What Interstate has the Largest Change in Landscape and Culture on it's Route?

[74/171FAN]

I-175 (Florida) 

Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?

I-476 may be one to start with here.

[hotdogPi]

I-175 (Florida) 

Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?

495 (NY), going from the largest city in the US to what feels like semi-rural New England (despite not being part of New England).

[SkyPesos]

I-175 (Florida) 

Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?

Most 3di are too short to compare in changes to the 2dis mentioned, but since I-476 has been mentioned already, I'll go with I-275 taking into account that a lot of people consider Ohio and Kentucky to be in different regions of the US, with the former as a midwestern and latter as a southeastern state. Also between rural and urban, I-275 seems like any other rural interstate on its southwestern side, but it's a busy suburban interstate on its northern side.

[webny99]

Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?

495 (NY), going from the largest city in the US to what feels like semi-rural New England (despite not being part of New England).

As mentioned, I-476 (PA) could be a good candidate, and I'd include I-390 (NY) as well.

[webny99]

I always thought I-81 was an interesting bird.  Known as the Eastern Seaboard inland bypass, it connects Canada with New York. 

It begins in Tennessee.

I-81 covers a lot of different territory even within NY, with the areas north and south of Syracuse being fairly distinct regions.

It's on the fringes of the East Coast at points, but I'm not sure you could say it hits it from a cultural perspective. Probably the Harrisburg area would be the closest you come to the Bos-Wash sphere of influence, maybe Scranton a little less so. Neither one is close enough for me to consider it a true sample of the East Coast. And then once you get past Scranton, I-84 assumes the role of "inland bypass", although it's less effective than I-81.

[roadman65]

I-410 in Texas even though it's a loop. North end near the airport is urban like and has six or more lanes.  South end is rural with four lanes and little or no development.

[Avalanchez71]

I-57 as it is just plain weird in MO.  It crosses over to hilly terrain in southern IL only to end up in Chicago.

[hbelkins]

Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?

495 (NY), going from the largest city in the US to what feels like semi-rural New England (despite not being part of New England).

As mentioned, I-476 (PA) could be a good candidate, and I'd include I-390 (NY) as well.

I-376 in Pennsylvania would also be a good candidate. And I saw someone else mention I-275 (KY-OH-IN).

[ethanhopkin14]

I also think I-20 shares a lot in common with I-10, but because it terminates in West Texas, it can't compare with the overall change in culture I-10 has.  It travels the heart of Dixie to Dallas, then through the West Texas plains to the West Texas desert.  I think culture wise, it never really leaves a bible thumping zone the entire way, just a different type of thumping of the bible. 

I am also fascinated with how I-20 piggybacks on I-10 to be a trans-continental route.  I can't think of another route that makes it's way 2/3rds of the way across the state then defaults on to another 0 or 5 to finish the job.  I-85 kinda does that, but it's a smaller scale, then again I-95's total length is a smaller scale than the trans-continental routes are.  I-29 also helps I-35 be border to border, but its more like half and half. 

[SkyPesos]

I also think I-20 shares a lot in common with I-10, but because it terminates in West Texas, it can't compare with the overall change in culture I-10 has.  It travels the heart of Dixie to Dallas, then through the West Texas plains to the West Texas desert.  I think culture wise, it never really leaves a bible thumping zone the entire way, just a different type of thumping of the bible. 

I am also fascinated with how I-20 piggybacks on I-10 to be a trans-continental route.  I can't think of another route that makes it's way 2/3rds of the way across the state then defaults on to another 0 or 5 to finish the job.  I-85 kinda does that, but it's a smaller scale, then again I-95's total length is a smaller scale than the trans-continental routes are.  I-29 also helps I-35 be border to border, but its more like half and half.

I-70 piggybacks on I-15 south of its western terminus to form its transcon corridor, as most of the traffic on WB I-70 at that point are heading towards Vegas and Socal.

I-40 also piggybacks on I-15 south, but for a much shorter distance than I-70.

I-78 feels like a branch of I-70 into NYC, as it continues the trajectory of the latter route in the Midwesr really well.

After I-69 gets finished at least in every state besides MS and AR, it will effectively be an extension of the I-71 corridor, continuing the NE-SW trajectory of I-71 into cities like Memphis and Houston.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-57 as it is just plain weird in MO.  It crosses over to hilly terrain in southern IL only to end up in Chicago.

I wouldn't include it as it stays in the midwest for the whole time. Same with I-81, it's mostly in Appalachia.

[Avalanchez71]

I-57 as it is just plain weird in MO.  It crosses over to hilly terrain in southern IL only to end up in Chicago.

I wouldn't include it as it stays in the midwest for the whole time. Same with I-81, it's mostly in Appalachia.

Do you know the difference in culture in Southern Illinois versus Chicago?  The Sikeston, MO area is different in terrain and culture then just over the river into Illinois.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-57 as it is just plain weird in MO.  It crosses over to hilly terrain in southern IL only to end up in Chicago.

I wouldn't include it as it stays in the midwest for the whole time. Same with I-81, it's mostly in Appalachia.

Do you know the difference in culture in Southern Illinois versus Chicago?  The Sikeston, MO area is different in terrain and culture then just over the river into Illinois.

I know, but it's not the largest change.

[jmacswimmer]

Seriously, I wonder what the answer is for 3dis?

495 (NY), going from the largest city in the US to what feels like semi-rural New England (despite not being part of New England).

As mentioned, I-476 (PA) could be a good candidate, and I'd include I-390 (NY) as well.

I-376 in Pennsylvania would also be a good candidate. And I saw someone else mention I-275 (KY-OH-IN).

I-270 (MD) probably isn't the winner, but I think it deserves mention.  Goes from the Lower Montgomery County-DC suburbia to upper Montgomery County-lower Frederick County rural rolling hills, before hitting Frederick suburbia at the very end.

I am also fascinated with how I-20 piggybacks on I-10 to be a trans-continental route.  I can't think of another route that makes it's way 2/3rds of the way across the state then defaults on to another 0 or 5 to finish the job.

This dives into fictional, but I always thought it would have been cool if instead of I-20 ending at I-10, it continued west in an overlap to Casa Grande AZ, with I-10 then following I-8's current route to San Diego and I-20 following I-10's current route to LA/Santa Monica.  If for no other reason than allowing I-20 to be a fully trans-continental route as you allude to. (Also FWIW, this hypothetical I-10/I-20 overlap would take the longest-interstate-duplex title away from I-80/I-90).

[SkyPesos]

This dives into fictional, but I always thought it would have been cool if instead of I-20 ending at I-10, it continued west in an overlap to Casa Grande AZ, with I-10 then following I-8's current route to San Diego and I-20 following I-10's current route to LA/Santa Monica.  If for no other reason than allowing I-20 to be a fully trans-continental route as you allude to. (Also FWIW, this hypothetical I-10/I-20 overlap would take the longest-interstate-duplex title away from I-80/I-90).

I had an identical idea a while ago, along with I-70 to Bay Area and I-80 to Portland reroutes, to get more x0 interstates to the west coast without being FritzOwl and building interstates where not needed.

[Henry]

I-410 in Texas even though it's a loop. North end near the airport is urban like and has six or more lanes.  South end is rural with four lanes and little or no development.

I-695 in MD is the same way. From exits 2 to 36, it goes through lots of built-up residential and commercial areas (because after all, this is Baltimore which it serves), but the remainder of it, including the Francis Scott Key Bridge, has nothing but open country and large industrial parks. Hell, even when it does a short pass through the city, it's still industrial.

[TXtoNJ]

I also think I-20 shares a lot in common with I-10, but because it terminates in West Texas, it can't compare with the overall change in culture I-10 has.  It travels the heart of Dixie to Dallas, then through the West Texas plains to the West Texas desert.  I think culture wise, it never really leaves a bible thumping zone the entire way, just a different type of thumping of the bible. 

I am also fascinated with how I-20 piggybacks on I-10 to be a trans-continental route.  I can't think of another route that makes it's way 2/3rds of the way across the state then defaults on to another 0 or 5 to finish the job.  I-85 kinda does that, but it's a smaller scale, then again I-95's total length is a smaller scale than the trans-continental routes are.  I-29 also helps I-35 be border to border, but its more like half and half. 

Well, originally it was the same thing in reverse - US 90 ended at US 80, the transcontinental route, in Van Horn.

The interesting bit to me is that I-20 is the more important transcontinental route past the divergence.

[ethanhopkin14]

Texas will have a long 3di (eventually) in I-369.  From Tenaha to Texarkana, there is exactly 0.00 change in landscape and culture. 

[dvferyance]

The landscape of I-84 changes drastically east of The Dalles