Roads you're tired of driving

[hbelkins]

I'm not talking about your daily commute or some road in your vicinity that you have to travel to get to a frequent destination.

This concerns roads that you have to drive to reach a distant destination, that you've driven so often that you're tired of them and wish there was an alternate route.

For me the #1 candidate is I-79 and I-68. These are the shortest routes to just about any destination in the northeast (and until Corridor H is finished, to Washington DC). The first few times I drove these routes they were fun and interesting, now they are just long, boring hauls that I have to endure to get to a road I've never used before.

Coming in at #2 is I-64 across Indiana and Illinois, tied with I-74 and I-65 between Indianapolis and Cincinnati/Louisville respectively.

Third on my list is US 23/I-26 through Virginia and Tennessee, and Alternate US 58 from Norton to Abingdon. This is a highly scenic route but I've driven it way too often.

Next time I go to the Northeast, I'd love to put my vehicle in a Star Trek transporter and be beamed to the Delaware River.

I'm hoping to go to Doug's planned New Hampshire meet and I'm already trying to think of alternate routes besides I-79 and I-68 to get me there.

[vdeane]

The Thruway between I-490 (exit 45) and I-81; probably all the way out to NY 365 within a couple of years.  Also US 11 between Fort Drum and Canton (though I only have to drive it one more time).

[Takumi]

US 460 between Petersburg and Suffolk when going to Hampton Roads. Last time I went I went out of my way through Richmond to I-64 to I-664. Next time I may even do VA 5-VA 199-VA 143 for kicks.

[kkt]

I-5.  There's only two interesting parts on the whole damn road, Burlington to Bellingham, Wash., and Redding, Calif., to Medford, Or.  The rest of it I wouldn't mind if I never had to drive again.

[DTComposer]

Agree on I-5, especially going between L.A. and the Bay Area...it's gotten to the point where I almost always take US-101 northbound instead. It adds about an hour to the drive but is worth it for the scenery, places to stop, etc. I also alternate where I cut over (CA-41, CA-152, I-580) to mix it up.

Still usually take I-5 south, just 'cause I'm eager to get home.

[oscar]

I-95, at least between D.C. and the Miami area, but really all the way into southern New England.  My latest trip to Florida, I took the Interstate southbound because I was in a hurry, but followed a slower shunpike route on the way back (mainly a mix of US 17 in FL, US 1 in GA and SC, old US 220 and US 311 instead of I-73 in NC, and US 360 in VA) for a change of pace.

I-5 between the Grapevine and Sacramento would be less tiresome if all the slow trucks didn't get in the way.  But while I've used the major shunpike alternatives (US 101 a lot, CA 99 a little), I haven't yet resorted to using CA 33 as an alternative.

There are many tiresome cross-country Interstates, but I-80 east of Cheyenne, I-70 between Denver and Pittsburgh, and I-40 between Albuquerque and Knoxville, come first to mind.  (Some others are more boring, but I haven't driven them often enough to get "oh no, not again" feelings about the prospect of driving them again.)  With those as well, if I have time I'll use shunpike alternatives.  For example, I drove a lot of US 60 between AZ and MO on my latest cross-country trip, to bypass I-40 and I-44. 

[deathtopumpkins]

Pretty much any local road that i drive on a lot to get elsewhere. Primarily:
US 1 in NH - 15 miles of strip malls and stoplights that I pass through almost every time I go to Maine.
MA 128 (the I-95 portion) - lots of traffic, little to look at, never really fun.
MA 3 from Braintree to the Canal - boring, boring, boring, but still heavy traffic, always can't wait to get off it.

[Billy F 1988]

US 93 in Missoula County! I hate Reserve Street with a passion! Although I don't commute with my car as much, still, Reserve Street along US 93 sucks even the 93/12 duplex down to Lolo sucks! It's people who don't follow the speed limit that bother me because I'm going the speed limit and some asshole decides that it's his or her own Daytona and speeds. I typically use Old US 10, SR 263 and SR 474 to bypass US 93 and I-90, that for which I don't have a problem with. It's the stretch of US 93 from Missoula southward that I get nervous at times. My advice coming here? Avoid Reserve Street. And, also, avoid turning left off the side streets that only have stop signs connecting Russell Street. River Road and Russell Street is a major hassle.

[roadman]

After years of using I-84 between Scranton (PA) and Sturbridge (MA) on my (usually) annual vacation, I had gotten really tired of it about 2004.  For a brief period, I switched to using I-81 north to I-88 east to I-90 Berkshire Extension/MassPike into Boston.  I now alternate routes each time, using I-84 going west and I-88 coming back east one year, and visa-versa the following year.

However, I'm still not sure what I despise more - taking I-84 east of Scranton or the Clearview signs on I-81 north of Scranton.

[1995hoo]

I'll second I-95 (and the Jersey Turnpike) from New York all the way down to Fort Pierce, Florida. I haven't yet driven the part between Fort Pierce and the Golden Glades Interchange. Like Oscar, I've started finding different routes as long as I can do it without too much added distance (say, around 100 miles) or too much added time (recognizing I-95 traffic can make "added time" turn out to be less than the direct route, though). I'd consider a route further west except for the low Wife Acceptance Factor.

I-81 in Virginia is high on my list as well because it's such a frustrating drive. Too many trucks and it's too hard to pass them because of all the traffic. I try to take US-29 instead when it's feasible unless I MUST be somewhere at a specific time (example: I had a case in the state court in Harrisonburg, so on the way out I normally took I-66 to I-81 and on the way back I normally took US-211 over the mountain near Luray and Sperryville) or unless weather was an issue (I don't use 211 in dense fog or heavy snow).

I got very tired of I-85 during my law school years at Duke. It's been 15 years since I graduated, but I still find I-85 mindnumbing and so I tend to opt for US-29 all the way down through Virginia to Greensboro instead.

Finally, I-495 in Maryland (the Capital Beltway) simply because of the drivers on that road. Extremely rude and aggressive, more so than in the rest of the DC area in my opinion. It's like a lane change doesn't count unless they cut in front of someone. The PG County part is considerably worse than the Montgomery County part.

[A.J. Bertin]

For me, it's definitely I-80/90 (the Ohio Turnpike) between Toledo and Cleveland. It seems like I have taken that particular stretch of I-80/90 a lot over the past 5 years that I'm so over it. Usually when I'm on the Ohio Turnpike, I'm headed to a road meet (Baltimore in '10, Akron/Canton in '10, Morgantown in '11, and Wheeling in '11). However, my significant other and I have friends who live outside New York City, so we've driven out there a few times since 2007 to see them.

I don't drive that stretch of I-80/90 too often, but I've definitely become sick of it because it's my primary "gateway to the East" so to speak. I wish I could be beamed from Toledo to Cleveland.

Here at home in Michigan, I get rather sick of I-96 between Grand Rapids and Lansing and I-196/U.S. 31 between Holland and Benton Harbor.

[formulanone]

I-95 from Fort Pierce to Jacksonville, and essentially all of Florida's Turnpike from Golden Glades to its northern terminus with I-75. I'll usually make some excuse to take a pointless backroad diversion just to defer the boredom.

[hbelkins]

I could add to my list, US 220 from Cumberland to Bedford and then the PA Turnpike east to just about anywhere. Only done it a handful of times, but already have come to detest it. I don't mind I-99 north of Bedford.

Also I-70 from Hancock to Hagerstown and then I-81 north to Harrisburg. The I-70 portion is pretty, but I'm tired of it. I've only done I-70 between Hagerstown and Frederick three or four times, so that route's not agonizing (yet). Nothing really worth seeing along I-81 from Hagerstown to Harrisburg, and lots of traffic.

I could add I-71 in Ohio to the list. Most of the route from Cincy to Columbus is agonizingly flat and boring, and from Columbus to Cleveland is always heavily-traveled and full of cops.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I'm not tired of driving of this one, but instead of going almost everyday through it. I'm talking about Spanish A-23 between Zaragoza and Huesca. Due to this, last time I went driving to Zaragoza I took another route with no expressways at all.

[Eth]

I second I-81 in Virginia, a hatred honed by numerous trips from DC to Atlanta and back.

Silver medal goes to I-75 between Macon and Ocala, and the bronze to US 431 between Phenix City and Dothan, which really isn't that bad in and of itself; it's just the fact that I've driven it approximately 3515131 times.

Honorable mentions: I-10 between DeFuniak Springs and I-75; the entire South Carolina portion of I-85.

[vdeane]

I-81 from NY 481 to NY 177

[Alps]

I-78, west of I-287
I-80, from I-99 east to NJ 15
I-81, from I-68 north to I-78 and from I-380 north to Binghamton
I-84, east of Hartford
I-95, from I-695 north to end at US 1/I-295 and from I-91 north to MA 128
I-99
I-287 (NJ only)
I-290 (MA) east of Worcester
I-380 (PA)
US 1, from Conowingo Dam (MD) to Garden State Pkwy.
US 9W, Palisades Pkwy. to I-787
US 20, I-84 east to MA 9
US 22, from I-376 to I-99
US 206, from I-95 north to I-287
MA 9, east of US 20

[Sanctimoniously]

Interstate 20 between Jackson and Columbia, more specifically the stretches between Jackson and Meridian, and Birmingham and Atlanta.

NC 24 between I-95 and Jacksonville. I don't have to drive this one anymore, but it was definitely starting to become a drag. I swear it would get longer every time I made that trip.

[bugo]

I get sick of driving US 59 between OK 9 and US 271 and between Poteau and Heavener.  2 lanes and I always end up getting stuck behind some beedledick doing 50 in a 65.

[oscar]

Finally, I-495 in Maryland (the Capital Beltway) simply because of the drivers on that road. Extremely rude and aggressive, more so than in the rest of the DC area in my opinion. It's like a lane change doesn't count unless they cut in front of someone. The PG County part is considerably worse than the Montgomery County part.

Have you been to south Florida?  I think the rudeness level on urban roads (of all kinds) down there is much worse than anything in the D.C. area.

[xcellntbuy]

Finally, I-495 in Maryland (the Capital Beltway) simply because of the drivers on that road. Extremely rude and aggressive, more so than in the rest of the DC area in my opinion. It's like a lane change doesn't count unless they cut in front of someone. The PG County part is considerably worse than the Montgomery County part.

Have you been to south Florida?  I think the rudeness level on urban roads (of all kinds) down there is much worse than anything in the D.C. area.

AMEN!

[corco]

I-84 from Burley Idaho down to I-15...that just seems to take forever and ever. I haven't even had cause to do it in a couple years, and I still dread the thought of driving it.

I-10 west of Phoenix and east of Tucson is pretty boring, too (hell, Phoenix to Tucson isn't terribly fun either).

So is US-93 from Phoenix to the Nevada line and then again from Ely NV up to US-30. Vegas to Ely is tolerable, for some reason.

[allniter89]

All of I 65 especially the 366 miles in Alabama and 260 miles in Indiana. Twice a week I'd load in Mobile, AL going to somewhere around Chicagoland. After I got the first 366 miles (AL)  behind me the rest were easy.

[DandyDan]

I have thoroughly gotten tired of I-80 (and I-88) going east from Omaha towards Chicago.  Last time I drove there, I got off in Des Moines and took US 65 to IA 330 to US 30 to US 151 to IA-IL 64.  It was a nice drive other than getting caught speeding in Benton County.  Police have nothing better to do in Benton County, apparently.

[1995hoo]

Finally, I-495 in Maryland (the Capital Beltway) simply because of the drivers on that road. Extremely rude and aggressive, more so than in the rest of the DC area in my opinion. It's like a lane change doesn't count unless they cut in front of someone. The PG County part is considerably worse than the Montgomery County part.

Have you been to south Florida?  I think the rudeness level on urban roads (of all kinds) down there is much worse than anything in the D.C. area.

I've been there, but not enough to have a dislike for it or to be tired of driving there. My brother-in-law and his family live in Pembroke Pines (out Pines Boulevard near US-27), but as my wife and I got married in 2010 I've only visited there twice, and I'd only been to Miami once before then (a football trip to the old Orange Bowl for a UVA—Miami game in 2005 when I was already in Florida for Thanksgiving).

Since the thread is "roads you are tired of driving," it implies a level of familiarity I don't have with the Miami area. I've been to Viera and Melbourne more often, which is why I commented on there. (Whereas I drive on the Maryland part of the Beltway reasonably often.)

Make sense now?