It's inevitable. It's unavoidable. It can be very annoying to go up and down this one stretch of road due to a multitude of problems, and yet, many of us are left with no other option but to drive the very highways, interstates or city streets we hate so much.
One example for me being the kid from Montana:
One word: B R O A D W A Y! Damn, y'all, I have to traverse this cess pool of a city street in Missoula almost every day. It's the main drag between the grocery store I work for and my apartment, and every time I drive this road, I have to punch my way through the core of downtown which has gotten so overbloated in vehicle traffic even before COVID hit. Now in the Post-COVID era, traffic loads on Broadway are just too much to count. I dread driving Broadway. I hate that road more than I do Russell St., Brooks St., Higgins Ave., and Reserve St., because once I'm on one of those streets, at least I know what I'm dealing with. However, there's just as much shade I throw at Maddison St. because of its proximity to the University of Montana. Arthur St. is a bitch in the weekday afternoons, even on weekends when football games are happening. Or the Kyiyo Powwow. Or even a concert at the Adams Center. There're too many people going down most of Missoula's major avenues that sometimes make it not worth going to where YOU want to go because you're forced to go THEIR way. The geography and topography of our city doesn't help, either.
Presently I try to do whatever I can to avoid CA 156 or cutoff much of the highway on work trips to Monterey. Much of CA 156 is two lanes and grossly under capacity due to the heavy amounts of traffic on it (especially freight). Between Castroville-Prunedale and between San Juan Bautista-Hollister are both infamous choke points on CA 156 as they feature four lane segments dropping to two lanes.
Fortunately there are several options to avoid CA 156 or bypass the worst parts going to/from the Central Valley towards the Monterey area. CA 198, US 101 and County Route G16 is my preferred alternative route.
US 1 between Boston and Lynnfield. Way too much traffic and has frequent parking lot entrances and people going 75 at least.
I-64 between I-464 and I-664, it has been under construction since 2018 and never seems to end. Construction is supposed to be done this summer, but they also said last year it was going to be done by Fall 2022, so who knows.
Lane shifts, new traffic patterns, keep changing like every week it seems.
Once construction is finally complete, it should be far more enjoyable to drive - and hopefully they'll bump that old general purpose limit of 60 mph up to 65 mph (the design speed for project is 70 mph), but that's asking a lot from VDOT.
I-5 from Shoreline to Marysville. Lots of impatient drivers, collisions that cause miles-long backups are frequent, and there's been a lot of construction with poorly drawn lane lines that make it a nightmare at normal speeds.
Second place goes to the Aurora Bridge. It needs to be slimmed down to four lanes.
Interstate 285, any part of it! I would rather have a root canal.
I-494 from TH 100 to TH 77 near the Mall of America. It sucks from noon to night any day of the week usually in both directions.
39th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. The lanes are very narrow, and at one point, the outside lanes disappear but with only a barely noticeble narrowing of the roadway, only for them to reappear very shortly afterwards. The speed limit is 30 MPH, which is appropriate, given the width of the lanes, but people always try to speed and are frequently too lazy to bother staying in a single lane. To make things worse, parking is allowed in the outer lanes, so sometimes you just have to merge at the last minute to avoid one or two parked cars.
I sort of frequent the stretch between US 71 and State Line Road. I can't speak to the quality of the road east of US 71.
I-80 between West Sacramento and I-505 in Vacaville is always frustrating. It's three lanes each way, which is one lane short, but with some extended merge lanes which are long enough to encourage drivers to switch into them and then have to merge back into the #3 when they are dropped. This results in speeds going from 75 to zero pretty quickly, and I'm always looking in the rearview mirror thinking "Oh, please don't be texting back there and forget to see my brake lights."
If it makes sense for where I'm going in the Bay Area, I take SR 99 or I-5 south and then use I-205 and I-580 to head west. I-205 has some similarity to that stretch of I-80 but it's relatively short.
The Borman Expressway (I-80/94) in northwest Indiana between the Illinois state line and I-65.
Quote from: Konza on April 22, 2023, 04:44:56 PM
The Borman Expressway (I-80/94) in northwest Indiana between the Illinois state line and I-65.
I was just about to mention this! I drove from Tinley Park to Gary every day last summer for an internship, and it was hell on earth!
Constant construction, extremely high truck traffic, and people who can't drive all stack to make the road a nightmare, because there's no viable alternative unless you drive through Indianapolis or pay the extremely high Chicago Skyway rates.
I-95, DC to Richmond. Miserable and mismanaged.
And Kozel will defend it for eternity.
Glenwood Ave (US 70/NC 50) from I-440 to downtown Raleigh.
Narrow lanes, lots of stoplights and intersections, and heavy traffic at all hours. The worst part is that the right lane can used for parking in random places during "non-peak" hours. There is only one sign each way that warns of this, so you'll suddenly be coming up on parked cars in your lane if you aren't aware of it.
I-57 between Marion/I-24 and Mt Vernon/I-64
Until the 6-landing project is done, I use alternate routes to get up to I-64 or north of Mt Vernon along I-57
It is a little better on the weekends, but it feels like a death trap during the week with all the trucks doing 60-65 and cars weaving around at 75-80+
Quote from: BlueOutback7 on April 22, 2023, 02:29:00 PM
US 1 between Boston and Lynnfield. Way too much traffic and has frequent parking lot entrances and people going 75 at least.
On this frequently, and last week my wife asked the question of "what roads are you afraid to drive on". It's funny this stretch of road started that conversation :-D
I-95 between White Marsh and Belcamp, and US 40 between Aberdeen and Havre de Grace, as long as they're under construction.
Quote from: Rothman on April 22, 2023, 04:57:24 PM
I-95, DC to Richmond. Miserable and mismanaged.
And Kozel will defend it for eternity.
I actually agree with
Rothman here o.O
Although I would say DC to Fredericksburg, with the Fredericksburg to Richmond segment being a lesser hell. It's why I'm a fan of the alternative US 301 corridor, especially with the new Nice-Middleton bridge.
The Buddhist centre I volunteer at is on NJ 70. However, construction means that I can't see traffic coming eastbound as I'm turning across the median.
Until the median was sealed, the intersection of Ingersoll Terrace and NJ 82 qualified. Limited sight distance means crossing NJ 82 from a side street isn't fun.
Interstate - I-69 between Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. This is only because it is my most driven segment of interstate, compared to other routes I don't get to drive as much that I always look forward to driving. The segment itself is mostly mundane north of Muncie, making me lose interest quickly. I actually like congested interstates that flow (I-65 Indy-Louisville for example) as I take them as a challenge and feel like a high performance driver on those stretches.
Highway - US-24 between Wabash and Peru. What on this earth was the recent repaving??? INDOT literally made the road worse and there's not enough going on visually to make me want to stay within 10 mph of the limit (really need that speed limit bump).
City - Lima Rd in Fort Wayne, but only in the northbound direction. Going southbound the lights are timed well enough that I can hit all but maybe 2 lights green between Dupont Rd and downtown. This timing doesn't really seem to flip over for afternoon rush hour going north, so I used to take county roads back.
I-94
Quote from: dlsterner on April 22, 2023, 08:03:35 PM
Quote from: Rothman on April 22, 2023, 04:57:24 PM
I-95, DC to Richmond. Miserable and mismanaged.
And Kozel will defend it for eternity.
I actually agree with Rothman here o.O
Although I would say DC to Fredericksburg, with the Fredericksburg to Richmond segment being a lesser hell. It's why I'm a fan of the alternative US 301 corridor, especially with the new Nice-Middleton bridge.
Ashland to Fredericksburg is hit or miss. It can be manageable and cruisable at 75-80 mph sometimes, other times it's stop and go. It's terrible during peak weekends and during the summer.
Fredericksburg to I-495 is hell. Ashland to I-295 is hell.
Fredericksburg itself is alright, it's usually bad but the new local-thru system should help things out a bunch, and already have southbound. But north of there, they need to construct bi-directional HO/T lanes (two barrier separated 65-70 mph lanes each way, none of this stupid shoulder running lane we're getting down in Norfolk on I-64), along with 8 general purpose lanes. This would fix a lot of the issues, particularly the Occoquan backup.
Traffic seems to flow pretty well north of there (Occoquan) where it's 8 general purpose lanes, with the only congestion caused by the I-495 interchange and of course the notorious southbound bottleneck due to the Occoquan River. That makes it perform overall less ideal with those two factors, then VDOT uses that worse performing (due to adjacent sections, not the actual 8 lane section itself) data to claim that 8 lane widening doesn't work and should be dismissed).
It will always be hell. VDOT will never fix it.
I will speak for all of Central Ohio and say US 23 between US 42 (Delaware) and I-270 (Worthington).
And I hate driving it too.
Interstate 30 through downtown Little Rock or US 67/167 through Jacksonville immediately come to mind. There's also that one section of I-40 between I-30 and US 67/167 where cars are constantly fighting over merging lanes.
A large part of Markham Street in Little Rock does not have a middle turn lane, combined with pretty excessive rush hour traffic and people wanting to avoid interstate highways which leads to significant backup.
Quote from: Hobart on April 22, 2023, 04:47:13 PM
Quote from: Konza on April 22, 2023, 04:44:56 PM
The Borman Expressway (I-80/94) in northwest Indiana between the Illinois state line and I-65.
I was just about to mention this! I drove from Tinley Park to Gary every day last summer for an internship, and it was hell on earth!
Constant construction, extremely high truck traffic, and people who can't drive all stack to make the road a nightmare, because there's no viable alternative unless you drive through Indianapolis or pay the extremely high Chicago Skyway rates.
I also hate driving on the Borman as NO ONE (literally) drive the speed limit at 55 mph (people drive as fast as they can)! Also, INDOT loves to do road work EVERY YEAR on that 10-mile stretch, and it causes endless accidents and reckless drivers trying to pass semi trucks!
A short but annoying one near where I live: Harney Way in San Francisco, which access the Candlestick Park area. Seems like the city has completely given up on repairing potholes and road problems in that neighborhood since the stadium closed almost a decade ago, and this has become more pronounced after the recent storms.
For longer stretches of road:
The portion of 880/Nimitz Freeway just south of dowtnown Oakland has had construction for years and seems a tad narrow - a feeling probably exacerbated by it being the designated south-to-east truck route (due to the 580/MacArthur truck ban)
37 between Sears Point and Mare Island when at rush hour or when dealing with traffic going to the racetrack - one lane in each direction with no passing opportunities is a bear, and while discussions continue on how to improve this, the status quo has now been in place for quite some years.
Back when I lived in Sacramento, I started to intentionally go southwestward towards 160 when I went to the Bay on Fridays, just because of how crappy the Yolo Causeway can be at rush hour. Those 6 total lanes between Davis and West Sacramento never seem like quite enough at peak periods (especially when it's bookended by the 80/50 and 80/113 interchanges on each side)
Quote from: Great Lakes Roads on April 23, 2023, 02:47:57 AM
Quote from: Hobart on April 22, 2023, 04:47:13 PM
Quote from: Konza on April 22, 2023, 04:44:56 PM
The Borman Expressway (I-80/94) in northwest Indiana between the Illinois state line and I-65.
I was just about to mention this! I drove from Tinley Park to Gary every day last summer for an internship, and it was hell on earth!
Constant construction, extremely high truck traffic, and people who can't drive all stack to make the road a nightmare, because there's no viable alternative unless you drive through Indianapolis or pay the extremely high Chicago Skyway rates.
I also hate driving on the Borman as NO ONE (literally) drive the speed limit at 55 mph (people drive as fast as they can)! Also, INDOT loves to do road work EVERY YEAR on that 10-mile stretch, and it causes endless accidents and reckless drivers trying to pass semi trucks!
If you drive exactly the speed limit, you're in the minority everywhere in the U.S.
I stayed in Fredericksburg a couple of years ago. I was driving from Charlotte, NC to Fredericksburg then goofing around in Virginia but I think the drive took about 5 hours and once I got north of Richmond that day at least it was fine. Of course it looks fine right now at about 9:00 on a Sunday morning.
Quote from: sprjus4 on April 22, 2023, 02:35:45 PM
I-64 between I-464 and I-664, it has been under construction since 2018 and never seems to end. Construction is supposed to be done this summer, but they also said last year it was going to be done by Fall 2022, so who knows.
Lane shifts, new traffic patterns, keep changing like every week it seems.
Once construction is finally complete, it should be far more enjoyable to drive - and hopefully they'll bump that old general purpose limit of 60 mph up to 65 mph (the design speed for project is 70 mph), but that's asking a lot from VDOT.
I haven't been in that area since the late '80's (lived in Smithfield for a hot minute). But what I recall, are some of the approaches to the tunnels, the Downtown and Midtown ones, seemed just.. incredibly convoluted. THOSE ... would be the things I would hate to drive routinely, though I imagine as a local, you navigate it just fine.
Did they ever fix the 'ripple' on the James River bridge? I can't remember which direction (NB, I think), it was a mini-roller coaster between the joints, with grooved pavement that made for a weird rhythm, basically the whole way across.
Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on April 23, 2023, 09:28:35 AM
I haven't been in that area since the late '80's (lived in Smithfield for a hot minute). But what I recall, are some of the approaches to the tunnels, the Downtown and Midtown ones, seemed just.. incredibly convoluted. THOSE ... would be the things I would hate to drive routinely, though I imagine as a local, you navigate it just fine.
I haven't driven through the Midtown Tunnel in a while, so I can't speak for that, however having drive the Downtown complex numerous times, I've sort of adjusted. I think what makes that manageable, particularly in the westbound direction, is that everyone generally slows down through the curves and you're not too worried about reckless driving.
I usually get off at I-464 and don't actually go into the tunnels much (I usually don't have a need to go that way), and my biggest complaint is during rush hour. That is because the tunnel is usually backed up, and to exit onto I-464, you have to come from a complete stop in the left lanes, and merge into the right exit lanes going over the Berkley Bridge, which are the lanes coming from Downtown Norfolk, and people usually come flying on the highway from there, then come to a stop in those lanes near the gore point of I-464 / I-264 split, to merge into the tunnel. That area can actually be quite dangerous during peak hours and when the tunnel is backed up in general. But during free-flow, it's generally not too much of a problem. During free-flow, no one does 35 mph over the bridge though, as long as you're doing about 45-50 mph, you're fine.
Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on April 23, 2023, 09:28:35 AM
Did they ever fix the 'ripple' on the James River bridge? I can't remember which direction (NB, I think), it was a mini-roller coaster between the joints, with grooved pavement that made for a weird rhythm, basically the whole way across.
I couldn't speak for this, since I have not driven across the James River Bridge northbound in years. I've taken it southbound a couple times in the last 6 months, but that's about it. But from memory from the past, I can't remember any notable issues northbound, so I would imagine so.
One "ripple" effect that exists that I'm aware of in the region, is I-64 heading westbound in Norfolk over the "Twin Bridges" near the I-264 interchange complex. It's not a long section, but that bridge is always bump, bump, bump, and can be uncomfortable.
I-70 across Missouri. Not that I do it often, but I've never had a good experience.
I'd say I-81 through Virginia but at least it has nice scenery when you can look around enough when you're not worried about getting stuck behind slow uphill trucks or run over by 80+ MPH downhill trucks.
I'll do anything to avoid having to go through Tonnelle Circle in Jersey City. No matter how many slip ramps, traffic lights, cut-throughs, flyovers, and overpasses NJDOT adds they just can't seem to make it work! It's taken me upwards of 10-20 minutes to get through it before so I just go around unless there's literally no other way to make the movement I want.
Quote from: Jim on April 23, 2023, 09:50:32 AM
I'd say I-81 through Virginia but at least it has nice scenery when you can look around enough when you're not worried about getting stuck behind slow uphill trucks or run over by 80+ MPH downhill trucks.
I-81 is frustrating... the last probably dozen times I've driven it (south of I-64 North), I've managed to hit it during off-peak truck times, so I've been able to cruise 80 mph the whole way, and it's quite nice scenery wise (the non-freeways through the region are still more scenic, however).
However, my latest time was wall-to-wall trucks the whole way, it was nothing but fluctuating between 55-80 mph for hundreds of miles. The change in grades does not help, because trucks will frequently hit 75 mph then slow down to 50 mph, in the left lane, at the slightest hill, and it makes passing impossible since they speed up on the downhills, and I don't feel comfortable hauling ass to 95 mph - due to the amount of state police I've seen at random areas along the highway.
Quote from: Great Lakes Roads on April 23, 2023, 02:47:57 AM
I also hate driving on the Borman as NO ONE (literally) drive the speed limit at 55 mph (people drive as fast as they can)! Also, INDOT loves to do road work EVERY YEAR on that 10-mile stretch, and it causes endless accidents and reckless drivers trying to pass semi trucks!
I think this is an indication INDOT needs to raise the speed limit to 65 mph, especially if the normal speed is over 70 mph.
Quote from: Hobart on April 22, 2023, 04:47:13 PM
Quote from: Konza on April 22, 2023, 04:44:56 PM
The Borman Expressway (I-80/94) in northwest Indiana between the Illinois state line and I-65.
I was just about to mention this! I drove from Tinley Park to Gary every day last summer for an internship, and it was hell on earth!
Constant construction, extremely high truck traffic, and people who can't drive all stack to make the road a nightmare, because there's no viable alternative unless you drive through Indianapolis or pay the extremely high Chicago Skyway rates.
Just out of idle curiosity, does anyone know the truck percentage through the area? I've been looking through the various maps available online, but I haven't been able to find anything.
Never mind, I found it. The truck percent ranges from about 35 to 25% along the stretch, but is usually somewhere near 30.
Quote from: sprjus4 on April 23, 2023, 09:55:41 AM
Quote from: Jim on April 23, 2023, 09:50:32 AM
I'd say I-81 through Virginia but at least it has nice scenery when you can look around enough when you're not worried about getting stuck behind slow uphill trucks or run over by 80+ MPH downhill trucks.
I-81 is frustrating... the last probably dozen times I've driven it (south of I-64 North), I've managed to hit it during off-peak truck times, so I've been able to cruise 80 mph the whole way, and it's quite nice scenery wise (the non-freeways through the region are still more scenic, however).
However, my latest time was wall-to-wall trucks the whole way, it was nothing but fluctuating between 55-80 mph for hundreds of miles. The change in grades does not help, because trucks will frequently hit 75 mph then slow down to 50 mph, in the left lane, at the slightest hill, and it makes passing impossible since they speed up on the downhills, and I don't feel comfortable hauling ass to 95 mph - due to the amount of state police I've seen at random areas along the highway.
Given the complaints about I-81, I-95 and Hampton Roads, it seems VA just sucks.
CA 262 (Mission Boulevard connector) in Fremont. From "south south bay" to Diablo Valley, Sacramento, Tahoe, etc. it's shorter to use 880 and 262 to 680; but I prefer staying on 280/680 and going the long way. No merges, no traffic lights vs. 3 merges and 2 traffic lights
In Dallas, there is a tie for the highway/interstate/city street I absolutely HATE to drive....
- The stretch of I-30 between I-35E and US-75 (aka unsigned I-345)/I-45. Although, quite technically, you aren't on I-30 proper, but on the feeder ramps.
- Stare Route 366 aka Woodall Rogers Freeway, again, between I-35E and US-75 (aka unsigned I-345)/I-45.
I live right next to US-75 in North Dallas, which means that if I want to go to Waco, Temple, or San Antonio, or even parts of South Dallas, I must cut over to the I-35E interstate, and the shortest gap is in Downtown Dallas. Sure, there are alternatives, but the gap is wider and thus additional distance. If it's north of downtown Dallas, then you'll have to take the Dallas North Tollway and incur tolls. Not only is it a no-win situation, but I see no way to fix this issue as well. There is already enough controversy with the I-345 and the anti-car alliance wanting to tear that major traffic artery between North and South Dallas.
Other areas that are problematic because of construction include:
- I-635 between US-75 (High Five Interchange) and I-30 aka "635 East Project (https://www.txdot.gov/projects/projects-studies/dallas/635-east-us75-i30.html)". Construction began in spring, 2020 and will not be completed until late 2024.
- US-75 in Sherman, TX (https://www.txdot.gov/projects/projects-studies/paris/us75-project.html), and one of two major construction areas if I go north to Oklahoma. The expected completion is Fall, 2023. There is a thread about this (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32437.0), and one of two major construction areas if I go north to Oklahoma. The expected completion is Fall, 2023.
- US-69/US-75 Construction in Durant, OK. I believe this project began in 2019, and should be completed this summer.
At least these are temporary, but for I-635, I just simply avoid the area. Now that the I-35 project is substantially complete in Waco, I hope to explore that area more.
For Sacramento, CA, the pain is the Capital City Freeway aka Business 80 (unsigned CA-51). Specifically, the northbound section between Exposition Blvd and Arden Way where the freeway crimps down from three lanes to two lanes before it becomes four lanes. That section, as far as I can determine, has been in that configuration since 1964, and fixing it would require some major re-engineering. I believe the plan was to replace this section with a new routing of Interstate 80, but that project was killed in the late 1970s by the NIMBYs.
Quote from: Jim on April 23, 2023, 09:50:32 AM
I-70 across Missouri. Not that I do it often, but I've never had a good experience.
There are plans for widening I-70 from KC to STL.
https://www.modot.org/improvei70/home
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on April 23, 2023, 03:18:41 PM
Quote from: Jim on April 23, 2023, 09:50:32 AM
I-70 across Missouri. Not that I do it often, but I've never had a good experience.
There are plans for widening I-70 from KC to STL.
https://www.modot.org/improvei70/home
Plans, but no money. Hell, when I drove across MO in 2021 I noticed some bridges in rural MO had been recently rebuilt but not constructed with the space for 6 lanes, which is either bad oversight or they're resigned to the fact it's not happening.
Quote from: Rothman on April 23, 2023, 08:26:02 AM
Quote from: Great Lakes Roads on April 23, 2023, 02:47:57 AM
Quote from: Hobart on April 22, 2023, 04:47:13 PM
Quote from: Konza on April 22, 2023, 04:44:56 PM
The Borman Expressway (I-80/94) in northwest Indiana between the Illinois state line and I-65.
I was just about to mention this! I drove from Tinley Park to Gary every day last summer for an internship, and it was hell on earth!
Constant construction, extremely high truck traffic, and people who can't drive all stack to make the road a nightmare, because there's no viable alternative unless you drive through Indianapolis or pay the extremely high Chicago Skyway rates.
I also hate driving on the Borman as NO ONE (literally) drive the speed limit at 55 mph (people drive as fast as they can)! Also, INDOT loves to do road work EVERY YEAR on that 10-mile stretch, and it causes endless accidents and reckless drivers trying to pass semi trucks!
If you drive exactly the speed limit, you're in the minority everywhere in the U.S.
I like to have consistency in how I drive roads that have a given speed limit, presuming that things like traffic, weather, and roadway geometry don't override that. For a long time, it's been to go five over on surface roads, and 7 over on freeways (with a taper that kicks in around 70 mph, since states that post higher numbers often have similar enforcement thresholds to states that post lower numbers; driving 15 over is normal on the Thruway, for example, but would lead to a reckless driving charge in VA and is probably grounds for a ticket on TX 130). However, with the proliferation of speed cameras, particularly the recent expansions in NY, is leading me to reassess that. There are too many exceptions now, and now the exceptions affect even my usual drive between Rochester and Albany (and, had things been as they are today about five years back, would have affected my daily commute). There's a good chance that I'll switch to driving exactly the speed limit at all times (barring things like traffic, weather, etc. forcing me to go slower) in the not so distance future. I really hope that the 70 mph bill in the state legislature passes, so that I can do this without drives on the Thruway taking significantly longer, but at this point it's getting more and more questionable whether the legislature will have time for
anything that isn't the state budget the longer this drags on.
(personal opinion)
Quote from: interstate73 on April 23, 2023, 09:55:05 AM
I'll do anything to avoid having to go through Tonnelle Circle in Jersey City. No matter how many slip ramps, traffic lights, cut-throughs, flyovers, and overpasses NJDOT adds they just can't seem to make it work! It's taken me upwards of 10-20 minutes to get through it before so I just go around unless there's literally no other way to make the movement I want.
Honestly, the large numbers of lights, slip ramps, cut-throughs, etc. is probably WHY that area is such a mess. It would probably be better if they ripped the circle out and replaced it with a SPUI or something. That might require disconnecting St. Pauls Ave and making the RIRO with the ramp to the Wittpen Bridge into a light in order to properly tie in the Truck 1-9 ramps. Too bad ROW is so constrained.
US 41 through Terre Haute, IN. Tons of lights on a 4- to 6-lane urban corridor full of thru traffic because there isn't a reasonable way around town.
Close second is US 41 through Evansville, but that's easier to avoid with I-69 and I-64.
Interstate 65, generally between IN 160 and IN 2, but I REALLY hate the section from IN 32 to IN 2. There isn't even a close second.
I've only done it a few times, but I've always loathed the Cross Bronx Expressway. Too much congestion, outdated design, etc.
I hate I-70 between Dayton and Indianapolis. I drove it a few weeks ago westbound out of necessity going to Indy itself, and it was just as bad as I remembered. It needs to be 3 lanes each way that whole length really, and the roadway in Indiana is really starting to fall apart. (I saw that they are going to do work on the easternmost miles of it in Indiana, but that work is maybe 20 years overdue.) Coming back, I went up to US 30 to go east, which I usually use a lot anyway going between NE Ohio and Purdue, even though the trip a few weeks ago was not to or from Purdue.
If I had not managed to get around a couple 18-wheelers as the 3-laned section ended at SR 48 in Englewood, I would have been stuck behind them with a ton of other traffic, as one 18-wheeler wanted to go just a little faster than the other right as the road necked down to 2 lanes each way. I could see absolutely nothing getting by them for a while in the rearview, then no traffic at all behind me, meaning still nothing was getting by, until west of Brookville. Apparently the logjam, with a lot of traffic bunched together hoping to pass, lasted that long. There was a lot of traffic behind the trucks that didn't make it as the left lane ended that was just stuck and two trucks aside each other for miles. Somehow it always seems to be like that from Dayton to Indy on I-70 from what I remember having used it more a number of years ago.
Quote from: Rothman on April 23, 2023, 02:08:10 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on April 23, 2023, 09:55:41 AM
Quote from: Jim on April 23, 2023, 09:50:32 AM
I'd say I-81 through Virginia but at least it has nice scenery when you can look around enough when you're not worried about getting stuck behind slow uphill trucks or run over by 80+ MPH downhill trucks.
I-81 is frustrating... the last probably dozen times I've driven it (south of I-64 North), I've managed to hit it during off-peak truck times, so I've been able to cruise 80 mph the whole way, and it's quite nice scenery wise (the non-freeways through the region are still more scenic, however).
However, my latest time was wall-to-wall trucks the whole way, it was nothing but fluctuating between 55-80 mph for hundreds of miles. The change in grades does not help, because trucks will frequently hit 75 mph then slow down to 50 mph, in the left lane, at the slightest hill, and it makes passing impossible since they speed up on the downhills, and I don't feel comfortable hauling ass to 95 mph - due to the amount of state police I've seen at random areas along the highway.
Given the complaints about I-81, I-95 and Hampton Roads, it seems VA just sucks.
Yeah... I could agree with that honestly. I-64 between the West Virginia state line and Richmond (outside of the I-81 overlap) is honestly pretty good... 70 mph speed limit in most areas and generally minimal traffic. It's a little bit heavier east of I-81, but it always seems to move 80+ mph.
East of Richmond and I-295, I-64 can be pretty terrible to Williamsburg, but there's funding in place and construction will begin soon to widen the 29 mile "gap" to six lanes, to be completed by 2030-ish. That should make the drive from Richmond to Newport News fairly manageable. The recently completed 6 lane portions are very nice to drive on, even in heavier traffic.
I'm hopeful the ongoing I-64 HRBT widening will address a lot of the issues there, the portion from I-564 to I-464 is generally not that bad, even during peak hours, and the HO/T lanes being implemented there will provide more option. The tolls are fairly cheap, it's nothing like Northern Virginia, plus the GP lanes flow well. I-464 to I-664 should be better once it's complete.
I-77 in Virginia has its own problems, particularly south of I-81, it's hit or miss honestly. I-295 had got to be best thing Virginia has. It is the perfect ideal metropolitan area bypass, it provides 6 to 8 lanes of rural 70 mph interstate capacity around the entire Richmond-Petersburg metro and never is congested.
I-81 and I-95 in Virginia suck. Simply put. I-81 needs to be 6 lanes throughout, from Tennessee to West Virginia. I-95 needs to be 8 lanes from Richmond to Washington, and bi-directional HO/T lanes north of Fredericksburg. Everything else is... okay. Still some issues, but not as bad.
Quote from: vdeane on April 23, 2023, 03:52:33 PM
Quote from: Rothman on April 23, 2023, 08:26:02 AM
Quote from: Great Lakes Roads on April 23, 2023, 02:47:57 AM
Quote from: Hobart on April 22, 2023, 04:47:13 PM
Quote from: Konza on April 22, 2023, 04:44:56 PM
The Borman Expressway (I-80/94) in northwest Indiana between the Illinois state line and I-65.
I was just about to mention this! I drove from Tinley Park to Gary every day last summer for an internship, and it was hell on earth!
Constant construction, extremely high truck traffic, and people who can't drive all stack to make the road a nightmare, because there's no viable alternative unless you drive through Indianapolis or pay the extremely high Chicago Skyway rates.
I also hate driving on the Borman as NO ONE (literally) drive the speed limit at 55 mph (people drive as fast as they can)! Also, INDOT loves to do road work EVERY YEAR on that 10-mile stretch, and it causes endless accidents and reckless drivers trying to pass semi trucks!
If you drive exactly the speed limit, you're in the minority everywhere in the U.S.
I like to have consistency in how I drive roads that have a given speed limit, presuming that things like traffic, weather, and roadway geometry don't override that. For a long time, it's been to go five over on surface roads, and 7 over on freeways (with a taper that kicks in around 70 mph, since states that post higher numbers often have similar enforcement thresholds to states that post lower numbers; driving 15 over is normal on the Thruway, for example, but would lead to a reckless driving charge in VA and is probably grounds for a ticket on TX 130). However, with the proliferation of speed cameras, particularly the recent expansions in NY, is leading me to reassess that. There are too many exceptions now, and now the exceptions affect even my usual drive between Rochester and Albany (and, had things been as they are today about five years back, would have affected my daily commute). There's a good chance that I'll switch to driving exactly the speed limit at all times (barring things like traffic, weather, etc. forcing me to go slower) in the not so distance future. I really hope that the 70 mph bill in the state legislature passes, so that I can do this without drives on the Thruway taking significantly longer, but at this point it's getting more and more questionable whether the legislature will have time for anything that isn't the state budget the longer this drags on.
(personal opinion)
Something tells me you haven't been privy to the parameters of the camera enforcement program...
(personal opinion emphasized)
^ I'm not sure I understand why, given the enforcement (not that I agree with it either...) is only limited to active work zones, and 10 mph over.
Driving 5-10 mph over on a rural interstate with no active enforcement will not cause any problems, unless they authorize speed cameras on highways, which... yikes. It's New York though, I wouldn't hold it past them.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on April 23, 2023, 03:37:09 PM
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on April 23, 2023, 03:18:41 PM
Quote from: Jim on April 23, 2023, 09:50:32 AM
I-70 across Missouri. Not that I do it often, but I've never had a good experience.
There are plans for widening I-70 from KC to STL.
https://www.modot.org/improvei70/home
Plans, but no money. Hell, when I drove across MO in 2021 I noticed some bridges in rural MO had been recently rebuilt but not constructed with the space for 6 lanes, which is either bad oversight or they're resigned to the fact it's not happening.
There are always plans to widen I-70 across the state. I remember plans from 30 years ago when I first moved to St Louis. There were new plans floated when I left the state five years ago. I still maintain the best plan would be to start with one contractor starting from Blue Springs going east and another from Wentzville going west and hope that it takes less time than it took the original transcontinental railroad. They can drive a golden barbeque rib into the pavement when they finally meet.
I-77 in Charlotte north of I-485. The toll lanes have only made traffic worse. Every single time I've driven that road I have been stuck in standstill traffic. Not even exaggerating.
Really, any road in Charlotte would make this list for me. Every time I come back, the drivers seem to become twice as stupid and aggressive compared to my last visit. Last time I was there, I had someone honk at me for not slamming on the gas when the light turned green (I always accelerate smoothly to preserve gas) which was a first. Northern transplants are really ruining the driving experience in cities like CLT.
Broad St (US 250 Richmond and neighboring Henrico County) because it's absolutely traffic light hell.
Guess I'll be the first to mention I-75 here. Pretty sure there's some portion of it under major construction in Cincinnati during my entire life so far.
I-4 for one. Congestion guaranteed.
US 1 from Washington to Baltimore. Development city. In the seventies it had a much different character and was more free flowing. Laurel even stood out from the rest as that was the only highly suburbanized part of that route outside of Hyattville and College Park.
US 58 in Virginia Beach as its poorly timed stoplights the entire 12 miles. I-264 is the way from Norfolk to the Oceanfront.
I-75 anywhere from Knoxville to somewhere north of Dayton.
Also, I-64 through Louisville and between Huntington and Charleston.
U.S. 78 from Stone Mountain to Loganville. It's 15 miles of strip malls and poorly-timed traffic signals.
Quote from: sprjus4 on April 23, 2023, 05:33:16 PM
^ I'm not sure I understand why, given the enforcement (not that I agree with it either...) is only limited to active work zones, and 10 mph over.
Driving 5-10 mph over on a rural interstate with no active enforcement will not cause any problems, unless they authorize speed cameras on highways, which... yikes. It's New York though, I wouldn't hold it past them.
1. Like I said, I value consistency. Having a different rule for an active zone with a "photo enforced" sign vs. an inactive zone vs. an area that isn't a work zone at all isn't how I roll. It's bad enough I already have exceptions for Washington DC, Roosevelt Blvd, and the entire province of Québec (well, all of Canada, actually, because of Toronto and Edmonton).
2. I haven't seen anything official confirming 10 mph as a buffer; just speculation because that's the threshold for the NYC "school zone" cameras and because the state police are known to not give tickets out for less. I do recall a source saying that the cameras will flash for anyone driving at or over the limit, even if they don't all get tickets, which reminds me of Québec's program too much for comfort (their cameras take a picture of everyone who speeds by even 1 kph over and it's up to the police reviewing it whether to send out a ticket, and they're known to be less tolerant than they are when personally pulling people over).
3. There's the question of calibration. Not even all vehicle speedometers are alike, and not all radar "your speed" signs are either. There's about a 3-4 mph difference between my Civic and the work Prius when both have exactly the same number. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if my Civic is calibrated faster than most other cars. Assuming the 10 mph buffer is the actual (officially not publicized) buffer, my 7 mph over on freeways would only be 3 mph off, which doesn't leave a ton of wiggle room if my Civic's calibration and the speed camera's calibration don't match, especially since I'm not perfect on keeping an exactly constant speed (nor is my cruise control, for that matter).
4. In addition to these work zone speed cameras, the governor's budget proposal also included speed cameras on the MTA bridges and there's a bill in the legislature for speed cameras on the Southern State Parkway. There's also a push to bring speed cameras to city streets upstate. And they're expanding in other states too, and every state has different rules.
All in all, even if not strictly required, just driving the speed limit is easier and fits better with how I like to drive. If the speed limit drops by 10 mph, I want to drop by 10 mph, not 12-17 mph. I'm putting it up for this year, but will be reassessing for next year. If that 70 mph bill passes, the change is very likely. If not, I'll have to choose my poison - less consistency, or a longer drive to/from family gatherings (I estimate that driving the speed limit adds about a minute for every 10 miles traveled; hardly noticeable on my commute, but it adds up on longer trips).
Quote from: vdeane on April 23, 2023, 09:42:20 PM
1. Like I said, I value consistency. Having a different rule for an active zone with a "photo enforced" sign vs. an inactive zone vs. an area that isn't a work zone at all isn't how I roll. It's bad enough I already have exceptions for Washington DC, Roosevelt Blvd, and the entire province of Québec (well, all of Canada, actually, because of Toronto and Edmonton).
It's quite simple. When there is a work zone, regardless of photo enforced or not, abide by the posted speed limit. When there is no work zone at all, return to a higher speed.
I generally try to stick to the limit traveling through any work zone, within 5 mph, if it's reasonable.
Quote
2. I haven't seen anything official confirming 10 mph as a buffer; just speculation because that's the threshold for the NYC "school zone" cameras and because the state police are known to not give tickets out for less. I do recall a source saying that the cameras will flash for anyone driving at or over the limit, even if they don't all get tickets, which reminds me of Québec's program too much for comfort (their cameras take a picture of everyone who speeds by even 1 kph over and it's up to the police reviewing it whether to send out a ticket, and they're known to be less tolerant than they are when personally pulling people over).
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/1180-E
QuoteAll in all, even if not strictly required, just driving the speed limit is easier and fits better with how I like to drive. If the speed limit drops by 10 mph, I want to drop by 10 mph, not 12-17 mph. I'm putting it up for this year, but will be reassessing for next year. If that 70 mph bill passes, the change is very likely. If not, I'll have to choose my poison - less consistency, or a longer drive to/from family gatherings (I estimate that driving the speed limit adds about a minute for every 10 miles traveled; hardly noticeable on my commute, but it adds up on longer trips).
At the end of day, it's ultimately your own choice on how you drive. As long as lane-discipline is maintained, by all means, there is no issue with driving the speed limit. This is merely my stance on it, and everyone has their own driving habits and preferences.
Oh yes, I forgot about US 1 in Camden, SC. It's got a lengthy 40 mph zone north of the split with SC 34 on the north side of the city.
Oh there are several. I hated IH 81 through Virginia on my trips to New England. But if we are talking routes we have had to take frequently–for me it's
Interstate: IH 10 from Baton Rouge to Houston. Construction, varied speed limits (changes at least four times), that awful 20 mile basin bridge/speed trap/death trap.
Runner up: interstate 45 from Houston to Dallas. Nothing of note for over 200 miles–just rural and the flow of traffic is always between 85 and 90.
US Highway: US 96. Boring. Rural, bad numbering. Unnecessary concurrency.
State Highway: TX 225. Ugly, industrial, run down, badly maintained.
FM route: FM 1093. Also known as Westheimer road. Always congested, the stretch through montrose has lost all charm and is now gentrification central. Galleria is my least favorite area of the city, the stretch from the galleria to SH 6 is getting more and more run down and crime ridden as well as being traffic heavy practically 24-7
Quote from: achilles765 on April 23, 2023, 11:59:08 PM
and the flow of traffic is always between 85 and 90.
Is this necessarily a bad thing?
I avoid going near East LA Interchange whenever possible. It's a mess no matter which route I'm on: US-101/I-5/I-10/CA-60
US 85 in WY I hated driving on it due to seclusion as there are no trees, forests, or occupied farmland along most of it. It's open rangeland and no dwellings for many miles, if you breakdown the towing will not only cost you plenty, but the time it takes taking you to small town ( as Wyoming is very sparsely populated as a state in whole) and who can repair it in a short timely manner.
I-405 in California. Not too bad once you're down in Orange County, and going over the Sepulveda Pass is certainly interesting, but the rest is unremitting ugliness. What a dump.
Another is CA-185 in San Leandro and Oakland. A dystopian nightmare of grafitti and filth. I only drove it to clinch it. That's a wasted hour I'll never get back.
Quote from: pderocco on April 24, 2023, 02:53:55 AM
I-405 in California. Not too bad once you're down in Orange County, and going over the Sepulveda Pass is certainly interesting, but the rest is unremitting ugliness. What a dump.
Another is CA-185 in San Leandro and Oakland. A dystopian nightmare of grafitti and filth. I only drove it to clinch it. That's a wasted hour I'll never get back.
I'll never understand how I-405 got to such a lofty status in the larger road community. It's one of the more boring freeways in the Los Angeles area and doesn't offer much unique to see. At least stuff like the Harbor Freeway and Santa Ana Freeway have some kick ass views of downtown eventually.
CA 185 isn't helped given the entirety in Hayward is relinquished and doesn't have much/if any reassurance shields. Strangely I found the 1970s-style atmosphere of 14th Street to resemble what I grew up around in some of the older parts of metro Detroit. I can't put my find why but I've always found the dystopian aesthetic of late 20th century blight eye catching.
Quote from: SeriesE on April 24, 2023, 01:18:00 AM
I avoid going near East LA Interchange whenever possible. It's a mess no matter which route I'm on: US-101/I-5/I-10/CA-60
Heading north on 5, one bypass route that comes to mind is 5 (Santa Ana Freeway) -> 710 -> 10 west -> 5 again (Golden State Freeway)
No real immediate bypass routes for 60 or 10 though - if one wants to get towards Koreatown or Santa Monica, the choices become pretty slim for avoiding the East LA complex. (The forever-cancelled 90 gap between 405 and Whittier would have been the relief route for this)
Locally: Colfax Avenue
Nationally: I-10 in Florida or I-95 in North Carolina
Quote from: SkyPesos on April 23, 2023, 07:12:23 PM
Guess I'll be the first to mention I-75 here. Pretty sure there's some portion of it under major construction in Cincinnati during my entire life so far.
I didn't pick I-75 because I hate I-94 more. Too much traffic on an undersized highway, I-75 at least has six lanes in most areas.
I'll nominate I-83 in the Harrisburg area - previously the whole way from the PA Turnpike to I-81, but the recently-widened stretch from Union Deposit Rd to I-81 is a vast improvement and quite nice to drive now. Hopefully the other projects still-to-come in that area match that initial project.
DC 295, especially the narrow shoulder-less portion north of East Capitol St, comes to mind as well - it's one of the rare instances where I actually don't mind the presence of speed cameras as it keeps traffic from flying thru there dangerously fast. (And that's only on the off-chance you're not crawling thru stop-and-go traffic southbound the whole way from US 50 to the lane drop at East Capitol St, which seems to be most of daylight hours these days.)
Quote from: sprjus4 on April 23, 2023, 10:31:21 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 23, 2023, 09:42:20 PM
1. Like I said, I value consistency. Having a different rule for an active zone with a "photo enforced" sign vs. an inactive zone vs. an area that isn't a work zone at all isn't how I roll. It's bad enough I already have exceptions for Washington DC, Roosevelt Blvd, and the entire province of Québec (well, all of Canada, actually, because of Toronto and Edmonton).
It's quite simple. When there is a work zone, regardless of photo enforced or not, abide by the posted speed limit. When there is no work zone at all, return to a higher speed.
I generally try to stick to the limit traveling through any work zone, within 5 mph, if it's reasonable.
Quote
2. I haven't seen anything official confirming 10 mph as a buffer; just speculation because that's the threshold for the NYC "school zone" cameras and because the state police are known to not give tickets out for less. I do recall a source saying that the cameras will flash for anyone driving at or over the limit, even if they don't all get tickets, which reminds me of Québec's program too much for comfort (their cameras take a picture of everyone who speeds by even 1 kph over and it's up to the police reviewing it whether to send out a ticket, and they're known to be less tolerant than they are when personally pulling people over).
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/1180-E
QuoteAll in all, even if not strictly required, just driving the speed limit is easier and fits better with how I like to drive. If the speed limit drops by 10 mph, I want to drop by 10 mph, not 12-17 mph. I'm putting it up for this year, but will be reassessing for next year. If that 70 mph bill passes, the change is very likely. If not, I'll have to choose my poison - less consistency, or a longer drive to/from family gatherings (I estimate that driving the speed limit adds about a minute for every 10 miles traveled; hardly noticeable on my commute, but it adds up on longer trips).
At the end of day, it's ultimately your own choice on how you drive. As long as lane-discipline is maintained, by all means, there is no issue with driving the speed limit. This is merely my stance on it, and everyone has their own driving habits and preferences.
That's how I'm handling work zones this year. Or I might revert to last year's plan of treating them the same as surface roads once things are more established. That said, the idea of driving exactly the limit is an idea that's been cooking in my head for
years as I've gotten annoyed with the inconsistencies. The 70 mph speed limit bill being proposed in NY was a big part of making that planning more serious, as I've long held that I'd drive the speed limit if the northeast had more reasonable freeway limits in the first place. The fact that it happened at the same time the governor proposed speed cameras on the MTA bridges only helped provide more momentum to the idea.
I have to admit, it does seem like my desire to be flexible has been going down over the years. I used to have an exception of the opposite kind for the NJ Turnpike since speed enforcement is known to be so lax there, but I got rid of it sometime within the last few years.
Quote from: TheStranger on April 24, 2023, 11:14:52 AM
Quote from: SeriesE on April 24, 2023, 01:18:00 AM
I avoid going near East LA Interchange whenever possible. It's a mess no matter which route I'm on: US-101/I-5/I-10/CA-60
Heading north on 5, one bypass route that comes to mind is 5 (Santa Ana Freeway) -> 710 -> 10 west -> 5 again (Golden State Freeway)
No real immediate bypass routes for 60 or 10 though - if one wants to get towards Koreatown or Santa Monica, the choices become pretty slim for avoiding the East LA complex. (The forever-cancelled 90 gap between 405 and Whittier would have been the relief route for this)
If I'm going from Orange County/San diego to norcal (and vice versa), I just take I-405 all the way to bypass the whole mess
As of late I go the counter intuitive way and force myself down the Hollywood Freeway to the Santa Ana Freeway (and vice versa). Oddly enough it worked this last pass through downtown on a Monday morning, traffic slowed but never stopped.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 24, 2023, 04:41:02 PM
As of late I go the counter intuitive way and force myself down the Hollywood Freeway to the Santa Ana Freeway (and vice versa). Oddly enough it worked this last pass through downtown on a Monday morning, traffic slowed but never stopped.
Nearly a decade ago, me and a friend headed down in separate cars from Palmdale to Long Beach on a Sunday (so not the highest traffic day ever to be fair); he did 405 while I myself took 170/101/110 just to see more scenery in downtown instead of passing by Griffith Park along 5. I think we ended up at Long Beach Airport around the same time
I oft wonder if for folks who live in Sylmar or areas further north (Palmdale, Bakersfield), whether doing 138-15 or 210-57-71-15 serves as the better routing to San Diego, rather than dealing with 405 near LAX or 5 or 101 approaching East LA (and 5 in Norwalk).
Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 24, 2023, 12:11:53 PM
Locally: Colfax Avenue
Nationally: I-10 in Florida or I-95 in North Carolina
There's only two things locally that bug me:
1: The 85/34 nutjobbery in Evans/Garden City whatever it is.
2: I think it's exit 213, off I-25 SB, first one south of I-70. I occasionally have to go to downtown, and that's the exit. The .. is it braiding? that it does is a little weird if you're not ready for it.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 24, 2023, 07:56:43 AM
I'll never understand how I-405 got to such a lofty status in the larger road community. It's one of the more boring freeways in the Los Angeles area and doesn't offer much unique to see. At least stuff like the Harbor Freeway and Santa Ana Freeway have some kick ass views of downtown eventually.
I-405 is admittedly bad. But I end up taking it because the alternatives (which almost the same by mileage) are even worse. US 101 between Hollywood and downtown LA is one of my worst, but it can be bypassed using CA 134 and I-5. But I-5 south of the East LA interchange is bad enough that I still stick to I-405 as a rule (depending on the destination, of course).
Getting back to Indiana, I've never liked driving across the state on US 30, STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP the whole way.
Mike
401
Quote from: mgk920 on April 24, 2023, 09:45:29 PM
Getting back to Indiana, I've never liked driving across the state on US 30, STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP the whole way.
Mike
Before it bypassed Kokomo, US 31 was miserable through there.
Most trips, I-26 between Columbia and I-95 in South Carolina (both directions) and I-95 from I-26 to Georgia (both directions). Two lanes with bad pavement and bad drivers.
Quote from: VTGoose on April 25, 2023, 10:46:50 AM
Most trips, I-26 between Columbia and I-95 in South Carolina (both directions) and I-95 from I-26 to Georgia (both directions). Two lanes with bad pavement and bad drivers.
I drove that stretch about 2 years ago coming back from Florida it was a nightmare the whole stretch. Too much truck traffic and other slow moving vehicles. I made it from Orlando, Florida to Statesville, North Carolina in one day.
Quote from: TheStranger on April 24, 2023, 05:11:26 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 24, 2023, 04:41:02 PM
As of late I go the counter intuitive way and force myself down the Hollywood Freeway to the Santa Ana Freeway (and vice versa). Oddly enough it worked this last pass through downtown on a Monday morning, traffic slowed but never stopped.
Nearly a decade ago, me and a friend headed down in separate cars from Palmdale to Long Beach on a Sunday (so not the highest traffic day ever to be fair); he did 405 while I myself took 170/101/110 just to see more scenery in downtown instead of passing by Griffith Park along 5. I think we ended up at Long Beach Airport around the same time
I oft wonder if for folks who live in Sylmar or areas further north (Palmdale, Bakersfield), whether doing 138-15 or 210-57-71-15 serves as the better routing to San Diego, rather than dealing with 405 near LAX or 5 or 101 approaching East LA (and 5 in Norwalk).
There have been times when I have actually taken the 210 East to the 605 South to bypass all of I-5 through Burbank/DTLA and in spite of adding a lot of mileage, travel time was better than battling the traffic. Even if travel time was the same as sitting in the traffic, I will opt for the longer-distance route if it moves better.
I-25 for me. The stretch through the Denver metro, which I drive pretty much daily, is consistently congested. Often speeds will drop from 70 to 0 in 2.8 seconds. It's taking years off my life!
North of town up to Loveland and Fort Collins is little better, with micropassing trucks and construction that's been going on for 5+ years. The stretch south of town is always busy through Castle Rock, and though improved through the gap, returns to inconsistency through the Springs, especially during rush hour.
Quote from: Flint1979 on April 25, 2023, 02:52:38 PM
Quote from: VTGoose on April 25, 2023, 10:46:50 AM
Most trips, I-26 between Columbia and I-95 in South Carolina (both directions) and I-95 from I-26 to Georgia (both directions). Two lanes with bad pavement and bad drivers.
I drove that stretch about 2 years ago coming back from Florida it was a nightmare the whole stretch. Too much truck traffic and other slow moving vehicles. I made it from Orlando, Florida to Statesville, North Carolina in one day.
We have been traveling that way every few months for the last 9 years since our son, daughter-in-law, and grandson live in St. Petersburg, so have seen the good and bad of both of those interstates. You mention Orlando, which brings up another interstate that I will avoid -- I-4 from Tampa to I-95. The ONLY time we breezed across Florida was right at the beginning of the pandemic when everything was shut down. We made that whole trip from Apollo Beach to Blacksburg in record time, about 11:30 when it typically takes 13-14 hours with stops and traffic.
I'm in the club that dreads I-95 north of Richmond. I went to Woodbridge and back yesterday and for once it flowed freely the whole time.
In Missouri, it was I-70 between Wentzville and the outer burbs of KCMO. Hated using it while storm chasing and would constantly try to find alternative routes. For US Highways in MO, it's US 160. MO State Routes: MO 94 in eastern St. Charles County and from I-64 to Jefferson City.
In Massachusetts it's easily Route 128.
Quote from: SeriesE on April 24, 2023, 04:36:32 PM
If I'm going from Orange County/San diego to norcal (and vice versa), I just take I-405 all the way to bypass the whole mess
That's why they call it the San Diego Freeway.
Quote from: TheStranger on April 24, 2023, 05:11:26 PM
I oft wonder if for folks who live in Sylmar or areas further north (Palmdale, Bakersfield), whether doing 138-15 or 210-57-71-15 serves as the better routing to San Diego, rather than dealing with 405 near LAX or 5 or 101 approaching East LA (and 5 in Norwalk).
It all depends on time of day. You just have to look at the traffic on Google Maps, and see what's happening. Sometimes there are big tie-ups around Corona or Temecula. Since I moved from LA to San Diego, I only drive around LA on weekends, so I miss the worst of it.
But my judgment of I-405 as an unpleasant road to drive isn't so much about traffic, because that's time-variable. But it's always ugly and boring, and even the shroud of night doesn't entirely mitigate the ugliness.
Gee, there are a lot of freeways that are awful. But the top tend to be places where congestion is out of control:
1) Stevenson Expy (I-55) in the Chicago area.....No exaggeration, I used to take morning flights out of MDW and my drive time from Gurnee (far N suburb) to the 55/294 junction (over 40 miles) took less time than to get from there on the Stevenson to Midway (8 miles). This thing needs about 4 more lanes and a redesign and even then it may not be enough. Basically, any expressway that leads into Chicago is terrible, but the Stevenson is the worst because it's bad all the way to I-80. Any yes, I know the Kennedy is under construction and will be hell for a while - but at least that's in order to make improvements.
2) I-95 from the GW Bridge to New Haven, CT. Not enough lanes, too much traffic, poor design, obnoxious drivers and speed limits that are a joke.
3) I-94 through Michigan; 6 to 8 lanes worth of traffic stuffed into a 4 lane that could be a museum piece as to how interstates looked in 1964.
4) Either interstate route in NW Indiana (80/94 or 90). Much of America's traffic is funneled around the bottom of Lake Michigan, passing right through a city that looks like it didn't survive the apocalypse (Gary). The traffic is hell, the freeways are designed like crap, don't get off at any of the exits for the first 20 miles into Indiana and the scenery is boring and ugly the whole way.
5) Last entry in my hall of shame is the Schuylkill Expy (I-76) leading into Philadelphia. An ancient, narrow, curvy road with absolutely horrible traffic and very few escape routes once you're in it.
No, I didn't mention any of the freeways in California, Texas or Florida because those areas tend to be newer and have more alternative options for avoiding the worst of the worst. I was stuck on the 405 from Irvine to Tustin one Friday night and it took hours, but most of the time I don't mind driving the 405 that much. If it's jammed, I just avoid it.
I-70 is my least favorite not sure why
I think the Garden State Parkway between the Turnpike and NJ 17 deserves this spot for me. Heavy traffic and a protracted 55 zone on the whole 35 mile stretch just makes it not fun, even though it SHOULD be (especially through Newark). Google claims NJ 17 and the Parkway is the fastest route between the Thruway and the Turnpike, but I'm not sure that's actually true unless you completely ignore the speed limit.
It's better when listening to CBS FM (as opposed to just the sound of the road), but I still need cruise control just to keep from going to much over the limit.
I-40 between I-30 in Little Rock and Memphis. Either on I-55 or I-40 in West Memphis to Memphis. The whole thing between I-30 in LR and the Tennessee border is choked with governed trucks micropassing, so the 75MPH speed limit is a pipe dream most of the time. Scenery doesn't do Arkansas much justice either.
Quote from: vdeane on May 01, 2023, 03:37:42 PM
I think the Garden State Parkway between the Turnpike and NJ 17 deserves this spot for me. Heavy traffic and a protracted 55 zone on the whole 35 mile stretch just makes it not fun, even though it SHOULD be (especially through Newark). Google claims NJ 17 and the Parkway is the fastest route between the Thruway and the Turnpike, but I'm not sure that's actually true unless you completely ignore the speed limit.
It's better when listening to CBS FM (as opposed to just the sound of the road), but I still need cruise control just to keep from going to much over the limit.
I would imagine that regardless of the posted speed limit, traffic is routinely flowing 75+ mph.
I hate Cameron St in Harrisburg between Paxton St and Maclay St, it is a disaster. Four narrow lanes, random potholes that can't be avoided without straddling both lanes, no center turn lane except for a very small section and heavy industrial traffic that always wants to turn left at some point. Just tear the whole thing down lol. Start from scratch
I-40. Eastern Arkansas. Nuff said.
Interstate 80 from San Francisco to Oakland/Berkeley in either direction. After morning time, it gets congested until evening and can happen just about every day. If you're heading into San Francisco I don't think there is any viable alternative to taking the Bay Bridge, but if you're heading to the Peninsula, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge doesn't get congested. I think a big reason why is the low amount of through-lanes, there can be 10 lanes at the Bay Bridge toll plaza but eventually becomes 3 westbound until you get to US 101 where a 4th lane is added from the Central Freeway.
I also drive on US 101 as well in the SF Peninsula and South Bay and lately due to rain, it is very prone to potholes or asphalt damage, more so than other freeways like CA 85, CA 87, I-280, and I-880. Certainly it endures the highest traffic volume compared to other highways...
Quote from: Techknow on May 09, 2023, 12:56:41 AM
Interstate 80 from San Francisco to Oakland/Berkeley in either direction. After morning time, it gets congested until evening and can happen just about every day. If you're heading into San Francisco I don't think there is any viable alternative to taking the Bay Bridge, but if you're heading to the Peninsula, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge doesn't get congested. I think a big reason why is the low amount of through-lanes, there can be 10 lanes at the Bay Bridge toll plaza but eventually becomes 3 westbound until you get to US 101 where a 4th lane is added from the Central Freeway.
I also drive on US 101 as well in the SF Peninsula and South Bay and lately due to rain, it is very prone to potholes or asphalt damage, more so than other freeways like CA 85, CA 87, I-280, and I-880. Certainly it endures the highest traffic volume compared to other highways...
But this is in an area that HATES cars and thinks that they are the root of all that is evil in this world, so I am reasonably expecting zero relief in the form of higher road capacity at any time in the foreseeable future. "Take a BART train if you want to get across the bay."
mike
A lot of QC 175 in Québec City, as well as adjacent roads, are a pain to go through right now due to the construction of the tramway. I don't drive, but trust me, it's painful to go through even when in a bus or as a passenger in someone else's car.
Quote from: CoreySamson on May 08, 2023, 11:29:01 PM
I-40. Eastern Arkansas. Nuff said.
Is it 'nuff said? I don't remember anything particularly special about this stretch, good, bad, or otherwise. Why is it on your list? It's been probably 15-20 years since I've been on it.
Quote from: mgk920 on May 09, 2023, 02:44:46 PM
Quote from: Techknow on May 09, 2023, 12:56:41 AM
Interstate 80 from San Francisco to Oakland/Berkeley in either direction. After morning time, it gets congested until evening and can happen just about every day. If you're heading into San Francisco I don't think there is any viable alternative to taking the Bay Bridge, but if you're heading to the Peninsula, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge doesn't get congested. I think a big reason why is the low amount of through-lanes, there can be 10 lanes at the Bay Bridge toll plaza but eventually becomes 3 westbound until you get to US 101 where a 4th lane is added from the Central Freeway.
I also drive on US 101 as well in the SF Peninsula and South Bay and lately due to rain, it is very prone to potholes or asphalt damage, more so than other freeways like CA 85, CA 87, I-280, and I-880. Certainly it endures the highest traffic volume compared to other highways...
But this is in an area that HATES cars and thinks that they are the root of all that is evil in this world, so I am reasonably expecting zero relief in the form of higher road capacity at any time in the foreseeable future. "Take a BART train if you want to get across the bay."
mike
Someone needs to read less headlines
Quote from: SEWIGuy on May 09, 2023, 03:15:55 PM
Quote from: mgk920 on May 09, 2023, 02:44:46 PM
Quote from: Techknow on May 09, 2023, 12:56:41 AM
Interstate 80 from San Francisco to Oakland/Berkeley in either direction. After morning time, it gets congested until evening and can happen just about every day. If you're heading into San Francisco I don't think there is any viable alternative to taking the Bay Bridge, but if you're heading to the Peninsula, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge doesn't get congested. I think a big reason why is the low amount of through-lanes, there can be 10 lanes at the Bay Bridge toll plaza but eventually becomes 3 westbound until you get to US 101 where a 4th lane is added from the Central Freeway.
I also drive on US 101 as well in the SF Peninsula and South Bay and lately due to rain, it is very prone to potholes or asphalt damage, more so than other freeways like CA 85, CA 87, I-280, and I-880. Certainly it endures the highest traffic volume compared to other highways...
But this is in an area that HATES cars and thinks that they are the root of all that is evil in this world, so I am reasonably expecting zero relief in the form of higher road capacity at any time in the foreseeable future. "Take a BART train if you want to get across the bay."
mike
Someone needs to read less headlines
Or actually visit San Francisco to see for himself.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on May 09, 2023, 03:19:51 PM
Quote from: SEWIGuy on May 09, 2023, 03:15:55 PM
Quote from: mgk920 on May 09, 2023, 02:44:46 PM
Quote from: Techknow on May 09, 2023, 12:56:41 AM
Interstate 80 from San Francisco to Oakland/Berkeley in either direction. After morning time, it gets congested until evening and can happen just about every day. If you're heading into San Francisco I don't think there is any viable alternative to taking the Bay Bridge, but if you're heading to the Peninsula, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge doesn't get congested. I think a big reason why is the low amount of through-lanes, there can be 10 lanes at the Bay Bridge toll plaza but eventually becomes 3 westbound until you get to US 101 where a 4th lane is added from the Central Freeway.
I also drive on US 101 as well in the SF Peninsula and South Bay and lately due to rain, it is very prone to potholes or asphalt damage, more so than other freeways like CA 85, CA 87, I-280, and I-880. Certainly it endures the highest traffic volume compared to other highways...
But this is in an area that HATES cars and thinks that they are the root of all that is evil in this world, so I am reasonably expecting zero relief in the form of higher road capacity at any time in the foreseeable future. "Take a BART train if you want to get across the bay."
mike
Someone needs to read less headlines
Or actually visit San Francisco to see for himself.
That too.
I'm starting to hate driving I-95 in Providence, RI between Exit 36 (I-195) and Exit 38 (RI-146). Too much traffic merging together and changing lanes in a short distance, lack of shoulders, the hot mess that is the US-6/RI-10/Providence Place Mall exit, and the very RI tradition of cutting over two lanes to exit. Even weekends are becoming unbearable.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on May 09, 2023, 03:06:19 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on May 08, 2023, 11:29:01 PM
I-40. Eastern Arkansas. Nuff said.
Is it 'nuff said? I don't remember anything particularly special about this stretch, good, bad, or otherwise. Why is it on your list? It's been probably 15-20 years since I've been on it.
Trucks, trucks, and more trucks.
A hundred+ miles of 2 lanes in each direction with trucks consisting of 50-55% (actual figure) of the overall traffic. Micropassing, constant walls of trucks, it's a mess.
If you time it right, it's not too bad. But on a busy weekday, you may run into hundreds of trucks in just constant walls the whole way.
It needs to be 6 lanes (3 each direction) the entire way with trucks banned from the left lane.
By far my least favorite is I-65 in Indiana - especially north of Indianapolis. Always busy and pretty boring as well.
I-39 in Illinois usually moves well, but I have driven it so much and it is so dull that I just want it to be over.
Quote from: SEWIGuy on May 10, 2023, 08:45:09 AM
By far my least favorite is I-65 in Indiana - especially north of Indianapolis. Always busy and pretty boring as well.
All true and you forgot one: like most other roads in Indiana, it's permanently under construction. And not just one area - but the entire length takes turns with lane closures 5 to 10 miles at a time.
Somehow no Beltline yet. I'd also add East Washington Ave. and Gorham St.
Quote from: thspfc on May 10, 2023, 11:30:41 AM
Somehow no Beltline yet. I'd also add East Washington Ave. and Gorham St.
Honestly, never minded all three of them.
I live in Metro Atlanta. I have a very long list of all kinds of streets, highways, and freeways I hate to drive (too long to list here, hahaha). Being I live in Gwinnett County, a special place in Hell goes to Sugarloaf Parkway. It is poetic justice to myself that I came up with the location for part of the route for Sugarloaf Parkway back in the late 80's.
Quote from: SEWIGuy on May 10, 2023, 08:45:09 AM
By far my least favorite is I-65 in Indiana - especially north of Indianapolis. Always busy and pretty boring as well.
I haven't driven I-65 Indy-NW IN in a long while, mostly since I reside in SoIL now, but I did try that NB trip somewhat recently...and the truck traffic is as bad or worse than I remember to the point I jumped to US 52 somewhere between Lebanon and Lafayette. Yes, it probably added an hour to my trip, and I was perfectly fine with it. Much more peaceful and relaxing to drive a mostly empty US 52, then US 41
Quote from: sprjus4 on May 10, 2023, 01:22:57 AM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on May 09, 2023, 03:06:19 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on May 08, 2023, 11:29:01 PM
I-40. Eastern Arkansas. Nuff said.
Is it 'nuff said? I don't remember anything particularly special about this stretch, good, bad, or otherwise. Why is it on your list? It's been probably 15-20 years since I've been on it.
Trucks, trucks, and more trucks.
A hundred+ miles of 2 lanes in each direction with trucks consisting of 50-55% (actual figure) of the overall traffic. Micropassing, constant walls of trucks, it's a mess.
If you time it right, it's not too bad. But on a busy weekday, you may run into hundreds of trucks in just constant walls the whole way.
It needs to be 6 lanes (3 each direction) the entire way with trucks banned from the left lane.
I did this trip just a few days ago, and it is exactly as you say. The only nice thing is that you can sometimes get out of one of those micropassing zones and have a bit of space for a while because the cars behind you are still stuck.
In any case, I'm wondering the best way to deal with the situation. Speeding up and slowing down so much is kind of a pain, so it could be that the thing to do is just set the cruise control to 65 and just wait it out.
Specifically this portion of I-76 where I-76 EB continues on a one-lane ramp, you have to be in the right lane, and the signage states "TO I-76" when it should be "I-76 EB to I-95 NB". (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9243426,-75.1927706,3a,75y,161.7h,89.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smjKUENU99aEpcRlhupk_Qg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) I almost exited here when I first drove it, and I was insanely angry in regard to the setup which is rare for me.
In regard to other candidates that should in theory be included, I think that I am too used to roads such as I-81, I-78, I-83, I-95, etc., to really hate the portions that I feel I am expected to. I would not include the Baltimore-Washington Pkwy in that, but I think most of my annoyance there has to do with inconsistent maintenance, GPS apps continuing to route vehicles that way, and continuing to hear about all that from CPZ. :-D I have actually only been on there a few times mainly for clinching purposes beyond others blindly following GPS routes.
In regard to speed trap towns, I leave that to US 11E/US 321 in Greeneville, TN.
Otherwise, one route that I have purposely avoided since clinching it is PA 645. It is super-curvy and seems unnecessary since PA 501 to the east is a much better road and also goes from Pine Grove to Myerstown. I could support decommissioning PA 645 and replacing the portion north of Pine Grove Rd with an extension of PA 343 from I-78 that also includes Pine Grove Rd.
I think the road I hate the most is the portion of I-95 in South Carolina between I-26 and the Georgia state line. It's been a couple of years (June 2021) since I last drove through there, so maybe it's improved, but the road was always a washboard and the traffic was always heavy even if it was moving. Just a frustrating segment of road.
I dislike Indian Head Highway (MD-210), but that's because of the extremely dangerous driving one encounters on there and not anything to do with the road itself.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 22, 2023, 02:04:45 PM
I think the road I hate the most is the portion of I-95 in South Carolina between I-26 and the Georgia state line. It's been a couple of years (June 2021) since I last drove through there, so maybe it's improved, but the road was always a washboard and the traffic was always heavy even if it was moving. Just a frustrating segment of road.
I dislike Indian Head Highway (MD-210), but that's because of the extremely dangerous driving one encounters on there and not anything to do with the road itself.
I drove through there in April of 2021 and completely agree.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 22, 2023, 12:55:19 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on May 10, 2023, 01:22:57 AM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on May 09, 2023, 03:06:19 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on May 08, 2023, 11:29:01 PM
I-40. Eastern Arkansas. Nuff said.
Is it 'nuff said? I don't remember anything particularly special about this stretch, good, bad, or otherwise. Why is it on your list? It's been probably 15-20 years since I've been on it.
Trucks, trucks, and more trucks.
A hundred+ miles of 2 lanes in each direction with trucks consisting of 50-55% (actual figure) of the overall traffic. Micropassing, constant walls of trucks, it's a mess.
If you time it right, it's not too bad. But on a busy weekday, you may run into hundreds of trucks in just constant walls the whole way.
It needs to be 6 lanes (3 each direction) the entire way with trucks banned from the left lane.
I did this trip just a few days ago, and it is exactly as you say. The only nice thing is that you can sometimes get out of one of those micropassing zones and have a bit of space for a while because the cars behind you are still stuck.
In any case, I'm wondering the best way to deal with the situation. Speeding up and slowing down so much is kind of a pain, so it could be that the thing to do is just set the cruise control to 65 and just wait it out.
I've heard a rumor that the FMCSA is poised to mandate speed limiters in trucks... so expect this problem to get a lot worse.
(personal opinion)
I-75 near McDonough, GA. For some reason there is ALWAYS standstill traffic in this area when I'm driving through in either direction. I hate it worse than the Downtown Connector in Atlanta because at least you have a pretty skyline and other fun infrastructure to look at.
Any major street in the City of Vancouver (suburbs are fine) when it is busy. Every street has no left turn lanes except at certain major intersections, and parking is usually allowed in the right lane outside of rush hour. Driving there is a game of avoiding left turners, parked cars, cyclists, and buses.
Quote from: vdeane on May 22, 2023, 08:17:35 PM
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 22, 2023, 12:55:19 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on May 10, 2023, 01:22:57 AM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on May 09, 2023, 03:06:19 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on May 08, 2023, 11:29:01 PM
I-40. Eastern Arkansas. Nuff said.
Is it 'nuff said? I don't remember anything particularly special about this stretch, good, bad, or otherwise. Why is it on your list? It's been probably 15-20 years since I've been on it.
Trucks, trucks, and more trucks.
A hundred+ miles of 2 lanes in each direction with trucks consisting of 50-55% (actual figure) of the overall traffic. Micropassing, constant walls of trucks, it's a mess.
If you time it right, it's not too bad. But on a busy weekday, you may run into hundreds of trucks in just constant walls the whole way.
It needs to be 6 lanes (3 each direction) the entire way with trucks banned from the left lane.
I did this trip just a few days ago, and it is exactly as you say. The only nice thing is that you can sometimes get out of one of those micropassing zones and have a bit of space for a while because the cars behind you are still stuck.
In any case, I'm wondering the best way to deal with the situation. Speeding up and slowing down so much is kind of a pain, so it could be that the thing to do is just set the cruise control to 65 and just wait it out.
I've heard a rumor that the FMCSA is poised to mandate speed limiters in trucks... so expect this problem to get a lot worse.
(personal opinion)
Hopefully it'll keep trucks at the same speed more often and keep them all from passing each other, and staying in the right lane.
However, the second one guy isn't going full speed and is only doing 63 mph, the wall moving 64 and 65 mph now hog the left lane for dozens of miles and this gets ruined.
Along I-40 in Arkansas, the speed limit is 75 mph for cars and 70 mph for trucks. Trucks will barely be able to maintain 64-65 mph with cars moving 80+ mph. Very dangerous situation.
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 22, 2023, 02:04:45 PM
I think the road I hate the most is the portion of I-95 in South Carolina between I-26 and the Georgia state line. It's been a couple of years (June 2021) since I last drove through there, so maybe it's improved, but the road was always a washboard and the traffic was always heavy even if it was moving. Just a frustrating segment of road.
More often than not, that section of I-95 is populated with drivers moving at or under the speed limit, drivers who want to exceed the speed limit by large amounts, and micropassers galore. The state has tried to fix some of the washboard, but has done it in patches instead of repaving stretches, which still leaves bumps at the start and end of the patch.
We travel that stretch quite often to visit family in St. Petersburg and have tried various alternatives to avoid traffic and accidents. All of 95 from Florida on was a mess northbound on the Sunday after Easter and we ended up on U.S. 321 from Hardeeville to Columbia. It was one of the least stressful trips between those points with long stretches of open road with no traffic.
Quote from: sprjus4 on May 23, 2023, 12:36:03 AM
Quote from: vdeane on May 22, 2023, 08:17:35 PM
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 22, 2023, 12:55:19 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on May 10, 2023, 01:22:57 AM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on May 09, 2023, 03:06:19 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on May 08, 2023, 11:29:01 PM
I-40. Eastern Arkansas. Nuff said.
Is it 'nuff said? I don't remember anything particularly special about this stretch, good, bad, or otherwise. Why is it on your list? It's been probably 15-20 years since I've been on it.
Trucks, trucks, and more trucks.
A hundred+ miles of 2 lanes in each direction with trucks consisting of 50-55% (actual figure) of the overall traffic. Micropassing, constant walls of trucks, it's a mess.
If you time it right, it's not too bad. But on a busy weekday, you may run into hundreds of trucks in just constant walls the whole way.
It needs to be 6 lanes (3 each direction) the entire way with trucks banned from the left lane.
I did this trip just a few days ago, and it is exactly as you say. The only nice thing is that you can sometimes get out of one of those micropassing zones and have a bit of space for a while because the cars behind you are still stuck.
In any case, I'm wondering the best way to deal with the situation. Speeding up and slowing down so much is kind of a pain, so it could be that the thing to do is just set the cruise control to 65 and just wait it out.
I've heard a rumor that the FMCSA is poised to mandate speed limiters in trucks... so expect this problem to get a lot worse.
(personal opinion)
Hopefully it'll keep trucks at the same speed more often and keep them all from passing each other, and staying in the right lane.
However, the second one guy isn't going full speed and is only doing 63 mph, the wall moving 64 and 65 mph now hog the left lane for dozens of miles and this gets ruined.
Along I-40 in Arkansas, the speed limit is 75 mph for cars and 70 mph for trucks. Trucks will barely be able to maintain 64-65 mph with cars moving 80+ mph. Very dangerous situation.
Given that speedometers aren't all calibrated exactly the same, I would expect that micropassing would still be a thing.
Quote from: vdeane on May 23, 2023, 12:39:22 PM
Given that speedometers aren't all calibrated exactly the same, I would expect that micropassing would still be a thing.
It'll potentially be more microer even. I wonder if they should find a way to encourage the mainline truck to slow down a bit to speed up the passes.
Quote from: VTGoose on May 23, 2023, 11:42:35 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 22, 2023, 02:04:45 PM
I think the road I hate the most is the portion of I-95 in South Carolina between I-26 and the Georgia state line. It's been a couple of years (June 2021) since I last drove through there, so maybe it's improved, but the road was always a washboard and the traffic was always heavy even if it was moving. Just a frustrating segment of road.
More often than not, that section of I-95 is populated with drivers moving at or under the speed limit, drivers who want to exceed the speed limit by large amounts, and micropassers galore. The state has tried to fix some of the washboard, but has done it in patches instead of repaving stretches, which still leaves bumps at the start and end of the patch.
We travel that stretch quite often to visit family in St. Petersburg and have tried various alternatives to avoid traffic and accidents. All of 95 from Florida on was a mess northbound on the Sunday after Easter and we ended up on U.S. 321 from Hardeeville to Columbia. It was one of the least stressful trips between those points with long stretches of open road with no traffic.
I remember taking US 301/VA 2 south of Fredericksburg a couple years ago the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Of course, I was by myself instead of sitting in I-95 traffic.
Quote from: VPIGoose on May 23, 2023, 11:42:35 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 22, 2023, 02:04:45 PM
I think the road I hate the most is the portion of I-95 in South Carolina between I-26 and the Georgia state line. It's been a couple of years (June 2021) since I last drove through there, so maybe it's improved, but the road was always a washboard and the traffic was always heavy even if it was moving. Just a frustrating segment of road.
More often than not, that section of I-95 is populated with drivers moving at or under the speed limit, drivers who want to exceed the speed limit by large amounts, and micropassers galore. The state has tried to fix some of the washboard, but has done it in patches instead of repaving stretches, which still leaves bumps at the start and end of the patch.
We travel that stretch quite often to visit family in St. Petersburg and have tried various alternatives to avoid traffic and accidents. All of 95 from Florida on was a mess northbound on the Sunday after Easter and we ended up on U.S. 321 from Hardeeville to Columbia. It was one of the least stressful trips between those points with long stretches of open road with no traffic.
Thanks for this info. I had asked about that road in a thread some years back and got several responses, but I ultimately never got around to trying it. Your comment makes me think I might consider it again if we drive south, though I don't know when that might be. Maybe next May when our niece graduates from high school. For our most recent trip, we flew from DCA to FLL and I have to say the substantial time saving makes me more inclined to do that in the future if we only want to go to one destination in Florida. (If we loop around to visit multiple relatives and friends scattered around the lower half of the state it becomes a different matter.)
Quote from: sprjus4 on May 23, 2023, 12:36:03 AM
Quote from: vdeane on May 22, 2023, 08:17:35 PM
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 22, 2023, 12:55:19 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on May 10, 2023, 01:22:57 AM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on May 09, 2023, 03:06:19 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on May 08, 2023, 11:29:01 PM
I-40. Eastern Arkansas. Nuff said.
Is it 'nuff said? I don't remember anything particularly special about this stretch, good, bad, or otherwise. Why is it on your list? It's been probably 15-20 years since I've been on it.
Trucks, trucks, and more trucks.
A hundred+ miles of 2 lanes in each direction with trucks consisting of 50-55% (actual figure) of the overall traffic. Micropassing, constant walls of trucks, it's a mess.
If you time it right, it's not too bad. But on a busy weekday, you may run into hundreds of trucks in just constant walls the whole way.
It needs to be 6 lanes (3 each direction) the entire way with trucks banned from the left lane.
I did this trip just a few days ago, and it is exactly as you say. The only nice thing is that you can sometimes get out of one of those micropassing zones and have a bit of space for a while because the cars behind you are still stuck.
In any case, I'm wondering the best way to deal with the situation. Speeding up and slowing down so much is kind of a pain, so it could be that the thing to do is just set the cruise control to 65 and just wait it out.
I've heard a rumor that the FMCSA is poised to mandate speed limiters in trucks... so expect this problem to get a lot worse.
(personal opinion)
Hopefully it'll keep trucks at the same speed more often and keep them all from passing each other, and staying in the right lane.
However, the second one guy isn't going full speed and is only doing 63 mph, the wall moving 64 and 65 mph now hog the left lane for dozens of miles and this gets ruined.
Along I-40 in Arkansas, the speed limit is 75 mph for cars and 70 mph for trucks. Trucks will barely be able to maintain 64-65 mph with cars moving 80+ mph. Very dangerous situation.
I've driven I-40 from Memphis to Little Rock once and hope to never do it again. My memory of it is exactly that: unending micropassing trucks. Yes, the speed limit is 75 cars/70 trucks, but you don't ever get anywhere close to either of that because you spend the whole time behind a truck governed to 62.2 mph passing a truck governed to 62 mph.
Quote from: US 89 on May 22, 2023, 08:28:37 PM
I-75 near McDonough, GA. For some reason there is ALWAYS standstill traffic in this area when I'm driving through in either direction. I hate it worse than the Downtown Connector in Atlanta because at least you have a pretty skyline and other fun infrastructure to look at.
The only time I have ever driven through there with problem free traffic was in March 2020 and that was during the early days of the pandemic therefore no one was really on the road and driving through Atlanta was a breeze.
I-4 I mentioned already. It will always be jammed between US 27 and US 192 near Disney due to its being the funnel point of State Road 429, State Road 417, World Drive coming together to all drive home to their far away homes in Polk County from the economic area of Central Florida east of Disney or Disney.
I-75 in GA sounds like that.
Quote from: roadman65 on May 24, 2023, 12:49:58 PM
I-4 I mentioned already. It will always be jammed between US 27 and US 192 near Disney due to its being the funnel point of State Road 429, State Road 417, World Drive coming together to all drive home to their far away homes in Polk County from the economic area of Central Florida east of Disney or Disney.
I-75 in GA sounds like that.
I agree with I-4 I hate that highway. I-75 is ok south of Macon but is a pain between Macon all the way up to north of Knoxville.
Also around Ocala in Florida.
When I first moved to Florida in the early nineties, I remember how most people would wish they could live in Ocala as it's so nice up there. However, no jobs unless you're a rancher would be the supporting point to that thinking.
Now it's got an economy and because of that, it's congested I-75 up real bad north of the Turnpike merge in Wildwood and through Marion County.
Time for me to add Mullan Road to the ever growing list of roads I hate driving on. The shatbag contractors just put up two roundabouts already ruining a once peacefully good road to travel on. Now, Mullan Road in Missoula is a shitfest, and I bet Lt. John Mullan is facepalming in his grave wondering how his namesake trail can be bastardized to this extent! Thanks, Missoula. Didn't want them, but now it's there for eternity. Congrats. MDT and the (Missoula) county commission can now take their drunk ass money and go hook up in a swank country club and get flat!
Quote from: Billy F 1988 on May 26, 2023, 08:27:07 PM
Time for me to add Mullan Road to the ever growing list of roads I hate driving on. The shatbag contractors just put up two roundabouts already ruining a once peacefully good road to travel on. Now, Mullan Road in Missoula is a shitfest, and I bet Captain John Mullan is facepalming in his grave wondering how his namesake trail can be bastardized to this extent! Thanks, Missoula. Didn't want them, but now it's there for eternity. Congrats. MDT and the (Missoula) county commission can now take their drunk ass money and go hook up in a swank country club and get flat!
That's annoying. Mullan Road was a great way to escape from the insanity of Reserve St. if heading west.
I don't know the history of that road. Is it actually part of the original Mullan Trail?
Quote from: FrCorySticha on May 26, 2023, 10:17:29 PM
Quote from: Billy F 1988 on May 26, 2023, 08:27:07 PM
Time for me to add Mullan Road to the ever growing list of roads I hate driving on. The shatbag contractors just put up two roundabouts already ruining a once peacefully good road to travel on. Now, Mullan Road in Missoula is a shitfest, and I bet Captain John Mullan is facepalming in his grave wondering how his namesake trail can be bastardized to this extent! Thanks, Missoula. Didn't want them, but now it's there for eternity. Congrats. MDT and the (Missoula) county commission can now take their drunk ass money and go hook up in a swank country club and get flat!
That's annoying. Mullan Road was a great way to escape from the insanity of Reserve St. if heading west.
I don't know the history of that road. Is it actually part of the original Mullan Trail?
My understanding is that this part of the original Mullan Trail commissioned by Lt. Mullan came through this part of Missoula when the road was being built to connect Fort Walla Walla, WA. Construction of the road began in 1853 by the Army Corps of Engineers of which Lt. Mullan overseen the project. Much of I-15 and I-90 follow the various contours of the trail itself. It terminates near Fort Benton in Choteau County, MT. When the construction began there, it was still under the Dakota Territory governance until July 1863 when it was under Idaho Territory governance, finally under Montana Territory governance in 1864.
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SIDEBAR: Google Maps now has the outline of the roundabouts traced over a 2019 USGS image of the original roadway itself. The first connects George Elmer Drive:
https://goo.gl/maps/fZANjU4LXpdjSezJ8
The second connects a new roadway called Mary Jane Blvd:
https://goo.gl/maps/rgrt5Wcjp3cT3k2P7
^^ Mary Jane Blvd? Do they understand street slang?
Quote from: Big John on May 27, 2023, 01:05:50 AM
^^ Mary Jane Blvd? Do they understand street slang?
Missoula is one of the major college towns of Montana. I'm sure they're well aware.
Quote from: Billy F 1988 on May 26, 2023, 11:11:07 PM
Quote from: FrCorySticha on May 26, 2023, 10:17:29 PM
Quote from: Billy F 1988 on May 26, 2023, 08:27:07 PM
Time for me to add Mullan Road to the ever growing list of roads I hate driving on. The shatbag contractors just put up two roundabouts already ruining a once peacefully good road to travel on. Now, Mullan Road in Missoula is a shitfest, and I bet Captain John Mullan is facepalming in his grave wondering how his namesake trail can be bastardized to this extent! Thanks, Missoula. Didn't want them, but now it's there for eternity. Congrats. MDT and the (Missoula) county commission can now take their drunk ass money and go hook up in a swank country club and get flat!
That's annoying. Mullan Road was a great way to escape from the insanity of Reserve St. if heading west.
I don't know the history of that road. Is it actually part of the original Mullan Trail?
My understanding is that this part of the original Mullan Trail commissioned by Lt. Mullan came through this part of Missoula when the road was being built to connect Fort Walla Walla, WA. Construction of the road began in 1853 by the Army Corps of Engineers of which Lt. Mullan overseen the project. Much of I-15 and I-90 follow the various contours of the trail itself. It terminates near Fort Benton in Choteau County, MT. When the construction began there, it was still under the Dakota Territory governance until July 1863 when it was under Idaho Territory governance, finally under Montana Territory governance in 1864.
====
SIDEBAR: Google Maps now has the outline of the roundabouts traced over a 2019 USGS image of the original roadway itself. The first connects George Elmer Drive:
https://goo.gl/maps/fZANjU4LXpdjSezJ8
The second connects a new roadway called Mary Jane Blvd:
https://goo.gl/maps/rgrt5Wcjp3cT3k2P7
I-90 at Mullan Pass is one of those roads at would be a long tunnel had it been built by European engineers.
Mike
Quote from: SEWIGuy on May 10, 2023, 11:53:00 AM
Quote from: thspfc on May 10, 2023, 11:30:41 AM
Somehow no Beltline yet. I'd also add East Washington Ave. and Gorham St.
Honestly, never minded all three of them.
Agreed, the only Madison, WI area roads that I don't particularly like to drive are the US 18/151 routings through the Beltline/Verona Rd interchange and the turns between I-39/90/94 south of the East Towne Interchange and US 151 to the northeast. At least the latter is currently under study by WisDOT for major upgrades.
Mike
Closer to home, I really don't like driving I-41 between Appleton, WI and Green Bay, WI. The four lane part is fast becoming like 'game day' every day with commuter traffic. OTOH, WisDOT will begin work on rebuilding it as a six lane urban profile freeway with the spring thaw of next year. :cool:
Mike
I was just on I-376 today and traffic was extremely heavy heading west towards the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. Really didn’t like driving that road. But the views are very nice. So there’s another for my list.
Green Bay- Ashland Ave on-ramp to EB Mason St. Substandard as heck very short merge area and no shoulders.