Over the past 20 years Atlantans who know I'm from Raleigh-Durham NC have always made it a point to tell me they passed the "Raleigh Exit" when traveling towards the NorthEast. Even Michelle Stafford of the Young and the Restless commented once how beautiful this immediate area was. I don't know if it's the grading of the surrounding land or what, but this seems to be a graceful interchange that people remember. Here's my recent video of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnsTrVTyCDE&feature=youtu.be
for me it's the 5-14 north of LA. it usually means a waypoint for me either heading out, or coming home.
plus it is a huge beast of an interchange.
Going to and coming from Richmond and points north, the I-95/VA 150/VA 895 interchange, for the same reasons Jake mentioned.
Going to Hampton Roads via Petersburg, the interchange in Suffolk where US 460 joins the bypass marks my "arrival" in the area. Going to the northern segments of Hampton Roads (Newport News/Hampton/Poquoson), the I-64/US 17 interchange pretty much serves the same purpose. The last three times I've been in that area I've stopped at a gas station at that exit.
It's not so much the interchange itself but heading south into NY on either 95 or the Hutch there's no turning point quite like Co-op City where they intersect. It is an overwhelmingly large development, but a drop in the bucket compared to what it's the beginning of.
Otherwise, the tipping point in either direction between NY and Boston is, of course, the glorified highway junction called Hartford.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on May 21, 2013, 10:12:40 PMthe glorified highway junction called Hartford.
I would put Waterbury in the glorified highway junction category. I always seem to run into traffic disproportionate to the importance of that town.
When travelling home from anywhere north and east, I always mark our progress (calling relatives or whatever) at the Cassoday exit on the Turnpike; it's a family tradition, I guess because it's about 45 minutes from home.
Heading north to Minnesota, I always feel like I'm making progress when I pass by Exit 12 in Iowa (IA-2), but I really have no idea why. Maybe it's just a memorable exit because I once texted my sister, who lives in West Des Moines, that we were entering Iowa. She, who had no idea we were even travelling that week, asked exactly where we were. She said to wave at her; not two minutes later, we passed by each other–she on her way to Kansas City and we on our way to Minnesota. Anyway, that was right by Exit 12.
When we lived in the Chicago area and travelled between there and Branson, my wife always started getting a lead foot at around Strafford, MO, because she could feel us getting close. Almost without fail, when I noticed the speedometer get above 80 mph, Strafford was coming up soon. Now that we don't have as far of a drive, we mark our progress by her family's tradition of the Ozark—Nixa exit (MO-14); the Phillips 66 station there goes way back with them. Heading back up to Chicago, it was always the refinery near the Des Plaines river bridge that made us feel like we were in the home stretch.
Driving south to Parras, Coahuila, for some reason I get less weary somewhere around this random intersection in the Mexican desert (http://goo.gl/maps/2YghG). I guess it's because I know our turnoff at La Paila is less than a half hour away. Driving back north again, the magic spot is the toll barrier at the beginning of the Kansas Turnpike.
The split between US 1 and MA 99 when heading into Boston, because it means I can stop worrying about people pulling out from a dead stop right in front of me, and start driving even faster.
My most frequent road trip is to Key West. The Jewfish Creek bridge is always the big marker since it marks us crossing into the Keys. There are plenty of landmarks on that drive but that's the biggest.
US-101 and I-5 in Olympia. It's sort of a half-way point for the trip between Seattle and Portland. Even though it's not the geographical half-way point, it generally is time-wise due to traffic between Olympia and Seattle.
There's also a cool steel arc bridge near the intersection.
Breezewood.
When I was growing up, we went to Brooklyn by car all the time to visit our grandparents. On the way home I always felt that when we reached the College Park Interchange in Maryland (I-95 meets I-495) it was the end of the trip (even though we had to go around the western side of the Beltway to Virginia), probably because it was the end of being on I-95 and by comparison it was a short way home from there. Nowadays I go the other way around the Beltway if I go that way at all, but there's so much more traffic it never feels like the end of the trip now. Plus after all these years that route to New York is so familiar that none of it feels all that long unless there's heavy traffic.
My mother always said she felt like she'd knocked off a major part of the trip when she got off the Jersey Turnpike (either by reaching the southern end or by reaching Exit 10–we usually took the Outerbridge exit back then). She hated that road, found it mind-numbingly boring. Since our father usually drove, she didn't have the option to take I-295 instead.
When I was in college I usually took US-29 back and forth to Charlottesville. On northbound US-29, there's a sharp curve to the left just before the traffic light where US-29 Business leaves the road to serve Warrenton. Back then I thought of that as "the last curve" for some reason. I think it was because in those days the traffic picked up significantly once you passed Warrenton and the road no longer had the same rural feel to it. Nowadays there's considerably more traffic, especially more trucks, to the south of that point as well because the truck drivers use US-17 (multiplexed with 29 in that area) to bypass the DC area to the west. I think the other reason that curve no longer feels like a milestone to me is that I don't live in Charlottesville anymore, so it's not like I'm "coming home" after having been away for a few months if I make that drive (and nowadays I don't usually use Route 29 either because it's out of the way for where I live now).
Nowadays, when I'm driving north I feel like reaching Exit 24 on the New York Thruway is a milestone. Whenever we go that way we're heading to Montreal and beyond, so there's still a long way to go, but leaving the "Northeast Turnpike Complex" feels like a big moment in terms of getting somewhere on the trip; it also portends less of a rat-race on the rest of the drive (less traffic) and a much more scenic trip (I-87 through the Adirondacks is one of my favorite Interstate drives, especially during the winter when there are icicle formations all over the rocks on either side of the highway).
Coming from the South, to me the "landmark" point on I-95 comes when we hit the start of the reversible HOV carriageway in Virginia. That's about 20 miles south of home and it feels like we're back when we get there, even though all of I-95 from Petersburg up to DC is extremely familiar. (South of Petersburg less so only because in the 1990s most of my travel that way was onto I-85 going to and from Duke University.) I have not been down I-95 that way since the current roadwork to extend the reversible lanes kicked into high gear. Don't know whether my feeling will change once the extension is finished. They're adding another nine miles to it.
In Florida, it's either end of Alligator Alley. Used to be because that was when you had to slow down and show some semblance of recognizing that speed limits exist. Nowadays I think it's more just that I feel a "return to civilization" when you emerge from the Everglades.
Heading south thru NJ, I get that feeling when I hit I-95 in Delaware. From that point south, it's basically all 95.
Coming north, I don't get that same feeling though!
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on May 21, 2013, 10:35:18 PM
The split between US 1 and MA 99 60 interchange when heading into Boston, because it means I can stop worrying about people pulling out from a dead stop right in front of me, and start driving even faster.
FTFY. :sombrero:
Between MA 99 & MA 60; US 1 South has entryways for both a small shopping plaza (featuring
Brenner's Discount) and the
Town Line Inn; not to mention the short and sharp exit ramps for the Lynn St. interchange (from both north & southbound driections).
Growing up in Chicago, the two splits of I-90/I-94 (Kennedy/Edens to the north and Dan Ryan/Skyway to the south) meant that I was about to close in on the downtown Loop area.
When I moved to L.A., anytime I passed the I-5/I-405 junction from the north/south (or I-15/I-10 if it was a return from the east), I knew I was almost home.
Now that I'm in Seattle, I use both 2di's three junctions with I-405 as a reminder of the same.
Coming From Los Angeles the 60, 10 jct in Beaumont. I know then I'm just over a half an hour from home.
On road trips coming back from Southern California to the Bay Area, I usually think of 85/101 as the "we're less than an hour from home" mark.
Would love to see pictures of the above described interchanges. Here's mine:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi174.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fw102%2Farchitect77%2F8540split.jpg&hash=0be6f44089c36010611af1f5fe5e0c685c8a1342) (http://s174.photobucket.com/user/architect77/media/8540split.jpg.html)
The Capital Beltway/I-295/MD 210 interchange. Every time I get off that bridge and go through that, I think 'I'm home'. Or, conversely going the other way, 'Crap, here comes VA.'
Quote from: PHLBOS on May 22, 2013, 10:26:31 AM
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on May 21, 2013, 10:35:18 PM
The split between US 1 and MA 99 60 interchange when heading into Boston, because it means I can stop worrying about people pulling out from a dead stop right in front of me, and start driving even faster.
FTFY. :sombrero:
Between MA 99 & MA 60; US 1 South has entryways for both a small shopping plaza (featuring Brenner's Discount) and the Town Line Inn; not to mention the short and sharp exit ramps for the Lynn St. interchange (from both north & southbound driections).
Maybe for you. For me it's the MA 99 interchange, not MA 60. Sure, there are some RIROs and a handful of businesses between MA 99 and MA 60, but MA 99 is by far the more momentous of the two for me, because it's where the FEEL of the road changes.
When traveling via Kentucky, a significant milestone is the 71/75 interchange in Cincinnati, with its ramps nearly clipping the corners of that DunnHumby building*, and of course the adjacent Brent Spence Bridge. The fact that I'm about to leave / just re-entered my home state adds to the importance here.
*I am actually familiar enough with this building to name it because I pass through this interchange on nearly every work trip to Cincinnati.
Quote from: kphoger on May 21, 2013, 10:27:18 PM
When travelling home from anywhere north and east, I always mark our progress (calling relatives or whatever) at the Cassoday exit on the Turnpike; it's a family tradition, I guess because it's about 45 minutes from home.
Heading north to Minnesota, I always feel like I'm making progress when I pass by Exit 12 in Iowa (IA-2), but I really have no idea why. Maybe it's just a memorable exit because I once texted my sister, who lives in West Des Moines, that we were entering Iowa. She, who had no idea we were even travelling that week, asked exactly where we were. She said to wave at her; not two minutes later, we passed by each other–she on her way to Kansas City and we on our way to Minnesota. Anyway, that was right by Exit 12.
When we lived in the Chicago area and travelled between there and Branson, my wife always started getting a lead foot at around Strafford, MO, because she could feel us getting close. Almost without fail, when I noticed the speedometer get above 80 mph, Strafford was coming up soon. Now that we don't have as far of a drive, we mark our progress by her family's tradition of the Ozark—Nixa exit (MO-14); the Phillips 66 station there goes way back with them. Heading back up to Chicago, it was always the refinery near the Des Plaines river bridge that made us feel like we were in the home stretch.
Driving south to Parras, Coahuila, for some reason I get less weary somewhere around this random intersection in the Mexican desert (http://goo.gl/maps/2YghG). I guess it's because I know our turnoff at La Paila is less than a half hour away. Driving back north again, the magic spot is the toll barrier at the beginning of the Kansas Turnpike.
KP, which refinery near the Des Plaines River? The one by Arsenal Rd south of Joliet or the Lemont ones which are visible from 55 or the Argo plant at 1st Ave?
For me, when I go north to my grandmother's in Oshkosh, it;s Wis 49 on US 41/Future I-41 just south of Fond du Lac probably because of the huge wind farm just northeast of the Horicon Marsh.
When I am coming home, it's the O'Hare Oasis.
Going to my other grandmother's in Princeton WI, it's the I-39/90/94 split at Wis 78 south of Portage aka "the Cascade".
Coming home, it's the Elgin Toll Plaza on I-90.
When my brother lived in Brooklyn NY, it was when I crossed the Delaware River on I-80.
Coming home, it was the 80/90/94 junction just east of Gary.
Not an interchange, but mine is the I-80 bridge over the Mississippi River.
For me if I've been on a long road trip, I know I'm getting close to home when I see another Delaware license plate.
Quote from: hobsini2 on May 22, 2013, 08:53:11 PM
KP, which refinery near the Des Plaines River? The one by Arsenal Rd south of Joliet or the Lemont ones which are visible from 55 or the Argo plant at 1st Ave?
Arsenal Road.
(1) Springfield Interchange in Fairfax County, Va.
(2) Several in and around greater Los Angeles, starting with the Judge Pregerson Interchange (I-110 and I-105).
(3) The reconstructed I-95/I-695 interchange on the north(east) side of Baltimore.
(4) The I-85/I-285 interchange, on the northeast side of Atlanta.
Thought of another: the northern junction of I-95 and I-295 near Jacksonville. When we reach that, we've been on I-95 for a long time (even if we take a different route through Virginia and North Carolina) and exiting onto I-295 feels like a change of pace that signals that we got somewhere. Of course it's still two or three more hours to my sister-in-law's place.....
Quote from: kphoger on May 23, 2013, 12:07:55 AM
Quote from: hobsini2 on May 22, 2013, 08:53:11 PM
KP, which refinery near the Des Plaines River? The one by Arsenal Rd south of Joliet or the Lemont ones which are visible from 55 or the Argo plant at 1st Ave?
Arsenal Road.
And, you know, that Des Plaines river bridge (http://goo.gl/maps/YyG2e), just yards past the Arsenal Road exit, does an awesome job of heralding your entry to the Chicago area. My memory of it stretches way back into childhood, before I even knew the number of the highway it was on.
For me it's the I-85/US 70 interchange in Durham. After driving 60 boring miles from VA you come over a ridge and you're suddenly thrust back into civilization as the road suddenly opens up to 6 and then 8 lanes and you see the flyover ramps for 70.
Quote from: kphoger on May 23, 2013, 12:07:55 AM
Quote from: hobsini2 on May 22, 2013, 08:53:11 PM
KP, which refinery near the Des Plaines River? The one by Arsenal Rd south of Joliet or the Lemont ones which are visible from 55 or the Argo plant at 1st Ave?
Arsenal Road.
Ah, the ExxonMobil (formerly Mobil) refinery. That's one of three that serve the Chicago area.
For me, the I-90/I-81 interchange, signifying the leaving/entering of civilization before/after a trek to/from the North Country on I-81 on my trips between Rochester and Potsdam. Now it signifies which side of Syracuse I'm on for my Rochester/Rome trips.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.highwayexplorer.com%2FPhotos%2FIntchg%2FI88--I355-2.jpg&hash=140e5108ba253bdd75323ab99d704d1b1ac509a3)
I-355 and I-88, always know I'm either 5 minutes away from my family, 20-30 minutes from friends depending on direction, 35 minutes from home going east, and 35 minutes away from NIU going west.
I have a lot of these, I tend to think of as "moments of transition" on our way up to NYC.
Passing spaghetti junction on the other side of Atlanta is the moment it becomes real that we're not just headed up to the city... we're actually going somewhere. Southbound, it's our transition back to the familiar.
The 85/40 split in Durham is another big milestone since it's right about at halfway.
Then the merge with 95 traffic in Petersburg signals the end of "the south" and the beginning of the northeast urban corridor. It's also right about where the sweet tea line is. Southbound, it's famous for its ambitious control cities, Miami and Atlanta. One of these days I'll get a picture of that sign.
The Fort McHenry Tunnel is the first of many tolls (boo!)
The massive Delaware interchange and the magnificent bridges to the NJ Turnpike are a teaser that we're getting close to Robert Moses territory.
And finally exit 10 is the reverse of what spaghetti junction was in Atlanta. It's where the NYC metro really starts.
Headed south there's a few major landmark interchanges for me as well.
The 10/12/59 interchange (where I-10 exits itself) is an indication that we've just about arrived in New Orleans.
The I-75/Turnpike split in Florida is another major landmark... transitioning from crowded interstate to older but smoother (and more expensive) Turnpike.
The Golden Glades interchange is like a giant "Welcome to Miami" sign. And 95 becomes a totally different road once it passes south of the Dolphin Expressway... rather than headed toward the city center and its buildings and lights, it becomes part of it... more like a local access highway than an interstate.
I could go on...
Not the most exciting interchange in the world, but for me it's where US 23 splits off from I-75 near Standish MI going northbound (Exit 188). For a city boy like me, it means "You're getting close to Up North territory--away from civilization and all your troubles." (Could be Traverse City, Mackinac, Oscoda, Houghton Lake or any number of places.)
And for that matter, further north, Exit 254 at Grayling is a major gateway for me. Traverse City is one hour west via M-72, and the Mackinac Bridge is an hour north. I've always loved the TC area, the Mackinac area, and especially the UP.
In keeping with the spirit of this thread.
If I'm traveling toward home from the west or north, the milestones are the I-64/I-75 southern split at Lexington and the Mountain Parkway exit (Exit 98) on I-64 at Winchester.
Traveling from the northeast, the end of I-79 at Charleston and then either the US 23 or KY 1/KY 7 exits from I-64 in Kentucky.
Quote from: vtk on May 22, 2013, 05:36:44 PM
When traveling via Kentucky, a significant milestone is the 71/75 interchange in Cincinnati, with its ramps nearly clipping the corners of that DunnHumby building*, and of course the adjacent Brent Spence Bridge. The fact that I'm about to leave / just re-entered my home state adds to the importance here.
*I am actually familiar enough with this building to name it because I pass through this interchange on nearly every work trip to Cincinnati.
Not really an interchange but I like coming down the hill on 71/75 in Kentucky going into Cincinnati. You have to slow down and it makes you really appreciate the view...
Oh yeah, that's always cool.
The I-84 Terminus at I-5 in Portland for me, simply because of the former symmetry, that was removed when they removed a couple of the ramps on the North side.
As someone who grew up near Seattle, the SR-520/I-5 Interchange, with its left in/out from I-5 South, and the corresponding sign was always a bellwether that something good was going on.
There was always something about the I-5/I-405/SR-525 Interchange, aka the Swamp Creek Interchange, was also a sign I was almost home, not only growing up but when I was driving cross-country.
Quote from: TEG24601 on May 24, 2013, 11:37:41 AM
As someone who grew up near Seattle, the SR-520/I-5 Interchange, with its left in/out from I-5 South, and the corresponding sign was always a bellwether that something good was going on.
Define "good". For me it's usually a bellwether of "The traffic jam you're currently sitting in may dissipate slightly once you pass the exit, only to come back with a vengeance as you deal with cars trying to cross four lanes of traffic trying to get from 520 to Mercer Street."
For me, the I-49/US 71, I-435 and I-470 interchange. For me, it either means the trip is just beginning, or almost over.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on May 21, 2013, 10:12:40 PM
Otherwise, the tipping point in either direction between NY and Boston is, of course, the glorified highway junction called Hartford.
And think how the I-84 and I-91 junction was before 1990!
As for me, starting out or returning home, I'd go with "The Stack". That's where CT Route 9 ends/starts and junctions with I-84/US 6 in Farmington, near the West Hartford town line. Three levels of roadway, with one of them still sitting unused, for the northwest part of a Hartford beltway which was never constructed. This is considering that the last section of CT Route 9 (from CT Route 175 in Newington northward) opened on September 30, 1992.
Quote from: kphoger on May 23, 2013, 07:54:26 AM
Quote from: kphoger on May 23, 2013, 12:07:55 AM
Quote from: hobsini2 on May 22, 2013, 08:53:11 PM
KP, which refinery near the Des Plaines River? The one by Arsenal Rd south of Joliet or the Lemont ones which are visible from 55 or the Argo plant at 1st Ave?
Arsenal Road.
And, you know, that Des Plaines river bridge (http://goo.gl/maps/YyG2e), just yards past the Arsenal Road exit, does an awesome job of heralding your entry to the Chicago area. My memory of it stretches way back into childhood, before I even knew the number of the highway it was on.
Oh I can completely understand that. It's a beautiful steel bridge on 55. I always thought though that the Cal Sag bridges, with the exception of 57 and 294, are really neat too.
For traveling between L.A. and the Bay Area:
Going north on I-5, heading down the Grapevine into the San Joaquin Valley, seeing the I-5/CA-99 split. When the sky is relatively cloud and pollution-free you can see both roads heading off into the endless valley...it's the warning that hours of boring blacktop lay ahead.
Going south on I-5, as the Grapevine/Tejon Pass come into view, and then trucks along CA-99 far to your left, slowly getting closer until the freeways merge, then beginning the climb up the Grapevine...it's the we-made-it-through-the-boring-part feeling.
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on May 25, 2013, 01:59:20 PM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on May 21, 2013, 10:12:40 PM
Otherwise, the tipping point in either direction between NY and Boston is, of course, the glorified highway junction called Hartford.
And think how the I-84 and I-91 junction was before 1990!
As for me, starting out or returning home, I'd go with "The Stack". That's where CT Route 9 ends/starts and junctions with I-84/US 6 in Farmington, near the West Hartford town line. Three levels of roadway, with one of them still sitting unused, for the northwest part of a Hartford beltway which was never constructed. This is considering that the last section of CT Route 9 (from CT Route 175 in Newington northward) opened on September 30, 1992.
For me on a trip to Boston, it's I-84 Exit 65, where the darkness of the Vernon-Sturbridge stretch begins/ends and the lights through Hartford end/begin. Coming from NYC, has to be the I-84/CT-8 mixmaster. From New Haven and Springfield, would then be the I-91/CT 15/I-691/CT 66 junction, and the I-84/91 junction.
These are my Momentous Interchange list all of these I've driven through
1.) I-78,US-1&9 US-22 RT-21, I-95 Newark Airport Interchange- massive size due to ramps connecting RT-21 to I-78,US-1 & 9 and US-22 and other roads around EWR
2.) I-280,I-680 and US-101 interchange stack interchange with flyovers from I-680 to US-101 or US-101 to I-280 and I-680 San Jose,CA
3.) Mac Arthur Maze Oakland,Ca I-880,I-580 and I-80 are all main approach routes into the SF bay bridge
4.)Springfield Interchange-Springfield VA
5.) Mid County Interchange Plymouth Meeting,Pennsylvania
Several approaches to home:
I-80 EB: Starts at I-81 interchange, then again at I-380
I-78 EB: US 22 split
I-95 SB: Starts at I-91 interchange, then again at I-287
CT 15/Hutch SB: Cross County Parkway (there's just not enough to see on the whole Parkway route, so I don't start dreaming until I'm off it)
I-84 WB/I-684 SB combo: At their interchange
I-95 NB: DE 1 interchange
GSP NB (rare): Exit 123
NJTP NB (rare): Exit 9/NJ 18
This pretty much works for leaving home as well, although state border crossings factor much more into that feeling.
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on May 25, 2013, 06:35:20 PM
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on May 25, 2013, 01:59:20 PM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on May 21, 2013, 10:12:40 PM
Otherwise, the tipping point in either direction between NY and Boston is, of course, the glorified highway junction called Hartford.
And think how the I-84 and I-91 junction was before 1990!
As for me, starting out or returning home, I'd go with "The Stack". That's where CT Route 9 ends/starts and junctions with I-84/US 6 in Farmington, near the West Hartford town line. Three levels of roadway, with one of them still sitting unused, for the northwest part of a Hartford beltway which was never constructed. This is considering that the last section of CT Route 9 (from CT Route 175 in Newington northward) opened on September 30, 1992.
For me on a trip to Boston, it's I-84 Exit 65, where the darkness of the Vernon-Sturbridge stretch begins/ends and the lights through Hartford end/begin. Coming from NYC, has to be the I-84/CT-8 mixmaster. From New Haven and Springfield, would then be the I-91/CT 15/I-691/CT 66 junction, and the I-84/91 junction.
One of my main complaints about the Mass Pike is that there really is no such moment going east until 128, and at that point the road's almost over. There's an argument for the 495 interchange -- it's the end of the last long (~9-10 miles) exitless stretch, amid which is the midpoint of the 84-to-128 run. Still, and perhaps because it avoids most cities and built-up areas, the Mass Pike is a road of very little drama, good or bad.
Quote from: PHLBOS on May 22, 2013, 10:26:31 AM
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on May 21, 2013, 10:35:18 PM
The split between US 1 and MA 99 60 interchange when heading into Boston, because it means I can stop worrying about people pulling out from a dead stop right in front of me, and start driving even faster.
FTFY. :sombrero:
Between MA 99 & MA 60; US 1 South has entryways for both a small shopping plaza (featuring Brenner's Discount) and the Town Line Inn; not to mention the short and sharp exit ramps for the Lynn St. interchange (from both north & southbound driections).
Im my opinion, you're not really clear of the obstacles until you're south of MA 60. Depending on the time of day/day of week, the off-ramp to MA 60 usually backs on to the US 1 southbound mainline, many times as far back as the Lynn Street ramps. It's the fact that the ramp to MA 60 dumps into a rotary, plus the volume of traffic heading to MA 1A and Logan Airport from US 1.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on June 10, 2013, 05:58:10 AM
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on May 25, 2013, 06:35:20 PM
Quote from: KEVIN_224 on May 25, 2013, 01:59:20 PM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on May 21, 2013, 10:12:40 PM
Otherwise, the tipping point in either direction between NY and Boston is, of course, the glorified highway junction called Hartford.
And think how the I-84 and I-91 junction was before 1990!
As for me, starting out or returning home, I'd go with "The Stack". That's where CT Route 9 ends/starts and junctions with I-84/US 6 in Farmington, near the West Hartford town line. Three levels of roadway, with one of them still sitting unused, for the northwest part of a Hartford beltway which was never constructed. This is considering that the last section of CT Route 9 (from CT Route 175 in Newington northward) opened on September 30, 1992.
For me on a trip to Boston, it's I-84 Exit 65, where the darkness of the Vernon-Sturbridge stretch begins/ends and the lights through Hartford end/begin. Coming from NYC, has to be the I-84/CT-8 mixmaster. From New Haven and Springfield, would then be the I-91/CT 15/I-691/CT 66 junction, and the I-84/91 junction.
One of my main complaints about the Mass Pike is that there really is no such moment going east until 128, and at that point the road's almost over. There's an argument for the 495 interchange -- it's the end of the last long (~9-10 miles) exitless stretch, amid which is the midpoint of the 84-to-128 run. Still, and perhaps because it avoids most cities and built-up areas, the Mass Pike is a road of very little drama, good or bad.
Heading to Boston, I don't start getting excited until I'm inside 495, whether on 20 or 9 (my approaches of choice). The 9/16 interchange is my "momentous" one after which everything is familiar. From I-95 South it would be the 128 junction.
Driving back and forth between Phoenix and Los Angeles, my momentous landmark is a major power line crossing over I-10 about eight miles west of the freeway's junction with Arizona 85. Heading toward LA, once I pass those power lines, I know there's a couple hundred miles of rather boring highway between the lines and Desert Center, California. Driving back to Phoenix, when I see the lines in the distance, I know I'm getting close to home.
Whenever I am coming back from the Phoenix area, when I reach the I-40/I-17 interchange, I know I'm half an hour from home. After driving 75+ for 2 hours, gearing down for that clover leaf ramp to get onto I-40 is a very nice change.
Similarly, I have found myself taking the "back way" to Phoenix more often, which is I-40 to AZ 89 South, AZ 69 South, then I-17 South (shorter distance, and smoother terrain than taking I-17 and dropping into then climbing out of the Verde Valley half way down). Heading down, going from AZ69 to I-17 means I'm 45 minutes from Phoenix, and conversely, on the way back, getting onto I-40, I know I'm 20 minutes from home.
I-95-PA413, large interchange for a small area, but the landscaping on 95 i think makes it look more... important than it really is.
I also like the area south of I-295's Exit 60 in NJ, the creek and just the general wetlands that exit 60 is built over makes it feel a bit rural despite being near the capitol