The "Mount Rushmore" of roads in every state.

[jeffandnicole]

New York: I-87, I-90, NY 17
New Jersey: I-95, Garden State Parkway
Connecticut: I-95, I-84, I-91, CT 15
Rhode Island: I-95
Massachusetts: I-90, I-95
Pennsylvania: I-76, I-476, I-80
Delaware: DE 1, US 13
Maryland: I-95, I-70, US 50

What? Reread the 1st sentence of the OP.

[sprjus4]

New York: I-87, I-90, NY 17
New Jersey: I-95, Garden State Parkway
Connecticut: I-95, I-84, I-91, CT 15
Rhode Island: I-95
Massachusetts: I-90, I-95
Pennsylvania: I-76, I-476, I-80
Delaware: DE 1, US 13
Maryland: I-95, I-70, US 50

What? Reread the 1st sentence of the OP.

Simple: Pick the four most iconic and/or important roads,in each state. Can be Interstates, US routes, state routes, turnpikes, parkways, tollways, whatever.

[Rick1962]

Oklahoma:

Route 66 - No explanation needed.

Turner Turnpike - First turnpike in the state (1953), and the beginning of the end for Route 66.

Talimena Drive - SH-1 in the mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, a National Scenic Byway.

SH-3 - Notable for its length, 615 miles from the Panhandle to the far southeast corner of the state.

SM-T580

[Max Rockatansky]

In terms of being scenic for California:

CA 1:  In particular Big Sur but there are so many great segments like; the North Coast Highway, San Francisco Peninsula and the Coast along the Santa Monica Mountains.

CA 49:  Almost nothing but pure Gold Rush era communities with some kick ass driving segments like the Merced River Canyon.

US 395:  El Camino Sierra from the Nevada State Line south to CA 14 has nothing but huge vistas of the Eastern Sierras. 

CA 18:  The Rim of the Highway, Big Bear and Mojave Desert are all highlights on CA 18. 

That's OK for scenery but for "iconic" in California I'd only include CA 1 from that list.

The others would be:
-- US 101, El Camino Real going back to the missionary days.  The Hollywood Freeway portion is one of the early contributors to the suburban sprawl of the LA area, connecting downtown to the San Fernando Valley...now that's "iconic".
-- US 99, the traditional spine of the state.
-- As an east-west, probably US 40, traversing the Sierra over Donner Pass along the general line of the Transcontinental Railroad, passing through the state capital and finally crossing the Bay Bridge and terminating in San Francisco.  There's also an argument for US 66, thinking back to Tom Joad leading his family of Okies out of the Dust Bowl to the Promised Land.

From the purely iconic sense it's hard to beat US 66, US 99, US 101 and a toss up between US 40 or CA 1.  I think there are several more highways that are right up there for consideration:

-   The Lincoln Highway was the forerunner to US 40 and US 50.  The North Lincoln Highway followed much closer to the historic Donner Pass route via the Dutch Flat & Donner Lake Road.  The South Lincoln Highway followed the historical Lake Tahoe Wagon Road over Johnson pass...granted Cave Rock might have been enough to push this into the top four if it wasn't over the State Line. 

-  US 50 almost never gets brought up in these discussions but it has been around since the start of the US Route era.  US 50 was aligned over much of the same path of the South Lincoln Highway, especially when it was extended to the Bay Area. 

-  I'd almost divorce El Camino Real from current US 101.  The original route was a Spanish Trail between all the Missions whereas the American iteration was arguably one of the first Auto Trails. 

-  The Old Ridge Route while a component of US 99 is probably one of the most talked about and revered segments of Highway ever in California.  I do think it's historical significance is overblown a little considering the Stockton-Los Angeles Road blazed a path in the same area first but it definitely made automotive trail way easier. 

-  US 80 and US 395 had some huge significance in their own way.  Much of US 395 while rural was promoted as El Camino Sierra and really brought the eastern Sierras onto the map.  US 80 essentially was Main Street of San Diego and really the Sonoran Desert since there wasn't a US 60 or even an Auto Trail to the North well into the 1930s.  The Old Plank Road is on fringe tied to the backstory of US 80. 


For Arizona here are four iconic highways:

-  For obvious reasons US 66, any trip to Oatman or any town that was on the route will illustrate why. 
-  US 80 was the most important and traveled US Route in Arizona.  The historic route is finally getting signed through the State. 
-  US 89 connected the entire State in a north/south orientation and had two Alternates.  US 89A is signed as a historic highway in the Verde Valley Area
-  AZ 88 for its huge significance historically with the Salt River Project and continued draw as a dirt canyon climbing highway. 

[roadman65]

New Jersey- Interstate 78, The Garden State Parkway, NJ Turnpike, and US 40.
Florida: Florida Turnpike, I-75, and US 319.
Texas: I-14, and I-27
Alabama: I-22
Mississippi: I-22
Pennsylvania: PA Turnpike, I-84, and I-99 (not its number, but the road itself)

[ozarkman417]

Missouri:

Route 66/I-44. It follows to Old Wire Road from St. Louis to Springfield.
I-70/US-40: Connects three of the four largest cities in the state, follows to Missouri River.
US-65: How else would you get to Branson? Is also the route that hits (or gets close to) most of SW Missouri's various Reservoirs.
MO-19: One of the state's most crooked and scenic roads.

[US 89]

I'll do Utah:

US 89: Longest numbered highway in the state and gives you a little bit of almost everything Utah has to offer, including southern Utah's national parks and red rocks, central Utah farm country, the Wasatch Front urban area, and some classic northern Utah mountains.

Utah 12: Absolutely unbeatable scenic road. The Escalante-Boulder section is especially awesome.

Interstate 70: Passes through the San Rafael Swell in what might be the most scenic stretch of Interstate that's not Glenwood Canyon. The mountain sections over Emigrant Pass and Clear Creek Summit are not to be forgotten either.

US 163: Monument Valley has to be on this list.

[Flint1979]

Michigan I'll go with
I-75
M-1
US-23
US-2

[jeffandnicole]

New York: I-87, I-90, NY 17
New Jersey: I-95, Garden State Parkway
Connecticut: I-95, I-84, I-91, CT 15
Rhode Island: I-95
Massachusetts: I-90, I-95
Pennsylvania: I-76, I-476, I-80
Delaware: DE 1, US 13
Maryland: I-95, I-70, US 50

What? Reread the 1st sentence of the OP.

Simple: Pick the four most iconic and/or important roads In each state. Can be Interstates, US routes, state routes, turnpikes, parkways, tollways, whatever.

In all but 1 case, only 1, 2 or 3 roads were selected.  Remember also: Mt. RUSHMORE has 4 presidents, thus the reason for this exercise.

[m2tbone]

Missouri:

Route 66/I-44. It follows to Old Wire Road from St. Louis to Springfield.
I-70/US-40: Connects three of the four largest cities in the state, follows to Missouri River.
US-65: How else would you get to Branson? Is also the route that hits (or gets close to) most of SW Missouri's various Reservoirs.
MO-19: One of the state's most crooked and scenic roads.

I would mostly agree with your list.  However, I might choose US-54 over US-65 since it connects the state capital and I-70 to Mis-Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks (and goes to my hometown of Mexico). 
I also might include as honorable mentions....MO-76 (famous as "The Strip"  in Branson, at least), MO-94 (scenic road along the Missouri River through Missouri Wine Country), MO-79 (scenic road along the Mississippi River from I-70 to historic Hannibal), and more local roads such as Kansas Avenue in Marceline (since it inspired Main Street USA at Disneyland and other Disney parks around the world), Market Street in St. Louis (major parade route with a nice view of the Gateway Arch), and Main Street in Kansas City (which connects downtown to The Plaza). 


iPad Pro

[Max Rockatansky]

I'll do Utah:

US 89: Longest numbered highway in the state and gives you a little bit of almost everything Utah has to offer, including southern Utah's national parks and red rocks, central Utah farm country, the Wasatch Front urban area, and some classic northern Utah mountains.

Utah 12: Absolutely unbeatable scenic road. The Escalante-Boulder section is especially awesome.

Interstate 70: Passes through the San Rafael Swell in what might be the most scenic stretch of Interstate that's not Glenwood Canyon. The mountain sections over Emigrant Pass and Clear Creek Summit are not to be forgotten either.

US 163: Monument Valley has to be on this list.

What about I-15?  I know beating I-70 in the Swell is hard with the scenery but the River Gorge is right up there.  I-15 definitely has more significance in terms of flowing traffic and is one of the few corridors (the Virgin River Gorge specifically) that beats the previous US Route for charm, scenery and fun. 

Personally I prefer the Moki Dugway over US 163 but it is hard to argue the latter is way more of a draw.  UT 9 and UT 24 are pretty top tier State Highways behind UT 12. 

[X99]

I feel like with the rules stated, South Dakota isn't supposed to get a list, but I'll make one anyway.

I-90: connects the two largest cities in the state. (Also the site of three of the five currently proposed future DDIs, but that's another topic.)
US 83: Despite not being an Interstate, it connects the state capital of Pierre on a straight line to the Interstate system. (In my opinion, it should be considered as a future Interstate corridor.)
US 16, US 16A, and SD 244: Listed as one item because they all make up the route between Rapid City and Mount Rushmore. The Keystone Wye is pretty interesting too. But if this isn't allowed, then US 16 is the main item for this slot.
SD 50: Connects two of the ten largest cities in the state- and the largest university in the state- to the Interstate system.

[US 89]

I'll do Utah:

US 89: Longest numbered highway in the state and gives you a little bit of almost everything Utah has to offer, including southern Utah's national parks and red rocks, central Utah farm country, the Wasatch Front urban area, and some classic northern Utah mountains.

Utah 12: Absolutely unbeatable scenic road. The Escalante-Boulder section is especially awesome.

Interstate 70: Passes through the San Rafael Swell in what might be the most scenic stretch of Interstate that's not Glenwood Canyon. The mountain sections over Emigrant Pass and Clear Creek Summit are not to be forgotten either.

US 163: Monument Valley has to be on this list.

What about I-15?  I know beating I-70 in the Swell is hard with the scenery but the River Gorge is right up there.  I-15 definitely has more significance in terms of flowing traffic and is one of the few corridors (the Virgin River Gorge specifically) that beats the previous US Route for charm, scenery and fun. 

Personally I prefer the Moki Dugway over US 163 but it is hard to argue the latter is way more of a draw.  UT 9 and UT 24 are pretty top tier State Highways behind UT 12.

I'll agree that I-15 is a much more important route for Utah than I-70 is, but the Virgin River Gorge is in Arizona and most of the highway in Utah is not that unique. You can experience Utah pretty well without necessarily using a lot of I-15 (unless fully experiencing Utah includes sitting in Salt Lake traffic). Put it this way: everything 15 does in Utah, 89 does better.

I feel like the Dugway is one of those things that a lot of people don't know about and so it winds up being more of a backroad only visited by road enthusiasts and people familiar with the area.

[bassoon1986]

Louisiana:

LA 1- Longest state Highway from northern border to the coast. Lots of miles for a small state - over 400. While the only major/large city it serves is Shreveport, you can see the state capitol building from across the river.

I-10 - Major transportation corridor for the Gulf Coast and pretty darn busy inter regional highway for all the large cities it covers: Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Slidell. Swampy scenic highway you won't see the likes of on many other interstates and the infrastructure of bridges alone is unmatched. Passes by some Louisiana iconics: State Capitol building (tallest one in the 50 states I think), LSU Stadium, the pumps of New Orleans, and the French Quarter. I think you can see the Quarter from 10, if not, it has its own exit (in French!)

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway/Tollway- longest over water bridge in the world.

LA 6 - Part of the Camino Real and major highway through Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in Louisiana (1714). The original alignment downtown is very historic and looks like the French architecture in New Orleans.


iPhone

[dlsterner]

Florida: Florida Turnpike, I-75, and US 319.

I'm not sure how I would see US 319 as iconic or important.  If you want iconic, I would suggest FL A1A and US 1 (Overseas Highway portion especially).

[planxtymcgillicuddy]

North Carolina:

I-40/I-95/Blue Ridge Parkway/NC-12

[ozarkman417]

I also might include as honorable mentions....MO-76 (famous as "The Strip"  in Branson, at least),

...That doesn't run through the "strip" anymore...

[Max Rockatansky]

Florida: Florida Turnpike, I-75, and US 319.

I'm not sure how I would see US 319 as iconic or important.  If you want iconic, I would suggest FL A1A and US 1 (Overseas Highway portion especially).

I would say the following for Florida:

-  US 1 on the Overseas Highway by a large margin given how unique it is through the island hopping alignment.
-  A1A given it is often thought of the east coast analog to CA 1.
-  Florida's Turnpike given it essentially is the main highway through the center of the state and carries some significant non-Interstate history.
-  US 41 on the Tamiami Trail was hugely important way before I-75 south of Tampa was a concept.  The feat of engineering that got US 94 through the Everglades alone is way more significant historically because it blazed the path for Alligator Alley and a direct highway connection from Tampa to Miami.

[fillup420]

North Carolina:

I-40/I-95/Blue Ridge Parkway/NC-12

Not sure if I would call I-95 "iconic"  in NC. its quite a boring ride...

but I would add US 74 to the list. it encompasses a great road to the coast, the Smoky Mtn Expressway, and US 74A between Shelby and Asheville is an incredible drive.

[sprjus4]

North Carolina:

I-40/I-95/Blue Ridge Parkway/NC-12

Not sure if I would call I-95 "iconic"  in NC. its quite a boring ride...

but I would add US 74 to the list. it encompasses a great road to the coast, the Smoky Mtn Expressway, and US 74A between Shelby and Asheville is an incredible drive.

I-95 is likely in the importance category, this thread isn't specifically iconic roads, it's also important roads.

[cjk374]

Louisiana:

LA 1- Longest state Highway from northern border to the coast. Lots of miles for a small state - over 400. While the only major/large city it serves is Shreveport, you can see the state capitol building from across the river.

I-10 - Major transportation corridor for the Gulf Coast and pretty darn busy inter regional highway for all the large cities it covers: Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Slidell. Swampy scenic highway you won't see the likes of on many other interstates and the infrastructure of bridges alone is unmatched. Passes by some Louisiana iconics: State Capitol building (tallest one in the 50 states I think), LSU Stadium, the pumps of New Orleans, and the French Quarter. I think you can see the Quarter from 10, if not, it has its own exit (in French!)

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway/Tollway- longest over water bridge in the world.

LA 6 - Part of the Camino Real and major highway through Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in Louisiana (1714). The original alignment downtown is very historic and looks like the French architecture in New Orleans.


iPhone

I never would have thought about LA 6. It makes sense now after your explanation.

I would have put your other 3 choices & US 80 on my Mt Rushmore. US 80 is fairly unaltered except for a few bridge replacements and 2 route adjustments through Tremont Bottoms & Russell Sage wildlife area.

[X99]

I also might include as honorable mentions....MO-76 (famous as "The Strip"  in Branson, at least),

...That doesn't run through the "strip" anymore...

I'll accept that as fact when Google Maps updates it, or when I go down there and see the new signage, whichever comes first.

[US 89]

I'll accept that as fact when Google Maps updates it, or when I go down there and see the new signage, whichever comes first.

I never trust route designations on Google Maps. There are a lot of long-decommissioned routes that still appear on their maps for whatever reason, and they've jumped the gun on several recent interstate changes like I-11 and I-880. They also once randomly moved US 189 to an old alignment through northern Utah.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'll accept that as fact when Google Maps updates it, or when I go down there and see the new signage, whichever comes first.

I never trust route designations on Google Maps. There are a lot of long-decommissioned routes that still appear on their maps for whatever reason, and they've jumped the gun on several recent interstate changes like I-11 and I-880. They also once randomly moved US 189 to an old alignment through northern Utah.

And they place highway designations that were never more than paper concepts like CA 179 and CA 122.  Google is absolute garbage for accuracy in rural areas.  They seemed to have fallen way off in terms of actually mapping roadways in Street View.  I even recently encountered one of the legs of the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway which Google didn't even have existing; Forest Route 10 on Forest Road 6S10X. 

[Konza]

Kansas:

I-70/US 40:  Over Four Hundred miles of America's Main Street.  The part of Kansas that most visitors see.

The Kansas Turnpike:  Connects the state capital with its two largest metropolitan areas.

US 54:  The main drag of the state's largest city.  If Wichita is the Emerald City, US 54 is its Yellow Brick Road.

K-177:  The scenic route through Kansas' most scenic area, the Flint Hills.