Most Important Non-Interstates in Your State

[Beltway]

Virginia:
US-29
US-58
US-460
US-360

That is how I would rank them, and I would include ALT US-58 in the US-58 system.

While not as long as the others, I would include US-13 given its strategic nature between I-64 and Maryland, and its strategic nature in Maryland and Delaware and the whole DELMARVA.  It is a National Highway System (NHS) Non-Interstate Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) Route between VA I-64 and DE I-95.

[Kulerage]

North Carolina (my home state):

US-74
US-64
US-70
US-17
US-117 (section between Goldsboro and I-40)

As another Carolinian, I'd argue that US 264 (Connecting Greenville) and US 1 (Biggest North-South highway serving Raleigh) belong there as well. Granted the important section of US 264 is becoming I-587 so it'll leave that list soon.

[cpzilliacus]

Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan areas (Md. and Va.):

U.S. 29 (in Maryland and Virginia, not so much in D.C. itself)
U.S. 50 (especially northeast area of D.C. into Maryland)
U.S. 301 (in Maryland and across the Northern Neck of Virginia)
U.S. 17 (in Virginia between I-66 and I-95)
VA-7 (provides an alternative connection from Northern Virginia to I-81 in Winchester)
MD-295 (federal part unsigned) between Washington and Baltimore
VA-286 and MD-200 (parts of the unbuilt Outer Washington Beltway)
MD-100 (part of unbuilt Outer Baltimore Beltway)

[Sctvhound]

Yep. US 17 is the most important in SC. Connects the fastest growing areas of the state (from Savannah, GA thru Charleston, up to Myrtle Beach) and is basically a Main Street in the Charleston and Myrtle Beach areas.

[Flint1979]

Michigan has a bunch of them. US-23, US-31, US-127, US-131, M-10, M-1, M-6, M-3, M-5, M-102, M-46, M-72, M-55, M-28, US-2, M-66. There are more and there are other members here from Michigan that probably could give more highways these are the one's that come to mind when I think of an important highway in Michigan.

[sandwalk]

COLORADO

Denver Area:
C-470 / E-470 / Northwest Parkway
US 6 / 6th Avenue Freeway
US 36 / Denver Boulder Turnpike
US 85 (Castle Rock to Denver, Brighton to Greeley)
US 285 (Fairplay to Englewood)
Peña Boulevard (airport access)
State Highway 58 (Golden)
State Highway 83 (Parker Road south of I-225)
State Highway 93 (Golden to Boulder)

Elsewhere:
US 24 (Woodland Park to Limon/I-70)
US 34 (Granby to Wiggins/I-76)
US 40
US 50
US 550
State Highway 9 (ski destinations)
State Highway 82 (ski destinations)

[mrcmc888]

For Tennessee, it's US 70.  It goes across the entire state and is the quickest way for most of Middle Tennessee to access Nashville.

[LM117]

Virginia:
US-29
US-58
US-460
US-360

That is how I would rank them, and I would include ALT US-58 in the US-58 system.

While not as long as the others, I would include US-13 given its strategic nature between I-64 and Maryland, and its strategic nature in Maryland and Delaware and the whole DELMARVA.  It is a National Highway System (NHS) Non-Interstate Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) Route between VA I-64 and DE I-95.

Can't believe I forgot about US-13. My dad and his people are from Northampton County, so I should've remembered that one.

[mrcmc888]

Virginia:
US-29
US-58
US-460
US-360

That is how I would rank them, and I would include ALT US-58 in the US-58 system.

While not as long as the others, I would include US-13 given its strategic nature between I-64 and Maryland, and its strategic nature in Maryland and Delaware and the whole DELMARVA.  It is a National Highway System (NHS) Non-Interstate Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) Route between VA I-64 and DE I-95.

Can't believe I forgot about US-13. My dad and his people are from Northampton County, so I should've remembered that one.

It's definitely the most important route in Delaware as well.

[LM117]

North Carolina (my home state):

US-74
US-64
US-70
US-17
US-117 (section between Goldsboro and I-40)

As another Carolinian, I'd argue that US 264 (Connecting Greenville) and US 1 (Biggest North-South highway serving Raleigh) belong there as well. Granted the important section of US 264 is becoming I-587 so it'll leave that list soon.

Same with the aforementioned section of US-117 (Future I-795).

[Buck87]

Even though I do not live in Ohio, I do work in Ohio.  Here are some I believe are most important...
      -US 23
      -US 30 (Indiana to Canton)
      -US 35 (Dayton to West Virginia)
      -OH 11

I can agree with that. And to make it a top 5 I'd add US 33 to the list.

US 24, OH 2 are worth mentioning as well, and would definitely be in the top 10

[Hurricane Rex]

Oregon top 5:

US 97 (really should be an interstate)
US 26 west of Madras
US 20
OR 99W
OR 18

LG-TP260

[NWI_Irish96]

Indiana: US 31, US 30, US 41, US 50, US 421

Why US 421? The others make sense for sure, I'd add US 24 and SR 37 (for now) into the mix, but why 421?

I admit that there is a clear top four and the fifth spot is debatable.  While the entirety of 421 isn't as important as the others, it's a key road between Madison & Greensburg.  The more I think about it though, the more I like US 24 for the fifth spot.

[Flint1979]

Indiana: US 31, US 30, US 41, US 50, US 421

Why US 421? The others make sense for sure, I'd add US 24 and SR 37 (for now) into the mix, but why 421?

I admit that there is a clear top four and the fifth spot is debatable.  While the entirety of 421 isn't as important as the others, it's a key road between Madison & Greensburg.  The more I think about it though, the more I like US 24 for the fifth spot.

For part of the route between Greensburg and Madison you'd want to bypass Versailles and take Old Michigan Road instead it cuts off about 3 miles and bypasses a town.

[silverback1065]

Indiana: US 31, US 30, US 41, US 50, US 421

I'd change 421 with SR 37, even the remaining portion south of Bloomington and north of Indy remain pretty important

[SSR_317]

Indiana: US 31, US 30, US 41, US 50, US 421

Why US 421? The others make sense for sure, I'd add US 24 and SR 37 (for now) into the mix, but why 421?

I admit that there is a clear top four and the fifth spot is debatable.  While the entirety of 421 isn't as important as the others, it's a key road between Madison & Greensburg.  The more I think about it though, the more I like US 24 for the fifth spot.

For part of the route between Greensburg and Madison you'd want to bypass Versailles and take Old Michigan Road instead it cuts off about 3 miles and bypasses a town.

I'd change 421 with SR 37, even the remaining portion south of Bloomington and north of Indy remain pretty important

As a life-long Hoosier, I would rank the corridors for my native state as follows:
(1) US 30: from Ohio just east of Fort Wayne to Chicagoland via Columbia City, Warsaw, Plymouth, Valparaiso & Merrillville. It's a viable alternative for many to the antiquated & congested I-80/I-90 Indiana East-West Toll Road.
(2) US 50: southern Indiana's main E-W non-Interstate corridor from metro Cincy to Vincennes, via Versailles (pronounced locally as "ver-SALES"), Seymour, Bedford, Loogootee (pronounced "la-GO-tay" or "la-GOAT-e") and Washington.
(3) US 31: but only that portion from Carmel to Michigan (which should become I-67, IMHO), as between Indy & Louisville it far too closely parallels I-65 (though it does now provide a toll-free crossing of the Ohio River, unlike on the adjoining Interstate).
(4) US 41 (along with IN 63): from da (Calumet) Region to Evansville via Terre Haute & Vincennes.
(5) US 24 (along with IN 25): the Hoosier Heartland (along the Wabash River) and Fort to Port (along the Maumee River) corridors, from I-65 near Lafayette to Ohio via Logansport, Peru, Wabash, Huntington, and metro Fort Wayne. Continues on in Ohio to Toledo via Defiance & Napoleon.

Other important non-Interstate corridors in the Hoosier State outside of my Top 5 would include the following (in no particular order):
■ While US 421 (the Michigan Road) is historically important, there are better alternatives (in most cases) along most of its length.
■ IN 46, between I-74 in Greensburg and I-70 in Terre Haute, south central Indiana's E-W corridor connecting important cities like Bloomington & Columbus with those endpoints.
■ The US 6 and US 20 corridors in northern Indiana parallel US 30 & the Toll Road (respectively) for the most part, but nonetheless are important connectors for the smaller towns and agricultural ares they serve. Also, the US 20 freeway ties together the South Bend/Elkhart metro area.
■ US 27 from Fort Wayne south to Ohio, via Decatur, Portland, Winchester, and Richmond, and eventually reaching Oxford & Cincinnati in the Buckeye State.
■ The US 231 corridor, between Kentucky and Lafayette, via Jasper, Bloomfield, Spencer, Greencastle, & Crawfordsville.

Two important shorter routes which provide connections to/from longer-distance corridors:
■ US 150 between the Falls City region (Indiana suburbs of Louisville, KY) and US 50 in Shoals via Paoli.
■ The section of IN 3 between I-74 at Greensburg to Muncie, via Rushville & New Castle. Along with IN 67 west to I-69 at Chesterfield, provides a viable shortcut to SB I-69 traffic wishing to head EB on I-70 and WB I-70 travelers bound for NB I-69 without having to go to Indy and use I-465 or use the 2-lane alternatives (IN 9 or IN 109).

I would no longer include IN 37 in any list of significant Indiana corridors, excepting perhaps two shorter portions: northeast of Indy between IN 13 (in NW Madison County) & I-69 in Fishers, and the southern Indiana portion from I-69 in Bloomington to US 150 in Paoli. The only part between Bloomington & Indy that is not yet officially I-69 (as of later this month) is Section 6 from Martinsville north, and that will be converted over the next few years. Of course the full original IN 37 route is a historically significant corridor, but it has for the most part long since been supplanted by Interstates (both "Classic" and now the "Extended" versions of I-69).

[ipeters61]

Delaware is pretty easy since it's the second smallest state.

Statewide:
DE-1
US-13 (especially Dover and south)
US-113

New Castle County:
DE-2
US-40
DE-141
US-202
US-301
DE-896

Kent County:
DE-8
DE-15 (in beach season)

Sussex County:
US-9
DE-24
DE-30
DE-404

[MantyMadTown]

For Wisconsin I would probably say the most important route that isn't an interstate would be WIS 29. It connects Green Bay and the Twin Cities, going through Wausau and Eau Claire as well before connecting with I-94 about 10 miles west of Eau Claire. Other than that I would say the Beltline around Madison (US 12 along its entire route), US 151 between Madison and Fond du Lac, and US 10 from Appleton to Stevens Point. WIS 441 and 172 also form important beltway routes in Appleton and Green Bay, respectively.

Before it became an interstate I would've said US 41. It connects Milwaukee, Green Bay, and all the cities around Lake Winnebago.

[Captain Jack]

Indiana: US 31, US 30, US 41, US 50, US 421

Why US 421? The others make sense for sure, I'd add US 24 and SR 37 (for now) into the mix, but why 421?

I admit that there is a clear top four and the fifth spot is debatable.  While the entirety of 421 isn't as important as the others, it's a key road between Madison & Greensburg.  The more I think about it though, the more I like US 24 for the fifth spot.

For part of the route between Greensburg and Madison you'd want to bypass Versailles and take Old Michigan Road instead it cuts off about 3 miles and bypasses a town.

I'd change 421 with SR 37, even the remaining portion south of Bloomington and north of Indy remain pretty important

As a life-long Hoosier, I would rank the corridors for my native state as follows:
(1) US 30: from Ohio just east of Fort Wayne to Chicagoland via Columbia City, Warsaw, Plymouth, Valparaiso & Merrillville. It's a viable alternative for many to the antiquated & congested I-80/I-90 Indiana East-West Toll Road.
(2) US 50: southern Indiana's main E-W non-Interstate corridor from metro Cincy to Vincennes, via Versailles (pronounced locally as "ver-SALES"), Seymour, Bedford, Loogootee (pronounced "la-GO-tay" or "la-GOAT-e") and Washington.
(3) US 31: but only that portion from Carmel to Michigan (which should become I-67, IMHO), as between Indy & Louisville it far too closely parallels I-65 (though it does now provide a toll-free crossing of the Ohio River, unlike on the adjoining Interstate).
(4) US 41 (along with IN 63): from da (Calumet) Region to Evansville via Terre Haute & Vincennes.
(5) US 24 (along with IN 25): the Hoosier Heartland (along the Wabash River) and Fort to Port (along the Maumee River) corridors, from I-65 near Lafayette to Ohio via Logansport, Peru, Wabash, Huntington, and metro Fort Wayne. Continues on in Ohio to Toledo via Defiance & Napoleon.

Other important non-Interstate corridors in the Hoosier State outside of my Top 5 would include the following (in no particular order):
■ While US 421 (the Michigan Road) is historically important, there are better alternatives (in most cases) along most of its length.
■ IN 46, between I-74 in Greensburg and I-70 in Terre Haute, south central Indiana's E-W corridor connecting important cities like Bloomington & Columbus with those endpoints.
■ The US 6 and US 20 corridors in northern Indiana parallel US 30 & the Toll Road (respectively) for the most part, but nonetheless are important connectors for the smaller towns and agricultural ares they serve. Also, the US 20 freeway ties together the South Bend/Elkhart metro area.
■ US 27 from Fort Wayne south to Ohio, via Decatur, Portland, Winchester, and Richmond, and eventually reaching Oxford & Cincinnati in the Buckeye State.
■ The US 231 corridor, between Kentucky and Lafayette, via Jasper, Bloomfield, Spencer, Greencastle, & Crawfordsville.

Two important shorter routes which provide connections to/from longer-distance corridors:
■ US 150 between the Falls City region (Indiana suburbs of Louisville, KY) and US 50 in Shoals via Paoli.
■ The section of IN 3 between I-74 at Greensburg to Muncie, via Rushville & New Castle. Along with IN 67 west to I-69 at Chesterfield, provides a viable shortcut to SB I-69 traffic wishing to head EB on I-70 and WB I-70 travelers bound for NB I-69 without having to go to Indy and use I-465 or use the 2-lane alternatives (IN 9 or IN 109).

I would no longer include IN 37 in any list of significant Indiana corridors, excepting perhaps two shorter portions: northeast of Indy between IN 13 (in NW Madison County) & I-69 in Fishers, and the southern Indiana portion from I-69 in Bloomington to US 150 in Paoli. The only part between Bloomington & Indy that is not yet officially I-69 (as of later this month) is Section 6 from Martinsville north, and that will be converted over the next few years. Of course the full original IN 37 route is a historically significant corridor, but it has for the most part long since been supplanted by Interstates (both "Classic" and now the "Extended" versions of I-69).

I travel Indiana quite a bit, and really, there are only (3) routes that would be ahead of the others, US 31 between South Bend and Indy, US 41 the entire length (with the SR63 section) and US 30. All are primary through routes with heavy truck traffic. Honestly of the three, not sure how to rank them, but it seems 41 gets more truck and transcontinental traffic. Regardless, the traffic drops considerably after these three.

US 50 is a secondary road in many places..the stretch from Shoals to Bedford is not conducive to interstate trucking. US 24 is a decent route between Ft. Wayne and Lafayette, but traffic counts are light, it is disjointed, and is secondary other than the stretch between these two cities. SR 37 is significant between Bloomington and Bedford, but is pretty much a dead end after Mitchell. US 150 should be decommissioned, as the stretch from Louisville and Shoals could easily be served with a state route. The rest is meaningless multiplexing. US 421 only has a little significance for the approximately 50 miles between Greensburg and Madison. Another one that can be easily served with a state route.

Using a criteria based upon a combination of traffic counts, service as primary route by distance, and population along with use by out of state traffic, I would rank them as follows. Again, the top 3 could be rearranged.

US 41
US 31 Indy-South Bend
US 30

Big drop-off

US 24
US 50
US 231 Owensboro-I-69
US 27 Ft Wayne-Richmond
SR 3 Greensburg-Ft Wayne

[jdb1234]

For Alabama in no particular order:

US 231
US 280
US 72
US 431
US 80
AL 157
AL 20
AL 55
Gulf Shores Parkway

[mgk920]

Michigan is easy to give examples, because not every freeway is "Interstate-ized".
US-23, US-31, US-131, US-127
M-14, M-6
What's hard is deciding which is the most important.
And there's a number of important non-freeways as well.

US 2?

Mike

[mgk920]

For Wisconsin I would probably say the most important route that isn't an interstate would be WIS 29. It connects Green Bay and the Twin Cities, going through Wausau and Eau Claire as well before connecting with I-94 about 10 miles west of Eau Claire. Other than that I would say the Beltline around Madison (US 12 along its entire route), US 151 between Madison and Fond du Lac, and US 10 from Appleton to Stevens Point. WIS 441 and 172 also form important beltway routes in Appleton and Green Bay, respectively.

Before it became an interstate I would've said US 41. It connects Milwaukee, Green Bay, and all the cities around Lake Winnebago.

I would say (does not include 'mainly for local access only' highways):

-- WI 29
-- US 10 (Appleton to Stevens Point)
-- US 151 (Madison to Fond du Lac)
-- US 151 (Madison to Iowa state line)
-- US 53 (north of Eau Claire)
-- WI 23 (Fond du Lac to Sheboygan)
-- US 41 (Green Bay to Michigan state line)
-- US 51 (north of WI 29)
-- US 141 (north of US 41)
-- US 61

Mike

[MantyMadTown]

For Wisconsin I would probably say the most important route that isn't an interstate would be WIS 29. It connects Green Bay and the Twin Cities, going through Wausau and Eau Claire as well before connecting with I-94 about 10 miles west of Eau Claire. Other than that I would say the Beltline around Madison (US 12 along its entire route), US 151 between Madison and Fond du Lac, and US 10 from Appleton to Stevens Point. WIS 441 and 172 also form important beltway routes in Appleton and Green Bay, respectively.

Before it became an interstate I would've said US 41. It connects Milwaukee, Green Bay, and all the cities around Lake Winnebago.

I would say (does not include 'mainly for local access only' highways):

-- WI 29
-- US 10 (Appleton to Stevens Point)
-- US 151 (Madison to Fond du Lac)
-- US 151 (Madison to Iowa state line)
-- US 53 (north of Eau Claire)
-- WI 23 (Fond du Lac to Sheboygan)
-- US 41 (Green Bay to Michigan state line)
-- US 51 (north of WI 29)
-- US 141 (north of US 41)
-- US 61

Mike

Those pretty much all make sense. I use 151 and 23 all the time to get back home.

[DandyDan]

For Iowa, I have little doubt it's US 20 as the most important non-interstate. My best guess for most important north-south non-interstate is US 218.

[SSOWorld]

Iowa has US 151 to Cedar Rapids from Dubuque, US 61 - esp between the Quads and Dubuque. US 20 continues importance into IL all the way to Rockford.  US 67 in IL between the Quads and Alton.  Missouri has US 61, Iowa has the four-laned US-218 north of Waterloo to where it hits US 18 (These are the Avenue of the Saints)