Busiest 2-Lane Roads

[citrus]

CA 1 just north of Moss Landing (Between Dolan and Jensen Rds) has ~37,000 VPD according to Caltrans in 2015: http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/census/volumes2015/Route1.html
There are probably higher California 2-lane numbers - I haven't looked very hard.

[jakeroot]

CA 1 just north of Moss Landing (Between Dolan and Jensen Rds) has ~37,000 VPD according to Caltrans in 2015: http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/census/volumes2015/Route1.html
There are probably higher California 2-lane numbers - I haven't looked very hard.

Holy shit! That's remarkable. Easily number one on the list:

1) sections of CA-1 (~37,000 VPD)
2) sections of SW Sellwood (OR, Sellwood Bridge) (~30,000 VPD)
3) sections of WA-522 (~28,000 VPD)
4) sections of ON-6 (CAN) (~27,700 VPD)
5) sections of MD-32 (~26,200 VPD) (averaged two numbers)
6) sections of (MA) US-3 (~25,550 VPD) (averaged two numbers)
7) sections of (PA) US-30 (~24,000 VPD)
7) sections of (VA) US-340 (~24,000 VPD)
8) sections of (MN) US-12 (~23,100 VPD)
10) sections of MO-76 (~20,000 VPD)
10) sections of M-53/M-59 (~20,000 VPD)
12) sections of ID-44 (~18,500 VPD)
13) sections of (NY, Lancaster) Losson Road (~14,500 VPD) (averaged two numbers)
14) sections of (WI) US-12/US-18 (~12,500 VPD)

[kurumi]

Sullivan Ave. (CT 194), South Windsor, CT.  It serves as a main road/industrual route through the center of town and handles rush-hour traffic coming from west of the CT River via the Bissell Bridge.  It carries a 40mph speed limit but good luck going more than 35 during the day.  The NIMBYs refuse to widen it too even though there's a bunch of warehouses and a FedEx sorting center the lie on it.

ConnDOT provides traffic logs on their site. The highest ADT along CT 194 is the short "overlap" between CT 74 and CT 30 (22600); other than that, CT 194 tops out at 16800, between Ayers Road and Sand Hill Road (where South Windsor's venture capital firms are :-)

There's no easy way to filter traffic data by number of thru lanes and then sort by AADT. I found a section of US 6 east of CT 10 (2 lanes + climbing lanes) with 22900. There may be places that are higher.

[hotdogPi]

About my example of US 3:

If you just zoom in, you will find values for 1988 and 1992. However, there is an option to toggle a layer (steps described in previous post) that shows different colors: dark green for 0-5000, light green for 5000-15000, yellow for 15000-30000, orange for 30000-60000, and red for 60000+. Toggling this layer shows orange for this segment of US 3, although it turns yellow after one mile or so.

[intelati49]

I would actually snip the list at least >15k. I found at least four sections from 12-15k in just the SW district.

16-19K MO83 in Bolivar MO (three Lane section)
16-18K BR13 in Warrensburg (On second thought, the 18k section is two through lanes+turn lanes? Complicated)
20K MO Route RA‽‽‽ (What the hell, doesn't exist on Google Maps, but it's on the back of 2013 MO map and counted as a green spot. huh)
16-17k US50 from Washington to I44 (In town five lanes, but reduces to two lanes)



And another thing, Most of these sections are only a couple miles at the longest. Would you want longer sections? (AKA harder to get extended stretches of 20K+

[plain]

Would a 2-lane approach to a 2-lane bridge count? The 2-lane section of VA 147 Huguenot Rd carries 26,000

[jakeroot]

About my example of US 3:

If you just zoom in, you will find values for 1988 and 1992. However, there is an option to toggle a layer (steps described in previous post) that shows different colors: dark green for 0-5000, light green for 5000-15000, yellow for 15000-30000, orange for 30000-60000, and red for 60000+. Toggling this layer shows orange for this segment of US 3, although it turns yellow after one mile or so.

I understand. But I can't put it on the list without some solid numbers. I did see the orange layer, and I was curious about it, but I couldn't find out why it was orange. So I used the only two numbers I saw.

Also, NY 31 west of Rochester, between NY 260 and NY 531, has 20,400 AADT. That's the highest I can find in upstate NY, but could look more extensively.

That moves New York up a couple places.

I would actually snip the list at least >15k. I found at least four sections from 12-15k in just the SW district.

16-19K MO83 in Bolivar MO (three Lane section)
16-18K BR13 in Warrensburg (On second thought, the 18k section is two through lanes+turn lanes? Complicated)
20K MO Route RA‽‽‽ (What the hell, doesn't exist on Google Maps, but it's on the back of 2013 MO map and counted as a green spot. huh)
16-17k US50 from Washington to I44 (In town five lanes, but reduces to two lanes)

The busiest routes in MO so far then would be a tie between routes RA (?) and 76. Stays in the same place on the list tho.

Would a 2-lane approach to a 2-lane bridge count? The 2-lane section of VA 147 Huguenot Rd carries 26,000

It should. That displaces VA's section of US-340 from the list.

I found a section of US 6 east of CT 10 (2 lanes + climbing lanes) with 22900. There may be places that are higher.

I'll put it on the list, as along as webny99 is fine with climbing lanes.



1) sections of CA-1 (~37,000 VPD)
2) sections of (OR) SW Sellwood (Sellwood Bridge) (~30,000 VPD)
3) sections of WA-522 (~28,000 VPD)
4) sections of ON-6 (CAN) (~27,700 VPD)
5) sections of MD-32 (~26,200 VPD) (averaged two numbers)
6) sections of VA-147 (~26,000)
7) sections of (MA) US-3 (~25,550 VPD) (averaged two numbers)
8) sections of (PA) US-30 (~24,000 VPD)
9) sections of (MN) US-12 (~23,100 VPD)
10) sections of CT-10 (~22,900 VPD)
11) sections of NY-31 (~20,400 VPD)
12) sections of MO-76/MO-RA (~20,000 VPD)
12) sections of M-53/M-59 (~20,000 VPD)
14) sections of ID-44 (~18,500 VPD)
15) sections of (WI) US-12/US-18 (~12,500 VPD)

[jakeroot]

I'll put it on the list, as along as webny99 is fine with climbing lanes.

well, depends how many

I think the rule should be "single carriageway, no more than three lanes (third lane either for passing or turning left).

[froggie]

I have MassDOT's shapefiles and found the segment of US 3 that "1" is referring to has an ADT of 32,900.  However, there's a 2-lane stretch of MA 12 in Fitchburg that has an ADT of 34,800, so that one would win out for Massachusetts.

[Bickendan]

Jake, it's just Sellwood Bridge in Portland between John's Landing and Sellwood, not SW Sellwood. SE Tacoma Street is the eastern end of the bridge in Sellwood itself
For simplicity, the entry should be (OR) Portland (Sellwood Bridge/SE Tacoma St)

[kphoger]

FWIW, if anyone wants me to look up numbers for a highway in Mexico, just ask me.  I haven't found anything even close to these top numbers myself, though, except on multi-lane highways.

[Bickendan]

US 26 (SE Powell Blvd) at SE 122nd Ave: ADT 19500

[sparker]

Speaking of Portland & environs, OR 18 from McMinnville to US 101 north of Lincoln City has to qualify -- particularly on weekends -- as one of the most crowded 2-lane facilities I've come across.  Also, and especially in the summer, OR 6 from US 26 to Tillamook gets pretty congested as well (must be all those PDX cheese-tasters!); to the coast & back can easily be done in a day from metro Portland, so the nearby coast is a prime "day-trip" destination.  OR 18 to Lincoln City gets extremely congested in kite-flying season (that coastal town is renowned for that event). 

[kkt]

Some of the others in the quasi-extended Bay Area that are pretty bad would include:

-  152 when it drops from a four-lane expressway to two lanes west of the junction with 156 to US 101.  That stretch through Gilroy would probably rank among the worst or most miserable drives in the state.
-  129 since people use the easy low pass to cut through the Santa Cruz range to get to the coast.  Nothing that will likely stop but you won't get anywhere fast.
-  The entirety of 156 is essentially two-lanes with no passing zones with heavy truck traffic.  25 north of Hollister is similar north to US 101, but I would honestly rather take a combination of 156 and 25 to get to US 101 any day over 152.
-  68 west of Salinas to Monterey has heavy traffic with commuters everywhere.
-  9 essentially is almost always bogged down with tourist traffic or people trying to get to work down in San Jose. 

CA 37 from 121 to Mare Island?

[sparker]

CA 37 from 121 to Mare Island?

Yes, 37's a poster child for 2-lane congestion; there's a thread in Southwest dealing with the problems endemic to that facility.  But as long as we're discussing North Bay 2-lane congestion, the somewhat parallel CA 12 to the north between I-80 and CA 29 (aka the eastern approach to Napa) is always packed -- with a substantial percentage of trucks; and even CA 12 around the south end of Fairfield/Suisun (after the 4-lane section peters out) is heavily trafficked all the way out past Rio Vista to I-5; it's the fastest way to get to southward I-5 from the North Bay without having to endure the gauntlets of the I-680 and I-80 bridges.

[D-Dey65]

If you told me that NY 111, NY 112, and Suffolk County Road 16 don't make the list, I'd find it very hard to believe.

FYI, in Florida, you've got Hernando-Pasco CR 578, most of SR 52, and parts of SR 54.

[Bickendan]

Speaking of Portland & environs, OR 18 from McMinnville to US 101 north of Lincoln City has to qualify -- particularly on weekends -- as one of the most crowded 2-lane facilities I've come across.  Also, and especially in the summer, OR 6 from US 26 to Tillamook gets pretty congested as well (must be all those PDX cheese-tasters!); to the coast & back can easily be done in a day from metro Portland, so the nearby coast is a prime "day-trip" destination.  OR 18 to Lincoln City gets extremely congested in kite-flying season (that coastal town is renowned for that event). 

I didn't look at the Wilson River Highway (OR 6) or the Salmon River Highway (OR 18) in the ODOT traffic count log. OR 18 has significant four-lane segments, so it'd be difficult to break down where it'd qualify (the most notable spot off the top of my head is between Bus OR 18 and OR 99W, and that won't include the Salem OR 22 traffic).

[jakeroot]

FWIW, if anyone wants me to look up numbers for a highway in Mexico, just ask me.  I haven't found anything even close to these top numbers myself, though, except on multi-lane highways.

I'd be happy to include the Mexican states on the list. That would make the list 91-long (10 Canadian Provinces + 31 Mexican States + 50 US States)...you think you might be up to the task of finding the busiest single carriageways in each Mexican state?

Jake, it's just Sellwood Bridge in Portland between John's Landing and Sellwood, not SW Sellwood. SE Tacoma Street is the eastern end of the bridge in Sellwood itself
For simplicity, the entry should be (OR) Portland (Sellwood Bridge/SE Tacoma St)

Fixed. I changed the wording slightly, but included the right information.

I have MassDOT's shapefiles and found the segment of US 3 that "1" is referring to has an ADT of 32,900.  However, there's a 2-lane stretch of MA 12 in Fitchburg that has an ADT of 34,800, so that one would win out for Massachusetts.

Mass is steadily moving up the list...



1) sections of CA-1 (~37,000 VPD)
2) sections of MA-12 (~34,800 VPD)
3) sections of (OR, Portland) SE Tacoma St & Sellwood Bridge (~30,000 VPD)
4) sections of WA-522 (~28,000 VPD)
5) sections of ON-6 (CAN) (~27,700 VPD)
6) sections of MD-32 (~26,200 VPD) (averaged two numbers)
7) sections of VA-147 (~26,000)
8) sections of (PA) US-30 (~24,000 VPD)
9) sections of (MN) US-12 (~23,100 VPD)
10) sections of CT-10 (~22,900 VPD)
11) sections of NY-31 (~20,400 VPD)
12) sections of MO-76/MO-RA (~20,000 VPD)
12) sections of M-53/M-59 (~20,000 VPD)
14) sections of ID-44 (~18,500 VPD)
15) sections of (DC) Canad Road NW (~17,200 VPD)
16) sections of (WI) US-12/US-18 (~12,500 VPD)

Updated to include DC (see cpzilliacus's comment directly below)

[cpzilliacus]

District of Columbia has no "rural" highways that might tend to have very heavy traffic volumes, but I think I have found the highest published AADT for a two-lane street.  It is Canal Road, N.W. between Reservoir Road and Clark Place, and the 2014 data show an AADT of about 17,200.  An unusual feature of Canal Road is that it is reversible weekdays.  In the morning both lanes point toward the Georgetown area of D.C. (east); in the afternoon they point toward Chain Bridge and Clara Barton Parkway (west).

D.C. once had many reversible streets, now only a few are left, and this is one of them.

Note that there are no "published" AADT data for the parkways owned by the National Park Service, and it is possible that some section of (for example) Beach Drive, N.W. (a low-speed two lane parkway in Rock Creek Park) could have higher traffic volumes.

It is also possible that there is a two lane street that is not reported by DDOT that has more traffic.

[citrus]

Some of the others in the quasi-extended Bay Area that are pretty bad would include:

-  152 when it drops from a four-lane expressway to two lanes west of the junction with 156 to US 101.  That stretch through Gilroy would probably rank among the worst or most miserable drives in the state.
-  129 since people use the easy low pass to cut through the Santa Cruz range to get to the coast.  Nothing that will likely stop but you won't get anywhere fast.
-  The entirety of 156 is essentially two-lanes with no passing zones with heavy truck traffic.  25 north of Hollister is similar north to US 101, but I would honestly rather take a combination of 156 and 25 to get to US 101 any day over 152.
-  68 west of Salinas to Monterey has heavy traffic with commuters everywhere.
-  9 essentially is almost always bogged down with tourist traffic or people trying to get to work down in San Jose. 

I checked some of these earlier - didn't think about CA 9 though.
- 152: This is the one I first checked. The 2-lane section between 101 and 156 seems to max out around 24,300 AADT.
- 129: Gets up to 26,000 AADT on a 2-lane section in Watsonville itself, though most of the route east to 101 is closer to 11-12,000.
- 156: 29-31,000 AADT west of 101, less east of 101.
- 25: 23,800 AADT at the north end.
- 68: Busiest section is 4-lane, but gets up to at least 25,700 on a 2-lane section.
- 9: This is congested because it's so curvy over the mountains, but it doesn't get above 20,000 AADT until the 4-lane sections.

CA 37 from 121 to Mare Island?

38,500 AADT at the Sonoma/Solano county line! Though this stretch does have a median barrier, it is 2 lanes.

[michravera]

CA 1 just north of Moss Landing (Between Dolan and Jensen Rds) has ~37,000 VPD according to Caltrans in 2015: http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/census/volumes2015/Route1.html
There are probably higher California 2-lane numbers - I haven't looked very hard.

Holy shit! That's remarkable. Easily number one on the list:

1) sections of CA-1 (~37,000 VPD)
2) sections of SW Sellwood (OR, Sellwood Bridge) (~30,000 VPD)
3) sections of WA-522 (~28,000 VPD)
4) sections of ON-6 (CAN) (~27,700 VPD)
5) sections of MD-32 (~26,200 VPD) (averaged two numbers)
6) sections of (MA) US-3 (~25,550 VPD) (averaged two numbers)
7) sections of (PA) US-30 (~24,000 VPD)
7) sections of (VA) US-340 (~24,000 VPD)
8) sections of (MN) US-12 (~23,100 VPD)
10) sections of MO-76 (~20,000 VPD)
10) sections of M-53/M-59 (~20,000 VPD)
12) sections of ID-44 (~18,500 VPD)
13) sections of (NY, Lancaster) Losson Road (~14,500 VPD) (averaged two numbers)
14) sections of (WI) US-12/US-18 (~12,500 VPD)

CASR-65 in Placer county shows 54000 VPD ahead at Twelve Bridges Road (where I believe CASR-65 is freeway) and 22500 VPD ahead at the county line (where the road is two lanes, if memory serves). Somehere in the middle (38KVPD) would put it ahead of the CASR-1 figure.

CASR-49 is two lanes sometimes with passing lanes in northern Placer and southern Nevada counties with around 30KVPD.

CASR-152 is two lanes up to just before at the junction with CASR-156 with 39KVPD.

[Jmiles32]

For Virginia I'm gonna guess that US-15 north of Leesburg to Maryland has to be up in the mix especially if the traffic projections in this article from 7 years ago are accurete.
http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/u.s._15_traffic_volume_could_reach_interstat565e_81_levels_projection_says/#comments

A lack of any Potomac River crossings from between Point of Rocks and the Capital Beltway(30 miles) is definitely a significant reason why traffic on this stretch of US-15 is the way it is

[froggie]

^ It isn't.  I checked 15 as well, and while the segment immediately north of the Leesburg Bypass matches US 340 for traffic level, it's not higher than 340.

[kphoger]

FWIW, if anyone wants me to look up numbers for a highway in Mexico, just ask me.  I haven't found anything even close to these top numbers myself, though, except on multi-lane highways.

I'd be happy to include the Mexican states on the list. That would make the list 91-long (10 Canadian Provinces + 31 Mexican States + 50 US States)...you think you might be up to the task of finding the busiest single carriageways in each Mexican state?

Finding AADTs is the easy part.  It's determining whether a specific segment is single-carriageway or not that's the hard part.

[JREwing78]

I have a bigger Wisconsin 2-lane figure:

Hwy 50 just east of Delavan, WI has a 2-lane section clocking 16,800 vpd.