What Interstates are not the fastest route between their termini?

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Per Google, the fastest way from Seattle to Boston involves diverting from I-90 and taking I-94 between Billings and Tomah, WI.

That's why Big Rig Steve always uses I-94 when traveling between Billings. MT and Tomah, WI (except, of course, around the MSP metro area).

Mike

Not always. I remember one day he stopped in Billings, giving suspense over which one of the Dakotas he would drive through. At the start of the next day he decided to go through South Dakota. I said, oh no, the last two times he drove that state end to end he had serious breakdowns. But in the end nothing happened (except hitting a large pothole leaving the Love's near Sioux Falls). He hasn't been through South Dakota since then.

[mgk920]

that last several years, he has used I-94 exclusively (I just think that those times that he did use I-90 were to mix hings up and keep things interesting for the peanut gallery).  Also, he ALWAYS uses I-694 around the MSP area when he has no intermediate stops there.  He also ALWAYS uses I-285 to transit around the ATL area (through big rigs prohibited inside that beltway).

Mike

[vdeane]

Per Google, the fastest way from Seattle to Boston involves diverting from I-90 and taking I-94 between Billings and Tomah, WI.

Huh, interesting. Time of day and current traffic conditions must play a factor here, since upthread we found that I-90 was a faster route than I-94 from Billings to Tomah. At least it was at the time.

I'm currently showing a difference of only 10 minutes on a roughly ~15 hour trip, so no doubt it can vary which route is faster.

Even so, it seemed odd that the 10-minute difference favored I-94 despite that route being ~20 miles longer. Then I realized the I-90 alternative presented by Google was using US 212 from Crow Agency, MT to Belle Fourche, SD. I dragged the route back to I-90 and it added another 20 minutes, so the only thing I can figure is there's something like weather or construction affecting I-90.

The I-94 route is not longer.  Taking I-90 the whole way is 1,039 miles.  Taking I-94 the whole way is only 1,007 miles.

[HighwayStar]

I-90 if by no other virtue than US-212 being a slightly faster bypass of the Wyoming portion. Although in recent years with the reduction of the speed limit on US 212 and the raising of speed limits on I-90 this gap has narrowed.

When traffic is taken into account, I have generally found it faster to US I-29/US-20/I-380/I-80 to make the connection from Sioux Falls to Indiana as well.

[hotdogPi]

Welcome back after almost a year!

[HighwayStar]

Welcome back after almost a year!

Well thank you!

[jp the roadgeek]

Same can be said of 895 vs 95 in Baltimore.  895 might be a mile or two longer, but it takes you away from the direct path of Inner Harbor traffic, and is certainly the choice on Ravens game day.

[Flint1979]

Going through both Flint and Saginaw it's two miles longer on each I-475 and I-675 vs. taking I-75.

[webny99]

Per Google, the fastest way from Seattle to Boston involves diverting from I-90 and taking I-94 between Billings and Tomah, WI.

Huh, interesting. Time of day and current traffic conditions must play a factor here, since upthread we found that I-90 was a faster route than I-94 from Billings to Tomah. At least it was at the time.

I'm currently showing a difference of only 10 minutes on a roughly ~15 hour trip, so no doubt it can vary which route is faster.

Even so, it seemed odd that the 10-minute difference favored I-94 despite that route being ~20 miles longer. Then I realized the I-90 alternative presented by Google was using US 212 from Crow Agency, MT to Belle Fourche, SD. I dragged the route back to I-90 and it added another 20 minutes, so the only thing I can figure is there's something like weather or construction affecting I-90.

The I-94 route is not longer.  Taking I-90 the whole way is 1,039 miles.  Taking I-94 the whole way is only 1,007 miles.

Yes, I realize that now, but I initially overlooked that Google was using part of US 212, which made it only ~985 miles instead of 1039.