Major cities with least amount of state highways

[cl94]

A more interesting question: how common are state-maintained surface streets?

That's an entirely different matter. In New York, pretty rare. New York City has nothing and Buffalo is limited to a small amount of NY 384, NY 130/former NY 130, and a couple of one-way pairs downtown. Rochester and Albany are pretty limited, as well.

[noelbotevera]

Baltimore doesn't have much SR's. If Google's boundaries are correct, I-70 and MD 122 end at the city limits. The only ones that I can find are US 1, MD 2, MD 26, US 40, MD 41, MD 45, I-83, I-95, MD 126, MD 129, MD 139, MD 144, MD 147, MD 151, MD 295, I-695, and I-895. That gives Baltimore a total of 11 state routes.

[empirestate]

A more interesting question: how common are state-maintained surface streets?

That's an entirely different matter. In New York, pretty rare. New York City has nothing and Buffalo is limited to a small amount of NY 384, NY 130/former NY 130, and a couple of one-way pairs downtown. Rochester and Albany are pretty limited, as well.

Right, they're generally limited to expressways (in the engineering sense) and upgraded arterials, particularly of the urban renewal variety (often manifested as a couplet of multi-lane one-way streets). I'd guess that the vast majority of state-maintained surface routes were upgraded between about 1950 and 1971.


iPhone

[cl94]

A more interesting question: how common are state-maintained surface streets?

That's an entirely different matter. In New York, pretty rare. New York City has nothing and Buffalo is limited to a small amount of NY 384, NY 130/former NY 130, and a couple of one-way pairs downtown. Rochester and Albany are pretty limited, as well.

Right, they're generally limited to expressways (in the engineering sense) and upgraded arterials, particularly of the urban renewal variety (often manifested as a couplet of multi-lane one-way streets). I'd guess that the vast majority of state-maintained surface routes were upgraded between about 1950 and 1971.


iPhone

Correct. There is exactly one example in Buffalo (NY 130/954L) of something that isn't upgraded. I honestly don't know why NYSDOT is holding onto it.

[freebrickproductions]

Huntsville, AL only has three or four state routes that go into the city limits: AL 1, AL 2, AL 53, and possibly AL 20 (depends on how far east AL 20 goes in overlapping I-565).

[DaBigE]

Not sure if Madison WI is consider major, but the only state highways entering the city are 30 and 113

Thanks to the interstates (among other routing changes), Wis 30 never leaves the city of Madison.

[Rothman]

A more interesting question: how common are state-maintained surface streets?

That's an entirely different matter. In New York, pretty rare. New York City has nothing and Buffalo is limited to a small amount of NY 384, NY 130/former NY 130, and a couple of one-way pairs downtown. Rochester and Albany are pretty limited, as well.

Right, they're generally limited to expressways (in the engineering sense) and upgraded arterials, particularly of the urban renewal variety (often manifested as a couplet of multi-lane one-way streets). I'd guess that the vast majority of state-maintained surface routes were upgraded between about 1950 and 1971.


iPhone

Correct. There is exactly one example in Buffalo (NY 130/954L) of something that isn't upgraded. I honestly don't know why NYSDOT is holding onto it.

The negotiations between Erie County and NYSDOT over who's going to maintain what are both hilarious and terrifying.

[iBallasticwolf2]

What about NYC? NYC has NY 9A, NY 25, NY 25A, NY 25B, NY 27, NY 24 (Reference route?) NY 908L, NY 495 (Unsigned?) and (Unsigned)NY 878. Pretty tiny selection for the sheer size of the city.

[empirestate]

What about NYC? NYC has NY 9A, NY 25, NY 25A, NY 25B, NY 27, NY 24 (Reference route?) NY 908L, NY 495 (Unsigned?) and (Unsigned)NY 878. Pretty tiny selection for the sheer size of the city.

If you're counting reference routes, you have all the parkways to add as well. (Also: NY 440.)

NYC always seems like it will lead in this category, but when you actually start counting, it kinds of looks like a lot of other cities.


iPhone

[iBallasticwolf2]

What about NYC? NYC has NY 9A, NY 25, NY 25A, NY 25B, NY 27, NY 24 (Reference route?) NY 908L, NY 495 (Unsigned?) and (Unsigned)NY 878. Pretty tiny selection for the sheer size of the city.

If you're counting reference routes, you have all the parkways to add as well. (Also: NY 440.)

NYC always seems like it will lead in this category, but when you actually start counting, it kinds of looks like a lot of other cities.


iPhone

I do agree with you. Although considering the city has 8 million people the state route selection seems small.
In NJ Jersey City does have a population of somewhere between 225k and 290k and its only state routes are NJ 7, NJ 139, and NJ 440.

[hotdogPi]

Population divided by state highways squared:

Washington DC = 650000 / 1 = 650000 (only DC 295)
Ann Arbor = 115000 / 1 = 115000
New York City = 8500000 / 100 = 85000 (you also forgot NY 22)
Camden = 77000 / 1 = 77000
Newark = 280000 / 4 = 70000
Madison = 250000 / 4 = 62500
Tucson = 525000 / 9 ≈ 58000
Chicago = 2700000 / 49 ≈ 55000
San Francisco = 850000 / 16 = 53125
Spokane = 210000 / 4 = 52500
Sacramento = 500000 / 16 = 31250
Lansing = 115000 / 4 = 28750
San Jose = 1000000 / 36 ≈ 28000
Davenport = 100000 / 4 = 25000
Oakland = 410000 / 25 = 16400
Seattle = 660000 / 49 ≈ 13500

[corco]

Tucson = 525000 / 9 ≈ 58000

How does Tucson have nine state highways?

[iBallasticwolf2]

Tucson = 525000 / 9 ≈ 58000

How does Tucson have nine state highways?

Even if you included Tuscon's two interstates and BR 19 it still wouldn't add up to 9.

[hotdogPi]

Tucson = 525000 / 9 ≈ 58000

How does Tucson have nine state highways?

State highways squared (so 3 state highways). A 20 mile x 20 mile city would be expected to have twice the number of state highways, but four times the population, of a 10 mile x 10 mile city.

[Rothman]

I wouldn't count reference routes for signed NY state routes.  Seems people missed my listing on the first page!

[empirestate]

I wouldn't count reference routes for signed NY state routes.  Seems people missed my listing on the first page!

But are we counting US routes?

[Rothman]

I wouldn't count reference routes for signed NY state routes.  Seems people missed my listing on the first page!

But are we counting US routes?

That's just crazy talk.

[cl94]

I wouldn't count reference routes for signed NY state routes.  Seems people missed my listing on the first page!

But are we counting US routes?

That's just crazy talk.

Reference routes go under "unsigned" state highways which may as well be "normal" highways as far as the GP is concerned. I interpreted it as signed routes. Whether or not US routes are counted is up for debate. I'd lean toward "yes" if they're on the surface, mainly because a significant segment of the GP can't tell the difference and most (if not all) states count US routes as state routes.

[JMoses24]

How many state routes enter the corporate limits of Cincinnati? OH 3 and OH 264, for sure.

Those 2, plus the following:

OH 32 (major east-west route through the southern part of the state, starts inside the corporation limit at US 50/OH 561 with OH 125, quickly exits into Anderson Township en route to Batavia and points east)
OH 125 (begins within the corporation limit at US 50/OH 561 along with OH 32, continues out into Anderson Township where 32 splits off, crosses BACK inside the limits, back into Anderson Township, then into Clermont County)
OH 126 (crosses the northern side of the city)
OH 4 (begins within the corp limit at US 42 and continues out into Wyoming, Woodlawn and points north to Sandusky)
OH 562 (from just east of US 42 to I-75 and at the interchange with I-71)

Also, OH 561 could be considered for this purpose if we're counting all state routes. It both begins (at US 50/OH 32/OH 125) and ends (at OH 4) inside the corp limit, with a section in Norwood as well.

[empirestate]

I wouldn't count reference routes for signed NY state routes.  Seems people missed my listing on the first page!

But are we counting US routes?

That's just crazy talk.

Well, they were in your listing, is why I asked.


iPhone

[Kacie Jane]

I wouldn't count reference routes for signed NY state routes.  Seems people missed my listing on the first page!

But are we counting US routes?

That's just crazy talk.

Reference routes go under "unsigned" state highways which may as well be "normal" highways as far as the GP is concerned. I interpreted it as signed routes. Whether or not US routes are counted is up for debate. I'd lean toward "yes" if they're on the surface, mainly because a significant segment of the GP can't tell the difference and most (if not all) states count US routes as state routes.

Except the specific reference routes we're talking about (in New York City) aren't unsigned.  They're just signed by name (i.e. Grand Central Parkway) instead of number.

[corco]

Even if you included Tuscon's two interstates and BR 19 it still wouldn't add up to 9.

And 19 Business hasn't existed since the early 90s

[Rothman]

I wouldn't count reference routes for signed NY state routes.  Seems people missed my listing on the first page!

But are we counting US routes?

That's just crazy talk.

Reference routes go under "unsigned" state highways which may as well be "normal" highways as far as the GP is concerned. I interpreted it as signed routes. Whether or not US routes are counted is up for debate. I'd lean toward "yes" if they're on the surface, mainly because a significant segment of the GP can't tell the difference and most (if not all) states count US routes as state routes.

Except the specific reference routes we're talking about (in New York City) aren't unsigned.  They're just signed by name (i.e. Grand Central Parkway) instead of number.

Phooey.

[SteveG1988]

Atlantic City NJ

NJ187

NJ 87

Atlantic City Expressway (unsigned 446)

Brigantine Connector (446X)

I am only counting routes that make it onto the land of the island, 152 ends before the bridge.

[OCGuy81]

San Francisco comes to mind.  Other than 1 and 35, I don't think the city has any state highways.

Maybe CA-82 enters the city limits, but barely.