Which Non-Interstate Corridors are in worst need of upgrades?

[webny99]

I was originally going to ask which non-interstate corridor in each state is in the worst need of upgrades, but decided we didn't need to be that specific, since some states may have several and others none at all.

For this thread, I'm defining a corridor as any of the following:
(1) A single route number, in entirety or with endpoints
(2) "City X to City Y" using one or multiple routes
(3) "City X to Route Y" using one or multiple routes

[hotdogPi]

2dis:
US 287 between DFW and Amarillo
Austin-Houston
US 29 in Virginia

3dis:
US 380 in northern DFW suburbs
Atlanta outer beltway, northern segment
Spurs to Tallahassee, Gainesville, North Port/Port Charlotte, Cape Coral

[Max Rockatansky]

US 19 from St. Petersburg north to Crystal River in Florida.  Some segments are now forced limited access but trying to commute on they highway is a total nightmare.

[Rothman]

US 11 and Circle Dr from NY 481 to Chick-fil-A in Cicero, NY.

[jmacswimmer]

Low-hanging fruit: US 50/301 over a certain 4-mile-long twin-span bridge...

US 15 from the Point of Rocks Bridge to US 340 (aka the 2-lane segment) would be another good candidate.

Would also mention MD 32, but construction is now underway to extend the 4-lane segment to I-70!

[SkyPesos]

For Ohio, not sure if there is one that's in "worst need"  compared to some others mentioned in the thread. My main one would be US 36 between I-71 and US 23, but a new bypass to the east of downtown Delaware would be needed, and I think that's beyond the point of this thread. So then maybe US 23 at South Bloomfield and Circleville, though a South Bloomfield bypass is currently in planning.

[Flint1979]

US-23 between Flint and Toledo.

[cpzilliacus]

US 15 from the Point of Rocks Bridge to US 340 (aka the 2-lane segment) would be another good candidate.

This is not a good use of resources unless Virginia has similar plans for U.S. 15 south of the Potomac River.

[nexus73]

US 101 on the Oregon Coast has a need for plenty of upgrades all along its length. 

Rick

[TEG24601]

US 101 on the Oregon Coast has a need for plenty of upgrades all along its length. 

Rick

Add OR 18 to that list.  It is overly traveled for its size.


US 101 from Shelton to Sequim would also be a candidate, as the road is not built for the traffic that uses it.


US 2 from Snohomish to Leavenworth - needs a few extra passing lanes, and some curves buffed out.

[texaskdog]

2dis:

Austin-Houston

Disagree.  We take 71 frequently and while I'd love a freeway there (much like 290 out to I-10 on the west side) the existing road easy handles the traffic (probably due in part to having 2 expressways headed there)

[JayhawkCO]

There aren't a ton of candidates in Colorado off the top of my brain.  It wouldn't hurt to upgrade CO83 between I-225 and the Springs to have an overflow route opposite I-25.  Also it suffers less in the winter as compared to Momument Hill.

I also wouldn't hate it if US285 could somehow become completely limited access between I-25 and Sheridan.

Chris

[OCGuy81]

OR-99W from Portland to McMinnville.  While the Dundee bypass has helped a bit with bottlenecks, the road itself is still in pretty awful shape.

[jmacswimmer]

US 15 from the Point of Rocks Bridge to US 340 (aka the 2-lane segment) would be another good candidate.

This is not a good use of resources unless Virginia has similar plans for U.S. 15 south of the Potomac River.

I was just focusing on MD in that post, but agreed...widening US 15 only to the VA line would just create a new bottleneck (not unlike what currently happens northbound where the Leesburg Bypass narrows to 2 lanes...)

Regardless, I'm not sure whether VDOT or MDOT SHA have any actual plans for this corridor...I imagine the Point of Rocks Bridge would be a point of contention (not unlike the Legion Bridge downstream).

[US 89]

There aren't a ton of candidates in Colorado off the top of my brain.  It wouldn't hurt to upgrade CO83 between I-225 and the Springs to have an overflow route opposite I-25.  Also it suffers less in the winter as compared to Momument Hill.

I also wouldn't hate it if US285 could somehow become completely limited access between I-25 and Sheridan.

I for one would appreciate seeing US 85/Santa Fe Drive as a freeway between I-25 and 470, but like the east end of 285 that seems rather unlikely to ever happen.

[NWI_Irish96]

Indiana: US 30 Warsaw to Columbia City

[sprjus4]

US 287 between DFW and Amarillo
Austin-Houston

While ideally both of these corridors should be upgraded to interstate standards, I'd argue something like US-281 between San Antonio and Wichita Falls which is largely an undivided 2 lane road and then the occasional 4 lane portion, carrying large amounts of traffic including trucks with long, limited passing opportunities, is far more worthy to upgrade.

At least those corridors are 4 lane divided highway with largely town bypasses and a 75 mph uniform speed limit with limited to no interruptions (signals).

Here's another one I haven't seen mentioned - US-287 between I-45 and Fort Worth.

[webny99]

For Ohio, not sure if there is one that's in "worst need"  compared to some others mentioned in the thread. My main one would be US 36 between I-71 and US 23, but a new bypass to the east of downtown Delaware would be needed, and I think that's beyond the point of this thread. So then maybe US 23 at South Bloomfield and Circleville, though a South Bloomfield bypass is currently in planning.

What about US 23 between I-270 and Delaware? Unless you were assuming I-71 > US 36 as the preferred route from Columbus.

[sprjus4]

Virginia... being more realistic as opposed to the fictional highways concept of upgrade the whole corridor to interstate standards (ideal, but never will happen)...

US-29 between I-66 and Gainesville; US-29 between Charlottesville and Ruckersville
US-58 between Suffolk Bypass and Franklin
US-17 between I-664 and I-64 (via James River Bridge); US-17 between Gloucester and Newport News (via Coleman Bridge)
VA-168 between the bottom end of the toll road and the North Carolina line.
VA-3 / US-17 west of I-95 until out of the Fredericksburg area
VA-234 and VA-286 between I-95 and I-66

[SkyPesos]

For Ohio, not sure if there is one that's in "worst need"  compared to some others mentioned in the thread. My main one would be US 36 between I-71 and US 23, but a new bypass to the east of downtown Delaware would be needed, and I think that's beyond the point of this thread. So then maybe US 23 at South Bloomfield and Circleville, though a South Bloomfield bypass is currently in planning.

What about US 23 between I-270 and Delaware? Unless you were assuming I-71 > US 36 as the preferred route from Columbus.

Yes I'm assuming that I-71/US 36 is the preferred route. US 23 between I-270 and Delaware is so developed that carrying out any upgrade is near impossible at this point, so any upgrade on the Columbus-Toledo corridor now have to be between I-71 and US 23.

[sparker]

California's "Captain Obvious" corridors:  CA 58 over the Tehachapis, CA 99 in Tulare County, and CA 152 in both the Los Banos and Gilroy areas.  Also: finishing CA 14 north as a freeway to CA 58 (a couple of miles), and US 395 from I-15 to CA 58; that composite corridor serves as an effective L.A. commercial bypass that could stand relief of the suburban slog through west Victorville and Adelanto. 

Up in OR, the OR 18 corridor from PDX metro out to the coast at Lincoln City has already been mentioned; I heartily concur there -- but I'd also suggest US 97 in it entirety -- add passing lanes for trucks, a few more divided expressway segments, and a number of other spot improvements such as finishing the RR grade separation at La Pine.  A real freeway through Bend from the Sunriver area north to past Madras (i.e., the populated area along the corridor) would be nice -- but this is OR, so the prospects for such aren't great. 

In NV, an expressway extension along US 395 south of Carson City through Gardnerville and Minden would likely be welcomed by the residents who have to deal with through commercial traffic on a facility that, while gradually improved over the last couple of decades, really needs to be bypassed for at least safety's sake. 

And there's a couple of things in WA, particularly east of the Cascades, that could stand some attention:  US 97 in the Yakima Valley would certainly benefit from a direct expressway connection through Toppenish to I-82, and US 2 from the Spokane area west to Wenatchee could use some expressway sections or at least a lot more passing lanes (I have friends in the Davenport area, and they dread having to use that facility). 

Given time, I could probably come up with a lot more -- but these stand out in particular. 

[ilpt4u]

Indiana: US 30 Warsaw to Columbia City

Go Big or Go Home!

US 30: Mansfield, OH to New Lenox, IL

I think Illinois's would have to be US 20 between the Mississippi River and Rockford. Maybe.

[bing101]

CA-37 should be full freeway but it's not going to happen due to environmental concerns. Close the CA-84 gap by making Vasco Road signed as CA-84.Make CA-51 meet interstate standards.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

In MN, it's US 12 from Orono to Litchfield. US 14 and MN 23 are both programmed to be dealt with, but 12 is likely going to stay how it is for decades to come.

[Roadgeekteen]

Massachusetts huh... not sure, I'd have to guess MA 2 between Acton and Lexington, maybe the bridges to Cape Cod if they count.