Cities that have similar freeway networks

[thspfc]

When I look at maps of Cincinnati and Louisville, their freeway networks seem quite similar. So I started looking for others, and Nashville and Memphis are similar in a way, Kansas City and Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Tampa/St Pete, and Detroit and Cleveland. Also, Dallas/Ft Worth is a larger template of the twin cities, as is Chicago with Milwaukee.

[ilpt4u]

I always thought Indy and Columbus, OH are similar...and had the Downtown Indy Loop happened, would have been moreso

[Revive 755]

I am not seeing some of the similarities already mentioned.  If I'm overlooking it feel free to point it out.

Nashville versus Memphis

* Nashville has more of a loop around its downtown with I-40, I-24, and I-65.  Even if Memphis has completed the riverfront corridor, there would not have been as much of a loop around it's downtown.
* Memphis has a few more stub routes compared to Nashville, with Sam Cooper Boulevard, US 78 inside the I-269 loop, and the spur off I-40 to US 51 north of downtown.
* Nashville seems to have a more extensive system than Memphis in general.

Kansas City versus Oklahoma City
* Oklahoma City does not have a complete beltway at this time, compared to Kansas City.  The lack of a bypass from I-35 northward to I-40 eastward is particularly noticeable.
* Oklahoma City does not have a tight loop around its downtown compared to Kansas City.
* I don't really see a bypass/spur to the bypass in Oklahoma City similar to I-470 for Kansas City.

Chicago versus Milwaukee
I can kind of see this one:
* The north-south section of I-794 and the Lake Parkway as Lake Shore Drive heading south from the Chicago Loop
* Had it been completed, the Park Freeway west as I-90 westward to O'Hare.
* The Stadium Freeway as the short IL 171 freeway near I-55

There's still several corridors lacking in Milwaukee that Chicagoland has though:
* No semi-diagonal route running southwestward from downtown Milwaukee (I-55 in Chicagoland)
* I don't really see an equivalent to the I-355/IL 53 corridor in Milwaukee.


Jackson, MS and Sioux Falls, SD look fairly close, though Sioux Falls lacks a short multiplex between I-90 and I-29.

[ilpt4u]

I rotated the Cleveland map to appear that Lake Erie is the East Coast of Cleveland instead of the North Coast...Cleveland's Freeway network is not identical to Chicago's, but they have some common themes, when I compare them that way

[hotdogPi]

Right now, Texarkana and Shreveport are identical (rotated 180°) except for the additional I-49 segment south of I-20.

Beaumont, TX and Utica, NY are also quite similar, the two differences being NY 49 and the presence/absence of an overlap between the two major freeways.

[plain]

Future: Charlotte and Greensboro

[Henry]

Baltimore and Washington

Portland and Seattle

Kansas City and Atlanta

Pittsburgh and Tampa-St. Petersburg

New York and Los Angeles

[vdeane]

Rochester and Albany, though they're positioned differently relative to downtown.  I imagine I-87 as being similar to I-390, I-787 to I-590, I-90 to I-490, NY 7 to NY 104, and the Berkshire Spur to the Thruway (one could also make a case for I-890/NY 890 to NY 531).  The main differences would be I-88, NY 204, the Inner Loop, the Thruway west of I-390, the Lake Ontario State Parkway, the South Mall Arterial, NY 378, and NY 85.

[Max Rockatansky]

Phoenix and Las Vegas seem to both be going for the concept of using single numeric designations as a "Loop"  of sorts regarding freeway numbering.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

MSP and DFW, if you widen out MSP's or compress DFW.

[coldshoulder]

Rochester and Albany, though they're positioned differently relative to downtown.  I imagine I-87 as being similar to I-390, I-787 to I-590, I-90 to I-490, NY 7 to NY 104, and the Berkshire Spur to the Thruway (one could also make a case for I-890/NY 890 to NY 531).  The main differences would be I-88, NY 204, the Inner Loop, the Thruway west of I-390, the Lake Ontario State Parkway, the South Mall Arterial, NY 378, and NY 85.

Because I'm from the Youngstown, Ohio area, and because I was in Rochester *once* , I recall thinking that Rochester's "Inner Loop" (some of which has since been apparently abandoned/re-purposed) and that stretch of I-490 to the west and south where the Inner Loop connected at both ends was very similar to Youngstown's stretch of I-680 and the connections with OH-193/US-422 and US-62/OH-7. 

Rochester:  https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1588832,-77.5836149,14.04z

Youngstown:  https://www.google.com/maps/@41.1019335,-80.6402348,14.04z

[webny99]

Rochester and Albany, though they're positioned differently relative to downtown.  I imagine I-87 as being similar to I-390, I-787 to I-590, I-90 to I-490, NY 7 to NY 104, and the Berkshire Spur to the Thruway (one could also make a case for I-890/NY 890 to NY 531).

I was starting to see an upside down version of Rochester, but then NY 7 / NY 104 threw me off.
I guess my other two questions are: where does free I-90 fit into it, is it part of the I-490 comparison? And where would the theoretical downtown Rochester be if it was in Albany's network?

[webny99]

I basically could put all freeway networks in three general categories:

Neat and tidy, usually with a beltway and several radii.
Columbus, Indy, Houston, Atlanta, probably Buffalo.
Also Des Moines and MSP, even though they lack a beltway per se.

Somewhat organized, but not a defined, by-the-book structure. Usually quite functional and can be aesthetically pleasing.
Rochester, Detroit, Little Rock, Portland, Salt Lake City

No patterns or structure whatsoever. Anything goes.
Pittsburgh, Scranton, Tri-cities NC, Montreal.
I would say NYC, but fear the blowback

[SteveG1988]

I always thought Indy and Columbus, OH are similar...and had the Downtown Indy Loop happened, would have been moreso

They are nearly identical cities. Similar skylines, similar population,weather,etc.

[vdeane]

Rochester and Albany, though they're positioned differently relative to downtown.  I imagine I-87 as being similar to I-390, I-787 to I-590, I-90 to I-490, NY 7 to NY 104, and the Berkshire Spur to the Thruway (one could also make a case for I-890/NY 890 to NY 531).

I was starting to see an upside down version of Rochester, but then NY 7 / NY 104 threw me off.
I guess my other two questions are: where does free I-90 fit into it, is it part of the I-490 comparison? And where would the theoretical downtown Rochester be if it was in Albany's network?

Yeah, free 90 would be part of the I-490 comparison.  As for downtown, probably around exit 5A, especially if the unbuilt Mid-Crosstown Arterial is viewed as similar to unbilt I-390 to downtown Rochester.

EDIT: It's actually amazing how far the comparison goes... pre-Cohoes Boulevard NY 787 and pre-Sea Breeze Drive NY 590 are pretty similar too!

[Road Hog]

I basically could put all freeway networks in three general categories:

Neat and tidy, usually with a beltway and several radii.
Columbus, Indy, Houston, Atlanta, probably Buffalo.
Also Des Moines and MSP, even though they lack a beltway per se.

Somewhat organized, but not a defined, by-the-book structure. Usually quite functional and can be aesthetically pleasing.
Rochester, Detroit, Little Rock, Portland, Salt Lake City

No patterns or structure whatsoever. Anything goes.
Pittsburgh, Scranton, Tri-cities NC, Montreal.
I would say NYC, but fear the blowback

If you separated Dallas and Fort Worth, you could count each as "neat and tidy."  Each has a loop with radii (2 in the case of Dallas with the Bush). Between the two there are several well-defined east-west freeway corridors (I-20, I-30, 183 and 114).

It's when you get out a little ways where things get a little messy like the diagonal Sam Rayburn Tollway, segments of highway in various states of construction, etc.

[Gulol]

I've always thought Denver and Calgary are very similar

[Verlanka]

* No semi-diagonal route running southwestward from downtown Milwaukee (I-55 in Chicagoland)

What about I-43?

[ET21]

* No semi-diagonal route running southwestward from downtown Milwaukee (I-55 in Chicagoland)

What about I-43?

I can see it. I-41 looks like 90, I-94 for 290/88, and I-43 for 55.

[Revive 755]

* No semi-diagonal route running southwestward from downtown Milwaukee (I-55 in Chicagoland)

What about I-43?

I see I-43 more like I-80 until maybe WI 164.

[Gnutella]

I basically could put all freeway networks in three general categories:

Neat and tidy, usually with a beltway and several radii.
Columbus, Indy, Houston, Atlanta, probably Buffalo.
Also Des Moines and MSP, even though they lack a beltway per se.

Somewhat organized, but not a defined, by-the-book structure. Usually quite functional and can be aesthetically pleasing.
Rochester, Detroit, Little Rock, Portland, Salt Lake City

No patterns or structure whatsoever. Anything goes.
Pittsburgh, Scranton, Tri-cities NC, Montreal.
I would say NYC, but fear the blowback

If you separated Dallas and Fort Worth, you could count each as "neat and tidy."  Each has a loop with radii (2 in the case of Dallas with the Bush). Between the two there are several well-defined east-west freeway corridors (I-20, I-30, 183 and 114).

It's when you get out a little ways where things get a little messy like the diagonal Sam Rayburn Tollway, segments of highway in various states of construction, etc.

The highway network around Dallas/Fort Worth looks like a penis and a scrotum.

[Beltway]

If you separated Dallas and Fort Worth, you could count each as "neat and tidy."  Each has a loop with radii (2 in the case of Dallas with the Bush). Between the two there are several well-defined east-west freeway corridors (I-20, I-30, 183 and 114).
It's when you get out a little ways where things get a little messy like the diagonal Sam Rayburn Tollway, segments of highway in various states of construction, etc.

The highway network around Dallas/Fort Worth looks like a penis and a scrotum.

The loop around Louisville (I-64, I-264, I-71) looks like a stomach.

[thspfc]

The highway network around Dallas/Fort Worth looks like a penis and a scrotum.

Thanks for sharing.

[SSR_317]

I always thought Indy and Columbus, OH are similar...and had the Downtown Indy Loop happened, would have been moreso

They are nearly identical cities. Similar skylines, similar population,weather,etc.

To the casual observer, you might think so. However the cities are quite different. Both are state capitols, but Indianapolis is the dominant city in Indiana, while Columbus is at best Ohio's third most significant metropolis. Columbus is basically just an overgrown college town with only one major professional sports team (the Blue Jackets), while Indy has the Pacers, the Colts, and the Fever... as well as a little thing called the Indianapolis 500. Oh, I guess you can include the MLS Crew for the city named after a racist European invader, that is IF you count soccer as a "major" professional sport.    Indy has the world's largest Children's Museum, Columbus has Ohio State (for what that's worth  ). When I-465 was built in the late 1960s it was almost entirely 3 lanes in each direction, a distinction that I-270 couldn't make until the early 2000s. Another significant highway difference between the cities is that Columbus has state route freeways, while all of Indy's freeways (except for US 31 in Hamilton County) are Interstates.

All that being said, I used to work for a company based in Columbus (OH) and I have spent significant over time there. It is a pleasant city with friendly people, and except for their hang-up over the word "The"  , they are wonderful folks. Our two cities share a bond as "flyover country" to many on our coasts, but we "No Coasters" do just fine without those snobs. The Midwest (no, NOT you St. Louis) and Big Ten RULE (BTW, Indy has access to TWO Big Ten schools within 50 miles, not just one).

[ilpt4u]

The Midwest (no, NOT you St. Louis) and Big Ten RULE

I could ask how and why STL is not a Midwest city...