Cities served by the most 2di interstates

[skluth]

I'm curious what city/metro has the most 2di interstates. I know Chicago has seven; I-55, I-57, I-65, I-80, I-88, I-90, and I-94. I-65, I-80, and I-88 are only in the suburbs. I technically could include I-41 as Kenosha County WI is part of the Chicago MSA and I-41 even extends into Lake County IL, but I'd rather not.

[silverback1065]

I'd only count the ones that actually go to Chicago. 65 ends in Gary. Doesn't even go to Illinois.

[US 89]

I'd only count the ones that actually go to Chicago. 65 ends in Gary. Doesn't even go to Illinois.

And here we are, back at the endless "metro area vs. city proper" debate...

Chicago is probably the winner as far as metro area goes... but if you look at city proper, there are only four 2-digit interstates that enter Chicago proper (55, 57, 90, 94). In my brief scan across the US, I couldn't find anywhere with more than four 2dis within city limits... and in fact, I only found 5 other cities meeting that description:

Birmingham (20, 22, 59, 65)
Dallas (20, 30, 35E, 45)
Indianapolis (65, 69, 70, 74)
Kansas City (29, 35, 49, 70)
St Louis (44, 55, 64, 70)

[ran4sh]

And Indianapolis is the only one of those where at least 3 of those 4 routes are thru routes. I-69 will eventually be one too. In those other cities at least 2 of the 2di's end. Although Birmingham which technically has 3 thru routes out of those 4, but I-20 W and I-59 S remain multiplexed all the way to the next control city. (And I-30 west doesn't end in Dallas but it does end in the metro area)

[US20IL64]

I agree with using Metro area vs. "city limit purism."   



NW Indiana is Chicago's "East Suburbs". Also, Hammond is now larger than Gary, so should be I-65's control city instead,   jk

[JayhawkCO]

I agree with using Metro area vs. "city limit purism."   



NW Indiana is Chicago's "East Suburbs". Also, Hammond is now larger than Gary, so should be I-65's control city instead,   jk

Not to mention we don't seem to disregard the Kansas side of Kansas City or the Kentucky side of Cincinnati when talking about topics like these.  Only Gary seems to get excommunicated.

Chris

[paulthemapguy]

I'd only count the ones that actually go to Chicago. 65 ends in Gary. Doesn't even go to Illinois.

And here we are, back at the endless "metro area vs. city proper" debate...

Chicago is probably the winner as far as metro area goes... but if you look at city proper, there are only four 2-digit interstates that enter Chicago proper (55, 57, 90, 94). In my brief scan across the US, I couldn't find anywhere with more than four 2dis within city limits... and in fact, I only found 5 other cities meeting that description:

Birmingham (20, 22, 59, 65)
Dallas (20, 30, 35E, 45)
Indianapolis (65, 69, 70, 74)
Kansas City (29, 35, 49, 70)
St Louis (44, 55, 64, 70)

You might consider counting New York City if you decide to include I-78 along with I-95, 87, and 80.

[SkyPesos]

Baltimore: I-70, I-83, I-95, I-97

[bing101]

San Diego for California has three 2di in it's city limits I-5, I-8 and I-15.
Los Angeles has I-5 and I-10
Inland Empire has I-15 and I-10
Sacramento I-5 and I-80, however I-7 and I-9 is proposed to reach Sacramento via CA-99 if approved.
San Francisco I-80
Oakland I-80

Honolulu 2di's
Honolulu, I-H1, I-H2 and I-H3.

[sprjus4]

Baltimore: I-70, I-83, I-95, I-97

I-70 and I-97 don't officially enter the city limits of Baltimore, however.

[jp the roadgeek]

Cleveland has I-71, I-77, I-80, and I-90 within its metro area.

[TBKS1]

I guess Memphis has three, I-40, I-55 and I-69, so close to four with I-22 though, it technically begins at I-269 right outside of Olive Branch.

Birmingham technically has four, I-20, I-22, I-59 and I-65, although I know someone will disagree with me saying I-22 doesn't end in Birmingham but rather just north of it.

[achilles765]

Chicago has got to be the winner here.  I have always thought about that...I like to compare cities by number of Interstate routes...mainly 2dis but also 3dis...and Chicago has always impressed and amazed me with its 2di count.  I do consider general metro areas when I think about cities too...I consider Houston to stretch from Conroe to Galveston and West of Katy to Dayton/Mount Belview; and from Porter to Rosenberg. 
So I have always thought of Chicago as having:
I-55; I-90; I-94; I-57; I-65; I-88; and I-80.  It used to annoy me that San Antonio had three 2dis while Houston had only two, but then we got I-69.  I wish I-14 were going to come through somewhere instead of way up in Huntsville.  It still irks me that cities like St Louis and Kansas City, which are much smaller than Houston, have FOUR each.  Though in ST Louis two of them are essentially one route just with two numbers.
Oh and Birmingham having four miffs me too... especially because I think I-22 is pointless and goes through the middle of nowhere, connecting one high crime dying Southern city to another high crime dying city in an awful state.  And it doesn't even really enter either of them. It even ends at a 3di on one end.  Houston to Austin is much more important

[Mr. Matté]

Baltimore: I-70, I-83, I-95, I-97

I-70 and I-97 don't officially enter the city limits of Baltimore, however.

[bing101]

Seattle has I-5 and I-90
Portland I-84 and I-5
Las Vegas I-11 and I-15
Phoenix I-17 and I-10
Denver I-70, I-76 and I-25
Salt Lake City I-80 and I-15
Boston I-95, I-90, and I-93
Atlanta I-20, I-75 and I-85

[jlam]

Seattle has I-5 and I-90
Portland I-84 and I-5
Las Vegas I-11 and I-15
Phoenix I-17 and I-10
Denver I-70 and I-25
Salt Lake City I-80 and I-15
Boston I-95, I-90, and I-93
Atlanta I-20, I-75 and I-85

I-11 doesn't go through Las Vegas proper. I believe its northern terminus is in Henderson. Denver also has I-76. I-95 fully bypasses Boston.

[paulthemapguy]

I think we should make the distinction between "served by" and "enters the city limits of."  I don't think those criteria are synonymous.  Unless the OP meant them to be synonymous, in which case, I'll shut up.

[Flint1979]

Kansas City has four with I-29, I-35, I-49 and I-70.

[Revive 755]

It still irks me that cities like St Louis and Kansas City, which are much smaller than Houston, have FOUR each.

Per Wikipedia:
Population of St. Louis in 1950:  856,796
Population of Houston in 1950:  596,163

Houston getting more interstates is not helped by its location either - more potential long distance corridors run through St. Louis and KC than Houston.

Edit:  There's also the question of how much TXDOT and any predecessor agency were building on their own.  Had the supplemental freeway system in Illinois been more thoroughly completed, Chicago probably would have had two more (one from the IL 1/IL 394 corridor, one from the US 12 corridor), and the St. Louis area could have possibly had three more (one along US 50, one along US 67, and one that would have probably been an extension of I-24).

[KeithE4Phx]

I-11 doesn't go through Las Vegas proper. I believe its northern terminus is in Henderson.

Not yet, anyway.  It's just a matter of time before I-515 is totally replaced by I-11.  Probably.  Maybe.  They haven't made up their minds (and we already have a thread on this subject).

[achilles765]

It still irks me that cities like St Louis and Kansas City, which are much smaller than Houston, have FOUR each.

Per Wikipedia:
Population of St. Louis in 1950:  856,796
Population of Houston in 1950:  596,163

Houston getting more interstates is not helped by its location either - more potential long distance corridors run through St. Louis and KC than Houston.

Edit:  There's also the question of how much TXDOT and any predecessor agency were building on their own.  Had the supplemental freeway system in Illinois been more thoroughly completed, Chicago probably would have had two more (one from the IL 1/IL 394 corridor, one from the US 12 corridor), and the St. Louis area could have possibly had three more (one along US 50, one along US 67, and one that would have probably been an extension of I-24).

It is a shame Texas's cities were much smaller back then and so didn't get some of the funding and routes as other places.  I did not realize the population difference was that drastic though.  Houston has gone from just under 600,000 people to over 2.6 million in just 70 years!  And like 6 million in the entire metro. 

I do see what you mean about Houston (and really many of our Texas cities) not being in a central location leading to too many other major destinations: we are already connected to Dallas, San Antonio, New Orleans and the east, and soon Texarkana and Memphis to the north, and Corpus Christi and the Rio Grande Valley to the south.  The only major missing link is a connection to Austin; I would like if we had some more 3dis, though.

[achilles765]

I think we should make the distinction between "served by" and "enters the city limits of."  I don't think those criteria are synonymous.  Unless the OP meant them to be synonymous, in which case, I'll shut up.

I do not consider Birmingham to really be "served" by I-22...it barely enters the city and doesn't have any major connections aside from I-65...I also don't really consider New Orleans to be served by I-55 or I-59; or Boston to be served by I-95, which like bypasses it to the west.  I also don't think I-69E really "serves" Corpus Christi

[hotdogPi]

or Boston to be served by I-95

I-95 would enter Boston if it was in a state that allowed annexing.

[bing101]

Tucson I-19 and I-10
Barstow the smallest city in California to have two 2di's I-40 and I-15.
Casa Grande, AZ where I-8 meets I-10.

[SEWIGuy]

I think we should make the distinction between "served by" and "enters the city limits of."  I don't think those criteria are synonymous.  Unless the OP meant them to be synonymous, in which case, I'll shut up.

I do not consider Birmingham to really be "served" by I-22...it barely enters the city and doesn't have any major connections aside from I-65...I also don't really consider New Orleans to be served by I-55 or I-59; or Boston to be served by I-95, which like bypasses it to the west.  I also don't think I-69E really "serves" Corpus Christi

Of course Birmingham is served by I-22 and New Orleans by I-55.  If you are going to those metropolitan areas from Memphis (in both cases), you would take those interstates.

Roadgeeks are too pendantic for their own good sometimes.