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Biggest Routing Misconceptions In Your State

Started by planxtymcgillicuddy, May 02, 2023, 03:33:01 PM

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planxtymcgillicuddy

As the title states, what are some of the biggest misconceptions in terms of highways/interstates in your state and where they go? For my current home in North Carolina, a pretty big misconception in my region is that I-77 was supposed to be routed up US-21 through Sparta and Speedwell, Virginia en route to Wytheville. And for my future home state of Georgia, a pretty big one is that of I-75 being routed through Rome on the way to Chattanooga.

(Mod note: If this fits better in Fictional Highways, feel free to move it there)
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Max Rockatansky

With California the perception is that most of the state is one giant freeway strewn urban area.  The reality is that most people live in the big urban areas where the bulk of the freeways are but much of the state is rural with a huge assortment of back roads.  My brother in law in particular was taken aback by how much farming and ranching there is in the Central Valley when he visited California for the first time in 2019.  CA 46 and CA 1 in the Santa Lucia Mountains were hits during his visit.

TheHighwayMan3561

In MN, that the stub of today's TH 169 east of Ely was intended to be part of a cancelled through road in the Boundary Waters connecting to the dead end of the modern Gunflint Trail. The proposal had long died before that piece of road was designated as TH 221 for its first few years of existence, and the ROW for the planned road had also long reverted to protected wilderness status.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

TheStranger

For California, my first thought is that whole saga over US 66's historic western endpoint changes (mostly these days in online road discussion groups on FB), where while people knew that it ended in LA at one point and eventually Santa Monica, there are still myths floating out there over the pre-Santa Monica routing that have already been contradicted by actual documentation.
Chris Sampang

jeffandnicole


Quillz

The vast majority of California is rural and thus most of the state highways reflect this. Most state highways outside of the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego are not freeways. Most are in fact two lanes wide.

Likewise, since 1964, the idea that odd numbers = north-south highway and even numbers = east-west highway has been largely abandoned. It might be a guideline but is not a rule.

The 1964 highway renumbering was a massive sea change. In truth, most of the original state highways didn't see much change. There were some truncations here and there, but north of Sacramento, almost all of the original 1934 state highways are still in place and didn't change. The '64 renumbering gave numbers to most existing named highways, and greatly cut down on concurrencies. But comparing 1963 to 1964, there really aren't as many massive changes as it sometimes believed.

SectorZ

For Massachusetts, the first 7 miles of I-93 are still MA 128. People in TV media younger than the age of its deletion from there even call it this.

JayhawkCO

Maybe for Colorado is that I-70 is the only way to get to the mountains? Or at least touristy stuff? I probably end up taking US285 more often when I go to the high country.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: TheStranger on May 02, 2023, 03:50:42 PM
For California, my first thought is that whole saga over US 66's historic western endpoint changes (mostly these days in online road discussion groups on FB), where while people knew that it ended in LA at one point and eventually Santa Monica, there are still myths floating out there over the pre-Santa Monica routing that have already been contradicted by actual documentation.

What gets me is that the old guard who perpetuated a lot of the early assumptions about where US 66 ended want to hold onto the disproven narrative.  7th Street and Broadway as the initial terminus US 66 based on the assumption it completely overlaid the National Old Trails Road. Turns out that it wasn't and there was a treasure trove of information waiting in places like the AASHTO database to be unlocked.  To me, finding and sharing new evidence showing that 66 wasn't even signed in Los Angeles until 1931 was exciting.  I guess that wasn't so much the case for the dudes who put out books a couple decades ago with now outdated info. 

LilianaUwU

In Québec, it's most definitely QC 372's routing. Whether it follows the shoreline or goes into Saguenay is unclear.
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ran4sh

In GA it's probably the general public not recognizing US 19 as an overlap on SR 400. And in general, people here think that US 19 refers to the road that it used to be on before 400 was built (similar for other newer routes such as US 29 and SR 316).
Control cities CAN be off the route! Control cities make NO sense if signs end before the city is reached!

Travel Mapping - Most Traveled: I-40, 20, 10, 5, 95 - Longest Clinched: I-20, 85, 24, 16, NJ Tpk mainline
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Bruce

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 02, 2023, 03:41:02 PM
With California the perception is that most of the state is one giant freeway strewn urban area.  The reality is that most people live in the big urban areas where the bulk of the freeways are but much of the state is rural with a huge assortment of back roads.

Pretty much applies to most states with a dominant city/set of cities. Turns out not all of Washington is Seattle and not all of Oregon is Portland.

Rothman

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Henry

The Crosstown Expressway in Chicago was planned to connect to an upgraded Lake Shore Drive via I-494. In reality, while both expressways were indeed designated as I-494, no connection was ever considered, and when the designation was used exclusively for the Crosstown, that was the beginning of the end for the LSD freeway plans.
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Quillz

Not my state, but everytime I come back from a vacation in Alaska, I always get two questions:

Are the highways paved, or it's all just empty dirt roads?
How do you get gas? Do you have to carry spare canisters?

A lot of people have their mind blown when I tell them Alaska highways are paved (for the most part), with only unpaved segments in very remote parts of the state that are not big tourist destinations. And that gas stations are readily available, and that most modern cars have zero issues going 100+ miles between stations at the most.

I think this misconception that the Alaska highways are still super primitive unpaved trails might be because they see the Dalton Highway and assume all the highways are like that. (And even Dalton Highway has key stopping points that make it unlikely anyone would truly run out of fuel).

ran4sh

That's another thing I've always wondered - when there's only 1 or a few gas stations for that long of a distance, are the prices higher because of the lack of other options? If so do people ever get caught with not enough gas bc they couldn't afford it...
Control cities CAN be off the route! Control cities make NO sense if signs end before the city is reached!

Travel Mapping - Most Traveled: I-40, 20, 10, 5, 95 - Longest Clinched: I-20, 85, 24, 16, NJ Tpk mainline
Champions - UGA FB '21 '22 - Atlanta Braves '95 '21 - Atlanta MLS '18

Quillz

Quote from: ran4sh on May 03, 2023, 03:36:01 PM
That's another thing I've always wondered - when there's only 1 or a few gas stations for that long of a distance, are the prices higher because of the lack of other options? If so do people ever get caught with not enough gas bc they couldn't afford it...
The gas prices in Alaska weren't much higher than anywhere else. The two stations in Healy, which is just outside Denali Nat'l Park and pretty much the only real shot for a full-service sort of pace (gas, mini mart) between roughly Wasilla and Fairbanks on the Parks Highway, charged as much as I paid in Fairbanks.

Rothman

Quote from: ran4sh on May 03, 2023, 03:36:01 PM
That's another thing I've always wondered - when there's only 1 or a few gas stations for that long of a distance, are the prices higher because of the lack of other options? If so do people ever get caught with not enough gas bc they couldn't afford it...
1) Yes
2) If you can't afford it, then there's no reason to be on the Dalton.  It's for truckers and tourists that can afford the trip.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

JayhawkCO

Quote from: Quillz on May 03, 2023, 04:17:16 PM
Quote from: ran4sh on May 03, 2023, 03:36:01 PM
That's another thing I've always wondered - when there's only 1 or a few gas stations for that long of a distance, are the prices higher because of the lack of other options? If so do people ever get caught with not enough gas bc they couldn't afford it...
The gas prices in Alaska weren't much higher than anywhere else. The two stations in Healy, which is just outside Denali Nat'l Park and pretty much the only real shot for a full-service sort of pace (gas, mini mart) between roughly Wasilla and Fairbanks on the Parks Highway, charged as much as I paid in Fairbanks.

There were actually more gas stations than I thought there would be on the Parks. We stayed at an Airbnb just outside of Cantwell (intersection of the Parks and the Denali Highway) and the gas station there had both laundry and shower facilities. The showers were particularly nice as our Airbnb was a glamping situation without running water.

Quillz

Quote from: Rothman on May 03, 2023, 04:18:27 PM
Quote from: ran4sh on May 03, 2023, 03:36:01 PM
That's another thing I've always wondered - when there's only 1 or a few gas stations for that long of a distance, are the prices higher because of the lack of other options? If so do people ever get caught with not enough gas bc they couldn't afford it...
1) Yes
2) If you can't afford it, then there's no reason to be on the Dalton.  It's for truckers and tourists that can afford the trip.
It should also be noted most tourists aren't taking their own cars. Most will just rent a car from a company and they always give you extra gas anyway. (As well as some other stuff). I still haven't done it beyond the Arctic Circle but I plan to next winter. Really a pretty easy drive, just gotta yield to truckers. Was far less imposing than I was led to believe.

Rothman

Quote from: Quillz on May 03, 2023, 04:39:57 PM
Quote from: Rothman on May 03, 2023, 04:18:27 PM
Quote from: ran4sh on May 03, 2023, 03:36:01 PM
That's another thing I've always wondered - when there's only 1 or a few gas stations for that long of a distance, are the prices higher because of the lack of other options? If so do people ever get caught with not enough gas bc they couldn't afford it...
1) Yes
2) If you can't afford it, then there's no reason to be on the Dalton.  It's for truckers and tourists that can afford the trip.
It should also be noted most tourists aren't taking their own cars. Most will just rent a car from a company and they always give you extra gas anyway. (As well as some other stuff). I still haven't done it beyond the Arctic Circle but I plan to next winter. Really a pretty easy drive, just gotta yield to truckers. Was far less imposing than I was led to believe.
Good to hear.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Quillz

Dalton Highway is basically just another remote Alaska highway, with minimal services. Which isn't all that different from the Steese Highway or the Elliot Highway. And frankly, the quality of the highway is in much better shape than the other two I listed. And there is always truck traffic if there is really an emergency. I think it being featured on "World's Most Dangerous Roads" or w/e is what gave it the reputation that it's this super imposing drive, when it's not at all. In fact, it's not even really that interesting of a drive. The scenery is nice but doesn't really change all that much. The drive from the start to the Brooks Range has some cool stuff, but then you reach the North Slope and it's just a swampy shrubland, strangely not that different from Mojave Desert scenery.

Maybe that is what led to the misconception that Alaska highways are nothing more than two-lane dirt trails.

HighwayStar

Quote from: ran4sh on May 03, 2023, 03:36:01 PM
That's another thing I've always wondered - when there's only 1 or a few gas stations for that long of a distance, are the prices higher because of the lack of other options?

Prices are set by the intersection of supply and demand curves. The supply curve is shifted left due to logistics and the demand curve is probabally shifted right some due to fear of running out, etc.
There is also some element to a situation like that which is a result of market structure, like a linear city or ice cream vendor on a beach type problem. The sort of thing covered in Industrial Organization courses.
There are those who travel, and those who travel well

Ellie

This is a bit of a weird one, but people think that the route of "Michigan Avenue" in the state of Michigan follows US-12. Historically, many towns along US-12 all named the street "Michigan Avenue", but this was along the old US-12 routing that I-94 made obsolete (these towns include Jackson, Albion, Marshall, etc).

US-12 now follows the route of former US-112 (which was named "Chicago Road" in many of the towns it passed through), branching off around the Wayne-Washtenaw County line. However, Ypsilanti and Saline named part of the new routing "Michigan Avenue" as well, adding to the confusion.

Mapmikey

Quote from: planxtymcgillicuddy on May 02, 2023, 03:33:01 PM
As the title states, what are some of the biggest misconceptions in terms of highways/interstates in your state and where they go? For my current home in North Carolina, a pretty big misconception in my region is that I-77 was supposed to be routed up US-21 through Sparta and Speedwell, Virginia en route to Wytheville. And for my future home state of Georgia, a pretty big one is that of I-75 being routed through Rome on the way to Chattanooga.

(Mod note: If this fits better in Fictional Highways, feel free to move it there)

Virginia did have I-77 routed further west 1960-65, though not as far as US 21 below Wytheville.  It would've crossed into NC where NC 89 is.  Virginia re-evaluated after NC approved the eastern path it takes now.



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