Midwest-Great Lakes Madness

[thspfc]

I noticed that an Interstate bracket challenge was created in the Mid South board. So let's continue the tradition in the best board on the forum. 

To keep the rules consistent with the Mid South edition, you're only voting based on the segment of said Interstate within the boundaries of the Midwest/Great Lakes/Rust Belt/whatever else you call it. I think we all have a loose idea of what that entails so let's not launch into yet another debate about the specific boundaries of the region.

I'm leaving out I-79 and I-86, because while they enter the Midwest-Great Lakes region under AARoads' definition, I never see any posts about Pennsylvania or New York in this board, so I don't see a point in including them.

So here is the bracket:
West Region
#1 seed: I-90 (first round bye)
#2 seed: I-94 (first round bye)
#3 seed: I-35 (first round bye)
#4 seed: I-55 (first round bye)
#5 seed: I-74 (first round bye)
#6 seed: I-88 (first round bye)
#7 seed: I-43
#8 seed: I-39
#9 seed: I-41
#10 seed: I-57

East Region
#1 seed: I-80 (first round bye)
#2 seed: I-70 (first round bye)
#3 seed: I-75 (first round bye)
#4 seed: I-71 (first round bye)
#5 seed: I-65 (first round bye)
#6 seed: I-96 (first round bye)
#7 seed: I-69 (first round bye)
#8 seed: I-77
#9 seed: I-76

First Round
West
#7 I-43 vs #10 I-57
#8 I-39 vs #9 I-41
East
#8 I-77 vs #9 I-76

Vote on those three matchups between now and Monday 3/22.

Second Round Preview
West
#1 I-90 vs winner of 8/9 matchup
#4 I-55 vs #5 I-74
#3 I-35 vs #6 I-88
#2 I-94 vs winner of 7/10 matchup
East
#1 I-80 vs winner of 8/9 matchup
#4 I-71 vs #5 I-65
#3 I-75 vs #6 I-96
#2 I-70 vs #7 I-69

I will count up the first round results and kick off the second round on Monday or Tuesday.

[Big John]

First Round
West
#7 I-43 vs #10 I-57
#8 I-39 vs #9 I-41
East
#8 I-77 vs #9 I-76

[ilpt4u]

West:
I-57
I-39
East:
I-76

[SSOWorld]

West:
I-43
I-39
East:
I-77

[SkyPesos]

#7 I-43 vs #10 I-57
Chicago > Milwaukee. Also, Champaign is a nice college town ngl.

#8 I-39 vs #9 I-41
7 miles of non-multiplexed segment is better than 0 

East
#8 I-77 vs #9 I-76
Pittsburgh > Cleveland

[ilpt4u]

#7 I-43 vs #10 I-57
Chicago > Milwaukee. Also, Champaign is a nice college town ngl.

Honestly, I like Carbondale over Champaign, but whatever. I wasn't impressed by Champaign-Urbana when I lived in Central IL. Haven't spent much time in Charleston, so no data on that college town along I-57

East
#8 I-77 vs #9 I-76
Pittsburgh > Cleveland

Come on now, I-76 wins because of the OH TP Bump!

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I-57 over 43: bigger city, more important nationally
I-41 over 39:  again, bugger metro areas
I-77 over 76: because FU PA TPK

[ET21]

First Round
West
#7 I-43 vs #10 I-57
#8 I-39 vs #9 I-41
East
#8 I-77 vs #9 I-76

[zzcarp]

First Round
West
#10 I-57
#8 I-39
East
#8 I-77

[I-55]

57
39
77

[NWI_Irish96]

I-57
I-39
I-76

[Buck87]

West
I-43
I-39
East
I-77

[JoePCool14]

Here's my picks for the first round.

West
#7 I-43 vs #10 I-57
#8 I-39 vs #9 I-41
East
#8 I-77 vs #9 I-76

[JayhawkCO]

First Round
West
#7 I-43 vs #10 I-57
#8 I-39 vs #9 I-41
East
#8 I-77 vs #9 I-76

Chris

[thspfc]

First Round Results
West
(10) I-57 upsets (7) I-43, 8-4
(8) I-39 beats (9) I-41, 10-2

East
(8) I-77 beats (9) I-76, 8-4

Second Round Matchups
West
(1) I-90 vs (8) I-39
(4) I-55 vs (5) I-74
(3) I-35 vs (6) I-88
(2) I-94 vs (10) I-57

East
(1) I-80 vs (8) I-77
(4) I-71 vs (5) I-65
(3) I-75 vs (6) I-96
(2) I-70 vs (7) I-69

Vote between now and Monday 3/29.

[Big John]

Second Round Matchups
West
(1) I-90 vs (8) I-39
(4) I-55 vs (5) I-74
(3) I-35 vs (6) I-88
(2) I-94 vs (10) I-57

East
(1) I-80 vs (8) I-77
(4) I-71 vs (5) I-65
(3) I-75 vs (6) I-96
(2) I-70 vs (7) I-69

[SkyPesos]

Second Round Matchups
West
(1) I-90 vs (8) I-39
This one is way too easy, considering I-39 multiplexes I-90 for a good portion of its route

(4) I-55 vs (5) I-74
Hometown bias

(3) I-35 vs (6) I-88
Minnesota section alone blows I-88 out of the water.

(2) I-94 vs (10) I-57
I-94 is pretty much the Main Street of the Upper Midwest. Also, I'm voting Ann Arbor over Champaign for college towns.

East
(1) I-80 vs (8) I-77
Too bad I-80 bypasses every large city in the Midwest it passes by, but overall importance and length in the Midwest is still more than I-77.

(4) I-71 vs (5) I-65
Had to go with Ohio's 3C cities over Indianapolis and Chicago. Also, hometown bias x2

(3) I-75 vs (6) I-96
Hometown bias x3

(2) I-70 vs (7) I-69
I-70 wins the Battle of Indianapolis for me over I-69 because of its Ohio segment. Also, bias for two of my former hometowns.

[ilpt4u]

West:
I-90 over I-39. Even if US 51 were upgraded to I-39 south of Bloomington to Decatur and then south to I-57 at Salem, I would still pick I-90
I-55 over I-74. Even Regionally speaking only, the old US Route 66 between Chicago and St Louis is more important than Cincinnati to Davenport, Iowa
I-35 over I-88. Doesn't even need a rationalization. If I-88 took over the Eisenhower into Downtown Chicago from I-290...I-35 still wins
I-94 over I-57. I-94 is basically the Interstate that holds the NFC North together - with a spur to Green Bay that someone named I-43 instead of I-x94. I-57 is a glorified I-x55

East:
I-80 over I-77. Is what it is - even if I-80 is multiplexed thru much of the region, it is still a vital freight corridor on the national NYC-SF interstate
I-65 over I-71. This one is close, and the game rules I believe instruct a focus on the Region in-play, not the overall route. So basically looking at Indy-Chicago I-65 and Columbus-Cleveland I-71. I have to believe Indy-Chicago is the more vital link
I-75 over I-96. I-75 literally terminates I-96
I-69 over I-70. Upset Special. The "original"  I-69 shows up, as a NAFTA/US-Canada transborder trade highway, enough to take out the linking of St Louis-Indy-Columbus in the Region

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Chalk walks.

I-90
I-55
I-35
I-94

I-80
I-65
I-75
I-70

[Buck87]

West
I-90
I-74
I-35
I-94

East
I-80
I-71
I-75
I-70

[NWI_Irish96]

Second Round Matchups
West
(1) I-90 vs (8) I-39
(4) I-55 vs (5) I-74
(3) I-35 vs (6) I-88
(2) I-94 vs (10) I-57

East
(1) I-80 vs (8) I-77
(4) I-71 vs (5) I-65
(3) I-75 vs (6) I-96
(2) I-70 vs (7) I-69

[ET21]

Second Round Matchups
West
(1) I-90 vs (8) I-39
(4) I-55 vs (5) I-74
(3) I-35 vs (6) I-88
(2) I-94 vs (10) I-57

East
(1) I-80 vs (8) I-77
(4) I-71 vs (5) I-65
(3) I-75 vs (6) I-96
(2) I-70 vs (7) I-69

[JayhawkCO]

Second Round Matchups
West
(1) I-90 vs (8) I-39
If 39 disappeared, I don't think I'd notice

(4) I-55 vs (5) I-74
Within the region, I think I-74 does more, Illinois politics notwithstanding

(3) I-35 vs (6) I-88
Boo tolls.

(2) I-94 vs (10) I-57
Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Detroit vs southern suburbs of Chicago?  No brainer.

East
(1) I-80 vs (8) I-77
Not close.  Even despite the tolls.

(4) I-71 vs (5) I-65
Within the region I-71 is more important.  Overall, I-65 is.

(3) I-75 vs (6) I-96
Cinci + Dayton + Toledo > Grand Rapids

(2) I-70 vs (7) I-69
I wish it were more important in Illinois, but otherwise, a stronger candidate

Chris

[zzcarp]

Second Round Matchups
West
(1) I-90 vs (8) I-39
(4) I-55 vs (5) I-74
(3) I-35 vs (6) I-88
(2) I-94 vs (10) I-57

East
(1) I-80 vs (8) I-77
(4) I-71 vs (5) I-65
(3) I-75 vs (6) I-96
(2) I-70 vs (7) I-69

[SSOWorld]

West
(1) I-90 vs (8) I-39
(4) I-55 vs (5) I-74
(3) I-35 vs (6) I-88
(2) I-94 vs (10) I-57

East
(1) I-80 vs (8) I-77
(4) I-71 vs (5) I-65
(3) I-75 vs (6) I-96
(2) I-70 vs (7) I-69