Connections between state capitals and other large cities in the state

[NE2]

How often are these Interstates? Unless otherwise specified, I'm looking at the three largest non-suburb cities in each state, plus the state capital, and how well they are connected. If all connections are Interstates, nothing is listed below.
*Alaska, Hawaii: fuck off.
*Arizona: Phoenix-Yuma includes expressway SR 85
*Delaware: Dover-anything includes freeway SR 1
*Florida: Tallahassee-Miami includes freeway Florida's Turnpike
*Indiana: Indianapolis-Evansville includes future I-69; Indianapolis-South Bend (close fourth) includes under-construction freeway US 31
*Kentucky: Frankfort-Bowling Green includes expressway US 127 and freeway BG Parkway; Frankford-Owensboro (close fourth) includes expressway US 231 (in Indiana!)
*Michigan: Lansing-Ann Arbor (close fourth) includes freeway US 23
*Minnesota: St. Paul-Rochester includes expressway US 52
*Mississippi: Jackson-Gulfport includes expressway US 49
*Missouri: Jefferson City-Kansas City includes expressway US 63; Jefferson City-St. Louis includes expressway US 54; Jefferson City-Springfield includes expressway US 54 and mostly-expressway Route 5
*Montana: Helena-Billings includes two-lane US 287; Helena-Missoula includes two-lane US 12
*Nevada: Carson City-Las Vegas includes two-lane US 50-95A-95
*New Hampshire: Concord-Nashua includes freeway Everett Turnpike
*Ohio: Columbus-Toledo (close fourth) includes mostly-expressway US 23/SR 15
*Pennsylvania: Harrisburg-Erie (close fourth) includes mostly-freeway US 322, maybe a two-lane cutoff beyond there
*Rhode Island: Providence-Woonsocket includes mostly-freeway RI 146 (treating Pawtucket as a non-suburb)
*South Dakota: Pierre-Sioux Falls includes expressway US 83; Pierre-Rapid City includes two-lane US 14; Pierre-Aberdeen includes two-lane US 83-12 (who cares about close-fourth Brookings, Watertown)
*Texas: Austin-Houston includes expressway US 290 or SH 71
*Vermont: Montpelier-Rutland includes two-lane VT 107-100/US 4 (but everything's so small in Vermont)
*Virginia: Richmond-Roanoke (fourth if you count the DC area) includes expressway US 460
*Washington: Olympia-Spokane includes mostly-freeway SR 18
*West Virginia: Charlestown-Wheeling (close fifth) includes two-lane WV 2 (or is I-77 to I-70 actually better?)
*Wisconsin: Madison-Green Bay includes expressway US 151, two-lane WI 26, future I-41
*Wyoming: Cheyenne-Gillette (close fourth) includes two-lane WY 59

[hotdogPi]

Did you forget Boston - Lowell by US 3? Or did you consider Lowell a suburb?

[roadman65]

Texas, for one thing, has one freeway that links its capital with its second and third largest cities being I-35.

Also you could form a triangle between all the dots of the states largest cities and capital.  I-10, I-35, and I-45 together will link all four.

[dgolub]

In New York, strictly speaking I-95 goes through Manhattan, but in practice you have to travel a substantial distance on NY 9A, the FDR Drive, or the local streets to get to an interstate taking you to any other city in the state if you're coming from Midtown.

[hbelkins]

*Kentucky: Frankfort-Bowling Green includes expressway US 127 and freeway BG Parkway; Frankford-Owensboro (close fourth) includes expressway US 231 (in Indiana!)

Are you deliberately omitting Lexington and Louisville because they are merged city-county governments?

I didn't realize BG had overtaken Owensboro for the state's third-largest city. And you could substitute 64-265-65 and have an all-freeway routing.

[tdindy88]

The wording looked a little confusing, but I believe he was listing connections between the capital and those 4 largest cities that were not avaliable via interstate. That's why Indy to Fort Wayne via I-69 or Gary/Hammond via I-65 isn't mentioned, those have an interstate connection. Louisville and Lexington are both connected to Frankfort via I-64, so it's not listed.

[NE2]

Did you forget Boston - Lowell by US 3? Or did you consider Lowell a suburb?

Lowell is not one of the three largest non-suburb cities in Massachusetts.

Are you deliberately omitting Lexington and Louisville because they are merged city-county governments?

No, I'm omitting them because they're connected to Frankfort by Interstates. And don't go saying I-64 doesn't serve Frankfort or Lexington.

[SD Mapman]

*South Dakota: Pierre-Sioux Falls includes expressway US 83; Pierre-Rapid City includes two-lane US 14; Pierre-Aberdeen includes two-lane US 83-12 (who cares about close-fourth Brookings, Watertown)

Pierre to anything is partially non-interstate.

And, at least with people I know, no one cares about Aberdeen and Watertown, but Brookings is home to the state's largest university...

(And if anyone ever has to stay in Aberdeen (bad idea), the Super 8 has free beer. Or at least they did this summer.)

[Alps]

And don't go saying I-64 doesn't serve Frankfort or Lexington.

*New Jersey: Trenton-anything includes freeway NJ 29 (but the whole state is a suburb so nerr)

And don't go saying I-95, 195, and 295 don't serve Trenton.

[NE2]

Sure, you get that one.

[Zeffy]

Does US 1 count for New Jersey? I mean, it's a freeway through Trenton, but after that it just becomes a regular 4-6 lane road with at-grade intersections. It leads to the concurrency of US 1 and US 9 which goes into the city limits of Newark.

And don't go saying I-95, 195, and 295 don't serve Trenton.

Well, I-95 goes around Trenton technically - the only way to get to Trenton off of I-95 in that vicinity is to take US 206 South or to take NJ 29. 195 definitely serves Trenton (195 downgrades to 29 at it's western terminus which leads traffic to the Trenton Tunnel and shortly after Downtown Trenton), 295 serves Trenton traffic since it runs through Hamilton Township which is adjacent to Trenton.

For a state capital, it sure has a fucked up transit system... but then again, it's not a huge city (with a pop. of ~80k), and y'know, it's Trenton, which could definitely use some help before it turns into New Jersey's next Camden...

[roadman65]

Not to mention US 1 serves Woodbridge and Edison that are also large population centers of New Jersey.  then you have Jersey City, the second largest city in the state, also served by US 1.

It seems US 1 serves the top four populated cities in the Garden State.  Yes, non of the interstates do enter Trenton proper, and only pass within suburbs of it.

[SP Cook]

How often are these Interstates? Unless otherwise specified, I'm looking at the three largest non-suburb cities in each state, plus the state capital, and how well they are connected. If all connections are Interstates, nothing is listed below.
*West Virginia: Charlestown-Wheeling (close fifth) includes two-lane WV 2 (or is I-77 to I-70 actually better?)

As stated, Wheeling does not meet the defination being a "close fifth"  (and probably 8th in the next Census).  The largest three would be Huntington (I-64), Parkersburg (I-77) and Morganhole (I-79).  In any event the get-you-lost machine (GPS, or to knitpickers, GPS based mapping devices) would say that 77 to 70 would be the prefered route.  It is 42 miles further than taking the 2 lane WV 2, and its a close call either way.  Actually, I-77 to OH 7 (to whatever bridge back to WV you prefer) is better than WV 2 based on road quality.

As to Virginia, again the get-you-lost machine would call for I-64, staying on I-81 after its multiplex, to I-581 is at least arguable over US 460, which, while all 4 lane, varries in quality greatly across Virginia to Roanoke.

[Thing 342]

South Carolina: Columbia-Myrtle Beach requires using non-freeway US 76/US 501.

(This is by metro area)

[hbelkins]

No, I'm omitting them because they're connected to Frankfort by Interstates. And don't go saying I-64 doesn't serve Frankfort or Lexington.

I've never been one to make that claim. I think the city limits of Frankfort have been extended to include one or perhaps both I-64 exits now. And I'm pretty sure they covered the US 27/68 exit even before the city and county merged.

[NE2]

As stated, Wheeling does not meet the defination being a "close fifth"

http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2012/PEPANNRES/0400000US54.16200
Failure.
Charleston 51,018
Huntington 49,160
Parkersburg 31,261
Morgantown 31,000
Wheeling 28,213

[SP Cook]

I'm looking at the three largest non-suburb cities in each state

[NE2]

Unless otherwise specified

[hbelkins]

What, exactly, would constitute a suburb city in WV?

Barboursville? St. Albans? South Charleston? Star City? Vienna?

[mapman1071]

How often are these Interstates? Unless otherwise specified, I'm looking at the three largest non-suburb cities in each state, plus the state capital, and how well they are connected. If all connections are Interstates, nothing is listed below.
*Alaska, Hawaii: fuck off.
*Arizona: Phoenix-Yuma includes expressway SR 85
*Delaware: Dover-anything includes freeway SR 1
*Florida: Tallahassee-Miami includes freeway Florida's Turnpike
*Indiana: Indianapolis-Evansville includes future I-69; Indianapolis-South Bend (close fourth) includes under-construction freeway US 31
*Kentucky: Frankfort-Bowling Green includes expressway US 127 and freeway BG Parkway; Frankford-Owensboro (close fourth) includes expressway US 231 (in Indiana!)
*Michigan: Lansing-Ann Arbor (close fourth) includes freeway US 23
*Minnesota: St. Paul-Rochester includes expressway US 52
*Mississippi: Jackson-Gulfport includes expressway US 49
*Missouri: Jefferson City-Kansas City includes expressway US 63; Jefferson City-St. Louis includes expressway US 54; Jefferson City-Springfield includes expressway US 54 and mostly-expressway Route 5
*Montana: Helena-Billings includes two-lane US 287; Helena-Missoula includes two-lane US 12
*Nevada: Carson City-Las Vegas includes two-lane US 50-95A-95
*New Hampshire: Concord-Nashua includes freeway Everett Turnpike
*Ohio: Columbus-Toledo (close fourth) includes mostly-expressway US 23/SR 15
*Pennsylvania: Harrisburg-Erie (close fourth) includes mostly-freeway US 322, maybe a two-lane cutoff beyond there
*Rhode Island: Providence-Woonsocket includes mostly-freeway RI 146 (treating Pawtucket as a non-suburb)
*South Dakota: Pierre-Sioux Falls includes expressway US 83; Pierre-Rapid City includes two-lane US 14; Pierre-Aberdeen includes two-lane US 83-12 (who cares about close-fourth Brookings, Watertown)
*Texas: Austin-Houston includes expressway US 290 or SH 71
*Vermont: Montpelier-Rutland includes two-lane VT 107-100/US 4 (but everything's so small in Vermont)
*Virginia: Richmond-Roanoke (fourth if you count the DC area) includes expressway US 460
*Washington: Olympia-Spokane includes mostly-freeway SR 18
*West Virginia: Charlestown-Wheeling (close fifth) includes two-lane WV 2 (or is I-77 to I-70 actually better?)
*Wisconsin: Madison-Green Bay includes expressway US 151, two-lane WI 26, future I-41
*Wyoming: Cheyenne-Gillette (close fourth) includes two-lane WY 59

AZ 85 Is currently a 2 to 4 lane local road between I-10 and I-8 and under reconstruction to Interstate Standards from Maricopa Rd In Gila Bend to I-10
A By-pass of Gila Bend is planned for after 2018.

[Molandfreak]

Looks like via I-77 to I-70 is 13 minutes faster than via WV 2 for Charleston-Wheeling.

[Molandfreak]

And, at least with people I know, no one cares about Watertown

But... Terry Redlin...

[NE2]

Looks like via I-77 to I-70 is 13 minutes faster than via WV 2 for Charleston-Wheeling.

If you trust the Goog's time.

[SidS1045]

*New Hampshire: Concord-Nashua includes freeway Everett Turnpike

Depends on your definition of "freeway."  Two tolls on that route.  And Manchester, in the middle of that route, is larger than Nashua by about 23,000 people.

[Brandon]

*New Hampshire: Concord-Nashua includes freeway Everett Turnpike

Depends on your definition of "freeway."  Two tolls on that route.  And Manchester, in the middle of that route, is larger than Nashua by about 23,000 people.

Again, the term "freeway" means free of cross traffic, free-flowing, not how the road is supported.  There is no such thing as a "free" road.  Either it is paid for by taxes or tolls.  Hence, this is a toll-freeway instead of a tax-supported-freeway.