Rural Freeways That Need Six Lanes

[sprjus4]

Did you use the HRBT or Monitor-Merrimac? The HRBT has backed up at all times for years but when I left Tidewater backups on I-664 were pretty rare unless there was an accident. I'd use I-664 to get to Chesapeake in most cases.

I-664 always has a major backup approaching the MMMBT southbound in Newport News at peak hours in the afternoon. You could easily be there for 20+ minutes. Otherwise, agreed, I-664 usually flows south of there down to Bowers Hill at 65-75 mph even during peak hours, unless there's an accident of course.

The rest of this definitely needs to happen, but it's good seeing progress. I drove from north of Richmond to Chesapeake on Friday afternoon (I know, probably the worst time to be fair), and the whole rural stretch between I-295 and Williamsburg was in a constant flux between 35 and 65 MPH, with it occasionally coming to a near stop, never was really able to keep a constant speed. Once we hit the 6 lane section past Williamsburg it opened up to 75-80 MPH haha. Until we got stuck for 20+ minutes approaching the tunnel, but that's nothing new there.

Sounds about accurate, particularly during summer months. Even off peak, I-64 is packed it seems 24/7, and is always moving at or 5-10 mph below the posted 70 mph speed limit. It's always frustrating to drive, and I've used US-460 as an alternative and would more often, but I figure on there I'm still legally limited to 55 mph (which means I'm probably not going to push more than 65-70 mph anyways which at least I'm able to get up to on I-64 on its slowest, packed portions) plus all the towns and all. It would have been beautiful if they built the 70 mph toll road between Petersburg and Suffolk as proposed years back, I'd be using that every trip, no questions asked.

[doorknob60]

Did you use the HRBT or Monitor-Merrimac? The HRBT has backed up at all times for years but when I left Tidewater backups on I-664 were pretty rare unless there was an accident. I'd use I-664 to get to Chesapeake in most cases.

I used the MMBT (I-664). Both were pretty backed up, though the HRBT was slightly worse by 5-10 minutes according to the VMSes (as is almost always the case, though the difference is often bigger). In retrospect, using I-295 to US-460 would have probably been faster on this trip, oh well. When I drove up to Hampton on Sunday, I used I-664 both directions and had only a ~10 minute backup on the way north, and smooth sailing southbound.

[CapeCodder]

I-70 between KC and STL and STL to Ohio.

[roadman65]

I-5 between Sacramento and Salem. Too many trucks slowing for the mountains and the slower speed limit for trucks in both CA and OR causes bottlenecks and bumper to bumper driving.

[kkt]

I-5 between Sacramento and Salem. Too many trucks slowing for the mountains and the slower speed limit for trucks in both CA and OR causes bottlenecks and bumper to bumper driving.

Basically all of I-5 should be at least six lanes.  So, also:
- L.A. to Sacramento
- Toutle River Rest Area to Centralia
- Mount Vernon to the Canadian border

[Bickendan]

Agreed with both that I-5 between Wheeler Ridge and Canada should be 6-lanes, but for me it's not on account of trucks (even during the long inclines on the seven passes between Redding and Eugene): It's the long convoy of left-lane hogs (not bikes) going slightly above marginally above speed limit with minimal spacing so traffic in the right lane can't safely get over to pass.

I unfortunately got caught in one them while I was doing my best to Keep Right Except to Pass between Sutherlin up past Coburg back in June x.x
I'd rather get stuck between a semi trying to pass a string of semis through Black Butte Summit, Anderson Grade, AND Syskiyou Summit then then these left lane campers.

[tolbs17]

Exit 13 (Lumberton) to Exit 40 (Fayetteville) will be widened to 8 lanes beginning next year, in addition to the under construction or soon to be portion from Exit 56 to Exit 81.

Exit 40 to Exit 56 (Fayetteville Bypass) will remain 4 lanes for the time being.

In all honesty, all of these 8 lane segments would reasonably suffice at 6 lanes, so it will be a major relief for traffic especially on peak weekends for those long distances once it is all complete by 2026.

Next segment needs to be Fayetteville Bypass to 8 lanes, then 6 lanes from Lumberton to South Carolina.

South Carolina desperately needs to prioritize at least 6 lanes from I-26 to Georgia. That segment is notorious during peak weekends. It's still bad north of there, but certainly better with some of that I-26 split traffic gone.

Then of course there's I-26 itself from Columbia to Charleston.

And does I-95 in Rocky Mount and Roanoke Rapids need 8 lanes?

No.

Well, I-95 between US-64 and US-158 has a feasibility study that it shows it being expanded to 8 lanes.

[Daniel Fiddler]

About 2/3 or 3/4 of Tennessee's 2DI's that aren't already six-laned or more due to heavy traffic (especially trucks), in order of priority:

I-24 between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga
Entirety of I-75
I-65 Nashville to Kentucky border
I-40 Memphis to Nashville
I-40 Nashville to I-81
I-81

I-65 south of I-840, I-24 west of Nashville, I-40 east of I-81, and I-26 don't need to be six-laned, they are fairly lightly travelled.  And I think I-55 and I-69 (what exists of I-69) are 6+ lanes except for the Mississippi River bridge, which would require an entire new bridge replacement (and a new interchange replacement), although I could be wrong.  I don't think expressway sections of US 51 between Dyersburg and Fulton are signed I-69 yet anyway.

[SkyPesos]

About 2/3 or 3/4 of Tennessee's 2DI's that aren't already six-laned or more due to heavy traffic (especially trucks), in order of priority:

I-24 between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga
Entirety of I-75
I-65 Nashville to Kentucky border
I-40 Memphis to Nashville
I-40 Nashville to I-81
I-81

I-65 south of I-840, I-24 west of Nashville, I-40 east of I-81, and I-26 don't need to be six-laned, they are fairly lightly travelled.  And I think I-55 and I-69 (what exists of I-69) are 6+ lanes except for the Mississippi River bridge, which would require an entire new bridge replacement (and a new interchange replacement), although I could be wrong.  I don't think expressway sections of US 51 between Dyersburg and Fulton are signed I-69 yet anyway.

I would put I-65 between Nashville and KY border above everything else. Less distance to widen, and it serves as part of a corridor from both the Upper Midwest to Georgia/Florida, and Eastern Midwest/Western PA and NY to Texas.

[Daniel Fiddler]

About 2/3 or 3/4 of Tennessee's 2DI's that aren't already six-laned or more due to heavy traffic (especially trucks), in order of priority:

I-24 between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga
Entirety of I-75
I-65 Nashville to Kentucky border
I-40 Memphis to Nashville
I-40 Nashville to I-81
I-81

I-65 south of I-840, I-24 west of Nashville, I-40 east of I-81, and I-26 don't need to be six-laned, they are fairly lightly travelled.  And I think I-55 and I-69 (what exists of I-69) are 6+ lanes except for the Mississippi River bridge, which would require an entire new bridge replacement (and a new interchange replacement), although I could be wrong.  I don't think expressway sections of US 51 between Dyersburg and Fulton are signed I-69 yet anyway.

I would put I-65 between Nashville and KY border above everything else. Less distance to widen, and it serves as part of a corridor from both the Upper Midwest to Georgia/Florida, and Eastern Midwest/Western PA and NY to Texas.

Indeed, good point.  I-65 north of Nashville first, then I-24 east, then I-75.

Although while most of the land area of NY is accessed via I-65, the most populous region of NY (metropolitan NYC and eastern Long Island) are accessed via I-81 most commonly, which accounts for 70% of the state's population.

[ilpt4u]

About 2/3 or 3/4 of Tennessee's 2DI's that aren't already six-laned or more due to heavy traffic (especially trucks), in order of priority:

I-24 between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga
Entirety of I-75
I-65 Nashville to Kentucky border
I-40 Memphis to Nashville
I-40 Nashville to I-81
I-81

I-65 south of I-840, I-24 west of Nashville, I-40 east of I-81, and I-26 don't need to be six-laned, they are fairly lightly travelled.  And I think I-55 and I-69 (what exists of I-69) are 6+ lanes except for the Mississippi River bridge, which would require an entire new bridge replacement (and a new interchange replacement), although I could be wrong.  I don't think expressway sections of US 51 between Dyersburg and Fulton are signed I-69 yet anyway.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=30848.0

SkyPesos, in the I-24/TN thread linked above, looked up the AADT #s, and the traffic counts are higher between I-65 and the KY/TN line than between Murfreesboro and I-59

I may be a bit biased, but I think 24 NW of Nashville up to Clarksville and the KY state line warrants the widening

[SkyPesos]

About 2/3 or 3/4 of Tennessee's 2DI's that aren't already six-laned or more due to heavy traffic (especially trucks), in order of priority:

I-24 between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga
Entirety of I-75
I-65 Nashville to Kentucky border
I-40 Memphis to Nashville
I-40 Nashville to I-81
I-81

I-65 south of I-840, I-24 west of Nashville, I-40 east of I-81, and I-26 don't need to be six-laned, they are fairly lightly travelled.  And I think I-55 and I-69 (what exists of I-69) are 6+ lanes except for the Mississippi River bridge, which would require an entire new bridge replacement (and a new interchange replacement), although I could be wrong.  I don't think expressway sections of US 51 between Dyersburg and Fulton are signed I-69 yet anyway.

I would put I-65 between Nashville and KY border above everything else. Less distance to widen, and it serves as part of a corridor from both the Upper Midwest to Georgia/Florida, and Eastern Midwest/Western PA and NY to Texas.

Indeed, good point.  I-65 north of Nashville first, then I-24 east, then I-75.

Although while most of the land area of NY is accessed via I-65, the most populous region of NY (metropolitan NYC and eastern Long Island) are accessed via I-81 most commonly, which accounts for 70% of the state's population.

Yea, the "western" I had is for both PA and NY. I-65 and I-71 serves as the diagonal down from those parts to Nashville (and connected via I-70, 80 or 90 east of I-71), rather than I-81. I remember checking a while ago that even from Syracuse, I-90/I-71/I-65 is faster than I-81/I-40 to Nashville. I guess it's because of a sort of curve to the east between Syracuse and Scranton for I-81, before starting its SW orientation the rest of the way down.

This may change in the future though, if (fictional warning) I-71 gets extended southwest on the WK Pkwy to I-69, and a completed I-69/I-71 becomes the new routing from those points to Texas, bypassing Nashville.

[Daniel Fiddler]

About 2/3 or 3/4 of Tennessee's 2DI's that aren't already six-laned or more due to heavy traffic (especially trucks), in order of priority:

I-24 between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga
Entirety of I-75
I-65 Nashville to Kentucky border
I-40 Memphis to Nashville
I-40 Nashville to I-81
I-81

I-65 south of I-840, I-24 west of Nashville, I-40 east of I-81, and I-26 don't need to be six-laned, they are fairly lightly travelled.  And I think I-55 and I-69 (what exists of I-69) are 6+ lanes except for the Mississippi River bridge, which would require an entire new bridge replacement (and a new interchange replacement), although I could be wrong.  I don't think expressway sections of US 51 between Dyersburg and Fulton are signed I-69 yet anyway.

I would put I-65 between Nashville and KY border above everything else. Less distance to widen, and it serves as part of a corridor from both the Upper Midwest to Georgia/Florida, and Eastern Midwest/Western PA and NY to Texas.

Indeed, good point.  I-65 north of Nashville first, then I-24 east, then I-75.

Although while most of the land area of NY is accessed via I-65, the most populous region of NY (metropolitan NYC and eastern Long Island) are accessed via I-81 most commonly, which accounts for 70% of the state's population.

Yea, the "western" I had is for both PA and NY. I-65 and I-71 serves as the diagonal down from those parts to Nashville (and connected via I-70, 80 or 90 east of I-71), rather than I-81. I remember checking a while ago that even from Syracuse, I-90/I-71/I-65 is faster than I-81/I-40 to Nashville. I guess it's because of a sort of curve to the east between Syracuse and Scranton for I-81, before starting its SW orientation the rest of the way down.

This may change in the future though, if (fictional warning) I-71 gets extended southwest on the WK Pkwy to I-69, and a completed I-69/I-71 becomes the new routing from those points to Texas, bypassing Nashville.

Indeed, and I-40 curves a bit south as well before returning back north.  Not much, but some.  Adds a few more miles.

I forget who it was, but someone commented a while back about I-24 and I-65 weaving approximately 50 or 60 miles west of the most direct line (which would be somewhere around Carthage) to pick up Nashville.  I don't see a problem with it doing so, metropolitan Nashville has a population of 2.1 million, far more than Louisville and slightly more than Indianapolis.  While I do favor a toll arc of I-840 to the northeast between Lebanon and Portland, I'd rather see improving I-24 and I-65 than a whole new Interstate through, say, Cookeville and Glasgow.  I did plan such a toll road actually, but scrapped said idea.  If a "reliever route" is planned for Miami - Chicago north of Atlanta, I would prefer it bypass Louisville and Indianapolis (starting from Evansville going to Vincennes and then Terre Haute with upgrades to US 41 / IN 63 or a new toll road through Danville and to Kankakee) than Nashville.

[tolbs17]

I-785 in Greensboro from I-40/I-85 to US-29. Traffic is currently 27,000 AADT but that's going to be expected to rise significantly for airport traffic as well as traffic coming from the Summerfield area.

[Ted$8roadFan]

(In case it hasn't been mentioned): I-95 in Connecticut, from New Haven to Rhode Island. Not really rural, but definitely needs upgrade.

[tolbs17]

(In case it hasn't been mentioned): I-95 in Connecticut, from New Haven to Rhode Island. Not really rural, but definitely needs upgrade.

Again, another old highway which was the Connecticut Turnpike. Any specific reasons why it's overbuilt?

[MATraveler128]

MA 3 south of Boston. Too much Cape traffic.

[sprjus4]

(In case it hasn't been mentioned): I-95 in Connecticut, from New Haven to Rhode Island. Not really rural, but definitely needs upgrade.

Again, another old highway which was the Connecticut Turnpike. Any specific reasons why it's overbuilt?

I believe you mean underbuilt, and your point about it being old stands... it's old and might have been sufficient for its time, but it needs widening today.

[tolbs17]

(In case it hasn't been mentioned): I-95 in Connecticut, from New Haven to Rhode Island. Not really rural, but definitely needs upgrade.

Again, another old highway which was the Connecticut Turnpike. Any specific reasons why it's overbuilt?

I believe you mean underbuilt, and your point about it being old stands... it's old and might have been sufficient for its time, but it needs widening today.

I got confused when looking at the "Underbuilt" and the 6 lane thread.

[webny99]

How about I-85 between Newnan, GA and I-185? It's a 13-mile stretch with AADT volumes over 50k. Finishing it off would complete 6 lanes between Atlanta and I-185.

[Ted$8roadFan]

I-85 from Commerce, GA to Northlake, SC .The incredible growth in that corridor with all the trucks mandate six lanes.

[webny99]

I-85 from Commerce, GA to Northlake, SC .The incredible growth in that corridor with all the trucks mandate six lanes.

The bridges from GA into SC are also badly in need of replacement.

[achilles765]

I-10 is being expanded to 6 lanes out to US-77. Long term plans call to keep going to San Antonio. It's happening... they're making significant progress 20-30 miles at a time.

Honestly I think I-10 should be 6-10 lanes from San Antonio all the way to the Mississippi state line. And all of I-12 too.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

If not already mentioned, I-20 in East Texas, post haste.

I-10 across Louisiana, and the entirety of I-12.

[Ted$8roadFan]

I'm sure it's been mentioned, but I would include I-81 from Scranton, PA all the way south to its end with I-40 in Dandridge, TN.