For each state, what is the most important route that never enters it?

[hobsini2]

I'm hardpressed to think of one for Oregon. Best I'm coming up with is WA 14 (with possibly WA 4) or US 12.

You could make a case for I-15 bringing traffic up from Salt Lake, Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

[hobsini2]

....

For Florida: Honestly, I got nothing. This is a tough exercise for a state in the corner of the country with a bunch of road connections to many different places.

I was looking at a map and I wonder whether I-185 might work as Florida's candidate. At first blush it seems odd to suggest a 3di as an "important" route, but looking at a map suggests that if I-185 extended south to I-10 (whether as I-185 or as a route with some other number), it would provide a logical all-Interstate-grade route from both Tallahassee and the Florida Panhandle to Atlanta and other points to the northeast.

Yeah Florida is hard. I think though you could make a case for US 82 since it is mostly a 4 lane divided highway and goes well west.

[planxtymcgillicuddy]

....

For Florida: Honestly, I got nothing. This is a tough exercise for a state in the corner of the country with a bunch of road connections to many different places.

I was looking at a map and I wonder whether I-185 might work as Florida's candidate. At first blush it seems odd to suggest a 3di as an "important" route, but looking at a map suggests that if I-185 extended south to I-10 (whether as I-185 or as a route with some other number), it would provide a logical all-Interstate-grade route from both Tallahassee and the Florida Panhandle to Atlanta and other points to the northeast.

Yeah Florida is hard. I think though you could make a case for US 82 since it is mostly a 4 lane divided highway and goes well west.

I'd argue that I-16 is the most important route that doesnt enter Florida

[dlsterner]

I agree that Florida is tough.  Disclosure - I lived in the Florida panhandle (Fort Walton Beach) for many years.

Here is an idea (from a Panhandle point of view):  AL 55.  About 30-ish years ago, much of it was upgraded to a high speed four lane highway in the middle of nowhere.  Presumably meant to be used for hurricane evacuation.  When that was done, it became the (IMHO) best way to get from Montgomery to Fort Walton Beach (and the Destin resorts).  I-65 to AL 55 to Andalusia then US 29 to AL 137 / FL 189, where before I would use US 331 to Florala.

FWIW, when AL 55 enters Florala, it then heads south and becomes FL 85.

On a grander scale, you could also make a case for I-65 for the same reasons AL 55.  From the north they feed in a lot of traffic heading to the Panhandle resorts.

[jakeroot]

I'm hardpressed to think of one for Oregon. Best I'm coming up with is WA 14 (with possibly WA 4) or US 12.

You could make a case for I-15 bringing traffic up from Salt Lake, Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

That, or possibly I-90.

[STLmapboy]

Iowa State Route 27. Part of Ave of the Saints, direct four lane connection between STL and Twin Cities.

[SkyPesos]

Iowa State Route 27. Part of Ave of the Saints, direct four lane connection between STL and Twin Cities.

Even over I-24, which was mentioned for St. Louis earlier in the thread a couple of times?

[ilpt4u]

Iowa State Route 27. Part of Ave of the Saints, direct four lane connection between STL and Twin Cities.

Iowa 27 is a Multi-state route, as it continues into MO as MO 27 and is part of the larger Avenue of the Saints

[Max Rockatansky]

I agree that Florida is tough.  Disclosure - I lived in the Florida panhandle (Fort Walton Beach) for many years.

Here is an idea (from a Panhandle point of view):  AL 55.  About 30-ish years ago, much of it was upgraded to a high speed four lane highway in the middle of nowhere.  Presumably meant to be used for hurricane evacuation.  When that was done, it became the (IMHO) best way to get from Montgomery to Fort Walton Beach (and the Destin resorts).  I-65 to AL 55 to Andalusia then US 29 to AL 137 / FL 189, where before I would use US 331 to Florala.

FWIW, when AL 55 enters Florala, it then heads south and becomes FL 85.

On a grander scale, you could also make a case for I-65 for the same reasons AL 55.  From the north they feed in a lot of traffic heading to the Panhandle resorts.

For Florida it definitely is I-65.  The Pensacola Area gets a crap ton of traffic (lots of Snow Birds too) that take I-65 to the panhandle.

[Roadgeekteen]

For Massachusetts, I could see CT 15 being it because of it's role for Boston to New York travel.

[pianocello]

(quote clipped)

For Florida it definitely is I-65.  The Pensacola Area gets a crap ton of traffic (lots of Snow Birds too) that take I-65 to the panhandle.

That's the fun part of this exercise for Florida. I-65 is the obvious choice for the Panhandle, but people in the peninsula have very little reason to use it. Same deal with I-16 mentioned upthread (could be useful for JAX residents, but not much else). It's cool to see different perspectives from different parts of the state in this thread.

FWIW, I personally would say I-24. But at the same time, I'm pretty sure most drivers to/from Florida are either heading in a different direction than me or not driving as far.

[Sctvhound]

For South Carolina, I'd say I-75. The main route to go to central and southwest Florida if you want to avoid I-4, and major through GA and TN as a indirect route, where many, many South Carolinians are traveling.

Almost everybody going to Tampa or Orlando from Charleston takes 95-295-301 at Baldwin, through Starke and Ocala, over to 75. So many SC plates on that route.

By region, it is way different, but we are going by state. I-95 is it unquestionably in the Charleston area, even though it stays 40-50 miles west of the coast. Exit 33 (Point South, US 17) is the main exit to get to Charleston from anywhere south.

[bing101]

For California I-11 because it deals with Las Vegas, to Northern Arizona and in proposed cases to Reno. If I-11 were to be built in its full length it might offset traffic away from I-10, I-15 and I-40.

[wriddle082]

For Ohio, it's I-64.  Comes within a couple of miles of the border in the Huntington area, and it carries a lot of southern Ohioans towards I-77 and roads leading to Myrtle Beach and FL.  Honorable mention to the I-86 Shortway in NY and PA.

For South Carolina, it's I-40.  It brings a lot of folks from the Midwest to I-26, which is SC's most important interstate.

For Tennessee, it's probably I-59.  Mainly because quite a few important interstates run through it already.  In fact, it's probably the only state with (3) 2di's ending in 5.

And for Kentucky, it's also I-40.  It brings a lot of traffic to I-24, I-65, and I-75.

[SkyPesos]

For Ohio, it’s I-64.  Comes within a couple of miles of the border in the Huntington area, and it carries a lot of southern Ohioans towards I-77 and roads leading to Myrtle Beach and FL.  Honorable mention to the I-86 Shortway in NY and PA.

Interesting to see that I-64 has such a vital use for Southern Ohio, as the nearest interstate for that region. I mentioned I-65 for the 3C cities earlier in the thread (quoted below).

I'll go with I-65 for Ohio. Until I-69 is finished in KY and TN, which then the WK Parkway/I-71 can serve as a spur of I-69 into Ohio, I-65 is part of the fastest route from at least Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland via I-71 to cities in the south like Houston (I-71/I-65/I-40/I-30/US 59), Dallas (I-71/I-65/I-40/I-30), Austin/San Antonio (I-71/I-65/I-40/I-30/I-35) and New Orleans (I-71/I-65/I-59) and points beyond like Mexico or closer points like Memphis or Nashville. I-65 is also part of the fastest route from Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus to Chicago and Milwaukee, and part of one of 2 options (along with I-74/I-39) to Madison and the Twin Cities.

[planxtymcgillicuddy]

For Ohio, it's I-64.  Comes within a couple of miles of the border in the Huntington area, and it carries a lot of southern Ohioans towards I-77 and roads leading to Myrtle Beach and FL.  Honorable mention to the I-86 Shortway in NY and PA.

For South Carolina, it's I-40.  It brings a lot of folks from the Midwest to I-26, which is SC's most important interstate.

For Tennessee, it's probably I-59.  Mainly because quite a few important interstates run through it already.  In fact, it's probably the only state with (3) 2di's ending in 5.

And for Kentucky, it's also I-40.  It brings a lot of traffic to I-24, I-65, and I-75.

I'm with you on all but Tennessee-I think I-20 holds more importance for Tennessee than 59 does

[Sctvhound]

Yup. I-40 is very important for SC. Especially for folks down by Wilmington who want to get to Myrtle Beach. And to go anywhere in TN, KY, other states you have to use 40 from Asheville.

[fillup420]

North Carolina is a tricky one. I initially thought of I-81, but then I thought about how often I use I-81 as a resident of NC, and I never do. The only time i have used a significant portion of 81 was as an alternate to I-40. Every other significant route around the state does enter it at some point, and there aren't any major corridors that terminate just short of state lines.


iPad

[bing101]

Another example I just thought of: for both Nevada and California, one could arguably say I-70. That road has a southwest trajectory as it meets its western end at I-15 in the Utah desert; thus, I-70 traffic segues nicely onto I-15 south toward Las Vegas and, eventually, the "Inland Empire"  area of California (and from there, either continuing south on I-15 to San Diego or west on I-10 to Los Angeles).

I remember seeing a map that Interstate Kyle put out one time where I-70 could have gone to Sacramento if it went through the US-50 alignment.

[keithvh]

I've seen 2 submissions for Minnesota thus far: WI-35 and US-18.

Could I-39 or even I-294 (Tri-State Tollway) also be considered?  Obviously, if one is going to Milwaukee or Downtown Chicago, they don't need either.  But both routes are important for travel to anywhere else south and east of Chicago-Land, in terms of missing some Chicago congestion.

[ftballfan]

For Michigan I'll say probably US-20 or I-80/90.

Ontario 401 or 402.

For Yoopers, it might be I-39

[/quote]
IMHO, I-65 is more important than US-20 for Michigan. I-65 (especially from Indy to Nashville, even with that westward jog in KY) is part of the quickest route to anywhere in Florida for most of lower Michigan south and west of a line from about Frankfort to Coldwater

[KCRoadFan]

North Carolina is a tricky one. I initially thought of I-81, but then I thought about how often I use I-81 as a resident of NC, and I never do. The only time i have used a significant portion of 81 was as an alternate to I-40. Every other significant route around the state does enter it at some point, and there aren't any major corridors that terminate just short of state lines.


iPad

For NC, I suppose there's an argument for US 58 through Southside Virginia, insofar as it applies to getting to the Outer Banks from points further west along the NC/VA border, in both states (Roanoke Rapids, Henderson, Danville, Mount Airy, etc.) Thoughts?

I'm sure there's also a case for I-20, what with that road being part of the best route to Charlotte and Greensboro from points west of Atlanta thanks to linking up with I-85 in that city.

[SkyPesos]

North Carolina is a tricky one. I initially thought of I-81, but then I thought about how often I use I-81 as a resident of NC, and I never do. The only time i have used a significant portion of 81 was as an alternate to I-40. Every other significant route around the state does enter it at some point, and there aren't any major corridors that terminate just short of state lines.


iPad

This one is a bit far fetched for NC, but how about US 35? It's part of every routing from Midwest cities from Columbus westward to NC metro areas like Raleigh-Durham, Greensboro-Winstom Salem, Wilmington and sometimes Charlotte. And Seattle-NC for anyone that drives that far.

[Roadsguy]

Pennsylvania is tricky since its position spanning almost the entire base of the northeast means that all major Interstates and US routes enter PA (e.g. I-95, I-70, I-80, I-81, US 1, US 30, etc.). The only way around it is to go directly from DE to NJ across the Delaware River/Bay. The only three routes that do this are I-295 and US 40 (both on the Delaware Memorial Bridge) and US 9 (on the Cape May—Lewes Ferry). I-295 and US 40 both enter PA elsewhere, so that just leaves US 9, which isn't exactly a "most important" anything.

Since no major long-distance routes completely bypass PA, this just leaves nearby major routes that can be used to get to PA via one of the routes that does enter it. I-71 and I-77 are the two that seem to best qualify, perhaps also I-87. To forcibly include a US route, I'd say US 50, but no one would use that route for long-distance travel since the region is well served by parallel Interstates.

[ran4sh]

For Tennessee, it's probably I-59.  Mainly because quite a few important interstates run through it already.  In fact, it's probably the only state with (3) 2di's ending in 5.

Georgia has 75, 85, and 95, although I think you're right about there not being any other states with three x5 Interstates.