Rural freeways that need more than six lanes

[Big John]

I-10 from I-20 to El Paso

That segment doesn't even need 6 lanes, let alone 8. It carries 15,000 - 20,000 AADT, and doesn't even get to 30,000 AADT until you reach the El Paso metropolitan area.

He was stating segments that definitely don't need them.

[tolbs17]

I-85 from Charlotte to Greensboro?

Well not really....

[skluth]

I-10 east of Banning CA already is four lanes to Indio. It's technically in the Riverside-San Bernardino MSA, but that's because MSAs use entire counties. The east end from Palm Desert to Indio is urban/suburban, but it's pretty rural for almost 30 miles from Banning to Palm Desert. The wind tunnel effect means the common west winds funneling through the pass make living more difficult for those living there but a great location for wind energy production. I suspect the area will slowly become a checkerboard pattern of distribution centers and cannabis production warehouses as demand for both grows which will make it more suburban industrial than rural. It's already happening around the Indian Canyon exit.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-10 from I-20 to El Paso
I-95 from Bangor to Houlton, ME
I-94 from Billings to Fargo

wut

[skluth]

After I posted, I remembered the Grapevine north of LA. The Grapevine is also four lanes through farmland and mountain pass each way north of Castaic to the 5/99 split. Now, if only they'd make I-5 six lanes through the Central Valley.

[webny99]

I-10 from I-20 to El Paso

That segment doesn't even need 6 lanes, let alone 8. It carries 15,000 - 20,000 AADT, and doesn't even get to 30,000 AADT until you reach the El Paso metropolitan area.

He was stating segments that definitely don't need them.

#humor

[tolbs17]

I-40 from Raleigh to Wilmington

[Roadgeekteen]

I-10 from I-20 to El Paso

That segment doesn’t even need 6 lanes, let alone 8. It carries 15,000 - 20,000 AADT, and doesn’t even get to 30,000 AADT until you reach the El Paso metropolitan area.

He was stating segments that definitely don't need them.

#humor

I thought he misread the title.

[LilianaUwU]

Autoroute 20 between Montréal and Québec City could benefit from six lanes, but doesn't necessarily need them.

[sprjus4]

I-40 from Raleigh to Wilmington

I-40 doesn't even need 6 lanes south of I-95.

[jakeroot]

Pretty much all of I-5 from Olympia until Everett.

Although most of that is already at least eight lanes. Good portions are ten lanes. Although I also wouldn't call that corridor rural.

Through the bases, north-east of Olympia, they are currently widening the freeway to eight lanes. Should be done by summer.

Oh, that's good.  They've been a bottleneck.

You can read more about it here. From driving it (hopefully I will get some video online soon!), the expansion seems to end about halfway between the JBLM Main Gate (Exit 120) and Steilacoom-Dupont Rd (Exit 119). But then that is up for reconstruction itself soon as well, which will complete the eight lane stretch from Mounts Rd to the newly-completed stretch near Tillicum.

[Crown Victoria]

Interstate 81 between I-83 and I-78 comes to mind...

Nah, six would be fine. Driving that feels too cramped, but it doesn't seem like anything that couldn't be fixed with just one more each way,

There's an awful lot of truck traffic along this stretch, and as more warehouses are built in the area and along I-78 this will become even more of an issue. Indeed, one more lane each way would help, but there's good arguments for adding two more lanes each way here.

[tolbs17]

I-40 from Raleigh to Wilmington

I-40 doesn't even need 6 lanes south of I-95.

Except when there's beach traffic which is one thing but not daily.

[Flint1979]

I-75 between the I-71 junction in Walton to at least I-70 should be eight lanes all the way through. Tear the Brent Spence Bridge down and what the hell is with the covering of the bridge? It felt like driving through a building on the upper deck. Anyway tear the Brent Spence Piece of Shit down and build a new river crossing it can't be too difficult screw the properties on both sides of the river they are going to have to suffer. Either that or build a tunnel under the river right there and tunnel it up to the 6th Street Expressway on the Ohio side and 5th Street on the Kentucky side.

[sprjus4]

I-40 from Raleigh to Wilmington

I-40 doesn't even need 6 lanes south of I-95.

Except when there's beach traffic which is one thing but not daily.

How bad does it actually get?

[tolbs17]

I-40 from Raleigh to Wilmington

I-40 doesn't even need 6 lanes south of I-95.

Except when there's beach traffic which is one thing but not daily.

How bad does it actually get?

LOS D at least. Speeds are still above 60 mph.

[sprjus4]

Like how are conditions? Is traffic heavy but still moving in excess of 70 mph? Or is it continuous role for miles on end at 55-60 mph with bumper to bumper traffic and occasional stop-and-go?

[tolbs17]

Like how are conditions? Is traffic heavy but still moving in excess of 70 mph? Or is it continuous role for miles on end at 55-60 mph with bumper to bumper traffic and occasional stop-and-go?

The one I highlighted in bold.

[sprjus4]

Like how are conditions? Is traffic heavy but still moving in excess of 70 mph? Or is it continuous role for miles on end at 55-60 mph with bumper to bumper traffic and occasional stop-and-go?

The one I highlighted in bold.

Then it makes me question whether 6 lanes is necessary if traffic is still free flowing above the posted speed limit. It's not the latter, which a highway like I-95 or I-40 north of I-95 will easily get to during peak travel times, both routes that definitely need widening.

[tolbs17]

Like how are conditions? Is traffic heavy but still moving in excess of 70 mph? Or is it continuous role for miles on end at 55-60 mph with bumper to bumper traffic and occasional stop-and-go?

The one I highlighted in bold.

Then it makes me question whether 6 lanes is necessary if traffic is still free flowing above the posted speed limit. It's not the latter, which a highway like I-95 or I-40 north of I-95 will easily get to during peak travel times, both routes that definitely need widening.

It doesn't need to be widened overall! It's just beach traffic.

[Flint1979]

Northbound I-75 is always heavy on Fridays and southbound is heavy on Sundays because of all the up north traffic from Detroit. The only stretch of I-75 that truly needs to be widened is between mile marker 111 and 125.

[JREwing78]

I-39/90/94 between Madison, WI and the I-39 split south of Portage, WI. It's at least in the discussion stages at this point, though the likelihood it will happen before 2040 is pretty small.

[Flint1979]

I-75 between mile marker 125 and 148 is currently 8 lanes. MDOT is widening the stretch from mile marker 148 to 150 from 6 to 8 lanes currently. Exit 150 is I-675.

Usually in a rural area you have traffic from one urban area connecting to another urban area and vice versa.

This example that I showed here is between Flint and Saginaw and it does need 8 lanes. MDOT started widening it 20 years ago and finally will have it complete between Flint and Saginaw.

[jdbx]

After I posted, I remembered the Grapevine north of LA. The Grapevine is also four lanes through farmland and mountain pass each way north of Castaic to the 5/99 split. Now, if only they'd make I-5 six lanes through the Central Valley.

I couldn't agree more.  6 lanes minimum between 5/99 split and I-580.  Truck traffic is heavy enough that even 8 lanes would probably make sense between CA-152 and Wheeler Ridge.

I can't even imagine how expensive that would be.  This is one area where building a set of barrier-separated express toll lanes would probably be well-received, especially if the pot could be sweetened with a higher speed limit.

[PastTense]

Could someone review the traffic volumes usually needed to justify moving from 4 lanes to 6 lanes, from 6 lanes to 8 lanes, etc for rural freeways?