I got this idea from the "Natural Clinches You've Missed" thread.
What stretches of highway are very difficult for you to travel upon given where you live and where you normally drive to?
I'll give my examples to clarify. During my driving life, I have lived mainly in Kansas City and Denver. My parents live in St. Augustine, FL. Especially during college and through most of my 20's, I would drive to their house at least a couple times a year from Lawrence, KS. I would always try to alter my route, not necessarily because I was into clinching at the time, but just to see something different. There were two stretches of highway that I could never seem to route myself on in such a way that made any sense:
I-65 between Mobile and Montgomery
I-59 for most of its length, but specifically between Meridian and Chattanooga (or thereabouts)
Obviously driving in a generally southeasterly direction, any route that runs almost perfectly SW-NE I found impossible to route onto without adding multiple hours to my route. Given that I don't know anyone nor have anything in particular that I would like to visit along those highways, I am guessing that they will remain unclinched for quite some time for me. Do you all have any that just don't make sense for your travel patterns?
Chris
Pretty much everything I haven't finished around Los Angeles since when I head east I generally try to avoid the area. San Diego and all the border routes sans I-8 are equally in unfavorable clinch regions for me.
I haven't used I-65 between Indianapolis and Louisville at all yet, but I used the section north of Indianapolis and section south of Louisville many times. That's because of where I live at.
And I have never used the section of I-76 between I-80 and I-70, but used both sides of I-76 from that segment. From Cincy to NYC, the best routings are either I-71/70/78 or I-71/80, and I used both routings before. The former routing involves the PA Turnpike, and the latter involves the free section of I-76 in Ohio.
A section in the Cincinnati metro area I've been on before, but normally difficult for me to get a use out of is I-74 between I-275 and I-75. Since I'm in around the Mason area of Cincinnati, I would use either I-275 or Reagan Hwy to get to I-74 west towards Indy.
I-74 west of Champaign/Urbana. As I've said before, I see no reason why I'd ever be near Peoria
I'll almost certainly never end up clinching I-41 or I-94 in WI without setting out to do specfically that, because of the stretch in Racine and Kenosha counties. I can't think of a reason why I would drive first to Milwaukee, then to Chicago instead of just going straight to Chicago.
I had a similar idea with a thread I started (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=23258.msg2341633#msg2341633) back in 2018. I titled it "Nearest Freeway Segment You've Never Driven", but as you can see from my OP in that thread, I was thinking along these same lines.
This thread obviously includes some that are further away as well, but I suspect most that fit are going to be fairly close to home.
I-85 is something I would have trouble living in Florida as it goes from mid Alabama and east and NE. I-95 is the road to go for where I-85 N Bound. I-75 for Atlanta or I-77 for Charlotte. I-73 is for the NC Piedmont regions and I-40 for Durham.
For me, I-169 in south Texas. My normal cross-country trips are all well north of there, not venturing much south of I-10. And I venture much less often into Mexico than Canada, so I-169 is more out of my way than the New England states or North Dakota. I plan to ultimately clinch I-169 when it's finished, but otherwise it's too far out of the way for me.
The Pacific Northwest is another weak spot for my travels, losing out to California as my usual Pacific coast road trip destination. Last time I was there was on my mega-road trip of summer 2017, a year when I went to 45 states.
I have used I-26 between Spartanburg and Columbia before, but certainly not while I have lived in Georgia. Similarly I have no use for I-59 north of Birmingham, or I-77 south of Charlotte.
Quote from: roadman65 on February 11, 2021, 11:32:12 PM
I-85 is something I would have trouble living in Florida as it goes from mid Alabama and east and NE. I-95 is the road to go for where I-85 N Bound. I-75 for Atlanta or I-77 for Charlotte. I-73 is for the NC Piedmont regions and I-40 for Durham.
But I-73 isn't even complete?
Quote from: webny99 on February 11, 2021, 11:15:55 PM
I had a similar idea with a thread I started (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=23258.msg2341633#msg2341633) back in 2018. I titled it "Nearest Freeway Segment You've Never Driven", but as you can see from my OP in that thread, I was thinking along these same lines.
This thread obviously includes some that are further away as well, but I suspect most that fit are going to be fairly close to home.
It's funny though. Closer to home for me, there really aren't any. I suppose from here, I would say maybe I-40 between Albuquerque and Amarillo since it's quicker for me to take US287, but I've already clinched that segment (when I was 6 years old). Out west, there are less diagonal highways, and the only ones that are are useful from my direction (I-84, I-15). I-86 I had to go out of the way to get the first time I drove it, but it makes some sense for me to travel Denver-Kemmerer, WY-Pocatello-I-86-Parts NW without being too far off the normal direction of travel.
Chris
Quote from: jayhawkco on February 11, 2021, 11:59:21 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 11, 2021, 11:15:55 PM
This thread obviously includes some that are further away as well, but I suspect most that fit are going to be fairly close to home.
It's funny though. Closer to home for me, there really aren't any. ... Out west, there are less diagonal highways, and the only ones that are are useful from my direction (I-84, I-15).
Yeah, it's true that there are fewer diagonal highways out west. Several of my examples (I-86 between NY 36 and I-390, the Thruway between Henrietta and Victor) are caused by diagonal highways.
I'd still be surprised if you couldn't find
any examples in your home region. From Aurora, I would think parts of E-470 and I-76 would fit in spirit even if you have managed to clinch them.
Quote from: I-55 on February 11, 2021, 09:51:05 PM
I-74 west of Champaign/Urbana. As I've said before, I see no reason why I'd ever be near Peoria
That and I-39 south of Rockford were two routes I had to take trips specifically for clinching. I was never going to just end up on those roads.
Quote from: webny99 on February 12, 2021, 08:19:21 AM
Quote from: jayhawkco on February 11, 2021, 11:59:21 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 11, 2021, 11:15:55 PM
This thread obviously includes some that are further away as well, but I suspect most that fit are going to be fairly close to home.
It's funny though. Closer to home for me, there really aren't any. ... Out west, there are less diagonal highways, and the only ones that are are useful from my direction (I-84, I-15).
Yeah, it's true that there are fewer diagonal highways out west. Several of my examples (I-86 between NY 36 and I-390, the Thruway between Henrietta and Victor) are caused by diagonal highways.
I'd still be surprised if you couldn't find any examples in your home region. From Aurora, I would think parts of E-470 and I-76 would fit in spirit even if you have managed to clinch them.
I suppose the two best examples from my current house would be the Northwest Parkway and I-76 between I-70 and I-270. That said, when in the Denver metro, I haven't always lived in Aurora, so I would have had those be the quickest way to somewhere.
Chris
Just looking in my own state and only at interstates, I-390 south of Letchworth SP is my only missing chunk in upstate. The angle at which is runs doesn't help me much and I expect I'd need to set out with specific intent to drive it rather than working it in as a reasonable alternative on the way somewhere.
For me, there are various roads in southeastern and southwestern Virginia that just don't fit in any practical way unless, as others have noted, I were to set out specifically to drive those roads (unlikely as a practical matter due to the distance involved). I-77 north of I-81 is an excellent example: I've driven it south of I-81 on football trips to Charlotte, and I've driven the West Virginia Turnpike portion (and a little bit east of there to where it meets I-79), but the portion in between I-81 and I-64 is just a segment that there is very little reason for me ever to use because if I'm passing near that road, I'm either heading south towards North Carolina or west out I-64 (and, in the latter case, now that I've clinched I-64, I'd be more likely to use Corridor H, as I did on our most recent trip to Ohio last October).
A few Interstates in far western North and South Carolina and far eastern Tennessee fall into this category as well–the I-26 corridor from Columbia all the way up to its end in Tennessee is one (yes, I know some parts are technically "Future I-26," which is why I said "the I-26 corridor"), as is I-40 between I-81 and the Asheville area. They're both simply too far out of the way to be realistic. I'd really like to use the I-26 corridor between Asheville and I-81 sometime because I hear it's scenic, but for a trip south to Florida it simply doesn't make sense. Maybe I could try that if we went to the Grove Park Inn for a long weekend sometime, but it's still a long way via that route, and since I've clinched I-81 I don't generally have a huge appetite for driving large portions of that road in Virginia if I can go via a different route I haven't yet clinched or one that has less traffic. (Edited to add: I just measured out a trip to the Grove Park Inn and I'm mildly surprised to see that using the I-81 to I-26 corridor route is three miles shorter than the I-95/I-85/I-40 route. Detouring via I-77 north to I-64 would add an hour.)
Closer to home, there are a huge number of Maryland state routes that don't fit in because there's no reason to be going in that direction due to the roads ultimately not going anywhere. I'm thinking of Southern Maryland east of US-301. The only time in the past 30 years that I've driven into that part of the state was a drive to Leonardtown for a funeral a few years ago. The roads just don't connect to anything. I use US-301 from time to time as an alternative to I-95, but east of there the roads ultimately dead-end down at Point Lookout. I'd like to go down there sometime when the weather is nicer, though.
Quote from: oscar on February 11, 2021, 11:41:09 PM
For me, I-169 in south Texas. My normal cross-country trips are all well north of there, not venturing much south of I-10. And I venture much less often into Mexico than Canada, so I-169 is more out of my way than the New England states or North Dakota. I plan to ultimately clinch I-169 when it's finished, but otherwise it's too far out of the way for me.
The Pacific Northwest is another weak spot for my travels, losing out to California as my usual Pacific coast road trip destination. Last time I was there was on my mega-road trip of summer 2017, a year when I went to 45 states.
I think probably any E-W highway in the RGV would probably qualify. It's awfully long way from almost everywhere. When planning how I wanted to come back from my parents' house last time, I debated heading down there to knock out I-2 and "The 69's", but it added darn near 8 hours to my already pretty long trip. I'll get there eventually.
Chris
I would have had all US Highways in Wisconsin clinched about five years before I did, but was missing parts of US-12 in Eau Claire. (Between I-94 and US-53). You would think that an obscure section of rural highway would have been the hold up, but no...
I think for me I-49 between Lafayette and Shreveport is a perfect example for this thread. If I need to go to NE Louisiana for any reason, I'll take US 59 or even US 96 to get there.
Pretty much anything to the west of the Mississippi in Minnesota. The north is my playground but to change it up I'll go into bluff country (southeast) sometimes.
https://travelmapping.net/user/region.php?units=miles&u=thehighwayman3561&rg=MN
The turnpike, between the Kellogg and I-135 exits.
* I-78: had Exit 17 (NJ 31, Clinton) to Exit 14C (Liberty Science Center) down for a long time (since my childhood :D), and later completed everything west of that en route to Gettysburg, PA. But I never use the Holland Tunnel for traveling by road into NYC (only road crossings into Manhattan I've ever used are the GW Bridge and the Hamilton Bridge)... too slow
* GSP: remaining sections include Exits 127 (NJ 440, Woodbridge) to 142 (I-78, Union), 148 (CR 506 SPUR/CR 509, Bloomfield/Glen Ridge) to 159 (I-80, Saddle Brook), and 163 (NJ 17 North, Paramus) to the end
* US-202 in New Jersey: sections I have yet to take are NJ 10 to CR 511, I-287 Exit 47 to NJ 23, the other end of the NJ 23 multiplex to the Burger King in Oakland, and finally W Ramapo Ave to the NY border
* I-95 in New Jersey: never drove the eastern end of the PA turnpike; yes this was part of I-95 before the reroute
* NJ 36: all but one mile in Sea Bright... probably would've been even more had my parents not accidentally passed the turn-off to Sandy Hook when I was a youngster
* MD 295: MD 295 does lead into Baltimore, does it?
* DC 295: idk about this one too, does it count as clinching if you've always got off at 1B-C? Is the stretch between the wyes considered I-295 or DC 295?
* I-87 (NY): was just trying to clinch the Thruway, so never made it past Exit 13 onto the Deegan
* I-190 (NY): been to Niagara Falls twice in my life: once when I was a kid and once when I was not a kid; bypassed Buffalo both times and no regrets
* ON 420: oh, forgot to mention I took the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge in and the I-190/ON 405 bridge out both times too
I-81 north of Scranton.
Long Island (until I made a deliberate weekend out of clinching it).
New Jersey east of the Turnpike and south of the Outerbridge Crossing.
The VA Northern Neck and Calvert and St Mary's Counties, MD.
From the Bay Area: I-5 between I-580 and I-205, and on a more macro scale, most of the stretch between I-580 and I-505 (though I'm on the stretch between I-205 and CA-4 every once in a while). I've clinched most of the Bay Area freeways, even those that I wouldn't encounter without specifically looking for them, but I'm still missing CA-4 west of CA-242.
When I lived in San Diego: the E-W freeways of the Los Angeles area (CA-91, CA-60, I-10, I-210), especially between I-15 and I-215.
When I lived in Southern RI: I-91 south of I-90, I-90 east of Worcester, I-84 east of Hartford, and I-395 were all close-by interstates that were hard to pick up without going for them, specifically.
I have driven on all of these routes, but they are not normally part of my travel patterns.
I-75 between Richmond and London. If I'm going south on 75, I get on at London. If I'm going north, I will get on either at Richmond or Lexington. I don't have cause to drive the segment between Richmond and London very often these days.
I-65 between Shepherdsville and Elizabethtown. If I'm going south on 65, I hit it at E-town. When I visit my relatives in Shepherdsville, I come around I-265 to I-65.
A short segment of I-71 between Carrollton and US 127. If I'm at my brother's and we're headed to Louisville, we take KY 227 to Carrollton. If we're headed to the Cincinnati area, we use 127.
I-64 between Mt. Sterling and Grayson. I wore this road out when I was in college at Morehead, as the best route from home to there was to go to Mt. Sterling and then take I-64. Now, there's a better and more direct route to Morehead, and the best routes for me to hit I-64 are either KY 7 or US 23 north. I would have substituted Winchester from Mt. Sterling, but I'll often travel between those two towns.
None. I will drive out of my way to clinch anything now. :D
For Virginia, I-95 between US-58 and US-460, and I-85 between US-58 and I-95 are good examples.
From Hampton Roads, there's no good reason to drive on these segments, as traffic from the south would depart from either corridor at US-58 to head east to Hampton Roads, and traffic from the north would either depart I-95 / I-295 at I-64 or US-460 to head southeast to Hampton Roads.
I drove out of my way on a return trip from North Carolina in 2019 and took I-95 / I-295 / I-64 specifically to clinch that stretch of I-95 that is otherwise an hour out of the way, and then more recently took I-85 to US-460 (which only adds about 15-20 minutes) to clinch that stretch of I-85.
Additionally, similar to 1995hoo, I-77 between I-64 and I-81 is not a stretch I would naturally hit, and still have not gotten around to it. The only portion of I-77 I've driven on in Virginia is between US-58 and I-81 from a trip last year I chose to take US-58 across (I'd still rather use I-64 / I-81 due to 70 mph vs. 55-60 mph for 300 miles), and then the I-81 overlap from driving up-and-down I-81 numerous times.
I've never used the bit of 95 between US 1 in Alexandria VA and the bridge. Less than a mile. Going to the Northeast I always use the 301 bridge to bypass the Beltway as I've just given up on DMV traffic if i can help it.
Clinched all else in VA except the Hampton Roads area's interstates and the bit of 81 west of 77. Couldn't ever find a reason to use them.
In NC, I had done most of the state with the exception of the beltways in Raleigh, 795, 40 past Raleigh, a few snippets of 73/73 within the Triad, and a stretch of 40 from Black Mountain to Asheville that I never routed myself onto.
(Plus 285, but that's only been a thing very recently)
These days, if I were attempting to clinch CA's complement of Interstates, I-5 between CA 152 and the I-205 merge would be problematic, as if heading to SoCal (or beyond) from San Jose I'd take CA 152 over Pacheco Pass to I-5, and to head to the areas in the Sacramento area that make up my list of common destinations when heading "over the hill" on I-580/205, I certainly wouldn't be using either I-580 southeast of Altamont or the N-S segment of I-5 that constitutes the east side of the "Tracy Triangle". I can be thankful that I actually clinched that portion of I-5 back in 1972!
^ For similar reasons, it took me an unusually long time to clinch I-81 between I-66 and I-83, even though I live within 100 miles of that segment.
A bit farther away from me, the segment of I-77 (West Virginia Turnpike) between Beckley and Princeton, and between Bluefield and Wytheville. I have driven those routes multiple times, but they're a bit out of my way if I am going anywhere. If I'm traveling the US 460 (Corridor Q) route, I'll usually take US 52 and I-77 between the Bluefield and Princeton exits to avoid the signals along the US 19/460 concurrency.
Also, I-77 between Charleston and Ravenswood. I typically take WV 2 from Huntington instead of I-64 and I-77 through Charleston.
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 11, 2021, 09:41:44 PM
I haven't used I-65 between Indianapolis and Louisville at all yet, but I used the section north of Indianapolis and section south of Louisville many times. That's because of where I live at.
And I have never used the section of I-76 between I-80 and I-70, but used both sides of I-76 from that segment. From Cincy to NYC, the best routings are either I-71/70/78 or I-71/80, and I used both routings before. The former routing involves the PA Turnpike, and the latter involves the free section of I-76 in Ohio.
A section in the Cincinnati metro area I've been on before, but normally difficult for me to get a use out of is I-74 between I-275 and I-75. Since I'm in around the Mason area of Cincinnati, I would use either I-275 or Reagan Hwy to get to I-74 west towards Indy.
Couple more for me:
I-70 between Indianapolis and Dayton: Have been on that section when I used to live in Columbus and St Louis, but now that I'm in Cincinnati, there's no use of that segment for me anymore. I have used I-70 between Dayton and Columbus a bit, however, because I-71 gets boring after a couple of trips (I have all the exits memorized on I-71 between Cincy and Columbus, which is saying something).
I-64 between Louisville and US 35, except I-75 concurrency in Lexington
Adding to I-76 above, all of the Ohio Turnpike: Now I think of it, I have never used the Ohio Turnpike at all before, despite living in Ohio for a good chunk of my life. Have an Ohio Turnpike E-Zpass, but its mainly used on the PA and WV turnpikes, and the various toll roads in Illinois.
All of I-69 in Indiana and Michigan, well at least until the concurrency on I-465 gets implemented.
I-255, because with the absense of any Southwestern Illinois Expressway/Freeway to hit I-255 near Columbia - it just doesn't make much sense for me to approach the St Louis Metro Area from that corner
As far as what I haven't driven:
- US 74 in North Carolina between Chadbourn and Leland. On all but one occasion coming from Maryland to Myrtle Beach I've taken NC 410 to US 701 to SC 9.
- I-95 between I-87 in the Bronx and the north end of I-287. Going to Boston, I've taken three different routes going north. The first time, in 2001, I actually spent the night at my dad's friends' house in Flemington, New Jersey on our way there, and the next day we made our way to I-287, thus bypassing I-95 through all of New York. The second time in 2002, we left the New Jersey Turnpike at the Garden State Parkway, followed that to 287, then took the Saw Mill River Parkway to I-684 to I-84 and went through Hartford. The third time in 2004, we made our way to I-76 to the Northeast Extension, picked up I-78 at Allentown, and followed that to 287 to its north end at 95.
- Most of I-295 north of the New Jersey Turnpike split. It's always been the Turnpike to New York City for me.
- MD 2 from its north end in downtown Baltimore to the south end of MD 10 in Pasadena, but particularly between I-695 and MD 10. Going to Annapolis I take the Harbor Tunnel to I-97.
For what I have driven:
- The Tydings Bridge northbound. Where I used to live, it was easy for me to avoid the toll by taking US 1 over the Conowingo Dam and following 273 to 274 to 272 to I-95. I have driven the bridge northbound once, for fun. I've driven it south much more often.
- I-95 south to SC 9, and SC 9 from Dillon to Loris. As mentioned above, I've almost always left I-95 at US 74 and taken 74 to 410 to 701. My dad took 95 to 9 one year just to try it out.
- I-95 through Wilmington, Delaware. Usually I take I-495, but have driven all of I-95 through Wilmington once going north, and the part from US 202 to the 495 split on two other occasions.
Anything that requires a ferry ride, especially on reduced schedules. I'll have to knock out the entire Kitsap Peninsula over a single day.
Newbie here
What is clinching? :hmmm:
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 03:53:05 PM
Newbie here
What is clinching? :hmmm:
It can refer to several things, but usually used in the context of driving the entirety of a numbered route from one end to the other.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 16, 2021, 04:03:37 PM
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 03:53:05 PM
Newbie here
What is clinching? :hmmm:
It can refer to several things, but usually used in the context of driving the entirety of a numbered route from one end to the other.
Ohhhhhhhhh ok! So like driving I-540 for its entirety.
Quote from: thspfc on February 11, 2021, 10:52:25 PM
I'll almost certainly never end up clinching I-41 or I-94 in WI without setting out to do specfically that, because of the stretch in Racine and Kenosha counties. I can't think of a reason why I would drive first to Milwaukee, then to Chicago instead of just going straight to Chicago.
On a similar note, I haven't driven I-94 between Milwaukee (Zoo) and Madison, and it's very solidly a circumferential route with respect to my location. If I want to go to the eastern 1/3 of Wisconsin, I go to Milwaukee first. If I go anywhere else in Wisconsin, I use I-39 and/or I-90. There's no reason for anyone from Chicagoland to use that stretch of I-94.
I-80 between Winnemucca, NV and Salt Lake City. Unless I am on a weird multi-city route like Boise-SLC-Reno, which I don't think will ever happen (I'm more likely to make something like that into two separate trips), I have no reason to ever use this part of I-80. If I'm headed to Reno or California, I'll use US-95 then take I-80 west from there. If I'm heading to SLC or east of there, I'll take I-84. That said, I have crossed I-80 in this segment, at US-93 in Wells on my way back from Las Vegas. But no reason for me to actually use I-80 on that route either.
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 04:06:38 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 16, 2021, 04:03:37 PM
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 03:53:05 PM
Newbie here
What is clinching? :hmmm:
It can refer to several things, but usually used in the context of driving the entirety of a numbered route from one end to the other.
Ohhhhhhhhh ok! So like driving I-540 for its entirety.
Also, just to make sure you understand, the way most of us use the term doesn't mean you have to drive a route all in one trip. If you think about how long some routes are (I-95, for example), you can easily understand the idea of keeping track of all your different trips until you've eventually travelled the whole route. Some forum members feel strongly that they have to be the driver; others of us do not feel that way (I figure if I get tired and I ask my wife to drive and I tell her where to go, that's equally valid towards a clinch).
In the context of this thread, the discussion doesn't refer to clinching a whole road, but rather refers to particular segments that make it difficult for you to complete a clinch of a full route due to where the segments are located compared to where your driving patterns normally take you. To give you an example, I live in Northern Virginia near Washington, DC, and earlier in the thread I referred to the portion of I-77 between I-81 in Virginia and I-64 in West Virginia. If you look at a map, you should be able to see why for me that segment has been elusive. I've driven most of the rest of I-77 (except for the part between Parkersburg, WV, and I-79), but that one piece between I-81 and I-64 is just a nuisance for me to find an opportunity to use it.
I hope that clarifies the concept behind this particular thread.
Pretty much anything in Kentucky is hard to justify as a natural routing for me. It's not on the way to anywhere; anything roughly in that direction would be better served by taking I-40 to I-81, or I-44 to I-70–the diagonals are just too damn convenient. To get any mileage in Kentucky I'd have to either have Kentucky or West Virginia as a destination, or go out of my way to make an L-shaped path with one leg through Kentucky to clinch it for clinching's sake.
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 16, 2021, 06:32:01 PM
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 04:06:38 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 16, 2021, 04:03:37 PM
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 03:53:05 PM
Newbie here
What is clinching? :hmmm:
It can refer to several things, but usually used in the context of driving the entirety of a numbered route from one end to the other.
Ohhhhhhhhh ok! So like driving I-540 for its entirety.
Also, just to make sure you understand, the way most of us use the term doesn't mean you have to drive a route all in one trip. If you think about how long some routes are (I-95, for example), you can easily understand the idea of keeping track of all your different trips until you've eventually travelled the whole route. Some forum members feel strongly that they have to be the driver; others of us do not feel that way (I figure if I get tired and I ask my wife to drive and I tell her where to go, that's equally valid towards a clinch).
In the context of this thread, the discussion doesn't refer to clinching a whole road, but rather refers to particular segments that make it difficult for you to complete a clinch of a full route due to where the segments are located compared to where your driving patterns normally take you. To give you an example, I live in Northern Virginia near Washington, DC, and earlier in the thread I referred to the portion of I-77 between I-81 in Virginia and I-64 in West Virginia. If you look at a map, you should be able to see why for me that segment has been elusive. I've driven most of the rest of I-77 (except for the part between Parkersburg, WV, and I-79), but that one piece between I-81 and I-64 is just a nuisance for me to find an opportunity to use it.
I hope that clarifies the concept behind this particular thread.
I clinched I-295 numerous times. 04/10/20 was when I went from Allamericanexpressway to cliffdale rd then 08/22/20 i went over to the new segment from cliffdale to raeford rd. also went for a short time in 2005-2012 on future 295 from US 401 to I95. :clap:
I love this subject. it was always hard, but with a family it becomes even harder. Right now, I-40 between Amarillo and Little Rock (minus a few stretches and the whole route in Oklahoma City) is all I need to clinch I-40. Basically that stretch has very little vacation opportunities, and living in central Texas there is no reason to drive this section. Basically, if I am on I-40, I am traveling to the Grand Canyon or I am going east from the I-30 junction in Little Rock. I basically have to plan a trip from Albuquerque to Memphis and make it plausible to the fam why we need to be in both places on the same trip. :-D
WA-167 west of WA-512
Quote from: TheGrassGuy on February 17, 2021, 11:44:04 AM
WA-167 west of WA-512
How exactly? You live in New Jersey.
Well, technically, the OP didn't exclude highways on the other side of the country...
If you want to get any express lane shots of I-80 from I-95 south in NJ, you can't if you access the highway from any point between the GWB and the interchange. Anyone from Broad Avenue or Fort Lee can only observe the signs from the local lanes.
Anyone who lives in this part of Bergen County will never drive on this part of I-95 unless they head into NY and drive past their place of residence as one who lives here needs to exit onto the local lanes from the GWB.
Quote from: 1 on February 17, 2021, 11:53:48 AM
Quote from: TheGrassGuy on February 17, 2021, 11:44:04 AM
WA-167 west of WA-512
How exactly? You live in New Jersey.
Quote from: kphoger on February 17, 2021, 11:58:02 AM
Well, technically, the OP didn't exclude highways on the other side of the country...
And, maybe it's an area where he/she travels frequently.
I'd list the southern end of I-35E in Minnesota as a stretch of highway that's difficult to clinch for my travel patterns. I have done it, but it doesn't usually make sense.
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 07:02:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 16, 2021, 06:32:01 PM
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 04:06:38 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 16, 2021, 04:03:37 PM
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 03:53:05 PM
Newbie here
What is clinching? :hmmm:
It can refer to several things, but usually used in the context of driving the entirety of a numbered route from one end to the other.
Ohhhhhhhhh ok! So like driving I-540 for its entirety.
Also, just to make sure you understand, the way most of us use the term doesn't mean you have to drive a route all in one trip. If you think about how long some routes are (I-95, for example), you can easily understand the idea of keeping track of all your different trips until you've eventually travelled the whole route. Some forum members feel strongly that they have to be the driver; others of us do not feel that way (I figure if I get tired and I ask my wife to drive and I tell her where to go, that's equally valid towards a clinch).
In the context of this thread, the discussion doesn't refer to clinching a whole road, but rather refers to particular segments that make it difficult for you to complete a clinch of a full route due to where the segments are located compared to where your driving patterns normally take you. To give you an example, I live in Northern Virginia near Washington, DC, and earlier in the thread I referred to the portion of I-77 between I-81 in Virginia and I-64 in West Virginia. If you look at a map, you should be able to see why for me that segment has been elusive. I've driven most of the rest of I-77 (except for the part between Parkersburg, WV, and I-79), but that one piece between I-81 and I-64 is just a nuisance for me to find an opportunity to use it.
I hope that clarifies the concept behind this particular thread.
I clinched I-295 numerous times. 04/10/20 was when I went from Allamericanexpressway to cliffdale rd then 08/22/20 i went over to the new segment from cliffdale to raeford rd. also went for a short time in 2005-2012 on future 295 from US 401 to I95. :clap:
Right, but the point of this thread is to ask about stretches of highway that are hard to clinch because of your travel patterns. It sounds like you live somewhere near Fayetteville, North Carolina, based on the road references in your post. Conceivably that might mean that you could be less likely to use I-40/I-85 between Greensboro and Durham, for example, because you'd be more likely to use US-421 northwest to Greensboro or to go west to the US-220 corridor (the new I-73/I-74).
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 17, 2021, 01:52:25 PM
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 07:02:43 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 16, 2021, 06:32:01 PM
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 04:06:38 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 16, 2021, 04:03:37 PM
Quote from: snowc on February 16, 2021, 03:53:05 PM
Newbie here
What is clinching? :hmmm:
It can refer to several things, but usually used in the context of driving the entirety of a numbered route from one end to the other.
Ohhhhhhhhh ok! So like driving I-540 for its entirety.
Also, just to make sure you understand, the way most of us use the term doesn't mean you have to drive a route all in one trip. If you think about how long some routes are (I-95, for example), you can easily understand the idea of keeping track of all your different trips until you've eventually travelled the whole route. Some forum members feel strongly that they have to be the driver; others of us do not feel that way (I figure if I get tired and I ask my wife to drive and I tell her where to go, that's equally valid towards a clinch).
In the context of this thread, the discussion doesn't refer to clinching a whole road, but rather refers to particular segments that make it difficult for you to complete a clinch of a full route due to where the segments are located compared to where your driving patterns normally take you. To give you an example, I live in Northern Virginia near Washington, DC, and earlier in the thread I referred to the portion of I-77 between I-81 in Virginia and I-64 in West Virginia. If you look at a map, you should be able to see why for me that segment has been elusive. I've driven most of the rest of I-77 (except for the part between Parkersburg, WV, and I-79), but that one piece between I-81 and I-64 is just a nuisance for me to find an opportunity to use it.
I hope that clarifies the concept behind this particular thread.
I clinched I-295 numerous times. 04/10/20 was when I went from Allamericanexpressway to cliffdale rd then 08/22/20 i went over to the new segment from cliffdale to raeford rd. also went for a short time in 2005-2012 on future 295 from US 401 to I95. :clap:
Right, but the point of this thread is to ask about stretches of highway that are hard to clinch because of your travel patterns. It sounds like you live somewhere near Fayetteville, North Carolina, based on the road references in your post. Conceivably that might mean that you could be less likely to use I-40/I-85 between Greensboro and Durham, for example, because you'd be more likely to use US-421 northwest to Greensboro or to go west to the US-220 corridor (the new I-73/I-74).
Yes, right. But I don't use US 421 to get to greensboro. I use I-40 to get over to Greensboro.
Another one for me to add: I-65 between Lafayette and Merrillville. I've been on I-65 north of US-30 and south of IN-25 all the way to I-459. Between the two, I don't see myself commuting to Chicago from school or vice versa, and anything originating from home going west would involve I-69, US-30, or US-24 and no need for I-65 between those points.
I-75 between West Branch and Gaylord
US-127 between Clare and Houghton Lake
The main one for the longest time was I-10 between Columbus, TX and Segovia, TX. Basically I have no reason to ever drive that stretch coming from El Paso or Houston because I live in Austin, not San Antonio. First time I clinched it, it was phases. I once took I-10 from El Paso to San Antonio, cut across on Loop 1604 because I had something to go to on I-35 south of Austin when I got back to the area. Everything inside the 1604s I had already clinched. Then, for a job I had to drive from Houston to Pleasanton, so I got to take I-10 into downtown San Antonio. The second time I clinched it, my brother wanted to do it, so we drove to Columbus, took I-10 up to Junction and that was that. It had to be deliberately done.
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on March 03, 2021, 03:09:07 PM
The main one for the longest time was I-10 between Columbus, TX and Segovia, TX. Basically I have no reason to ever drive that stretch coming from El Paso or Houston because I live in Austin, not San Antonio. First time I clinched it, it was phases. I once took I-10 from El Paso to San Antonio, cut across on Loop 1604 because I had something to go to on I-35 south of Austin when I got back to the area. Everything inside the 1604s I had already clinched. Then, for a job I had to drive from Houston to Pleasanton, so I got to take I-10 into downtown San Antonio. The second time I clinched it, my brother wanted to do it, so we drove to Columbus, took I-10 up to Junction and that was that. It had to be deliberately done.
I finally thought of a couple for me that make sense in Colorado.
US160 between Alamosa and Fort Garland. If I'm going to the southwest part of the state, I'll take US285 southwest out of Denver and catch US160 in Alamosa. If I'm going to Taos, I would take I-25 south to Walsenburg, US160 west to Fort Garland and then CO159 south into New Mexico. I guess if I wanted to go to the Sand Dunes again I'd need to travel half of this stretch, but otherwise there would be no reason for me to travel it (again, which I've clinched multiple times).
US50 between Salida and Pueblo. If I'm going to Pueblo (which I'm not), I'd just take I-25 south. If I needed to go down to the Sangre de Cristos around Westcliffe, I'd take CO115 SW out of the Springs. If I wanted to go to Salida, I'd take US285 to get down that way.
Chris
Quote from: jayhawkco on March 03, 2021, 04:19:24 PM
US160 between Alamosa and Fort Garland. If I'm going to the southwest part of the state, I'll take US285 southwest out of Denver and catch US160 in Alamosa. If I'm going to Taos, I would take I-25 south to Walsenburg, US160 west to Fort Garland and then CO159 south into New Mexico. I guess if I wanted to go to the Sand Dunes again I'd need to travel half of this stretch, but otherwise there would be no reason for me to travel it (again, which I've clinched multiple times).
And a trip to GSDNP last fall is precisely why I've driven US-160 between Fort Garland and CO-150.
Quote from: jayhawkco on March 03, 2021, 04:19:24 PM
US50 between Salida and Pueblo. If I'm going to Pueblo (which I'm not), I'd just take I-25 south. If I needed to go down to the Sangre de Cristos around Westcliffe, I'd take CO115 SW out of the Springs. If I wanted to go to Salida, I'd take US285 to get down that way.
Of the three times I've driven US-50 through Salida, the first two were through Colorado Springs via CO-115 (and therefore not clinching between Pueblo and CO-115), but the third included US-50 all the way from I-25 to Montrose (plus from CO-141 to Grand Junction).
Quote from: kphoger on March 03, 2021, 04:26:46 PM
And a trip to GSDNP last fall is precisely why I've driven US-160 between Fort Garland and CO-150.
I like it down there, but if I visit again, I'm taking Medano Road (https://www.terragalleria.com/blog/a-most-tricky-scenic-drive-the-medano-pass-road/).
Screw pavement. :sombrero:
Chris
VA 208 was a road like this for me. I usually take US 17 southeast to I-95 when visiting my parents' so going southwest of Fredericksburg to get VA 208 did not make such sense. I found a way to clinch it at the end of January though.
This is just a little bit of an anecdote, but I haven't been on any portion of I-20, besides that which is duplexed with I-59. Highways that are circumferential around your home region will, in general, be less likely to make it into your highway mileage. I-20 is both circumferential to me, and far away.
When I was making a couple of cross-country trips per year in the '80's and early '90's, I had very little reason to use I-35 for any leg of my travels unless it just happened to multiplex with the (nominally) E-W route I was on at any particular point. I didn't really travel any independent section of I-35 until 1993, when that year's Mississippi River flooding made any crossing north of Memphis dicey -- and I was coming east on I-70 from Denver, so I detoured south on I-135 to Wichita and then south on I-35 to the Cimarron Turnpike, where I turned east through Tulsa and Muskogee to hit eastbound I-40. And so far, that's been about it for that route.
Every Interstate, US Route and State Route. Since they are, well, way off route for me, and I have a little obstacle in between that prevents me from reaching them :bigass:.
Before finally clinching it last weekend, I had a similar issue with I-595 and US 50 in MD. Partly due to not going to Ocean City on vacation, and because my main experience of using I-595/US 50 was part of using US 301 to bypass I-95 in DC.
I'll expand on my list then, for interstates that are difficult for me to travel on from my current home city
- every x5 except I-65 and I-75
- every x0 except I-70 and I-90 (only stretch of I-80 I used more than 2 times is the section between I-65 and I-94/IL 394, which is entirely concurrent with I-94)
- all interstates with a number lower than 64, excluding concurrencies with an interstate out of that range.
- all interstates with a number higher than 81 excluding I-90, I-94 and concurrencies with an interstate below that range
- The following interstates between 64 and 81: 66, 69, 72, 73, 80, 81 (except section between I-76 and I-78)
Quote from: sparker on March 12, 2021, 03:38:34 AM
When I was making a couple of cross-country trips per year in the '80's and early '90's, I had very little reason to use I-35 for any leg of my travels unless it just happened to multiplex with the (nominally) E-W route I was on at any particular point. I didn't really travel any independent section of I-35 until 1993, when that year's Mississippi River flooding made any crossing north of Memphis dicey -- and I was coming east on I-70 from Denver, so I detoured south on I-135 to Wichita and then south on I-35 to the Cimarron Turnpike, where I turned east through Tulsa and Muskogee to hit eastbound I-40. And so far, that's been about it for that route.
My dad and I drove across Kansas and Missouri on I-70 to Saint Louis that year. I remember seeing the standing floodwaters lapping at the shoulder at one point somewhere in Missouri.
Anything outside the perimeter of (clockwise):
I-4
Florida's Turnpike
I-75
I-20
I-55
I-57
I-80
I-94
I-196
I-96
I-69
I-80
I-77
I-26
I-95
The most obvious ones for me would include any Interstate that goes into Chicago that isn't I-94 north of the city or I-90. These would include:
I-290 from the Tri-State to the Circle
I-55 from the Tri-State to the Dan Ryan
I-57 from the Tri-State to I-94
I-94 from I-80 to the Skyway
Living in the southwestern part of Missouri, its difficult for me to clinch parts of I-70 in the state, because I am not going to take the route from KC to STL or vice versa, I would get to each city by MO-13/7 and I-44 respectively. So, there are several gaps in my clinched sections of the route in the state. If I were to fill those in, I would have the route clinched from Frederick, MD to Vail, CO (save Wheeling, WV due to I-470).
Quote from: kphoger on February 12, 2021, 02:03:43 PM
The turnpike, between the Kellogg and I-135 exits.
This is the stretch of Interstate that's geographically closest to my house. But, because of my travel patterns, I had never driven on it.
Until yesterday, that is. My wife and I needed to go to Haysville at rush hour (such as it is in Wichita), and a wreck near Kellogg & the Canal Route had me taking an alternate route–a route that included the Turnpike between Kellogg and I-135. So it appears I have now clinched the entire Interstate system in Kansas, although I haven't been on the stretch of I-70 between Junction City and Topeka since before I had a license.
Besides the obvious (anything east of the Rockies and south of the Siskiyous), there's a few highways in Washington that are hard for me to clinch:
- SR 112, which is partially closed due to a landslide from last year
- The outlying ferry routes (SR 20, SR 160, SR 163) that don't have viable transit links on both ends, thus preventing a cheaper walk-on ride
- Routes that dead-end at the Canadian border
The last segment of the Mountain Parkway I was ever on is the stretch between Exits 33 and 40. Any travels west had me get on at Exit 33, and any travels east saw me get on at Exit 40. I had been on the parallel stretch of KY 15 many times in my life before i was ever on that portion of the Mountain Parkway, primarily due to my dad's reluctance to use the toll road. He drove my mother to the office of her organization in Campton one snowy day when i was a teenager, and he opted to use KY 11 and the Mountain Parkway instead of KY 715 to the Mountain Parkway because of the road conditions.
Now, I'm frequently on that stretch for work purposes.
For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.
Quote from: jlam on August 06, 2021, 10:36:11 AM
For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.
Maaaaybe if I-25 is really backed up around Thornton, you're heading south, don't feel like paying ALL of the exorbitant tolls on E-470, you could do something like I-25->E-470->Pena Blvd->I-225->I-25. Otherwise, yeah, not a real reason for you ever to be on it.
Chris
I am driving from Austin to Knoxville at the endo of this month. They way up I plan to take the usual route; I-35, I-35E to The Dallas area I-20, I-635, I-30 to Little Rock then I-40 all the way across Tennessee. On the way back I plan to drive I-40 straight across to Oklahoma City, so I can finally scratch that portion of I-40 off my list. Same deal, it's just hard for me to justify using that part of I-40. I will still need to go from Reno, OK to Amarillo on I-40 to clinch the entire route.
Quote from: jayhawkco on August 06, 2021, 10:40:58 AM
Quote from: jlam on August 06, 2021, 10:36:11 AM
For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.
Maaaaybe if I-25 is really backed up around Thornton, you're heading south, don't feel like paying ALL of the exorbitant tolls on E-470, you could do something like I-25->E-470->Pena Blvd->I-225->I-25. Otherwise, yeah, not a real reason for you ever to be on it.
Chris
I just thought about that, but it was more along the lines of if downtown Denver was packed up and taking I-270 to I-70 to I-225.
Quote from: jlam on August 06, 2021, 10:56:59 AM
Quote from: jayhawkco on August 06, 2021, 10:40:58 AM
Quote from: jlam on August 06, 2021, 10:36:11 AM
For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.
Maaaaybe if I-25 is really backed up around Thornton, you're heading south, don't feel like paying ALL of the exorbitant tolls on E-470, you could do something like I-25->E-470->Pena Blvd->I-225->I-25. Otherwise, yeah, not a real reason for you ever to be on it.
Chris
I just thought about that, but it was more along the lines of if downtown Denver was packed up and taking I-270 to I-70 to I-225.
I-270 sucks just as much suck, if not more, than I-25 downtown at all times.
Chris
Quote from: jayhawkco on August 06, 2021, 11:02:21 AM
Quote from: jlam on August 06, 2021, 10:56:59 AM
Quote from: jayhawkco on August 06, 2021, 10:40:58 AM
Quote from: jlam on August 06, 2021, 10:36:11 AM
For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.
Maaaaybe if I-25 is really backed up around Thornton, you're heading south, don't feel like paying ALL of the exorbitant tolls on E-470, you could do something like I-25->E-470->Pena Blvd->I-225->I-25. Otherwise, yeah, not a real reason for you ever to be on it.
Chris
I just thought about that, but it was more along the lines of if downtown Denver was packed up and taking I-270 to I-70 to I-225.
I-270 sucks just as much suck, if not more, than I-25 downtown at all times.
Chris
Quality or routing?
Quote from: ethanhopkin14 on August 06, 2021, 11:04:46 AM
Quote from: jayhawkco on August 06, 2021, 11:02:21 AM
Quote from: jlam on August 06, 2021, 10:56:59 AM
Quote from: jayhawkco on August 06, 2021, 10:40:58 AM
Quote from: jlam on August 06, 2021, 10:36:11 AM
For me, it would be I-225. I live in Northern Colorado, and I hardly ever travel east on I-70, so I just see no reason to be on I-225 at all.
Maaaaybe if I-25 is really backed up around Thornton, you're heading south, don't feel like paying ALL of the exorbitant tolls on E-470, you could do something like I-25->E-470->Pena Blvd->I-225->I-25. Otherwise, yeah, not a real reason for you ever to be on it.
Chris
I just thought about that, but it was more along the lines of if downtown Denver was packed up and taking I-270 to I-70 to I-225.
I-270 sucks just as much suck, if not more, than I-25 downtown at all times.
Chris
Quality or routing?
Yes.
Specifically, road quality, scenery (industrial area of the metro), and traffic (always busy, always accidents, and a ton of semis because of that industry).
Chris
Some examples for me:
- Ontario Highway 4 through London. I actually clinched this a few summers ago as a day trip, but the routing changed through the City, so now I'll have to do it again. It isn't useful for me since the road goes N-S and is probably slow through the City.
- Ontario Highways 41, 60, 127 would be tough clinches since they all go N-S in a region east of me.
- Ontario Highway 17 and 417 from Sudbury to Quebec. Mostly untravelled due to the E-W alignment. I've made it to Pembroke and Ottawa, but both are faster to get to from perpendicular highways (Highway 60 and the 416 respectively).
- I-86 (NY) between I-90 and I-390. Except for a short portion around Salamanca, I haven't been on the rest of this section due to the E-W alignment. I've crossed the highway numerous times at I-90, US 219, and I-390.
- I-75 from Detroit to Flint. Point north of Flint are faster to reach by I-69 from Port Huron/Sarnia, and points south and west of Detroit are faster via the tunnel or Ambassador Bridge.
- I-79 from US 19 in Sutton, WV to its southern terminus. As far as I know, I've never been down that way since US 19 to Beckley is faster and saves on tolls.
Quote from: paulthemapguy on March 11, 2021, 09:01:12 PM
Highways that are circumferential around your home region will, in general, be less likely to make it into your highway mileage.
This logic nails it for me. Any stretch of highway that is perpendicular to a direct route from your origin is one you are less likely to drive, mostly because there is probably a more direct route to almost anywhere you're headed.
For me, at my current location, considering Interstate Highways only, the best example is probably most of I-40 west of Albuquerque. The far south end of I-25 (south of Hatch) qualifies as well, as does I-15 south of Las Vegas. Even closer to home, unless the destination is along it, and even though it's the second closest Interstate route to where I live, I don't very often travel I-19.
Quote from: CoreySamson on February 12, 2021, 01:21:01 PM
I think for me I-49 between Lafayette and Shreveport is a perfect example for this thread. If I need to go to NE Louisiana for any reason, I'll take US 59 or even US 96 to get there.
Yeah if heading that direction from Houston, this route makes much more sense than I 49, especially because it would mean essentially backtracking since 49 is fairly diagonal from Lafayette to Shreveport. It's also boring as hell.
When I posted the OP, I kind of forgot about one that is far closer to my house. There's really no reason for me to ever drive I-80 between Cheyenne and Big Springs since I would always take I-76.
Chris
From Salt Lake, the top answer would probably be I-86. Unless your destination is actually in American Falls itself, there's really no reason you would ever take 86 at all since you'd just use 84 to the west end or 15 to the east. A lot of I-40 in the Arizona area would also be up there - particularly the parts west of Kingman, between the eastern US 93 junction and Ash Fork, and between Flagstaff and Gallup except for maybe the US 191 overlap. The majority of logical trips involving Utah in this area would probably focus on US 93, SR 89, SR 64, US 180, I-17, and/or US 89.
I've clinched 86, but only because it's not that far and I was able to make a day trip out of it. On the other hand, I only have 40 between Williams and Flagstaff.