The Most Boring Stretches of Highway

Started by nwi_navigator_1181, March 07, 2013, 12:10:25 AM

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Laura

Quote from: Takumi on March 07, 2013, 12:25:17 AM
US 60 west of Richmond exurbia
Ugh, anything with suburban vomit would win for me as most boring route. But yes, that vomit in particular is so jarring when you are driving eastbound from the awesomeness of the woods, abandoned gas stations, and cute little county seat towns with Courthouse in the name.

Runners up...

When I was about 10, we took a family trip down to Alabama, and I remember I-85 in NC boring me to tears. I think more than anything, I just don't like driving on the same road for hundreds of miles with no change in anything...which is probably why I'm not a fan of the PA turnpike once you are past the tunnels (I love the tunnels). Strangely, I like Breezewood because it's a nice change of pace, lol.

Admittingly, I haven't driven enough of the country to experience the rural midwest, west, and south...



ftballfan

I-65 between Gary and Indianapolis - Trucks on trucks on trucks and only two lanes each way
I-94 in most of Michigan - see I-65
I-75 between Macon, GA and Wildwood, FL - every exit, especially in Georgia, used to like exactly the same, and watch out for Turner County/Ashburn cops (at least it's mostly three lanes now!)
Florida's Turnpike between Orlando and Fort Pierce
Ohio Turnpike

Revive 755

Most interstates in Illinois would not be so bad if Illinois set its speed limits at a more reasonable 75.  But IMHO at this moment I-72 between Jacksonville and the western edge of Springfield and I-72 between the Riverton Exit (#108) to the western edge of Decatur is the most boring in Illinois.

For some reason the section of US 20 in Iowa near I-35 stands out as one of the most boring freeways I've driven.

bugo

I-16 and I-40 from NLR to West Memphis.

hbelkins

When I drove US 60 west from VA 288 after the first Richmond meet a few years ago, I thought it would never end. I actually welcomed getting to the mountain crossing between Amherst and Buena Vista. Straight and rolling and no ability to use a radar detector to drive faster than the painfully-slow 55 mph speed limit.

Others...

I-64 west of Louisville to St. Louis. Sorry to those of you who like I-64 through southern Indiana. There's nothing about that stretch that excites me. Also I-64 between Richmond and Charlottesville.

I-55 from Cape Girardeau to Memphis.

I-70 from roughly Manhattan, Kansas to Denver.

I-71 between Cincy and C-bus.

I-75 in Ohio all the way from Cincy to Toledo.

I-70 in Ohio (are we sensing a pattern here?)

I-40 from Nashville to Memphis.

I-79 in West Virginia (only because I've driven it a zillion times).

I-81 from Winchester to the I-78 split.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

djsinco

Pardon me if already mentioned, but I-94 from its junction with I-90 near Billings, MT all the way across godawful ND and not much better until the WI state line.
3 million miles and counting

JustDrive

I-10 between El Paso and San Antonio, hands down.

I've driven along I-5 between Wheeler Ridge and the 580 split so many times that I don't mind the long, boring stretches of nothing.

pianocello

US-30 in Indiana between Valparaiso and Fort Wayne. The only "interesting" parts are the stoplights.
[epiphany]Maybe that's why INDOT lined that road with all of those lights![/epiphany]
Davenport, IA -> Valparaiso, IN -> Ames, IA -> Orlando, FL -> Gainesville, FL -> Evansville, IN

bulldog1979

The Seney Stretch on M-28 between Shingleton and Seney has been called the most boring section of highway in the state.


Takumi

Quote from: Some_Person on March 07, 2013, 09:50:43 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 07, 2013, 10:24:49 AM
The majority of I-95 between Richmond and Jacksonville.  OK, maybe the 1st time or two it's interesting, but it gets old quick.

This is what I was going to say as well. I've driven I-95 from the New Jersey Turnpike to Cocoa, FL, and once you get past Richmond and Petersburg there's not much at all interesting until you get to Jacksonville. Even from there there's not much to see until you get near Miami, almost 200 more miles down.
I'll agree with this too. The portions of US 301 I've driven on this stretch, while slower (far slower in a few places), are infinitely more interesting. Same with US 1 parallel to I-85 that I mentioned before.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: kphoger on March 07, 2013, 01:31:38 PM
It seems we've established that one should avoid interstates in Illinois.  Many of the two-laners really aren't too bad, especially in the south, but I agree that several stretches of interstate are rather boring.

Actually, there are some stretches in Illinois that I don't mind... I-80, I-90, and I-57 aren't bad in my opinion. The only stretch of I-55 I've been on is the stretch between Bloomington and Joliet, and that was pretty boring from what I can recall on my drive there in 2004.
-A.J. from Michigan

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: wxfree on March 07, 2013, 01:40:10 PM
I love quiet and desolation, so to me west Texas is beautiful, although most would consider it boring.  I like back roads anywhere.

Last summer, as part of a cross-country road trip, I had the chance to drive across the Texas Panhandle on I-40. It was extremely flat, and there were no trees for miles and miles and miles. However, I found it fascinating... not boring. I absolutely LOVED that drive.

For me, any highway I'm driving on for the first time is exciting... not boring. I should clarify my previous statement about I-70 in Illinois being boring. After driving on I-40 across New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma and I-44 from Oklahoma City to St. Louis (seeings lots of exciting billboards and interesting exits), I-70 was so bland ... no interesting billboards, no interesting exits, or anything. BLAH (but still exciting given that it was my first time on that).
-A.J. from Michigan

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: InterstateNG on March 07, 2013, 04:35:24 PM
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on March 07, 2013, 01:23:45 PM
The entire stretch of I-70 in Illinois is pretty boring. There's hardly anything to look at (including very few billboards).

There's that giant cross in Effingham.

Yep... I got a picture of that as I was driving. Did you know there's also a similar cross like that on I-40 in the Texas Panhandle (somewhere east of Amarillo)?

Quote from: InterstateNG on March 07, 2013, 04:35:24 PM
Try going from Indy to Memphis via 70-57-55 some time.  That was easily the most boring trip I've been on.

I've been on all of that. In April 2012 I had a chance to go from my home state of Michigan down to Memphis for a weekend (attending a road meet). We took I-57 to I-55. I didn't mind that drive at all. In your example, the hardest part for me would be the I-70 stretch from Indy to Effingham. The rest would be fun for me.
-A.J. from Michigan

djsinco

As a former truck driver, "boring," = easy driving, and Vice versa. That being said, my favorite was I-16, as I could drive the length of it with very little interaction with others. In the 1980's, I could leave Denver at midnight on I-70 east, and see an an average of 3-5 cars per hour headed west, all the way to Topeka. I would frequently neither be passed nor overtake anyone else eastbound. Now all roads are way busier, of course!
3 million miles and counting

Urban Prairie Schooner

I-10 between Laplace and Baton Rouge - partly because I've traversed this stretch uncountable times, plus nothing but featureless woodlands for miles. The spillway bridge to the east is excluded since the scenery is far superior, plus you can see the New Orleans skyline on clear days.

I-12 between Denham Springs and Slidell - see above, then throw in heavy truck traffic for good measure.

I-55 from Hammond to just south of Jackson - nothing but forestland for miles with little in between. Of course, much the same can be said of many southern interstates.

djsinco

Those rides in Louisiana get more interesting when the love bugs are a-flyin'!  :sleep:
3 million miles and counting

djsinco

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on March 07, 2013, 01:23:45 PM
The entire stretch of I-70 in Illinois is pretty boring. There's hardly anything to look at (including very few billboards).
But there is foot-high pie!
3 million miles and counting

corco

The thing with Louisiana is even the backroads aren't all that entertaining when you're not passing through a town in the central part of the state- Louisiana 34, for instance, is amusing from a driving perspective because that's a narrow road with terribly graded curves, but in terms of scenery the foliage is so dense you can't see more than .05 miles off the road at any given point, and that stops being interesting after a few minutes, even when you've just come from Tucson and haven't seen a tree in six months.

catch22

Quote from: bulldog1979 on March 08, 2013, 09:13:26 AM
The Seney Stretch on M-28 between Shingleton and Seney has been called the most boring section of highway in the state.


It gets my vote too.  I spent four years going back and forth from the Detroit area to Michigan Tech, 7 or 8 trips a year, many in bad winter weather.  25 miles of straight road paralleling an equally straight rail line, through (seemingly) endless scrub pine swamps.

StogieGuy7

I'll second a few others mentioned here.  For sheer boredom, IL outnumbers any other with I-55 (from I-294 to Granite City) being incredibly boring - unless the Amtrak is visible.  I-57 is brutal, basically from the slums of S. Chicago all the way down to I-70.  I-70 is boring from the MS River, through IL and through IN.   I-72 and I-39 are also incredibly monotanous. 

IN is right up there too, most interstates in the Hoosier State are dull as hell.  Only in OH River Valley, where there are hills, is there any relief.

Outside of IL and IN, I-94 across Lower Michigan is a definite candidate.  I-90 from Sioux Falls, SD to Rochester, MN (covering much of southern MN) is basically an above-ground tunnel.  I-80 across IA is dullsville too.

Nebraska has the Sand Hills and more interesting scenery than most people know.  Amazingly, I-80 goes out of its way to miss any - and all - natural sights across the entire width of the state! 

I-80 through WY likewise manages to sidestep the Rocky Mountains in an amazing display of "where are the mountains? I know they're supposed to be here somewhere!?!"  Yes, they exist, but wait until Utah.....

Flat highways with trees are pretty dull too, which is why I-95 south of DC is a solid eastern contender that belongs on this list.  Pretty much any interstate on that coastal plain qualifies for this.   

All that said, IL, IN and IA are the dullest states of all.  MI would be, were it not for the Upper Peninsula that they stole from the cheeseheads.   :-D

Those of you who are citing highways in WA, OR, and CA.....sorry, but you don't know what a boring drive is!!

Scott5114

Quote from: bulldog1979 on March 08, 2013, 09:13:26 AM
The Seney Stretch on M-28 between Shingleton and Seney has been called the most boring section of highway in the state.


You need to take a break from FAC. :P
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Ian

Compared to most of the others listed in this thread, these roads aren't that bad, but...

- New York Thruway
- The Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension (I-476)
- The mainline Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) between Philadelphia and Harrisburg
- I-95 through both North and South Carolina
- I-95 north of Augusta, ME (save for the portion through Bangor)
- New Jersey Turnpike south of exit 6
- I-84 east of Hartford
- Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90 west of I-95/MA 128
UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
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corco

#72
The Thruway actually is one of the most boring stretches of road I've ever been on- that's a loooong stretch of road, especially when you're forced to go 65. I got my only ticket ever on that road because I couldn't keep it under 80 even with cruise control set at 70, and I'm not typically much of a speeder.

It's not that it's not scenic- it's actually kind of pretty, but it's a monotonous scenery that barely changes across the whole course of the state

Ian

Quote from: corco on March 08, 2013, 03:03:50 PM
The Thruway actually is one of the most boring stretches of road I've ever been on- that's a loooong stretch of road, especially when you're forced to go 65. I got my only ticket ever on that road because I couldn't keep it under 80, and I'm not typically much of a speeder.

It's not that it's not scenic- it's actually kind of pretty, but it's a monotonous scenery that barely changes across the whole course of the state

I agree that the scenery along the Thruway is pretty, and that the 65 speed limit is a bit too low. I've traveled the stretch between Suffern (exit 15) and Albany countless times, so the drive is very old to me. Usually when we come home from Albany, we end up taking the Taconic State Parkway on the other side of the Hudson, which I think is a much more enjoyable road.
UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
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djsinco

You should have experienced the Thruway when the NMSL was in effect if you think 65 is bad.

Worse still, having to drive coast-to-coast at 55 was quite a challenge.
3 million miles and counting



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