*Busiest* Desolate Stretches Of Interstates

[OCGuy81]

I-5 between Eugene and Albany... especially on Beavers or Ducks games.

Yes!! I think 3 lanes in each direction is sorely needed on I-5 all the way to Eugene. The stretch from south of Salem to Eugene is pretty busy with truck traffic at most times.

[Mr_Northside]

The sooner the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission replaces or eliminates the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel, the better, since the Turnpike can then be expanded to six lanes along the entire concurrency with I-70.

While it would be nice to see what is going to happen with the tunnel, if we're talking about 6 lanes along the ENTIRE concurrency with I-70, I imagine that's still a good 30-40 years away at least.

It appears they are doing new reconstruction with the 6-lane template, as was announced with the miles they are doing between the Laurel Hill Tunnel Bypass and near the Somerset interchange..... but all those miles in Westmoreland County between New Stanton and the Somerset County line (Laurel Hill bypass) were reconstructed already, before 6-laning became their standard S.O.P.   I'd be beyond shocked if they 6-laned any of that sooner than 30-40 years from now.

[SkyPesos]

I-76 and I-80 across central PA are among the best you'll get in the east.

Nothing in northern New England gets enough traffic to qualify. Everything remotely desolate in NY is pretty dead.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike in western Pennsylvania is a major conduit.

From the west, you have traffic from major Great Lakes metropolitan areas like Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee on the Turnpike, and traffic from major lower Midwestern metropolitan areas like Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and St. Louis on I-70. From the east, you have traffic from Philadelphia and the southern half of the New York metropolitan area on the Turnpike, and traffic from Washington DC and Baltimore on I-70.

All of this long-distance traffic is funneled onto an 86-mile concurrency just east of another major metropolitan area, Pittsburgh, which happens to be flanked by both highways. In spite of all that traffic, the Turnpike/I-70 concurrency has only three interchanges on it, plus the fourth-longest interchange gap on the entire Interstate system: 36 miles from Somerset (Exit 110) to Bedford (exit 146).

The sooner the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission replaces or eliminates the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel, the better, since the Turnpike can then be expanded to six lanes along the entire concurrency with I-70.

I always use the PA 43/US 40/I-68 routing between California, PA and Hancock, MD instead of I-70. Not sure how many drivers uses this routing over the turnpike, considering that this is the default option on Google Maps when going between a city on I-70 in the Midwest and DC/Baltimore. Besides DC/Baltimore, I-70/I-76 is the best option from the Lower Midwest cities to Philadelphia, I-70/I-78 is the best option to NYC (I called I-78 a spur/continuation of I-70 traffic to NYC before, as it continues the subtle SW-NE trajectory of I-70 between St Louis and Breezewood really well). North of NYC, it's better to change from I-70 to I-71 at Columbus, then either I-80 or I-90.

[ztonyg]

I-35 between San Antonio and DFW

Ummm.... I-35 between San Antonio and DFW goes through a town every 10-15 miles the entire stretch, where even the littlest town has 3 exits.  Not to mention there is a metro area of 2.5 million people on that route you skipped over.  That portion of interstate is basically a 290 mile urban corridor.

I'd argue I-45 between Houston and Dallas is more desolate.

[texaskdog]

I-10 between Fort Stockton and Ozona has a decent amount of traffic but the only exit is in Bakersfield (2 gas stations), a rest area, and a couple of back roads.  no "GET GAS NOW" warnings either

[ethanhopkin14]

I-10 between Fort Stockton and Ozona has a decent amount of traffic but the only exit is in Bakersfield (2 gas stations), a rest area, and a couple of back roads.  no "GET GAS NOW" warnings either

One of those gas stations was closed for the longest time, adding salt to the wound. 

[ftballfan]

I-10 between Fort Stockton and Ozona has a decent amount of traffic but the only exit is in Bakersfield (2 gas stations), a rest area, and a couple of back roads.  no "GET GAS NOW" warnings either

One of those gas stations was closed for the longest time, adding salt to the wound. 

Also, the apparent (and surprising) lack of a gas station at the TX 349 exit, which is much closer to residents (and therefore employees) than the Bakersfield exit, which manages to support two gas stations despite the nearest places of residence being in Fort Stockton

[Ryctor2018]

Interstate 75 in the U.P. of Michigan. Busy only because of traffic between the bridges. But, nothing but trees & moose.

I-69 from essentially the KY/TN state-line to at least Madisonville, KY if not Henderson. This is one of those highways that has a lot of thru traffic, but going around towns less than 50,000 people. Even once the eventually TN portion is finished, you can drive 150 miles or more from Dyersburg to Henderson and really not go thru any large cities the entire route.

Pretty much the same for I-57 south of Chicago all the way to I-55 in AR. Lotta driving, traffic, only a few burgs to pass thru.

The future I-69E from Corpus Christi to the Brownsville area.

I-80 west of Salt Lake City out to NV.

[GaryV]

Interstate 75 in the U.P. of Michigan. Busy only because of traffic between the bridges. But, nothing but trees & moose.

Surprisingly, about half that length is open area - either scrub or hayfields.

As for moose, they do exist in the eastern UP - I may have seen one once driving I-75, something was wading in the water but I didn't look fast enough.  Moose are more prevalent in the western UP.