The Great Interstate Bracket Challenge

[webny99]

• I-95: No contest here. Albany and Montreal versus Miami to Maine?

Funny thing is, I-87 might have the edge or at least get into toss-up range based on scenery. It's a beautiful drive north of Albany, while almost all of I-95 is pretty blah despite its importance.

[CoreySamson]

East:
95 vs. 87
95's still really important, even if it lacks scenery.

81 vs. 76E
Very, very close, but I'll have to go with 76 for its history and scenery.

South:
10 vs. 65
10 is my favorite interstate.

75 vs. 55
Was leaning toward 75, but Scott's comments convinced me that 55 was the way to go. Also, the only interstate to cross the Mississippi twice.

Midwest:
90 vs. 35
The section between Dallas and San Antonio is arguably the most important interstate corridor in the country, if you ask me.

70 vs. 94
Kinda easy win here. 70 is cool looking.

West:
80 vs. 5
I don't see all that much to love about 5 compared to other western interstates.

40 vs. 15
15's scenery is probably some of the best left in the bracket.


It seems like the Cinderellas here are 76 and 87. Was really hoping for a funner underdog.

[FrCorySticha]

EAST
95 vs. 87
81 vs. 76E

SOUTH
10 vs. 65
75 vs. 55

MIDWEST
90 vs. 35
70 vs. 94

WEST
80 vs. 5
40 vs. 15

[vdeane]

I have decently strong opinions on most of these, so I guess it's time for me to start voting in this.

EAST
95 vs. 87
I-87; I-95 may be more important, but there's more to life than that.  Not only is I-87 my main interstate, the Adirondack Northway and the portion of the Thruway with I-87 are quite nice in terms of scenery.  Meanwhile, I-95 in the Carolinas is arguably the most boring interstate I've ever driven on.

81 vs. 76E
I-81; both have their merits, but I have many fond memories of I-81 from our annual family vacations to the Thousand Islands and my drives to/from college.  Much of the route is quite scenic as well.

SOUTH
10 vs. 65
I-10; I don't know why, but I've always been intrigued by it.  Maybe it's the fast that it spends 880 miles in Texas alone, or that it's the longest interstate in Florida that I haven't clinched.

75 vs. 55
I-75; can't argue with the Mackinac Bridge and Alligator Alley.

MIDWEST
90 vs. 35
I-90; I'll admit, growing up in Rochester and living in the Capital District, there may be some hometown bias here.  Still, I've always felt attached to I-90 and want to clinch it one day, and I can't say I have any particular feelings for I-35 (aside from the suffixes, which I'm not exactly a fan of).

70 vs. 94
I-70; can't argue with the scenery in Colorado and Utah.

WEST
80 vs. 5
I-80; another interstate I've been intrigued by, especially with the Freewayjim videos of the portions across Nevada and Utah.

40 vs. 15
I-15; I have less of an opinion on this one, but I-15 is nice in Arizona and has more western scenery than I-40.

I was kind of afraid this would just turn into an x0/x5 fest, and it seems like it has. Ah well.

Such is inevitable if one votes primarily by importance, as most here seem to be doing.

[bassoon1986]

I didn't vote last round so I'm getting back into it.


EAST
95 vs. 87
I've only been on a Virginia stretch of 95 and none of 87. I gotta go with the beast that is 95.

81 vs. 76E
Neither really hold any kind of nostalgia for me. I'm going with 81 for the little bit of scenery I remember.

SOUTH
10 vs. 65
Gotta go with powerhouse 10 here.

75 vs. 55
I need to vote for another LA native here. Also love it's quirkiness in places like Jackson and Memphis.

MIDWEST
90 vs. 35
35. Too major to pass up. A powerhouse in Texas alone. And I've lived very close to it.

70 vs. 94
70

WEST
80 vs. 5
I didn't think I'd vote this way, but voting for 5. It's the one I want to drive more than the other.

40 vs. 15
40


iPhone

[BigRTM]

75's representation in Florida irks me some reason. The fact that it manages to NOT go into downtown Tampa or downtown Miami just rubs me the wrong way.

[Scott5114]

I was kind of afraid this would just turn into an x0/x5 fest, and it seems like it has. Ah well.

Such is inevitable if one votes primarily by importance, as most here seem to be doing.

Might be fun to do a "junior league" bracket that consists of all of the non-x0/x5s, then. Or everything that didn't make it to the last 16.

[JayhawkCO]

EAST
95 vs. 87
Longer.  More states.

81 vs. 76E
Spine of Appalachia vs. just another road for me.

SOUTH
10 vs. 65
Coast to coast baby.

75 vs. 55
Pretty in places unlike 55.

MIDWEST
90 vs. 35
The highway so nice it splits itself twice.

70 vs. 94
Mountains.

WEST
80 vs. 5
Both are ugly for most of their length, but I actually like I-80 in Nevada.

40 vs. 15
Prettier overall.

Chris

[CtrlAltDel]

Here are my picks for the round, all at once for once.

EAST
95 vs. 87

81 vs. 76E

SOUTH
10 vs. 65

75 vs. 55

MIDWEST
90 vs. 35
The long concurrency with I-80 loses it for I-90.

70 vs. 94
My favorite to win pulls through again, if all goes well.

WEST
80 vs. 5
The long concurrency with I-90 loses it for I-80.

40 vs. 15
My second favorite also makes it to the next round, I hope.

[thspfc]

East:
I-95. Due to their lengths they really aren't comparable. I-87's cinderella run will probably end in the sweet 16.
I-76. Didn't vote for I-81 last time either, so I hope it gets eliminated.

South:
I-10. The world's widest freeway is hard to ignore.
I-75. I don't get how I-55 has made it so far, it's very dull over its entire length.

Midwest:
I-90. Sorry I-35, you're a good Interstate but you're just way overmatched here.
I-70. Hey, a matchup of two of my favorites! I think there's a real argument for I-94 since I-70 doesn't have anything like Chicago, but mile for mile I-70 wins.

West:
I-80. It doesn't have the wow factor that I-5 does but I have too many good memories of driving I-80 to not vote for it against a west coast Interstate.
I-15. Not as lengthy, but much better mile for mile. Of course, I voted for I-84 over I-15 last week, so that means I-84>I-40.

[thspfc]

Okay I thought I-90 was going to beat I-35 in a landslide but it seems like I-35 has a large advantage right now. People voting I-35, may I ask, why? I-90 has better scenery, similar or better urban stretches, and less overall congestion. To me, the tolls are the only reason to even consider I-35.

[formulanone]

I was kind of afraid this would just turn into an x0/x5 fest, and it seems like it has. Ah well.

Such is inevitable if one votes primarily by importance, as most here seem to be doing.

Might be fun to do a "junior league" bracket that consists of all of the non-x0/x5s, then. Or everything that didn't make it to the last 16.

An NIT for three-digit interstates?

[webny99]

Now let's take a look at the Sweet 16:

EAST
95 vs. 87
This is a Battle of the Big Apple, where Boston-Philly takes on Albany-Montreal.

81 vs. 76E
In yet another meeting of Harrisburg-area 2dis, the Appalachian freeway corridor takes on the famed Turnpike.

SOUTH
10 vs. 65
This time, we have a Mobile Special.

75 vs. 55
Sault Ste. Marie-Miami or Chicago-La Place?

MIDWEST
90 vs. 35
This Albert Lea Special has the longest 2di taking on the only 2di that still has splits in its route (and it has two, for that matter).

70 vs. 94
US 40's superior goes up against the Midwest's major metropolitan connector.

WEST
80 vs. 5
Who will win the Battle of Sacramento?

40 vs. 15
This is the Route 66/Barstow Special, with both 2di's replacing parts of the Mother Road.

I planned to mostly save my analysis for the final two rounds, but a few things...

-I'm picking I-87 over I-95 because even though I-87 is shorter, I think it's much better on a per-mile basis. I-95 is pretty boring.
-Not a fan of the I-76 (E) vs. I-81 matchup. I went with I-81 because of home-state bias plus the fact that I simply find it more interesting.
-I considered picking I-35 over I-90 because I-90 is such an obvious choice, but since it looks like a potential upset, I went with I-90 anyways because I don't really want it to lose.

[dkblake]

East:
95 over 87
81 over 76E

South:
10 over 65
75 over 55

Midwest:
90 over 35
94 over 70

West:
80 over 5
15 over 40

[dlsterner]

EAST:  95 and 81
SOUTH:  10 and 75
MIDWEST:  90 and 70
WEST:  80 and 40

[Bickendan]

East: 95 and 87
South: 10 and 75
Midwest: 90 and 94
West: 5 and 15

[wanderer2575]

EAST
95 vs. 87
81 vs. 76E

SOUTH
10 vs. 65
75 vs. 55:  Hometown favorite wins out.

MIDWEST
90 vs. 35
70 vs. 94:  Again, the hometown favorite.

WEST
80 vs. 5:  80 and 90 can't both win due to their long concurrency.  I'll take 90 due to length and overall scenery.
40 vs. 15

[JayhawkCO]

Okay I thought I-90 was going to beat I-35 in a landslide but it seems like I-35 has a large advantage right now. People voting I-35, may I ask, why? I-90 has better scenery, similar or better urban stretches, and less overall congestion. To me, the tolls are the only reason to even consider I-35.

COYS.

For me, I think 35 is plenty interesting because of the two splits.  Underrated scenery wise in Minnesota, southern Iowa, and parts in Kansas.  I'm definitely biased as I was born in Minneapolis and lived for a long time in KC.  90 is definitely more scenic from, say, central South Dakota and west, but if we wanted to avoid having x0's all moving to the final four, one has to lose somewhere.  I wouldn't be upset if 90 moved on though.

Chris

[zzcarp]

EAST
I-95 over I-87

I-81 over I-76

SOUTH
I-65 over I-10

I-75 over I-55

MIDWEST
I-90 over I-55

I-70 over I-94

WEST
I-80 over I-5

I-15 over I-40

[Ketchup99]

EAST
95 over 87 - I-95 is a strong favorite to win the whole thing.

76 over 81 - while 81 is a great highway and a backbone of the Interstate system, it doesn't have the history and it isn't as fun to drive as the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

SOUTH
10 over 65 - 10 is a key cross-country route and the south's equivalent of I-90.

55 over 75 - never been on it, but I-55 sounds like a fascinating route - Chicago to New Orleans!

MIDWEST
90 over 35 - I-90 is a great route through almost all of the East and Midwest.

94 over 70 - due to its suckiness in Pennsylvania, I will continue my anti-70 crusade by voting for I-94.

WEST
80 over 5 - very close, but a cross-country route's gonna win.

40 over 15 - I think, given my deference to cross-country highways so far, I have to pick 40 - although it should be noted that when these two highways meet in California, 15 is the only survivor.

[jflick99]

EAST
95 vs. 87
81 vs. 76E

SOUTH
10 vs. 65
75 vs. 55

MIDWEST
90 vs. 35
70 vs. 94

WEST
80 vs. 5
40 vs. 15

[Henry]

Another week passed, another round over. Here are the final results:

EAST
95 vs. 87
I-95 makes this look too easy, as it moves on with a 23-5 rout of I-87.

81 vs. 76E
Not even the PA Turnpike can save the eastern I-76 against I-81, as it loses 18-10 and becomes the last duplicated 2di to be eliminated.

SOUTH
10 vs. 65
I-10 rolls on with a 23-5 rout of I-65.

75 vs. 55
I-75 also advances with a 22-6 victory over I-55.

MIDWEST
90 vs. 35
I-90 survives a tough battle against I-35, 18-10.

70 vs. 94
Meanwhile, I-70 lays a severe whipping on I-94, 20-8.

WEST
80 vs. 5
I-80 cruises to a 20-8 win over I-5.

40 vs. 15
By a 15-13 margin, I-40 squeaks past I-15.

And now, these are the Elite Eight matchups:

EAST
95 vs. 81
The East Coast's most vital freeway meets up with the only non-major 2di to make it this far.

SOUTH
10 vs. 75
Who will take the Battle of Lake City?

MIDWEST
90 vs. 70
These two may as well be mirror images of each other (quirks in their routings, spanning both the Rockies and Appalachians, tolled in the East, connecting major cities across the nation, etc.)

WEST
80 vs. 40
It's SF-NYC against Barstow-Wilmington.

Once more, results will come next week.

[Big John]

95
75
90
80

[CoreySamson]

East:
95 vs. 81
More scenic, plus it's the only non x0/x5 left.

South:
10 vs. 75
Maybe 10 is somewhat lacking in the scenery department, but to me it makes up for it because I have emotional attachment to it, plus it connects larger cities. Los Angeles-Phoenix-San Antonio-Houston-New Orleans-Jacksonville beats Miami-Tampa-Atlanta-Cincinnati-Detroit any day.

Midwest:
90 vs. 70
70 arguably has the best scenery of any interstate.

West:
80 vs. 40
Gonna go against the grain here because I've actually driven part of 40 plus it goes through Texas.

[jmd41280]

EAST
95 - As important as I-81 is in the overall scheme of the Interstate system, I-95 is even more important due to linking the major cities of the East Coast.

SOUTH
10 - While I-75 is a vital link between the Midwest and Florida, I-10 connects 4 of the 10 largest cities in the US (Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Antonio, Houston)

MIDWEST
90 - While I-70 has sentimental value to me, I-90 doesn't have Breezewood so it wins in a squeaker.

WEST
80 - Close one, but having NYC and San Francisco as bookends puts I-80 over I-40 in my book.