Which little details in US/Interstate highway systems really bother you?

[GaryV]

Long concurrencies between US and Interstate routes when the old alignment is still usable. Looking at Iowa and Michigan in particular here, although other states are guilty of this as well.

How is Michigan particularly guilty here?  Michigan, sometimes with the cooperation of Ohio, has a history of decommissioning US routes where the Interstates took over.  See US-2, US-16, US-25, more recently US-27, and US-12 being rerouted on old US-112.  And some state highways as well.

The longer concurrencies that still exist, US-23 and US-31, are there because the northern ends of those routes are not part of the interstate system.  And even the northern few miles of them were truncated when they meet I-75.  The old roads, while they still exist, were decommissioned and turned back to local control.  There's no need for long-distance travellers to go through a series of cities and small towns on surface streets when there's a parallel freeway only a couple miles away.

Now if it was a state where roads that serve local areas are maintained by the state (e.g. KY, VA) I could see argument that the old routes could maintain their numbers, simply to have a number.  But even then, I question why a US highway number should be used (like US-25 in northern Kentucky).  US highway numbers should be used for routes that would be used by through traffic.  Give the replaced US routes secondary state highway numbers if they must be numbered.

I guess my peeve is the opposite of yours.  Why should US highway numbers be on roads that don't really go anywhere anymore?

[CNGL-Leudimin]

US 121.

What about it?

I call it the "Alanland expressway" because it exists (on paper) and doesn't exist (in the field) .

[froggie]

What bothers me the most is anal people who'd like to replace a shitload of signs just to make the grid perfect (and then probably waste billions on interchange reconstruction to avoid TOTSOs).

What planning document is that little detail found in, the Yellow Book?

Wouldn't be the Yellow Book.  Then-AASHO and then-BPR didn't get around to adopting an interstate numbering scheme until August 14, 1957 (with a few revisions approved June 27, 1958).

[hotdogPi]

What bothers me the most is anal people who'd like to replace a shitload of signs just to make the grid perfect (and then probably waste billions on interchange reconstruction to avoid TOTSOs).

What planning document is that little detail found in, the Yellow Book?

Wouldn't be the Yellow Book.  Then-AASHO and then-BPR didn't get around to adopting an interstate numbering scheme until August 14, 1957 (with a few revisions approved June 27, 1958).

You won't find people trying to make the grid perfect for no other reason than being anal in any official document.

[NE2]

What bothers me the most is anal people who'd like to replace a shitload of signs just to make the grid perfect (and then probably waste billions on interchange reconstruction to avoid TOTSOs).

What planning document is that little detail found in, the Yellow Book?

The AARoads charter. Or so it seems.

[epzik8]

I-83's exits through Maryland are a little off, but I think that's because of its cancellation through Fells Point in Baltimore and out to I-95.

[roadman65]

Long concurrencies between US and Interstate routes when the old alignment is still usable. Looking at Iowa and Michigan in particular here, although other states are guilty of this as well.

US 40 in Kansas is that way and so is US 81 north of Wichita to Salina that way.  Thankfully south of Wichita I-35 is a toll road or else US 81 from the Oklahoma State Line to I-135 would be a county road. Ditto for both US 24 and US 40 east of Topeka as they got to stay cause of the Kansas Turnpike as well.

My peeve is not with US 44 and US 46 as much as US 6 as it never fit the grid quite well either going originally from Long Beach, CA which was between US 70 and US 80  and of course it never gets north of both US 10 and US 20.

[US 89]

Long concurrencies between US and Interstate routes when the old alignment is still usable. Looking at Iowa and Michigan in particular here, although other states are guilty of this as well.

US 40 in Kansas is that way and so is US 81 north of Wichita to Salina that way.  Thankfully south of Wichita I-35 is a toll road or else US 81 from the Oklahoma State Line to I-135 would be a county road. Ditto for both US 24 and US 40 east of Topeka as they got to stay cause of the Kansas Turnpike as well.

My peeve is not with US 44 and US 46 as much as US 6 as it never fit the grid quite well either going originally from Long Beach, CA which was between US 70 and US 80  and of course it never gets north of both US 10 and US 20.

Growing up in Utah, I understood the us highway grid pretty well (30 up in Idaho, 40 near SLC, 50 in central UT, 60 in AZ, etc.). But there was US 6, right between 40 and 50. I reasoned that US 6 was special because it was a single digit route.

[Henry]

Interstate/US Routes whose general direction is contrary to how they actually run (I-85 is signed north/south, but runs more east/west; the opposite goes for I-26)

[bzakharin]

US 206 and US 209 not connecting to their parents.

US 209 connects to US 9W, which is good enough as far as I'm concerned. US 206 multiplexes with US 209 to reach US 6 according to some sources, but I believe not officially. I can't imagine why it shouldn't, though. Was there ever a plan to connect them some other way that got canceled?

On the other hand all the x78 Interstates in the NYC area that don't connect to I-78 are a bigger issue. Given that none of these roads are known by number (except I guess the part of I-278 that's in NJ) they could have renumbered them to something that makes sense without a major uproar. Giving them odd x95 numbers is probably the logical choice, if not downgrading them to state routes (but still renumbering them because the association does not go away)

[hbelkins]

Useless concurrencies, such as US 319 running concurrent with US 98 to a certain point and then stopping while 98 continues, or the US 40/US 322 concurrency in New Jersey where both join and then run to a point where they both end together.

Also, US routes not being placed on interstates or freeways that run parallel to them, or not being decommissioned. For the most part, why does US 11 even exist in its present form anymore? No through traffic is going to take US 11 from New Orleans to any point along US 11's route (Birmingham, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Roanoke, Harrisburg, Binghamton, etc.). It's going to take the interstate.

[hotdogPi]

Also, US routes not being placed on interstates or freeways that run parallel to them, or not being decommissioned. For the most part, why does US 11 even exist in its present form anymore? No through traffic is going to take US 11 from New Orleans to any point along US 11's route (Birmingham, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Roanoke, Harrisburg, Binghamton, etc.). It's going to take the interstate.

So what would US 5 become?

[hbelkins]

Also, US routes not being placed on interstates or freeways that run parallel to them, or not being decommissioned. For the most part, why does US 11 even exist in its present form anymore? No through traffic is going to take US 11 from New Orleans to any point along US 11's route (Birmingham, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Roanoke, Harrisburg, Binghamton, etc.). It's going to take the interstate.

So what would US 5 become?

Whatever the individual states it passes through wanted to renumber it to. That highway is a good candidate for complete decertification. Possibly CT/MA/VT 5.

[TheStranger]

I-980 and I-380 does not touch I-80 in San Francisco area.

There is zero logical routing in which 380 would make sense to connect with 80.  And there is plenty of precedent for 3 digit Interstate routes to not always reach their parents, as long as there is another related 3di to connect to (i.e. I-990 in Buffalo).

[MarylandMichael]

When they have a 55mph or less speed limit (I-264 in VA is 35 mph in a section ) and also when there is only 2 lanes in areas that are still heavily traveled such as I64 from I295 to Newport News, I66 inside the beltway, I70 between Fredrick and Hagerstown MD, I could go on all day.  Also if there aren't many reassurance shields that bothers me as well.

[froggie]

(I-264 in VA is 35 mph in a section )

Given the situation there, I give this one a slide.

[Brandon]

Long concurrencies between US and Interstate routes when the old alignment is still usable. Looking at Iowa and Michigan in particular here, although other states are guilty of this as well.

My peeve is just the opposite.  I favor moving the US highway onto the freeway where viable and handing the parallel route down to the county.

[plain]

Unnecessary roundabouts that replace perfectly fine stop signs or traffic signals

[bzakharin]

(I-264 in VA is 35 mph in a section )

Given the situation there, I give this one a slide.

Also 35 MPH is the Al-Jo curve on I-295 in NJ, also understandable and going away.

[roadman65]

Useless concurrencies, such as US 319 running concurrent with US 98 to a certain point and then stopping while 98 continues, or the US 40/US 322 concurrency in New Jersey where both join and then run to a point where they both end together.

Also, US routes not being placed on interstates or freeways that run parallel to them, or not being decommissioned. For the most part, why does US 11 even exist in its present form anymore? No through traffic is going to take US 11 from New Orleans to any point along US 11's route (Birmingham, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Roanoke, Harrisburg, Binghamton, etc.). It's going to take the interstate.

US 23 in Florida ( or even in GA as one user on here said US 23 is referred to by whatever other route its concurrent with its whole tenor in that state) as it is useless now being I-75 and I-10 carry traffic from Atlanta to Jacksonville.

US 206 is useless as its pretty much one state as PennDOT removed if from US 209 in Milford, though some signs that the DRTJC maintains still imply it is such.  It should be NJ 206 just like US 46 should be NJ 46.  US 130, should be US 301 crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge where it should have never been truncated to Glasgow and kept its signing to Farnhurst.

US 202 should be truncated to Danbury, CT and in NY, NJ, PA, and DE should be another route number.  US 122 from Wilmington to Somerville, NJ.  Then NJ 53 from Bedminster (NJ 206 would be solo) and then the county parts north of Morris Plains, NJ to Suffern, NY should be given 600 series NJ secondary numbers by the counties and a single digit in Bergen ()as they do not use 600 series numbering for their routes.  NY could come up with a number of their own both east and west of the Hudson River.

I think US 92 in Florida could be FL 600 and its long concurrency with US 17 could be done away with.  US 192 can revert to SR 500 from Kissimmee to Indialantic and SR 530 from Kissimmee to US 27 as per FL Route logs for that US route.  US 92 died when I-4 came to life. 

US 98 east of Perry is useless, but it can be given to US 27 to High Springs and US 27 should take over its 96 mile alternate from Perry to Williston and its concurrency with US 41 dropped all together.  The rest of US 98 from US 19 to Palm Beach would be FL 700 and FL 80 where it currently runs with from Belle Glade to Palm Beach.

[gp248]

Concurrencies of two interstate routes.

[roadman65]

Concurrencies of two interstate routes.

I-95 and I-495 in MD.  That was first I-495 on the east half, but when DC cancelled the freeway within itself, MD and VA both dropped the designation in favor of just I-95. Then somehow, it got redesignated creating this useless overlap.

[GaryV]

Concurrencies of two interstate routes.

You mean they should have built 2 ways for I-77 and I-81 to go through the mountains, instead of putting them on the same roadway?

[roadman65]

Concurrencies of two interstate routes.

You mean they should have built 2 ways for I-77 and I-81 to go through the mountains, instead of putting them on the same roadway?

Three now if you want to count I-74, as that is supposed to be with them both.  However I do not think that VDOT really cares being WV and OH will never build their parts.    So it will always dangle at the NC/ VA Border where I-74 and I-77 are both concurrent from Mt. Airy to that point.

[roadman65]

What about Georgia not allowing US routes to go solo?

That always seemed odd, but GDOT always uses the state number for reference on mileposts and documents.  Enter Charlton County on SB US 301 and the mileposts will make you think you have far longer to go in GA as the mileage is to GA 23's southern end and not US 301's end.   Remember GA 23 continues into that piece of the state that is within Florida and it continues way south of the US 1, 23, and US 301 border crossing and is even south of the northernmost part of Jacksonville, FL.