Among all the exit numbers in your state, what's the lowest number that is not used for an exit? In Missouri, my home state, the answer appears to be Exit 81 - at least, based on what I found when I looked through my copy of the book The Next Exit. (Note that the book - at least the 2012 edition, which I have - predates the designation of US 71 as I-49, and as such does not include that road, but I looked at the Wikipedia page for I-49, and according to the exit list, that road doesn't have an Exit 81 in Missouri either.) There is an Exit 81 on I-435, the beltway around my hometown of Kansas City, but it doesn't count because that exit is on the Kansas side. Anyway, how does your state compare regarding the lowest number not used as an exit number?
In addition, here's a fun little game: whatever that "first number not used" is, where might be the best place to put an exit with that number, given the surrounding areas of freeways at the corresponding mile marker (terrain, proximity to existing roads, etc.)? Regarding the placement of a hypothetical Exit 81 somewhere in Missouri, it turns out mile marker 81 of I-44 is on the east side of Springfield, right in between Exit 80 for Glenstone Avenue and Exit 82 for the US 65 freeway. Between those two exits is Neergard Avenue, a north-south street that branches off Kearney Street and dead-ends just before I-44, in a largely industrial and commercial area. (Here's a map of the area, for reference: https://www.google.com/maps/@37.2484765,-93.23848,16z?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwNS4yIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D). As for putting in a potential Exit 81 to connect to Neergard, it would need to have a rather small footprint - basically, it would have to be a glorified "Right-In/Right-Out" setup, accessible to and from eastbound only - but I'm sure a lot of the businesses in the area would appreciate the convenience of that additional access, especially that truck sales/rental place, which is pretty much right there.
Anyway, that's my analysis of the lowest number that doesn't appear as an exit number in Missouri, as well as a potential placement for such an exit - how do your state, and other states throughout the country, compare in that regard?
Indiana- exit 24 doesn't exist
Best place to put it on? Interstate 465. NB exit and SB entrance to 96th St.
There's no Exit 29 in Colorado. One could, in theory, be used for 25 Road in Grand Junction.
*Expects more Exit 0s*
Quote from: Rothman on October 09, 2024, 08:56:35 AM*Expects more Exit 0s*
Tired: Jokes about Exit 0
Wired: Jokes about Exit -∞
I meant "Lowest exit number 1 or above".
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 09, 2024, 10:10:35 AMQuote from: Rothman on October 09, 2024, 08:56:35 AM*Expects more Exit 0s*
Tired: Jokes about Exit 0
Wired: Jokes about Exit -∞
"...and less than beyond!"- Not a Flying Toy
Massachusetts lowest is Exit 110. The only place where one would make sense is MA 108 on I-495.
The lowest in NY that isn't used or soon to be used on I-81, signed or otherwise (such as unsigned "exit" 85 on NY 17 for Hale Eddy) is 117, formerly used for the NY 17/NY 17M interchange before it was removed. The next lowest is 132, which could be gained easily by signing an exit number on future I-86 at I-87.
For a state with so few freeways I was a little surprised to find that Nevada's lowest unused exit number is 51. It's mostly because I-215/CR-215 hits 41 of the first 50 numbers on its beltway trip around the Las Vegas Valley. I found the other nine on either I-15, I-80 or I-580.
While US 95 exits will be renumbered as I-11 exits, it doesn't look like there will be an Exit 51 there either. Buffalo Drive (northbound) and Centennial Center Blvd./Ann Road/Rancho Drive (southbound) should be 50B, and the next one to the north, Durango Drive, should be 52.
Elkhorn Road could conceivably be I-11 Exit 51, but it's just too close to Durango Drive to justify an exit. There would be a nasty weaving problem between the Durango and Elkhorn on and off ramps.
Fernley has some more space to expand to the east. There's a relatively new Exit 50 on I-80, Nevada Pacific Parkway, serving an industrial park. Expanding the industrial park could justify a second exit which might be Exit 51.
The "Area 51 Alien Center" (gas station, snack shop and souvenir store, cathouse) sits at the intersection of US 95 and SR 373. If NDOT ever made that a grade-separated interchange it would be kind of fun to ignore the numbering convention and call it "Exit 51". :-P
CT, historically, was Exit 103, which was the missing exit number on the old CT 15/I-86 that is now I-84. When those exits were renumbered as I-84 exits, the lowest became 101 until I-395 was renumbered to mileage based exits. Currently, the lowest unused number is 77. After the state is completely converted to mileage based exits, the projected lowest number would be 71. I-84, I-95, US 6, and CT 15 are the only roads that long; I-84 and I-95 don't have exits within that mile marker, US 6 is an arterial at that point, and CT 15's MP 71 is along the Berlin Turnpike. The most logical spot for an Exit 77 currently would be to close the gap in exit numbers on I-95 where it skips from 76 to 80 or to finish CT 11 to I-95. In the future, there really isn't a great spot to put an Exit 71; I-84 will have 70 and 72 (current Exits 62 and 63), so maybe to Slater St. I-95's is kind of swampy and residential. The best option would be if the Berlin Turnpike got exit numbers; the CT 9/CT 372 complex of exits is at MP 71
Oregon's is 15. For I-205, that would be SE Flavel St/SE Mt Scott Blvd. Nothing exisiting on I-5 to connect to. Fairview Ave for I-84. Beyond the end of the freeway for OR 22, and well before the beginning of the freeway portions of US 26 (ORH 47) and ORH 4 (US 197/97).
No exit 63 in Maryland. Ironically, mile marker 63 is slightly within exit 62 of I-70 (MD 75), and the only remotely logical exit 63 on it would be an eastbound-only weigh station. On I-95, Hazelwood Avenue crosses near MM 63, but there's no practical purpose for an exit there. On I-68, exits 62 and 64 are situated close enough that one of them could pass as exit 63.
Iowa doesn't have an Exit 14, as far as I can tell. Best place to put it would be I-380 and 76th Ave SW in Cedar Rapids.
In Illinois, the lowest number not represented is 85. Some decent candidates for that would be west of Peoria (I-74) or south of Springfield (I-55), but I think the best location would be along I-90. If the Edens Junction at I-94 was a full interchange, I'm pretty sure Exit 85 would be the best number for that going eastbound.
MN has no Exit 25. I would probably put one on I-494 as a half-interchange with Chankahda Trail in Plymouth.
Because to be real, it's probably the only place you could really put this.
Quote from: pianocello on October 11, 2024, 11:27:44 PMIowa doesn't have an Exit 14, as far as I can tell. Best place to put it would be I-380 and 76th Ave SW in Cedar Rapids.
I can't disagree with that, but I'm surprised they deemed McClelland, Iowa unworthy of an exit off of I-80. A road going west from McClelland that connected to I-80 could be Exit 14 and would be a quick connection to Council Bluffs and the Omaha area.
Quote from: DandyDan on October 13, 2024, 12:25:24 AMQuote from: pianocello on October 11, 2024, 11:27:44 PMIowa doesn't have an Exit 14, as far as I can tell. Best place to put it would be I-380 and 76th Ave SW in Cedar Rapids.
I can't disagree with that, but I'm surprised they deemed McClelland, Iowa unworthy of an exit off of I-80. A road going west from McClelland that connected to I-80 could be Exit 14 and would be a quick connection to Council Bluffs and the Omaha area.
I could see that if Omaha/Council Bluffs suburbia ever expanded further east, but for right now McClelland has a population under 200 and its access to I-80 is not too bad via 270th St/ US 6.
New Hampshire is still sequential. The only road in the state with exit numbers above 20 is I-93, and 21 is skipped due to a planned exit for Laconia that never happened. Put it where it was planned. There is an Exit 20 on I-89, but the only road between that exit and the Vermont state line is part of a connection between parking lots that's a few hundred feet from Exit 20.
Quote from: Bickendan on October 10, 2024, 11:15:22 PMOregon's is 15. For I-205, that would be SE Flavel St/SE Mt Scott Blvd. Nothing exisiting on I-5 to connect to. Fairview Ave for I-84. Beyond the end of the freeway for OR 22, and well before the beginning of the freeway portions of US 26 (ORH 47) and ORH 4 (US 197/97).
Main St in Ashland on I-5 I think could be an ok connection, though I'm not sure if an extra interchange is needed over there. I agree with your choice for I-205. Though Flavel/Mt Scott is north of Johnson Creek Blvd, which is currently Exit 16, we could always just swap numbers for them(Johnson Creek Exit 15, Flavel/Mt Scott Exit 16)
The lowest exit number not represented in Alabama is 12. Since I-165, I-359 and I-759 are all less than five miles long, they're all eliminated from the competition. The qualifiers:
*Exit 12 on I-20/59 would lead straight to nowhere in Sumter County, between Livingston and York.
*On I-22 would be less than a mile east of SR-17 (Exit 11) at Hamilton.
*On I-85 it would be one mile north (east) of SR-110 and SR-126 (Exit 11) just east of Montgomery.
*On I-459 it would lead directly into a subdivision of $400K+ houses in Hoover in one direction, towards a new car dealership, a hotel, and several restaurants in the other.
It's been several years since I've been to Mobile, so I'm not sure how an Exit 12 would work on either I-10 or I-65. There's significant commercial development in Huntsville near where Exit 12 would be on I-565, so I'm not sure that that would work, either.
Since nobody has mentioned Vermont, let's take a look at it. Vermont's exits are nearly perfect sequential, with the lowest number not used being 30. Given that the only road to get to exit 29 is I-91, and that exit is mere feet from the Canadian border (US customs is actually inside the interchange!), there really isn't a chance to use it. If/when VT goes mile-based, the lowest will be 4. The easiest way to get that would be to give exit numbers to VT 279 and use that for the US 7 interchange. Such would also allow 6 to be used, increasing the number not used to 15.
Quote from: Charles2 on October 13, 2024, 07:31:48 PMThere's significant commercial development in Huntsville near where Exit 12 would be on I-565, so I'm not sure that that would work, either.
I feel like an at least partial interchange with the intersection of Highway 20 (Madison Boulevard) and Slaughter Road would work for a potential Exit 12 on I-565.
Wyoming doesn't have a 15. Riding Club Road could have an exit from I-25.
New Mexico doesn't have a 2. Missouri Avenue on I-25 in Las Cruces would probably fit the bill. I also looked at exits for Paseo del Norte in Albuquerque, but no current exits exist where you'd use 2, and none make a lot of sense either since the bridge is right around the two mile mark.
Wisconsin doesn't have an Exit 14. The best place for one is probably County Highway J on I-94. It wouldn't be that useful, but it's a connection to a signed highway on a stretch with a decent-sized gap between exits, which is more than I can say about any of the other options.
I've never seen an Exit 19 in WA, so I'd put one on I-5 for a connection to NW Griffith Road, south of Woodland.
(BTW, this sounds more like a topic that would belong in Fictional Highways, since we're discussing ideas for the lowest unused exit numbers in various states.)
Might as well do RI. Historically, it would have been 31, as I-95 went up to 30. Now, the lowest number is 12. Only 3 roads with exit numbers (I-95, I-295, RI 146) are at least 12 miles long (US 6 has an expressway from the 15 to the 20 MP but no numbers). The best (and a legitimately needed) Exit 12 would be a direct exit on I-95 to RI 165 and RI 3; RI 165 crosses at the 12.1 MP, and one must exit at Exit 9 (NB only) and travel 3 miles up RI 3 or Exit at RI 102 and go 2 miles to it. RI 165 is a back way to the Norwich, CT area for those who want to avoid the casinos and/or New London.
I don't think there is a 19 anywhere in Utah. Easiest way to get one would be to build an interchange on Bangerter at 3500 South, which is probably coming at some point in the next 5 years or so.
There is no exit 12 in Alabama, and essentially no good place to put it. Either there's a suitable exit nearby, or just a lonely dirt path that might be close.
I-459 has a community with a tiny bit of ROW for a RIRO-type exit but I doubt the local urge, will, and need exists for that.
If they decide to number the exits on SR 255 Research Park / Northern Bypass, maybe we'll get an Exit 12. Not sure if that would coincide with a need for it.
Quote from: webny99 on October 13, 2024, 07:53:06 AMQuote from: DandyDan on October 13, 2024, 12:25:24 AMQuote from: pianocello on October 11, 2024, 11:27:44 PMIowa doesn't have an Exit 14, as far as I can tell. Best place to put it would be I-380 and 76th Ave SW in Cedar Rapids.
I can't disagree with that, but I'm surprised they deemed McClelland, Iowa unworthy of an exit off of I-80. A road going west from McClelland that connected to I-80 could be Exit 14 and would be a quick connection to Council Bluffs and the Omaha area.
I could see that if Omaha/Council Bluffs suburbia ever expanded further east, but for right now McClelland has a population under 200 and its access to I-80 is not too bad via 270th St/ US 6.
Just curious, if the Des Moines southeast bypass was I-435 (or a similar number), would there be an exit 14 there?
Quote from: Great Lakes Roads on October 08, 2024, 11:46:29 PMIndiana- exit 24 doesn't exist
Best place to put it on? Interstate 465. NB exit and SB entrance to 96th St.
Other options:
I-94 at Wagner Rd in Porter
I-65 at CR 600 S in Underwood
Quote from: TheCatalyst31 on October 14, 2024, 08:29:09 PMWisconsin doesn't have an Exit 14. The best place for one is probably County Highway J on I-94. It wouldn't be that useful, but it's a connection to a signed highway on a stretch with a decent-sized gap between exits, which is more than I can say about any of the other options.
There is a jughandle intersection for WI-26 at Old Koshkonong Road just south of Fort Atkinson that I think would be Exit 14.
Quote from: SEWIGuy on October 17, 2024, 12:35:24 PMQuote from: TheCatalyst31 on October 14, 2024, 08:29:09 PMWisconsin doesn't have an Exit 14. The best place for one is probably County Highway J on I-94. It wouldn't be that useful, but it's a connection to a signed highway on a stretch with a decent-sized gap between exits, which is more than I can say about any of the other options.
There is a jughandle intersection for WI-26 at Old Koshkonong Road just south of Fort Atkinson that I think would be Exit 14.
I saw that one, but it looks like it would be 15 (https://geodata.wisc.edu/catalog/DOT-a23132039c054ac8b8f334184ce6d6fc0).
To complete New England, Maine would be 12. There are only two roads with exit numbers that are that long: I-95 and I-295. An I-95 exit 12 could be used for Clay Hill Rd, or a connector road leading to Ogunquit (an exit 13 leading to Berwick Rd would be better). I-295's would be too close to the Falmouth Spur/US 1 exits and would be redundant.
Quote from: US 89 on October 14, 2024, 11:30:44 PMI don't think there is a 19 anywhere in Utah.
So turns out there is a 19 on SR 7 southeast of St George. It's a half interchange that currently goes nowhere, but it counts.
That means the lowest that doesn't exist in Utah is 28. The easiest way to get a 28 in Utah now, and something I would love to see, is some sort of exit off of 215 that connects to US 89 in North Salt Lake. Some variant of this idea has been thrown around with the I-15 Farmington to Salt Lake expansion/reconstruction project, but I'm not yet sold on that actually happening in its current form. But that's really the only viable spot for a 28 anywhere in the state as all four primary interstates have their mile 28 either very close to an existing rural exit, or way out in the middle of the desert. Anything else with exit numbers either is not that long or isn't a freeway at that point.
There actually used to be a 28 in Utah - it was the Redwood exit on I-215 in Davis County. It got renumbered to 27 when the Legacy Parkway interchange opened.