Resolving conflicts between the Interstate and US highway systems

[billtm]

Since discussion on the Are US Highways obsolete? thread has slightly shifted... I started this. Some notable conflicts are I-69 in TX, I-41 in WI, and I-74 in NC. Those interstates all run in close proximity to US highways with the same number in the same state, which might cause some confusion. How would you propose to resolve these conflicts?

[hbelkins]

Since discussion on the Are US Highways obsolete? thread has slightly shifted... I started this. Some notable conflicts are I-69 in TX, I-41 in WI, and I-74 in NC. Those interstates all run in close proximity to US highways with the same number in the same state, which might cause some confusion. How would you propose to resolve these conflicts?

For I-41 and I-74, give them other numbers. I-41 should really be a 3di child of one of the other Wisconsin interstates, and I-74 in North Carolina should have a different number entirely. A number of even numbers are available and suitable -- 38 or 42 would work wonderfully.

[billtm]

Since discussion on the Are US Highways obsolete? thread has slightly shifted... I started this. Some notable conflicts are I-69 in TX, I-41 in WI, and I-74 in NC. Those interstates all run in close proximity to US highways with the same number in the same state, which might cause some confusion. How would you propose to resolve these conflicts?

For I-41 and I-74, give them other numbers. I-41 should really be a 3di child of one of the other Wisconsin interstates, and I-74 in North Carolina should have a different number entirely. A number of even numbers are available and suitable -- 38 or 42 would work wonderfully.

BTW, Why is it named I-74 in the first place?

[Ga293]

BTW, Why is it named I-74 in the first place?

It's in theory supposed to eventually link up with the existing I-74 in Cincinnati via the US 52 corridor. Seems rather unlikely in our lifetimes.

[froggie]

BTW, Why is it named I-74 in the first place?

Congress.  They wrote the numerical designation into Federal law.  Ga293 is correct in that it was theoretically supposed to link up with the existing I-74, but that is looking extremely unlikely now.

[GaryV]

I-41, while unnecessary, ( Is my MI bias showing?     ) shouldn't cause confusion.   US-41 would meet I-41 at either end of the "new" Interstate.  Confusion comes about when the same-numbered "old road" parallels the new Interstate.  Or when there are two highways with the same number in close proximity, such as M-24 and US-24 in Oakland County, MI.  The same could apply to an Interstate and non-Interstate, but no one seems to confuse M-75 and I-75 in NW lower Michigan.

[roadman65]

I would not mind it so much if they did not dead end the highway in Northern Illinois.  If I-41 were to, lets say, be the freeway parts of US 41 between Milwaukee and Green Bay, it would not bother me much.  However to have it overlap I-94 and then have it stop in the middle of a long freeway segment while the other route still continues without even ending at another interstate is unheard of.  Plus it enters Illinois for only a mile and a half as well.

If it ended at the IL- WI Line it would make some sense, but at the first interchange in Illinois it does not at all.

[bugo]

What about the conflict between US 59 and AR 59 in the Siloam Springs area?

[Arkansastravelguy]

Well if you are in Arkansas there is no conflict. US routes don't exist except on paper. I don't think AR 59 and US 59 is a problem, they are in different states. Besides that, they are both long routes, so changing AR 59 would be difficult




iPhone

[bugo]

Well if you are in Arkansas there is no conflict. US routes don't exist except on paper. I don't think AR 59 and US 59 is a problem, they are in different states.

They are 2 miles apart via US 412 in Siloam/West Siloam Springs.  They are in the same "metro" area.  The locals call AR 59 "Arkansas 59" and US 59 "Oklahoma 59". 

Besides that, they are both long routes, so changing AR 59 would be difficult

AR/MO 59 would make a dandy US 271 extension.

[Avalanchez71]

I-41 should become either I-65 or I-43W.  It could even become a northern I-45.  Although it really should be I-994.  I-74 should become I-44.  I-73 can stay as is.

[bugo]

Why I-44?  Why not I-42 or I-46?  I don't like duplicating numbers.

[mcdonaat]

I-69/US 69 can easily be fixed. Truncate US 69 to Atoka, OK. Replace the segment between US 75 and US 287 as US 375. This would avoid any long concurrencies as well.

[bugo]

I have a better idea.  Extend US 73 south from KCK to the end of US 69.  US 69 in OK used to be US 73, so this would bring the great US highway 73 back to Oklahoma.

[roadman65]

I-41 should become either I-65 or I-43W.  It could even become a northern I-45.  Although it really should be I-994.  I-74 should become I-44.  I-73 can stay as is.

Why not I-994?  In cases like I-910 in LA and I-595 in MD, they do not sign them.  So why not do that, not sign them and keep Route 41 as is and will still be an interstate.  Problem solved!

[english si]

We've gone through I-41 hate repeatedly. I'm fed up of it and it strikes me as pure Vogon "it breaks the rules" dislike.

I can understand I-69 and US69 as they intersect and go off in different directions, and I-74 and US74 running concurrent but going off in different directions is a clear source of confusion.

I don't think AR 59 and US 59 is a problem, they are in different states.

I don't get why that automatically makes everything all right.

I don't see how two roughly parallel routes a few miles apart with the same number become acceptable just because they are not in the same state, when two routes in the same state but are far further apart and run on clearly different corridors (eg AR's US and I-49) is a grey area, and one route with two numbers the same (I-41/US41) is a massive no no and the height of confusion. Surely the first situation is going to actually cause the most problems out of the three and the third cause absolutely none?

[FightingIrish]

US 41 is planned to run concurrent with the new I-41. It will, for the most part, be an unsigned concurrency.

Since the interstate upgrade was first proposed about a decade ago, I-41 seemed to be the favorite, although I-47, I-594 and I-643 were also proposed. A lot of residents lobbied for an extension of I-55, but Illinois didn't want to sign their portion. So, it was back to I-41, a very familiar number to those along the route.

So, why is it being signed all the way to Northern Illinois? For one, it allows them to keep the mileage-based exit numbers. And it allows the interstate signing of US 41 from Illinois up to Green Bay. Sure, some of it seems to be a bit redundant, but the main objective is the interstate upgrade between the Zoo Interchange and Green Bay, connecting the fast-growing Fox Valley to the Interstate system. This is one of the busiest freeways in the state.

[bugo]

I-49 and US 49 are on the opposite edges of the state and will cause very little if any confusion.

[texaskdog]

While I don't think they should be very close together, often county roads run close to larger roads with the same number.  Generally people aren't that stupid.  Generally...

[texaskdog]

I-69/US 69 can easily be fixed. Truncate US 69 to Atoka, OK. Replace the segment between US 75 and US 287 as US 375. This would avoid any long concurrencies as well.

Or just turn it into US 75 and make US 75 into I-45

[Avalanchez71]

Why I-44?  Why not I-42 or I-46?  I don't like duplicating numbers.

So one day it can connect to Saint Louis.

[texaskdog]

Why I-44?  Why not I-42 or I-46?  I don't like duplicating numbers.

So one day it can connect to Saint Louis.

Not like there are so many interstates you have to duplicate.

[hbelkins]

OH 7 and WV 7 almost intersect. OH 7 is the road that parallels the Ohio River from Chesapeake all the way up to near the point where the river crosses into Pennsylvania. WV 7 is an east-west route that runs from the Maryland state line to New Martinsville. It runs concurrently with WV 20 and then crosses a bridge into Ohio. The concurrency is minimally signed on the south side of downtown and not at all through the downtown area. North of downtown, at the entrance to the bridge, there is signage for Ohio 7, with both the word "Ohio" and an OH 7 marker. There is no route marker signage on the Ohio side of the river, so I don't know what hidden number the Ohio portion of the bridge and approaches might carry.

Northbound WV 2 from 2009:





Southbound WV 2 from 2007:







Text explaining the above photo: http://www.millenniumhwy.net/2007_late_summer_day_3/2007_late_summer_day_3-Pages/Image147.html (and may God forgive me for using the term "multiplex," which I have come to detest as a substitute for "concurrency."

[bugo]

Why I-44?  Why not I-42 or I-46?  I don't like duplicating numbers.

So one day it can connect to Saint Louis.

A road that runs SW-NE changing to SE-NW?  Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

HB: I hate "multiplex" as well.  It's anal and sounds like a movie theater.

[hbelkins]

A road that runs SW-NE changing to SE-NW?  Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Check out US 321 in Tennessee. From it's terminus west of Knoxville it runs SE-NW, then from Gatlinburg it runs NE-SW, then from Johnson City/Elizabethton it runs SE/NW again.

HB: I hate "multiplex" as well.  It's anal and sounds like a movie theater.

Pretty much the same way I feel.