Fastest/slowest freeways

[ftballfan]

Which freeways are the fastest around or the slowest around?

Fastest: M-6 around the south side of Grand Rapids; today between M-37 and I-96, I was going close to 90 and was barely catching the traffic in front of me (speed limit is 70)
Slowest: The Dan Ryan and Kennedy freeways in Chicago

[Brandon]

Ever take the Ryan off-peak, ftballfan?  The express lanes are typically flowing over 70 mph or better.  I've gone 80 along there with traffic! 

[agentsteel53]

the Vegas run from LA is always fast, sometimes frighteningly so.  I've been doing 114 down I-15 through Las Vegas and was continuously getting passed on both sides.

down Mountain Pass heading into Nevada is also really fast - I can usually set cruise control for 83-84 and never worry about being the fastest car on the road.  I used to do the run at 105-110 (averaged 96mph including gas breaks!).  Alas, enforcement has really stepped up in the last few months, so I don't dare try that ... but I see others still trying it to this day!

as far as urban freeways go, there's something about the 57 in the LA area - speed of traffic is consistently about 84-85 in the #1 lane, as opposed to the 79-81 you see on most of the other freeways around here.

[Bickendan]

Oh yeah, I can see the Orange Freeway moving, particularly through Brea Canyon.

[1995hoo]

About 14 years ago I was driving up I-59 northeast of Birmingham taking the scenic route back to Durham, NC, because I was tired of I-85. I had my cruise control set at 100 mph. Got passed by a Mercedes that had to be doing at least 120. In fairness, that road was pretty empty so maybe I shouldn't count it.

On a trip down I-65 from Montgomery to Mobile (en route to New Orleans) I was doing 90 mph with a fair amount of traffic on the road. I wasn't passing anyone.

[Fleetwood Mac Attack]

Pretty sure this is still the case today, but a few years ago after the DE-1 freeway opened between Wilmington and Dover, it was like the Autobahn, especially in comparison to US 13. North of Dover, the speed limit is 65 but unless there's heavy volume for the beach you can go as fast as you want. South of Dover, on the other hand, the speed limit dropped to 55 and it was cop city between Dover and the beaches...

[SteveG1988]

NJ Turnpike car lanes. As well as interstate 295 in NJ. On average i was doing 80 mph on 295 keeping up with traffic. A few times i had it OFF the speedometer in my mercury (85mph) on the turnpike.

[mgk920]

A few years ago, WisDOT released the results of a survey that they did and reported that the section of highway in the entire State of Wisconsin with the fastest average measured actual traffic speed was...



...US 41 between Kaukauna and De Pere.



Mike

[ftballfan]

Ever take the Ryan off-peak, ftballfan?  The express lanes are typically flowing over 70 mph or better.  I've gone 80 along there with traffic! 

The only time I've been on the Dan Ryan/Kennedy is rush hour on a Friday afternoon, and even the express lanes were slow. Traffic sped up considerably after the 90/94 split in north Chicago (I took 94 toward Great America).

A few years ago, WisDOT released the results of a survey that they did and reported that the section of highway in the entire State of Wisconsin with the fastest average measured actual traffic speed was...



...US 41 between Kaukauna and De Pere.



Mike

M-6 would likely take that prize in Michigan.

And I haven't traveled much, so I have no experience with most of the roads talked about in this thread.

[MeanMeosh]

Any Atlanta-area freeway, especially I-75, could qualify for both the fastest AND slowest title.  Once during mid-morning, I was going about 80, and a Georgia state trooper blasted past me at 90+.  There was a long line of cars following him.  Fast forward to rush hour, and you're not going anywhere anytime soon.  It once took an hour to travel between I-85 and I-75 on the Perimeter on the north side, a distance of about 12 miles.

I-75 in Florida is also pretty nuts - the left lane frequently flows at 85+, and if you don't want to go that fast, you're stuck behind the snowbirds doing 50 in the right lane.  Very frustrating!

The North Freeway (I-45) in Houston used to be like driving the Grand Prix outside of rush hour.  Seems that people have slowed down in recent years, though.

[Brandon]

M-6 would likely take that prize in Michigan.

And I haven't traveled much, so I have no experience with most of the roads talked about in this thread.

Not so sure about that.  I've been caught in a traffic flow of 90mph on I-96 between Howell and Farmington.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I don't think we have any real abnormally fast sections of Twin Cities freeway, but I-494 is routinely a parking lot for a few miles on either side of I-35W at any time of day and much worse at rush hour.

[formulanone]

I-75 from US 27 to SR 951 (the Alligator Alley portion) has lots of triple-digit speeders, but the Florida Highway Patrol has curtailed a lot of this in recent years. Florida's Turnpike from US 192 through SR 70 gets its fair share of the same sort of speeders, with exits roughly 40-50 miles apart (and typically limited-interest scenery).

It's hard to top 70 on I-595 in recent years, even less so with construction. Airport traffic and an exit every mile keeps it jammed; basically a helpful design when it opened in 1990, but a cluttered mess as the area grew in population.

Just drove on I-585 in South Carolina, and some portions have posted limits of 40 mph.

[texaskdog]

I don't think we have any real abnormally fast sections of Twin Cities freeway, but I-494 is routinely a parking lot for a few miles on either side of I-35W at any time of day and much worse at rush hour.

494 East of the airport with 3 lanes each way was usually a dragstrip

[flowmotion]

I don't think we have any real abnormally fast sections of Twin Cities freeway, but I-494 is routinely a parking lot for a few miles on either side of I-35W at any time of day and much worse at rush hour.

On the slow side, the 45MPH section of I-35E was excruciating. There was tons of enforcement, so traffic would clump up at 47MPH on a road clearly designed for much higher speeds.

[InterstateNG]

M-6 would likely take that prize in Michigan.

And I haven't traveled much, so I have no experience with most of the roads talked about in this thread.

Not so sure about that.  I've been caught in a traffic flow of 90mph on I-96 between Howell and Farmington.

That stretch of 96 is always quick.  Six lanes, nice smooth concrete and the only places cops can hide are pretty obvious.

[twinsfan87]

I don't think we have any real abnormally fast sections of Twin Cities freeway, but I-494 is routinely a parking lot for a few miles on either side of I-35W at any time of day and much worse at rush hour.

I generally agree with you. My guess though would be MN 610... I usually go about 75 in the 65 there and have been passed up by people going 80, 85, or more.

[njroadhorse]

I second Interstate 295 in New Jersey. I was doing 92 around Trenton and still getting burned.

I'd like to add the Garden State Parkway to this also. I average in the low 80s when I'm keeping with the flow, even in the 90s occasionally.

[Bryant5493]

I-285 speeds are about 80-85 mph (mostly better) outside of rush hour.


Be well,

Bryant

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I don't think we have any real abnormally fast sections of Twin Cities freeway, but I-494 is routinely a parking lot for a few miles on either side of I-35W at any time of day and much worse at rush hour.

On the slow side, the 45MPH section of I-35E was excruciating. There was tons of enforcement, so traffic would clump up at 47MPH on a road clearly designed for much higher speeds.

I must be on that road at all the wrong times. I always hear about how heavy the police presence is, but I never see any of it when I go on there myself.

[Lightning Strike]

In the literal since of being slow, I'd have to say I-70 through I believe Zanesville, OH..... a whomping 40MPH.... I can't understand for the life of me why that stretch of I-70 (if I'm remembering the right strecth) is so slow through a town. 

[Ned Weasel]

In the literal since of being slow, I'd have to say I-70 through I believe Zanesville, OH..... a whomping 40MPH.... I can't understand for the life of me why that stretch of I-70 (if I'm remembering the right strecth) is so slow through a town. 

Unless it's been changed in the last year, I-70 through Zanesville, OH is 55 M.P.H.  You might be thinking of Belle Vernon, PA, where it drops to 45.  I've always wondered why it was 45 in Belle Vernon, when it seems like it could be 55, and most drivers seem to go at least 60, anyway.

[Lightning Strike]

Ah ty stridentweasel, I thought I had my towns off, but yea after two speeding tickets in OH, I'd rather not push my luck in those small towns trying to do anymore than the speed limit LOL

[pianocello]

While the Borman Expy in NW Indiana may not be the fastest, traffic flow is generally* about 70-75 (speed limit 55). Of course, it instantly becomes the slowest freeway once you get to the construction.

*generally meaning the 2-3 times annually I go on it

[golden eagle]

On a trip down I-65 from Montgomery to Mobile (en route to New Orleans) I was doing 90 mph with a fair amount of traffic on the road. I wasn't passing anyone.

I remember in years past, I-10 between I-55 and the city of New Orleans was like a race track. Not so much in recent trips.