Biggest Routing Misconceptions In Your State

[Max Rockatansky]

Yes there was also Ramona Parkway, Santa Ana Parkway and of course Arroyo Seco Parkway.  "Parkway"  is just old tyme California-speak for early freeway.  Kind of like how "subways"  once denoted what we would call underpasses now.

[LilianaUwU]

For Massachusetts, the first 7 miles of I-93 are still MA 128. People in TV media younger than the age of its deletion from there even call it this.

Our grandkids are probably all gonna be dead and buried before people start calling I-93 and I-95 anything other than Route 128.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Not a state: That A-129 extends East of Sariñena (when it doesn't yet).

Not my state: I used to believe US 131 at one point extended down to US 20.

[dgolub]

On Long Island: Montauk Highway = NY 27A all the way out to the Hamptons.  That way true historically, but NY 27A has been heavily truncated, and most of the old NY 27A is now county routes.

[Ted$8roadFan]

For Massachusetts, the first 7 miles of I-93 are still MA 128. People in TV media younger than the age of its deletion from there even call it this.

Our grandkids are probably all gonna be dead and buried before people start calling I-93 and I-95 anything other than Route 128.

Indeed.

[GaryA]

A minor California example. People who visit from out of state sometimes assume that Pacific Coast Highway is equivalent to CA-1. When they are not. PCH is between Dana Point and Point Mugu, with a short extension just past Ventura. The rest of CA-1 is Cabrillo Highway and Shoreline Highway. This might be because in other states, it's often the case that the highway names match with the highway number. I was recently talking to someone who moved to California from another state and they were talking about how they wanted to drive on Pacific Coast Highway to see the redwoods. (In reality they were referring to the Redwood Highway portion of US-101, CA-1 doesn't even go that far north).

Maybe it was a remnant, but I've seen a road styled as "Pacific Coast Hwy" near Pismo Beach.

Here's a LGS just as you exit US 101 in Pismo identifying the road as "PCH": https://goo.gl/maps/XFZLa58DsZEMZ3ag6

And here's a Pismo street blade with "Pacific Coast Highway":  https://goo.gl/maps/jriw4JhNQhmSU8vz9

[Max Rockatansky]

Irony being that the segment of 1 from Pismo Beach southward to Gaviota Pass is the one that hugs the Pacific Coast the least. 

[mrsman]

The Pennsylvania welcome center for I-81 south has several signs at the info desk clarifying that it is indeed along the fastest route to NYC (I don't remember the exact text but it was something like "yes, you are on the fastest route to NYC" as if they get a lot of confused NY people who exit to the welcome center when they see the Pennsylvania sign.)

Edit: Found it https://goo.gl/maps/oLWQTZvN8bD7UAfs8 (The rightmost sign on the desk: "Yes, this is the way to New York City")

This is really surprising to me.  I certainly have been aware that it's a very long drive to simply take the Thruway all the way to Rochester or Buffalo from NYC, but it would seem that a better way between W NY and NYC would be to simply make use of I-81 and NY-17.  Isn't NY-17 at least freeway or expressway grade for the entire journey between I-81 and I-87?

If one is traveling in the Binghampton area, where I-81 and NY-17 split, I-81 south has a control of Scranton and NY-17 has a control of NYC.   The signs are definitely guiding people on NY-17.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1032734,-75.8287149,3a,75y,140.63h,82.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdpzmSiFgZr36e70m2QJvSA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

And at least from my quick GSV research, it doesn't seem like there is any good guidance to guide people to NYC once in the Scranton area.  At 81/84/6 interchange, the controls are for Carbondale and Mt Pocono.  At 84/380 380 only says Mt Pocono.  And of course, at 80/380 the choice is Stroudsburg.  PA being PA!  But at the very least, NYC should somehow be added as a choice in a prominent sign at these three key decision points.  In the last two cases, NYC can be a secondary control on the pull through signage, in the first one where there is arguably no room for three control cities, there should at least be supplemental signage for NYC traffic to follow 380 to Mt Pocono.

If they have to make a sign at the desk, then perhaps they need to put a sign on the highway at the state line that NYC travelers can follow 81-84-380-80 to get to NYC.

[Rothman]

All I know is that I've come to enjoy the turn north as I come up I-81 as everyone else heads east on I-78.  No more fighting with slow trucks or left lane blockers...until Wilkes-Barre (bear or bar, never berry).

[mrsman]

Drifting off-topic, but I would love to see the name PCH be reassigned as a touring route, independent of actual street names and/or route designations. Start at the border, hew as close to the coast as reasonable, really pick up more of the feel of the California coast. For example, use Silver Strand Blvd., historic US-101 in San Diego County, 2nd Street/Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach, the Vincent Thomas Bridge, Palos Verdes Drive, etc., etc. Guide signs to connect drivers to and from freeways.

I love the idea.  Picking the closest practical arterial to a coastal drive as teh scenic coastal route.  Go for it!

[ran4sh]

The Pennsylvania welcome center for I-81 south has several signs at the info desk clarifying that it is indeed along the fastest route to NYC (I don't remember the exact text but it was something like "yes, you are on the fastest route to NYC" as if they get a lot of confused NY people who exit to the welcome center when they see the Pennsylvania sign.)

Edit: Found it https://goo.gl/maps/oLWQTZvN8bD7UAfs8 (The rightmost sign on the desk: "Yes, this is the way to New York City")

This is really surprising to me.  I certainly have been aware that it's a very long drive to simply take the Thruway all the way to Rochester or Buffalo from NYC, but it would seem that a better way between W NY and NYC would be to simply make use of I-81 and NY-17.  Isn't NY-17 at least freeway or expressway grade for the entire journey between I-81 and I-87?

If one is traveling in the Binghampton area, where I-81 and NY-17 split, I-81 south has a control of Scranton and NY-17 has a control of NYC.   The signs are definitely guiding people on NY-17.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1032734,-75.8287149,3a,75y,140.63h,82.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdpzmSiFgZr36e70m2QJvSA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

And at least from my quick GSV research, it doesn't seem like there is any good guidance to guide people to NYC once in the Scranton area.  At 81/84/6 interchange, the controls are for Carbondale and Mt Pocono.  At 84/380 380 only says Mt Pocono.  And of course, at 80/380 the choice is Stroudsburg.  PA being PA!  But at the very least, NYC should somehow be added as a choice in a prominent sign at these three key decision points.  In the last two cases, NYC can be a secondary control on the pull through signage, in the first one where there is arguably no room for three control cities, there should at least be supplemental signage for NYC traffic to follow 380 to Mt Pocono.

If they have to make a sign at the desk, then perhaps they need to put a sign on the highway at the state line that NYC travelers can follow 81-84-380-80 to get to NYC.

The people who don't know that the fastest WNY -> NYC route enters PA, will only have entered PA because of following GPS. Since those drivers are following GPS anyway, I don't see why NYC as a control city is needed for the purpose of guiding those drivers. Of course, I agree that NYC *should* be the control city for eastbound I-80 and the routes that lead to it such as I-380. Not in addition to some random PA location, but instead of such. (Exception - for the I-84/380 overlap, NYC can be used for I-380 in addition to some control city being used for I-84 such as Hartford.)

I think NY uses NYC as the control city for I-86/NY 17 from Binghamton to incentivize staying in state.

[bing101]

How about this one US-40 used to go to Benicia and Martinez. This gets mixed in with Lincoln Highway's realignment to Yolo, Solano, Contra Costa Counties as it was a time when Lincoln Highway was being realigned from South Sacramento, Tracy to Oakland Alignment.
http://www.gribblenation.org/2019/11/the-original-alignment-of-us-route-40.html
It tends to be forgotten due to when the Carquinez Bridge was built.
Also the original alignment of US-50 was in West Sacramento until it was rerouted to go to South Sacramento to Tracy to Oakland and Sacramento as it's wentern Terminus and is usually mistaken as it's original alignment. Then it got
Rerouted back to West Sacramento as it's western terminus.
https://www.usends.com/50.html

[webny99]

This is really surprising to me.  I certainly have been aware that it's a very long drive to simply take the Thruway all the way to Rochester or Buffalo from NYC, but it would seem that a better way between W NY and NYC would be to simply make use of I-81 and NY-17.  Isn't NY-17 at least freeway or expressway grade for the entire journey between I-81 and I-87?

If one is traveling in the Binghampton area, where I-81 and NY-17 split, I-81 south has a control of Scranton and NY-17 has a control of NYC.   The signs are definitely guiding people on NY-17.

NY 17 is at least expressway grade, and mostly freeway except for Hale Eddy. The problem is that it's much more winding than I-81/I-380/I-80, has a long 55 mph zone through Delaware County, and ends at I-87 which adds more mileage by taking two sides of a triangle around Harriman.

So, instead of NY 17 reliably being faster, it depends on where you're going in the NYC area. NY 17 is normally faster for Orange, Rockland, Westchester, and southeast CT, while I-81/I-380/I-80 is normally faster for all five boroughs and Long Island (and obviously anywhere in NJ except the far northeast corner along the Rockland county line).

And at least from my quick GSV research, it doesn't seem like there is any good guidance to guide people to NYC once in the Scranton area.  At 81/84/6 interchange, the controls are for Carbondale and Mt Pocono.  At 84/380 380 only says Mt Pocono.  And of course, at 80/380 the choice is Stroudsburg.  PA being PA!  But at the very least, NYC should somehow be added as a choice in a prominent sign at these three key decision points.  In the last two cases, NYC can be a secondary control on the pull through signage, in the first one where there is arguably no room for three control cities, there should at least be supplemental signage for NYC traffic to follow 380 to Mt Pocono.

I agree signage for NYC could be better, but that would be primarily PA's responsibility. As ran4sh noted, NY signs NY 17 for NYC to encourage the in-state route, and it is technically correct that NY 17 to I-87 is the fastest/shortest route to get to the NYC line (Yonkers/Bronx), but not for anywhere south of the GWB.

The people who don't know that the fastest WNY -> NYC route enters PA, will only have entered PA because of following GPS. Since those drivers are following GPS anyway, I don't see why NYC as a control city is needed for the purpose of guiding those drivers.

The questions at the PA welcome center probably come from people who don't pay much attention to maps/directions, but are conceptually aware of the oddity that they just entered PA while on an in-state trip, so they want to make sure their GPS is accurate.

[tmoore952]

[quote author=webny99 link=topic=33254.msg2871949#msg2871949 date=1695646662
The questions at the PA welcome center probably come from people who don't pay much attention to maps/directions, but are conceptually aware of the oddity that they just entered PA while on an in-state trip [EDIT - going from western NY state to NYC], so they want to make sure their GPS is accurate.
[/quote]

Maybe I'm missing something here, as I do not have a GPS. If I were to go from western NY state to NYC, and use a GPS, would I be able to specify to it to stay "in state"? It sounds like you couldn't (which is what I would hope). Or another way of asking this: Is "while on an in-state trip" as described above just a mental thing or is it something you specify to the GPS?

It does sound like from other posts, that if you gave it a specific NYC address, that it might route you a different way depending on where that NYC address is (e.g., NY 17/I-86 from Binghamton if well north of GWB, or I-81/I-380/I-80 from Binghamton if near GWB or anywhere south of it).

[bugo]

For California, my first thought is that whole saga over US 66's historic western endpoint changes (mostly these days in online road discussion groups on FB), where while people knew that it ended in LA at one point and eventually Santa Monica, there are still myths floating out there over the pre-Santa Monica routing that have already been contradicted by actual documentation.

What myths have been debunked? Old myths or new myths? There is a ton of false information about US 66 that has been debunked but the 66 crowd doesn't care, they reject anything new that contradicts their beliefs.