The Great Interstate Bracket Challenge

[thspfc]

90 & 75.

I feel like those of you voting 80 have never driven it between central PA and UT where it's pretty horrible.

Chris

I've driven it many times from eastern Iowa to Wyoming. The highway itself is boring but I have many fond memories of driving on it. Nostalgia definitely factors into this heavily for every voter, even if they don't openly admit it. And the stretch of I-80 from Cheyenne to Laramie is the most underrated Interstate segment in the country IMO.

[JayhawkCO]

Completely understood and no offense intended.  I just think sometimes East Coasters that maybe haven't traveled too extensively out west think that just because the highway is within a couple hundred miles of mountains, that it's scenic.  I liken it to I-5  where it seems like it should be pretty, but, especially in California, it's among the least scenic drives in the state for most of its mileage. 

My nostalgic vote went for I-35 earlier.

Chris

[Buck87]

90
80

Gotta go for the Ohio Turnpike bros

[dkblake]

90 and 75

[zzcarp]

I-90
I-75

[jflick99]

SEMIFINAL #1
95 vs. 90

SEMIFINAL #2
75 vs. 80

[DTComposer]

80 vs. 75
80 serves more major markets, larger markets, is a more vital link in the nation's transportation infrastructure, and in historical context (for better or worse) is the later-20th Century manifestation of the nation's urge to push west.

95 vs. 90
Similar arguments here (with 95's historical context being the spine of the original colonies). An exception is that 90 might be more "vital" in that there's far fewer alternate routes, but 95 connecting Boston-New York-Philadelphia-Washington is just too much to overcome.

[US 89]

Can I vote for 80 and 75? 

[Henry]

Can I vote for 80 and 75? 

Those two would cancel each other out, so that one does not count, but I can certainly see where you're going with this, as I-80 goes through SLC and I-75 through Atlanta.

Another round down, one more to go. But first, I must report the semifinal results, and here we go:

SEMIFINAL #1
95 vs. 90

The nation's longest 2di delivers the knockout punch to the East Coast's Main Street by a score of 17-9.

SEMIFINAL #2
75 vs. 80

I-75 gave its all, but in the end, I-80 prevailed in a 14-12 victory.

And now that the final round has been set, I present to you... (drumroll)

FINAL
90 vs. 80

Sure, these two share a concurrency between Chicago and Cleveland, but which one's the better route? Also, since both finalists happen to be east-west routes, I've thrown in a new twist to this event, a consolation game to determine which one of the semifinal losers is better, which is...

CONSOLATION GAME
95 vs. 75

Only one of these can lay claim to the best north-south 2di.

Final voting starts...NOW!!! Results come in one week from today.

[Big John]

90

75

[thspfc]

I have to go with I-80. Too many tolls on I-90.

I-75 for the third place game.

This has been really fun. Great idea, Henry.

[vdeane]

FINAL
90 vs. 80
I-90; gonna stick with my hometown 2di here.  Plus it's the east-west 2di I most want to clinch.

CONSOLATION GAME
95 vs. 75
I-95; I think I'll buck my previous trends here since we're now at the end and I don't feel a need to vote against I-95 to "keep things honest" (plus it looks like the winds may have shifted the other way judging by the last two votes).  I still hate the Richmond-DC congestion and boringness of the Carolinas, but it's also the x5 I most want to clinch (missing most of Maine).

[NWI_Irish96]

FINAL
90 vs. 80

CONSOLATION GAME
95 vs. 75

I've been primarily voting for whichever interstate is closest to me, hoping for a 80-94 final in which I'd have to flip a coin. As it goes, I look out my window at 80 so that gets my vote.

75 is my vote for the consolation game.

[SkyPesos]

FINAL
90 vs. 80

CONSOLATION GAME
95 vs. 75

[CoreySamson]

Final:
90 vs. 80

Consolation:
95 vs. 75

[zzcarp]

Final:
I-80

Consolation:
I-75

[Great Lakes Roads]

90

75

[JayhawkCO]

90 for the win.

I would have voted for 75 for 3rd, but after the sweet hell that was three lanes of traffic for three hours today from Cordele, GA to Ocala, FL, 95 gets the nod out of spite.

Chris

[FrCorySticha]

90 vs. 80 - Glad to see one of the Interstates that run through Montana make to the finals, and hopefully the win!
95 vs. 75 - I've been on or crossed over 75 far more times than 95.

[Ketchup99]

80 over 90 - home-state bias definitely plays a role, but this interstate is fantastic.

95 over 75 - are you kidding? I-95 could have won the whole thing!

[wanderer2575]

I-90

I-75

Thanks Henry!

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I've been voting based on importance. I-80 goes from New York City to Chicago, and then the majority of trucks going to the West Coast stay on it until the routes start to diverge at Big Springs NE. I-90, on the other hand, doesn't see even half of that through South Dakota and especially Wyoming (the two times I've seen Big Rig Steve taking that route, he took the US 212 shortcut only to break down around Sioux Falls). Therefore, I-80 is my overall winner. Had I-75 beaten I-80, due to my policy of not picking routes that weren't picked by me in the previous round, I would have rooted for a massive earthquake instead.

I wanted I-95 to get to the final, only to cancel the match due to the coronavirus and declare both it and I-80 co-champions xD, as I cannot decide which one to pick. However, since it got beaten by I-90, I pick it to get the bronze.

[ftballfan]

Final: I-80
Consolation: I-75

[dkblake]

Final- I-90
Consolation- I-95

[DTComposer]

Final: I-80
Consolation: I-95