Interstate Highway Loops with Sections That Resemble Rural Interstates

[cpzilliacus]

I-270 (Montgomery County, Maryland and Frederick County, Maryland) between MD-121 (Exit 18) and MD-80 (Exit 26); and between MD-80 and MD-85 (Exit 31) has sections that are very rural in appearance.

I-97 (Anne Arundel County, Maryland) from its southern terminus ([unsigned] I-595 Exit 21) to MD-3/MD-32 (Exit 7) is quite rural in look and feel, though there are several towers along the way, including the big WMPT-TV (PBS) (Channel 22) guyed tower (265 meters or 868 feet tall) at Hawkins Road next to the freeway, which is visible to the naked eye from as far away as D.C. and the Silver Spring area of Montgomery County.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Also, the short stretch of I-494 through Ft. Snelling.

With a good chance of seeing and hearing airplanes taking off and landing at MSP, to me it definitely does not feel rural there.

[ethanhopkin14]

Even thought it is a backward situation, since I-275 goes through Tampa and St. Petersburg while I-75 goes around, but traveling southbound, just south of the split, I-275 felt rural.  Then again I was driving it at night so maybe there was development I couldn't see. 

[webny99]

Also, the short stretch of I-494 through Ft. Snelling.

With a good chance of seeing and hearing airplanes taking off and landing at MSP, to me it definitely does not feel rural there.

I do have to side with thespfc here. Despite the planes, it does feel quite rural, and unlike the Wakota and Mendota bridges, you can't see the St. Paul skyline.


Full disclosure: this past summer, when MN 5 WB was closed, I made the stupid mistake of taking I-494 WB to get to the airport, only realizing once I was past MN 77 what a massive detour I just got myself into. It was at night and I was on my own, which made sailing past the closed MN 5 exit and driving I-494 through Fort Snelling all the more eerie. It was the most spooked I've ever been while driving and the certainly the closest I've ever come to feeling like I might get lost.

I ended up keeping my phone on my knee with Google Maps open the whole time, following Pilot Knob NB to MN 13 to MN 55 to MN 62... only to find the 62 WB to 5 EB ramp was also closed... which meant I had to go down to Minnehaha Ave, turn around and get back on 62 EB to get to 5 EB to get to the only open entrance to the airport. The whole time I kept thinking, wow, a detour this convoluted would never happen here at home. And I don't say that in defense of NY or to sound self-righteous - it was just really poorly signed, poorly timed, and a weird combination of closed roads in an area where there's not a lot of good or quick alternates.

Lesson learned: When MN 5 EB is closed, use MN 77 and MN 62 to get to the airport!

[cl94]

Also, the short stretch of I-494 through Ft. Snelling.

With a good chance of seeing and hearing airplanes taking off and landing at MSP, to me it definitely does not feel rural there.

I do have to side with thespfc here. Despite the planes, it does feel quite rural, and unlike the Wakota and Mendota bridges, you can't see the St. Paul skyline.

I have to side with the guy from metro Minneapolis here. There's nothing rural about 494. It's a partially-lit 6-lane suburban freeway. Absence of skyline does not mean rural.

[kphoger]

Because of the extensive use of high fencing in many places and the presence of trees in others, I always feel like the western leg of I-494 could just as easily be rural as suburban.  Miles go by, and you don't know if there are farm fields, neighborhoods, or strip malls on the other side.  I never have any bearing on how far around the loop I am there.

[thspfc]

Also, the short stretch of I-494 through Ft. Snelling.

With a good chance of seeing and hearing airplanes taking off and landing at MSP, to me it definitely does not feel rural there.

I do have to side with thespfc here. Despite the planes, it does feel quite rural, and unlike the Wakota and Mendota bridges, you can't see the St. Paul skyline.

I have to side with the guy from metro Minneapolis here. There's nothing rural about 494. It's a partially-lit 6-lane suburban freeway. Absence of skyline does not mean rural.

There are plenty of six lane rural freeways. There are at least a dozen threads on this forum devoted to that topic.

[CapeCodder]

I-270 (Montgomery County, Maryland and Frederick County, Maryland) between MD-121 (Exit 18) and MD-80 (Exit 26); and between MD-80 and MD-85 (Exit 31) has sections that are very rural in appearance.

I saw this area last September. I almost forgot I was in the DC area. Also I-275 does look very rural in parts of the Cincinnati area.

[kphoger]

Also, the short stretch of I-494 through Ft. Snelling.

With a good chance of seeing and hearing airplanes taking off and landing at MSP, to me it definitely does not feel rural there.

I do have to side with thespfc here. Despite the planes, it does feel quite rural, and unlike the Wakota and Mendota bridges, you can't see the St. Paul skyline.

I have to side with the guy from metro Minneapolis here. There's nothing rural about 494. It's a partially-lit 6-lane suburban freeway. Absence of skyline does not mean rural.

There are plenty of six lane rural freeways. There are at least a dozen threads on this forum devoted to that topic.

six lanes with a Jersey barrier, definitely rural
six lanes with a Jersey barrier, definitely rural
six lanes with a Jersey barrier, definitely rural
et cetera

[cl94]

Also, the short stretch of I-494 through Ft. Snelling.

With a good chance of seeing and hearing airplanes taking off and landing at MSP, to me it definitely does not feel rural there.

I do have to side with thespfc here. Despite the planes, it does feel quite rural, and unlike the Wakota and Mendota bridges, you can't see the St. Paul skyline.

I have to side with the guy from metro Minneapolis here. There's nothing rural about 494. It's a partially-lit 6-lane suburban freeway. Absence of skyline does not mean rural.

There are plenty of six lane rural freeways. There are at least a dozen threads on this forum devoted to that topic.

six lanes with a Jersey barrier, definitely rural
six lanes with a Jersey barrier, definitely rural
six lanes with a Jersey barrier, definitely rural
et cetera

That's...not what I'm talking about. Those are rural. There is nothing rural about 494.

[kphoger]

That's...not what I'm talking about. Those are rural. There is nothing rural about 494.

↓   As I said earlier, there are sections of I-494 where you can't even tell you're anywhere near a city.  Especially my second link.

Because of the extensive use of high fencing in many places and the presence of trees in others, I always feel like the western leg of I-494 could just as easily be rural as suburban.  Miles go by, and you don't know if there are farm fields, neighborhoods, or strip malls on the other side.  I never have any bearing on how far around the loop I am there.

[JayhawkCO]

Native Minnesotan here.  I don't think 494 is rural at all.  I think the Twin Cities just have a lot more trees than your average metro area, so maybe you don't see buildings, but that doesn't make it feel rural, just Minnesotan.

Chris

[cl94]

That's...not what I'm talking about. Those are rural. There is nothing rural about 494.

↓   As I said earlier, there are sections of I-494 where you can't even tell you're anywhere near a city.  Especially my second link.

Because of the extensive use of high fencing in many places and the presence of trees in others, I always feel like the western leg of I-494 could just as easily be rural as suburban.  Miles go by, and you don't know if there are farm fields, neighborhoods, or strip malls on the other side.  I never have any bearing on how far around the loop I am there.

On the contrary. Noise walls are a clear signal of "suburban", because you never see them in rural areas.

[OCGuy81]

I haven't been to Indianapolis, but looking on maps, it seems like parts of I-465 and I-865 would be fairly rural? Can anyone confirm?

[US 89]

I-269 south of Memphis feels pretty rural, especially out by the junction with I-22.

[SkyPesos]

I haven't been to Indianapolis, but looking on maps, it seems like parts of I-465 and I-865 would be fairly rural? Can anyone confirm?

I-865 definitely has a rural feel. The highway is entirely 4 lanes with a grass median. If you look at Google Earth, it looks like a lot of the surban developement ends at I-465, and it suddenly becomes farmland west of there with I-865.
I-465, not really. It's all jersey barrier median in a suburban enviroment, with a 6 lane minimum. Most of it is 8+ lanes actually. Unlike with what I had for I-270 in Columbus above, it's difficult to even pick out a small segment that looks rural. Maybe this stretch between the IN 37 and Mann Rd interchanges can come close to a rural look, but it's still 6 lanes and jersey barrier.

[froggie]

Another native Minnesotan jumping in here...

Also, the short stretch of I-494 through Ft. Snelling.

I-494 does not go through or near Fort Snelling.  Are you referring to the state park land?  That's a different animal entirely and where I-494 crosses it just happens to coincide with the Minnesota River valley and lots of easily-flooded shallow land.

With a good chance of seeing and hearing airplanes taking off and landing at MSP, to me it definitely does not feel rural there.

Agreed.  Nevermind that the traffic volume is anything but rural there.

I have to side with the guy from metro Minneapolis here. There's nothing rural about 494. It's a partially-lit 6-lane suburban freeway. Absence of skyline does not mean rural.

I would argue that I-494 through Sunfish Lake has a pretty rural feel (from east of MN 149 to MN 3).  This being because nearby development is pretty sparse (folks in Sunfish Lake proper want it that way), and adjacent areas of Inver Grove Heights just haven't kicked off with suburban development like they have along US 52.

Because of the extensive use of high fencing in many places and the presence of trees in others, I always feel like the western leg of I-494 could just as easily be rural as suburban.  Miles go by, and you don't know if there are farm fields, neighborhoods, or strip malls on the other side.  I never have any bearing on how far around the loop I am there.

I'm old enough to remember when, aside from some industrial development at MN 55, the entire western leg of I-494 was legitimately rural.  That has changed...there are plenty of views of adjacent suburban development nowadays along the whole leg.  Much of that leg also has immediately-adjacent high-tension power lines which, to me, have a decidedly NON-rural feel to them.

[webny99]

Another native Minnesotan jumping in here...

Also, the short stretch of I-494 through Ft. Snelling.

I-494 does not go through or near Fort Snelling.  Are you referring to the state park land?  That's a different animal entirely and where I-494 crosses it just happens to coincide with the Minnesota River valley and lots of easily-flooded shallow land.

Yes, I was referring to the section between MN 5 and MN 13 that goes through Fort Snelling state park land, I assume that's what he is referring to as well.

I do have to side with thespfc here. Despite the planes, it does feel quite rural, and unlike the Wakota and Mendota bridges, you can't see the St. Paul skyline.

I have to side with the guy from metro Minneapolis here. There's nothing rural about 494. It's a partially-lit 6-lane suburban freeway. Absence of skyline does not mean rural.

Golly. Not sure what being a local has to do with it. My comments pertain specifically to the section noted above. Have you ever been on, or even looked at said section? Note that there's no lighting at all, and the absence of the St. Paul skyline sets it apart from the two similar river crossings I mentioned. Just because it's primarily a suburban route doesn't mean it can't feel rural in certain spots. The section froggie mentions is another good example.

[ET21]

I would mention the E-470 partial loop around Denver but urban sprawl is quickly catching up in most sections.

[GaryV]

^^

Similarly, when I-696 was built between Southfield and Novi, it was very rural.  Now, not at all.

[kphoger]

Much of that leg also has immediately-adjacent high-tension power lines which, to me, have a decidedly NON-rural feel to them.

Interesting.  I have the exact opposite opinion about high-tension power lines:  I think of them as a rural thing.  In fact, just last night as I was reading in a novel to my family, I had to explain to my three boys what high-tension power lines were (one of the towers was described from an animal's perspective), and I specifically used the phrase "outside of towns" in my explanation.

[US 89]

Have you ever been on, or even looked at said section? Note that there's no lighting at all

...except for the lights in the middle of the bridge?

Also, absence of lighting does not a rural freeway make - for example, Utah removed most lighting from most of its urban freeways in the 70s and 80s due to budget cuts. It's going to be very hard to convince me that this qualifies as anything close to rural.

[cl94]

Have you ever been on, or even looked at said section? Note that there's no lighting at all

...except for the lights in the middle of the bridge?

Also, absence of lighting does not a rural freeway make - for example, Utah removed most lighting from most of its urban freeways in the 70s and 80s due to budget cuts.

As did much of Upstate New York. This area ain't rural by any stretch of the imagination, nor is this stretch inside Albany city limits.

[Rothman]

Have you ever been on, or even looked at said section? Note that there's no lighting at all

...except for the lights in the middle of the bridge?

Also, absence of lighting does not a rural freeway make - for example, Utah removed most lighting from most of its urban freeways in the 70s and 80s due to budget cuts.

As did much of Upstate New York. This area ain't rural by any stretch of the imagination, nor is this stretch inside Albany city limits.

Of course, Syracuse revisited the issue due to the now infanous Boeheim crash.

[webny99]

Also, absence of lighting does not a rural freeway make.

To the extent that lighting is even relevant, it works both ways: the presence of lighting doesn't necessarily make it urban or suburban. Here's a rural Ohio example that's so well lit it gives off big-city vibes at night.

It's going to be very hard to convince me that this qualifies as anything close to rural.

This area ain't rural by any stretch of the imagination, nor is this stretch inside Albany city limits.

Per the question posed in the thread title, it's not a question of whether said highway segments are, in fact, rural, but whether they resemble a rural interstate. I would say Yes in all three cases, although less so in US89's example because of the sound wall and large building adjacent to the highway.