The Most Interesting Stretches of Highway

[deathtopumpkins]

On the whole, Indiana's highways are not terribly interesting.

They're still pretty boring, but I have developed a little affection for some of the rural roads in NE Indiana, e.g. US 6 & 20. I've always found them to be pleasant drives, with a mix of farmland and town centers, everything from rural 2-lane to urban 4-lane freeway cross sections as you go west, and a surprisingly high volume of horses & buggies.

Maybe they're only interesting in comparison to the mind-numbing dullness of the Toll Road though...

[X99]

SD 44 west of Rapid City, despite being surrounded by houses most of the way, is still a nice scenic route. Then there's US 16A- despite never driving it, I still find it interesting, especially the one-lane tunnels and the tunnel that frames Mount Rushmore. As for routes I've actually driven other than 44, Moon Meadows Drive and Norris Peak Road are pretty high on my list.

[TheGrassGuy]

Metro Manila Skyway, Philippines. Specifically the section south of Buendia Avenue. 3 sets of lanes per direction: a set of express controlled-access lanes (which don't show up on Google Maps but do on GSV due to it being kind of outdated), a set of local controlled-access lanes, and a set of at-grade service roads. Expressways that divide into two sets of carriageways are very common (I-95 section of NJTP, I-78 from NJ-24 to the NJTP, GSP in Monmouth County), but examples of them being accompanied by service roads are very rare, being mostly confined to Texas (I-90/94 south of I-55 in Chicago is the only other example that comes to mind). And even in Texas, it usually only goes up to 2 and a half per direction, as over there (at least in Dallas and Houston) they tend to cram the express (really HOV or HOT) lanes into one striped or reversible lane.

[kphoger]

And even in Texas, it usually only goes up to 2 and a half per direction, as over there (at least in Dallas and Houston) they tend to cram the express (really HOV or HOT) lanes into one striped or reversible lane.

Austin, TX, jumped immediately to mind.  I-35 just north of downtown has elevated express lanes, sunken local lanes, and at-grade frontage lanes.  I-35 in San Antonio, too, has a similar setup on the north side of downtown.

[TheGrassGuy]

And even in Texas, it usually only goes up to 2 and a half per direction, as over there (at least in Dallas and Houston) they tend to cram the express (really HOV or HOT) lanes into one striped or reversible lane.

Austin, TX, jumped immediately to mind.  I-35 just north of downtown has elevated express lanes, sunken local lanes, and at-grade frontage lanes.  I-35 in San Antonio, too, has a similar setup on the north side of downtown.

Up in NYC, there's a similar arrangement for how the upper and lower levels of the GW Bridge (I-95, US-1, US-9) are arranged, only without the service roads.

[silveradoman298]

I've always enjoyed US 23 from Ashland, KY down thru Duffield, VA and beyond. US 119 in eastern Kentucky has always been a favorite. US 64 & US 74 West of Ashville, NC has very pretty scenery too along with some roadside waterfalls. US60 from Charleston, WV to White Sulphur Springs, WV is a good one too. As well as US 219 and US 33 in West Virginia.

One that I still want to do is US460 in its entirety.

[fillup420]

US 74 from Chattanooga to Asheville is a great drive. lots of scenery, neat towns, and a plethora of other route concurrencies. US 19, 129, 64, 23, 441, and NC 28.

[Max Rockatansky]

US 74 from Chattanooga to Asheville is a great drive. lots of scenery, neat towns, and a plethora of other route concurrencies. US 19, 129, 64, 23, 441, and NC 28.

NC-28 west of US 19 to US 129 is an awesome mountain road.  I kind of prefer to the Dragon part of US 129 since it doesn't have that whole Biker Boyz crowd on it usually. 

[thspfc]

Colorado's I-70 tops my list.

In my own area, I-90/94 from WI-60 at Lodi to WI-33 at Cascade Mountain is a surprisingly beautiful drive. Especially around sunset on clear days, when the sun dropping below the rolling hills casts a dramatic shadow on the highway.

[TravelingBethelite]

On the whole, Indiana's highways are not terribly interesting.

They're still pretty boring, but I have developed a little affection for some of the rural roads in NE Indiana, e.g. US 6 & 20. I've always found them to be pleasant drives, with a mix of farmland and town centers, everything from rural 2-lane to urban 4-lane freeway cross sections as you go west, and a surprisingly high volume of horses & buggies.

Maybe they're only interesting in comparison to the mind-numbing dullness of the Toll Road though...

US 30 from Mansfield, OH to Valparaiso is a nice drive in the same vein.

[KEVIN_224]

I always used to enjoy US Route 20, heading west out of Pittsfield, MA and into Columbia County, NY...on the way to Albany.

[interstate73]

Personally I love NJ-3 heading inbound towards Manhattan. Always lots of activity, all the businesses along the side of the road (including Tick Tock Diner!) and then you breach the hill right before the Passaic Road exit and you have the entire Manhattan skyline laid out in front of you, and it's especially beautiful at night. Then you still get to see Metlife/American Dream, the Meadowlands, and of course the Helix and associated Manhattan views. Not as nature-oriented but I'm a huge city-nerd so it really hits the right spot for me!

[Bruce]

I-90 from Seattle to Cle Elum has it all.

The floating bridges and tunnels on both sides are engineering feats. Great views of the dual skylines of Seattle and Bellevue. Some complex interchanges with I-5, Bellevue Way, and I-405. Plenty of activity thanks to light rail construction happening on this section.

And then, beyond North Bend, it's pure natural beauty with a sprinkling of mountain engineering.

[D-Dey65]

I have to kinda agree. For me, scenic doesn't always mean interesting. For example, one could argue that I-81 through Virginia is scenic along parts of it, but if I had to choose between the scenic parts of I-81 and I-65 through Birmingham, I'd take I-65 through Birmingham over those scenic parts of I-81 any day of the week.

I've never been on I-65 anywhere, let alone in Birmingham. But the one thing I noticed and like about I-81 in Virginia is the opportunity to drive above the clouds.

[deathtopumpkins]

US 30 from Mansfield, OH to Valparaiso is a nice drive in the same vein.

Yeah but it really badly needs bypasses of the 3 towns between Valpo and Fort Wayne. And the Ohio portion moves nicely (70 mph on a non-freeway!) but can be a bit of a snoozefest.

[Flint1979]

I-90 from Seattle to Cle Elum has it all.

The floating bridges and tunnels on both sides are engineering feats. Great views of the dual skylines of Seattle and Bellevue. Some complex interchanges with I-5, Bellevue Way, and I-405. Plenty of activity thanks to light rail construction happening on this section.

And then, beyond North Bend, it's pure natural beauty with a sprinkling of mountain engineering.

I have driven to Seattle and back one time. I would love to do it again since it would give me the chance of driving in Washington again. I loved that.

[roadman65]

US 19 & 98 from Lebanon Station to Chiefland in Levy County, FL.  It goes over 20 miles without a curve and good sight lines to see the entire way. There is, though, one curve 3 miles north of Lebanon.

US 27 in the Everglades is interesting to me as it is straight for sections and perfect grade.

US 202 from Somerville, NJ to Flemington, NJ was once nice to drive before all the extra stoplights got added from 1987 to the present.  It was great to drive that without stopping as in NJ it is hard to find non freeways that go for miles without stopping at a light!  US 46 from Buttzville to Hackettstown though is neat as it is only two lanes (as most of US 46 is either divided and heavily used or two lanes with slow traffic, hence Rockaway) and its an 11 mile signal free route (unless recently they added more stoplights in Great Meadows or Vienna).

[D-Dey65]

US 19 & 98 from Lebanon Station to Chiefland in Levy County, FL.  It goes over 20 miles without a curve and good sight lines to see the entire way. There is, though, one curve 3 miles north of Lebanon.

Is that tree-lined median still intact? And is that old steam locomotive in Gulf Hammock still on display on the northwest corner of CR 326?

[Finrod]

On the whole, Indiana's highways are not terribly interesting.

They're still pretty boring, but I have developed a little affection for some of the rural roads in NE Indiana, e.g. US 6 & 20. I've always found them to be pleasant drives, with a mix of farmland and town centers, everything from rural 2-lane to urban 4-lane freeway cross sections as you go west, and a surprisingly high volume of horses & buggies.

Maybe they're only interesting in comparison to the mind-numbing dullness of the Toll Road though...

US 30 from Mansfield, OH to Valparaiso is a nice drive in the same vein.

I like the section of SR 234 where it goes through Shades State Park.  I also have an affection for old 47 between Crawfordsville and Garfield, and old 55 from Crawfordsville to Wingate.  Also, SR 59 through Waveland and its concurrence with SR 236.

[ozarkman417]

I have found US-160 Between MO-125 and MO-13 to be one of the most interesting roads in the state of Missouri. In this section, it is elevated on a ridge, so the Boston Mountains can be seen in the distance in places, and the road is quite crooked. This section is often is located next to bluffs of the White River, especially near Forsyth, which is excessively monitored by the cops.

[Max Rockatansky]

US 27 in the Everglades is interesting to me as it is straight for sections and perfect grade.

Speaking of levee roads one that is criminally underrated for scenery and scenic as all hell is CA 160 from I-5 south to CA 4.  The leeve system along the Sacramento River is pretty much ancient and almost every life bridge is barely wide enough for two vehicles. 

[ftballfan]

TN 52 and TN 111 have to be up there after driving on stretches of them last week

[mgk920]

For me, I would say that the most interesting highways in Wisconsin include US 10 between I-41 and I-94, WI 23 east of Fond du Lac and all of WI 35 and US 151.  WI 29 between I-41 and I-94 is also a very interesting drive.

Mike