Capital connectivity

[empirestate]

Another one of my little brain games that I sometimes use to kill time:

From each state's capital, which of the bordering states' capitals can be reached by way of a single Interstate route? Which capitals are connected in this way to all of their neighboring capitals?

For those that don't satisfy the above, how about capitals connected by a single US route? Or connected by Interstate, but not a single route? Or those not connected by Interstate at all, despite being on the system (so, forget Pierre...) and realistically connectable by road (so, forget Juneau).

Metro areas served is fine; no need to be city-limit precise. (So for example, I-40 serves Little Rock.)

EDIT: Re-worded to clarify the rules.

[The Nature Boy]

Massachusetts comes close to having its capital connected to all of its neighbors. It's just missing a connection to Connecticut and Vermont. If only I-93's numbering continued up the current I-89 corridor, then it'd be connected to Montpelier.

I-93 will get you from Boston, MA to Concord, NH
I-90 will get you from Boston, MA to Albany, NY
I-95 will get you from Boston, MA to Providence, RI

[empirestate]

Massachusetts comes close to having its capital connected to all of its neighbors. It's just missing a connection to Connecticut and Vermont. If only I-93's numbering continued up the current I-89 corridor, then it'd be connected to Montpelier.

I-93 will get you from Boston, MA to Concord, NH
I-90 will get you from Boston, MA to Albany, NY
I-95 will get you from Boston, MA to Providence, RI

While I wouldn't call 3 out of 5, or 60%, "close", I do appreciate that the connections it does have are by three different routes. In other words, each of the Interstates out of Boston connects to a neighboring capital.

[andy3175]

Massachusetts comes close to having its capital connected to all of its neighbors. It's just missing a connection to Connecticut and Vermont. If only I-93's numbering continued up the current I-89 corridor, then it'd be connected to Montpelier.

I-93 will get you from Boston, MA to Concord, NH
I-90 will get you from Boston, MA to Albany, NY
I-95 will get you from Boston, MA to Providence, RI

US 50 will get you from Sacramento, CA to Carson City, NV.
I-80 will get you from Salt Lake City, UT to Cheyenne, WY to Lincoln, NE to Des Moines, IA
I-5 will get you from Sacramento, CA to Salem, OR to Olympia, WA

[corco]

I-25 connects Santa Fe to Denver to Cheyenne.

If metro areas count, I-84 connects Boise to Salt Lake.

Other bordering states (looking to minimize the number of route numbers, not distance) from Boise:
- Helena via I-84 and I-15
- Cheyenne via I-84 and I-80
- Carson City via I-84 to I-80 to I-580
- Salem via I-84 and I-5
- Olympia via I-84 and I-5

For Helena:
- Boise via I-15 and I-84
- Cheyenne via I-15 and I-80
- Pierre via haha
- Bismarck via I-15 to I-90 to I-94

[SD Mapman]

You know, this is sort of a digression/expansion (because Pierre), but Pierre and Bismarck are both on US 83 (Yeah, that's the best I can do. Not my fault they're off the grid).
I don't mean to subvert the thread, so... Carson City -
Sacramento via I-580 and I-80
SLC via I-580 and I-80
Salem via I-580, I-80, and I-5
Boise via I-580, I-80, I-5/I-15, and I-84
Phoenix via I-580, I-80, I-5/I-15, and I-10

[bulldog1979]

From the metro area of Lansing, Michigan:

• The metro area of Indianapolis, Indiana, on I-69
• The metro area of Columbus, Ohio, on the future I-73

There are no direct connections from Lansing to Springfield, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; St. Paul, Minnesota; or Toronto, Ontario. The other states are blocked by Lake Michigan, and even if we assumed I-69 and Highway 402 were the same highway, Hwy 402 ends and traffic has to use Hwy 401 to continue on to Toronto.

[NE2]

There are no direct connections from Lansing to Springfield, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; St. Paul, Minnesota; or Toronto, Ontario. The other states are blocked by Lake Michigan, and even if we assumed I-69 and Highway 402 were the same highway, Hwy 402 ends and traffic has to use Hwy 401 to continue on to Toronto.

I-96 and 401 could be the same highway once the new bridge is built, and probably would be if Canada were part of the U.S.

[DevalDragon]

Interstate 35 gets you Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Des Moines, Iowa, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Only one missing is Topeka, Kansas which is on 335.

[adventurernumber1]

From Atlanta, Georgia:

- I-85 to Montgomerey, Alabama
- I-20 to Columbia, South Carolina
- US 41 to Nashville, Tennessee
(Tallahassee, Florida almost made it, but US 19 just barely misses it; there's just nothin' to Raleigh, NC)

From Nashville, Tennessee:

- US 41 to Atlanta, Georgia
- I-65 to Montgomerey, Alabama
- Natchez Trace Parkway is all I got for Jackson, Mississippi 
- I-40 to Little Rock, Arkansas
- I-40 to Raleigh, North Carolina
(Got nothin for St. Louis, Frankfort, or Richmond)

For those two capitols (Atlanta & Nashville), as for the capitols connected by interstate but not a single route:

From Atlanta, Georgia:

- I-75 & I-10 to Tallahassee, Florida
- I-75 & I-40 to Raleigh, North Carolina

From Nashville, Tennessee:

- I-40 & I-55 to St. Louis, Missouri
- I-65 & I-64 to Frankfort, Kentucky
- I-40 & I-95 to Richmond, Virginia

[dfwmapper]

I believe Jefferson City, MO, used to connect to Springfield, IL, via US 54, but then US 54 was truncated. US 50 eventually connects to Carson City and Sacramento, and as far as I can tell, that's the only direct connection it has to any other capitals (besides the nation's capital, also on US 50).

[bulldog1979]

There are no direct connections from Lansing to Springfield, Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; St. Paul, Minnesota; or Toronto, Ontario. The other states are blocked by Lake Michigan, and even if we assumed I-69 and Highway 402 were the same highway, Hwy 402 ends and traffic has to use Hwy 401 to continue on to Toronto.

I-96 and 401 could be the same highway once the new bridge is built, and probably would be if Canada were part of the U.S.

The New International Transit Crossing won't connect to I-96 at all. It's the Ambassador Bridge that "connects" with I-96.

[tdindy88]

From Indianapolis:

-Lansing, Michigan via I-69
-Columbus, Ohio via I-70
-Frankfort, Kentucky via US 421 (or I-65 and I-64)
-Springfield, Illinois via US 36 (or I-74, I-57 and I-72, or I-74 and I-55, or just stick with 36)

[NE2]

The New International Transit Crossing won't connect to I-96 at all. It's the Ambassador Bridge that "connects" with I-96.

Ever hear of an overlap? They won't add one, but if the 401 was I-96 they would.

[The Nature Boy]

From Atlanta, Georgia:

- I-85 to Montgomerey, Alabama
- I-20 to Columbia, South Carolina
- US 41 to Nashville, Tennessee
(Tallahassee, Florida almost made it, but US 19 just barely misses it; there's just nothin' to Raleigh, NC)

I-85 goes through Durham and the western half of the Raleigh/Durham metro area. I think it's fair to claim a link between Atlanta and Raleigh via I-85.

[froggie]

The only one that Vermont has is I-89 between Montpelier, VT and Concord, NH.

Concord, NH, meanwhile, does directly connect to all of its US neighbors if one includes US routes:  I-89 to Montpelier, VT; I-93 to Boston, MA; and US 202 to Augusta, ME.  Conversely, Augusta, ME connects to its only US neighbor via the aforementioned US 202.

Richmond, VA directly connects to most of its neighbors (Tennessee being the only exception):  US 1 to Raleigh, NC; I-64 to both Charleston, WV and Frankfort, KY; I-95 to DC; and US 301 to Annapolis, MD.

St. Paul, MN directly connects to 3 of its 4 US neighbors (but not South Dakota):  I-35 to Des Moines, IA; and I-94 to both Madison, WI and Bismarck, ND.

Jackson, MS only directly connects to 1 of its neighbors:  US 80 to Montgomery, AL.

[US81]

Interstate 35 gets you Austin, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Des Moines, Iowa, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Only one missing is Topeka, Kansas which is on 335.

That's the only direct connection for Texas, though. I-35 (or US 290) south to I-10 east for Baton Rouge LA (and on to Tallahassee FL) (or west to Phoenix AZ). I-35 north to DFW to I-30 for Little Rock AR. Santa Fe NM from Austin can't even be done reasonably directly without adding TX highways to the US highway sequences - or - the somewhat indirect I-10 west to I-25. 

That said, there seems to be enough growth in central Texas along the I-35 corridor to foresee considering Austin a "suburb" of San Antonio in the not-too-distant future such that Texas (Austin) would be more legitimately connected to other US capitals.

[empirestate]

As a reminder, the question to look at first and foremost is whether a capital connects to each of its bordering states' capitals by a single Interstate route. If "yes", great, you're done; and special prizes to those states that are all "yes"es.

If "no", then we can start looking at the sub-questions: a US route? multiple Interstates? on the system but doesn't connect anyway?

Other capitals in non-neighboring states along an Interstate route aren't considered here; that's a future thread.

[hotdogPi]

The only one that Vermont has is I-89 between Montpelier, VT and Concord, NH.

Concord, NH, meanwhile, does directly connect to all of its US neighbors if one includes US routes:  I-89 to Montpelier, VT; I-93 to Boston, MA; and US 202 to Augusta, ME.  Conversely, Augusta, ME connects to its only US neighbor via the aforementioned US 202.

I-89 just barely misses Concord. It gets close, but it doesn't touch it.

[Zeffy]

I don't think Trenton has anything here. If you count the Morrisville, Pennsylvania area as part of Trenton's metro area (which theoretically is part of New York City's metro area...) then I guess US 13 from there to Dover, Delaware is the only thing Trenton has remotely going for it.

[The Nature Boy]

The only one that Vermont has is I-89 between Montpelier, VT and Concord, NH.

Concord, NH, meanwhile, does directly connect to all of its US neighbors if one includes US routes:  I-89 to Montpelier, VT; I-93 to Boston, MA; and US 202 to Augusta, ME.  Conversely, Augusta, ME connects to its only US neighbor via the aforementioned US 202.

I-89 just barely misses Concord. It gets close, but it doesn't touch it.

It ends in Bow, which may be considered Concord's metro area.

[NE2]

I don't think Trenton has anything here. If you count the Morrisville, Pennsylvania area as part of Trenton's metro area (which theoretically is part of New York City's metro area...) then I guess US 13 from there to Dover, Delaware is the only thing Trenton has remotely going for it.

Pennsylvania Turnpike to Harrisburg if you count metro areas and non-number designations.

[froggie]

As a reminder, the question to look at first and foremost is whether a capital connects to each of its bordering states' capitals by a single Interstate route. If "yes", great, you're done; and special prizes to those states that are all "yes"es.

The way you worded your OP suggested that in the case of "connecting to all neighboring states", US routes could be included.

Also, how would you clarify "multiple Interstates" versus "on-the-system-but-doesn't-connect"?  For example, sure you could get from Concord, NH to Augusta, ME via an all-Interstate route, but it would require dipping into Massachusetts and nobody in their right mind would follow such a route.

[Thing 342]

Columbia, SC wins by virtue of SC bordering only two other states:
Atlanta, GA via I-20
Raleigh, NC via US-1

[jp the roadgeek]

CT is a joke as far as connecting to other state capitals from Hartford.  No case of one direct interstate route at all.

Boston: 84 to 90
Albany: 91 to 90
Providence:  We all know that one