Interstate 42

[Life in Paradise]

I still cringe every time I see I 40 take the south turn to Wilmington and think that NC has received approval for I-87 from Norfolk/Virginia Beach to Raleigh. An east/west interstate runs south for over 100 miles just to get to the Atlantic, where as another interstate comes from the Atlantic and travels over 100 miles mostly east/west and is numbered north/south.   
 

Methinks you wouldn't like the routings of I-26 or I-85, either. But they've been so well-established for decades that there'd be no use in changing them now.

I'm not crazy about I-26 either after they extended it to the Virginia line.  I-85, I'm not as bad with as a diagonal main trunk line, except I would have continued it down to Mobile and terminated I-65 in Montgomery (initial intereste plan) and then with all the population gains, run it down near Dothan and Tallahasee down the Florida Gulf Coast to Tampa.

[wdcrft63]

I still cringe every time I see I 40 take the south turn to Wilmington and think that NC has received approval for I-87 from Norfolk/Virginia Beach to Raleigh. An east/west interstate runs south for over 100 miles just to get to the Atlantic, where as another interstate comes from the Atlantic and travels over 100 miles mostly east/west and is numbered north/south.   
 

Methinks you wouldn't like the routings of I-26 or I-85, either. But they've been so well-established for decades that there'd be no use in changing them now.

I'm not crazy about I-26 either after they extended it to the Virginia line.  I-85, I'm not as bad with as a diagonal main trunk line, except I would have continued it down to Mobile and terminated I-65 in Montgomery (initial intereste plan) and then with all the population gains, run it down near Dothan and Tallahasee down the Florida Gulf Coast to Tampa.

I agree, but outside of Highway Nerdistan no one cares. People in Asheville certainly have strong opinions about NCDOT's plans for I-26 but they don't include any complaints about the number.

BTW I agree that the lack of an interstate leading SE from Montgomery into Florida is one of the most glaring gaps in the system. Unfortunately Alabama doesn't seem to have any interest in building it.

[epzik8]

I still cringe every time I see I 40 take the south turn to Wilmington

I do looking at a map, but when I drive it between there and Faison (117 split to Goldsboro and 795) it never crosses my mind.

[froggie]

BTW I agree that the lack of an interstate leading SE from Montgomery into Florida is one of the most glaring gaps in the system. Unfortunately Alabama doesn't seem to have any interest in building it.

Alabama doesn't have a good track record at finding funding (or paying for it themselves) for the Interstate proposals it already has (i.e. "I-85 Extension", West Alabama, Birmingham Northern Loop), let alone new Interstate proposals...