Getting from Texas to the rest of the country

[bassoon1986]

Based on the Illinois thread and following Scott5114 query about whether more can be reached from Texas by the "disgusting amount of routes passing through it"  [emoji23]

Pro tip for those who use mob-rule.com: Overlay your travels on Google Maps for this exercise. You can see routes, county lines, and county names, so no need to juggle multiple tabs! 

In many cases, you can also just go to "U.S. Route xx in yy" (like "U.S. Route 60 in Oklahoma") on Wikipedia, and there will be a list of counties there on the junction list. If a route passes through a county but doesn't have any junctions there, it will still be listed, with "No junctions".

Another question that came to mind: Is it worth doing this exercise for other central states, or is it guaranteed out of the gate that Illinois has the most county connections of any state?

Stretching the definition of "central state", but Texas has such a disgusting number of routes passing through it that it would probably give Illinois a run for its money, especially since US-62 and US-67 are among them.

Here is the full list of interstates and US routes that cross state lines from Texas:

I-10
I-20
I-30
I-35
I-40
I-44
(I would not count I-49 or I-69 as part of this experiment. 49 has ramps that end at the TX state line, but it is not recognized on state logs, yet)

US 54
US 59
US 60
US 62
US 67
US 69
US 70
US 71
US 75
US 77
US 79
US 80
US 81
US 82
US 83
US 84
US 85
US 87
US 90
US 180
US 183
US 190
US 259
US 271
US 277
US 281
US 283
US 285
US 287
US 377
US 380
US 385


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[Konza]

Thirteen of fifteen counties in Arizona.

The two outliers are Santa Cruz and Yuma, and US 80 ran through Yuma County before it was decommissioned.

[NWI_Irish96]

Until I-69 is finished and continuous, you can't get anywhere in Indiana from any route in Texas.  US 60 gets very close at several points.

[bassoon1986]

Louisiana catches 46 parishes:

I-10: (15) Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Acadia, Lafayette, St Martin, Iberville, West Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, Ascension, St James, St John the Baptist, St Charles, Jefferson, Orleans, St Tammany

I-20: (8) Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Bienville, Lincoln, Ouachita, Richland, Madison

US 71:  (7) Red River, Natchitoches, Winn, Grant, Rapides, Avoyelles, St Landry

US 79: (1) Claiborne

US 84: (4) Desoto, Lasalle, Catahoula, Concordia

US 90: (5) Iberia, St Mary, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche

US 190: (6) Beauregard, Allen, Evangeline, Pointe Coupee, Livingston, Tangipahoa

If you count state highways that cross from Texas into Louisiana, you can also grab these:

TX 49/LA 2: (4) Union, Morehouse, West Carroll, East Carroll

TX 21/LA 6: (1) Sabine

TX 63/LA 8: (1) Vernon

TX 82/LA 82: (2) Cameron and Vermilion

Which brings Louisiana's total to 54 of 64 parishes


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[bassoon1986]

Until I-69 is finished and continuous, you can't get anywhere in Indiana from any route in Texas.  US 60 gets very close at several points.

That's very true. The diagonal 62 and 79 don't reach north enough for Indiana


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[Road Hog]

US 71 probably deserves an asterisk because it follows the Arkansas-Texas state line before turning back into Arkansas. It might jog a little into Texas in spots, but I would need to look at some detailed maps.

[Konza]

Just thinking of contiguous states where you would draw an absolute blank here:

Washington
Oregon
Idaho
Utah
Nevada
Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Delaware
New Jersey
Maryland
Indiana (as previously offered)
Michigan
Wisconsin (I-535 doesn't count)

US 62 is the only thread connecting Texas with Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

[Eth]

The four routes stretching east to Georgia probably cover a fair bit among them:

I-20: Haralson, Carroll, Douglas, Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Rockdale, Newton, Walton, Morgan, Greene, Taliaferro, Warren, McDuffie, Columbia, Richmond (16)
US 80: Muscogee, Talbot, Taylor, Upson, Crawford, Bibb, Twiggs, Wilkinson, Laurens, Johnson, Emanuel, Bulloch, Bryan, Effingham, Chatham (15)
US 82: Quitman, Randolph, Terrell, Lee, Dougherty, Worth, Tift, Berrien, Atkinson, Ware, Brantley, Glynn (12)
US 84: Early, Seminole, Decatur, Grady, Thomas, Brooks, Lowndes, Lanier, Clinch, (Ware), Pierce, Wayne, Long, Liberty (13, plus the already-counted Ware County)

56 Georgia counties out of 159.

[CtrlAltDel]

Here's how Illinois is connected to Texas.

US 54 (1) Pike
US 60 (1) Alexander
US 62 (1) Alexander
US 67 (11) Cass, Greene, Jersey, Madison, McDonough, Mercer, Morgan, Rock Island, Schuyler, Scott, Warren

This makes for a total of 13, out of 102.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

MN

I-35: Freeborn, Steele, Rice, Scott, Dakota, Ramsey, Anoka, Washington, Chisago, Pine, Carlton, St. Louis (11)

US 71: Jackson, Cottonwood, Redwood, Renville, Kandiyohi, Stearns, Todd, Wadena, Hubbard, Beltrami, Koochiching (11)

US 59: Nobles, Murray, Lyon, Lac qui Parle, Chippewa, Swift, Stevens, Grant, Otter Tail, Becker, Mahnomen, Polk, Red Lake, Pennington, Kittson (15)

US 75: Rock, Pipestone, Lincoln, Yellow Medicine, Big Stone, Traverse, Wilkin, Clay, Norman, Marshall (10)

(US 69 and the possible former US 77 duplicate other counties)

45/87. It helps that the three routes with the most mileage in the state are on the list.

[Scott5114]

As would be expected, Oklahoma is far better connected to Texas, considering going either west or south from OK puts you in TX. (Of note: the list in OP does not include US-377, which is only shared with OK. It has been included here.)

I-35: Love, Carter, Murray, Garvin, McClain, Cleveland, Oklahoma, Logan, Payne, Noble, Kay (11)
I-40: Beckham, Washita, Custer, Caddo, Canadian, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie, Seminole, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, McIntosh, Muskogee, Sequoyah (12)
I-44: Cotton, Comanche, Grady, McClain, Cleveland, Oklahoma, Lincoln, Creek, Tulsa, Rogers, Mayes, Craig, Ottawa (10)
US 54: Texas (1)
US 59: Le Flore, Sequoyah, Adair, Delaware, Ottawa, Craig (3)
US-60: Ellis, Dewey, Major, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Osage, Washington, Nowata, Craig, Delaware, Ottawa (8)
US-62: Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, Comanche, Caddo, Grady, McClain, Cleveland, Oklahoma, Lincoln, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Muskogee, Cherokee, Adair (4)
US 69: Bryan, Atoka, Pittsburg, McIntosh, Muskogee, Wagoner, Mayes, Craig, Delaware, Ottawa (4)
US 70: Tillman, Cotton, Jefferson, Carter, Marshall, Bryan, Choctaw, McCurtain (5)
US 75: Bryan, Atoka, Coal, Hughes, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Tulsa, Washington (2)
US 77: (duplicates I-35)
US 81: Jefferson, Stephens, Grady, Canadian, Kingfisher, Garfield, Grant (2)
US 83: Beaver (1)
US 183: Tillman, Kiowa, Washita, Custer, Dewey, Woodward, Harper (2)
US 259: McCurtain, Le Flore
US 271: Choctaw, Pushmataha, Le Flore (1)
US 277: (duplicates I-44)
US 281: Cotton, Comanche, Caddo, Canadian, Blaine, Dewey, Major, Woods (2)
US 283: Jackson, Greer, Beckham, Roger Mills, Ellis, Harper (2)
US 287: Cimarron (1)
US 377: Marshall, Johnston, Pontotoc, Seminole, Pottawatomie, Lincoln (2)
US 385: Cimarron

So you can get to 73 of Oklahoma's 77 counties from Texas. The ones you can't: Alfalfa, Haskell, Latimer, and Pawnee.

[csw]

April 16, 2020: 48 threads later, AARoads users are disappointed to learn that you cannot, in fact, travel by road from Hawai'i to any other state.

[CtrlAltDel]

US 71 probably deserves an asterisk because it follows the Arkansas-Texas state line before turning back into Arkansas. It might jog a little into Texas in spots, but I would need to look at some detailed maps.

You can't always trust the borders on Google Maps, but I think given how the roadway shifts to the west just north of Texarkana, the whole route is in Texas for at least a short way.

[Eth]

US 71 probably deserves an asterisk because it follows the Arkansas-Texas state line before turning back into Arkansas. It might jog a little into Texas in spots, but I would need to look at some detailed maps.

You can't always trust the borders on Google Maps, but I think given how the roadway shifts to the west just north of Texarkana, the whole route is in Texas for at least a short way.

The southbound carriageway is at the very least; the state line is signed.

[bassoon1986]

US 71 probably deserves an asterisk because it follows the Arkansas-Texas state line before turning back into Arkansas. It might jog a little into Texas in spots, but I would need to look at some detailed maps.

71 is fully in Texas after crossing south over the Red River for a few miles before straddling the state line. From then on the southbound lanes are Texas and northbound are Arkansas.


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[cwf1701]

Just thinking of contiguous states where you would draw an absolute blank here:

Washington
Oregon
Idaho
Utah
Nevada
Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Delaware
New Jersey
Maryland
Indiana (as previously offered)
Michigan
Wisconsin (I-535 doesn't count)

US 62 is the only thread connecting Texas with Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

When I-69 is complete, you could take Michigan off the list. (Pt Huron is the northern endpoint for completed I-69).

[Konza]

When I-69 is complete, you could take Michigan off the list. (Pt Huron is the northern endpoint for completed I-69).

Indiana, as well, but it sure looks like the smart money is on it taking an awfully long time to get I-69 constructed across Arkansas.

[webny99]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe US 62 is the only route to hit both Texas and New York.

So that would be just 4 of NY's 62 counties: Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara.

[bassoon1986]

Here's the total county count reached from TX highways so far:


AZ- 15
GA- 56
IL- 13
LA- 54
MN- 45
NY- 4
OK- 73

Total counties so far: 260


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[Konza]

Add to this:

Colorado:  30/64
Kansas:  83/105
Missouri:  54/115
New Mexico:  30/33 (counts US 85, which is largely unsigned along I-25 in NM)
Nebraska:  48/93

[apeman33]

Add to this:

Colorado:  30/64
Kansas:  83/105
Missouri:  54/115
New Mexico:  30/33 (counts US 85, which is largely unsigned along I-25 in NM)
Nebraska:  48/93

Are state routes, such as K-99, included? Otherwise, I only came up with 74 when checking US and Interstate routes.

[Konza]

Addition error on my part; it should have been 73, but after another look, your count of 74 is correct.

Via I-35 (11):  Sumner, Sedgwick, Butler, Chase, Lyon, Osage, Coffey, Franklin, Miami, Johnson, Wyandotte.
Via US 54 (11):  Seward, Meade, Clark, Ford, Kiowa, Pratt, Kingman, Greenwood, Woodson, Allen, Bourbon.
Via US 59 (6):  Labette, Neosho, Anderson, Douglas, Jefferson, Atchison.
Via US 69 (3): Cherokee, Crawford, Linn.
Via US 75 (5):  Montgomery, Wilson, Shawnee, Jackson, Brown.
Via US 77 (6):  Cowley, Marion, Morris, Geary, Riley, Marshall.
Via US 81 (6):  Harvey, McPherson, Saline, Ottawa, Cloud, Republic.
Via US 83 (7):  Haskell, Finney, Scott, Logan, Thomas, Sheridan, Decatur.
Via US 183 (8):  Clark, Comanche, Edwards, Pawnee, Ruch, Ellis, Rooker, Phillips.
Via US 281 (6):  Barber, Stafford, Barton, Russell, Osborne, Smith.
Vis US 283 (5):  Hodgeman, Ness, Trego, Graham, Norton.

[bassoon1986]

Add to this:

Colorado:  30/64
Kansas:  83/105
Missouri:  54/115
New Mexico:  30/33 (counts US 85, which is largely unsigned along I-25 in NM)
Nebraska:  48/93

Are state routes, such as K-99, included? Otherwise, I only came up with 74 when checking US and Interstate routes.

Yes I would count it as OK 99 is signed from TX to KS state line. If a TX state (SR or FM) Highway crosses a state line and the next state number carries it further completely to another state it can apply.

What does that make now for Kansas?


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[Scott5114]

OK-99 doesn't continue as TX-99 any longer, though. US-377/OK-99 approaches the Red River, and continues into Texas as US-377 alone.

I don't consider state highways of relevance for these sorts of lists. OK-99 and K-99 junction at the state line, but they are separate highways with separate shields, maintained by separate organizations. ODOT could decommission OK-99, leaving K-99 with a spur ending, and KDOT could do fuck all about it. Accordingly, I did not include Pawnee County on Oklahoma's list.

[US 89]

I don't consider state highways of relevance for these sorts of lists. OK-99 and K-99 junction at the state line, but they are separate highways with separate shields, maintained by separate organizations. ODOT could decommission OK-99, leaving K-99 with a spur ending, and KDOT could do fuck all about it. Accordingly, I did not include Pawnee County on Oklahoma's list.

I disagree - in this case there is a numbered route you could take from Pawnee County that will get you all the way to Kansas. I don’t see why what happens on the other side of the state line matters.

But I’d go a step further. Sure, OK 99 and K-99 are different routes legally, but in my opinion they’re functionally the same highway and ought to be treated as a single route for the purposes of threads like this. And that would remain the case even if the route number changed at the line - for example, I’d say Utah 21 and Nevada 487 should be considered a single highway.