This post in the I-69 extension thread --
Quote from: mgk920 on October 15, 2015, 12:48:04 AM
For traffic to/from the Bloomington area on I-69, how far will it be between IN 37 and the next interchange to the southwest? From what I can tell from the aerial images of the area, that will be a 'BAMMO!' transition between truly rural and urban/suburban for I-69 traffic.
It is very interesting, indeed, to see that kind of an entrance into a mid-sized metro area.
Mike
-- made me wonder. What are the most abrupt transitions from rural to urban/suburban along interstates, freeways or major routes? Or, to use different wording, going from country to city?
I was always struck by how quickly things change on I-66 at the US 15 Haymarket exit. If you're going east, you've been traveling through rolling wooded foothills country, then all of a sudden you are in the urban hell of the DC metro area.
Not quite as abrupt to me is I-64 west entering Louisville. Just after you pass the I-265/KY 841 exit and you approach the Blankenbaker Road exit, you've gone from terrain similar to that described above for I-66 and you're in the city.
I was thinking the Everglades.
Quote from: hbelkins on October 15, 2015, 03:31:18 PM
Not quite as abrupt to me is I-64 west entering Louisville. Just after you pass the I-265/KY 841 exit and you approach the Blankenbaker Road exit, you've gone from terrain similar to that described above for I-66 and you're in the city.
Having spent time in Louisville this past weekend...even driving on 265 itself gives off a much more rural vibe than exiting off of it and going northbound (or westbound, depending on where you are) into the more-developed portions of Jefferson County. Going south, even while staying in Louisville Metro, still feels a lot further from downtown than you actually are.
In California, I can think of this occurring rather noticeably on the drive south to Sacramento along I-5: the area around the airport is very undeveloped, but once you reach the north Route 99 junction, all the suburban buildup begins there. Coming from the south going north along the same freeway, the suburban buildup isn't truly visible until Meadowview Road (though the development that is being planned alongside Cosumnes River Boulevard extension should extend it a bit south, maybe closer to the isolated pocket of Elk Grove that straddles 5).
I've always thought the transition on I-90 westbound from the MA line to Albany as being sudden. For the most part, you're traveling through the mountains and all of a sudden the skyline lies straight ahead and next thing you know you're stuck in traffic approaching the I-787 interchange.
I was struck by this phenomenon on southbound I-25 entering the Albuquerque area a few weeks ago when I was coming back from a day trip up to Santa Fe. You hit the Tramway Boulevard exit and you instantly transition from rural wide-open spaces to a well-developed suburban area. It struck me more than it does on I-66 where hbelkins mentions because I-66 has wooded areas on the north side of the road for a while due to the Manassas Battlefield park, whereas I-25 has no such thing and sees development on both sides.
I-24 coming into the Nashville metro from either direction, especially from the Northwest.
Coming into Murfreesboro in the SE, you go from a flat road with a very wide tree-filled median to the US 231 exit, where it widens out from four to eight lanes, and then suburban hell all the way into the city.
But from the NW, you go down a big hill from Joelton, pass by the still rural-looking OHB exit, up and down another hill, then Briley, then merge in with I-65. Then looking straight ahead, you see the downtown skyline just a few miles away.
I-84 coming from the Columbia Gorge into suburban Troutdale and Gresham. Though it's a while of suburban before it becomes urban. But it's an instant transition from green everywhere, river on your right, mountains on your left, to generic suburbs.
Phoenix is pretty abrupt, especially on I-10 east out of town. One exit past loop 202 and it's an abrupt change from suburban hell to the desert.
Quote from: 1 on October 15, 2015, 03:39:31 PM
I was thinking the Everglades.
I-75 eastbound into Weston is a good example, since the area north of Weston is still a preserve. The plunge begins right as it becomes I-595.
Likewise, I-95 southbound at PGA Boulevard is where South Florida's vitality (and bad drivers), encroachment of buildings and dwellings, seems to begin. The exits are essentially every mile or two from there towards Miami.
IL 47 going way from huntley il very quickly drops from 3 lanes easy with a wide median to a rural 2 lane road
Quote from: corco on October 15, 2015, 04:21:20 PM
Phoenix is pretty abrupt, especially on I-10 east out of town. One exit past loop 202 and it's an abrupt change from suburban hell to the desert.
Agreed, although there has been some recent buildup in the Wild Horse Pass area.
In some states, the presence of logo signs can give you a hint between urban and rural boundaries. In states that don't allow logo signs in urban areas, once you see logo signs you know you are in a rural area. In states that do allow logo signs in urban areas, it can perhaps be considered the boundary between the inner city and the suburbs, since installation may not be possible in the inner city due to lack of available space between exits.
Prior to the introduction of ADOT's urban logo sign program, that is where you started seeing the logo signs when going eastbound, which was pretty much a clear urban/rural boundary for ADOT as well as the former logo sign contractor Arizona Logo Sign Group. The logo signs now start at Elliot.
The west side is a bit more gradual, with no obvious urban/rural boundary. The logo signs previously started at Dysart when going westbound, although Goodyear nowadays can't really be considered rural anymore. The logo signs now start at 43rd Avenue in Phoenix.
I wonder if we will see logo signs on interchanges in the future between 43rd Avenue and Elliot in the future. Perhaps ADOT is saving it for last by focusing on the more suburban areas first. I just got confirmation that SR 143 will be getting logo signs (the engineering study was recently completed), and if SR 143 can get them, I think much of I-10 in the inner city can get them as well (except perhaps in the immediate downtown area).
I-16 at both ends is this way; it feels like you're in the middle of nowhere and suddenly you're almost right downtown. Particularly at the Macon end due to the Ocmulgee monument and floodplain limiting development until you hit exit 2.
Pittsburgh. It doesn't seem like much...until you get through the tunnel or (if from the north) near the end of the valley. Also, I-87 SB at I-287 goes from rural protected parkland to Rockland County suburbs really quickly.
I agree that the Albany metro is quite abrupt, especially from the north and east, due to the terrain. Coming from the north, densely-developed Queensbury literally borders Adirondack Park and the mountains contain development in Warren and Saratoga Counties, while the Berkshires/Taconics/Green Mountains keep development to the east right along the Hudson River.
I would nominate I-280 southbound. At Foothill Expwy, the landscape goes from rolling wooded and grassy hills to urban metropolis. It's also at this point where the pavement goes from asphalt to concrete.
I-40 eastbound or I-55 southbound, heading into Tennessee.
Quote from: 1 on October 15, 2015, 03:39:31 PM
I was thinking the Everglades.
Absolutely. The division between urban/suburban and total wilderness is 99.9%. Some of the starkest differences can be seen along the Sawgrass Expressway and the section of Interstate 75 through Weston, FL.
Quote from: xcellntbuy on October 15, 2015, 07:22:30 PM
Quote from: 1 on October 15, 2015, 03:39:31 PM
I was thinking the Everglades.
Absolutely. The division between urban/suburban and total wilderness is 99.9%. Some of the starkest differences can be seen along the Sawgrass Expressway and the section of Interstate 75 through Weston, FL.
Portions of US-27 along the west edge of Pembroke Pines are good for that too. The suburban area just ENDS and you see miles of nothing across the road.
Schuykill Expressway. West of Exit 331, you're pretty much going from suburban to rural just as the last ramp from I-476 merges in. Instantly. West of Exit 342 or 343, the Philly skyline disappears and at the ramp, you've just entered West Philadelphia (instantly), on a playground where I was born and raised. Chillin' out and maxing all cool n' all shootin' some hoops right outside of the school.
I-229 SB in St. Joe. Hills and trees and then suddenly city.
Not as stark as some of the other examples that were brought up, but the US 10 freeway makes a fairly quick transition between rural and suburban at the ridge line where it passes under WI 76 here in the Appleton, WI area. There are no interchanges on US 10 between WI 76 and the US 45 Winchester interchange, quite some distance to the west, and the scenery is nearly completely NE Wisconsin rural.
Mike
US 360 in southwestern Chesterfield County for me. It has been built out farther past Winterpock Road(SR 621) and Woodlake Village Pkwy as the years have gone on, but it astonishes me how heading eastbound the road goes from 4 lanes to 8 lanes in less than 2 miles.
Probably not exactly what you were thinking of, but driving on 441 out of Smoky Mountains National Park into Gatlinburg is quite jarring.
I think I-10 entering New Orleans takes the cake :bigass:
https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512 (https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512)
I-64 between MM 254 and 252 coming out of Newport News (Built up 8-lane to a 4-lane with trees in the median)
Quote from: pumpkineater2 on October 15, 2015, 11:34:41 PM
I think I-10 entering New Orleans takes the cake
https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512 (https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512)
That seems to be a theme in NOLA -- abrupt cut-offs in suburban developments. Though there's some obvious logic to this (the built-upon areas are water-tight -- those which are not are perhaps not as safe?).
Quote from: jakeroot on October 15, 2015, 11:47:41 PM
(the built-upon areas are water-tight -- those which are not are perhaps not as safe?).
The not built upon places are prone to flooding, as they are not protected by the levees, which in this case, is the reason for such an abrupt change between a rural and suburban setting.
US 23, I-75, or any road between, crossing the Ohio—Michigan border.
WB I-80 coming into Salt Lake City is quite abrupt. Yeah there's some McMansions in the mountains between there and Park City, but once you come into the valley it's a real city splayed out in front of you. Same effect WB I-40 into Albuquerque. The mountains limit the sprawl so once you hit some flat land, the city just erupts.
For me, it's going eastbound on I-80 from Lincoln to Omaha. It's rolling farmland and then suddenly at the NE 370 exit, it suddenly turns into suburban Omaha. Going east across the Mormon Bridge on I-680 or north from Council Bluffs on I-29 into rural Pottawattomie County Iowa can be jarringly sudden, too. Going south on I-29 from Council Bluffs used to feel like that, too, but they've put in some industrial developments along that road and I think eventually, that area will feel like you're driving through an industrial park.
Quote from: jakeroot on October 15, 2015, 11:47:41 PM
Quote from: pumpkineater2 on October 15, 2015, 11:34:41 PM
I think I-10 entering New Orleans takes the cake
https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512 (https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512)
That seems to be a theme in NOLA -- abrupt cut-offs in suburban developments. Though there's some obvious logic to this (the built-upon areas are water-tight -- those which are not are perhaps not as safe?).
The land that the suburbs were built upon is drained swamp, surrounded by levees as mentioned upthread. The cost of development is too high unless all the drained land is going to be used intensively.
I-90...
Westbound - You come out of the mountains, down from Snoqualmie Pass (at 80+), around a bend, and BOOM, you have entered Issaquah, more traffic, slower speed limit, and HOV lanes.
I-5...
Northbound - Tooling around at 70, with a large median (it may be paved, but it counts) surrounded by trees, then you go under the exit for the airport, and suddenly you have more lanes, a concrete roadway, lots of lighting, more traffic, and a 60MPH Speed Limit.
Quote from: TXtoNJ on October 16, 2015, 10:03:04 AM
Quote from: jakeroot on October 15, 2015, 11:47:41 PM
Quote from: pumpkineater2 on October 15, 2015, 11:34:41 PM
I think I-10 entering New Orleans takes the cake
https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512 (https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512)
That seems to be a theme in NOLA -- abrupt cut-offs in suburban developments. Though there's some obvious logic to this (the built-upon areas are water-tight -- those which are not are perhaps not as safe?).
The land that the suburbs were built upon is drained swamp, surrounded by levees as mentioned upthread. The cost of development is too high unless all the drained land is going to be used intensively.
Perhaps that explains why New Orleans felt like such a large city the last time I was there.
To the extent that it can be called "urban", Charleston, WV, as it is approached from I-79. No sububs visable and no real increase in traffic as 79 ends and merges into 77, and then, within 2 miles you are in the middle of downtown.
Also, to the extent it can be called "urban", Myrtle Beach as it is approached on the Conway Bypass. Nothing but pine scrubs and then the road ends in the middle of the built up area.
But I would go with the Everglades.
Quote from: cl94 on October 15, 2015, 05:56:38 PM
Pittsburgh. It doesn't seem like much...until you get through the tunnel or (if from the north) near the end of the valley.
I don't know if I agree much with the tunnel part. Most of the Parkways East & West are pretty suburban on the non-downtown sides of the tunnels, so no abrupt change from a rural setting in those instances (IMO)
I guess I-279 fits the topic. It has pretty rural feel all the way to Bellevue/West View and changes pretty quickly is it crests Summer Hill and descends toward downtown.
If you don't consider an airport making an area any less rural, I-376 feels pretty rural coming south from Beaver County, and right after the south junction with Business-376 you're in the whole Moon/Robinson strip mall mess fairly abruptly.
Another one is I-84 east of Boise: https://www.google.com/maps/@43.5420969,-116.1064365,14725m/data=!3m1!1e3
To the west of Boise there is a lot of suburbs and farmland, head east, and it's instantly nothing.
Quote from: 74/171FAN on October 15, 2015, 09:31:51 PM
US 360 in southwestern Chesterfield County for me. It has been built out farther past Winterpock Road(SR 621) and Woodlake Village Pkwy as the years have gone on, but it astonishes me how heading eastbound the road goes from 4 lanes to 8 lanes in less than 2 miles.
US 250 in Henrico/Goochland Counties is pretty much the same way. It's basically sprawl all the way out to VA 288, then suddenly farmland.
VA 5 leaving Richmond also counts.
It's debatable, but I would say the South Grand Island Bridge, and the Peace Bridge near Buffalo.
Edit: Also the eastern edge of St. Catharines, ON.
Another two areas to consider are just about anywhere outside of Reno-Sparks, NV and metro Las Vegas, NV.
Omaha/Papillion NE, 72nd street just south of Shadow Lake Mall (pretty big development, Best Buy grocery store, Kohls, etc) goes from 4 lane to county gravel road. Just like that.
(or it did last time I was there, might be paved now)
Quote from: Jardine on October 16, 2015, 10:34:59 PM
Omaha/Papillion NE, 72nd street just south of Shadow Lake Mall (pretty big development, Best Buy grocery store, Kohls, etc) goes from 4 lane to county gravel road. Just like that.
(or it did last time I was there, might be paved now)
Looking around that area, it seems to happen quite a bit, but not quite as extreme as that. Then again, I don't think much will beat I-229 before the road at its northern terminus was paved in 2006.
Quote from: 1 on October 15, 2015, 03:39:31 PM
I was thinking the Everglades.
Definitely agree, flying out of Miami at night the difference is even more apparant
Quote from: jwolfer on October 17, 2015, 02:20:58 AM
Quote from: 1 on October 15, 2015, 03:39:31 PM
I was thinking the Everglades.
Definitely agree, flying out of Miami at night the difference is even more apparant
Everything to the top and right of this photo is the Everglades:
[(https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6151/6261447895_b27304f639_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/axiyjc)
Southbound US-127 entering East Lansing, Michigan. You go through a slight curve to the right just before the exit to M-43 and POW! you are in the city. There's development for a mile north but you don't really see it due to trees to the east and a sound wall to the west.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.7429967,-84.5094277,1944m/data=!3m1!1e3
I-71 Northbound into Columbus is pretty abrupt. You're out in the middle of cornfields, hit the exit for Ohio 665 and then you're in the suburbs of Columbus all of the sudden.
Quote from: jbnati27 on October 19, 2015, 11:23:50 AM
I-71 Northbound into Columbus is pretty abrupt. You're out in the middle of cornfields, hit the exit for Ohio 665 and then you're in the suburbs of Columbus all of the sudden.
SB is less, but not much different. Speed limit goes to 70 immediately north of Exit 121, which has the area's second-largest retail development. There are residential developments, but you can't see anything from I-71 and the next exit is 10 miles away.
Might as well throw in I-70 heading east into Columbus. With the exception of the fact that the highway is six lanes all the way from Springfield (and soon Dayton) there is a pretty definitive change as one gets within one mile of the Hillard-New Rome interchange just west of I-270. Trees do line the road as you near the exit but there's about a two-mile window from which the highway turns from rural agricultural land to a developed area leading toward the city. I think zoning has to do with the reason that western Franklin County is still rural and the abrupt cutoff in development is for a reason.
Quote from: cl94 on October 16, 2015, 11:22:09 PM
Quote from: Jardine on October 16, 2015, 10:34:59 PM
Omaha/Papillion NE, 72nd street just south of Shadow Lake Mall (pretty big development, Best Buy grocery store, Kohls, etc) goes from 4 lane to county gravel road. Just like that.
(or it did last time I was there, might be paved now)
Looking around that area, it seems to happen quite a bit, but not quite as extreme as that. Then again, I don't think much will beat I-229 before the road at its northern terminus was paved in 2006.
Sioux Falls still has a four-lane road with not much development transition into a gravel road (Benson Road)... but that might be gone in the next few years (if not already).
Quote from: SD Mapman on October 19, 2015, 02:43:28 PM
Quote from: cl94 on October 16, 2015, 11:22:09 PM
Quote from: Jardine on October 16, 2015, 10:34:59 PM
Omaha/Papillion NE, 72nd street just south of Shadow Lake Mall (pretty big development, Best Buy grocery store, Kohls, etc) goes from 4 lane to county gravel road. Just like that.
(or it did last time I was there, might be paved now)
Looking around that area, it seems to happen quite a bit, but not quite as extreme as that. Then again, I don't think much will beat I-229 before the road at its northern terminus was paved in 2006.
Sioux Falls still has a four-lane road with not much development transition into a gravel road (Benson Road)... but that might be gone in the next few years (if not already).
It still does (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.5877087,-96.7918054,330m/data=!3m1!1e3). Transition zone from 5 lanes to gravel is under 500 feet.
Quote from: tdindy88 on October 19, 2015, 01:55:43 PM
Might as well throw in I-70 heading east into Columbus. With the exception of the fact that the highway is six lanes all the way from Springfield (and soon Dayton) there is a pretty definitive change as one gets within one mile of the Hillard-New Rome interchange just west of I-270. Trees do line the road as you near the exit but there's about a two-mile window from which the highway turns from rural agricultural land to a developed area leading toward the city. I think zoning has to do with the reason that western Franklin County is still rural and the abrupt cutoff in development is for a reason.
Yes, development within the Big Darby Creek watershed became very difficult (in some townships more than others) after that waterway's exceptional biological diversity was publicized in the late 20th century. Little agreement has been reached regarding how much development can be allowed without threatening the creek too much. Without a plan to follow, only a few super-low-density residential "developments" have sprung up.
Quote from: Mr_Northside on October 16, 2015, 03:36:48 PM
Quote from: cl94 on October 15, 2015, 05:56:38 PM
Pittsburgh. It doesn't seem like much...until you get through the tunnel or (if from the north) near the end of the valley.
I don't know if I agree much with the tunnel part. Most of the Parkways East & West are pretty suburban on the non-downtown sides of the tunnels, so no abrupt change from a rural setting in those instances (IMO)
I guess I-279 fits the topic. It has pretty rural feel all the way to Bellevue/West View and changes pretty quickly is it crests Summer Hill and descends toward downtown.
If you don't consider an airport making an area any less rural, I-376 feels pretty rural coming south from Beaver County, and right after the south junction with Business-376 you're in the whole Moon/Robinson strip mall mess fairly abruptly.
The first thing I thought of when I saw this topic was approaching Pittsburgh on the Parkway West. When I visited a few years back, I was amazed driving in from the airport area how heavily forested this stretch of road is and that there is little sign of the suburban sprawl (sans the Robinson Towne Center area) or urban build-up that you see in most metro areas. The freeway is mostly only two lanes each way (due to the tunnels), and to the outsider, it appears to the naked eye to be semi-rural, though it may not be. If I had not known where I was, there is no way you could have convinced me that the city core for a metropolitan area of approximately 2 million people was over that "hill" when entering the Fort Pitt tunnels. I think that is what makes the whole Ft. Pitt Tunnel experience so interesting- going from "country" to "city" just like that.
Also, I was amazed at the small towns that existed only 15-20 miles from the downtown with large expanses of forested land between them. When I also passed Pittsburgh to the west on I-79 a few years later, there also seemed to very little sign IMO that we were just west of a major city. I have found no other city like Pittsburgh in my travels and I find it hard to describe to others (especially here in the Midwest where there is very little terrainwise to slow sprawl) how Pittsburgh is laid out.
Honorable mentions: Indianapolis from I-65 coming in from the northwest. This has changed a little bit with the growth of Zionsville and the widening between Lebanon and 865, but I was always amazed that it was quiet and rural up until you hit I-465 and then... bam- here's Indianapolis. Was the same way on I-74 both west and east of town until the last few years.
Chattanooga coming in from I-24 west of town- this is mostly due to terrain and Lookout Mountain, but I-24 is just a freeway winding through valleys, you get next to the river and then you hit that curve, and downtown Chattanooga is right there. The only way you know you are getting close is the awful stop-and-go traffic that can occur in that area....
Winnipeg from any where coming from the south on 100 (Perimeter Highway)- when I first visited Winnipeg, we were driving around the city and I wondered why they needed to build such a bypass considering it looked like North Dakota around it (flat farmland for miles with no subdivisions or commercial buildings). Once you turn off the Perimeter Highway on 1 or 75, you realize there is a dense city all the way up to the downtown core.
Grand Rapids from I-196- my memory is fuzzy, but it was pretty quiet heading into GRR from the west until you hit that hill going down into the downtown area.
Agreements with other comments- I-24 entering Murfreesboro/suburban Nashville (though that ugly sprawl continues for miles and miles after that), Seattle (again a lot to do with the trees blocking the strip malls and sprawl usually visible from the freeways in other cities)
North of Vancouver, BC, the Highway 99 transition from running along Howe Sound (left) to being a main artery through the northern and eastern suburbs is fairly abrupt, as you can see in this image:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FX5oP8D2.png&hash=35bcf568f63ec88a499c96820cacf6b8fdc6586a)
Quote from: UNDSIOUX on October 21, 2015, 05:50:35 PM
Grand Rapids from I-196- my memory is fuzzy, but it was pretty quiet heading into GRR from the west until you hit that hill going down into the downtown area.
More or less. You've already passed through the Grandville area which is getting pretty built up. Then you go along the floodplain of the Grand, so there's not much development for a while, until you come up the hill and around the turn (and see the city lights at night).
I-45 in southeast Dallas is pretty desolate. Even after crossing I-20 and Loop 12, it's very marshy and undeveloped and then you appear in Downtown and the transition to US 75 north is way busier.
Almost any of the Florida Panhandle beach cities feature that. One minute you're in a pine tree thicket and the next minute you're in town right next to the beach.
It always amazed me how Northern Virginia is vastly different from the rest of the state. I would say south of Fredericksburg is the cutoff of where the density drops (maybe even Stafford).
I-84 west and CT 8 north of Waterbury, CT are pretty abrupt. Within 3 miles of downtown Waterbury where they cross in the mixmaster, you're in the Litchfield Hills heading north and in the sticks of Middlebury heading west and both roads narrow to 2 lanes in each direction except for climbing lanes.
I-95 on the NJ Turnpike. Once you go past I-287, you go from seeing the Manhattan skyline instant forest. It's pretty abrupt - once 287 SB traffic merges in, the skyline disappears.
6 lanes down to just 2 seems abrupt to me.
Though this area is now slowly getting developed. Fuck it
https://goo.gl/maps/b742oUW4m322
HTC Desire 510
I-70 around Denver is a good example.
Heading east on I-70, once you pass the Pena & E-470 exits, you go from urban sprawl and development to farmland within a few minutes. Traffic counts drop dramatically as well.
Heading west, once you start climbing the hill west of the C-470 and US-40/Morrison exits, houses become sparser and what few brick & mortar businesses there are are well off the interstate -- despite the numerous exits between Golden and Idaho Springs.
Folks in SE Michigan who like to spend weekends "up north" would agree that I-75 transitions very noticeably north of the US-10/M-25 interchange near Bay City. The freeway between Flint and Bay City is generally four lanes wide in each direction with plenty of business and residential development. But past US-10 it quickly transitions to two lanes each way, wider median, large expanses of trees and farmland.
I experienced this last week. I was leaving Logroño South on N-111, the first few miles are somewhat suburban but then suddenly you are inside the mountains.
Here are mine (a few have already been mentioned):
1. I-10 east into New Orleans
2. I-10 east into Houston (mostly empty rice fields west of Katy–though this area is starting to grow)
3. I-40 east and I-55 south into Memphis
4. I-10 east into San Antonio (freeway goes from 2 to 5 lanes within roughly a mile–they just finished construction, so it could be closer to 6 lanes now)
5. I-40 west into Nashville (it's been awhile since I've been there, so this may have changed)
Driving around the PA Coal Region can be pretty jarring. A lot of the towns in there were built up like they could have been neighborhoods in, say, Philadelphia (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8207329,-76.2027204,3a,75y,155.24h,82.13t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1so3febQTsMzdGRO1PPsPggw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656), but with little to no suburban sprawl-type development. These tightly-packed little towns just end, and suddenly you're in the glades and hollows again. If you're bored, "drive" PA 54 from one end of Mahanoy City to the other in StreetView to see what I mean.
Quote from: vegas1962 on November 01, 2015, 01:23:11 PM
Folks in SE Michigan who like to spend weekends "up north" would agree that I-75 transitions very noticeably north of the US-10/M-25 interchange near Bay City. The freeway between Flint and Bay City is generally four lanes wide in each direction with plenty of business and residential development. But past US-10 it quickly transitions to two lanes each way, wider median, large expanses of trees and farmland.
And not enough lanes for the traffic on summer weekends.
Quote from: GaryV on October 21, 2015, 07:35:56 PM
Quote from: UNDSIOUX on October 21, 2015, 05:50:35 PM
Grand Rapids from I-196- my memory is fuzzy, but it was pretty quiet heading into GRR from the west until you hit that hill going down into the downtown area.
More or less. You've already passed through the Grandville area which is getting pretty built up. Then you go along the floodplain of the Grand, so there's not much development for a while, until you come up the hill and around the turn (and see the city lights at night).
As long as you're in Grand Rapids, can't forget about US-131 coming in from the south. A rural freeway at 100th St that goes right into suburbia by 84th St (two miles north). The new Tanger Outlets center is at the 84th St exit. And for non-freeways, M-37/Broadmoor Ave from Caledonia changes from suburban to rural (two lanes with trees on both sides) to four lane divided through industrial parks followed into the Woodland Mall area.
In Florida US 192 changes at I-95 from rural to urban or from urban to rural depending on which way you drive it.
US 19 changes at Weeki Wachi where south of there to St. Pete its a very developed arterial while north of there it is rural and gets its first higher than 55 speed limit if you are heading northward. From Weeki Wachi to Crystal River is the US route's southernmost open section free of consistent signals.
Quote from: noelbotevera on October 31, 2015, 10:18:48 PM
I-95 on the NJ Turnpike. Once you go past I-287, you go from seeing the Manhattan skyline instant forest. It's pretty abrupt - once 287 SB traffic merges in, the skyline disappears.
It's still densely populated, though - it just has the standard Northeastern expressway tree barrier.
Quote from: TXtoNJ on November 16, 2015, 12:00:39 PM
Quote from: noelbotevera on October 31, 2015, 10:18:48 PM
I-95 on the NJ Turnpike. Once you go past I-287, you go from seeing the Manhattan skyline instant forest. It's pretty abrupt - once 287 SB traffic merges in, the skyline disappears.
It's still densely populated, though - it just has the standard Northeastern expressway tree barrier.
But you hardly notice the development - the trees are planted rather densely that it seems like you go from urban to rural in about 300 feet.
I was going to say the approaches to St. Louis are noticeable. On I-70 WB, once you hit Foristell, you're in the sticks, likewise EB you hit the wall of suburbs and past Wentzville you're in the "Golden Triangle." 44 WB at the Franklin County/STL County line, you're in hilly country. From the east, the suburbs don't extend much up 70 or 55, but along 64 it seems it's pushing further east, hell Wunnenbergs added a Clinton County Street Guide to its repertoire of products.
Quote from: CapeCodder on November 19, 2015, 07:20:41 PM
I was going to say the approaches to St. Louis are noticeable. On I-70 WB, once you hit Foristell, you're in the sticks, likewise EB you hit the wall of suburbs and past Wentzville you're in the "Golden Triangle." 44 WB at the Franklin County/STL County line, you're in hilly country. From the east, the suburbs don't extend much up 70 or 55, but along 64 it seems it's pushing further east, hell Wunnenbergs added a Clinton County Street Guide to its repertoire of products.
True although I-64 is only about 27 miles until you hit farmland from the Mississippi, where on the Missouri side you have to drive 50 miles west of the Mississippi to hit farmland. When I travel east to visit family, almost half of the trip is getting across the St. Louis metro. Along US-61 in the northwest part of the St. Louis area you have the Cuivre River just north of Troy, MO where there is a significant drop between any exurban and suburban development once you go north.
Another fun example that never leaves the greater Saint Louis metro area is Highway 94(MO-94) in St. Charles County. It quickly goes from two lane rural west of highway fourty(US-40/61/I-64) to a four lane limited access highway, then multiplexed with with eight lane highway, and then quickly drops back to rural again north of highway 370(MO-370) all in a single thirty to thirty-five mile stretch.
The Florida Turnpike goes from suburban sprawl to rural at (or now just south of US 192), and at FL 70 and north of it goes from the Fort Pierce/ Port St. Lucie density to open areas with orange groves. Hence that is why for 88 miles you have only one interchange the whole entire route.
I-88 just past Orchard Road. Goes from industrial/commercial to complete rural within 1 mile.
I-90 in Illinois is tricky because over the past 10 years there has been big developments between Elgin and Rockford. There is still farmland, but its slowly beginning to erode away from the interstate.
Yes development and sprawl can move the line and drastically even make a metro area bigger.
Look at I-4 near Disney. The US 192 interchange was where it became rural until Lakeland, and now with Celebration and the sprawl at US 27, it now becomes rural until Tampa and Orlando become like NYC and Philadelphia that is one combined metro area.
I lived in south Florida about 2 miles from the Sawgrass/Everglades as a kid, and I was always impressed by how sharp a boundary between "civilization" and nothingness it was. I have a hard time believing there is as sharp a boundary as that in the US.
One thing that is noticeable is in a plane flying over Orlando, you notice the boundary between civilization and the Wekiva Wetlands as the wetlands cover many square miles of green. You notice that real easy after seeing developments for quite a while after take off from MCO.
Yes the Everglades is the same way. It has a distinct line that prevents the developments from going further west.
So much for wetlands preserve, as that is one thing that keeps bulldozers away! Heck it took years for them to get FL 429 approved north of Apopka as that is right smack in the middle of the Wekiva preserve.
Quote from: roadman65 on November 20, 2015, 08:32:12 PM
One thing that is noticeable is in a plane flying over Orlando, you notice the boundary between civilization and the Wekiva Wetlands as the wetlands cover many square miles of green. You notice that real easy after seeing developments for quite a while after take off from MCO.
Yes the Everglades is the same way. It has a distinct line that prevents the developments from going further west.
So much for wetlands preserve, as that is one thing that keeps bulldozers away! Heck it took years for them to get FL 429 approved north of Apopka as that is right smack in the middle of the Wekiva preserve.
And suburban subdivisions have bears all the time
I-15S from Victorville to San Bernardino is kinda wonky. You go from small desert town to mountains to a major city within a span of 40 miles.
And I always found the transition into the NYC metro, ESPECIALLY coming from the N&W to be very abrupt. But I think that has more to do with topography than anything else.
I 490 from either direction towards Rochester gets an honorable mention.
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 28, 2016, 08:53:56 PM
And I always found the transition into the NYC metro, ESPECIALLY coming from the N&W to be very abrupt. But I think that has more to do with topography than anything else.
That's one people who aren't familiar with the area don't expect. That and the fact that the metro area is anything but flat (at least off of Long Island). The transition from the north and west is very abrupt, largely due to a mountain range known as the Taconics and the Hudson Highlands that confines development to the south.
VA 28 northbound in Prince William County was pretty jarring for me.
Quote from: Takumi on February 28, 2016, 10:22:32 PM
VA 28 northbound in Prince William County was pretty jarring for me.
Yes because of Prince William County's "rural crescent" I-66 west of Haymarket and Route 28 south of Bristow both go from urban to country roads extremely quickly. If it will stay this way only time will tell...
Adding to the notes about Phoenix earlier, it's especially noticeable when entering/exiting the adjacent reservations. On the 101 going thru Scottsdale, you have cross streets that typically traverse about 1/4 mile of farm fields before entering the suburban tract homes west of Pima Road... with the exception of the two casino resorts, a handful of strip malls, and an office park or two, the contrast is pretty remarkable.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4965966,-111.8782905,8955m/data=!3m1!1e3
Arizona Ave is a multi-lane urban arterial surrounded by subdivisions until Hunt Highway. Proceeding straight across, the route changes to 587, a two-lane country road surrounded by fields and ranch homes.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.1944784,-111.8309062,4145m/data=!3m1!1e3
Queen Creek Road east of I-10 although it doesn't have a route number that I'm aware of, is a high speed 4 lane divided highway that connects I-10 to the southeast valley. It abruptly transitions from farm fields to industrial parks around Old Price Road. Ditto for Riggs Road at 88th Street.
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.2335633,-111.8962172,7404m/data=!3m1!1e3
I said it before but for you newbies out there, US 192 goes from heavy urban stoplights every half mile to very rural with miles of no stoplights at the I-95 interchange in Melbourne, FL.
I-4 does it at I-75 as its rural on the east side and then the west side of it you go right into Greater Tampa. I-275 the same thing as you cross over US 41 north of Bearss Avenuen it goes from rural to urban right away.
Quote from: GaryV on October 15, 2015, 10:10:45 PM
Probably not exactly what you were thinking of, but driving on 441 out of Smoky Mountains National Park into Gatlinburg is quite jarring.
I highly agree lol!!!
I-95 at the MA-RI border. On the MA side it's quite rural looking. On the RI side it's a built-up suburb. The difference is most visible going north (from RI into MA).
Quote from: pumpkineater2 on October 15, 2015, 11:34:41 PM
I think I-10 entering New Orleans takes the cake :bigass:
https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512 (https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512)
100% agreed.
How about the east side of Texarkana along I-30, coming in from the east. Once you get past Exit 2 going WB, it's urban.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Texarkana,+AR+71854/@33.4715848,-94.0045155,3219m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x86346d149b77e901:0x55da205a08489d0e!8m2!3d33.4417915!4d-94.0376881?hl=en (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Texarkana,+AR+71854/@33.4715848,-94.0045155,3219m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x86346d149b77e901:0x55da205a08489d0e!8m2!3d33.4417915!4d-94.0376881?hl=en)
Coming SB into greater L.A. from the north on I-5 is always a bit disconcerting -- after miles of valley followed by miles of sagebrush-covered mountains, you're on this straight stretch heading down the hill (on the "wrong" side of a carriageway shift) and you look to your right and there are houses heading up the hill across the canyon, followed by more houses directly in front of you in the Castaic area. At that point, you don't get a break from urbanity until you hit Camp Pendleton!
I-64 entering Short Pump eastbound near Richmond is quickly becoming or already is an obvious one thanks to recently completed I-64 widening project.
Ditto on the I-66 northern Virginia transition. It literally goes from suburbs to rural mountains in Haymarket in the blink of an eye. This is near the Prince William-Fauquier county line. The weirdest part is that the transition takes place when you're still in Prince William County, and the reason I say that is because I don't think of Prince William as a "mountain county" at all. Similarly I don't think of the D.C. suburbs when I think of Fauquier County, and yet Fauquier is considered part of greater D.C. these days.
Quote from: epzik8 on August 16, 2016, 02:52:15 PM
Ditto on the I-66 northern Virginia transition. It literally goes from suburbs to rural mountains in Haymarket in the blink of an eye. This is near the Prince William-Fauquier county line. The weirdest part is that the transition takes place when you're still in Prince William County, and the reason I say that is because I don't think of Prince William as a "mountain county" at all. Similarly I don't think of the D.C. suburbs when I think of Fauquier County, and yet Fauquier is considered part of greater D.C. these days.
The transition is right after the US-15 exit in Haymarket. Not sure if this was said earlier in the thread but the reason for this sudden change is because of Prince William county's "Rural Cresent" which spares just about all of the most western part of the county from residential development. There are some breaks in it though...
I-95 north of Richmond. Going southbound you've dealt with miles of forest and then the sudden change to the Richmond area happens right around Kings Dominion, as that's probably the first dot of civilization ever since Fredericksburg. Ditto going northbound. It suddenly becomes tree lined north of I-295 and the last dot of civilization is at Kings Dominion, and then nothing up until Fredericksburg.
US 150 approaching Peoria from the west goes through farmland after leaving the hamlet of Kickapoo, then runs into the Shoppes at Grand Prairie (large outdoor mall), crosses IL 6, and is right into suburbia.
I-270 in Montgomery County, Maryland transitions from (sub)urban to rural for a while north of Md. 121 (Clarksburg) (https://www.google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B015'35.8%22N+77%C2%B018'27.1%22W/@39.259944,-77.3097197,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d39.259944!4d-77.307531), and stays rural for about three miles north almost to Md. 80 in Frederick County (https://www.google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B018'52.2%22N+77%C2%B021'04.7%22W/@39.314491,-77.3534817,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d39.314491!4d-77.351293).
I just drove I-5 north into Elk Grove (Sacramento) and there's a flashing warning sign before you hit the first suburban exit, "Warning: Urban area ahead. Speed reduced." The wetlands make the transition pretty dramatic.
Except for Airline Highway, any entrance into New Orleans' sphere of influence, or at least the East Bank, means seeing how canals have dictated development there. I love flying into MSY on an eastern approach.
Northbound on I-5 coming down from Siskiyou Summit into the Rogue valley, the change from mountain highway to suburban bypass freeway is rather abrupt at the point where the southernmost segment of OR 99 diverges to access southern Ashland. You go quickly from a steep (and often treacherous) roadway with a deep drop-off to your right and evergreen-covered mountains to your left to a flat roadway flanked with storage facilities, warehouses, and other businesses. You're at once relieved that you don't have to negotiate any more of the curvy downhill stretch, but a bit sad that the scenery will remain relatively boring at least through Medford (at least that's been my impression!).
I-290 going west from Shrewsbury (MA) into Worcester (MA) is a fairly dramatic rural to urban transition, especially once you take the sweeping left hand curve past the I-190 interchange
Quote from: pumpkineater2 on October 15, 2015, 11:34:41 PM
I think I-10 entering New Orleans takes the cake :bigass:
https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512 (https://goo.gl/maps/ktiVC9fUs512)
The approach from the east (https://www.google.com/maps/@30.0580573,-89.9325712,8212m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en) isn't too shabby either.
I nominate I-10 coming westbound out of Beaumont, TX (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Beaumont,+TX/@30.051247,-94.1562337,6399m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x863ecb183d8fb19d:0xfdae9c3edc5acd1d!8m2!3d30.080174!4d-94.1265562?hl=en). You're in the city right up to the US 69-96-287 split. Go past that split and over the bridge and you drop back into flat, rural, marshy southeast Texas. You'll pass some development at the Walden exit, a large park complex and some industrial plants, but otherwise you're done with any sort of urban landscape until you get to Houston.
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 15, 2015, 03:54:02 PM
I was struck by this phenomenon on southbound I-25 entering the Albuquerque area a few weeks ago when I was coming back from a day trip up to Santa Fe. You hit the Tramway Boulevard exit and you instantly transition from rural wide-open spaces to a well-developed suburban area. It struck me more than it does on I-66 where hbelkins mentions because I-66 has wooded areas on the north side of the road for a while due to the Manassas Battlefield park, whereas I-25 has no such thing and sees development on both sides.
Coming into Albuquerque from the east on I-40 is even more abrupt, since development stops at Sandia Peak and doesn't really build back up again until Moriarty, 25 miles away.
I thought of this thread while I was on NY 173 westbound between Chittenango and Onondaga Hill this past Thursday. I was west of Jamesville, and since I'd been going through little towns I forgot that NY 173 actually enters Syracuse. When I saw this speed limit sign (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9995633,-76.125598,3a,67.9y,293.85h,90.85t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sV4J0Iua2NVkM9CLIaJ2QdQ!2e0) then this signal ahead sign (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9998729,-76.12678,3a,54.7y,297.48h,89.32t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sEVpVZGHiT5UfSglLSb0ShA!2e0) just after it, I was expecting another hamlet or small village just around the curve ahead. After going around the curve (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.000785,-76.1289915,3a,54.7y,337.57h,87.3t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sSQm7U5GLv6zfdNTs_UFWtA!2e0), you're suddenly in Syracuse.