America's Most Loathed Highways

[Quillz]

This list really needs to be sections, not whole states. CA I-5 at the Oregon border is a lot different than I-5 in downtown LA.

I-5 between Redding, CA and Eugene, OR is one of my favorite drives anywhere. It is a gorgeous area. You leave the Central Valley and quickly pass by Shasta Dam, Mount Shasta, have access to the redwoods and Lassen, then the CA-OR border has the freeway running on a high ridge overlooking the river, then you reach the freeway's high point in Oregon and descend into the valley. It's a great drive and hard to believe it's the same drive that was in farmland for hundreds of miles earlier.

[boilerup25]

I find the list to be mostly bunk because it generalizes the entire road rather than going into specific, hateable segments. I do have some least-favorite areas.

1) I-76 in Philly, the Schuylkill Expressway (infamously nicknamed the Surekill Distressway). Nasty traffic, narrow, and dangerously tight ramps. There is a portion where mainline I-76 EB narrows down to a one-lane right-hand ramp as if I-76 was exiting itself!
2) I-80/94 (Borman Expressway) in NW Indiana/NE Illinois. Nasty traffic & large trucks.
3) I-95/NJ Turnpike in Newark & Elizabeth.
4) I-5 in the Central Valley (traffic isn't the problem, but a large section smells like cow manure, to put it politely)
5) DC 295. I just do not like this poorly designed and ugly road.

[kkt]

I-5 in the Central Valley - try putting your ventilation system on "recirculate" before you go past the feed lot or whatever it is?

[Rothman]

I-5 in the Central Valley - try putting your ventilation system on "recirculate" before you go past the feed lot or whatever it is?

Too late!  Now I'm trapped in here with it...

[kkt]

I-5 in the Central Valley - try putting your ventilation system on "recirculate" before you go past the feed lot or whatever it is?

Too late!  Now I'm trapped in here with it...

Sorry to hear that.  next time consider 25 or 101.  Are you really in THAT much of a hurry that you have to take I-5?

[epzik8]

1) I-76 in Philly, the Schuylkill Expressway (infamously nicknamed the Surekill Distressway). Nasty traffic, narrow, and dangerously tight ramps. There is a portion where mainline I-76 EB narrows down to a one-lane right-hand ramp as if I-76 was exiting itself!

I've been caught in at least one parking lot along there while going joyriding in the area.

[oscar]

I-5 in the Central Valley - try putting your ventilation system on "recirculate" before you go past the feed lot or whatever it is?

It's a huge feedlot, IIRC off the exit for CA 145 (exit 337). Fortunately, I think there's only one, so you need to use recirc only a few miles north and south of that exit.

[Flint1979]

I find the list to be mostly bunk because it generalizes the entire road rather than going into specific, hateable segments. I do have some least-favorite areas.

1) I-76 in Philly, the Schuylkill Expressway (infamously nicknamed the Surekill Distressway). Nasty traffic, narrow, and dangerously tight ramps. There is a portion where mainline I-76 EB narrows down to a one-lane right-hand ramp as if I-76 was exiting itself!
2) I-80/94 (Borman Expressway) in NW Indiana/NE Illinois. Nasty traffic & large trucks.
3) I-95/NJ Turnpike in Newark & Elizabeth.
4) I-5 in the Central Valley (traffic isn't the problem, but a large section smells like cow manure, to put it politely)
5) DC 295. I just do not like this poorly designed and ugly road.

I-94 all the way across Michigan into Detroit can be added for #2. The truck traffic is horrific and it's four lanes (two in each direction) for most of the length.

[Max Rockatansky]

I-5 in the Central Valley - try putting your ventilation system on "recirculate" before you go past the feed lot or whatever it is?

It's a huge feedlot, IIRC off the exit for CA 145 (exit 337). Fortunately, I think there's only one, so you need to use recirc only a few miles north and south of that exit.

Harris Ranch property.  That meat doesn't have to travel very far to get to their restaurant.

[kphoger]

Having grown up in western Kansas, maybe I'm just used to driving past feed lots?  It doesn't seem all that noteworthy to me.

Unless it's hogs.  Hogs smell nasty.  Poultry might be worse, but the smell doesn't usually spread as far.

[Rothman]

FWIW, a search on this thread did not reveal that anyone mentioned FDR Drive.  I'm going to be on it this weekend, much to my chagrin.

[Rothman]

Having grown up in western Kansas, maybe I'm just used to driving past feed lots?  It doesn't seem all that noteworthy to me.

Unless it's hogs.  Hogs smell nasty.  Poultry might be worse, but the smell doesn't usually spread as far.

Heh.  My mother almost married the son of a hog-farming family from Idaho.  Almost.  She said visiting them with the stench was quite memorable.

Come to think of it, she's never really said why she broke it off with that guy.  Dated my father less than half as long.

[kennyshark64]

I'm surprised I-55 in Illinois (#59) is so far down on the list, just from a scenery (or lack thereof) standpoint, especially from I-255 outside St. Louis to I-80 near Joliet.  The highlight for me driving that stretch was crossing the Des Plaines River.  Aside from the "historic Route 66" signs at some of the exits, I've got nothing good to say about that stretch.  I could say more, but I won't.

[Rothman]

I'm surprised I-55 in Illinois (#59) is so far down on the list, just from a scenery (or lack thereof) standpoint, especially from I-255 outside St. Louis to I-80 near Joliet.  The highlight for me driving that stretch was crossing the Des Plaines River.  Aside from the "historic Route 66" signs at some of the exits, I've got nothing good to say about that stretch.  I could say more, but I won't.

Sounds like an easy drive.

[GaryV]

Having grown up in western Kansas, maybe I'm just used to driving past feed lots?  It doesn't seem all that noteworthy to me.

Unless it's hogs.  Hogs smell nasty.  Poultry might be worse, but the smell doesn't usually spread as far.

Turkeys. Or ducks. I used to deliver printed items to a poultry farm, and they stink.

[SEWIGuy]

I'm surprised I-55 in Illinois (#59) is so far down on the list, just from a scenery (or lack thereof) standpoint, especially from I-255 outside St. Louis to I-80 near Joliet.  The highlight for me driving that stretch was crossing the Des Plaines River.  Aside from the "historic Route 66" signs at some of the exits, I've got nothing good to say about that stretch.  I could say more, but I won't.

Sounds like an easy drive.

Like most drives across rural Illinois, it's flat with a ton of truck traffic.

[kphoger]

Yeah, I-55 through Illinois is rather un-noteworthy.