Most boring highway to drive down

[Revive 755]

That said, I-55 through Illinois makes Nebraska's I-80 look like a tour of a national park! Gawd, what a dull highway to plow through.  From Chicago's SW suburbs to East St. Louis, it's a snoozefest.  Flat enough to use as a billiard table and utterly lacking in any scenic interest whatsoever. 

I-55 between Joliet and Troy in Illinois is much better than I-80 in Nebraska between Grand Island and I-76. I-55 has Blormal, Lincoln, and Springfield to break up the drive, while I-80 only gets two cities with more than one exit, and no junctions with other interstates.  I-55 generally stays closer to the paralleling railroad line than I-80 does in Nebraska.  I-55 also has the old sections of US 66 to watch for.

[SSOWorld]

I guess "boring" is in the eye of the beholder.  As for those who consider the prairies "boring", you aren't looking far enough off the freeway.  There's plenty of buildings and fields to see, and they're never, IMHO, "boring".

My favorite landscapes are mountainous areas and urban areas. Of course, when it comes to the west, a lot of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona looks beautiful with their rigid landforms. So different from over here...

I'm sure many have thought I-15 south of Vegas is boring, but try this - drive it at dusk or under moonlight.  Not only do you have the vast land lit up plus the Vegas light afar, but you have the snake of headlights AND tail lights in front and behind you up the bare mountains.

[hbelkins]

I-57 from the state line to Sikeston, then I-55 south to Memphis. Also I-40 from Memphis to North Little Rock. And while others may not think so, I drove I-40 from Nashville to Memphis once and it just about killed me.

Even a road that others might find interesting or scenic can become boring if you drive it often enough. See I-79 in West Virginia.

And how can anyone say I-80 in Pennsylvania is boring? Some gorgeous mountain scenery to be had along most of that route. If you want boring in Pennsylvania, look at the turnpike from east of the mountain below the easternmost tunnel all the way to the state line, especially from there to Harrisburg.

[xcellntbuy]

I-75 between Macon and Valdosta. It is a very tedious drive any time I go on vacation to Florida. There is nothing interesting to see between there. Tifton is bypassed and by I-75 and it the whole corridor is mostly a boring 6 lane with a 70 mph speed limit. Although the section around Warner Robins with 10 lanes is interesting but not anything else. Come to think of it the corridor between the Tennesse state line and Atlanta is shorter but still boring. Although everything in the Atlanta Metro area before the downtown connector is still interesting. Especially the express lane construction.

Agreed.  Interstate 16 is a very close second.

[CtrlAltDel]

I-16 between Macon and Savannah: a non-narcotic cure for insomnia.

The rest of I-16 isn't that much better.

[CentralPAGal]

And how can anyone say I-80 in Pennsylvania is boring? Some gorgeous mountain scenery to be had along most of that route.

Seconded on I-80. I drove a portion of I-80 about 3 or 4 weeks ago (including part of the 70 mph zone) and "gorgeous" is a fine word to use to describe it. And, while it may not be I-68, there's some interesting rock cuts as well.

If you want boring in Pennsylvania, look at the turnpike from east of the mountain below the easternmost tunnel all the way to the state line, especially from there to Harrisburg.

Being from that area (though not having actually driven most of that section of the turnpike), I'm afraid I'm going to have to concur with this statement.

[Gulol]

Maybe it isn't so much the scenery in certain areas as it is knowing that for the bulk of the 500+ miles ... yawn.  Comparatively speaking, the 500ish miles on I-70 from the I-15 split in Cove Fort to the decent in Denver ... close to the same distance but so much more to see on I-70 vs. I-10.  It's all in the eye of the beholder 

If we rate multiple highways forming a single corridor, how would you rate I-10+I-20 from El Paso to Fort Worth? That, to me, is even more boring than going El Paso to San Antonio.

Personally, it's like picking the tallest midget.  They're both equally boring.

[oscar]

Mackenzie Highway, especially north of High Level.  Long and straight, most of the time with fairly uniform trees right up to to the highway's shoulder.

Definitely up there, with the only thing relieving the boredom is if there's a train to or from Hay River running alongside the highway.

But even worse is Manitoba route 6 between Winnipeg and Thompson. It runs through the bleak "interlakes" region, where almost everything interesting is on the lakes distant from the highway. Also only a bare minimum of highway services. Not impossible to find lodging along the way, but best to overnight at one end and take a full day to overnight at the other end. (Thompson, for its isolation, is pretty good from the services and other interest standpoint, as main service center for all of northern Manitoba.)

[02 Park Ave]

Where is th 70 mph zone on the I-80 in Pennsylvania?

[signalman]

Where is th 70 mph zone on the I-80 in Pennsylvania?

Between MM 101 in DuBois and MM 189 in Clinton County.

[Tom958]

I-16 between Macon and Savannah: a non-narcotic cure for insomnia.

The rest of I-16 isn't that much better.

For whatever reason, I-20 between Covington and Augusta bores me even more than I-16 does. It was built in a shorter period than I-16 and is therefore even more uniform. The scenery, such as it is, is identical in both corridors.

[golden eagle]

I-57 from the state line to Sikeston, then I-55 south to Memphis. Also I-40 from Memphis to North Little Rock. And while others may not think so, I drove I-40 from Nashville to Memphis once and it just about killed me.

I agree on I-55 from Sikeston southward. Other boring drives:

U.S. 49 north of Jackson
U.S. 61 through north Mississippi
U.S. 98 from Hattiesburg eastward
I-20/59 though western Alabama

[Pete from Boston]

Where is th 70 mph zone on the I-80 in Pennsylvania?

Between MM 101 in DuBois and MM 189 in Clinton County.

The whole length of an I-80 in Pennsylvania should be posted as high as possible to get it over with.

[kendancy66]

I don't get this.  You people are supposed to like roads

[1995hoo]

I don't get this.  You people are supposed to like roads

I like beer, but that doesn't mean I like every beer on the market. Same principle applies to roads, right?

[74/171FAN]

My friends that went to Virginia Tech and Liberty always called US 460 west of Petersburg to Roanoke boring.  For me, I just got so sick of driving that way that I took other routes home my senior year.

[hbelkins]

My friends that went to Virginia Tech and Liberty always called US 460 west of Petersburg to Roanoke boring.  For me, I just got so sick of driving that way that I took other routes home my senior year.

OTOH, I love that drive, especially heading west as the mountains start to come into view.

[mrose]

I-70: Limon, CO to Salina, KS
I-76: Brighton, CO to Big Spring, NE
I-88: Rock Island, IL to Rochelle, IL

Having done both frequently, I'd much rather do I-80 through Nebraska than I-70 through eastern CO / western KS.

I think the entire western I-76 might be worse than both, especially eastbound.

Also, western Illinois is not fun.

[Road Hog]

Oh yes, I-49 between Alexandria and Shreveport.   Nothing much to see.  In fact not even the interchanges have much as there are not even services for that whole region.   Makes you wonder why that is the only road in the state to have a 75 mph speed limit.

I've never understood the lack of services on this freeway. It's been complete for 20 years and surely by now you would've thought there would be more development besides just Natchitoches. If you break down on this stretch, you're screwed.

It's pretty barren south of Alexandria as well until almost to Opelousas.

[thefro]

I-65 north of Indianapolis.

There's a large wind farm now on what was the most boring portion of the route between Indy and Chicago, so that really has improved the scenery of the drive.

US 31 between Kokomo & South Bend is way worse

[noelbotevera]

I-287 between I-78 and the southern terminus. Trees and C-D roads. That's not pretty!

[Pete from Boston]

I-287 between I-78 and the southern terminus. Trees and C-D roads. That's not pretty!

But relatively short.  Boring for the severely attention-deprived, but not terrible for a 20- to 30-minute stretch.

[noelbotevera]

I-287 between I-78 and the southern terminus. Trees and C-D roads. That's not pretty!

But relatively short.  Boring for the severely attention-deprived, but not terrible for a 20- to 30-minute stretch.

Depending on the flow for that 21 mile stretch (usually it is 70), that can be boring.

[clong]

I-57 from the state line to Sikeston, then I-55 south to Memphis. Also I-40 from Memphis to North Little Rock. And while others may not think so, I drove I-40 from Nashville to Memphis once and it just about killed me.

I agree on I-55 from Sikeston southward. Other boring drives:

U.S. 49 north of Jackson
U.S. 61 through north Mississippi
U.S. 98 from Hattiesburg eastward
I-20/59 though western Alabama

I agree with your assessment of I-55 in Arkansas and I-20/59 in western AL (would also add I-59 in MS) and raise you an I-59 once you get out of Birmingham headed to Chattanooga. Lots of scenic pine trees on these routes.

[Pete from Boston]

I-287 between I-78 and the southern terminus. Trees and C-D roads. That's not pretty!

But relatively short.  Boring for the severely attention-deprived, but not terrible for a 20- to 30-minute stretch.

Depending on the flow for that 21 mile stretch (usually it is 70), that can be boring.

I guess I get bored slowly.  The Turnpike south of New Brunswick is far worse in my opinion.  Flat, straight, flat, straight, cruiser, flat straight...