What was the First Interstate You Clinched?

[abefroman329]

2DI - if it's always run from Hancock to Morgantown, then I-68; if not, I-85
3DI - I-190 [Chicago], but if you want a serious answer, then probably I-290 [Chicago]

[odditude]

either I-295 or I-195 in NJ or I-495 around DC.

[oscar]

3di -- most likely I-405 in California in the 1970s, a route I often traveled on trips between home in the San Diego area and school in the Bay Area

2di -- probably I-5 in 1991, or maybe one or more of the four paper Interstates in Alaska on my first trip there in 1994

These were both well before I started keeping track of my travels.

[jaehak]

As a passenger - I-55, from family road trips to New Orleans and Chicago splitting from St. Louis in the 80s. As a driver - the grueling slog down 375 in St. Petersburg FL.

[allniter89]

That was a long time ago, my memory isn't clear  . Probably I-65 or I-85. I had regular runs from Mobile to Chicagoland & Montgomery, AL to Richmond, VA for many yrs so either I-65 or I-85.

[Skye]

Overall either I-471 or I-275 (Greater Cincinnati)

2di: none unless you count the individual sections of I-74 in North Carolina separately. Closest otherwise is I-71 missing only the last 2 miles or so in Cleveland.

[Dirt Roads]

I couldn't remember exactly, so I needed to start from scratch with all of them.

Spur I-270 Bethesda MD (1982)*
I-279 Pittsburgh PA (1984, unclinched briefly 1989 when Parkway North opened)
I-295 Jacksonville FL (1986, unclinched briefly 1990 when Dames Point Bridge misdesignated)
I-565 Madison AL (1986, unclinched 1989 when the remainder of Phase 1 opened)
I-4 Tampa FL (1986)
I-275 New Sunshine Skyway (1987)
I-475 Macon GA (1987)
I-295 Richmond VA (1987, unclinched briefly 1988 when opened to Varina)
I-270 Cabin John to Rockville MD (1987)*
I-66 Washington DC (1987)
I-495 Capital Beltway VA/MD (1987)
I-376 Pittsburgh PA (1987, unclinched 1992 when the Airport Bypass opened)
I-195 Richmond VA (1987)
I-395 Washington DC (1987)
I-395 Baltimore MD (1987)
I-579 Pittsburgh PA (1988)
I-795 Reisterstown MD (1988)
I-295 Varina VA (1988, unclinched briefly 1990 when opened to Hopewell)
I-279 Pittsburgh PA (1989 soon after Parkway North opened, Parkway West decommisioned 2009)
I-470 Wheeling WV (1990)
I-295 Jacksonville FL (1991, but Dames Point Bridge was resigned FL-9A in 1993)
I-68 National Freeway WV/MD (1991)
I-295 Petersburg VA (1992)
I-695 Baltimore MD (1992)

It gets more complicated after then.

* I-270 is the only one that I remember clinching by coming in from either end at different times.  The first time I used Spur I-270 and headed for College Park.

[LM117]

I-795 in NC. I was living in Fremont when it first opened.

[ethanhopkin14]

My first 3di I clinched was I-410 in San Antonio.  Although at the time I was closer to clinching I-635 in Dallas, the portion from US-80 south to I-20 was left untraveled by me for the longest time. 

[skluth]

Probably I-43. My career was in St Louis. My family is from Green Bay. I've driven its length many times since the 80's especially once I-39 was completed in Illinois as it's the best way to bypass the Chicago area.

[SkyPesos]

Probably I-43. My career was in St Louis. My family is from Green Bay. I've driven its length many times since the 80's especially once I-39 was completed in Illinois as it's the best way to bypass the Chicago area.

I've always seen I-43/I-39/I-74 as some sort of "partial outer beltway" of sorts for the Chicago area. I've used the I-74/I-39 movement a couple of times getting to points in Wisconsin and Minnesota before.

[davewiecking]

In about 1974, either modern day I-270Y (which would have been I-270 at the time) or I-495 (because doing laps around the DC Beltway was a thing when i was growing up). I-495X would be in the running, but it wasn't considered an Interstate at the time.