Best, coolest, or most impressive stretches of highways

[epzik8]

I-68 through Sideling Hill

[jmd41280]

I've never been on that road north of downtown. Thanks for the link.

No problem at all. As a native Yinzer, I can say that the entrance via I-279 south is very underrated. Coming off I-79 south, you go through alternating stretches of suburbia and wooded valleys. Going down the East Street Valley, you round a bend and one of the best angles of the Pittsburgh skyline suddenly comes into view.

[ethanhopkin14]

I have been wondering what others think are some of the most impressive or most interesting stretches of highways they have seen or experienced?

I was thinking this should be two categories:
1. Most impressive urban highway/freeway, meaning a stretch of highway or freeway in an urban area that is particularly impressive or interesting/cool to see or drive though.  Things like interesting interchanges, lane configurations, stacks, skyline views, scenery up against urban landscapes--that kind of thing
and
2. Most beautiful and impressive scenic landscapes...like I-70 in Colorado, I-15 in the Virgin River Gorge

Out of the places I have driven, I will always like the stretch of IH 45 here in Houston within the 610 loop, including the Pierce Elevated, which I really don't want them to tear down...I like IH 10 and US 90 in New Orleans, the double decked portions of I 10 in San Antonio, the BQE/I-278 in NYC, IH 35W/820 and 35E/635 areas in DFW, and I 93 in Boston.
The only scenic routes I have been able to enjoy were I-81 in the mountains of PA and the videos I have seen of Texas Loop 375 in EL Paso

I love all your entries.  Additions to most expensive would be Katy Freeway in Houston and The Atchafalaya Basin Bridge in Louisiana always makes me jaw drop how they built an 18 mile long elevated highway though a swamp. 

[Great Lakes Roads]

I-635 in Dallas with those "trenched" express lanes.

[Mr_Northside]

I've never been on that road north of downtown. Thanks for the link.

No problem at all. As a native Yinzer, I can say that the entrance via I-279 south is very underrated. Coming off I-79 south, you go through alternating stretches of suburbia and wooded valleys. Going down the East Street Valley, you round a bend and one of the best angles of the Pittsburgh skyline suddenly comes into view.

Not to totally devolve into good/great "BOOM!" moments of seeing the Pittsburgh skyline, I-376/Parkway east heading into town, coming around the sharp bend before the Oakland/Glenwood exit ain't too shabby either.

[webny99]

Rochester has a bit of a "blink and you miss it" downtown, but I've always enjoyed this view from I-490, especially at night.

The state as a whole doesn't have a lot of very interesting interstates in rural areas... There's I-87 north of Albany, and maybe parts of I-81. I-86/NY 17 is scenic too. But unless I'm missing something obvious, it's mostly pretty boring other than that.

[thspfc]

My favorite stretch of rural Interstate in the Midwest is I-39/90/94 between CTH-V in DeForest and WI-33. Especially on a fall or winter afternoon.

[vdeane]

Rochester has a bit of a "blink and you miss it" downtown, but I've always enjoyed this view from I-490, especially at night.

The state as a whole doesn't have a lot of very interesting interstates in rural areas... There's I-87 north of Albany, and maybe parts of I-81. I-86/NY 17 is scenic too. But unless I'm missing something obvious, it's mostly pretty boring other than that.

I-87 is pretty nice, especially in the Adirondacks but also around the Catskills.  I-90 is also pretty nice in the Mohawk Valley.  I-88 has its moments too.

[jmacswimmer]

An upthread post mentioned I-90/Mass Pike thru Newton - I'll go ahead and expand that to the duration of I-90 from I-95/MA 128 to MA 1A beyond BOS.

There's the parallel Commuter Rail tracks from Weston to South Station, the aforementioned Star Market & Four Points hotel over the highway, the brief elevated stretch above the tracks squeezed between BU & the Charles, followed by 3 tunnels in quick succession (Prudential, Fort Point, Ted Williams).  Not to mention the absolute mazes of interchanges at I-93 & Logan that extend into the adjacent tunnels...That stretch was always a blast to ride during airport runs in my college years.

Rochester has a bit of a "blink and you miss it" downtown, but I've always enjoyed this view from I-490, especially at night.

There's also a brief view of downtown Rochester from I-390 just south of the Thruway, prior to descending a hill.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Minnesota doesn't have much, but it's probably MN 61. Some of the 1960s-era rock cuts (particularly just NE of the MN 1 junction and the section from Grand Portage to the border) are pretty neat. After Grand Marais it spends a lot of time at lake level which gives a different perspective, before climbing back high above the lake to cross the border.

MN 61 is one of the best roads in the Great Lakes Region.  M-26 and WI 13 come to mind as other scenic Lake Superior stretches.  I would take M-26 for overall scenery over M-22.

61 probably has the most miles of lakeview of any of these routes, which for me is a big plus.

[thspfc]

Rochester has a bit of a "blink and you miss it" downtown, but I've always enjoyed this view from I-490, especially at night.

The state as a whole doesn't have a lot of very interesting interstates in rural areas... There's I-87 north of Albany, and maybe parts of I-81. I-86/NY 17 is scenic too. But unless I'm missing something obvious, it's mostly pretty boring other than that.

I-87 is pretty nice, especially in the Adirondacks but also around the Catskills.  I-90 is also pretty nice in the Mohawk Valley.  I-88 has its moments too.

This style of post gives me flashbacks to the Illinois is not flat threads. Difference is, when you click the links in this post, you actually get scenic views, not a bunch of trees at the edge of a cornfield.

[vdeane]

Rochester has a bit of a "blink and you miss it" downtown, but I've always enjoyed this view from I-490, especially at night.

The state as a whole doesn't have a lot of very interesting interstates in rural areas... There's I-87 north of Albany, and maybe parts of I-81. I-86/NY 17 is scenic too. But unless I'm missing something obvious, it's mostly pretty boring other than that.

I-87 is pretty nice, especially in the Adirondacks but also around the Catskills.  I-90 is also pretty nice in the Mohawk Valley.  I-88 has its moments too.

This style of post gives me flashbacks to the Illinois is not flat threads. Difference is, when you click the links in this post, you actually get scenic views, not a bunch of trees at the edge of a cornfield.

The irony is that I was focusing on areas webny99 missed while myself missing that he already mentioned I-87 north of Albany, though it still works given that the phrase "I-87 north of Albany" can also refer to one of the most boring stretches of interstate in the state (outside of, say, fresh snow making the trees look like a winter wonderland).

[pderocco]

I completely missed this thread three years ago, but found it while searching for something else, and my head filled with ideas as I read through people's responses. It seems that the rural "highway" refers to almost any road, not just something you can drive fast on, so there are probably hundreds of great roads people could suggest. I'll throw out a bunch that I didn't see mentioned, although many of my faves showed up early in the thread, but I'd like to hear more from other people about great roads that have gone unmentioned so far.

Urban roads:

Close to my home, the I-8/I-805 interchange. It's a full stack with the through roads on top and bottom, and fly-in-between ramps connecting them. But it's also long because I-805 stays aloft as it crosses the San Diego River and the Friars Rd corridor too.

I-80 across the San Francisco Bay. Emerging from the Yerba Buena Island tunnel onto the new bridge, especially at night, is breathtaking. And it's worth getting off and doing a quick spin around Treasure Island, if you've never done it before. No better view of SF.

I-5/CA-14 interchange. Very complicated, and in interesting terrain. It's quite dramatic when viewed from The Old Road (former US-99) underneath it.

The George Washington Bridge between NJ and NY. It's just sooo massive.

The Big Dig in Boston. It's not particularly beautiful, but it's amazing that they managed to find a way to burrow through the city, including I-90 leading to the Ted Williams Tunnel. And it did make the ground above it a lot more beautiful. Seattle followed up with what I'd call their Little Dig, because it's just one long tunnel with two lanes each way, and no side ramps. No comparison.


Rural roads:

US-395 from Olancha CA up to Topaz CA. The whole road up to Canada is nice, but this specific long section is continuously beautiful, with lots of variety.

US-191 from Vernal UT up into Wyoming. This is a little like US-191 in the Arizona mountains, as it goes through a rather large mine, but it is much shorter and not quite as high, although the views are great. Do a quick side trip to the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

I-40 along the Pigeon River in TN and NC really impressed me. Not quite Glenwood Canyon, but close, much more dramatic than most highways in the eastern states.

All of UT-12, and UT-24 from UT-12 to UT-95. This has miles and miles of road through canyons with spectacular rock formations that change colors as you proceed. UT-12 also traverses a high plateau which has spectacular displays of aspen foliage in October.

US-163 through Monument Valley. I never get tired of that drive.

UT-261 from Mexican Hat to the Moki Dugway. The Valley of the Gods is amazing to behold from the turn-outs on the Dugway. And the Dugway is such an odd road feature, given that it is a couple miles of graded dirt road as it climbs the cliff, connecting two perfectly well paved stretches of road.

WA-155 along Banks Lake, in the Grand Coulee. I first saw this in a Mercedes commercial eight years ago or so, and drove it a couple years ago. It's like the Columbia River Gorge but wider, and with only one road, no railroads, and no towns until you get up to the north end. The Grand Coulee Dam is worth a visit too.

WA-14 along the Columbia River. Similar views to I-84, but much mellower driving, and more places to stop and take pictures.

Westbound I-84 descending into the Pendleton OR area. Check it out on Google Earth. You can also find what used to be US-30 just north of it, following its own even more winding path down off the plateau.

I-80 just east of Salt Lake City. I drove it once in October, and there was a lot of nice red foliage, and the topography is really nice.

Going-To-The-Sun Rd in Glacier NP. Very three-dimensional. I think going on a weekday right about now, since kids are in school, would mean that it won't be so crowded that you can't find parking on the pullouts. Reservations are needed sometimes, but generally only eastbound, so do it westbound.

CA-178 over the Sierra Nevada. Not spectacular, but I've always found this road really beautiful, with a lot of variety, from quiet flat farmland surrounded by big hills, Lake Isabella, and the Lower Kern Canyon. Lots of wildflowers in the spring.

MA-6A on Cape Cod. You'll overload on the quaintness of the towns.

BC-99 from Horseshoe Bay up to Squamish, along Howe Sound. It's one of the rare places where you can see a large bay with lots of mountains across it, and on islands in the middle of it. If you ever see scenery like that in a car commercial, that's where it's shot.

I hope someone found some of that useful.

[mgk920]

I would definitely include Chicago's Lake Shore Drive (US 41) in the urban list 

Mike

[ChiMilNet]

The stretches in Chicago have already been well accounted for, although no one has yet mentioned the Chicago Skyline views from I-294 in Berkeley near the big railyard. That really does show a cool panorama of the city and the scale of the skyline. https://maps.app.goo.gl/HZ8Sh77x6b2aTFCX7

Also, I'll throw in Southbound I-75/85 as they merge in Midtown Atlanta, the view down the highway just shows a line of highrises and really highlights the ever growing scale of the Atlanta skyline. https://maps.app.goo.gl/mzkYiym6QyS5R8tx6

[mgk920]

Also the drive into downtown Chicago from the northwest on the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94).  It is like you are driving straight into a mountain of tall buildings.

Mike

[Max Rockatansky]

Thinking back to the three meets I've hosted in California over the last couple years Caliente-Bodfish Road got the best reception.  It has views, a ghost town and is consistently fun to drive.   The Lions Trail segment approaching Caliente was the standout feature with the massive amount of curves, switchbacks and vistas. 

[Beltway]

Any of the Hampton Roads bridge-tunnels.

I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel
I-664 Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

Once HRBT Expansion is complete in 2026, it will have 8 lanes and be especially impressive.

[pderocco]

Thinking back to the three meets I've hosted in California over the last couple years Caliente-Bodfish Road got the best reception.  It has views, a ghost town and is consistently fun to drive.   The Lions Trail segment approaching Caliente was the standout feature with the massive amount of curves, switchbacks and vistas. 

Did you ever do the loop off that through Loraine and Twin Oaks? If not, check it out next time you're in the area. It goes up a little higher.

[Max Rockatansky]

Thinking back to the three meets I've hosted in California over the last couple years Caliente-Bodfish Road got the best reception.  It has views, a ghost town and is consistently fun to drive.   The Lions Trail segment approaching Caliente was the standout feature with the massive amount of curves, switchbacks and vistas. 

Did you ever do the loop off that through Loraine and Twin Oaks? If not, check it out next time you're in the area. It goes up a little higher.

You mean Piute Mountain Road?  If so, haven't done that one yet.  I recently looped through Caliente Creek Road on the same day I did Breckenridge Road.

[pderocco]

Thinking back to the three meets I've hosted in California over the last couple years Caliente-Bodfish Road got the best reception.  It has views, a ghost town and is consistently fun to drive.   The Lions Trail segment approaching Caliente was the standout feature with the massive amount of curves, switchbacks and vistas. 

Did you ever do the loop off that through Loraine and Twin Oaks? If not, check it out next time you're in the area. It goes up a little higher.

You mean Piute Mountain Road?  If so, haven't done that one yet.  I recently looped through Caliente Creek Road on the same day I did Breckenridge Road.

According to Google, the loop is mostly Caliente Creek Rd, but then changes to Walker Basin Rd on the north side, at its intersection with the dirt Piute Mountain Rd, which I've never tackled. But the paved route is quite lovely, with nice variety. Watch for cattle, though.

[Max Rockatansky]

Thinking back to the three meets I've hosted in California over the last couple years Caliente-Bodfish Road got the best reception.  It has views, a ghost town and is consistently fun to drive.   The Lions Trail segment approaching Caliente was the standout feature with the massive amount of curves, switchbacks and vistas. 

Did you ever do the loop off that through Loraine and Twin Oaks? If not, check it out next time you're in the area. It goes up a little higher.

You mean Piute Mountain Road?  If so, haven't done that one yet.  I recently looped through Caliente Creek Road on the same day I did Breckenridge Road.

According to Google, the loop is mostly Caliente Creek Rd, but then changes to Walker Basin Rd on the north side, at its intersection with the dirt Piute Mountain Rd, which I've never tackled. But the paved route is quite lovely, with nice variety. Watch for cattle, though.

The designation changes from Walker Basin Road to Caliente Creek Road at Piute Mountain Road.  Even the Postmile paddles reference a different Kern County Roads.  The portion of Caliente Creek Road west of Loraine will get your tires screaming fairly easily. 

[CoreySamson]

I've gone out and driven many more roads ever since I first posted in this thread several years ago. Here are some of my new favorite impressive roads:

The North Central Expressway in Dallas, TX (US 75):
https://maps.app.goo.gl/MpRyGsCZndZ5chez6

I love the design and overall look of this freeway between I-345 and the Loop 12 parclo (one of my favorite Texan interchanges). It is extremely unique for Texas (even with typical Texan design elements, such as the U-turns). I just love how compact and stacked it is (the feeders hang over the main lanes a bit in spots) and how it snakes through the tall buildings surrounding it. Moreover, I think the design of it has aged extremely well, even though it is almost 20 years old if I'm not mistaken (it still kinda looks brand new IMO). It carries an element of grandeur and style that many freeways just do not have. On a related note...
====
I-635 TEXpress, North Dallas:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xUTdL6VmVdq3C7Sy6

I've only been on the main lanes through here, but the stacked lanes and the amount of ramps snaking off in every direction are absolutely fascinating to me. And then there's the High Five interchange to top that off. Easily the single most impressive interchange I've ever seen. I can't wait to see the finished product that TxDOT is cooking up for I-635 east of US 75.
====
I-430 Arkansas River Bridge and approach, Little Rock, AR:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/uswAnum48i2ow58K8
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Kw1hcVactKkCnrX1A

I was utterly shocked when I first drove this section NB earlier this year. I was not expecting such a massive drop into a river gorge in Arkansas, and I was not expecting the view in the first link. An unexpected gem that I was not aware of.
====
I-610 West Loop, Houston, TX
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4J6PkZKScBJEJ1TG7

I mentioned this in the last post I made in this thread, but this section of freeway (between I-10 and US 290) is so wild I had to include it twice. Definitely my favorite highway in Houston infrastructure-wise.
====
OK 375, Indian Nation Turnpike
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KPEhvnAc5me3aguv9

This is a personal favorite. 80 mph speed limit, fun terrain, little traffic? Not much to dislike here. Some of my favorite mountain views in Oklahoma are here.
====

US 412 near Arkansas River
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gL1Fq9iU8RJjq8Gj7

Keeping with the Arkansas River theme, I just like how US 412 on the west side of Tulsa has a great overlook of the Arkansas River (not to mention some great views of downtown Tulsa once you get close to the city).

[Henry]

Here are my top picks from all 50 states:

AL: I-20 EB/I-59 NB through Malfunction Junction towards downtown Birmingham
AK: Tok Cutoff/Glenn Highway from Tok to Anchorage
AZ: Old Route 66 from  Seligman to Kingman
AR: I-49 through the Bobby Hopper Tunnel
CA: I-5 SB going into Los Angeles
CO: I-25 SB going into Denver
CT: I-84 through Hartford
DE: I-295 across the Delaware Memorial Bridge
FL: I-275 across the Sunshine Skyway
GA: I-75/I-85 SB going into downtown Atlanta
HI: H-3
ID: ID 75, Shoshone to Challis
IL: I-90/I-94 going into downtown Chicago from either direction
IN: I-65/I-70 going into downtown Indianapolis from either direction
IA: I-74 across the IL-IA Memorial Bridge
KS: Kansas Turnpike
KY: I-71/I-75 NB in Covington down the Cut in the Hill towards Cincinnati
LA: Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
ME: US 1 from Brunswick to Van Buren
MD: I-395 going into downtown Baltimore
MA: I-93 going towards the Big Dig in downtown Boston from either direction
MI: I-75 SB going into downtown Detroit
MN: I-94 EB through the Lowry Hill Tunnel and into downtown Minneapolis
MS: Natchez Trace Parkway
MO: I-70 across the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge in St. Louis
MT: US 212 from Joliet to Yellowstone National Park
NE: US 75 through downtown Omaha
NV: I-15 through downtown Las Vegas
NH: I-93 through Franconia Notch
NJ: NJTP, from Exit 6 north
NM: I-25 or I-40 through the Big I
NY: I-278 EB in Brooklyn or I-495 WB in Queens towards Manhattan
NC: Blue Ridge Parkway
ND: Bismarck Expressway
OH: I-90 WB going around Dead Man's Curve into downtown Cleveland
OK: Tulsa Dispersal Loop
OR: I-5 through Portland
PA: I-95 SB into Philadelphia
RI: RI 138 across the Newport Bridge
SC: US 17 across the Arthur Ravenel Bridge in Charleston
SD: US 385 through the Black Hills National Park
TN: I-24 through Monteagle Pass
TX: I-10 Katy Freeway west of downtown Houston
UT: I-80 past the Great Salt Lake
VT: US 7 through the Green Mountain National Forest
VA: US 13 through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
WA: I-5 going into downtown Seattle from either direction
WV: US 48
WI: I-794 in downtown Milwaukee (including the Blues Brothers ramps and the Hoan Bridge)
WY: I-180 into downtown Cheyenne

[Quillz]

Glenn Highway is hard to beat. Between Anchorage and Glenallen, you've got boreal forest, mountains, glaciers, and Mt Drum shows up towards the latter town. One of the most beautiful drives you can do.