Greetings--
I just returned from Austin TX where is was sunny and mostly warm the last 2 weeks...
The route down: standard interstate routing to Knoxville TN on day 1...nothing to report really. On day 2 I used I-75/I-24/I-59 then I-459 around Birmingham. I-459 still has some button copy, mostly at the northern end. The 459 south END shield has the state name covered over for some reason. Used I-20/59 then I-359 to Northport to go to a specific place for lunch. Took a break by using US 11 from Tuscaloosa to Meridian MS. US 11 is pretty quiet and a nice drive, though the Mississippi side was noticeably rougher. Used I-59 and I-12 to Baton Rouge. Looking forward to the day when I-12 is fully 6-laned...very busy. on Day 3 used US 190 and LA/TX 12 back to I-10, then used the south side of I-610, then I-10 to TX 71 to Austin. Houston was very busy and we actually got stuck on the SW side of the beltway. TX 71 was wide open but the pavement was very rough.
We were hoping to take a side trip to North Padre Island from Austin but the weather wasn't warm enough in the middle of our stay. But we did go to San Antonio for a few hours: TX 71 to US 281 to SA, then US 90 and US 183 back to Austin. Off US 281 just north of San Antonio there was a route PA 1502 on the Wurzbach Pkwy (internet search says this stands for Principal Arterial which was a new one on me).
While in Austin we took advantage of the plentiful tacos and the excellent trail system around the Colorado River downtown. I also got a chance to drive the unusual TX 165 in the state cemetery. It has a speed limit of 10 throughout and is one lane wide. Supposedly the adjacent Comal St is part of this route but it was not posted, whereas the cemetery entrances (2) were.
On the return trip I drove US 79 from Round Rock to Memphis except I used I-20 and I-220 in the Shreveport-Minden area. I-20 was quite slow at Minden from some road project. US 79 through Texas was mostly 2-lane and mostly 70 mph but because it was mostly open spaces it did not seem unsafe. East of Pine Bluff AR US 79 is quite empty. I really dug the 1930s bridge over the White River that will very soon be replaced by a new structure to the south. It had really high concrete railings and felt like you were riding through a trench (note how the car ahead in this GSMV image is lower than the railing - https://goo.gl/maps/SbreKnjXzoH2). Unless I was hallucinating, US 79 is erroneously posted to go past I-40 instead of joining it.
I drove US 72 from Memphis to I-24. US 72 is woefully underposted at 40 mph for most of its run in Tennessee east of TN 177. It was terrific across Mississippi but actually a pain from Tuscumbia AL to Huntsville. There are still slotted BGS assemblies at the US 72/AL 255 intersection. There is an error US 20 shield on US 72 EB approaching US 43/72 ALT. We then took standard interstates back from Chattanooga.
I picked up 30 new counties.
New clinches:
Alabama: I-359, US 72, US 80, AL 2
Mississippi: US 72
Louisiana: I-220, LA 12
Texas: I-610, US 79, TX 12, TX 165, Lp 111, RM 2222
Arkansas: US 79
Tennessee: US 72, TN 86
National Clinch: US 72
Mike
The PA system was started by TxDOT in the 80's in Bexar County but never went anywhere. Maybe others can testify on why, only now, they started signing these. Maybe someone wants to resurrect it? I kind of see them as I see the "Urban Roads" project by TxDOT: the concept is interesting and could be useful, but it's unsigned and really just for classification purposes.
PASS (http://www.dot.state.tx.us/tpp/hwy/pa/pa1502.htm)
Congrats on the US 72 clinch! Too bad it was too cold to warrant an easy I-37 clinch.
Where, on this trip, did you drive I-610 in Houston though?
I drove the entirety of 610 inner loop south of I-10 (had already driven 10 straight through and 610 north of 10 on my 2 other trips through Houston).
I'm disappointed I couldn't get I-37 and US 181, but we like Austin and will be back again so I'll get them eventually. I'll have to make do with the 48 US routes I've already finished :)
Mike
Quote from: Mapmikey on February 16, 2016, 10:36:45 AM
I drove the entirety of 610 inner loop south of I-10 (had already driven 10 straight through and 610 north of 10 on my 2 other trips through Houston).
I'm disappointed I couldn't get I-37 and US 181, but we like Austin and will be back again so I'll get them eventually. I'll have to make do with the 48 US routes I've already finished :)
Mike
You also perhaps could have clinched the 100-mile US57 just south of there as well :D
That would've been a tough sell to my wife who does not enjoy riding in cars that much. Had I gotten a day to myself to explore that would've been where I was headed, but I generally don't get that sort of free reign on vacation...
Mike