Unpopular Route Opinions

[oscar]

My (maybe) unpopular opinion: we can decomission all business interstates.  In the age of cell phones, I think we can do a quick Google search if we need something other than a gas station that we can see from the highway.  kphoger might not be pleased with this, however. 

Chris

Smartphones are rubbish, and I'd rather not become computer-dependent.

Logo signs also help guide travelers to local businesses.

Besides, business Interstate (or other route) signage can be spotty. Especially in states like California where most business routes are locally-maintained, and the locality often loses interest in maintaining the signage.

I agree that business routes are a dying concept, and no new ones should be added. Existing ones can stay until their signage fades away.

[I-55]

My (maybe) unpopular opinion: we can decomission all business interstates.  In the age of cell phones, I think we can do a quick Google search if we need something other than a gas station that we can see from the highway.  kphoger might not be pleased with this, however. 

Chris

Smartphones are rubbish, and I'd rather not become computer-dependent.

Logo signs also help guide travelers to local businesses.

Besides, business Interstate (or other route) signage can be spotty. Especially in states like California where most business routes are locally-maintained, and the locality often loses interest in maintaining the signage.

I agree that business routes are a dying concept, and no new ones should be added. Existing ones can stay until their signage fades away.

They're especially a dying concept when all the business wants to locate near the interstate itself.

[Flint1979]

Every Interstate in Michigan has a same number state highway somewhere in the state. The closest is M-75 and I-75. M-69 and M-94 are in the U.P. several hundred miles from I-69 and I-94. M-96 gets kind of close to I-96 (about 40 miles apart). M-75 ends at US-131 on both ends too being basically a spur route to Boyne City.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

My own very unpopular opinions:
Any route that splits ends at that point and another route of the same number starts when both rejoin. Thus I consider three separate I-35s to exist.

In addition, any branch route that only touches one such split route but not the other or the "plain" route should carry the directional suffix as well. Thus, I-635 should be I-635E, I-169 in Brownsville should be I-169E, the cancelled I-335 should have been I-335W, and US 530 should have been US 130S (as distinct to US 130, and despite being quite far from it) or US 530S.

[SkyPesos]

My own very unpopular opinions:
Any route that splits ends at that point and another route of the same number starts when both rejoin. Thus I consider three separate I-35s to exist.

In addition, any branch route that only touches one such split route but not the other or the "plain" route should carry the directional suffix as well. Thus, I-635 should be I-635E, I-169 in Brownsville should be I-169E, the cancelled I-335 should have been I-335W, and US 530 should have been US 130S (as distinct to US 130, and despite being quite far from it) or US 530S.

So in MD, I-170, I-270 (current I-270 spur) and I-370 should've been I-170N, I-270S and I-370S during the I-70N to Baltimore and I-70S to DC days?

That may truly be an unpopular opinion here. You might as well have 4dis if you're going to do that.

[froggie]

MnDOT has been very proactive about eliminating urban surface mileage. Ideally, the only surface mileage in the metro that will remain in the future will be Snelling Avenue (which the state constitution doesn't allow them to get rid of) and Hiawatha Avenue.

Actually, they could drop Snelling if they'd like and came to agreement with the local jurisdictions.  None of Snelling is a Constitutional Route.

[thspfc]

WI-24 should be decommissioned.

[skluth]

CA 58 is perfectly adequate from Bakersfield east to Barstow.  All the extra crap needed to make it I-40 isn't necessary.

I think there should be an interchange at CA 223. There may be an argument for one at California City Blvd. But I agree there is no economic argument for upgrading the entire stretch to interstate.

[Max Rockatansky]

CA 58 is perfectly adequate from Bakersfield east to Barstow.  All the extra crap needed to make it I-40 isn't necessary.

I think there should be an interchange at CA 223. There may be an argument for one at California City Blvd. But I agree there is no economic argument for upgrading the entire stretch to interstate.

I'll give you CA 223.  Trying to turn west from CA 223 is almost impossible.  Bealeville Road has a surprisingly large amount of traffic joining 58 also.

But yes, the entire stretch doesn't need to be Interstate standards.  The soft interior shoulders on much of 58 alone would cost a fortune to upgrade. 

[kphoger]

I think some of that has to do with people calling US routes "highways" .

They are.

[kenarmy]

I think some of that has to do with people calling US routes "highways" .

They are.

i know that.. that's why it's easy to mix them up with state routes or interstates.

[kphoger]

My (maybe) unpopular opinion: we can decomission all business interstates.  In the age of cell phones, I think we can do a quick Google search if we need something other than a gas station that we can see from the highway.  kphoger might not be pleased with this, however. 

Fine with me.  I plan my stops ahead of time.

[kphoger]

Ah.  Gotcha.

Of course, as soon as people figure out the difference between route shields, they'll think there's only one I-88...

[OCGuy81]

WI-24 should be decommissioned.

Didn't they? I thought it became a county trunk highway, or is that only once it crosses into Waukesha Co?

[OCGuy81]

Oregon needs to give up on their state numbered highways when it comes to mile posts.

[Big John]

WI-24 should be decommissioned.

Didn't they? I thought it became a county trunk highway, or is that only once it crosses into Waukesha Co?

When it crosses the Waukesha County line.

[kenarmy]

Since the threads got merged i'll combine some of mine here:

- US 19 should go to Sarasota, not 301. That bothers me
- 89's truncation was unnecessary. If that's the case 70 should've been cut back to Las Cruces. (I hope US 89 doesn't see this  )
- US 34 should've been killed during 6's mega extension, not 32 and 38.
- Current US 48> The other ones
- US 82 should still go to Las Cruces. Most of yall hate longer concurrencies but I don't see anything wrong with this.
- OH 3 is top 10 for state routes. I mean it connects the three largest cities in OH and has several US highways following its route.
- US 163 should be decommissioned.
- US 50 should've always ended in Sacramento.
- CA was reaching by getting rid of US 60, I can kind of understand the other truncations and decommissioning.
- US 101> your favorite US route
Yes, even my favorite highway 49 
- Everybody is hating on US 11 for being paralleled for so long, but what about US 5??
- US 65 holds the cake for most embarrassing truncation.
- US 6 and US 50 have the best concurrency. Ever.
- US 78> 74, 72, 76
- US 30 deserves more hate.
- US 278 is very extra.. It's a child route but it just hops around being an indirect 78 for most of its route and it's concurrencies the further west you get are kind of ridiculous.
- US 280 is the most important branch of 80 and is underrated.
- US 36 should go southeast from Uhrichsville, not 250. Why not give 36 a southerly curve?
- US 411 is underrated
- US 90 should follow 90-ALT in Pensacola, its current routing is unnecessary
- 78 should be cut back to Atlanta, not Birmingham.
- 278 should use 49's bridge to cross the MS river (slightly longer, but it wouldn't be completely concurrent with others routes from the two independent points)
- US 63 should completely replace 167
-  US 641 should be extended into MS , not AL, by replacing MS 25
- US 171 is more useless than 371.
- US 311 gets more hate than it deserves
- "City Routes" should still be a thing (mainly for interstates)
- US 87 does not need to be a 2di on either ends and it's million mile concurrency with US 85 and I-25 is embarrassing.
- US 340 shouldn't be a thing. wtf is it connecting, and why does it need to be connected?
- US 8 should be given the axe.


Interstate Edition:
- I-17 AND I-19 SHOULD NOT BE MERGED. Y'all are quick to roast I-59 for having a long concurrency with 20, but want this so bad..


- I-29 and I-49 should not be combined. I'm aware that there are other grid breakers, but an I-29 in NOLA and an I-49 in ND both sound weird.
- I-5 is messy and slapping an interstate on 99's corridor won't do justice.
- I-25 > I-15
- I-73 doesn't need to exist
- If you think it does, then "East" 74 shouldn't exist.
- I-42 is a joke.
(HELP, I had no idea there was a seperate I-87 in NC.)
- I-81 should end in Birmingham, I-59 should end in Meridian. (makes more sense than the current setup)
- I-55 would be perfect if it actually went to NOLA and got a new bridge in Memphis.
- US 80 is underrated. I mean it has I-20, I-10, I-8, I-16, I-85 (even more so down the pipeline) following its route for a decent distance. US 66 who?
- I-68 should be I-70.
- I-64 and I-44 shouldn't be combined and idk why people want this.
- Both I-88's are unnecessary.
- I-89 is too. ( I got a lot of hate for this one)
- I-476/ and the Atlantic City Expy is more deserving of a 2di number than I-99.
- I-49 is just fine terminating at Lafayette.
- I-69's split routes are cute.
- I-22 ending at I-269 is a crime.
- I-20 should be the one going to CA! I-80 --> I-40 --> I-20.
- I-12 is the best intrastate interstate.

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

- US 19 should go to Sarasota, not 301. That bothers me

The fact that US 301 ends at a state route named 1 is honestly hilarious!

[Bickendan]

Oregon needs to give up on their state numbered highways when it comes to mile posts.

Or at least streamline them as much as possible when Highways swap away from their Routes; already happens in a few cases (ORH 53 using 26's mileage; ODOT wanting to unify OR 140's ORHs into one mileage set).


West Bengal's state highway system is efficient in covering the amount of mileage for the number of routes it has...
https://travelmapping.net/hb/index.php?u=bickendan&units=miles&sys=indwb

[kenarmy]

- I've been thinking about this one.. but US 82 and US 84> US 80 currently.
- I-55 has the most disappointing branch routes of the X5's. Yes I know I-45 is a thing.
- I'm sorry, but I don't like beltways having the same number.
- There should be a mileage limit for concurrencies of any type.
- US 87< the former US 385. The world would be so much better if this arrangement was kept in place.
- US 12 shouldn't have swapped routes with 112. So what that it was redundant to I-94?
- US 10, US 16, US 91, US 340, US 211, and the 66 children should be given the axe. 
- I-83< whatever number it was before.
- Both US 441 and US 192 do not need to go south of Kissimmee. Preferably, not 441.
- US 1 is overrated north of the Florida keys.
- MS 465 should be apart of the great river road, so what that it floods a little now and then... its a river road.
- US 90 should've never been extended along TX 54.
- Although it still technically does, US 98 should end in Natchez. What's wrong with a concurrency to another major route?
- US 34 should be US 38. US 138 gets to meet its parent, and it fits the grid flawlessly. win win.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

- US 10 should be given the axe. 

Nah, it's a major, major route in MN, even in a hypothetical where you get rid of it in WI and cut it back to where it meets I-35W or I-694.

[Flint1979]

- US 10 should be given the axe. 

Nah, it's a major, major route in MN, even in a hypothetical where you get rid of it in WI and cut it back to where it meets I-35W or I-694.

Heck it's even a major route in Michigan. It's a freeway for it's eastern most 60 miles so I'm pretty sure it's a major route.

[SkyPesos]

- I'm sorry, but I don't like beltways having the same number.

How many beltways even have the same number? I can only think of 270 (St Louis/Columbus) and 495 (DC/Boston) being used twice for beltways.

I think some beltways are intentionally numbered not with the lowest 3di to avoid duplication. 485 in Charlotte could've been numbered as 285 if they didn't care that it's close to Atlanta's 285 and just wants to use the lowest (even) first digit available within the state.

[US 89]

- I'm sorry, but I don't like beltways having the same number.

How many beltways even have the same number? I can only think of 270 (St Louis/Columbus) and 495 (DC/Boston) being used twice for beltways.

I-215 is used for beltways in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.

I-240 was originally going to be a beltway in both Memphis and OKC, before subsequent changes in both cities (cancellation of I-40 through Overton Park and extension of I-44 to Wichita Falls).

[sprjus4]

I-295 Jacksonville
I-295 Fayetteville
I-295 Richmond-Petersburg

I-495 Washington D.C
I-495 Boston

I-840 Greensboro
I-840 Nashville