Suprise Findings

[roadman65]

I am sure many of you like to go around the web to various road related sites, go to google, wikipedia, etc. and try to expand your knowledge about roads in general.  Anyway, we all stumble across many things we never knew or realized about the highways, roads, and things pertaining to them.

We all know what the top two longest interstates are.  However, I was suprised to find out what the third was considering that the fourth longest interstate travels farther in reach.  I did not realize that I-40 is longer than I-10!  You would think I-10 is the longer of the two because it goes from coast to coast.  I-40 stops short in the middle of Southern California at Barstow and you need to travel two other interstates to reach the Pacific. 

I also, did not realize either that if a person was born around the time the last segments were completed of I-90 in Idaho, that person would be having his or her legal drink right now.  I noticed that two segments in Idaho were only opened in 1991.  That being Wallace, and Couer de Aldene where two bridges had to be built to complete the long journey between Seattle and Boston.

Incidentally, with I-90 being talked about, I always thought it was fascinating that both shows actor Kelsey Grammar appeared in with the same character were at the ends of this cross country highway.  Today, I saw that it was no coincidence that Fraiser lived in the two terminating cities of I-90.  The producers picked Seattle on purpose to be as far away from Boston (the setting of his first show Cheers) and being that I-90 is the longest interstate ending at another famous big city thousands of miles away, it became obvious.

Also, I thought that it was odd that I-90 in South Dakota is longer than I-94 in North Dakota given the two states are almost equal in size. 

What discoveries have you all encountered while browsing or reading someplace, or even a place that you traveled to?

[NE2]

I discovered that VA SR 28 needs to be I-366.

[Alps]

Suprise, suprise, suprise!

[roadman65]

I discovered that VA SR 28 needs to be I-366.

Do not forget the 85 mph too!

[bassoon1986]

I never knew either until I found an old map or heard it here that there used to be an I 255 in Memphis. I just assumed it was always 240.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

From just the other day.
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=6879.0

[Alps]

Now to answer the concept legitimately: I was surprised when I found I-97 on a map for the first time as a kid. My family had a lot of older maps (early 80s), so I didn't know about a lot of developments until we started getting updated maps in the early 90s. I remember being really excited that something came after 95. (Same thing when I found I-99 - I made my parents get a picture.)

[national highway 1]

When I first saw I-238 on an AAA map, i thought it was an error for CA 238.
I played Test Drive Unlimited, which is based in Oahu, on PS2 and before I found hawaiihighways.com, I did not know that Hawaii had interstates.
I also didn't know that Arizona had also used coloured shields for its Loops and US Routes.
This article about early California interstate designations is pretty interesting:
Interstate Highway Types and Interstate History.

[roadman65]

When I first saw I-238 on an AAA map, i thought it was an error for CA 238.
I played Test Drive Unlimited, which is based in Oahu, on PS2 and before I found hawaiihighways.com, I did not know that Hawaii had interstates.
I also didn't know that Arizona had also used coloured shields for its Loops and US Routes.
This article about early California interstate designations is pretty interesting:
Interstate Highway Types and Interstate History.

I also thought it was an error for CA 238.  Then as I picked up more maps I found out it was real.

[Duke87]

Similarly about I-99, I remember spotting it for the first time in my 2000 Nat Geo atlas and doing a double take, assuming that it was an insane error.

The thing of it is, prior to the creation of actual I-99, it was an obvious number to use for a fictitious interstate. In The Rugrats Movie, the truck with the babies in it is shown driving passed an I-99 shield, and Chazz announces to the group that someone saw the kids "head north on I-99".

[bassoon1986]

also didn't realize until recently when a friend brought me back a new york map that there was an I-587. There's lots of those small spurs that you'd never see on a RMcN.

[NE2]

I recently found out that U.S. Route 41 in Illinois goes all the way down to Florida.

[Jim]

also didn't realize until recently when a friend brought me back a new york map that there was an I-587. There's lots of those small spurs that you'd never see on a RMcN.

You could drive by it for years on the Thruway and not know about I-587...

[kurumi]

1. Find Clarke Road, Lebanon, CT, in Google Maps. It connects Tobacco Street to CT 87. Here's a link: http://goo.gl/maps/eomP

In 1956, Clarke Road was called something else. Here's a link to that map: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uconnlibrariesmagic/3545573701/sizes/o/in/set-72157618337890017/. Former Clarke Road, near CT 87 and SR 449, is in the north end of town. You probably don't want your boss looking over your shoulder.

Seriously, WTF Lebanon.

2. An old map of metro Hartford marked part of Blue Hills Avenue as SR 921. I thought it was a typo at the time, since secret route numbers only go up to 867. There are many "wrong" things that turned out to be true, and many "facts" that turned out to be mistakes.