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That, and the fact that it doesn't have billboards everywhere, and is surrounded by nothing but lush green forest and glass towers. The fact that it was dug deep, and so doesn't disturb the surrounding areas, practically hidden, while also making the freeway drive more pleasant.
Then the best parts, it's only 6 lanes (with no tractor trailers) and not some over-wide dangerous monstrosity, and it was freakin' designed and built with a freakin' MARTA heavy rail line and stations integrated right into it! If only we could say these same things for all of Metro Atlanta's freeways!
My favorite limited-access highways inside of and around metro Atlanta:
> The entire metro Atlanta freeway system well outside of rush hour and peak travel hours. The metro Atlanta freeway system is such a pleasure to drive on during the times when very little traffic is on it. During peak travel hours (including rush hour), not so much...
> Interstate 75 South heading to Florida or the Georgia Coast, just for the simple fact that I'm heading out of town to the coast for a getaway and/or to see the ocean, etc (...again, this is a much more pleasurable drive when its not being done during peak traffic/travel hours).
(...I-75 in general is an important intercontinental superhighway route because of how it links Atlanta with the aforementioned assets of Florida and the Georgia Coast to the south (including the major international seaport at Savannah and the resort, getaway, vacation and retirement areas of heavily populated Florida) and the population centers of the historically heavily industrial Great Lakes and Midwest region to the north.)...
> Interstate 85 Northeast because the road is a major superhighway link between Atlanta and very important heavily populated points to the northeast like the I-85 anchored South Carolina/North Carolina Piedmont region and the Northeastern U.S.
(...I-85 South also links Atlanta with the resort/getaway areas and the critically important seafood and oil-rich areas of the Gulf Coast to the south and southwest.)...
> Northside radial spur superhighway routes like Interstate 575, Georgia 400 and Interstate 985 because of how they connect Atlanta with the foothills and ranges of the scenic Blue Ridge and Southern Appalachians mountains region north of the city and metro area while going past important recreational areas like lakes Lanier and Allatoona (...highways that are again much more pleasant to drive during off-peak hours when there is much less traffic on them)...
> Georgia Highway 316 would be liked by me and many others much more if it was a separated-grade controlled-access superhighway built to Interstate standards the entire way between Duluth/Lawrenceville and Athens instead of just largely a limited-access highway with dangerous at-grade intersections and narrow shoulders. Though the recent upgrading of the highway through the Lawrenceville area at the Collins Hill Road and Georgia 20 junctions has helped tremendously when traveling between metro Atlanta and Athens...
> The limited-access portion of the East-West Connector through the scenic Covered Bridge/Nickajack Creek historical area in South Cobb County...
> The recently completed Sugarloaf Parkway Extension between GA 20 and GA 316 around the southeast side of Lawrenceville in Gwinnett County. That's a fine section of roadway that has made it easier to get between the GA 20 and GA 124 corridors south of Lawrenceville and the GA 316 corridor east of L'ville without having to drive through Downtown Lawrenceville...
> Georgia Highway 6 (Camp Creek Parkway/Thornton Road), a landscaped parkway-type limited-access road in eastern Douglas and southwest Fulton counties (...another road that is best driven during off-peak hours when traffic is much lighter)...
> Georgia Highway 6 (US 278) between I-20 West and Cedartown through the Lithia Springs, Austell, Powder Springs, Hiram, Dallas and Rockmart areas in Douglas, Cobb, Paulding and Polk counties. This road would be better (probably best) as a controlled-access superhighway spur off I-20 West. But even the current route is still light years better than having to use the old and slow two-lane original Georgia 6. This route is notable because it goes by what is reportedly the largest rail intermodal yard in the nation east of the Mississippi at the Norfolk Southern Intermodal Yard in Austell...
> Barrett Parkway through West Cobb County... This road has some gentle hills and curves, runs over a low viaduct elevated over some swampy creek bottom land and is a favorite of illegal street drag racers who love the gentle hills and curves... Which is a major reason why Cobb County Police sometimes tend to patrol this stretch of road heavily, because of its appeal to illegal street drag racers...
> South Fulton Parkway... A road which, despite the revenue-generating motivated speed enforcement of some local police, significantly cuts the travel time between South Atlanta and the far-flung exurban city and college town of Carrollton.
I agree. I love tunneling under the Atlanta Financial Center.
In Georgia, I love the St. Simons and Jekyll Island Causeways. The views are gorgeous, and then there's always the anticipation of returning home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by primaltech
That, and the fact that it doesn't have billboards everywhere, and is surrounded by nothing but lush green forest and glass towers. The fact that it was dug deep, and so doesn't disturb the surrounding areas, practically hidden, while also making the freeway drive more pleasant.
Then the best parts, it's only 6 lanes (with no tractor trailers) and not some over-wide dangerous monstrosity, and it was freakin' designed and built with a freakin' MARTA heavy rail line and stations integrated right into it! If only we could say these same things for all of Metro Atlanta's freeways!
1) I75/I-85 Northbound around Grady Curve at night!
For visitors coming from airport who can only see downtown as a cluster of buildings, rounding the Grady curve shocks with a seemingly endless line of extravagantly towers stretching northward.
For a brief moment, it's almost Manhattan-level impressive.
2) I-495 Long Island Expressway Westbound approaching Midtown tunnel. Skyline stretches as far as eye can see in both directions.
3) I-5 Northbound through the Grapevine. Very steep inclines and declines necessitating runway truck ramps (to stop heavily loaded trucks when gravity is more powerful than truck's brakes). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvUj2M-wRHQ
But all of a sudden you come around a curve and the completely-flat Central Valley comes into view. The change in topography is so abrupt.
4) I-95 Northbound as Richmond skyline comes into view. It's perfectly perched on a hill for a dramatic reveal from I-95.
Honorable mention: I-85/I-40 split Northbound approaching Raleigh-Durham. There's nothing but trees to see, however there's something momentous about this interchange that has made people make it a point to mention that they passed by my home town (Raleigh area) for the last 25 years.
Perhaps it's the lay of the land or the ending of a two interstate duplex that's big and crowded onto 2 normal-sized interstates.
Last edited by architect77; 09-30-2017 at 06:47 PM..
Inside of metro Atlanta, I also like Ronald Reagan Parkway in Gwinnett County for its curves and landscaping, which I think makes the road kind of scenic... Though I do think that the sharp curves and somewhat steep sideways sloping of the road through those sharp curves make the road a less-than-ideal roadway as a commuter route, particularly during times of inclement weather during peak hours.
My favorite limited-access highways in Georgia outside of metro Atlanta:
> Georgia Highway 5/515 (Zell Miller Appalachian Development Georgia Mountain Parkway/APD Highway) which is a route that features some big hills, gentle curves and some stunning scenic views of mountain vistas in rural, mountainous North Georgia. Many locals just simply refer to the road as "the four-lane" because it is basically the only divided four-lane roadway through that part of the state. GA 5/515 (which is basically the northern extension of Northwest metro Atlanta's Interstate 575 spur route) has also dramatically cut the time that it takes to travel between that part of rural, mountainous North Georgia and Atlanta...
> Georgia Highway 365 which is a fast route that provides good access between Atlanta, Gainesville and the Blue Ridge Mountains region of North Georgia and Western North Carolina...
> US Highway 441 between Athens and Cornelia in Northeast Georgia...
> Golden Isles Parkway (GA 224/US 341) which is a mostly-improved, expanded and upgraded 4-5 lane route between Perry and Brunswick (the site of an important seaport) in Southeast Georgia...
> Interstate 185, which speeds road travel between Atlanta and Columbus in Southwest Central Georgia...
> Martha Berry Highway (US 27/GA 1) which is a route that traverses through Georgia along the western edge of the state near the Georgia-Alabama border. South of Columbus, this route is used by many Georgians (including many metro Atlantans) to travel to and from the popular resort and getaway areas of the Florida Panhandle.
I know that not everyone may be big fans of the investments that have made by Georgia state government to expand the roadways through some of these more sparsely populated rural corridors mentioned, but Lord knows that improved rural roadways like these have made life a heckuva lot easier (and SAFER!) for someone like me who has had to do a lot of rural driving at times.
Also inside of Georgia outside of metro Atlanta, I guess that I could also give honorable mention to the Savannah River Parkway for making travel significantly easier between two of the state's second-tier city/metros in Savannah and Augusta in Southeast Georgia.
I also like US Highway 23-441/Georgia 15 between the US 123/GA 365 junction in Mount Airy and the Georgia-North Carolina state line. I like this road because it provides to a quick route between metro Atlanta and the Blue Ridge Mountains region of Northeast Georgia and Western North Carolina and because it runs directly through the Tallulah Falls Gorge scenic recreational area.
My favorite limited-access highways outside of Georgia are:
> The Blue Ridge Parkway is a popular limited-access two-lane scenic parkway that runs through the Blue Ridge Mountains region of Western North Carolina and western Virginia which many metro Atlantans may be familiar with. But for those who are not familiar with the route, the Blue Ridge Parkway is an extremely curvy two-lane scenic parkway with a 35 mph speed limit that features some breathtaking mountain views...
> Skyline Drive, which is a northern extension of the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Interstate 64 through Shenandoah National Park in western Virginia...
> Natchez Trace Parkway, which is a scenic and recreational two-lane parkway which commemorates the historic "Old Natchez Trace" route which originated as an ancient Native American foot trail through the forests of Tennessee, extreme northwest Alabama and Mississippi...
> The Great Smoky Mountains Expressway (US 19/23/74/441) which is a divided limited-access four-lane highway with some controlled-access sections through the Great Smokies/Blue Ridge Mountains region of Southwestern North Carolina. The scenic road features a 55 or 60 mph speed limit throughout its length but keeping up at even those relatively modest speeds can be a challenge because of the frequent curves along the route despite the roads status as a four-lane limited-access/controlled-access expressway route...
> I guess that Interstate 81 through the states of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania should also get a mention as an alternative to more congested transcontinental Interstate superhighway routes like I-85 through the GA/SC/NC/VA Piedmont and I-95 along the Fall Line for traveling between Atlanta and the population centers and states of the Northeastern U.S.
Though, one problem with I-81 is that so many motorists (including TRUCKS) are using it as an alternative to Interstates 85 and 95 for travel between the Southeast and the Northeast that I-81 itself has had a tendency to become somewhat delay prone at times over the past several years as more and more people have used it to avoid I-85 and I-95, especially during peak travel periods.
Inside of metro Atlanta, I also like Ronald Reagan Parkway in Gwinnett County for its curves and landscaping, which I think makes the road kind of scenic... Though I do think that the sharp curves and somewhat steep sideways sloping of the road through those sharp curves make the road a less-than-ideal roadway as a commuter route, particularly during times of inclement weather during peak hours.
Yes RR PKWY can be very fun to drive
It is pretty though. My texas friends thought we were in the middle of nowhere when in reality we were surrounded by development. I've always liked that. Here in Houston, you see EVERYTHING.
I also like 400 ITP. The view of Buckhead is so nice. Also love coming southbound on 85 into the city just before 75 joins. It's beautiful in the daytime to see all of Atlanta from midtown to downtown. It's just plain gorgeous at night with all the lights.
Outside of Atlanta, pretty much anything in the mountains. 24 just west of Chattanooga. Most of 40 from Nashville over to Asheville, NC. I 26 in NC and TN is really nice. Portions of 81 in Virginia (I could go on and on).
From a usability standpoint I like Westpark Tollway here in Houston that I commute on. Entrance ramps are sketch (merge is very quick). But it's extremely well lit. Only 2 lanes in either direction so it's never terrifying like 10 or 45. It's mostly used by commuters and local traffic so it's never congested except for rush hour. Very well maintained. No toll booths. All electronic so there's not jams at toll booths.
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