Most Direct Control City

[Interstate Trav]

Kind of a spinoff of the Indirect Control Cities, but the opposite.  What Cities and Interstates have the Most Direct Control Cities.

I-5 Sacramento Goes straight through it
US-101 Los Angeles Goes right through the Heart of it.
I-15 Las Vegas Goes right through the center of it
I-215 San Bernardino
CA-14 Mojave

[roadfro]

Probably 90% or more of Interstate control cities actually serve the city listed directly. Probably easier to list those that don't do this, i.e. the "Indirect Control Cities" thread...

[ftballfan]

Most direct, in my opinion, would mean going right through downtown or very close to it.

In Michigan, there is:
US-131 Grand Rapids (the S-Curve goes between buildings)
I-75, I-94, and I-96 Detroit
US-31 Grand Haven

[texaskdog]

Yeah, wonder what the most blatant "misses" are.  Hmm....   I-90 misses Rochester by a few miles but Rochester MN is not a huge city.  Pierre SD is a capital but 90 doesnt really come close enough to count.

[1995hoo]

I have to join the chorus that the original question doesn't entirely make sense. I mean, if you talk about "direct" control city in terms of a highway passing through, or passing immediately adjacent to, the downtown area, then the signs in Petersburg, Virginia, that list Miami as a control city for I-95 and Atlanta as a control city for I-85 make eminent sense in terms of "direct" control cities (although Jacksonville would really be the next such "direct" city on I-95 rather than Miami). Yet those signs are often the subject of ridicule in terms of the use of super-distant places. (I kind of think the sign for Durham and Atlanta is a decent sign since it alternates with signs for Blackstone and South Hill, both nearby cities that mean nothing to most long-distance drivers. But I think it's odd that if you use distant locations you don't list Charlotte, which is a pretty major city along that route.)

If you really want what might be THE most direct "control point" (as opposed to control "city" for reasons that will be clear in a moment), you might pick the signs on Autoroute 15 in Montreal on the southbound approach to the Pont Champlain that list "USA." Kind of hard to miss that one in terms of directly hitting the control point!

http://maps.google.com/?ll=45.464548,-73.585482&spn=0.002871,0.008256&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=45.464548,-73.585217&panoid=RUTuo0LaTkWhd-gKaNLHnQ&cbp=12,95.16,,0,2.57

[vdeane]

I-490 - Rochester, NY
I-81 - Syracuse, Canada

Assumption: I-781 - Fort Drum

[agentsteel53]

I-10 east: "other desert cities".  yep, can't go wrong with that.

[Interstate Trav]

I-10 east: "other desert cities".  yep, can't go wrong with that.

lol I should have know that sign would make an appearance in this thread.  Seems to get a lot of popularity, wonder if Caltrans knew that when they installed it.....although the sign is right it goes to Other Desert Cities.....

[vtk]

I-70 and I-71 both pass adjacent to downtown Columbus.  In fact, I-71 used to encircle downtown!  But yeah, most cities large enough to be a destination on an Interstate do in fact have those Interstates run right into their cores.

[Jerseyman4]

If an Interstate at any point hit's the municipal line via "southern" Annexation style or clips the corner of the township line, it counts to me. For example, I-95 has signs saying "Savannah" but does not actually go to the downtown. However, Savannah's municipal borders is on & off along I-95 between US 17 and GA 21. Google "Savannah GA" from the Google main search bar and you'll see.

[drummer_evans_aki]

I-5 - Seattle
I-105 - Eugene
I-84 - The Dalles
I-84 - Pendleton
I-82 - Yakima
I-90 - Seattle
I-90 - Spokane
I-90 Coeur D'Alene
I-182 - Kennewick

[pianocello]

I-10 east: "other desert cities".  yep, can't go wrong with that.

Even better--I-605: Thru Traffic?

[Duke87]

I would think the most directness possible would be if the highway in question ended smack in the middle of downtown. Or a non-city destination that the highway directly ends at. Such as I-678: Kennedy Airport.

[pianocello]

As far as cities go, my vote would be I-380 Cedar Rapids (IA): Bridge over the Cedar River is a block NW of the City Hall.

[national highway 1]

I-380 CA: SFO Airport

[TheStranger]

I-380 CA: SFO Airport

Is that really direct?  While the ramps off the end of 380 do feed right to the airport road, I've always been under the impression those ramps are actually part of US 101.

[Brandon]

I-380 CA: SFO Airport

Is that really direct?  While the ramps off the end of 380 do feed right to the airport road, I've always been under the impression those ramps are actually part of US 101.

If that's the case, then I-190 in Illinois is more direct with its control "city" of O'Hare.

[vtk]

Before 2002, the western stub of I-670 in Columbus had a "control city"* of Grandview Avenue.  Lo and behold, one mile later, all traffic was forced to exit at Grandview Ave.

*Actually, the lanes that split off from I-70 were signed as an overbuilt exit to Grandview Avenue, with no mention of I-670 at all.  But it almost certainly said "I-670 ^EAST" behind some greenout – either that, or I-70N...

[Interstate Trav]

Before 2002, the western stub of I-670 in Columbus had a "control city"* of Grandview Avenue.  Lo and behold, one mile later, all traffic was forced to exit at Grandview Ave.

*Actually, the lanes that split off from I-70 were signed as an overbuilt exit to Grandview Avenue, with no mention of I-670 at all.  But it almost certainly said "I-670 ^EAST" behind some greenout — either that, or I-70N...

Then I nominate Valley Blvd for I-710 North since the 710 does indeed end at Valley Blvd and Signs at the 60 and 10 jct say Valley Blvd

[hbelkins]

I-275 in Ohio, at the intersection with I-74 on the west side of Cincinnati, and in Indiana: "Kentucky."