The Most Vital Highway to your State

[OCGuy81]

What is the one highway that is the most vital to your state's system?  One that, if it didn't exist, would be crippling both in economic and traffic terms.

I think in some states it's easy to identify what the most vital route would be (for example, 15 probably takes the cake in Utah, and North Dakota probably relies the most on 94) but what is the most important route in your state?

California is tough, for me.  I think I-5 is a solid choice, though I'm sure there are valid arguments for 80, and maybe even 10. 

[TXtoNJ]

Texas has two. For international and intrastate, it's I-35 without a doubt. For interstate traffic, though, I-10 is probably more important.

[WashuOtaku]

I would assume this would be easy to identify as it would likely be an interstate that interacts with most major cities in area.

For North Carolina --> I-85, it links Charlotte, the Triad and RTP areas; all major commercial centers.
For South Carolina --> I-26, it links Charleston (port), Columbia (capital) and Greenville/Spartanburg area.
For Georgia --> I-75, considered a vital corridor from Michigan to Florida; Also links Chattanooga, Atlanta and Macon areas.
For Florida --> I-95, links cities along Atlantic Coast with tourism and commerce to the northern states.

[vdeane]

I'm gonna go with the Thruway for NY.  The Cross-Bronx is also a contender, but both it and the Thruway are part of I-95, so I went with the Thruway.

[Zeffy]

New Jersey Turnpike without a doubt. Of course, I also would say the Garden State Parkway is extremely important as well.

[TEG24601]

I-5 in Washington and Oregon - Without it it, it would take forever to get anywhere, all the truck traffic would be so dangerous.


I-90 for most of the Country - Same Story

[pumpkineater2]

 For Arizona, I'd have to say I-10. It is especially important to the phoenix area as it carries traffic between the urban core and the ever expanding outer suburbs.

[SteveG1988]

New Jersey Turnpike without a doubt. Of course, I also would say the Garden State Parkway is extremely important as well.

I'd argue that I-295 is more important than the parkway, as 295 handles a lot of local traffic and has a lot of warehouse type stuff along it.

[Pink Jazz]

Definitely I-10 in Arizona, since it connects Arizona's two largest metro areas (Phoenix and Tucson), plus connecting Phoenix to its growing exurbs.

For New Mexico, I would say I-25 since it connects Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe (the three largest metro areas in the state).

[cjk374]

I-20 in Louisiana.  The alternative, US 80, is all 2-lane (except for the Dixie Inn-Bossier City segment...4-lane divided since 1954) and goes straight thru many towns.  Any time I-20 is detoured onto US 80 it is a total charlie-foxtrot.

[hbelkins]

In Kentucky, I-65 carries more truck traffic than any other interstate, so I'd say it would get the nomination from most folks. Myself, I'd lean to I-64 because it links the state's two biggest cities and the state capital.

[cpzilliacus]

Maryland:

(1) I-95 (since so much of the state's population and employment is along it); and
(2) I-70 (provides connection to western Pennsylvania and the Midwest, vital to the Port of Baltimore).

[GaryV]

Michigan:  I-94.  (Although others might argue for I-75, but really all that does is connect Up North and Down South with Detroit.)

[golden eagle]

I'm going to cheat and say both I-55 and I-20 in Mississippi. I-20 links us with DFW to the west, and Birmingham and Atlanta to the east; I-55 with Memphis to the north, New Orleans to the south. Because of Jackson's proximity to these cities, we're seen as a key distribution center. 

[keithvh]

Michigan:  I-94.  (Although others might argue for I-75, but really all that does is connect Up North and Down South with Detroit.)

I'd go I-75 for Michigan simply because of the Mackinac Bridge.  Literally the one road connection for 10% of the state's population to the other 90%.

Thoughts on a few other states I've spent a fair amount of time in:

Ohio: I-71.  Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati
Pennsylvania: The Turnpike.
Kentucky: I-65
Nebraska: I-80
South Dakota: I-29.  Even over I-90, just because eastern SD is more of the economic engine of the state.
North Dakota: I-94.

[KEVIN_224]

By far, it's I-95 in Maine. For the slower drive and/or tourists, I'd definitely go with US Route 1.

As for Connecticut, maybe I-91? It connects New Haven, Meriden, Hartford and Enfield. I-95 connects Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven and New London.

[cl94]

For New York:

If we're talking named roads, I agree with the Thruway because it connects every major city while providing an important freight route.

If numbers, probably I-87 (over I-90). The majority of the state's population lives within 20-30 miles of it, it's an important international freight corridor, and it directly connects the state's two most important cities (New York and Albany) with the second largest city in Canada (Montreal). Unless you leave the state to take I-80, it's difficult for goods or people to travel between downstate and upstate without I-87.

[thenetwork]

Colorado would be a fierce 50/50 split between I-25, since it connects most of Colorado's largest cities, and I-70, since it is the only real road connecting the front range with the western half of Colorado.

I have to rank I-70 above I-25 simply for the fact that there are far more stretches of I-70 that, if the road was to be closed or destroyed, there are no close parallel routes (quite a bit of the old US-6 alignments were paved over by the interstate).  At least with I-25, there are multiple parallel routes running from Wyoming to New Mexico (US-85 & US-87 -- signed or not).

[Takumi]

I-95 for Virginia.

[corco]

Idaho I think is I-84, though a case could be made for US 95 since it is the ONLY road between southern and northern Idaho.

I'd go with I-80 for Wyoming, but a case could be made for I-25- I-80 wins because it has way more traffic.

Montana I think you have to go I-90.

[jas]

New Jersey Turnpike without a doubt. Of course, I also would say the Garden State Parkway is extremely important as well.

I'd argue that I-295 is more important than the parkway, as 295 handles a lot of local traffic and has a lot of warehouse type stuff along it.

The GSP is the main route to the Shore from Northern Jersey and NY.

[NE2]

I have to rank I-70 above I-25 simply for the fact that there are far more stretches of I-70 that, if the road was to be closed or destroyed, there are no close parallel routes (quite a bit of the old US-6 alignments were paved over by the interstate).  At least with I-25, there are multiple parallel routes running from Wyoming to New Mexico (US-85 & US-87 -- signed or not).

I think you have that backwards. There's probably a lot more of US 85-87 under I-25 than US 6 under I-70.

[ski-man]

For WYO, it would be I-80. That highway in the middle of B.F.E. is just lined with 18-wheelers.

[Pink Jazz]

I-95 for Virginia.

I would say it is a tossup between I-95 and I-64.  Sure, I-95 connects Richmond to DC (indirectly via I-395), but I-64 connects Richmond to Hampton Roads and Charlottesville, and Hampton Roads is Virginia's second largest metro area after the DC area.  The bulk of VDOT's funding goes to the Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads districts.

[Darkchylde]

I-70 for Missouri, no question. It handles a LOT of traffic, connects the state's two largest metro areas, and while a lot of fragments of old US 40 still remain (some signed, even!), they can't possibly accommodate I-70's traffic if something happens, especially in the more rural areas.