Most shady exits on an interstate highway

[Flint1979]

Obviously a lot are going to be in the inner cities like along the Dan Ryan in Chicago or the Cross Bronx in New York. What are some of the most shady exits you can think of?

For me in another post a few weeks ago I mentioned some exits in Benton Harbor a stretch of them along I-94 between exits 27 and 33. And that kind of got me thinking of where some others are.

Perhaps this could also warn us of which exits to avoid.

[hbelkins]

Obviously a lot are going to be in the inner cities like along the Dan Ryan in Chicago or the Cross Bronx in New York. What are some of the most shady exits you can think of?

For me in another post a few weeks ago I mentioned some exits in Benton Harbor a stretch of them along I-94 between exits 27 and 33. And that kind of got me thinking of where some others are.

Perhaps this could also warn us of which exits to avoid.

Lots of trees around the US 19W exit on I-26 in Tennessee. 

[SP Cook]

When in an unfamiliar area, my rule is to stop at rural or suburban exits where the service I need is clearly within sight of the exit, traffic is light, and the exit is of a normal design (the on-ramp is clearly where it "should" be).   There is no reason to look for any services in anything resembling a city, even lodging.  Proper trip planning takes care of that.

As to WV, IMHO:

64

Exit 6 - West Huntington.  Somewhat sketchy neighborhood, complex re-entry, and the services are not oriented towards the interstate. 

Some people would say Exit 11 - Hal Greer Blvd.  I would not anymore.  While WV's second worst s***hole neighborhood is just around the bend, the area right be the exit has been developed into a secure area of highway oriented businesses. 

77

All exits between MP 55 and 95.  Methland.

Exit 95.  A plethora of cheap motels at the south edge of Charleston where Detroit dope dealers stay to meet their local contacts.  Lots of shoot outs.

Exit 100 - Charleston's hood.  Lots of hangers out.

Really that is it.

[thspfc]

Fish Hatchery Road in Madison. Roughest part of the city.
Edit: Not on an Interstate, but whatever.

[webny99]

There probably better words than "shady", because in this context, shady generally describes people or activities, not places. It would be wise to stick to discussing the latter, and to be honest, I'm not sure this thread will be able stay on the rails either way, but I guess I'll bite.


I think the best thing to do is just use your own judgment, the #1 rule being don't stray far from freeways / main highways in urban areas (except for the downtown cores, which are usually pretty safe).
Rochester isn't a very big city, but I don't think there are any freeway exits where I would feel unsafe, at least not within the confines of the interchange and the areas immediately adjacent. Most of the areas where there is a higher-than-normal chance of encountering danger aren't that close to a freeway. In fact, I would say the same for all of Upstate NY, the areas near the southern end of I-190 and NY 33 in Buffalo being a possible exception, and I can't speak for the Albany area.

[sprjus4]

Exit 6 - West Huntington.  Somewhat sketchy neighborhood, complex re-entry, and the services are not oriented towards the interstate.

To be fair, Exit 6 is a freeway-to-freeway interchange, US-52 being a super-2 freeway between I-64, across the Ohio River, and to OH-7.

The exits to Downtown Huntington are off of the US-52 freeway, and that's where the businesses are. I wouldn't stop there certainly, I do agree with that.

[Flint1979]

There probably better words than "shady", because in this context, shady generally describes people or activities, not places. It would be wise to stick to discussing the latter, and to be honest, I'm not sure this thread will be able stay on the rails either way, but I guess I'll bite.


I think the best thing to do is just use your own judgment, the #1 rule being don't stray far from freeways / main highways in urban areas (except for the downtown cores, which are usually pretty safe).
Rochester isn't a very big city, but I don't think there are any freeway exits where I would feel unsafe, at least not within the confines of the interchange and the areas immediately adjacent. Most of the areas where there is a higher-than-normal chance of encountering danger aren't that close to a freeway. In fact, I would say the same for all of Upstate NY, the areas near the southern end of I-190 and NY 33 in Buffalo being a possible exception, and I can't speak for the Albany area.

What I actually meant was an area where you could tell it's not a good area.

I live in Saginaw and it's often ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the country and there are a couple exits off I-75 and I-675 that lead to some areas you wouldn't want to stop in. For I-75 there are two exits 149 and 151. Exit 149 is M-46 and has a few things highway oriented like a BP and Speedway gas station, Popeyes,  Burger King, McDonald's and Arbys. There use to be a mall there that was demolished about 10 years ago the mall sat vacant for years and attracted crime in an area with high crime rates already. There was a shooting at the speedway a few years ago too, full out shoot out outside in the front of the store.

Exit 151 is M-81 it has a Flying J and BP with a Wendy's in the Flying J and McDonald's in the BP. Other than that the exit really leads to nothing, there are some industrial businesses around the exit and the crime rate is pretty high in this area.

For I-675 exits 1 and 2 lead to some rough areas. Exit 2 has two off ramps going northbound the second one was built about 10 years ago to better serve downtown Saginaw. The exit before that was the original downtown exit and you had to travel through a run down area with high crime rates to get downtown.

The crime isn't super bad like you would think but Saginaw only has about 50,000 people so per capita it's dangerous.

[index]

Exit 15B on the Capitol Beltway to Seat Pleasant. What an awful town. Anything east of the Anacostia in DC proper is also shady.

[wriddle082]

Nashville has quite a few sketchy suburban exits:

I-24 Exits 59 (US 41/70S Murfreesboro Rd), 56 (TN 255 Harding Place), 57 (Haywood Lane/Antioch), and 59 (TN 254 Bell Rd).  None of the motels left at these exits are in any way safe.  Some of the gas stations may be ok due to being fairly busy and well kept, but some of the fast food places are also sketchy (I worked at the McD's at Exit 56 way back in HS so I have first hand experience of watching it go downhill).  Once at Exit 60 and beyond the exits are fine.  I would also argue that the ~15 year old Kroger and adjoining shopping center near Exit 54 (TN 155 Briley Pkwy/Thompson Lane) actually made that vicinity slightly better, so I'm not including it.

Other sketchy Nashville exits:
* I-65 Exit 90A (US 31W/41 Dickerson Pike)
* I-40 Exit 219 (Stewart's Ferry Pike, which is sad because I used to live in this area in the early 00's)
* I-24/40 Exit 212 (Fesslers Lane eastbound, US 70 Hermitage Ave westbound)
* I-24/65 Exit 87 (US 431 Trinity Lane)

Many of the rest of Nashville's exits are either urban, still safe, or are becoming safer due to the regentrification of the surrounding neighborhoods.

[hbelkins]

Exit 6 - West Huntington.  Somewhat sketchy neighborhood, complex re-entry, and the services are not oriented towards the interstate.

To be fair, Exit 6 is a freeway-to-freeway interchange, US-52 being a super-2 freeway between I-64, across the Ohio River, and to OH-7.

The exits to Downtown Huntington are off of the US-52 freeway, and that's where the businesses are. I wouldn't stop there certainly, I do agree with that.

I'm an occasional patron of the Sheetz there, although it's difficult to get back on US 52 going in either direction. If I'm traveling on I-64, I'll typically stop at the Milton Sheetz. However, the easiest way to get to the north side of the river is via this route, so I'll hit the Sheetz if I'm using US 52 to connect to OH 7.

In terms of shady exits in Kentucky, the US 150 exit on I-64 dumps you out in a bad neighborhood of Louisville. And there have been an alarming number of shootings in Lexington, so the US 27/68 exit isn't exactly nirvana.

[ce929wax]

The only one I can think of in Kzoo is the Douglas Avenue exit off of BUS 131, but you would have to go a half mile south of the interchange to be in anything sketchy.  There is a Deja Vu strip joint on Ravine Rd just before Douglas Avenue, which looks kind of sketchy.  Also, the is the "40 Winks" motel where some of the city's druggies rent out rooms when they have nowhere else to go.

Grand Rapids OTOH, I wouldn't get off US 131 anywhere around the S-Curve from what I have heard.  I have no first hand experience as I don't go to GR that often, but this is what I have been told.

[roadman65]

MD 4 exit off of the Capital Beltway in Suitland, MD.   I needed gas there and got out to pump and I was being stalked by the locals it seemed because I being white in an all social class suburb of the big DC must of been strange. 

Nonetheless, I heard in the Dead Malls thread even Landover now gone sketchy and even the Landover Mall is now history. 

[debragga]

The South 2nd St and Texas Ave exits off of I-20 in Monroe, LA. Monroe was the most dangerous city in the country last year, and those exits put you right in one of the worst parts of town. Honorable mention goes to the US 165 south exit.

[kphoger]

I mentioned some exits in Benton Harbor a stretch of them along I-94 between exits 27 and 33.

I've hitchhiked from the southwest-bound on-ramp at Exit 30.  It didn't strike me as dangerous at all, and I had zero problems (other than it taking nearly 1.5 hours to get a ride, standing in the summer sun).  In fact, the pastor who dropped me off there (having picked me up at Paw Paw) told me he did so specifically because he thought it was a decently safe spot.

[plain]

Exit 76A on I-95 NB in Virginia literally dumps you next to Richmond's largest and most notorious public housing project.

Exit 193B on I-64 EB dumps you next to the 2nd largest one.

[sprjus4]

Exit 76A on I-95 NB in Virginia literally dumps you next to Richmond's largest and most notorious public housing project.

Exit 193B on I-64 EB dumps you next to the 2nd largest one.

Google once routed me through both those projects and the East End to avoid congestion at the I-64 / I-95 interchange... This was me thinking it would be a good idea to take I-64 all the way through Richmond at rush hour...

[Bruce]

Rural exits with very few people around are way, way shadier than anything in the "inner city". I've never felt more fearful while driving than while being tailed by a pick-up on a deserted country road with no cell service.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Around the cities, the exits off I-94 between 694 and 394 (226-230). 94 runs along the edge of the city's most media-induced hysterically feared neighborhoods through here, but there are no interstate-adjacent services except at the Broadway exit. Getting into St. Paul the exits at Ruth St and White Bear Ave will feed into the tougher areas of the East Side neighborhoods.

[Verlanka]

Rural exits with very few people around are way, way shadier than anything in the "inner city". I've never felt more fearful while driving than while being tailed by a pick-up on a deserted country road with no cell service.

I agree with that statement.

[jeffandnicole]

Around me...
Exits 4 & 5B off I-676 in Camden (OK going to concerts at BB&T Center in Camden.  Otherwise, bit of a hell hole). 
Exit 6 of I-95 in Wilmington (Turning towards the river, not too bad.  Turn the other way...not so great!). 
Exit 23 (Aramingo Ave) off of I-95 in Philly. 
The Route 9 North Exit just west of the Delaware Memorial Bridge (Deceiving.  Neighborhoods aren't too great there). 

Rural exits with very few people around are way, way shadier than anything in the "inner city". I've never felt more fearful while driving than while being tailed by a pick-up on a deserted country road with no cell service.

Lot of truth in that one.  Make it a narrow road, barely or unpaved, with out of state plates and you might as well get back on the highway before its too late!

[Brandon]

Rural exits with very few people around are way, way shadier than anything in the "inner city". I've never felt more fearful while driving than while being tailed by a pick-up on a deserted country road with no cell service.

Cue the banjos!

[spooky]

roll 'em up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDuKDoDYf4

[SP Cook]

Rural exits with very few people around are way, way shadier than anything in the "inner city".

Crime statistics disagree.  But I was talking about services, not driving somewhere on back road (which, BTW, is almost certainly fine as well). 

If I am driving on an interstate and am in a rural or suburban area with an ordinary exit, and there is an Exxon, a Burger King, and a Sleep Inn, clearly visible from the road before I exit, it is near 100% certain that all will be well run and safe and there to provide me what I need. 

[hotdogPi]

Rural exits with very few people around are way, way shadier than anything in the "inner city".

Crime statistics disagree.  But I was talking about services, not driving somewhere on back road (which, BTW, is almost certainly fine as well). 

If I am driving on an interstate and am in a rural or suburban area with an ordinary exit, and there is an Exxon, a Burger King, and a Sleep Inn, clearly visible from the road before I exit, it is near 100% certain that all will be well run and safe and there to provide me what I need.

You're much more likely to hear gunshots in an urban area, but since there are so many people around, you're unlikely to be the target. Same with theft – it could just as easily be anyone in the area.

[kphoger]

Rural exits with very few people around are way, way shadier than anything in the "inner city".

Crime statistics disagree.

You have access to crime statistics related to highway exits ???