Largest Cities Not Connected by Freeway

Started by webny99, January 14, 2019, 10:17:27 AM

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webny99

I thought maybe this had done before, but perhaps not.

What are the largest cities in the continental US not connected to each other by a freeway?
The combined population of the two metro areas in question would be a good way to estimate this.

To clarify: the two cities must be "next in line" according to a theoretical grid. You cannot skip intermediate cities, and nominate, say, Indianapolis > Nashville. Yes, technically there is no arrow-straight freeway between the two, but Nashville is not the next city south of Indianapolis. I-65 maintains a relatively straight path in connecting the two via Louisville, so that's good enough.
A good rule of thumb would be, if Google Maps routes you on existing freeways between the two, then it does not qualify.

Also, if the current route is at least >80% freeway, it doesn't count, as it would fall under the header of "local/regional issues", not an issue with the entire corridor.

Finally, how much work would need to be done to upgrade each corridor to a full freeway? Is it mostly expressway, or mostly two-lane road?

Some starter candidates:
Des Moines > St. Louis
Phoenix > Las Vegas
Austin > Houston
Buffalo > Washington DC


Roadgeekteen

St Louis-Twin cities
LA-San Jose
Las Vegas-San Francisco
Providence-Hartford
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

oscar

my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

hotdogPi

#3
I remember this thread before, with a formula involving the population of the two cities and the distance between them.

Found the one I was looking for:

aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=14844 (considers Interstates only, but the list won't be that different)

Another relevant thread: aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=20846
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

webny99

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 14, 2019, 10:19:44 AM
St Louis-Twin cities

If St Louis > Des Moines (one of the ones I nominated) had a freeway, then that would suffice.
A direct St Louis > Twin Cities corridor would exclude Des Moines.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 14, 2019, 10:19:44 AM
LA-San Jose

I just added something to the OP to address this type of situation:
Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 10:17:27 AM
Also, if the current route is at least <80% freeway, it doesn't count, as it would fall under the header of "local/regional issues", not an issue with the entire corridor.

hotdogPi

Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 10:34:07 AM

I just added something to the OP to address this type of situation:
Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 10:17:27 AM
Also, if the current route is at least <80% freeway, it doesn't count, as it would fall under the header of "local/regional issues", not an issue with the entire corridor.

You probably meant >80%.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

Beltway

Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 10:17:27 AM
Buffalo > Washington DC

I-270, I-70, I-76, I-79, I-90.

I wouldn't do that because of the high tolls and the greater distance, but this is what Google Maps claims --
455 miles, 7 hours and 1 minute

By way of I-99 and US-219 --
384 miles, 6 hours and 57 minutes
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

webny99

Quote from: oscar on January 14, 2019, 10:22:59 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 14, 2019, 10:19:44 AM
Las Vegas-San Francisco
Or for a closer one, Las Vegas-Reno.

Yeah, I think Las Vegas > Reno is a better candidate.

Las Vegas > San Fran is over 90% freeway; the only non-freeway segments are on CA 58.
Indirect as it may be, it works, and anything more direct than that would require an immense amount of upgrades.

webny99

Quote from: 1 on January 14, 2019, 10:37:41 AM
Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 10:34:07 AM
I just added something to the OP to address this type of situation:
Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 10:17:27 AM
Also, if the current route is at least <80% freeway, it doesn't count, as it would fall under the header of "local/regional issues", not an issue with the entire corridor.
You probably meant >80%.

Whoops. Fixed.

Roadgeekteen

Phoenix to Albuquerque and Phoenix to Salt Lake City also work. Wow, I just realized who underserved Phoenix is by the interstate system.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

webny99

#10
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 14, 2019, 10:50:10 AM
Wow, I just realized who underserved Phoenix is by the interstate system.

Who underserved Phoenix?  :popcorn:

Roadgeekteen

Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 10:53:38 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 14, 2019, 10:50:10 AM
Wow, I just realized who underserved Phoenix is by the interstate system.

Who undeserved Phoenix?  :popcorn:
I said underserved
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

webny99

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 14, 2019, 10:59:31 AM
Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 10:53:38 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 14, 2019, 10:50:10 AM
Wow, I just realized who underserved Phoenix is by the interstate system.
Who underserved Phoenix?  :popcorn:
I said underserved

Yeah, I know. I think you meant "how" instead of "who".

kphoger

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 14, 2019, 10:50:10 AM
Wow, I just realized who underserved Phoenix is by the interstate system.

Who underserved Phoenix?   :popcorn:
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

webny99

*crosses fingers*
*hopes no one just saw the most epic failure ever*

:-D


ilpt4u

#15
Cincy or Dayton or Columbus, OH and Charleston, WV...basically "missing"  I-74

Huntsville, AL and Chattanooga, TN or Atlanta

Roadgeekteen

Quote from: kphoger on January 14, 2019, 03:00:00 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 14, 2019, 10:50:10 AM
Wow, I just realized who underserved Phoenix is by the interstate system.

Who underserved Phoenix?   :popcorn:
Congress and Eisenhower in the 50s.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

pdx-wanderer

Boise-Spokane
Boise-Las Vegas
Portland-Las Vegas.

3467

St. Louis Des Moines and Minneapolis are all connected by 4 lane expressway. Most of which handles the traffic volumes fine no need for near term upgrades. Iowa is doing some north of Waterloo and Missouri would like to bypassHannibal but they dont have the money

oscar

my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

1995hoo

Quote from: webny99 on January 14, 2019, 03:04:10 PM
*crosses fingers*
*hopes no one just saw the most epic failure ever*

:-D



I am quite pleased to see someone using the correct word "failure" instead of the annoying and incorrect "fail" that has become the current fad.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

kphoger

I'm not totally sure this meets the 80% criterion, but...

The Indianapolis—Detroit corridor uses US-24, which is not completely freeway-grade.  Combined MSA = 6.3 million.  I'm too lazy right now to measure how much of the route is not a freeway.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

sprjus4


Flint1979

Quote from: kphoger on January 14, 2019, 06:46:39 PM
I'm not totally sure this meets the 80% criterion, but...

The Indianapolis—Detroit corridor uses US-24, which is not completely freeway-grade.  Combined MSA = 6.3 million.  I'm too lazy right now to measure how much of the route is not a freeway.
Wouldn't Fort Wayne and Toledo be the next cities in line to each one though?

Beltway

http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)



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