Stretches of Highway That Are Difficult to Clinch for Your Travel Patterns

[I-55]

Another one for me to add: I-65 between Lafayette and Merrillville. I've been on I-65 north of US-30 and south of IN-25 all the way to I-459. Between the two, I don't see myself commuting to Chicago from school or vice versa, and anything originating from home going west would involve I-69, US-30, or US-24 and no need for I-65 between those points.

[ftballfan]

I-75 between West Branch and Gaylord
US-127 between Clare and Houghton Lake

[ethanhopkin14]

The main one for the longest time was I-10 between Columbus, TX and Segovia, TX.  Basically I have no reason to ever drive that stretch coming from El Paso or Houston because I live in Austin, not San Antonio.  First time I clinched it, it was phases.  I once took I-10 from El Paso to San Antonio, cut across on Loop 1604 because I had something to go to on I-35 south of Austin when I got back to the area.  Everything inside the 1604s I had already clinched.  Then, for a job I had to drive from Houston to Pleasanton, so I got to take I-10 into downtown San Antonio.  The second time I clinched it, my brother wanted to do it, so we drove to Columbus, took I-10 up to Junction and that was that.  It had to be deliberately done. 

[JayhawkCO]

The main one for the longest time was I-10 between Columbus, TX and Segovia, TX.  Basically I have no reason to ever drive that stretch coming from El Paso or Houston because I live in Austin, not San Antonio.  First time I clinched it, it was phases.  I once took I-10 from El Paso to San Antonio, cut across on Loop 1604 because I had something to go to on I-35 south of Austin when I got back to the area.  Everything inside the 1604s I had already clinched.  Then, for a job I had to drive from Houston to Pleasanton, so I got to take I-10 into downtown San Antonio.  The second time I clinched it, my brother wanted to do it, so we drove to Columbus, took I-10 up to Junction and that was that.  It had to be deliberately done.

I finally thought of a couple for me that make sense in Colorado. 

US160 between Alamosa and Fort Garland.  If I'm going to the southwest part of the state, I'll take US285 southwest out of Denver and catch US160 in Alamosa.  If I'm going to Taos, I would take I-25 south to Walsenburg, US160 west to Fort Garland and then CO159 south into New Mexico.  I guess if I wanted to go to the Sand Dunes again I'd need to travel half of this stretch, but otherwise there would be no reason for me to travel it (again, which I've clinched multiple times).

US50 between Salida and Pueblo.  If I'm going to Pueblo (which I'm not), I'd just take I-25 south.  If I needed to go down to the Sangre de Cristos around Westcliffe, I'd take CO115 SW out of the Springs.  If I wanted to go to Salida, I'd take US285 to get down that way.

Chris

[kphoger]

US160 between Alamosa and Fort Garland.  If I'm going to the southwest part of the state, I'll take US285 southwest out of Denver and catch US160 in Alamosa.  If I'm going to Taos, I would take I-25 south to Walsenburg, US160 west to Fort Garland and then CO159 south into New Mexico.  I guess if I wanted to go to the Sand Dunes again I'd need to travel half of this stretch, but otherwise there would be no reason for me to travel it (again, which I've clinched multiple times).

And a trip to GSDNP last fall is precisely why I've driven US-160 between Fort Garland and CO-150.

US50 between Salida and Pueblo.  If I'm going to Pueblo (which I'm not), I'd just take I-25 south.  If I needed to go down to the Sangre de Cristos around Westcliffe, I'd take CO115 SW out of the Springs.  If I wanted to go to Salida, I'd take US285 to get down that way.

Of the three times I've driven US-50 through Salida, the first two were through Colorado Springs via CO-115 (and therefore not clinching between Pueblo and CO-115), but the third included US-50 all the way from I-25 to Montrose (plus from CO-141 to Grand Junction).

[JayhawkCO]

And a trip to GSDNP last fall is precisely why I've driven US-160 between Fort Garland and CO-150.

I like it down there, but if I visit again, I'm taking Medano Road.

Screw pavement. 

Chris

[74/171FAN]

VA 208 was a road like this for me.  I usually take US 17 southeast to I-95 when visiting my parents' so going southwest of Fredericksburg to get VA 208 did not make such sense.  I found a way to clinch it at the end of January though.

[paulthemapguy]

This is just a little bit of an anecdote, but I haven't been on any portion of I-20, besides that which is duplexed with I-59.  Highways that are circumferential around your home region will, in general, be less likely to make it into your highway mileage.  I-20 is both circumferential to me, and far away.

[sparker]

When I was making a couple of cross-country trips per year in the '80's and early '90's, I had very little reason to use I-35 for any leg of my travels unless it just happened to multiplex with the (nominally) E-W route I was on at any particular point.  I didn't really travel any independent section of I-35 until 1993, when that year's Mississippi River flooding made any crossing north of Memphis dicey -- and I was coming east on I-70 from Denver, so I detoured south on I-135 to Wichita and then south on I-35 to the Cimarron Turnpike, where I turned east through Tulsa and Muskogee to hit eastbound I-40.  And so far, that's been about it for that route.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Every Interstate, US Route and State Route. Since they are, well, way off route for me, and I have a little obstacle in between that prevents me from reaching them .

[74/171FAN]

Before finally clinching it last weekend, I had a similar issue with I-595 and US 50 in MD.  Partly due to not going to Ocean City on vacation, and because my main experience of using I-595/US 50 was part of using US 301 to bypass I-95 in DC.

[SkyPesos]

I'll expand on my list then, for interstates that are difficult for me to travel on from my current home city

- every x5 except I-65 and I-75
- every x0 except I-70 and I-90 (only stretch of I-80 I used more than 2 times is the section between I-65 and I-94/IL 394, which is entirely concurrent with I-94)
- all interstates with a number lower than 64, excluding concurrencies with an interstate out of that range.
- all interstates with a number higher than 81 excluding I-90, I-94 and concurrencies with an interstate below that range
- The following interstates between 64 and 81: 66, 69, 72, 73, 80, 81 (except section between I-76 and I-78)

[kphoger]

When I was making a couple of cross-country trips per year in the '80's and early '90's, I had very little reason to use I-35 for any leg of my travels unless it just happened to multiplex with the (nominally) E-W route I was on at any particular point.  I didn't really travel any independent section of I-35 until 1993, when that year's Mississippi River flooding made any crossing north of Memphis dicey -- and I was coming east on I-70 from Denver, so I detoured south on I-135 to Wichita and then south on I-35 to the Cimarron Turnpike, where I turned east through Tulsa and Muskogee to hit eastbound I-40.  And so far, that's been about it for that route.

My dad and I drove across Kansas and Missouri on I-70 to Saint Louis that year.  I remember seeing the standing floodwaters lapping at the shoulder at one point somewhere in Missouri.

[I-55]

Anything outside the perimeter of (clockwise):

I-4
Florida's Turnpike
I-75
I-20
I-55
I-57
I-80
I-94
I-196
I-96
I-69
I-80
I-77
I-26
I-95

[JoePCool14]

The most obvious ones for me would include any Interstate that goes into Chicago that isn't I-94 north of the city or I-90. These would include:

I-290 from the Tri-State to the Circle
I-55 from the Tri-State to the Dan Ryan
I-57 from the Tri-State to I-94
I-94 from I-80 to the Skyway

[ozarkman417]

Living in the southwestern part of Missouri, its difficult for me to clinch parts of I-70 in the state, because I am not going to take the route from KC to STL or vice versa, I would get to each city by MO-13/7 and I-44 respectively. So, there are several gaps in my clinched sections of the route in the state. If I were to fill those in, I would have the route clinched from Frederick, MD to Vail, CO (save Wheeling, WV due to I-470).

[kphoger]

The turnpike, between the Kellogg and I-135 exits.

This is the stretch of Interstate that's geographically closest to my house.  But, because of my travel patterns, I had never driven on it.

Until yesterday, that is.  My wife and I needed to go to Haysville at rush hour (such as it is in Wichita), and a wreck near Kellogg & the Canal Route had me taking an alternate route–a route that included the Turnpike between Kellogg and I-135.  So it appears I have now clinched the entire Interstate system in Kansas, although I haven't been on the stretch of I-70 between Junction City and Topeka since before I had a license.

[Bruce]

Besides the obvious (anything east of the Rockies and south of the Siskiyous), there's a few highways in Washington that are hard for me to clinch:

- SR 112, which is partially closed due to a landslide from last year
- The outlying ferry routes (SR 20, SR 160, SR 163) that don't have viable transit links on both ends, thus preventing a cheaper walk-on ride
- Routes that dead-end at the Canadian border

[hbelkins]

The last segment of the Mountain Parkway I was ever on is the stretch between Exits 33 and 40. Any travels west had me get on at Exit 33, and any travels east saw me get on at Exit 40. I had been on the parallel stretch of KY 15 many times in my life before i was ever on that portion of the Mountain Parkway, primarily due to my dad's reluctance to use the toll road. He drove my mother to the office of her organization in Campton one snowy day when i was a teenager, and he opted to use KY 11 and the Mountain Parkway instead of KY 715 to the Mountain Parkway because of the road conditions.

Now, I'm frequently on that stretch for work purposes.

[jlam]

For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.

[JayhawkCO]

For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.

Maaaaybe if I-25 is really backed up around Thornton, you're heading south, don't feel like paying ALL of the exorbitant tolls on E-470, you could do something like I-25->E-470->Pena Blvd->I-225->I-25.  Otherwise, yeah, not a real reason for you ever to be on it.

Chris

[ethanhopkin14]

I am driving from Austin to Knoxville at the endo of this month.  They way up I plan to take the usual route; I-35, I-35E to The Dallas area  I-20, I-635, I-30 to Little Rock then I-40 all the way across Tennessee.  On the way back I plan to drive I-40 straight across to Oklahoma City, so I can finally scratch that portion of I-40 off my list.  Same deal, it's just hard for me to justify using that part of I-40.  I will still need to go from Reno, OK to Amarillo on I-40 to clinch the entire route. 

[jlam]

For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.

Maaaaybe if I-25 is really backed up around Thornton, you're heading south, don't feel like paying ALL of the exorbitant tolls on E-470, you could do something like I-25->E-470->Pena Blvd->I-225->I-25.  Otherwise, yeah, not a real reason for you ever to be on it.

Chris

I just thought about that, but it was more along the lines of if downtown Denver was packed up and taking I-270 to I-70 to I-225.

[JayhawkCO]

For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.

Maaaaybe if I-25 is really backed up around Thornton, you're heading south, don't feel like paying ALL of the exorbitant tolls on E-470, you could do something like I-25->E-470->Pena Blvd->I-225->I-25.  Otherwise, yeah, not a real reason for you ever to be on it.

Chris

I just thought about that, but it was more along the lines of if downtown Denver was packed up and taking I-270 to I-70 to I-225.

I-270 sucks just as much suck, if not more, than I-25 downtown at all times.

Chris

[ethanhopkin14]

For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.

Maaaaybe if I-25 is really backed up around Thornton, you're heading south, don't feel like paying ALL of the exorbitant tolls on E-470, you could do something like I-25->E-470->Pena Blvd->I-225->I-25.  Otherwise, yeah, not a real reason for you ever to be on it.

Chris

I just thought about that, but it was more along the lines of if downtown Denver was packed up and taking I-270 to I-70 to I-225.

I-270 sucks just as much suck, if not more, than I-25 downtown at all times.

Chris

Quality or routing?