needs shoulder widening, plus a major upcoming, and fully funded project to overhaul the Asheville I-240 North interchange.

[sprjus4]

Let's get back on topic.

I haven't heard much on this forum regarding ALDOT, SCDOT, or NDDOT. How do we feel on those?

SCDOT = no money = joke

[JoePCool14]

Let's get back on topic.

I haven't heard much on this forum regarding ALDOT, SCDOT, or NDDOT. How do we feel on those?

SCDOT seems alright from my experiences visiting the state. Their signs are a-ok, despite using Clearview. Road surfaces seemed okay from what I remember. In terms of the nitty-gritty though, I'm not sure.

North Dakota... now that's a state we don't hear too much about around here.

[jmacswimmer]

Let's get back on topic.

I haven't heard much on this forum regarding ALDOT, SCDOT, or NDDOT. How do we feel on those?

SCDOT = no money = joke

Agreed, I recall I-95 (in addition to being just 4 lanes everywhere outside Florence) being rather bumpy throughout the state.  If they could at least prioritize 6-laning from GA to I-26 (or even just to exit 33)...

Really.  If this can't get back on topic, I actually think it might be time for moderator intervention.

Agreed...all this [redacted western PA city] & [redacted state across the Potomac from MD] spam is just asinine.

[jeffandnicole]

Little Delaware gets overlooked quite a lot, and some of their signage is just a disaster, but overall they do a pretty good job.  They have done a lot of road widening over the past 20 years; more so than many other states in the area.   They probably could've done a better job with 95 between MD and 295 in hindsight, either with an Express/Local Division or Car/Truck Division, to help with traffic that can bottleneck at many points along the "Delaware Turnpike" portion of the highway. But overall, compared to many other states in the greater Northeast region, they're pretty good at what they do in a very built-up area.