What's the highway (state highway, preferably) which has the most diverse characteristics throughout its route?
Example: California Route 4. Curvy parkway becomes congested freeway becomes two-lane road becomes freeway again becomes two-laner becomes Main Street becomes windy mountain road, ultimately dropping down to just one lane.
Can any route beat that?
Out here, it has to be CO14. Starts basically at the top of Rabbit Ears Pass, winds through high open country before entering Poudre Canyon for ~70 miles, then becomes an urban thoroughfare in Fort Collins, then ends up running for a very long time through the plains of Eastern Colorado.
Chris
Definitely is CA 4 out here as noted in the original post. CA 1 is about the only highway that really approaches the same amount of alternating diversity.
For Arizona I probably would say US 60 by far. The Superstition Freeway is one of the main arteries in the Phoenix Area and probably one of the busiest stand alone US Route segments. US 60 is also a major surface highway via Grand Boulevard and is a lonely desert road the further west you get from Phoenix. East of Phoenix US 69 traverses Queen Creek Canyon, the mines of Globe/Miami, and the infamous Salt River Canyon. The terrain varies even east of Salt River Canyon via the Mogollon Rim and Colorado Plateau.
If I was looking for a diverse State Highway in Arizona it might be 89A but really none of them get as close to what US 60 brings.
Not sure if it's the most diverse, but over here, NY 22 deserves a mention. To the best of my knowledge, it looks something like this, roughly in order:
-Avenue
-Two-lane highway
-Four-lane divided highway/Four-lane undivided highway
-Two lane highway
-Freeway (runs on I-684)
-Two-lane highway
-Varies between 3 or 4 lane highway
-Four-lane divided highway
-Two-lane highway, later running along a city street
-One-way couplets
-Two-lane highway
A state highway is harder, but I'd nominate MN-23. It begins at I-90 near the South Dakota border as a two-lane rural highway before briefly transitioning to a four-lane expressway thru Marshall. After that, it's back to a two-lane highway until just south of Granite Falls, where it again becomes a four-lane expressway until its junction with US-212. It then crosses the Minnesota River as a two-lane highway and continues northbound as such until just south of Wilmar, where it becomes a "super two" freeway for about two miles (including a weird 1/4 diamond interchange with Kandiyohi CSAH 5). The highway then expands into a more traditional four-lane freeway bypass of Wilmar. Just north of Wilmar, the highway becomes a four-lane expressway until New London, where the highway transitions back to a two-lane highway. This two-lane highway is interrupted yet again with a seven mile four-lane bypass of Paynesville (mostly freeway-grade, but with a few intersections). The highway then transitions back to a two-lane highway until Richmond, where (yet again) the highway becomes a four-lane expressway. This continues into Waite Park, at which point MN-23 transitions to an urban four-lane roadway through Saint Cloud. Just east of Saint Cloud, the highway again becomes a four-lane expressway to Foley before going back down to two lanes. The rest of the highway has less changes, staying two lanes except for two short four-lane concurrencies with MN-65 thru Mora [never mind- turns out the Mora segment is two lanes] and I-35 near Hinckley. A couple miles short of the end of MN-23 in Duluth, the highway makes it's final transition from two-lane highway to four-lane urban roadway and ultimately ends at I-35.
Scenery-wise, MN-23 doesn't miss much given that it runs diagonally across the state. The southwestern portion of the route is largely agricultural and flat, while the route roughly east of Foley has a bit more forest and elevation.
MN-23 is the one that dips into WI, too, right? :D
TN-66 seems to qualify for Tennessee.
Starts as a windy 2-lane mountain road, goes to a 4-lane through Rogersville, back to a 2-lane as it goes through the countryside, merges onto US 11E as a 2-lane expressway, becomes a 4-lane divided in Morristown, then goes back to a 4-lane undivided and then to a 2-lane, exits Morristown as a 2-lane residential street then becomes a 4-lane RIRO expressway all the way to I-81, goes back to a 2-lane to parallel I-81, merges onto US-25W/70 in Dandridge as a 2-lane main street, merges onto I-40, then leaves it as a 6-lane divided expressway all the way to Sevierville.
It goes through mountains, farmland, cities, and even tourist traps.
MA 2. East end is in Boston, western third is a scenic two-lane road, and is a freeway with gaps in between.
For Michigan, it would likely have to be one that traverses north to south.
The obvious candidate would be I-75. If it has to be a state route, that would be harder to pick.
There aren't any M routes that stretch from the SE metro area to the northern part of the Mitten. So that narrows it down a little.
I nominate M-37. Starting near Battle Creek, going through Grand Rapids, it then goes into rural area. It ends in the tourist town of Traverse City. (OK, onto Mission Peninsula, but that section has been submitted for decommissioning.)
Runner up, M-53, running from Detroit to the tip of the Thumb in Port Austin.
Quote from: 1 on January 02, 2021, 06:18:15 AM
MA 2. East end is in Boston, western third is a scenic two-lane road, and is a freeway with gaps in between.
I'll second that for Massachusetts.
MA 28 and US 6 in the state, maybe MA 9 as well, could be candidates to be runners-up to MA 2.
How about US 9? It's got a couple of expressway sections in Peekskill and Poughkeepsie, plus two-lane and four-lane surface roads, divided and undivided. It multiplexes with I-95 across the George Washington Bridge, plus it includes a number of other substantial bridges (Pulaski Skyway, Broadway, Dunn Memorial), as well as a ferry between Delaware and New Jersey. It passes through urban areas such as Newark, Manhattan, and Albany, as well as rural areas such as the Jersey Shore, the Hudson Valley, and the Adirondacks.
In WI it's US-45 IMO. Starts as a two lane road through the backwoods in the northern part of the state, then becomes a freeway, then a city street in Oshkosh and FDL, then a two lane road again, then a 10 lane freeway in the Milwaukee area, then a rural two lane road again.
US 7. Here's how Kurumi describes it (http://www.kurumi.com/roads/ct/us7.html)
Quote
US 7 is a road of many different characters:
I-95 to CT 123 in Norwalk: 6-lane freeway with wide median, opened 1971
CT 123 to Grist Mill Road in Norwalk: 4-lane freeway, narrow median, opened 1992; with a partial interchange at CT 15. The Norwalk freeway segment of US 7 is 3.96 miles long.
Grist Mill Road to Olmstead Hill Road in Wilton: 4-lane undivided road. Widening was completed on a 2.6-mile segment from Wolfpit Road to Olmstead Hill Road on Dec. 17, 2009.
Olmstead Hill Road to CT 35 in Ridgefield: 2-lane undivided, except for a short widening at the CT 57/CT 107 intersection.
CT 35 to south of Wooster Heights Road in Danbury: 4-lane undivided
South of Wooster Heights Road to I-84: 4-lane freeway, 1.77 miles long
3.65-mile overlap with I-84; this road opened in 1961
I-84 to US 202 (exit 12): 4.59-mile 4-lane freeway; this segment opened in 1977
US 202 to end of freeway: 3.22-mile 4-lane freeway extension; this "Brookfield Bypass" opened in 2009
7/202 merge to Lanesville Road, New Milford: 2.31-mile 4-lane divided highway with at-grade intersections
Lanesville Road to CT 67, New Milford: 4-lane undivided road.
CT 67 to Massachusetts state line: 2-lane scenic road.
And I guess US 101. It's an 10 Lane Freeway in Los Angeles and in San Mateo County, through the Redwood Forest, it's partially a 2 lane country road, and in San Francisco it's a 4 lane urban boulevard.
MT 200 strikes me as the most diverse in the state. Mostly 2 lane, but goes from plains to badlands to canyons to mountain chains and valleys. It's also a 4-lane thoroughfare in Great Falls, and freeway when duplexed with I-315, I-15, and I-90.
I was thinking MO 21, but MO 13 might have a more variety since 21 doesn't seem to fully leave the Ozark region. Both have urban, rural, and freeway sections, but MO 13 also has long expressway sections.
Quote from: Rothman on January 02, 2021, 12:19:47 AM
MN-23 is the one that dips into WI, too, right? :D
My selection was MN 65, because MN 23's one flaw is not hitting the Twin Cities. 65 starts in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, heads north across the Mississippi to become the major arterial Central Avenue, north of 694 becomes 4-lane expressway to Cambridge (with a freeway bypass), a congested two-lane road to McGregor as it clips the east edge of the northern central lakes region, then a very quiet two-lane road for the most part north of that but it passes through a couple Iron Range towns.
For Indiana I would submit SR 135 as one of the state's most diverse. It begins at the Ohio River and travels north past Corydon, the original state capital and continues north across the rolling hills of Southern Indiana toward Salem and Brownstown. North of US 50 in Brownstown the road is a small two-lane highway that really winds its way through the heart of the Hoosier National Forest en route to Nashville, routed in such a way to avoid the large Brown County State Park. After a brief multiplex with SR 46 through Nashville, arguably one of Indiana's most scenic towns, the highway continues its way through the rolling hills of Brown County past the colorful-sounding named Beanblossom and up to Morgantown. Here the highway turns to the northeast as you can sense the abrupt transition from the hills of Southern Indiana to the flat plains of the central part in the state. Now in Johnson County the highway is is prime farming territory before entering the growing suburbs of Greenwood and Indianapolis' southside. Past Bargersville the highway becomes a four-lane road with center-turn lane for the duration of its route. The highway ends at the junction with US 31 just south of I-465 (because INDOT) but you can imagine it continuing north along Meridian Street all the way into Downtown Indianapolis and Monument Circle, the heart of the Hoosier State.
In AZ one would have to nominate AZ 87. South to north, it starts out as a desert highway, segues into outflung suburbs, becomes the primary N-S arterial through the city of Mesa, becomes a 4-lane divided expressway uphill to Payson, comes down through pine forests on the other side of the Mogollon Ridge, becomes a desert highway once more, slides through Winslow, and finally terminates in the Navajo Nation, still as a desert-bound facility. Can't think of any other route within the state that changes both form and environment as many times.
Quote from: sparker on January 02, 2021, 06:07:37 PM
In AZ one would have to nominate AZ 87. South to north, it starts out as a desert highway, segues into outflung suburbs, becomes the primary N-S arterial through the city of Mesa, becomes a 4-lane divided expressway uphill to Payson, comes down through pine forests on the other side of the Mogollon Ridge, becomes a desert highway once more, slides through Winslow, and finally terminates in the Navajo Nation, still as a desert-bound facility. Can't think of any other route within the state that changes both form and environment as many times.
The reason I thought of 89A was due to the fact it goes through almost configuration that would be seen in a State Highway. Even part of the Pioneer Parkway is also a segment of 89A which would give it a freeway grade. Considering how 89A is near Jerome that's a pretty drastic change.
Wait a cotton pickin' minute. We just did this topic a few months ago.
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=27410.msg2523531#msg2523531
Not a state route, but I find US 33 in Ohio to be pretty diverse. Starts off at the IN border as a 2 lane rural highway through relatively flat terrain cornfields. It gets its first 4 lane expressway segment between St Marys and Wapakoneta, where it intersects I-75 in the latter town. It then turns back into a 2 lane road and runs alongside a small lake for a portion, before turning back into a 4 lane expressway at Bellefontaine and continues as it all the way to I-270 in Dublin. It then runs alongside the Scioto River in Suburban Columbus, before entering Downtown Columbus as a 2 lane city street. It then turns back to a 4 lane expressway, intersects I-270, and enters the Applachian Plateau part of Ohio. It continues as an expressway through the rolling hills until south of Athens, where it turns into a 2 lane road and with a couple of short exceptions, is like this the rest of the way to the WV border.
Quote from: Road Hog on January 02, 2021, 08:41:17 PM
Wait a cotton pickin' minute. We just did this topic a few months ago.
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=27410.msg2523531#msg2523531
I thought so...because I remembered answering SR 92 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=27410.msg2523601#msg2523601) for Utah.
I nominate KY 80 for Kentucky.
Starts as a quiet country narrow two-lane route in the Purchase area, becomes a four-lane route at Mayfield, crosses Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley and concurrent with US 68, is mostly a four-lane route all the way to Kentucky's third-largest city, Bowling Green. From there, it is a companion route to the four-lane I-65 and Cumberland Parkway, passing through several county seat towns. At Somerset, it becomes a primary route again to link to London and I-75, with portions four lanes. Between London and Hazard, it's a mountainous route that serves local traffic due to the presence of the Hal Rogers Parkway. East of Hazard, it's four lanes, and continues as four lanes with a concurrency along US 23 to south of Pikeville. From there, it becomes a mountain two-lane route before disappearing into Virginia.
Quote from: mrcmc888 on January 02, 2021, 05:07:56 AM
TN-66 seems to qualify for Tennessee.
Starts as a windy 2-lane mountain road, goes to a 4-lane through Rogersville, back to a 2-lane as it goes through the countryside, merges onto US 11E as a 2-lane expressway, becomes a 4-lane divided in Morristown, then goes back to a 4-lane undivided and then to a 2-lane, exits Morristown as a 2-lane residential street then becomes a 4-lane RIRO expressway all the way to I-81, goes back to a 2-lane to parallel I-81, merges onto US-25W/70 in Dandridge as a 2-lane main street, merges onto I-40, then leaves it as a 6-lane divided expressway all the way to Sevierville.
It goes through mountains, farmland, cities, and even tourist traps.
I don't think the part north of Exit 407 to the Morristown area is officially recognized. It's not signed along with I-40 (unlike TN 63 being signed along with I-75) so my thought is it's a discontinuous route.
Quote from: Road Hog on January 02, 2021, 08:41:17 PM
Wait a cotton pickin' minute. We just did this topic a few months ago.
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=27410.msg2523531#msg2523531
And I'm pretty sure I said CA 4.
MD-2 is an urban street in Baltimore, a four-lane or six-lane divided arterial serving suburban sprawl between Baltimore and Annapolis as Gov. Ritchie Highway, a freeway bypassing Annapolis (with U.S. 50 and U.S. 301), an four lane divided arterial again south of Annapolis, and eventually a two lanes rural arterial running parallel to the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Then it meets MD-4 and continues south past Prince Frederick though an exurban landscape (far southeast suburbs of Washington, D.C.), passes the large nuclear electric generating station at Calvert Cliffs before leaving MD-4 and terminating in the small bayside town of Solomons.
It also helps that MD-2 is the longest road with a state route number in Maryland.
If we're looking in Idaho, it has to be US-95. Goes through deserts, farmland, forests, mountains, gorges, urban areas, over lakes, and even has a full freeway segment.
Quote from: Rothman on January 02, 2021, 12:19:47 AM
MN-23 is the one that dips into WI, too, right? :D
MN-23 in WI is a really easy clinch, as it's literally impossible to NOT clinch it if you drive it. It's the only way in and the only way out of that small area.
US 29 and US 460 in Virginia are quite diverse, but I'd probably give the nod to US 460 - from urban to suburban to rural and back again, with 2-lane, 4-lane divided arterial, and freeway segments.
Quote from: thspfc on January 11, 2021, 06:11:28 PM
Quote from: Rothman on January 02, 2021, 12:19:47 AM
MN-23 is the one that dips into WI, too, right? :D
MN-23 in WI is a really easy clinch, as it's literally impossible to NOT clinch it if you drive it. It's the only way in and the only way out of that small area.
Google Maps seems to indicate otherwise; there's an unnamed business driveway you can use instead of crossing at the western end. Even if this wasn't the case, you could go to one of the residential streets and turn around.
Quote from: thspfc on January 11, 2021, 06:11:28 PM
Quote from: Rothman on January 02, 2021, 12:19:47 AM
MN-23 is the one that dips into WI, too, right? :D
MN-23 in WI is a really easy clinch, as it's literally impossible to NOT clinch it if you drive it. It's the only way in and the only way out of that small area.
I have been on it.