I think I have fallen in love with US routes

[Zzonkmiles]

I will admit to having preferred interstate highways for my roadgeeking and general travel. However, since I accepted a new job in DC recently, I've had to make several trips between DC and South Carolina. I posted about this in the South Carolina forum. Anyway, I would typically go 77-85-95 or 20-95, but I got a bit frustrated by the consistently heavy traffic north of Richmond. So I started getting a bit creative. First I tried 77-81-66, which was okay, but a bit out of the way. Knowing that there were no other interstate paths between SC and DC, I decided to give US-1 a try. Once I got out of SC, I found US-1 to be quite fun. It dropped me off on I-85 in northeastern NC, which allowed me to bypass Charlotte, Greensboro and Durham. But I still had to contend with the I-95 traffic north of Richmond.

So someone on this forum suggested US-29. I reluctantly gave it a try a few days ago when I drove back to SC for the holiday weekend. All I can say is THANK YOU SO MUCH. I feel like this whole new world of roadgeeking has come into focus. I know not all US routes are the same, but in 29's case, there was very little traffic, the speed limits were consistently high, there were few trucks, and the roads were in good condition. And best of all, the total distance in miles was shorter than the interstate-only routes. I took US-29 back to DC tonight and my experience was the exact same. How did I not know about the beauty of these roads? I was checking Google Maps while I was driving and saw that traffic on I-81, 85 and 95 was consistently backed up because of road construction or accidents. Meanwhile, I was making excellent progress on US-29. I even found this excellent pizzeria in Danville, VA that I never would have found if I had stuck to the interstate and its typical fast food options.

So, thanks again to the poster who suggested US-29. Now I want to drive on more of these roads. I want to broaden my knowledge of these highways a bit more. Do you have any recommendations? And how did you fall in love with US routes or fall out of love with interstates?

[Quillz]

A lot of the western US routes are quite nice, as many go through national monuments or parks. 395 in California follows the eastern escarpment of the Sierra, 89 goes into Yellowstone, etc.

I don't like that many US routes are being truncated merely because they are being built to interstate standards. Take I-11. I wish it would just remain as US-93, with an interstate-quality segment between Las Vegas and Phoenix.

[kurumi]

Living in Connecticut and California, I used to be all about the interstates. I think it was a recent trip to Nashville (with side trips to KY and AL) that woke up my appreciation for US routes. There's more variety in their profile and the places they go; and more history. Kind of splitting hairs: but how many old alignments of I-5 are there? On the other hand, how many old alignments of US 99 can you find?

[froggie]

Though not nearly as bad as 95 north of Richmond (moreso north of Fredericksburg IMO), one can still catch traffic on 29/66, especially from Warrenton towards DC.

[Quillz]

TC, if you're interested in some other US routes to drive on, I was just recently on the 84/285 concurrency in New Mexico, roughly from Santa Fe to the NM-68 junction. It's mainly a freeway, but passes through some beautiful scenery, mostly high desert plateau.

[corco]

Yes, U.S. Routes are the way to go, even back east. They're very often the best of both worlds- you get a good, often lightly trafficked road between towns, but also get to go through town and see all the cool stuff you miss on the interstate. I routinely drive very long distances off-interstate, and people are often like "oh my god how" and I'm like "it only took two hours longer than the freeway"

[Zeffy]

you get a good, often lightly trafficked road between towns

I wish that were the case in New Jersey. US 206, US 202, US 22, and even US 1 never move reasonably smooth for me except on Sundays. It's part of the reason I like sticking to Interstates, but at the same time, I want to stick to the US Highways instead.

[vtk]

I like taking routes that keep me moving and have a negligible time difference from the fastest route.  This can involve any combination of Interstate, US, state, county, or township highways. There is too much diversity of road and/or traffic qualities in each of those route classes to make any generalizations based on those classes.

[corco]

you get a good, often lightly trafficked road between towns

I wish that were the case in New Jersey. US 206, US 202, US 22, and even US 1 never move reasonably smooth for me except on Sundays. It's part of the reason I like sticking to Interstates, but at the same time, I want to stick to the US Highways instead.

Obviously I have fairly limited sample size- I clinched the lengths of US 1, 9, 30, and 40 in New Jersey about a month ago and found the drives to be quite pleasant. 9 is a little boring/trafficky between the George Washington Bridge and EWR, but otherwise I really enjoyed them.


That said - yeah, I'm generally referring to routes like 30 and 40 as opposed to 1-9 in north Jersey, which is just suburban hell and not really intended for long distance through travel. I did drive 1 from DC all the way to New York though and once outside of the DC Beltway really enjoyed the drive. I don't think it took me too much longer than I-95 would have either, though I did do the portion from Baltimore to New York at about 6:30 AM (which means I probably hit some of Philadelphia rushhour).

That stretch of 1 is really enjoyable because it varies so much - for a while you're in suburbia, then on a two lane road through the Maryland countryside, then on an expressway in SE Pennsylvania, then on a pretty decent arterial through Philly, then back to freeway/expressway into New Jersey, then back into suburban hell with intermittent stretches of divided highway.

[Quillz]

Yes, U.S. Routes are the way to go, even back east. They're very often the best of both worlds- you get a good, often lightly trafficked road between towns, but also get to go through town and see all the cool stuff you miss on the interstate. I routinely drive very long distances off-interstate, and people are often like "oh my god how" and I'm like "it only took two hours longer than the freeway"

On the vacation I just returned from, I made heavy usage of US-14, US-16, and US-20 all through Wyoming, South Dakota, etc. In most cases, the speed limits were near identical to the interstates, anywhere from 65-75. And the roads were empty, so I really doubt it would have been much faster to take, say, the 80 or the 90. (Although US-14 did put me on I-90 several times).

[jeffandnicole]

you get a good, often lightly trafficked road between towns

I wish that were the case in New Jersey. US 206, US 202, US 22, and even US 1 never move reasonably smooth for me except on Sundays. It's part of the reason I like sticking to Interstates, but at the same time, I want to stick to the US Highways instead.

Obviously I have fairly limited sample size- I clinched the lengths of US 1, 9, 30, and 40 in New Jersey about a month ago and found the drives to be quite pleasant. 9 is a little boring/trafficky between the George Washington Bridge and EWR, but otherwise I really enjoyed them.

Of those, US 40 is usually quiet - the worst of it can be in Hamilton with some very heavy traffic.

Otherwise, portions of 1, 9 and 30 are quite hellish during rush hours.  Do them outside of rush hours, or on weekends without shore traffic, and they are usually more of a joy to drive.

[Mapmikey]

With over 40 US routes finished, I clearly am in love with them...

The worst that I have had experience with:

US 1 from northern NJ to New London CT
US 1 from Fredericksburg VA to Bel Air MD
US 1 from West Palm Beach to Homestead FL
US 13 north of Wilmington DE
US 30 in suburban Phila
US 250 Wheeling to Fairmont
US 19 in WV except the 4-lane piece
US 19W south of I-26
US 421 Bristol to NC Line

I'm sure I'm repressing others...

Mike

[ekt8750]

With over 40 US routes finished, I clearly am in love with them...

The worst that I have had experience with:

US 1 from northern NJ to New London CT
US 1 from Fredericksburg VA to Bel Air MD
US 1 from West Palm Beach to Homestead FL
US 13 north of Wilmington DE
US 30 in suburban Phila
US 250 Wheeling to Fairmont
US 19 in WV except the 4-lane piece
US 19W south of I-26
US 421 Bristol to NC Line

I'm sure I'm repressing others...

Mike

Did you have trouble following 13 through PA? It's poorly signed through Chester and Philly.

[hbelkins]

With over 40 US routes finished, I clearly am in love with them...

The worst that I have had experience with:


(snip)
US 250 Wheeling to Fairmont
US 19 in WV except the 4-lane piece
US 19W south of I-26
US 421 Bristol to NC Line

Typical mountain roads. Not much different than state roads in the area, for sure.

[Mapmikey]

Did you have trouble following 13 through PA? It's poorly signed through Chester and Philly.

Yes...there are definitely missing postings at turns, including 3 consecutive SB turns near the zoo IIRC.

I missed Chester to Delaware years ago because there was no sign SB to turn left in Chester.

Mike

[jwolfer]

US routes can be a lifesaver on holiday weekends on i95 .. Over 4th of July I went to Maryland to visit my brother.. Going up there a wreck on I95 in northern Virginia had me on 301 over Nice Bridge.

Going home rain combined with traffic made us 17 the viable alternative to the freeway through SC

[sipes23]

Further west, they're often more pleasant. US 26 from Ogallala, NE to Dwyer, WY is probably no faster than the I-80 and I-25 combo, but it's vastly more interesting to drive through. Less road hypnosis at the very least.

[andy3175]

Further west, they're often more pleasant. US 26 from Ogallala, NE to Dwyer, WY is probably no faster than the I-80 and I-25 combo, but it's vastly more interesting to drive through. Less road hypnosis at the very least.

Yes, I've driven most of that road (along with portions of Wyo 92 and Neb 92) and find the North Platte River corridor and Scottsbluff to be very scenic. Hope you are enjoying Casper; I was just there two days ago!

[thenetwork]

Pne of my main reasons to use US Routes, or old alignments of such, is in many cases, you see remnants of old establishments with the dilapidated neon signs, or you may see a well-preserved business that is from the 50s or earlier.  Some of my favorite sights off the top of my head.

- Somewhere in Kentucky on US-25, there was an old Shell station -- one of those 2-pump country store buildings, where the sign was shell-shaped with no red square border.

- The old US 85/87 highway on the north side of Colorado Springs, CO has a stretch of old motels and other pre-1960's buildings sandwiched between newer shopping strips.  Most of those old neon and porcelain signs have a southwest theme to them and are still standing.  Newer signs of the day for nearly any business are so generic-looking.

[J N Winkler]

So, thanks again to the poster who suggested US-29. Now I want to drive on more of these roads. I want to broaden my knowledge of these highways a bit more. Do you have any recommendations? And how did you fall in love with US routes or fall out of love with interstates?

I have for decades had a rule of avoiding Interstates (except as required to make time) when on scenic trips.  However, I find it helps to pay attention to topography and general traffic engineering considerations when choosing off-Interstate routes.  In Virginia, for example, I quite like US 29 because it passes through rolling countryside with not too many traffic signals except in the general vicinities of Danville, Lynchburg, Charlottesville, and Warrenton, but I find US 17 east of the fall line quite claustrophobic because it is flat and is built as a divided rural arterial (Virginia's version of not-quite-expressway) with closely spaced stoplights in semi-rural areas.  There are lengths where you get tired of dozens of stoplights in as many miles but it seems pointless to backtrack or hunt for a cut-through to the nearest Interstate because there is no apparent reason to believe those alternatives aren't just as stoplight-infested.

I live in the frontier tier of states and usually tend to go west when I take roadtrips, so stoplight infestation is less of a consideration.  I do think there is value to screening by AADT.  A two-lane road with an AADT in the 10,000 range in flat country often means a high proportion of time spent following other vehicles.  Near me, US 400 is very scenic through the Flint Hills in Greenwood County, which is one of the few bona-fide empty quarters in Kansas east of Wichita; however, there is a lot of through traffic.  I have hit three-digit speeds there passing long platoons and the problem has gotten to the point where KDOT has just let three or so contracts to build passing lanes.

Good tools for screening US highways by traffic value and scenic potential, besides Google Maps and so on, are state traffic flow maps, county highway maps (where available), and USGS 7.5" topographic maps.

[sipes23]

Yes, I've driven most of that road (along with portions of Wyo 92 and Neb 92) and find the North Platte River corridor and Scottsbluff to be very scenic. Hope you are enjoying Casper; I was just there two days ago!

Sounds like we're following each other. I was really surprised at how scenic that whole corridor was. Particularly given the eastern parts of Nebraska. I'll be driving a different corridor when I drive the truck out to Casper next month. I'm thinking Neb 2 to US 20. I-80 through Nebraska is the worst.

[Sykotyk]

With over 40 US routes finished, I clearly am in love with them...

The worst that I have had experience with:

US 1 from northern NJ to New London CT
US 1 from Fredericksburg VA to Bel Air MD
US 1 from West Palm Beach to Homestead FL
US 13 north of Wilmington DE
US 30 in suburban Phila
US 250 Wheeling to Fairmont
US 19 in WV except the 4-lane piece
US 19W south of I-26
US 421 Bristol to NC Line

I'm sure I'm repressing others...

Mike

I took US250 from Wheeling to Fairmont. I second your sentiment. US250 from Wheeling to Cadiz, OH isn't a picnic, either.

[jwolfer]

Pne of my main reasons to use US Routes, or old alignments of such, is in many cases, you see remnants of old establishments with the dilapidated neon signs, or you may see a well-preserved business that is from the 50s or earlier.  Some of my favorite sights off the top of my head.

- Somewhere in Kentucky on US-25, there was an old Shell station -- one of those 2-pump country store buildings, where the sign was shell-shaped with no red square border.

- The old US 85/87 highway on the north side of Colorado Springs, CO has a stretch of old motels and other pre-1960's buildings sandwiched between newer shopping strips.  Most of those old neon and porcelain signs have a southwest theme to them and are still standing.  Newer signs of the day for nearly any business are so generic-looking.

US 1 around Jacksonville has lots of the 1950s motels. Just south of downtown there are quite a few hourly motels. Further out they are low cost apartments. I knew a guy who owned one, most paid cash and rented weekly

[andy3175]

Yes, I've driven most of that road (along with portions of Wyo 92 and Neb 92) and find the North Platte River corridor and Scottsbluff to be very scenic. Hope you are enjoying Casper; I was just there two days ago!

Sounds like we're following each other. I was really surprised at how scenic that whole corridor was. Particularly given the eastern parts of Nebraska. I'll be driving a different corridor when I drive the truck out to Casper next month. I'm thinking Neb 2 to US 20. I-80 through Nebraska is the worst.

I was completely surprised as to how much I enjoyed driving US 20 between US 385 and US 85. Scenic and plenty of variety to the terrain including the Fort Robinson area. Driving through there was like passing through a whole other world.

http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/parks/guides/parksearch/showpark.asp?Area_No=77

[sipes23]

I was completely surprised as to how much I enjoyed driving US 20 between US 385 and US 85. Scenic and plenty of variety to the terrain including the Fort Robinson area. Driving through there was like passing through a whole other world.

http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/parks/guides/parksearch/showpark.asp?Area_No=77

I just made that drive from NE 2 to US 85 on US 20. The Fort Robinson area is really trippy. Acutally, NE 2 isn't a bad route itself. It goes through several small towns, but not so much as to truly slow you down. I stopped at Runza, which is its own strange thing, in Broken Bow. I almost hate to admit how much I like the Nebraska panhandle.