Your state’s most important highway in each range?

[SCtoKC]

I guess I can try Kansas:

1-9: None of the routes that exist go through an especially important town except K-4, which goes through Topeka. So I guess that by default.

K-7 goes through Kansas City and the surrounding suburbs of the Metro.

[mgk920]

Taking a shot at WI:
0-9: TIE!!!: 2 and 8 cover important links well as the only two single-digit routes in WI (No state routes under 11).  2 bridges the UP with MN and 8 is a link with MSP to the UP.
10-19: 10 without a doubt.  takes central and western WI traffic to Appleton/Oshkosh (with US-45's help).
20-29: 29 is a major 4-lane expressway connecting MSP via Chippewa Falls with Green Bay and Wausau and a major E-W route.
30-39: 35 is quite the tourist line for running the rivers.  I-39 doesn't count - more later.
40-49: 41, both of them are self-explanatory as the city-side connection to 43's "express" to Green Bay
50-59: 51, Choosing 51 because 39 doesn't go beyond Wausau, but the route connects the UP with Illinois and beyond and links the tourist traps Manitowish and Minocqua
60-69: tough one.  67 connects many links to the Kettle Moraine scenic route.
70-79: 73 is a diagonal route that links major roads to back-road towns like Wis Rapids and Marshfield.
80-89: 83 is a nice local route in the southeast part of the state
90-99: 94, nuff said.
100-above: they're all short routes.  100 is a "belt" around Milwaukee. 441 is a SE belt around Appleton, 172 plays a shortcut south of GB.

My list for Wisconsin:

0-9 - US 8 has a very long presence in the state, it gets my nod.  US 2 is almost an afterthought.
10-19 - There are several pretty important routes in this range, but US 10 gets the nod, it's the most major of them.
20-29 - Again, there are many important routes here, but I agree, WI 29 hands down.
30-39 - WI 30 used to be the major road between Milwaukee and Madison, but it was supplanted by I-94 in the 1950s and 1960s.  I-39 is the most important now.
40-49 - I-41, no contest.
50-59 - US 53 gets my vote here, as US 51 has largely been supplanted.
60-69 - US 61 is the major north-south route in the southwestern part of the state and gets a slight edge from me over cross-state WI 64.
70-79 - There are not many important routes in this range, but WI 70 stands out for me.
80-89 - WI 81 is the most major in this range.
90-99 - I-94.  Gobs and gobs of traffic on its entire length in the state.
100-150 - US 141 is the biggest here.
151-199 - US 151 is a very important inter-regional route over most of its length in the state.
200-499 - WI 441 is a major freeway over its entire length.
500 and higher - I-894.  Yes, it is paired with other I-routes on its entire length, but many people still use it to navigate.
Lettered county highways - Dodge County 'A'.  IMHO, the part between US 151 and WI 26 just east of Beaver Dam is the very best two-lane highway in the entire state and I have no doubt that it has aspirations of being much more than it is now.  It serves as a bypass for an old, raggy, substandard part of WI 26 to carry through traffic between the I-39/90 corridor at the Illinois state line and the Fox Valley/NE Wisconsin.

Mike

[mvak36]

My try at Nebraska

0-9: US6 (although NE2 (both segments) comes close)
10-19: NE15
20-29: US20
30-39: US30 (east of Grand Island. It's pretty close to I-80 West of there)
40-49: NE41
50-59: NE50
60-69: NE61
70-79: (tie) US75 and US77
80-89: I-80
90-99: NE92

[pianocello]

I can't remember what post this was in but either yesterday or the day before I noticed that upon entering Illinois from Indiana on I-80/94 exit 160 appears before 161 does and we all know that the exit numbers increase as you are going east so the last exit in Illinois should have the highest number. However exit 160 appears before 161 does and looking at the sign I thought to myself I bet the exit ramp for 160 is before 161 and sure enough that's the case. So why are the numbers backwards there? This is obviously I-80's mileage in the state since I-80 is 163 miles in Illinois to I-94's 77 miles. And then for some odd reason it uses I-294's mileage along the I-80/294 multiplex.

This is off-topic, but I can answer your question, since I've gone through this stretch countless times over the last 20 years. You're right that exits 160 and 161 are following I-80's mileage, the westbound off-ramp for 160 just happens to be before the off-ramp for 161 because of a reconstruction that happened in the early- to mid-00's to cut down on weaving. IDOT still wanted to keep the interchanges consistent (160 to I-94/IL-394 and 161 to Torrence Ave). To your other point, I'm pretty sure I-294's mileage is only used in its multiplex with I-80 because that's what ISTHA wanted to do.

But yeah, this is way off-topic. If someone needs to move this elsewhere, go for it.

[apeman33]

I guess I can try Kansas:

1-9: None of the routes that exist go through an especially important town except K-4, which goes through Topeka. So I guess that by default.

K-7 goes through Kansas City and the surrounding suburbs of the Metro.

I caught myself in a trap. K-7 down here is either concurrent with U.S. 69 or a glorified cow path. I forget that it goes through the metro.

[Laplace]

My attempt at Arizona:

0-9: I-8 (Only contender, but still an important freeway nonetheless. Serves traffic from San Diego to I-10)
10-19: I-10 (Obvious choice, since it serves both Phoenix and Tucson)
20-29: SR 24 (tiny, but it's the only one)
30-39: I don't believe we have one, although there is a proposed SR 30
40-49: I-40 (Again, obvious choice)
50-59: AZ 51 (Major Phoenix Freeway)
60-69: US 60 (Major transcontinental highway in central part of the state)
70-79: AZ 77 (Serves much of the eastern part of AZ)
80-89: US 89 or AZ 80 (tie)
90-99: US 95/AZ 95 (The only major north/south road in Western AZ, US 93 is a close second)

Above 100: Loop 101, Loop 202 (Major Phoenix freeways), US 191 (serves much of eastern AZ)

[riiga]

For Sweden

0-9: E 4 (The most important road, the backbone of Sweden that connects the north with the south, including most coastal cities north of Stockholm)
10-19: E 18 (Important East-West connection)
20-29: E 22 (Connects the entire east coast south of Norrköping where it joins the E 4)
30-39: 34 (Inlands north-south route in the southern parts)
40-49: 40 (Can be seen as an extension of the E 4 connecting Gothenburg (second largest city) with it)
50-59: 50 (Inlands backbone with lots of freight traffic, also connects with the E 4)
60-69: 66 (Inlands connection with Norway)
70-79: 70 (Another inlands connection with Norway)
80-89: 84 (Yet another connection with Norway)
90-99: 95 (Connection with Norway)

[MantyMadTown]

Taking a shot at WI:
0-9: TIE!!!: 2 and 8 cover important links well as the only two single-digit routes in WI (No state routes under 11).  2 bridges the UP with MN and 8 is a link with MSP to the UP.
10-19: 10 without a doubt.  takes central and western WI traffic to Appleton/Oshkosh (with US-45's help).
20-29: 29 is a major 4-lane expressway connecting MSP via Chippewa Falls with Green Bay and Wausau and a major E-W route.
30-39: 35 is quite the tourist line for running the rivers.  I-39 doesn't count - more later.
40-49: 41, both of them are self-explanatory as the city-side connection to 43's "express" to Green Bay
50-59: 51, Choosing 51 because 39 doesn't go beyond Wausau, but the route connects the UP with Illinois and beyond and links the tourist traps Manitowish and Minocqua
60-69: tough one.  67 connects many links to the Kettle Moraine scenic route.
70-79: 73 is a diagonal route that links major roads to back-road towns like Wis Rapids and Marshfield.
80-89: 83 is a nice local route in the southeast part of the state
90-99: 94, nuff said.
100-above: they're all short routes.  100 is a "belt" around Milwaukee. 441 is a SE belt around Appleton, 172 plays a shortcut south of GB.

My list for Wisconsin:

0-9 - US 8 has a very long presence in the state, it gets my nod.  US 2 is almost an afterthought.
10-19 - There are several pretty important routes in this range, but US 10 gets the nod, it's the most major of them.
20-29 - Again, there are many important routes here, but I agree, WI 29 hands down.
30-39 - WI 30 used to be the major road between Milwaukee and Madison, but it was supplanted by I-94 in the 1950s and 1960s.  I-39 is the most important now.
40-49 - I-41, no contest.
50-59 - US 53 gets my vote here, as US 51 has largely been supplanted.
60-69 - US 61 is the major north-south route in the southwestern part of the state and gets a slight edge from me over cross-state WI 64.
70-79 - There are not many important routes in this range, but WI 70 stands out for me.
80-89 - WI 81 is the most major in this range.
90-99 - I-94.  Gobs and gobs of traffic on its entire length in the state.
100-150 - US 141 is the biggest here.
151-199 - US 151 is a very important inter-regional route over most of its length in the state.
200-499 - WI 441 is a major freeway over its entire length.
500 and higher - I-894.  Yes, it is paired with other I-routes on its entire length, but many people still use it to navigate.
Lettered county highways - Dodge County 'A'.  IMHO, the part between US 151 and WI 26 just east of Beaver Dam is the very best two-lane highway in the entire state and I have no doubt that it has aspirations of being much more than it is now.  It serves as a bypass for an old, raggy, substandard part of WI 26 to carry through traffic between the I-39/90 corridor at the Illinois state line and the Fox Valley/NE Wisconsin.

Mike

I wonder if Dodge County A could be a new routing of WIS 26. Like if WIS 26 becomes a 4-lane expressway, it could be upgraded along highway A instead of the current routing of 26. We could take this over to the Wisconsin thread or the fictional highways board if you wanna talk more about this.

[epzik8]

Someone probably did Maryland already, but here's my version:

0-9: U.S. 1, Washington-Baltimore-Pennsylvania state line.
10-19: U.S. 13, on the lower Eastern Shore.
20-29: MD-26, a Frederick-Baltimore connector.
30-39: MD-32, Westminster-Millersville; a freeway in the Columbia-Odenton corridor.
40-49: U.S. 40, goes across the entire length of the state, Garrett-Cecil County.
50-59: U.S. 50, Washington-Annapolis-Kent Island-Easton-Salisbury-Ocean City.
60-69: I-68, the National Freeway, an alternate counterpart to the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
70-79: I-70, Hancock-Hagerstown-Frederick-Baltimore.
80-89: I-83, the connector between Baltimore and Harrisburg, PA.
90-99: I-95 by a mile. Probably Maryland's busiest highway; connects Washington to Baltimore and Baltimore to Wilmington, DE.
100-149: MD-100, an important freeway through Howard and Anne Arundel counties.
150-199: I-195, the connector between UMBC and BWI.
200-249: MD-200, the Inter-County Connector, roughly connecting Gaithersburg and Laurel.
250-299: MD-295, as the Baltimore-Washington Parkway is designated from I-95 exit 52 to the MD-175 interchange at Jessup.
300-349: U.S. 301, covering southern Maryland, Annapolis-Bay Bridge-Kent Island, and the Upper Eastern Shore.
350-399: MD-355, the business route parallel to I-270, connecting Frederick with Washington, DC.
400-449: MD-404, the route to the Delaware beaches and an alternate for U.S. 50 to Ocean City.
450-499: MD-450, the parallel business route to U.S. 50/301/unsigned I-595, between about Bladensburg and the Naval Academy in Annapolis.
500 and up: I-695, the Baltimore Beltway.

[Eth]

450-499: MD-450, the parallel business route to U.S. 50/301/unsigned I-595, between about Bladensburg and the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

Surely it's got to be I-495?

[SSOWorld]

 

...

My list for Wisconsin:

40-49 - HWY-41, no contest.

...

Mike

FTFY!!! 

[Mark68]

I'll give CO a whirl:

0-9:          US 6 (467 miles from UT to NE, connecting Grand Jct, Eagle/Vail, Denver, NE Colorado)
10-19:      CO 14 (237 miles from US 40 to Ft Collins and Sterling)
20-29:      I-25 (Duh!)
30-39:      Pretty much a tie between US 34 & US 36. 34 begins at US 40 in Granby, crosses the Continental Divide in Rocky Mtn NP on its way to Estes Park, Loveland, Greeley, Ft Morgan and Nebraska. US 36 begins at 34 in Estes, down to Boulder, Denver, and east to Kansas. Very heavily traveled from Boulder to Aurora.
40-49:      US 40 (Colfax Ave is the main street in Denver), but US 40 also connects to Utah, Steamboat, Limon, & Kansas.
50-59:      US 50 (Grand Jct, Montrose, Gunnison, Canon City, Pueblo, Las Animas, Lamar)
60-69:      CO 62 (The best route between Ouray & Telluride). I would have said CO 67 if it weren't in 3 segments.
70-79:      I-70 (Double duh!)
80-89:      US 87 (j/k). US 85
90-99:      CO 96
100-109:  CO 105 (I guess--even though it's split in two--Douglas County Rd 105 connects the two segments.
110-119:  CO 119 (The southern 7 miles is the heavily traveled main route to the casinos in Black Hawk, the rest is a scenic drive thru the Front Range mountains to Boulder, then the heavily traveled Diagonal to Longmont & I-25).
120-129:  CO 121 Wadsworth Blvd/Pkwy thru the western Denver suburbs
130-139:  (tie) CO 135 (the only paved road to Crested Butte) & CO 131 (the most direct route between I-70 & Steamboat Springs). There is US 138, which parallels I-76 in the NE corner of Colorado.
140-149:  (tie) CO 141 (the best route from Grand Jct to the south) & CO 145 (short cut from CO 141 to Cortez/Mesa Verde NP)
150-159:  CO 157 (Boulder's eastern bypass--Foothills Pkwy)
160-169:  US 160 (Four Corners, Cortez, Mesa Verde, Durango, Alamosa, Walsenburg, Trinidad, Springfield)
170-199:  CO 177 (South Broadway in Denver Metro)
200-299:  (tie) US 285 & US 287 US 285 heads SW from I-25 in Denver thru the foothill suburbs, South Park, the San Luis Valley, and into NM. US 287 heads SW from Laramie, WY through Ft Collins, Loveland, Longmont, metro Denver before heading SE toward Limon (concurrent with I-70) then south toward Lamar, Springfield, and the Oklahoma panhandle.
300-399:  US 385 (parallels the eastern border from Julesburg to the OK border)
400-499:  (tie) CO 470 (SW loop of Denver, continues as E-470 toll road that forms the eastern half of the loop) & US 491 (former US 666--cuts thru the SW corner of Colorado, passes thru Cortez)
500+:      US 550 (The scenic "Million Dollar Highway: from Montrose south thru Ouray, Silverton, Durango to the NM border. Also known as a major portion of the San Juan Scenic Byway).

[SkyPesos]

Old thread, but Ohio hasn't been done yet, so I'll contribute.

1-9: OH 2 (Honorable mentions: OH 7 and OH 8)
10-19: OH 16 (Honorable mention: OH 11)
20-29: US 23
30-39: US 35 (Difficult choice since most of the state's expressway routes are in this range. US 30, US 33 and OH 32 would be next in that order after US 30)
40-49: US 42
50-59: US 50
60-69: US 62
70-79: I-71 (Like with the 30s, difficult choice since most of the state's 2di are in this range. I-75, I-70 and I-77 would be next in that order after I-71)
80-89: I-80 (OH 83 if I-80 and I-90 can't both be picked due to their long concurrency)
90-99: I-90

For the rest of the numbers, I'll do them in ranges of 50. Blank spots are ones I currently don't have a choice for yet, and will fill it in later.
100-149: OH 126
150-199: OH 161
200-249: US 223224
250-299: I-270 (Honorable mention: I-275)
300-349: OH 315
350-399:
400-449: US 422
450-499: I-480 (Honorable mention: I-475)
500-549:
550-599: OH 562
600-649:
650-699: I-675 (Honorable mention: I-670)
700-749: OH 741
750-799:
800-872:

[JCinSummerfield]

I won't re-hash Michigan's, but some left off the 3 Michigan lists include US-2, M-37, M-52, M-57 & M-66.  There were some tough choices to be made there.

[zzcarp]

Old thread, but Ohio hasn't been done yet, so I'll contribute.

1-9: OH 2 (Honorable mentions: OH 7 and OH 8)
10-19: OH 16 (Honorable mention: OH 11)
20-29: US 23
30-39: US 35 (Difficult choice since most of the state's expressway routes are in this range. US 30, US 33 and OH 32 would be next in that order after US 30)
40-49: US 42
50-59: US 50
60-69: US 62
70-79: I-71 (Like with the 30s, difficult choice since most of the state's 2di are in this range. I-75, I-70 and I-77 would be next in that order after I-71)
80-89: I-80 (OH 83 if I-80 and I-90 can't both be picked due to their long concurrency)
90-99: I-90

For the rest of the numbers, I'll do them in ranges of 50. Blank spots are ones I currently don't have a choice for yet, and will fill it in later.
100-149: OH 126
150-199: OH 161
200-249: US 223224
250-299: I-270 (Honorable mention: I-275)
300-349: OH 315
350-399:
400-449: US 422
450-499: I-480 (Honorable mention: I-475)
500-549:
550-599: OH 562
600-649:
650-699: I-675 (Honorable mention: I-670)
700-749: OH 741
750-799:
800-872:

For your blanks:
350-399: OH 357. The only state highway on South Bass Island (Put-in-Bay)
500-549: OH 511. Runs from Oberlin through Ashland to near Perrysville.
600-649: OH 613. Runs from the Indiana line to Fostoria (former OH 113).
750-799: OH 795. It's an expressway between I-75 and I-280 and a popular local shunpiking route between the two freeways.
800-872: OH 800. It's old Ohio 8 from Canton to the Ohio River.

For consideration:
10-19: OH 18 - Indiana line through Akron, OH 14 Cleveland to PA on the way to Pittsburgh, OH 13 Lake Erie to Athens. It's tough to narrow this one down.
20-29: US 20 should be in the running as well as US 22. OH 21 and US 24 as honorable mentions. Lots of good choices in this category.
60-69: OH 60 could be an honorable mention: Vermilion on Lake Erie to Marietta on the Ohio River
250-299: US 250 should be in consideration. It runs from Sandusky to the Ohio River across from Wheeling.  I-271, the eastern bypass of Cleveland, should also get an honorable mention.
300-349: OH 309 should get an honorable mention. It's former US 30S between Lima and Mansfield and quite well-traveled.
550-599: OH 550 should have its hat in the ring. It's former US 50A and runs from Athens to OH 7 at the river.

[CoreySamson]

Texas up to 1000:
1-9: SH-6
10-19: I-10
20-29: I-20
30-39: I-35
40-49: I-45
50-59: US-59
60-69: I-69
70-79: US 77
80-89: US 83
90-99: US 90
100-109: SH-105
110-119: I-110
120-129: SH-121
130-139: SH-130
140-149: SH-146
150-159: SH-155
160-169: SH-161
170-179: US 175
180-189: US 183
190-199: US 190
200-249: SH-249
250-299: US 281
300-349: I-345
350-399: US 377
400-449: I-410
450-499: SH 495
500-599: SH 550
600-699: I-610
700-799: FM 730
800-899: I-820
900-999: FM-922

[JayhawkCO]

No one ever does Wyoming, so here goes:

1-9: Does not exist
10-19: US14 - The eastern gateway to Yellowstone
20-29: I-25 - The spine of Wyoming
30-39: US30 - Although concurrent with I-80 for a long way, it provides a shortcut to the PNW through Kemmerer
40-49: Does not exist (Although, similar to another thread we have, you could say US40 is important although it doesn't enter the state)
50-59: WYO59 - Second longest state highway which serves Douglas & Gillette
60-69: Does not exist
70-79: WYO70 - Connection in southern Wyoming over Battle Pass and barely crosses into Colorado at one point
80-89: I-80 - 18-Wheeler central
90-99: I-90 - The grand daddy of interstates
100-109: Does not exist
110-119: WYO110 - The shortest in this range, but it's the road that takes you to Devil's Tower
120-129: WYO120 - Third longest state highway connecting Themopolis to Montana
130-139: WYO130 - Snowy Range road.  One of the prettiest drives in the state
140-149: Does not exist
150-159: WYO151 - One of the few in this range that doesn't look "gerrymandered".  Connects to NE88
160-169: WYO160 - Again, the shortest in the range, but provides entry to the Fort Laramie Historic Site
170-179: WYO175 - Not a ton to choose from in this range, but provides access to a city (Kirby, pop. 57) whereas all the others end nowhere in particular
180-189: US189 - Basically the western alternative to US191 (sorry I-180)
190-199: US191 - The other southern gateway to Yellowstone
200-209: Does not exist
210-219: US212 - Darn near the prettiest drive in the U.S. (Beartooth Highway)
220-229: WYO220 - Connect Casper with US287
230-239: WYO230 - Connects Saratoga and Laramie with points in western Colorado
240-249: WYO240 - A quick shortcut between US30 West and US189 North
250-259: WYO257 - A western loop of Casper
260-269: Does not exist
270-279: WYO270 - Seventh longest state highway.  Provides access to Guernsey State Park.
280-289: US287 - Is concurrent with other routes for a lot of its time in Wyoming, but is part of the quickest way from Denver to Yellowstone
290-299: WYO296 - Chief Joseph Highway.  Gorgeous drive connecting Cody to the Beartooth Highway.
300-309: Does not exist
310-319: US310 - Provides non-mountain grade access from north-central Wyoming towards Billings
320-329: WYO321 - BL25 in Chugwater
330-339: WYO336 - Is one of the exits for Sheridan
340-349: WYO345 - Formerly US87 and this was the last piece of US87 decommissioned when it was moved to I-90
350-359: WYO351 - Connects the Big Piney-Rock Springs corridor
360-369: Does not exist
370-379: WYO372 - Connects the Big Piney-Rock Springs corridor
380-389: WYO387 - Quickest way between Casper and Gillette
390-399: WYO390 - Quickest way from Jackson to Teton Village
400-409: Does not exist
410-419: WYO414 - Western entrance to the Flaming Gorge area
420-429: Does not exist
430-439: WYO430 - Connects western Colorado to Rock Springs
440-449: Does not exist
450-459: WYO450 - Connects Newcastle to points west through the Thunder Basin Grassland
460-469: Does not exist
470-479: Does not exist
480-489: WYO487 - Fastest way from Laramie to Casper
490-499: Does not exist
...
520-529: Does not exist
530-539: WYO530 - Route between Green River and Flaming Gorge
540-549: Does not exist
...
570-579: Does not exist
580-589: WYO585 - Fastest route for those heading east on I-90 to the southern part of the Black Hills
590-599: Does not exist
...
770-779: Does not exist
780-789: WYO789 - Longest state highway, although largely redundant with concurrencies everywhere

Wow.  I just got through that.

Chris

[hotdogPi]

<sic>

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[JayhawkCO]

<sic>

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Inconceivable.  I'll edit to ...

Chris

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Aww hell, let's keep going on MN.

110-119: MN 115 serves Camp Ripley, that's all I got since MN 110 is gone.
120-129: MN 120 with Century Avenue being a well-known local arterial.
130-139: MN 135 by default.
140-149: MN 149 by default.
150-159: MN 156 by default.
160-169: US 169
170-179: MN 171, as it's the de facto north end of US 75.
180-189: no routes
190-199: MN 194 beats out MN 197 by being a major arterial in a bigger city.
200-209: MN 200
210-219: US 212
220-229: MN 220
230-239: MN 238 just for being the longest in the bracket.
240-249: MN 241 by default.
250-259: MN 252
260-269: boy we're really scraping here, MN 263
270-279: they all suck
280-289: MN 280
290-299: F
300-309: U
310-319: MN 316
320-329: C
330:339: MN 336
340-349: K
350-359: I
360-369: N
370-379: MN 371
390-389: G
390-399: I-394
490-499: I-494
610-619: MN 610
690-699: I-694

[ahj2000]

Virginia:
1-9: US 1. Of course. (Although perhaps something could be said for VA 7, connecting the most Northern VA)
10-19: US 15. 13 only matters to the Delmarva and 17 is of less import the the function of the state as a whole.
20-29: US 29.
30-39: US 33 kind of acts as a slightly more northern I 64.
40-49: I guess VA 40. VA doesn't have anything TOO significant in here, 40, which passes through not a lot, is the longest stage route.
50-59. I'd argue US 58 here. Much more useful for the state as a whole than US 50, which kind of isn't that necessary when VA 7 and I-66 with either US 17 or I 81 makes it a little unnecessary for that NOVA-Winchester flow
60-69: I-64. Connects the 2nd and 3rd largest
70-79. I suppose I 77, although if we're only counting utility within the state and not to other states, it'd probably be VA 76.
80-89: I 85
90-99: 95.

I'll add 3 digit routes sometime later.