Smallest Cities Served by 3DI's

[Rothman]

I-535 in Superior, WI: 27,300. Some might argue that Duluth is the primary city served by 535 but it really has little to no use for traffic within Duluth.

I agree.  I-535 is more about getting people from Superior to Duluth and back rather than the other way around.

Used to commute across the Blatnik every day myself.

[NWI_Irish96]

We've talked a lot about the biggest cities without a 3DI, but what about the opposite -- what are the smallest cities served by a 3DI.

In fairness, this is a more subjective listing which should only include cities primarily served by the Interstate. For example, I-635 passes through the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs (pop. 25,024), however it's clearly not the primary city served by the freeway since I-635 is clearly a part of the DFW Metroplex's network.

Given those parameters, here are the smallest cities I've found served by 3DIs:

• I-395: Bangor, ME: 32,673
• I-393: Concord, NH: 42,419
• I-110, Biloxi, MS: 44,820

Until the Louisville East End bridge is finished and the IN and KY segments of I-265 are connected to form a single interstate, the IN portion of I-265 primarily serves New Albany, pop. 36,372

[Henry]

Annapolis, MD: I-595 (unsigned)
Greenville, SC: I-185 and I-385
Spartanburg, SC: I-585
Bristol, TN/VA: I-381
Cheyenne, WY: I-180*

[theline]

It's hard to believe that no one has mentioned I-155 serving Dyersburg, TN, pop. 17,002.

[noelbotevera]

I think I got everyone beat: Bureau Junction Illinois, served by I-180 at an astounding 368 people.

[US 41]

Butte, MT, (pop. 34,000) is served by I-115.

[Buffaboy]

Kingston, NY I 587

[empirestate]

I think I got everyone beat: Bureau Junction Illinois, served by I-180 at an astounding 368 people.

I'm pretty sure that's not the "principal" "city" on "I"-1"80".

[Zeffy]

What "city" does I-172 serve in Illinois? I'm guessing Quincy.

[Mileage Mike]

I-795 Goldsboro, NC.  Pop. ~36,000

[Darkchylde]

Lake Charles, LA - I-210

I-510, which serves Chalmette, LA in a bit of an I-535 situation (starts in New Orleans but doesn't really serve it as much as existing to funnel traffic to/from Chalmette) has that beat, with Chalmette only having 16,751 people as of 2010.

[Brandon]

What "city" does I-172 serve in Illinois? I'm guessing Quincy.

I-172 (formerly, and now becomes IL-336) serves Quincy.

[Henry]

How about the Tri-Cities, served by I-182? (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick)

[mvak36]

What "city" does I-172 serve in Illinois? I'm guessing Quincy.

I-172 (formerly, and now becomes IL-336) serves Quincy.

Are they getting rid of I-172?

[SSOWorld]

What "city" does I-172 serve in Illinois? I'm guessing Quincy.

I-172 (formerly, and now becomes IL-336) serves Quincy.

Are they getting rid of I-172?

yeah, formerly is inaccurate.  The truth behind it (from the other wiki) is that the Interstate ends where it will always end - IDOT is using IL-336 as the prime route # for any expansion beyond that.

[mvak36]

yeah, formerly is inaccurate.  The truth behind it (from the other wiki) is that the Interstate ends where it will always end - IDOT is using IL-336 as the prime route # for any expansion beyond that.

Ok, thanks. There's probably no plan to extend the interstate is there? It doesn't sound like it from what I've seen previously. Just stuff about the 336 extension.

[SSOWorld]

At this point IDOT is doing nothing outside what current projects they are working on.  The politicians handcuffed them and put the Kalash on any new development.

[Brandon]

What "city" does I-172 serve in Illinois? I'm guessing Quincy.

I-172 (formerly, and now becomes IL-336) serves Quincy.

Are they getting rid of I-172?

yeah, formerly is inaccurate.  The truth behind it (from the other wiki) is that the Interstate ends where it will always end - IDOT is using IL-336 as the prime route # for any expansion beyond that.

Not inaccurate at all.  I-172 was originally built as IL-336.  The freeway portion was given the I-number, and as it becomes a divided highway at US-24, it becomes IL-336.

[cpzilliacus]

Williamsport, Pennsylvania is about 29,000 population, and is the "north" terminus of I-180.

[The Nature Boy]

The east end of I-393 (which serves Concord, but you enter onto I-393 in Concord) is Pembroke, NH, which has a population of 7,115.

[djlynch]

I-335 wasn't built specifically for traffic headed to Emporia so much as traffic passing through it, but it's signed as a guide city and only has 24,000.

[ekt8750]

I'm surprised I-176 hasn't been mentioned yet. It connects tiny Morgantown, PA (pop of 826) at the PA Turnpike with even tinier Ridgewood (which is barely a village in Cumru Twp.).

And yes I know I-176 is signed as the route to Reading but it ends before getting there and you need to take US 422 to get there.

[empirestate]

I'm surprised I-176 hasn't been mentioned yet. It connects tiny Morgantown, PA (pop of 826) at the PA Turnpike with even tinier Ridgewood (which is barely a village in Cumru Twp.).

And yes I know I-176 is signed as the route to Reading but it ends before getting there and you need to take US 422 to get there.

Well, that's probably why it hasn't been mentioned; most people probably consider Reading as the city primarily served by I-176.

I think we've often found an important distinction needing to be drawn between serving a place and simply being located in it; certainly, I can remember a pretty long thread some time ago about that very subject. To me, a road can serve a city within ever entering its municipal boundary, as I-40 unquestionably does with Little Rock, or I-495 with Boston, and I'm quite confident the same interpretation is intended for the purpose of this thread.

[vdeane]

I think we're getting into hair splitting territory.  I-176 ends in a suburb of Reading.  Further, Reading is just a mile away via freeway.

[Pete from Boston]

My understanding of the spirit of the thread was that the OP was looking for the smallest maximum city size for a given three-digit Interstate.

Thus, if imaginary road I-403 went predominantly through sub-1000 population villages but also one city over 100,000, it would rank fairly low on this list.  But if its largest city or town had a population of 2000, then it would be an excellent candidate.

Of course, I could be way off base, and the question could be "What is the smallest city with a three-digit Interstate in it?"  But the former, to me, is the more interesting question, and the one I answered.