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National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: empirestate on January 06, 2015, 07:06:53 PM

Title: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: empirestate on January 06, 2015, 07:06:53 PM
What are some of the bigger towns that an Interstate has no exit for, despite passing directly through the town (or very nearly so, close enough to be practicable)? Can you guess the largest such town for each Interstate?

Certainly, the most obvious cases of this will be on the older toll roads, which tended to have fewer exits farther between. For example, I-90 along the NYS Thruway has no exits in Fort Plain, St. Johnsville, Oneida, Port Byron, or Phelps, though each of these would easily warrant an interchange on a typical free-era Interstate. Of these, the largest by far is Oneida, which is a city of over 11,000. It's served by a nearby interchange in Canastota, but has none of its own.

By contrast, for something like I-81 in New York, I can't find any settlement worth shaking a stick at that doesn't get an interchange from it. Are there any glaring examples on other free Interstates?

Remember, this doesn't include cases where the Interstate avoids the town altogether (like Auburn or Rome for I-90). However egregious a snub this may be, it's a topic for a different thread.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: NE2 on January 06, 2015, 09:26:38 PM
I-95 DC.

Really, this is almost always a fluke of city limits rather than anything meaningful.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: pianocello on January 06, 2015, 10:01:47 PM
The only examples I can think of are pretty much just podunk towns in north or central Illinois that aren't quite big enough to warrant an exit from I-74 or I-80 in the first place (specifically Deer Creek on I-74 between Peoria and Bloomington-Normal, and Wyanet, Sheffield, and Mineral on I-80 near Princeton).

Well, I guess the suburb of Country Club Hills, IL (pop. 16000) might qualify because I-80 runs through the city limits without an interchange, but I wouldn't count it because it's basically a giant neighborhood, and it sits at the interchange between 80 and 57. I-57 does have an interchange (barely) at the northwestern corner of the city at 167th St.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: jp the roadgeek on January 06, 2015, 10:19:44 PM
Bristol, CT
Poughkeepsie, NY
Atlantic City, NJ
Lancaster, PA
Reading, PA
Nashua, NH
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: cl94 on January 06, 2015, 10:31:42 PM
I-87 lacks a direct interchange for Ravena (pop. 3268) [but places interchanges at smaller settlements flanking it] and New Windsor/Washingtonville/West Point (pop. near 30,000, plus major military installation)s. Yeah, Exit 17 is ~4 miles north of the latter, but certainly justifies its own interchange).

On the Mass Pike, I-90 blows by US 7 and Stockbridge.

I could think of a bunch of settlements along the Ohio Turnpike east of I-475 (which it blows past) that could warrant an exit.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: empirestate on January 06, 2015, 11:14:00 PM
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on January 06, 2015, 10:19:44 PM
Bristol, CT
Poughkeepsie, NY
Atlantic City, NJ
Lancaster, PA
Reading, PA
Nashua, NH

Bristol isn't quite reached by I-84, in my estimation, but there are interchanges as close as that route does get. Poughkeepsie, Atlantic City, Lancaster and Nashua don't have any Interstates passing through. I-176 nearly reaches Reading, and there's an interchange (its terminus) at the closest possible approach.

So I can't see how you'd qualify any of those.

Quote from: NE2 on January 06, 2015, 09:26:38 PM
Really, this is almost always a fluke of city limits rather than anything meaningful.

Well, in those cases I'm inclined to discount the Interstate as not passing through the town, in the same way you'd say it does pass through even if the Interstate misses the actual city limits (see St. Johnsville, NY, for example).
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: KEVIN_224 on January 06, 2015, 11:20:33 PM
Bristol, CT is reached by I-84 Exit 31 (CT Route 229) in Southington, which is one town over. I-84 does enter New Britain's west edge, but not by much. Exit 35 (CT Route 72 East) skirts the Plainville town line while the western loop on the Exit 36 ramp for Slater Road (from I-84 West) briefly touch Plainville.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: froggie on January 07, 2015, 08:33:46 AM
I would anticipate that this question applies much more to the legacy toll roads than the free Interstates that were built later.

There are several examples of towns in Vermont where the adjacent Interstate doesn't have an exit, but most of these are lightly populated.  The biggest one I can think of would be Bolton (along I-89), with a population of around 1200.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: Pete from Boston on January 07, 2015, 10:59:38 AM

Quote from: froggie on January 07, 2015, 08:33:46 AM
I would anticipate that this question applies much more to the legacy toll roads than the free Interstates that were built later.

There are several examples of towns in Vermont where the adjacent Interstate doesn't have an exit, but most of these are lightly populated.  The biggest one I can think of would be Bolton (along I-89), with a population of around 1200.

I would like an exit at South Royalton that does not currently exist.  Not the biggest skipped town, but the Worthy Burger is, well, worthy of it. 
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: froggie on January 07, 2015, 12:54:27 PM
QuoteI would like an exit at South Royalton that does not currently exist.  Not the biggest skipped town, but the Worthy Burger is, well, worthy of it.

I don't disagree, but technically the 107 exit is in Royalton.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: Chris19001 on January 07, 2015, 01:07:30 PM
Quote from: NE2 on January 06, 2015, 09:26:38 PM
Really, this is almost always a fluke of city limits rather than anything meaningful.
Agreed.  I'd throw in Baltimore's I-70 for that qualification as well.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: vdeane on January 07, 2015, 01:17:24 PM
Quote from: froggie on January 07, 2015, 08:33:46 AM
The biggest one I can think of would be Bolton (along I-89), with a population of around 1200.
That one's also interesting because it's in the middle of very large gap between exits 10 and 11 on I-89.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: MrDisco99 on January 07, 2015, 01:31:02 PM
Princeton, NJ   :awesomeface:
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: NE2 on January 07, 2015, 02:06:22 PM
Juneau. Now can we read the first post before commenting?
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: BrianP on January 07, 2015, 03:26:50 PM
The best I could come up for in MD would be on US 50/UI-595 since it has no exit for MD 193 to serve the Woodmore and Mitchellville areas.  Although they're nto really towns since they're not incorporated.  They're just CDP's.  Together they're about 15k pop.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: empirestate on January 07, 2015, 03:42:53 PM
Quote from: MrDisco99 on January 07, 2015, 01:31:02 PM
Princeton, NJ   :awesomeface:

There's no Interstate through Princeton; the closest I-95 gets is Princeton Pike, and there is an interchange there. Doesn't count.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: jeffandnicole on January 07, 2015, 03:50:03 PM
I'm giving this a 'good enough' status:

I-295 goes thru Deptford, NJ, population of over 30,000.  On 295 Southbound, there is one interchange.  But on 295 Northbound, there are no exits for the town, nor is there signage indicating what exit to take as an alternative.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: Revive 755 on January 07, 2015, 09:56:47 PM
Another for Illinois is Orion off of I-74 (population 1,847).
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: US 41 on January 07, 2015, 10:38:16 PM
I-70/76 has no interchange for Everett, Pennsylvania. Everett is large enough to have a bypass on US 30.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: odditude on January 08, 2015, 09:29:59 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on January 07, 2015, 03:50:03 PM
I'm giving this a 'good enough' status:

I-295 goes thru Deptford, NJ, population of over 30,000.  On 295 Southbound, there is one interchange.  But on 295 Northbound, there are no exits for the town, nor is there signage indicating what exit to take as an alternative.
More "barely scrapes the edge of" than "goes through," but Missing Moves will resolve that - Deptford is directly served by 42/55.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: sbeaver44 on January 08, 2015, 05:38:40 PM
Yes, the old toll roads take the cake here for their lack of exits:

I-80 as the Ohio Turnpike would probably otherwise have an interchange at SR 3, SR 94, or SR 82 for North Royalton, OH (pop 30,367)

I-76 as the Ohio Turnpike also passes right by Canfield, OH (pop 7,412) with no exit.  I would think any non-toll road would have an interchange with either US 224, US 62, or SR 11.

At first I was thinking about adding I-76 for Mechanicsburg, PA (pop 8,982), but I guess the US 15 exit qualifies.  I do think an interstate that is not the turnpike might have an additional interchange for SR 641.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: golden eagle on January 09, 2015, 09:07:54 AM
Fresno, CA.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: Pete from Boston on January 09, 2015, 10:03:31 AM

Quote from: golden eagle on January 09, 2015, 09:07:54 AM
Fresno, CA.

Yes, it's well known that Fresno is the largest city off the Interstate system, but it doesn't have an Interstate in or near it without an exit as the OP is asking for.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: DevalDragon on January 10, 2015, 01:58:50 AM
I'm surprised none of my fellow Buckeyes have thrown out Hamilton Ohio - population 62,447 in the 2010 census.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: NE2 on January 10, 2015, 03:14:58 AM
Quote from: DevalDragon on January 10, 2015, 01:58:50 AM
I'm surprised none of my fellow Buckeyes have thrown out Hamilton Ohio - population 62,447 in the 2010 census.
Oh, they threw it out (of the running). Why would it count?
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: empirestate on January 10, 2015, 10:14:47 AM
Quote from: NE2 on January 10, 2015, 03:14:58 AM
Quote from: DevalDragon on January 10, 2015, 01:58:50 AM
I'm surprised none of my fellow Buckeyes have thrown out Hamilton Ohio - population 62,447 in the 2010 census.
Oh, they threw it out (of the running). Why would it count?

Yes, which Interstate goes through Hamilton without an exit? Both I-75 and I-275 have interchanges at their closest approach to the town, and that closest approach is a pretty long shot from saying they go through it. Doesn't look like a candidate to me.
Title: Re: Largest towns spurned by Interstates
Post by: DevalDragon on January 10, 2015, 10:29:05 AM
You are correct - Hamilton does not qualify. This is what happens when you try to post things at 3 in the morning...

Quote from: empirestate on January 10, 2015, 10:14:47 AM
Yes, which Interstate goes through Hamilton without an exit? Both I-75 and I-275 have interchanges at their closest approach to the town, and that closest approach is a pretty long shot from saying they go through it. Doesn't look like a candidate to me.