Cities which need beltways that don't have them

[Flint1979]

From Indy to Lexington it's roughly the same time and distance going through Cincinnati as it is Louisville.

At least right now, it seems Louisville would be better as it is slightly less crowded and you don't have to deal with the Brent Spence bridge drama.

Right. I think the Brent Spence is the single most frustrating thing about driving through Cincinnati.

[Flint1979]

From Indy to Lexington it's roughly the same time and distance going through Cincinnati as it is Louisville.

At least right now, it seems Louisville would be better as it is slightly less crowded and you don't have to deal with the Brent Spence bridge drama.

You use I-275 around Cincinnati with the Cincy routing and avoid downtown/Brent Spence. I don't know how I-65 between Indy and Louisville is like (as I have no reason to use it from all 3 cities I lived in) though, but as mentioned earlier, I-74 isn't that bad in terms on traffic.

I-65 between Indy and Louisville is better than I-75 and I-71 south of Cincinnati and I-74 or I-75 in Cincinnati. Louisville isn't as big of a traffic problem as Cincinnati is.

[SkyPesos]

From Indy to Lexington it's roughly the same time and distance going through Cincinnati as it is Louisville.

At least right now, it seems Louisville would be better as it is slightly less crowded and you don't have to deal with the Brent Spence bridge drama.

Right. I think the Brent Spence is the single most frustrating thing about driving through Cincinnati.

Will be even more frustrating for the next 8 months as they're closing half of the lanes for maintenance work.

[Flint1979]

From Indy to Lexington it's roughly the same time and distance going through Cincinnati as it is Louisville.

At least right now, it seems Louisville would be better as it is slightly less crowded and you don't have to deal with the Brent Spence bridge drama.

Right. I think the Brent Spence is the single most frustrating thing about driving through Cincinnati.

Will be even more frustrating for the next 8 months as they're closing half of the lanes for maintenance work.

Nice I'm thinking about bypassing Cincinnati for awhile now.

[hbelkins]

From Indy to Lexington it's roughly the same time and distance going through Cincinnati as it is Louisville.

At least right now, it seems Louisville would be better as it is slightly less crowded and you don't have to deal with the Brent Spence bridge drama.

Right. I think the Brent Spence is the single most frustrating thing about driving through Cincinnati.

Disagree, unless there's an event at one of the stadiums. My biggest frustration is the bottleneck between the Norwood Lateral and the Paddock Road exit.

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

State College is growing quite fast. It might very well need a beltway sometime soon.

[Flint1979]

From Indy to Lexington it's roughly the same time and distance going through Cincinnati as it is Louisville.

At least right now, it seems Louisville would be better as it is slightly less crowded and you don't have to deal with the Brent Spence bridge drama.

Right. I think the Brent Spence is the single most frustrating thing about driving through Cincinnati.

Disagree, unless there's an event at one of the stadiums. My biggest frustration is the bottleneck between the Norwood Lateral and the Paddock Road exit.

I haven't always encountered traffic problems in that stretch but have always encountered something just before crossing the river.

[Avalanchez71]

Have you tried US 25?

[Flint1979]

Have you tried US 25?

You mean to cross the river or bypass I-75 or something? US-25 is only on the Kentucky side though but I have used US-25 before for long distance travel as well.

[SkyPesos]

The I-471 bridge is another alternative to Brent Spence. There's signs on I-71 S in the Ohio side that tells airport traffic to use I-471 to I-275.

[Flint1979]

The I-471 bridge is another alternative to Brent Spence. There's signs on I-71 S in the Ohio side that tells airport traffic to use I-471 to I-275.

The only problem with that is if the Brent Spence Bridge is open and not much of a problem it's 10 miles back to I-75 once you get to I-275.

[sparker]

The only cities in CA that topographically lend themselves to the beltway concept are in the San Joaquin/Sacramento Valley; if limited to 250K+ population, that would constitute five:  Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, and Sacramento.  The last one, previously discussed, missed its opportunity with the 1978 round of recissions; even then, lacking a Sacramento River crossing at in the Elk Grove/Freeport area, a real beltway not shunted through downtown via I-5 would be missing one quadrant.  Currently, there's not a snowball's chance in hell of new full-freeway construction in Sacramento County for both political & economic reasons -- development occupies the areas up to and into the Sierra foothills, and even if there was consensus that a beltway was necessary, the cost of securing a reasonable ROW is prohibitive.  Fresno might well be the only Valley city where a true beltway, albeit one that utilizes several existing highway corridors, including the longstanding CA 65 corridor as the eastern leg, might be marginally feasible as well as warranted.  But the current system there resembles pre-Interstate L.A. modes -- radial routes largely following existing state highway corridors.  AFAIK, no one has formally -- or even seriously -- proposed a loop around the south, west, and north perimeters of Fresno to complete a functional belt route.  Perhaps the gargantuan agribusinesses that dominate the west side of the valley have put a kibosh on any such activity that would disrupt their operations.  And with the other three significant city/metro areas on the list, beltways aren't actually warranted -- and Stockton's west side would be out in the Delta anyway.  Regardless, the chances for any actual beltway in CA aren't terribly promising.   

[SSR_317]

State College is growing quite fast. It might very well need a beltway sometime soon.

I'd agree to help with the lobbying for that... IF Pennsylvania will decommission I-99 in favor of US 220 (or even make it a 3-di) AND build the missing I-70 ramps at Breeezewood first.

[SSR_317]

... Also there's the pesky (but thankfully toll-by-plate) toll entering Kentucky

One can get around that quite easily by hopping off I-65 onto US 31 and using the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge (a/k/a Second Street Bridge) to cross the Ohio River. Then, after a few blocks of downtown Louisville traffic (which is generally light unless there's a game at the neighboring KFC Yum! Center), you can zip back onto I-65 South (or connect to I-64 or I-71) and owe no money whatsoever to the evil Toll gods.

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

New Haven, Connecticut. Just New Haven. It's the second-largest city in Connecticut (180k pop in city limits) and it doesn't even have a road surrounding it.

[Scott5114]

Oklahoma City has this weird, crufted-together partial beltway made of toll roads but it doesn't go where it needs to be the most.

[HighwayStar]

State College is growing quite fast. It might very well need a beltway sometime soon.

I'd agree to help with the lobbying for that... IF Pennsylvania will decommission I-99 in favor of US 220 (or even make it a 3-di) AND build the missing I-70 ramps at Breeezewood first.

Hear ye hear ye. Get I-99 out of its grid confounding location and sign it something else (and leave the number for a real I-99). Breezewood, I don't know, I feel like its one of those oddities that might be best left as is.

[US 89]

Oklahoma City has this weird, crufted-together partial beltway made of toll roads but it doesn't go where it needs to be the most.

I mean, it sort of has an inner beltway in the form of I-44/I-35/I-40/I-240...

How far-fetched would it be to extend the Kickapoo down to SH-9 and then upgrade that to freeway status? On paper that looks like a half-decent idea...and from what I've personally seen in Norman, 9 needs some sort of upgrade in that area anyway.

[Scott5114]

Oklahoma City has this weird, crufted-together partial beltway made of toll roads but it doesn't go where it needs to be the most.

Starting on August 2 (and pending concurrence from AASHTO), Oklahoma City may have a weird, crufted-together full beltway made of both toll and free roads but it mostly won't go where it needs to be the most.

How far-fetched would it be to extend the Kickapoo down to SH-9 and then upgrade that to freeway status? On paper that looks like a half-decent idea...and from what I've personally seen in Norman, 9 needs some sort of upgrade in that area anyway.

It's a half-decent idea, meaning it can't happen in the world of ODOT and OTA.

[chrismarion100]

Eau Claire Wisconsin which have a metro population of 161,000 have almost a full freeway beltway (part of WIS 29 is an expressway and also its connection to I-94 is way outside of town.) I don't think a city that small really needs a beltway and people don't like that Green Bay Wisconsin have a beltway and Eau Claire is about half it's size

[sprjus4]

. Breezewood, I don't know, I feel like its one of those oddities that might be best left as is.

Now, I could agree with this... in regards to another segment of I-70 in a neighboring state.

[HighwayStar]

. Breezewood, I don't know, I feel like its one of those oddities that might be best left as is.

Now, I could agree with this... in regards to another segment of I-70 in a neighboring state.

Nope, because one is a minor gap, the other is a serious omission.

[sprjus4]

Breezewood is a forced gap, there's no alternative. You have to traverse slow city streets.

Baltimore... you take I-695 to I-95. All freeway, no inconvenience.

I-70 will never be complete in Baltimore. Get over it.

[HighwayStar]

Breezewood is a forced gap, there's no alternative. You have to traverse slow city streets.

Baltimore... you take I-695 to I-95. All freeway, no inconvenience.

I-70 will never be complete in Baltimore. Get over it.

Its a forced gap, but a minor and trivial one.
The other routes in Baltimore never actually put you where you are trying to get to ON THE INTERSTATE.

And it could be complete, if this country ever gets off its dead ass and gets with the programme.

[US20IL64]

Oklahoma City has this weird, crufted-together partial beltway made of toll roads but it doesn't go where it needs to be the most.

I mean, it sort of has an inner beltway in the form of I-44/I-35/I-40/I-240...

How far-fetched would it be to extend the Kickapoo down to SH-9 and then upgrade that to freeway status? On paper that looks like a half-decent idea...and from what I've personally seen in Norman, 9 needs some sort of upgrade in that area anyway.

Isn't I-240 being routed on this loop? See OK forums here.