I-99: What would you number it?

[Molandfreak]

holy crap I-476

We all know that was a dumb move, too.

I-99 is not such a bad number.  True, it's not in the ideal place in the grid, but when it was set up there weren't any in-grid numbers available.

Why should it have to be a hidden interstate?  Built with federal funds, to interstate standards, why shouldn't be signed?

What really gripes me is suffixed interstates, I-35.  And making new ones with I-69.  If I had been AASHTO, I would have denied them permission to use it in that way.  The interstate shield is still AASHTO's trademark and Congress can't order them to permit it, unless Congress wants to go through a eminent domain process.

Agreed wholeheartedly.

[KEVIN_224]

I'm reading that I-92 was proposed in at least two areas, one of which would be a possible number for the East-West Highway through central and northern Maine. The other was for something which would've started in the Albany, NY area and roughly follow the US Route 4 corridor. Then there's the possible I-98 for the US Route 11 corridor in New York state.

[Molandfreak]

I'm reading that I-92 was proposed in at least two areas, one of which would be a possible number for the East-West Highway through central and northern Maine. The other was for something which would've started in the Albany, NY area and roughly follow the US Route 4 corridor. Then there's the possible I-98 for the US Route 11 corridor in New York state.

what


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[hbelkins]

You have to remember that it is supposedly going to be extended to Corning and possibly Cumberland.

Nope. The funding to improve US 220 between Bedford and Cumberland was diverted to some other ARC corridor in Pennsylvania. Someone will need to refresh my memory on that.

However, I do think I-99 should replace I-390 and run all the way to I-90/Thruway, if not all the way into Rochester.

[Molandfreak]

You have to remember that it is supposedly going to be extended to Corning and possibly Cumberland.

Nope. The funding to improve US 220 between Bedford and Cumberland was diverted to some other ARC corridor in Pennsylvania. Someone will need to refresh my memory on that.

However, I do think I-99 should replace I-390 and run all the way to I-90/Thruway, if not all the way into Rochester.

Supposedly. And I do agree on replacing I-390.


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[WNYroadgeek]

I agree with replacing I-390, too.

Though I do also like the idea of designating I-99 as an extension of I-83, then flip-flopping the I-81 and I-83 designations to keep them all in order (in addition to the I-390 replacement).

[Alps]

I'm reading that I-92 was proposed in at least two areas, one of which would be a possible number for the East-West Highway through central and northern Maine. The other was for something which would've started in the Albany, NY area and roughly follow the US Route 4 corridor. Then there's the possible I-98 for the US Route 11 corridor in New York state.

what

yes

[NE2]

IIRC Cumberland-Bedford ARC funding was shifted first to US 322 west of I-99, then to the connection around Sunbury from US 11-15 to PA 147.

Doesn't mean the states can't built a Cumberland-Bedford freeway in the future.

[froggie]

The interstate shield is still AASHTO's trademark and Congress can't order them to permit it, unless Congress wants to go through a eminent domain process.

The Interstate shield may be AASHTO's "trademark", but the Interstate SYSTEM is FHWA's realm (Congressional meddling notwithstanding).

[Dougtone]

I agree with replacing I-390, too.

Though I do also like the idea of designating I-99 as an extension of I-83, then flip-flopping the I-81 and I-83 designations to keep them all in order (in addition to the I-30 replacement).

They'd need to extend I-83 to I-99, I'd imagine.  US 322 from Harrisburg to State College would need to be upgraded in spots in order to make that happen, since to me that would be the most logical way to achieve that extension.

[bluecountry]

You have to remember that it is supposedly going to be extended to Corning and possibly Cumberland.

Nope. The funding to improve US 220 between Bedford and Cumberland was diverted to some other ARC corridor in Pennsylvania. Someone will need to refresh my memory on that.

However, I do think I-99 should replace I-390 and run all the way to I-90/Thruway, if not all the way into Rochester.

Good, I am glad they are not going to foolishly extend I-99 into Cumberland.
I might even ask, do we really need that interstate at all?  I can see the need to get to state college but beyond that does I-99 really help traffic or just induce development?
We already had north south routes in PA.

IIRC Cumberland-Bedford ARC funding was shifted first to US 322 west of I-99, then to the connection around Sunbury from US 11-15 to PA 147.

Doesn't mean the states can't built a Cumberland-Bedford freeway in the future.

That would be an absolutely terrible use of funds.
MD and PA should focus on heavily congested corridors instead of building a new road destroying countryside in area that is perfectly well served.
Who the heck is going to use a Cumberland-Bedford freeway?  We don't need it.

[hbelkins]

Who the heck is going to use a Cumberland-Bedford freeway?

I would. I've driven US 220 several times and there's usually enough traffic on the road that if I get behind a truck, I can't safely pass it until I get to the four-lane south of the PA Turnpike.

I might even ask, do we really need that interstate at all?  I can see the need to get to state college but beyond that does I-99 really help traffic or just induce development?
We already had north south routes in PA.

You might want to research the history of the Appalachian Regional Commission and the development highway corridors. The whole system is designed to spur economic development in the Appalachian Mountains. One might argue the need for a full interstate vs. a four-lane surface route like West Virginia is building for US 48 and built for US 50 and US 119, but this system has been on the books for nearly 50 years and isn't completed yet.

[Mr_Northside]

Who the heck is going to use a Cumberland-Bedford freeway?

I would. I've driven US 220 several times and there's usually enough traffic on the road that if I get behind a truck, I can't safely pass it until I get to the four-lane south of the PA Turnpike.

It seems like it would be a logical extension, though not for a very long time (if ever).  Not enough $$$ and too many other projects ahead of it. 

I might even ask, do we really need that interstate at all?  I can see the need to get to state college but beyond that does I-99 really help traffic or just induce development?
We already had north south routes in PA.

Pre-I-99 US-220 was notoriously dangerous.  Some might debate whether it needed the I-#, but the road itself was pretty justified.  I think the same can probably be said of the the US-15 corridor north of Williamsport.
PA is a pretty "wide" state... it needs some N/S routes.  And a little redundancy never hurts either.

[vdeane]

US 220 from I-80 to Williamsport was planned as a freeway long before I-99 was thought of, and I think US 15 was as well.  US 15 is the only access from much of NY to points south, and US 220 west of Williamsport is the way to get to I-80 west.

[TCN7JM]

The obvious solution here is to reinvent our entire number system from base-ten to base-twelve and renumber all highways accordingly...

Or we could just leave it as-is, which is perfectly acceptable. Either-or works.

[DBR96A]

Maybe I-99 could be numbered I-876.

One thing I've thought about doing is having I-85 designated up into Pennsylvania and New York. Here's how it could be done:

1. Multiplex I-85 with I-95 between Richmond, VA and Washington DC.
2. Designate the west side of the Capital Beltway as I-85.
3. Designate I-270 between the Capital Beltway and Frederick, MD as I-85.
4. Upgrade U.S. 15 between Frederick, MD and Harrisburg, and designate it as I-85.
5. Designate PA 581 east to I-83 as I-85.
6. Multiplex I-85 with I-83 through Harrisburg.
7. Have I-85 and I-83 split at the current I-83 terminus, and redesignate I-81 from Harrisburg to Watertown, NY as I-85.
8. Truncate I-81 to its new intersection with I-83 in Harrisburg (the current U.S. 22/U.S. 322 interchange).

[empirestate]

One thing I've thought about doing is having I-85 designated up into Pennsylvania and New York.

To me, I-85 has no business being that far east in the first place. It should head north and serve Cleveland, maybe, via I-77, or else Pittsburgh and Erie via I-79. The latter could then overlap I-90 to Buffalo, and take over I-190 to Canada.

But of course, that doesn't solve anything about I-99...

[WNYroadgeek]

One thing I've thought about doing is having I-85 designated up into Pennsylvania and New York.

To me, I-85 has no business being that far east in the first place. It should head north and serve Cleveland, maybe, via I-77, or else Pittsburgh and Erie via I-79. The latter could then overlap I-90 to Buffalo, and take over I-190 to Canada.

But of course, that doesn't solve anything about I-99...

Speaking of both I-99 and Canada, I did at one point come up with a way to extend I-99 to the US/Canada border:

• Multiplex I-99 with I-86 between Corning and Avoca.
• Designate current I-390 as I-99 between Avoca (current I-390 southern terminus) and Henrietta (Exit 12).
• Multiplex I-99 with I-90/Thruway between Henrietta (Exit 46) and Williamsville (Exit 50).
• Designate the entirety of current I-290 as I-99.
• Designate current I-190 from Tonawanda (Exit 16) northward as I-99.

I-190 and I-390 would both be truncated to where I-99 would enter/leave their respective current alignments. I-290 would be made available for use elsewhere, and I-990 (due to not being connected to I-90 or any of its' other spurs) would be redesignated as I-x99, with I-990 also being made available for use elsewhere.

[Thing 342]

There's nothing truly wrong about I-99 except the numbering, so I would just extend it north to Rochester via I-86 and I-390.

[english si]

Just looking at a map, Ithica must be one of the largest cities without an interstate (certainly the largest in the NE) - I-99 extension along NY13 to Syracuse?

Sure, Rochester is easy to do, but it can be I-83 when the Harrisburg - I-80 freeway that no one is planning is built. Also, the Cumberland-Syracuse path follows the curve of the mountains nicely, rather than I-99 doing  the curve, hitting NY and then course-correcting...

[vdeane]

Just looking at a map, Ithica must be one of the largest cities without an interstate (certainly the largest in the NE) - I-99 extension along NY13 to Syracuse?

The Poughkeepsie metro area is actually bigger by quite a bit... it's closer to the interstates but technically doesn't have one.

[Roadsguy]

I would have all of 99 become just 220 from I-68 to Williamsport. From there up to I-86, 15 (which would be truncated to the 15/581 interchange in Harrisburg) would become an extension of I-83 via the CSVT and an upgraded US 11/15 from there to Harrisburg.

Then extend I-83 up to Rochester via 390.

[ARMOURERERIC]

If they ever got I-73 done north to Roanoke, I would route it North from Greensboro to Roanoke and have it take over 81's designation the rest of the way to Watertown/Canada

[yakra]

I'm particularly fond of Kurumi's solution...

[Molandfreak]

I'm particularly fond of Kurumi's solution...

What is it? He never posted in this thread.