Fastest moving highways

[webny99]

I thought this had been done before, but searched extensively for a variety of keyword combinations and came up empty-handed.

So, what are the highways with the fastest moving traffic in your state or city, relative to (a) the speed limit, and (b) the design and geometry of the road?

Here in Upstate New York, the Thruway is known to have packs of traffic traveling anywhere from 80 to 88 mph (always packs - rarely a lone speeder). Admittedly, the 65 mph speed limit is too low, since it's a very high-quality road and speeds of 80+ are very sustainable. It's really the speed limit that's out of place more so than the actual speed of traffic.

As far as urban/suburban roads where traffic moves fast, try NY 531. In the eastbound morning rush you can set the cruise at 75 mph in the right lane and have a solid wall of traffic crushing past as 85 mph. In fact I've driven the entire length of 8 miles and not had a single opportunity to move left without forcing my way in to the faster stream of traffic.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is I-290, which often has all lanes moving between 55 and 59 mph, making it impossible to get ahead. Granted, enforcement is heavy, but you don't risk a ticket traveling under 65 mph, hardly justifying the low speeds of traffic.

[sparker]

Around San Jose, the fastest-moving freeway is the section of CA 85 from its southeast terminus at US 101 north to I-280 in Cupertino; the fact that it prohibits large trucks likely contributes to its average speed of about 71 mph.  Other freeways don't fare as well; I-280, in off-peak hours, averages about 62, while I-880, at least north of US 101, sits at about 57-58 for most of its length north to the CA 262 "split".  US 101 itself, the "Bayshore", rarely sees averages above the low '50's (although posted for 65); the principal factor in the area seems to be the proximity of interchanges to one another; the older freeways (101, 280, 880) have closely-spaced interchanges -- with only recently-deployed slip ramps between a few of them -- and that seems to slow down overall traffic speeds considerably, especially in the vicinity of tech employment centers centered around US 101 between downtown San Jose and Redwood City.  In contrast, CA 85, completed in the '90's, has very few interchanges in comparison (save the cluster around the CA 87 junction in the Almaden area).   

[Techknow]

I agree with Sparker about the Bay Area freeways he mentioned. I almost never encountered traffic jam in CA 85 in San Jose (from US-101 to I-280), despite it being in a 2+1 configuration (2 general purpose, 1 HOV). I'm sure it has to do with the ramp metering there too, CA-85 was the first freeway to fully utilize ramp metering I believe. I would agree the next fastest moving would have to be I-280 from I-380 to CA-85, other than during commuting hours, it is scenic and rural there so generally traffic is just going thru all that! The southern half of I-280 in San Francisco is also generally fast moving, from US-101 to Daly City where it intersects with CA-1.

Other noteworthy fast highways that I been on (one could drive 10-20 MPH faster than the speed limit):

CA-1 from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz - a few attractions and the highway is generally straight, but otherwise fully rural so there isn't much traffic except possibly in the weekends despite being two lanes, it is posted at 55 MPH except at Davenport where it drops to 45.

CA-152 from Los Banos to CA-99 - This expressway stretches about 30 miles and is posted at 65 MPH, there are some interchanges but generally it's mostly thru traffic

US 101 from Santa Rosa to CA-128 - This four lane freeway stretches about 25 miles and is north of the last major urban area until it reaches Eureka, so again it's mostly thru traffic

[Max Rockatansky]

70 MPH on I-5 and CA 99 in the Central Valley is laughable.  You really need to be going 80-85 MPH just to keep up with traffic.  In Arizona pretty much all the Loop Routes in Phoenix generally had a 80 MPH pace with 65 MPH speed limits.  For the most part I thought Florida's Turnpike generally had a 85-90 MPH pace south of Orlando. 

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Minneapolis doesn't have the notoriously fast freeways of Detroit or Atlanta. The one area where people will open it up is on 494 east of the airport.

[1995hoo]

I feel like the fastest-moving one around here, outside of rush hour of course, is probably US-50 between the Beltway and roughly I-97. It's probably the only highway right around the immediate DC area where I think a 75-mph speed limit would easily work. Going 80—85 on there usually doesn't stand out too much from traffic in my observation. It's about 41 miles from my house in Virginia to the I-97 interchange. Back sometime between 2001 and 2003 I made that drive in half an hour once and I was by no means the fastest driver on the road.

[webny99]

70 MPH on I-5 and CA 99 in the Central Valley is laughable.  You really need to be going 80-85 MPH just to keep up with traffic.

I've heard talk of such and look forward to driving it someday. It would be interesting to try cruising right at 70 mph and see what impact it had on the flow.

[Roadsguy]

70 MPH on I-5 and CA 99 in the Central Valley is laughable.  You really need to be going 80-85 MPH just to keep up with traffic.  In Arizona pretty much all the Loop Routes in Phoenix generally had a 80 MPH pace with 65 MPH speed limits.  For the most part I thought Florida's Turnpike generally had a 85-90 MPH pace south of Orlando.

Is it typical for roads out west to have traffic flow match the literal speed limit? Here in the east (at least everywhere I've driven), it's basically expected to go ~10 mph over.

[webny99]

70 MPH on I-5 and CA 99 in the Central Valley is laughable.  You really need to be going 80-85 MPH just to keep up with traffic.  In Arizona pretty much all the Loop Routes in Phoenix generally had a 80 MPH pace with 65 MPH speed limits.  For the most part I thought Florida's Turnpike generally had a 85-90 MPH pace south of Orlando.

Is it typical for roads out west to have traffic flow match the literal speed limit? Here in the east (at least everywhere I've driven), it's basically expected to go ~10 mph over.

I'm not Max, but my experience in the Dakotas (and, to a much lesser extent, Texas) has been that most drivers take the speed limit a lot more seriously than we do in the East. Speed limits are also a lot more reasonable though, such as 80MPH on I-90 in SD. Cruising at 82-83MPH, we were definitely doing a lot more passing than being passed. In fact I can probably count on one hand the cars that passed us. This coincides with a generally more slow-paced lifestyle out West. Here in the East it's rush, rush, rush, and do whatever possible to get ahead, and that just isn't the case west of the Mississippi and especially outside of large metros. 

[michravera]

70 MPH on I-5 and CA 99 in the Central Valley is laughable.  You really need to be going 80-85 MPH just to keep up with traffic.  In Arizona pretty much all the Loop Routes in Phoenix generally had a 80 MPH pace with 65 MPH speed limits.  For the most part I thought Florida's Turnpike generally had a 85-90 MPH pace south of Orlando.

Is it typical for roads out west to have traffic flow match the literal speed limit? Here in the east (at least everywhere I've driven), it's basically expected to go ~10 mph over.

California both underposts and underenforces in a similar manner to states back east as described. I was popped for 81 in a 70 in Washington. So, my belief is that "the West" outside of California (and greater Phoenix and Las Vegas) tend to take the speed limit fairly seriously and post reasonable speeds.

[jakeroot]

In Western Washington, probably I-5 between Fife and SeaTac. Each of these sections of freeway, posted at 60, see traffic speeds well into the 70s to 80s. Not unusual to see cars going 80-85. WSP does very little speed enforcement, so the average speed (outside of rush hour) can get up to 70+ (decently fast for the area).

California both underposts and underenforces in a similar manner to states back east as described. I was popped for 81 in a 70 in Washington. So, my belief is that "the West" outside of California (and greater Phoenix and Las Vegas) tend to take the speed limit fairly seriously and post reasonable speeds.

Washington State Patrol focuses most of its enforcement in rural areas. I find you can go up to 80 without much issue. Above that, it wouldn't be unusual to get stopped.

In my experience, travel speeds in urban Seattle are nearly the same as rural areas, despite the limits being 10 mph slower. Combine that with lax speed enforcement in urban areas, and you'll most likely find driving in metro Seattle faster than in rural areas.

[Max Rockatansky]

70 MPH on I-5 and CA 99 in the Central Valley is laughable.  You really need to be going 80-85 MPH just to keep up with traffic.  In Arizona pretty much all the Loop Routes in Phoenix generally had a 80 MPH pace with 65 MPH speed limits.  For the most part I thought Florida's Turnpike generally had a 85-90 MPH pace south of Orlando.

Is it typical for roads out west to have traffic flow match the literal speed limit? Here in the east (at least everywhere I've driven), it's basically expected to go ~10 mph over.

California both underposts and underenforces in a similar manner to states back east as described. I was popped for 81 in a 70 in Washington. So, my belief is that "the West" outside of California (and greater Phoenix and Las Vegas) tend to take the speed limit fairly seriously and post reasonable speeds.

The flip side of it is in rural areas in the mountains.  California generally posts 55 MPH speed limits or nothing at all which means 55 by default.  That creates situations where if you're a good driver or have a good handling car where you can have a total blast on roads like CA 1 in Big Sur or anything like it.  It used to really frustrate me in Arizona that the state would post 25-35 MPH nanny speed limits on roads like AZ 89A in Oak Creek Canyon or US 191 on the Coronado Trail. 

Regarding Florida there are a lot of unrealistically low speed limits on expressways.  The speed limit will almost lower from 60-65 MPH at junctions. 

[bzakharin]

In NJ the Atlantic City Expressway is often mostly empty for long stretches outside of peak shore traffic hours during the summer. The NJ Turnpike always has a lot of traffic, but all traveling at or above the speed limit most of the time.

[1995hoo]

Regarding Florida there are a lot of unrealistically low speed limits on expressways.  The speed limit will almost lower from 60-65 MPH at junctions.

Yeton the other hand, I know of at least one instance of Florida posting a two-lane road at 60 mph (SR-16 west of I-95), which is quite unusual among East Coast states.

[sparker]

..................a generally more slow-paced lifestyle out West. Here in the East it's rush, rush, rush, and do whatever possible to get ahead, and that just isn't the case west of the Mississippi and especially outside of large metros. 

Heh-heh!  Slow paced lifestyle?  Obviously you haven't spent much time in metro L.A. or the Bay Area.  Maybe it's not as intense as NYC (what is?) but things do happen quite rapidly around these parts.  And 70 is ridiculously low for I-5 and other CA rural/desert freeways, but there are enough urban types in the legislature (and Caltrans itself) to ensure that speed limit for the foreseeable future. 

Essentially there are a few common reasons for exceeding a 70-75 speed limit in outlying areas: (a) boredom (e.g. I-80 across NE, I-90 across most of SD, etc.) (b) hunger (getting to some place where you know you can access a variety of food) (c) simple time/distance equations (do I want to pack as many miles as I can into the day's travel, or do I want to get to my predetermined overnight point with enough time to actually relax a bit before sacking out).  I've been in all the above situations at one time or another; your speed largely is determined by whether or not you're driving alone and whether you've pre-booked your overnight stays (and favorable weather helps as well). 

[GaryV]

Ontario's 400 series.  Posted at 100 kph, but 120-130 appears to be acceptable.

We got back into the US and I was going 75 down I-94 (ok, 5 over, so arrest me).  I told my wife, "Hey, look, I'm going 122!"  Less than 5 minutes later I was passed by a car with ON plates.

[mgk920]

A decade or so ago, WisDOT did a survey of actual 'clear traffic' speeds on major highways throughout Wisconsin and found that US (now 'I-') 41 between Kaukauna and De Pere was the fastest overall.  I believe it - 80-85 MPH/130-140 km/h does not seem to be all that fast on that road whenever I drive it.

Yea, it beat out I-41/94 south of Milwaukee and several other major interstates elsewhere in the state.  US 151 between Madison and Waupun can get very fast, too - and it's not all a full freeway, either.

Mike

[jeffandnicole]

NJ publishes average/85th percentile speed surveys for their interstate highways and other roadways on their website.  15 - 20 mph over the limit is common.  And the list doesn't include the 3 toll roads, which generally have faster speeds.

[Hurricane Rex]

In Western Washington, probably I-5 between Fife and SeaTac. Each of these sections of freeway, posted at 60, see traffic speeds well into the 70s to 80s. Not unusual to see cars going 80-85. WSP does very little speed enforcement, so the average speed (outside of rush hour) can get up to 70+ (decently fast for the area).

California both underposts and underenforces in a similar manner to states back east as described. I was popped for 81 in a 70 in Washington. So, my belief is that "the West" outside of California (and greater Phoenix and Las Vegas) tend to take the speed limit fairly seriously and post reasonable speeds.

Washington State Patrol focuses most of its enforcement in rural areas. I find you can go up to 80 without much issue. Above that, it wouldn't be unusual to get stopped.

In my experience, travel speeds in urban Seattle are nearly the same as rural areas, despite the limits being 10 mph slower. Combine that with lax speed enforcement in urban areas, and you'll most likely find driving in metro Seattle faster than in rural areas.

Western Oregon echoes your observations with Washington. Fastest freeway would have to be either US 26 west of exit 61 (55 mph speed limit, flow of traffic 70-80), I-84 between mp 10 and 18 EB or 17 and 13 WB (60T55 speed limit, flow of traffic 70-80 as well). Other Portland freeways, except around downtown have a free flow speed of about 65-70. Fastest Oregon urban freeway is I-5 in Salem (Speed limit 60T55, flow of traffic 75-85), but a case could he made for Medford. Oddly enough, the Salem flow if traffic is faster than the 20 miles south of it.

Also, I-84 west of approximately the Deschtes River has a flow of traffic similar to the urban area in Gresham (75-80, 70 in curvier sections). East of there, I've seen packs pushing 90, but 80-85 is more common. There are exceptions (Cabbage Hill, flow of traffic 60). I-5 is a little different. The fastest section I think is between Eugene and Albany (that 35 miles with no curves). 65T60 is ridiculous there due to the flow of traffic hitting 75-80.

On urban speed limit drops, I generally see the flow speed up or drop (depending on freeway direction) at these urban locations in Oregon and I-5/205 south it of Longview.
I-5: Medford Viaduct, Eugene city limits, Wilsonville southern city limits, Barbur, SR 500 (WA)
I-205: Abernanthy bridge, Glenn Jackson bridge south end
I-84: 122nd ave
OR 569: OR 99, Delta highway
US 26: Sylvan summit, exit 61

Only I-84 at 122nd ave, Sylvan summit and around the Eugene city limits have reduced speed limits at about that location (yes the Medford Viaduct does, but it is reduced far before and after it that I am not counting it).

To answer your statement Jake on average speed of I-5 in Fife to federal way: WSDOT claims the average speed excluding rush hour is in the upper 60s during winter of 2018 and 85% is around 75-77 mph.

I wish ODOT posted average and 85% speeds like Washington did more often.

LG-TP260

[Flint1979]

Detroit is a pretty crazy place to drive. I think all the freeways in the Metro area have their share of stretches where you are moving pretty fast. I know between 7 and 8 Mile on I-75 it's a straight shot so doing 100 mph is a piece of cake but your going to want to slow down to go into the 9 Mile Curve if your going northbound. I-75 going through Oakland County people generally keep speeds between 80-90 mph and a little slower around the curves at Rochester and Big Beaver. North of Square Lake I-75 opens up to 8 lanes and it's on a straight away so you can punch it through that stretch and north of that it's generally 80 mph all the way to the Soo except on the Mackinac Bridge.

I-94 is fast moving through most of the state, anything between 80-85 is usually the norm on 94 especially in the Detroit area.

I-96 is the same thing and connects three of the state's largest metro areas Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids so your going to get a lot of traffic and people moving at about 80-85 mph.

80 is the normal speed in Michigan and the State Police very rarely do anything at 80 mph. You can honestly pass a cop in Michigan doing 80 mph and have no problems but don't go over 80. The way I drive is I'll set my cruise at 80 and if I want to move faster I'll just keep gassing it and keep my cruise at 80 so if I see anything all I have to do is take my foot off the gas.

[mrose]

In Colorado I'd guess I-76 from about Hudson to the Nebraska border.

75 is posted and sitting on 80 will still get you passed by everyone that isn't a tractor trailer.

[MantyMadTown]

A decade or so ago, WisDOT did a survey of actual 'clear traffic' speeds on major highways throughout Wisconsin and found that US (now 'I-') 41 between Kaukauna and De Pere was the fastest overall.  I believe it - 80-85 MPH/130-140 km/h does not seem to be all that fast on that road whenever I drive it.

Yea, it beat out I-41/94 south of Milwaukee and several other major interstates elsewhere in the state.  US 151 between Madison and Waupun can get very fast, too - and it's not all a full freeway, either.

Mike

That's in line what I was thinking. Everyone on I-41 in Green Bay and the Fox Cities goes so fast!

[webny99]

No one has come up with a previous thread yet.
I remain convinced that one exists - I distinctly remember something about I-40/I-85 in North Carolina - but unable to find it. 

[inkyatari]

Fast moving highways in NE Illinois?

[mgk920]

Fast moving highways in NE Illinois?

Ever drive the Tri-State Tollway through Lake County?



Or the Chicago expressways, especially the Kennedy, in clear traffic?

Mike