Remotest/little used major road in your state?

[Dr Frankenstein]

Would the James Bay Road count? Otherwise, QC has plenty of very remote primary highways in the northwestern part of the province.

[MeanMeosh]

I-25 north of Casper is pretty darn devoid of traffic.  For US highways, I'd nominate US-50 and US-6 in Nevada, and US-12 in Montana between Forsyth and White Sulphur Springs.

Here in Texas, take your pick of just about any two-lane US highway south and west of Midland and San Angelo, and east of El Paso.

[JREwing78]

I-75 north of Bay City, possibly excepting the Mackinac Bridge.
US-2, US-41 (especially north of Houghton-Hancock), and US-45 in the western Upper Peninsula.

I will dispute your first three examples. A majority of the northbound Mackinac Bridge traffic turns off onto US 2. In fact, US 2 has so much traffic on it (relatively speaking) that I use M-123 to connect to M-28 to head home to Marquette County.

I-75 really doesn't drop below 10,000 vpd (average) until north of St. Ignace, where it drops down to about 4,000-5,000 vpd. That makes it a lonely stretch for Michigan, but certainly busy compared to I-25 in Wyoming.

US-41 between Houghton/Hancock and Calumet is quite busy as well. It's the only straight shot up the Keweenaw Peninsula, and it's a heavily-used commuter road.

Source: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9622_11033_11149---,00.html

[Brandon]

US-41 between Houghton/Hancock and Calumet is quite busy as well. It's the only straight shot up the Keweenaw Peninsula, and it's a heavily-used commuter road.

Source: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9622_11033_11149---,00.html

Much of it has also been 4-laned since 1990.

[Duke87]

CT 263, for sheer "This is a state highway!?" factor.

I mean, really, look at it. Narrow, hilly, no shoulders... you'd swear it must be a local road if you didn't know better.

[hbelkins]

CT 263, for sheer "This is a state highway!?" factor.

I mean, really, look at it. Narrow, hilly, no shoulders... you'd swear it must be a local road if you didn't know better.

We have plenty of state roads like that in Kentucky!

[mjb2002]

I believe that SC 392 is a little used highway in South Carolina. It is in Ridge Spring.

[Mapmikey]

I'd nominate US 30-287 from Laramie NW back around to I-80 near Sinclair...

When I drove this in June 2010 I passed more trains than I did cars.  A section is 4 laned for reasons I cannot possible comprehend...it was nice, but totally empty.

Mapmikey

[xonhulu]

I'd nominate US 30-287 from Laramie NW back around to I-80 near Sinclair...

When I drove this in June 2010 I passed more trains than I did cars.  A section is 4 laned for reasons I cannot possible comprehend...it was nice, but totally empty.

I think it was thought that I-80 might follow this route, so it was 4-laned in anticipation of that, but then the decision was made to build the new-terrain freeway to the south, leaving the overbuilt, underused highway you took.

[corco]

There's actually a decent amount of traffic on that- not anywhere near enough for that four lane stretch, but still a decent amount. It's kind of a feeder route-  Laramie to Casper traffic uses it, Rawlins/SLC to Wheatland and South Dakota traffic uses it, Laramie to Wheatland and South Dakota traffic uses it.

If you're heading north from Laramie or Rawlins you use 30/287 to either 34 or 487 rather than going all the way to Cheyenne and using I-25

Especially on weekends there are a lot of college students on that stretch of road heading from Laramie back to Casper.

When I say lots of traffic I mean relative to Wyoming- 30/287 has a lot of traffic compared to most other roads in non-tourist trap Wyoming, but that's still little traffic relative to the rest of America.

[JREwing78]

US-41 between Houghton/Hancock and Calumet is quite busy as well. It's the only straight shot up the Keweenaw Peninsula, and it's a heavily-used commuter road.

Source: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9622_11033_11149---,00.html

Much of it has also been 4-laned since 1990.

"Much" is stretching it a bit. There's a 2-mile "Passing Lane" section by the Houghton County airport, and then the Quincy Hill climb out of Hancock (formerly 2 lanes uphill, 1 lane down).

It's still fundamentally a 2-lane route, and if MDOT can't be brought to 4-lane the entire stretch of US-127 between M-50 in Jackson and US-12 (clocked at 16,000 vpd in 2009), it sure as hell isn't 4-laning the entire Calumet-to-Hancock stretch of US-41 (5800 vpd).

[ftballfan]

From Michigan:
US-2 between Iron River and Wakefield
US-23 between Rogers City and Cheboygan
US-41 north of Calumet
US-45
US-141 north of Crystal Falls
M-25 along the Thumb
M-28 west of US-41
M-36 west of Pinckney (630 AADT for one stretch in southwestern Livingston County!?!)

[vdeane]

CT 263, for sheer "This is a state highway!?" factor.

I mean, really, look at it. Narrow, hilly, no shoulders... you'd swear it must be a local road if you didn't know better.

Reminds me of US 11 south of the Onondaga Indian Reservation and NY 79/PA 92/PA 171 along the Susquehanna.

[texaskdog]

There's actually a decent amount of traffic on that- not anywhere near enough for that four lane stretch, but still a decent amount. It's kind of a feeder route-  Laramie to Casper traffic uses it, Rawlins/SLC to Wheatland and South Dakota traffic uses it, Laramie to Wheatland and South Dakota traffic uses it.

If you're heading north from Laramie or Rawlins you use 30/287 to either 34 or 487 rather than going all the way to Cheyenne and using I-25

Especially on weekends there are a lot of college students on that stretch of road heading from Laramie back to Casper.

When I say lots of traffic I mean relative to Wyoming- 30/287 has a lot of traffic compared to most other roads in non-tourist trap Wyoming, but that's still little traffic relative to the rest of America.

and of course both US routes must stay on that route instead of just one

[mgk920]

I-75 north of Bay City, possibly excepting the Mackinac Bridge.
US-2, US-41 (especially north of Houghton-Hancock), and US-45 in the western Upper Peninsula.

I will dispute your first three examples. A majority of the northbound Mackinac Bridge traffic turns off onto US 2. In fact, US 2 has so much traffic on it (relatively speaking) that I use M-123 to connect to M-28 to head home to Marquette County. US 41/M-28 is very heavily trafficked as well. I-75 north of Bay City may not be as busy as it is in the Detroit area, but it's hardly "little used" or "remote".

US 45 on the other hand, or US 141 north of Crystal Falls aren't going to have a ton of traffic. US 141 through there doesn't really run through any place of any population or join a larger traffic corridor together.

I'm thinking that the part of US 2 on either side of US 45 is the most remote (feeling) drive in the entire State of Michigan.  Straight, highly-engineered, extremely light traffic and a seemingly never-ending world of nothing but trees, trees and more trees.  And did I say trees?

(All of those 'Fictional Highway' posters should keep that in mind regarding a potential I-route across far-northern Wisconsin and the western YuPee of Michigan!)

As for Wisconsin, US 2 east of Ashland is a very lonely drive.  And for a remote, lonely and highly scenic state highway drive, try the east-west part of WI 13 north of US 2.

Mike

[jwolfer]

Florida's a big state, but I'll bet SR-9336 down in the Everglades is one of the least used state highways.

I was thinking SR 2 in Baker County.  It is isolated from the rest of the Florida State Road System.  It changes to GA 94 on both ends

[roadfro]

There are lots of remote state highways in Nevada, so it's hard to figure out which would be the least used without looking at traffic counts. My guess would be one in either the northern or central parts of the state, especially one which spurs from another highway to end at a tiny town or site.

Looking at US routes as more "major" roads: Contrary to US 50 being "The Loneliest Road in America", I'd make the guess that US 6 is Nevada is the least used highway. Particularly the section between Tonopah and and SR 318 west of Ely, which has no active towns directly on it and only about three state highway junctions in a stretch well over 100 miles.

[texaskdog]

There are lots of remote state highways in Nevada, so it's hard to figure out which would be the least used without looking at traffic counts. My guess would be one in either the northern or central parts of the state, especially one which spurs from another highway to end at a tiny town or site.

Looking at US routes as more "major" roads: Contrary to US 50 being "The Loneliest Road in America", I'd make the guess that US 6 is Nevada is the least used highway. Particularly the section between Tonopah and and SR 318 west of Ely, which has no active towns directly on it and only about three state highway junctions in a stretch well over 100 miles.

at least they could sent it west through Yosemite so it served a purpose

[Brandon]

I-75 north of Bay City, possibly excepting the Mackinac Bridge.
US-2, US-41 (especially north of Houghton-Hancock), and US-45 in the western Upper Peninsula.

I will dispute your first three examples. A majority of the northbound Mackinac Bridge traffic turns off onto US 2. In fact, US 2 has so much traffic on it (relatively speaking) that I use M-123 to connect to M-28 to head home to Marquette County. US 41/M-28 is very heavily trafficked as well. I-75 north of Bay City may not be as busy as it is in the Detroit area, but it's hardly "little used" or "remote".

US 45 on the other hand, or US 141 north of Crystal Falls aren't going to have a ton of traffic. US 141 through there doesn't really run through any place of any population or join a larger traffic corridor together.

I'm thinking that the part of US 2 on either side of US 45 is the most remote (feeling) drive in the entire State of Michigan.  Straight, highly-engineered, extremely light traffic and a seemingly never-ending world of nothing but trees, trees and more trees.  And did I say trees?

(All of those 'Fictional Highway' posters should keep that in mind regarding a potential I-route across far-northern Wisconsin and the western YuPee of Michigan!)

Mike

That's why mine was along M-28.

[JREwing78]

M-28 west of Covington isn't exactly a high-traffic roadway either. It does see more traffic, but I wouldn't expect any kind of 4-lane setup through here in at least the next 50 years.

US-2 between Iron River and Wakefield ranges from 750 to 1600 vehicles per day (vpd), 90 to 140 of them being commercial vehicles.

M-28 between Covington and Wakefield ranges from 1300 to 2200 vpd, 120 to 190 of them being commercial.

Source:
http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9622_11033_11149---,00.html

I think you're going to see WisDOT extend the US-51 or US-141 4-lane stretches to the UP before MDOT builds any new 4-lanes. That includes along the busy sections of US-2 from Iron Mountain to Manistique or on US-41/M-28 west of Ishpeming.

[mgk920]

I can easily see MDOT someday (yea, someday...) building four lanes on US 2 between I-75 and US 41 (west), including an interstate-compatible bypass of the Escanaba-Gladstone area, and on US 41 south of US 2 with an interstate-compatible bypass of Menominee, but nowhere else in Da YuPee.

Mike

[InterstateNG]

4 lanes doesn't seem to be an MDOT priority.

[twinsfan87]

For Minnesota, my guesses for least heavily traveled state highway would be either MN 65 between MN 1 and Littlefork or one of the many 200-level spur routes connecting trunk highways to small towns. For Wisconsin, I would guess either WI 77 between Clam Lake and WI 13 (since what little traffic goes to/from Mellen often takes County GG instead) or WI 27 between Hayward and Iron River.

[texaskdog]

They didn't even pave MN-65 thru Nett Lake until a few years ago.  Yeah I took GG went I came home from Ironwood, too.

[hm insulators]

An Oregon joke:  Why is Oregon so wet?  Because it only has one Drain!  That's the town where 38, 99 and a former segment of 99, which has since been demoted to a county road, meet up.  At least Drain isn't Boring!  (another small Oregon town up by PDX)

Why is Oregon so windy?  Because California sucks and Washington blows!  Please don't hurt yourselves laughing . . .
[/quote]