Unpopular Route Opinions

[texaskdog]

- US 10 should be given the axe. 

Nah, it's a major, major route in MN, even in a hypothetical where you get rid of it in WI and cut it back to where it meets I-35W or I-694.

It could take over US 52 in North Dakota to be more prominent

[sturmde]

- US 10 should be given the axe. 

Nah, it's a major, major route in MN, even in a hypothetical where you get rid of it in WI and cut it back to where it meets I-35W or I-694.

It could take over US 52 in North Dakota to be more prominent

That would be interesting.  Saskatchewan could play along, and replace SK 39 with a new SK 10.  Just extend SK 46 eastward over current SK 10, in conjunction with running Manitoba subbing unused MB 46 over MB 5 to Roblin.  (Then MB 5 can connect to SK 5 like it should!!)

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

I-49, I-55, and I-59 could all end at each other in New Orleans if I-10 were realigned onto I-12. Change my mind.

[bootmii]

I-87 S (13 mi): I-495

The route will be 180 miles long when completed between I-40 and the Virginia state line. Assuming it is extended into Virginia to connect to I-64, it will be 197 miles long.

With that distance and traversing 2 states, it seems reasonable as a two-digit. I-495 would not work due to I-495 in Northern Virginia.

Would I-73 even exist afterwards?

I-73 is 101 mi, so it makes the cut. Also, there's the planned extension to Roanoke.

I think it's very popular to say that, because 73 is by far the least bad of the numbers Congress has assigned (besides 14), and because it's concurrent with US-220 in sections, that 73 should take over 99.

[Max Rockatansky]

NC 28 is the more fun road around Deals Gap over US 129.

[bootmii]

I don't really care about fantasy improvements nor wish to comment on them.

On that note, I'd prefer that unused 3dis get deployed rather than the several I-110s or 220s (et al) already in use. I rather like that they have an "identity" to a city or region, similar to a local area code.

Who here wouldn't rather there be an I-835 than two I-235s?

Renumbering is usually not a great idea, unless they're in very close proximity. Transportation agencies have computers now, and many people have them in their pockets.

Agreed.  If it ain't really and actually broke, don't fix it.  Theoretically broke is not a good reason.

So we'll have 580 Eastern starting at the Nevada state line and going NNW, got it

[bootmii]

CA 58 is perfectly adequate from Bakersfield east to Barstow.  All the extra crap needed to make it I-40 isn't necessary.

I think there should be an interchange at CA 223. There may be an argument for one at California City Blvd. But I agree there is no economic argument for upgrading the entire stretch to interstate.

Not to mention the 58 shield follows a complicated route in Bakersfield.

[Max Rockatansky]

CA 58 is perfectly adequate from Bakersfield east to Barstow.  All the extra crap needed to make it I-40 isn't necessary.

I think there should be an interchange at CA 223. There may be an argument for one at California City Blvd. But I agree there is no economic argument for upgrading the entire stretch to interstate.

Not to mention the 58 shield follows a complicated route in Bakersfield.

Once the Centennial Corridor opens the multiplex on CA 99 will be gone.  CA 58 west of Bakersfield should have remained IMO CA 178 during the 1964 Renumbering.  24th and Rosedale Highway serve as a continuous road.  I guess it worked out considering CA 178 west of CA 204 has been relinquished in the intervening years.

[kphoger]

I-35W should be the "main" route through Dallas—Fort Worth–not I-35E.

[kenarmy]

I really don't think US 221 is needed south of its junction with US 1. Or 441 if i was being lenient.

[Some one]

-I think it's weird that I-49 exists to avoid grid violation and yet I-69 and I-73/74 get to violate the grid.

-Speaking of weird, I also think it's weird that US 61 got truncated north of Minneapolis and yet one state over you have US 81, which for the most part is concurrent with I-29. And I get it, different states have different priorities/criteria, but still.

-US 75 in Texas shouldn't have been truncated to Dallas. At the very least it could've ended at I-45 in Hunstville.

-I-69W is (mostly) useless and US 59 south (west?) of Victoria or Freer could suffice as a super-2 highway with bypasses. It's telling when compared to its other sibling routes, it's less than 2 miles long, with there currently being no plan to extend it past Laredo.

-US 59 could/should be US 73 and the current US 73 should be US 373 or something.

-I don't really mind concurrencies, and I prefer it when states actually sign/acknowledge concurrencies, especially when it's a Interstate/US and/or State highway concurrency.

[paulthemapguy]

US51 in Wisconsin in Illinois should be the one overlaid with an Interstate having the same number.  Not US41.

[kphoger]

I-49 exists to avoid grid violation

Explain.  What else was it going to be?

[Vaulter]

I-49 exists to avoid grid violation

Explain.  What else was it going to be?

Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana wanted it to be a continuation of I-29 but was given the I-49 designation because it is east of I-35

[SEWIGuy]

US51 in Wisconsin in Illinois should be the one overlaid with an Interstate having the same number.  Not US41.

Too much US-51 needing to be relocated for that.

Really, I-39 in Illinois should have just been an extension of I-43, but that wasn't possible at the time. Then the current I-39 in Wisconsin could have been either I-39 or a long 3di

[wanderer2575]

My (maybe) unpopular opinion: we can decomission all business interstates.  In the age of cell phones, I think we can do a quick Google search if we need something other than a gas station that we can see from the highway.  kphoger might not be pleased with this, however. 

Chris

<snip>  I'm indifferent to this as if this happened I likely wouldn't notice. I think the nearest business interstate shield to me is in Napoleon, OH, and that's just a signage error for business US-6  <snip>...

Not anymore; it's been fixed.  I found that out when I drove out there last month specifically to get a photo of it.

[sprjus4]

-I-69W is (mostly) useless and US 59 south (west?) of Victoria or Freer could suffice as a super-2 highway with bypasses. It's telling when compared to its other sibling routes, it's less than 2 miles long, with there currently being no plan to extend it past Laredo.

This one I agree with... I've traveled this route before, it is more than adequate as a two-lane 75 mph highway. Passing lanes or at most 4 lane divided highway along with town bypasses if you want to go all out, but there is zero need for full control of access the entire length.

I-69E and I-69C are far more important routes. There is more warrant to upgrade SH-44 out to Freer to full control of access than US-59 north/east of Freer to Victoria.

[fillup420]

I-85 should've followed US 29 from Greensboro NC, and met up with I-95 somewhere just south of DC in the original interstate plan.

[LilianaUwU]

- US 66 is overrated.
- The boulevard segment of A-20 isn't that bad, it's just substandard.

[Max Rockatansky]

- US 66 is overrated.
.

I feel like this is actually the community consensus nowadays.

[Hunty2022]

US Routes should not have stop signs.
I-99/87 across the Delmarva is bad.
I-97 is a good interstate.

[Scott5114]

- US 66 is overrated.
.

I feel like this is actually the community consensus nowadays.

My feelings on US 66 are complicated. It is a unique thing in that so many of the old businesses and roadside attractions from the pre-Interstate era are seen as worthy of preservation due to their association with US 66. That means you can see a lot of things along US 66 that you can't see anywhere else, and it does have a special "step-back-in-time" feel that you can't get with any other road.

That being said, for people who are into highway history, US 66 kind of occupies the same niche that pandas do in wildlife conservation–because US 66 is the most well-known lost highway, it kind of sucks up all of the oxygen in the room and causes arguably just-as-worthy routes like US 99 and US 91 to fall by the wayside.

I would say that one should travel on old US 66 for an extended stretch before they decide whether it's overrated or not. OKC-Tulsa is probably the best "starter stretch" because it is still state maintained (so you don't have to engage in alignment-hunting and can just follow standard route signage) but chock-full of old US 66 kitsch.

US Routes should not have stop signs.

US/US junctions should just allow you to plow into cars on the cross road.

[sprjus4]

I-85 should've followed US 29 from Greensboro NC, and met up with I-95 somewhere just south of DC in the original interstate plan.

Perhaps, although you would be eliminating the interstate highway connection to Raleigh, Durham, Petersburg, and Richmond.

[Max Rockatansky]

- US 66 is overrated.
.

I feel like this is actually the community consensus nowadays.

My feelings on US 66 are complicated. It is a unique thing in that so many of the old businesses and roadside attractions from the pre-Interstate era are seen as worthy of preservation due to their association with US 66. That means you can see a lot of things along US 66 that you can't see anywhere else, and it does have a special "step-back-in-time" feel that you can't get with any other road.

That being said, for people who are into highway history, US 66 kind of occupies the same niche that pandas do in wildlife conservation–because US 66 is the most well-known lost highway, it kind of sucks up all of the oxygen in the room and causes arguably just-as-worthy routes like US 99 and US 91 to fall by the wayside.

I would say that one should travel on old US 66 for an extended stretch before they decide whether it's overrated or not. OKC-Tulsa is probably the best "starter stretch" because it is still state maintained (so you don't have to engage in alignment-hunting and can just follow standard route signage) but chock-full of old US 66 kitsch.

US Routes should not have stop signs.

US/US junctions should just allow you to plow into cars on the cross road.

The normal people crowd for quite awhile has dampened my enthusiasm for US 66.  As of late my interest has been rekindled largely due to the glut of information pertaining to the western terminus found in the AASHTO database.  Despite almost the entire narrative regarding the shifts of US 66 around Los Angeles being solved I've found that there is a lot of old hat 66 history people who have been resistant to their narrative being changed.  I guess in a way it's good because we get feature some totally unique information on Gribblenation and steal away some of the 66 history fandom.  All the same, the resistance to new information by some in the history side of the community with US 66 really was a disappointment to me.  But hey, I guess some people aren't there don't like change and don't want to stay relevant.

[LilianaUwU]

US Routes should not have stop signs.

US/US junctions should just allow you to plow into cars on the cross road.

Hey, Hunty said "no stop signs", not "no traffic collisions".