Most Useless Interstate/US Highways and Places that Need Them. (construction, inspection)
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Considering they are still our #1 trading partner, this is flat out false and dead wrong. Also go to the Peace Arch crossing on I-5 on the WA/BC border on a Friday afternoon and then tell me how useless US/Canadian Interstate highway border crossings are.
Drive I-75 between Soo and Mackinac, and come back and report. How many lanes wide does a road have to be, to accommodate traffic that all stops for 10 or 20 or 30 minutes? If it were only a two lane road, everyone would just stop and wait in a different place, but still get form A to B in the same time.
How many cars actually cross the border per minute? You only need enough traffic lanes to accommodate that many cars per minute, which is probably one traffic lane. For international trading and commerce, there is probably only a few trucks an hour going through. How many lanes do they need?
How much time to customs officers stand there waiting with nothing to do, until the vehicles can get through the traffic jam and arrive at the customhouse?
How long has it been since you decided not to take a leisurely Sunday drive across the Canadian border, because there was too much traffic on the road 5 miles from the border, and you wished there were more lanes?
Say that after going to BWI or Baltimore on MD RTE 2.
I-97 was originally to be part of an abortive Outer Beltway during the Schafer administration. The Beltway wasn't built but sections of it were, I-97 being one such along with RTE 301 in Prince George's and lower Anne Arundel receiving upgrades.
Interstate 69 in Texas is much needed. Its replacing the outdated Highway 59.
I wouldn't be able to get to Texarkana any faster or easier on I-69 than I do on US-59. It's 70-75 mph all the way. If it doesn't translate into better travel conditions, why spend the money to build a hundred new overpasses?
I-69 is dead, it will never exist, and it is not needed.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
Drive I-75 between Soo and Mackinac, and come back and report. How many lanes wide does a road have to be, to accommodate traffic that all stops for 10 or 20 or 30 minutes? If it were only a two lane road, everyone would just stop and wait in a different place, but still get form A to B in the same time.
How many cars actually cross the border per minute? You only need enough traffic lanes to accommodate that many cars per minute, which is probably one traffic lane. For international trading and commerce, there is probably only a few trucks an hour going through. How many lanes do they need?
How much time to customs officers stand there waiting with nothing to do, until the vehicles can get through the traffic jam and arrive at the customhouse?
How long has it been since you decided not to take a leisurely Sunday drive across the Canadian border, because there was too much traffic on the road 5 miles from the border, and you wished there were more lanes?
Well then you should have just pointed only that one specifically instead of this completely absurd statement.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
All interstates to the Canadian border are now pretty useless, since nobody is willing to endure the ordeal of trying to cross the border.
There are many US interstates that get up to the Canadian border heading to important Canadian cities like Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver along with Windsor/Detroit with a lot of commerce moving across the border. You can't just use one area of small cities in a remote area of Northern Michigan/Ontario as a most poignant example of all Canadian border crossings, that's just ludicrous.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 08-10-2013 at 05:50 PM..
Drive I-75 between Soo and Mackinac, and come back and report. How many lanes wide does a road have to be, to accommodate traffic that all stops for 10 or 20 or 30 minutes? If it were only a two lane road, everyone would just stop and wait in a different place, but still get form A to B in the same time.
How many cars actually cross the border per minute? You only need enough traffic lanes to accommodate that many cars per minute, which is probably one traffic lane. For international trading and commerce, there is probably only a few trucks an hour going through. How many lanes do they need?
How much time to customs officers stand there waiting with nothing to do, until the vehicles can get through the traffic jam and arrive at the customhouse?
How long has it been since you decided not to take a leisurely Sunday drive across the Canadian border, because there was too much traffic on the road 5 miles from the border, and you wished there were more lanes?
This is silly. Comparing I-75 to Sault Ste. Marie with I-5 to Vancouver is silly. Not an apples to apples comparison. If you think I-5 is not needed to the border, you are nuts. People who regularly cross the border get enhanced licenses or use the Nexus lanes. I-5 at Blaine is so busy, there are two crossings. Getting into Canada can be pretty quick most of the time. Its the reverse that's the bigger pain in the rear.
I wouldn't be able to get to Texarkana any faster or easier on I-69 than I do on US-59. It's 70-75 mph all the way. If it doesn't translate into better travel conditions, why spend the money to build a hundred new overpasses?
I-69 is dead, it will never exist, and it is not needed.
I 69 is definitely not dead. They are building it now. In fact, it is alive in Texas as the all the us 59 in the Houston area signs have changed to I 69. I've also seen them south of Memphis as well.
I-22, when complete, will link Birmingham to Memphis. If you look at a pre-22 map, you can tell that the interstate "grid" has a noticeable void there. I'm appreciative, if only because it has cut hours off of our annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Little Rock.
I-22, when complete, will link Birmingham to Memphis. If you look at a pre-22 map, you can tell that the interstate "grid" has a noticeable void there. I'm appreciative, if only because it has cut hours off of our annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Little Rock.
Interesting! I recall driving from Atlanta to Memphis a few years ago. IIRC, we took I 20 to Birmingham, then all highway after that. That is the most direct route. An I 22 would be dynamite!
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