What is your favorite piece of interstate in your state?

[hbelkins]

In Kentucky? Honestly? None of them.

I've quite enjoyed I-75 in Kentucky both times I've been down that way. What's not to like about a rural six-lane interstate?

The traffic, especially the truck traffic.

[webny99]

Probably I-490.

I-490 has a lot of variation in character from end to end - any segment in particular?

I like both the section through the city, which is a nice urban freeway drive outside of rush hour, and the section east of the city heading to/from the Thruway, which has long had an association as being the start/end of trips to/from Rochester (and is a nice drive too).  Not so much the western section.

Gotcha. I have similar feelings, notwithstanding my frequent comments about the four-lane section needing to be widened.

The western section certainly isn't a bad road either, but you can really tell it was built way out with suburban expansion in mind, leaving it with huge medians and feeling a bit vast and empty almost to the point of being eerie. Case in point, I much prefer the character of the Exit 25-27 stretch, even though it can be crowded, than the Exit 4-6 stretch, which feels like the middle of nowhere and is just too spread out or my liking. Plus, most of the metro area can use I-390 to get to the WB Thruway/Buffalo instead, so it doesn't have that "essential" feeling of status and importance to it like the eastern leg does.

[xonhulu]

I-84 east of Pendleton, the Deadman Pass a.k.a. Cabbage Hill a.k.a. Emigrant Hill section.

[sbeaver44]

For PA
1) I-376 EB exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel
2) I-76 between Carlisle and Breezewood
3) I-176
4) All of I-90
5) I-276 for the 70 limit and 3 lanes
6) I-99 with the US 322 overlap

[webny99]

For PA
...
4) All of I-90

That's actually one of my least favorite pieces of interstate, in no small part because of the ridiculous 55 mph limit through what is supposedly "the Erie area". I could do with an extra lane in each direction and a 70 mph speed limit on that stretch, please and thank you! 

[sprjus4]

For PA
...
4) All of I-90

That's actually one of my least favorite pieces of interstate, in no small part because of the ridiculous 55 mph limit through what is supposedly "the Erie area". I could do with an extra lane in each direction and a 70 mph speed limit on that stretch, please and thank you! 

Speed limit = 55 mph
Road design = 70 mph
Actual speed = 70 mph

Reminds me of PA I-70 south of the Turnpike. 22 miles of 55 mph on rural interstate, where drivers travel at a minimum of 70 mph. As soon as you cross into Maryland, no change in road design, speed limit 70 mph.

[vdeane]

Probably I-490.

I-490 has a lot of variation in character from end to end - any segment in particular?

I like both the section through the city, which is a nice urban freeway drive outside of rush hour, and the section east of the city heading to/from the Thruway, which has long had an association as being the start/end of trips to/from Rochester (and is a nice drive too).  Not so much the western section.

Gotcha. I have similar feelings, notwithstanding my frequent comments about the four-lane section needing to be widened.

The western section certainly isn't a bad road either, but you can really tell it was built way out with suburban expansion in mind, leaving it with huge medians and feeling a bit vast and empty almost to the point of being eerie. Case in point, I much prefer the character of the Exit 25-27 stretch, even though it can be crowded, than the Exit 4-6 stretch, which feels like the middle of nowhere and is just too spread out or my liking. Plus, most of the metro area can use I-390 to get to the WB Thruway/Buffalo instead, so it doesn't have that "essential" feeling of status and importance to it like the eastern leg does.

25-27 is quite nice from a roadgeek perspective.  As much as it needs a widening, part of me would be sad to see it because then we'd no longer have the narrow four-lane freeway with box beam in the median.  The aesthetic would be completely different.

For PA
...
4) All of I-90

That's actually one of my least favorite pieces of interstate, in no small part because of the ridiculous 55 mph limit through what is supposedly "the Erie area". I could do with an extra lane in each direction and a 70 mph speed limit on that stretch, please and thank you! 

Speed limit = 55 mph
Road design = 70 mph
Actual speed = 70 mph

Reminds me of PA I-70 south of the Turnpike. 22 miles of 55 mph on rural interstate, where drivers travel at a minimum of 70 mph. As soon as you cross into Maryland, no change in road design, speed limit 70 mph.

I first drove that part of I-70 when there was a work zone on the Maryland side.  Despite all the signs warning of a "reduced speed ahead", the speed limit still went up when crossing the border, to 60.

[sprjus4]

25-27 is quite nice from a roadgeek perspective.  As much as it needs a widening, part of me would be sad to see it because then we'd no longer have the narrow four-lane freeway with box beam in the median.  The aesthetic would be completely different.

Any widening could likely retain the existing design, it would just pave an additional lane each way to the outside.

[webny99]

25-27 is quite nice from a roadgeek perspective.  As much as it needs a widening, part of me would be sad to see it because then we'd no longer have the narrow four-lane freeway with box beam in the median.  The aesthetic would be completely different.

That's true, it's almost like a European/UK style freeway, which we don't have a lot of around here. The Marsh Road bridge replacement a few years ago would have been the time to widen it, but they didn't even make the new bridges wide enough for six lanes, so it looks like the vintage character will be preserved for at least the foreseeable future. 

Any widening could likely retain the existing design, it would just pave an additional lane each way to the outside.

I'll let vdeane comment on this, but... I'm not sure that would work on this particular stretch. And even if it did, the guard rail in the median would almost certainly be replaced by jersey barrier.

[vdeane]

25-27 is quite nice from a roadgeek perspective.  As much as it needs a widening, part of me would be sad to see it because then we'd no longer have the narrow four-lane freeway with box beam in the median.  The aesthetic would be completely different.

Any widening could likely retain the existing design, it would just pave an additional lane each way to the outside.

The underlying concrete is old enough that a major rehab or reconstruction is not out of the question (in fact, the stretch from 27-29 got just that 20 years ago).  Also worth noting that this recently replaced bridge has a standard jersey barrier (and, alas, no provisions for a widening) rather than the original box beam.  Just adding a lane on the outside would also require every single overpass to be replaced, including possibly the brand new one at exit 27 (if you went with new through lanes rather than auxiliary lanes, anyways).  It's highly unlikely that the road would be widened without significant work, especially given NYSDOT's current funding situation and current project priorities.

[akotchi]

For Pennsylvania, I have to say the new I-95 flyovers at the Turnpike, since this was a project 36 years in the making.

I lived in Maryland for about 7 years or so, so I will weigh in with I-97, because it was under construction during the years I lived there.

[Rothman]

I was just out on I-390 and I-490 earlier this year.  The potholes in the seams between lanes were unnerving.

[webny99]

I was just out on I-390 and I-490 earlier this year.  The potholes in the seams between lanes were unnerving.

Yeah, I hear you, there is quite a bit of that around here. Try some of the local state routes, like NY 441 and NY 286!

[theline]

Hmmm... For Indiana, I would have to go with either I-69 between Crane and Bloomington or I-64 in southern Indiana...

Agreed. For me, they are one and two, in that order. Some from Indy may think that I'm crazy, but I'd give an honorable mention to 465. Despite its shortcomings, I think it's a pretty cool road.

[sparker]

In my case, it would be the segment of I-5 between Lake Shasta and Weed -- you get evergreen forests galore, canyon running, an adjacent heavily-used rail line -- and, of course, Mt. Shasta looming over the whole shooting match!  Of particular note, IMO, is the long arc uphill from Dunsmuir to Mt. Shasta City and the section skirting the cinder dome (aka Black Butte) between MSC and Weed.   Scenery, great alignment -- everything one could want in a mountain Interstate.   

[DandyDan]

Doing this for Iowa is tough. I am inclined to go with I-235 through Des Moines because it's fast and doesn't get the truck traffic I-35/80 gets.

[epzik8]

I-68 from Frostburg to the West Virginia line. Gorgeous scenery.

[Scott5114]

I'm going to go with I-44 between MO-100 and I-270. Throughout the state, I-44 tends to avoid the most rugged parts of the Missouri Ozarks, though by the St. Louis suburbs the highway (literally) cuts right through them. It is six (later eight) lanes and is known as the Henry Shaw Ozark Corridor. Several state parks, including Route 66 and Castlewood parks are along this corridor.

The part of I-44 near Jerome is also pretty mountainous.

[JayhawkCO]

Tough choice since we have a lot of pretty spots, but I-70 right by Genessee coming westbound where you get your first view of mountains that go above treeline.

Chris

[Couleurs]

Tough choice since we have a lot of pretty spots, but I-70 right by Genessee coming westbound where you get your first view of mountains that go above treeline.

Chris

I love that spot, but the first thing that popped to mind for me was I-70/Glenwood Canyon (more specifically some of the spots where you get great views of the whitewater rafters while driving). So many great options here though, so there is no wrong choice.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

When I visited Colorado for the first time as an adult in 2015, it was at the Chief Hosa exit going westbound that took my breath away. It took me back to CO in 2018 and 2019, though now I'm kind of Coloradoed out for a while.

[mccunicano]

I-90 from Seattle to Ellensburg outside of rush hour / holiday weekends / snowstorms.

An urban engineering marvel with great lake and mountain views, then a slow ascent up to Snoqualmie Pass, and finally seeing the landscape give way to rolling prairie. All in a short 100 miles or so.

Hey Bruce! My wife and I plan on moving to the Seattle area in about a year. She wants to do grad school at UW while I was considering getting a master's in history from somewhere else. I float the idea of commuting from E'burg to Seattle, but the pass seems like it would be treacherous in the winter. Do you think it would be even slightly realistic to make that drive regularly in the colder months? 

[Buck87]

I'll go with I-280, especially the Glass City Skyway

[kylebnjmnross]

I like I-83 through Harrisburg because it's such a glorious mess. 

[bassoon1986]

I-10 in Louisiana between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, specifically the long bridges over the Atchafalaya Swamp. Minus the chance for crashes and fires that shut it down and back it up.

If the US 90 corridor becomes I-49, my vote would be the swamp section of freeway between Morgan City and Houma. It's a different feel from I-10. You feel more like you're traveling through a canal with the way the cypress trees surround the elevated corridor.


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