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Author Topic: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?  (Read 4343 times)

ethanhopkin14

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What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« on: May 06, 2022, 10:38:44 PM »

I am curious what is the longest an interstate goes at the bare minimum 4-lanes.  Obviously that means it spends a long time away from major population centers that would cause the interstate to gain a lane in each direction.  I have a feeling I am going to get a lot of American Southwest answers. 
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thspfc

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2022, 11:20:16 PM »

I-90 between La Crosse, WI and near Spokane is my guess.
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Scott5114

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2022, 11:34:02 PM »

There's six-lane stretches of I-90 in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
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J N Winkler

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #3 on: May 06, 2022, 11:50:32 PM »

I am curious what is the longest an interstate goes at the bare minimum 4-lanes.  Obviously that means it spends a long time away from major population centers that would cause the interstate to gain a lane in each direction.  I have a feeling I am going to get a lot of American Southwest answers.

I'd expect most of the contenders to be in the Great Plains and the intermountain West, including the northern parts.  But there could be methodological issues, such as how to treat lanes gained at one interchange that are dropped at the next (e.g., the third lane in each direction on I-80 between I-180 and Lincolnway in Cheyenne, Wyoming).

In Colorado and Kansas, I-70 remains at the base four through lanes all the way from Chambers Road (Exit 283) in Denver to I-470 (Exit 355) in Topeka, a distance of 521 miles.

In Utah, Wyoming, and Nebraska, I-80 remains at the base four through lanes all the way from SR 224 in Kimball Junction, Utah (Exit 145) to milepost 394.6 in Nebraska (just west of US 77 on the outskirts of Lincoln).  This is a total distance of 849 miles.  However, if the added lane in Cheyenne is counted as a departure from the base four lanes, then we are left with two sections of 409 miles and 439 miles respectively.

I haven't looked at I-90 in detail, but I'd expect it to have long lengths too, running from roughly Coeur d'Alene to Rapid City, and from Rapid City to Sioux Falls, and then Sioux Falls to Austin, and maybe Austin to Onalaska.  After that it gets chopped up more.
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TheHighwayMan394

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #4 on: May 07, 2022, 12:51:33 AM »

There's six-lane stretches of I-90 in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

I guess this also requires the pedantic question "what constitutes more than 4 lanes" - auxiliary lanes, climbing lanes, etc.
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Techknow

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #5 on: May 07, 2022, 01:14:49 AM »

I-40 might be a contender. In California it is always 4-Lane, and still is from the Arizona state line to Flagstaff (I been on this stretch of interstate but it's been years). It becomes 6-Lane at Albuquerque, not sure before that
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SkyPesos

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2022, 01:22:38 AM »

How long is I-81’s longest continuous 4 lane stretch? That’s my first thought for an east of the Mississippi contender, as everything else mentioned already are west.

Konza

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #7 on: May 07, 2022, 02:28:47 AM »

I-10 between the outskirts of El Paso and San Antonio?
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Rothman

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #8 on: May 07, 2022, 07:10:06 AM »

How long is I-81’s longest continuous 4 lane stretch? That’s my first thought for an east of the Mississippi contender, as everything else mentioned already are west.
I-81 adds lanes in a lot of municipalities.
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thspfc

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #9 on: May 07, 2022, 08:14:39 AM »

There's six-lane stretches of I-90 in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
Not really IMO. In Sioux Falls there’s a CD lane in each direction between I-229 and SD-115 (less than a mile). Same thing in Rapid City, between I-190 and Haines Ave. If you count that as a six lane stretch, it begs the question of just how long a CD lane needs to be in order to qualify as an extra lane.
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BlueOutback7

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2022, 08:41:42 AM »

I-94 from its western terminus in Billings to just past I-29 in Fargo is all two lanes at a little over 600 miles.
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tdindy88

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #11 on: May 07, 2022, 09:08:59 AM »

I am curious what is the longest an interstate goes at the bare minimum 4-lanes.  Obviously that means it spends a long time away from major population centers that would cause the interstate to gain a lane in each direction.  I have a feeling I am going to get a lot of American Southwest answers.

I'd expect most of the contenders to be in the Great Plains and the intermountain West, including the northern parts.  But there could be methodological issues, such as how to treat lanes gained at one interchange that are dropped at the next (e.g., the third lane in each direction on I-80 between I-180 and Lincolnway in Cheyenne, Wyoming).

In Colorado and Kansas, I-70 remains at the base four through lanes all the way from Chambers Road (Exit 283) in Denver to I-470 (Exit 355) in Topeka, a distance of 521 miles.

In Utah, Wyoming, and Nebraska, I-80 remains at the base four through lanes all the way from SR 224 in Kimball Junction, Utah (Exit 145) to milepost 394.6 in Nebraska (just west of US 77 on the outskirts of Lincoln).  This is a total distance of 849 miles.  However, if the added lane in Cheyenne is counted as a departure from the base four lanes, then we are left with two sections of 409 miles and 439 miles respectively.

I haven't looked at I-90 in detail, but I'd expect it to have long lengths too, running from roughly Coeur d'Alene to Rapid City, and from Rapid City to Sioux Falls, and then Sioux Falls to Austin, and maybe Austin to Onalaska.  After that it gets chopped up more.

I don't know if I missed something but I drove I-80 through Cheyenne this past September and saw no evidence of a third lane between any of the exits there. It was four lanes between each exit there in town. So unless a lane's been added very recently I think I-80's four-lane stretch from Echo Junction to Omaha stands pretty good.
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JayhawkCO

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #12 on: May 07, 2022, 09:46:36 AM »

There are climbing lanes between Cheyenne and Laramie not to mention most of the stretch between Omaha and Lincoln is now six lanes, right? It's been a while since I've driven it.

tdindy88

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #13 on: May 07, 2022, 10:14:06 AM »

Doh! I meant to say Lincoln, not Omaha. I only drove 80 west to Laramie and didn't see any climbing lanes but the eastbound side might have had them.
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mgk920

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #14 on: May 07, 2022, 12:20:53 PM »

Isn't I-90 four lanes through the La Crosse, WI area?  If so, it then continues as four lanes eastward to the I-39 'Cascade' interchange.

Mike
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J N Winkler

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #15 on: May 07, 2022, 12:45:24 PM »

I don't know if I missed something but I drove I-80 through Cheyenne this past September and saw no evidence of a third lane between any of the exits there. It was four lanes between each exit there in town. So unless a lane's been added very recently I think I-80's four-lane stretch from Echo Junction to Omaha stands pretty good.

The potential break in four lanes falls between US 87 and Lincolnway in the westbound direction (not, it seems, the eastbound, contrary to my initial impression).

There are climbing lanes between Cheyenne and Laramie not to mention most of the stretch between Omaha and Lincoln is now six lanes, right? It's been a while since I've driven it.

Yes, there is definitely at least one climbing lane in the eastbound direction.  And yes, I-80 is now at a basic six through lanes all the way from just west of Lincoln to the western outskirts of Omaha.  In the westbound direction at least, milepost 394.6 has a pavement stub where three lanes become two.  The long-term plan is to extend the six-lane section to Grand Island.

Isn't I-90 four lanes through the La Crosse, WI area?  If so, it then continues as four lanes eastward to the I-39 'Cascade' interchange.

In Onalaska there is a six-lane section between interchanges.
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NWI_Irish96

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #16 on: May 07, 2022, 01:20:23 PM »

There's six-lane stretches of I-90 in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

I guess this also requires the pedantic question "what constitutes more than 4 lanes" - auxiliary lanes, climbing lanes, etc.

My opinion would be that an auxiliary lane that joins at one interchange and exits at the next interchange < 3 miles away does not count as a lane, but a climbing lane does.
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J N Winkler

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #17 on: May 07, 2022, 01:28:03 PM »

There's six-lane stretches of I-90 in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

I guess this also requires the pedantic question "what constitutes more than 4 lanes" - auxiliary lanes, climbing lanes, etc.

My opinion would be that an auxiliary lane that joins at one interchange and exits at the next interchange < 3 miles away does not count as a lane, but a climbing lane does.

What about urban sections with a lane consistently added at each interchange that is dropped at the next?  Topeka and Albuquerque come to mind.
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NWI_Irish96

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #18 on: May 07, 2022, 01:32:21 PM »

There's six-lane stretches of I-90 in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

I guess this also requires the pedantic question "what constitutes more than 4 lanes" - auxiliary lanes, climbing lanes, etc.

My opinion would be that an auxiliary lane that joins at one interchange and exits at the next interchange < 3 miles away does not count as a lane, but a climbing lane does.

What about urban sections with a lane consistently added at each interchange that is dropped at the next?  Topeka and Albuquerque come to mind.

I don't consider them to be lanes. You can't drive in that lane for any distance of consequence.
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skluth

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #19 on: May 07, 2022, 01:59:31 PM »

There's six-lane stretches of I-90 in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

I guess this also requires the pedantic question "what constitutes more than 4 lanes" - auxiliary lanes, climbing lanes, etc.

My opinion would be that an auxiliary lane that joins at one interchange and exits at the next interchange < 3 miles away does not count as a lane, but a climbing lane does.

That's a long distance to be considered a merge/weave area. I wouldn't argue with less than a mile but three miles indicates there is significant extra traffic between those two interchanges. It would certainly be true if that extra lane included a bridge over a river, swamp, or other barrier which would force local traffic to use the freeway.

I'd consider a third climbing lane on one side more than four lanes.

OTOH, I wouldn't count C/D lanes at all unless they were fairly lengthy, like a couple miles.
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CtrlAltDel

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #20 on: May 07, 2022, 02:11:48 PM »

OTOH, I wouldn't count C/D lanes at all unless they were fairly lengthy, like a couple miles.

And then there's me, who would count them unless they're disconnected from the main roadway, since these lanes go beyond the "bare minimum 4-lanes" required by the standards.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2022, 02:14:06 PM by CtrlAltDel »
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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #21 on: May 07, 2022, 02:24:20 PM »

There's six-lane stretches of I-90 in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
An auxiliary lane between two closely spaced interchanges is hardly a “six lane stretch” .
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skluth

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #22 on: May 07, 2022, 02:28:01 PM »

OTOH, I wouldn't count C/D lanes at all unless they were fairly lengthy, like a couple miles.

And then there's me, who would count them unless they're disconnected from the main roadway, since these lanes go beyond the "bare minimum 4-lanes" required by the standards.

So you would count this section of I-43 as more than four lanes?
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ethanhopkin14

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #23 on: May 07, 2022, 02:39:30 PM »

I guess I didn't even think about these possibilities when creating this thread.  I will amend with this:  lanes added specifically for a safety reason will not count, because usually they are added for that specific geography in that specific direction of travel.  Example being a climbing lane.  Since the opposite direction is a downhill, the third lane is not needed.  There are sometimes a climbing lane is stripped differently than the other two lanes to alert drivers that this is not a usual lane and will end as soon as we get to the pass.  Lanes created between an entrance ramp and an exit ramp that are closely spaced, and their main purpose is to ease weaving also don't count because the geography in the opposite direction is usually not the same so that stretch of freeway is technically 5 lanes.  Now there can be some debate on length of a weave lane making it count or not count toward a widened freeway.

Mainly I am looking for Interstates that are rural for long stretches and even when they go through a small town, retain their 4 lane properties for the most part. (see I-10 in Lordsburg, NM).
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jp the roadgeek

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Re: What's the Longest Stretch of Interstate at 4-Lanes?
« Reply #24 on: May 07, 2022, 03:52:22 PM »

A few nominees for the Northeast:

I-89: Entire length

I-91: From north of Exit 15 in Holyoke, MA to the Canadian Border (and up to the eastern A-10/A-55 split near Sherbrooke)

I-95: I-295 in Scarborough to the Canadian border (and all of NB 95).
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