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I’m on 59 quite a bit. Coming in from points north and east, 59 is the way to get to Houston. I welcome the upgrades. Build it and they will come.
I realize that the post you are reaponding to is several months old, but the point of I-69 S from Houston is not get commuters from Wharton to Houston, it is to better connect the million plus people that live in the Rio Grand Valley cities of Brownsville, Harlington, and various suburbs to the rest of the country, as well as to facilitate trade to Mexico. It will also connect both Houston and the Rio Grande Valley to the almost half million people in the Corpus Christi area, and a branch will also run a little west to the Mexican border at Laredo. I-69 currently is complete from Indianapolis, IN to the Canadian border at Port Huron, MI. Other segments have been built, but aren't connected together yet. Eventually it will run from the Canadian to Mexican border, and will likely be a busy shipping route.
Interstate 72 ends abruptly in Quincy, Illinois. As if the city is some final destination. I have always felt it would make perfect sense to continue the highway across the Mississippi River and across northern Missouri to St Joseph, a 130,000 metro area.
In addition, the limited access highway (Missouri route 54) connecting I-70 in Columbia (a 265,000 metro) to the capital, Jefferson City (a 150,000 metro), needs to be upgraded and designated an interstate. Then, the highway should be extended to pass near Lake of the Ozarks, a hugely popular destination for many Missourians. Continuing south, the highway should link to Missouri route 65, which also needs to be upgraded to interstate status. This passes through the Springfield-Branson CSA (556,000 population). Why this was never accomplished has always been a mystery to me.
Interstate 72 ends in Hannibal with the the intention to move across the state on an upgraded US 36. It is also the KC-Chicago highway.
I should add that Jefferson City is one of the very few US state capitals not directly served by an interstate highway. Long overdue.
Agreed - but I do not see this happening with pretty solid high access already with limited access, higher speed US 54 and US 63 connecting it to I-70.
Also - I often hear Missouri is the only state capitol with no interstate, so I will offer these two as other examples:
1) Dover, DE also has no official interstate access despite being between the more populous New Castle County and the resort communities of Sussex County (Rehoboth, Dewey etc).
2) South Dakota's of Pierre capitol has no interstate access.
1A. Upgrading US-301 corridor between Wilmington DE and Kings Dominon VA to interstate standards. That would provide a much needed bypass of Baltimore and Washington.
1B. From Kings Dominion the road can continue West of Richmond VA through Danville and to Greensboro NC.
The current interstate routing from Wilmington to Greensboro on 95/85/40 is 418 miles and can get bogged down in traffic. My proposal would be 65 miles shorter which is a full hour not accounting for traffic which would be considerably less for my new routing. It would also remove a lot of through traffic on 95, 85 and 40
2. Raleigh to Charlotte. The distance from downtown to downtown is 124 miles. The current 40/85 routing is 166 miles. There's not much between the two cities along the shortest route but this one seems like a no-brainer
3. Augusta GA - Macon GA - Columbus GA - Auburn AL - Montgomery (current 85) - Selma GA - Meridien MS. This one could be a useful bypass around Atlanta and provide another East/West connection in the Deep South.
4. Austin - Houston
5. Houston - College Station - Waco - Fort Worth
6. St. Louis - MSP via Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Rochester
7. Portland OR, a western bypass from Wilsonville to Hillsboro to Vancouver WA including a new bridge over the Columbia
8. California - I505 extension from Fairfield/Vacaville to Antioch to Tracy
9. Sacramento eastside ring road - I80 at Citrus Heights - Fair Oaks - Rancho Cordova - Elk Grove - I5
10. CA 152 upgrade to interstate standards from Gilroy to Los Banos to Madera/Fresno
1A. Upgrading US-301 corridor between Wilmington DE and Kings Dominon VA to interstate standards. That would provide a much needed bypass of Baltimore and Washington.
As a resident of Maryland, I definitely would be all for this. But this state is so full of NIMBY's who protest any sort of progress and development.
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2. Raleigh to Charlotte. The distance from downtown to downtown is 124 miles. The current 40/85 routing is 166 miles. There's not much between the two cities along the shortest route but this one seems like a no-brainer
I've always wondered why the route via 40/85 was picked, but Greensboro used to be a much more major city than Raleigh, and 40 used to end in Greensboro too. It's been long overdue to route a limited access highway along NC-27 east from Charlotte and US 1 North to Raleigh.
This is probably a controversial opinion, but I-95 between Wilmington, DE and Bristol, PA. When I-95 was planned, it should have never touched PA; instead, it should run the length of the Jersey Turnpike between the George Washington and Delaware Memorial Bridges. Here's how I would correct that mistake:
1.) What is now I-95 between the PA/DE border and the Packer Avenue interchange in Philly, would be re-branded as I-495. I-495 between the existing interchange with I-95 and I-295 would remain, and the re-branded I-495 would be united with the existing I-495. The existing portion of I-95 between the PA/DE border and US 202 would also remain and be re-branded as I-395. This would allow for the demolition of what is now I-95 through Downtown Wilmington.
2.) The section of roadway between the Schudder Falls Bridge (PA/NJ border) and the Girard Avenue interchange would become I-295. This would allow for the removal of I-95 in South Philly, Center City, Northern Liberties, and part of Fishtown, as well as for the restoration of streets struck from the City Plan for I-95. The wound between Philly's neighborhoods and the Delaware River waterfront would finally be sutured with the removal of 95!
95 should have never had the opportunity to destroy neighborhoods in the Philadelphia area when it could have easily ran directly through the grassy hinterlands of South Jersey!
I've always wondered why the route via 40/85 was picked, but Greensboro used to be a much more major city than Raleigh, and 40 used to end in Greensboro too. It's been long overdue to route a limited access highway along NC-27 east from Charlotte and US 1 North to Raleigh.
There's your answer, more business and commerce going on in Greensboro until RTP started to take off and Raleigh started seeing the growth of the technology sector in the 80's and 90's.
There's hardly a need to spend money for a direct route between the two or a 'limited access freeway'. It's not that long a trip anyways (I do it in under 3 hours frequently) and the 85/40 route essentially bypasses Greensboro. The money that would go towards such a project would be better spent for a high-speed rail connection instead.
There's your answer, more business and commerce going on in Greensboro until RTP started to take off and Raleigh started seeing the growth of the technology sector in the 80's and 90's.
There's hardly a need to spend money for a direct route between the two or a 'limited access freeway'. It's not that long a trip anyways (I do it in under 3 hours frequently) and the 85/40 route essentially bypasses Greensboro. The money that would go towards such a project would be better spent for a high-speed rail connection instead.
I agree.....no need for another highway connecting the two metros. Now that the construction between Concord and Salisbury is finally finished.... you have 120 miles of 6-8 lane freeway between Hillsborough and Charlotte. You can pretty much run 75-80 the entire stretch without a congested area to slow you down. The 64/49 combo is 4 lanes for alot of the stretch between Raleigh an Charlotte. Its pretty scenic in the fall once you past Asheboro.
This is probably a controversial opinion, but I-95 between Wilmington, DE and Bristol, PA. When I-95 was planned, it should have never touched PA; instead, it should run the length of the Jersey Turnpike between the George Washington and Delaware Memorial Bridges. Here's how I would correct that mistake:
1.) What is now I-95 between the PA/DE border and the Packer Avenue interchange in Philly, would be re-branded as I-495. I-495 between the existing interchange with I-95 and I-295 would remain, and the re-branded I-495 would be united with the existing I-495. The existing portion of I-95 between the PA/DE border and US 202 would also remain and be re-branded as I-395. This would allow for the demolition of what is now I-95 through Downtown Wilmington.
2.) The section of roadway between the Schudder Falls Bridge (PA/NJ border) and the Girard Avenue interchange would become I-295. This would allow for the removal of I-95 in South Philly, Center City, Northern Liberties, and part of Fishtown, as well as for the restoration of streets struck from the City Plan for I-95. The wound between Philly's neighborhoods and the Delaware River waterfront would finally be sutured with the removal of 95!
95 should have never had the opportunity to destroy neighborhoods in the Philadelphia area when it could have easily ran directly through the grassy hinterlands of South Jersey!
If this was the case, then Interstate 476 would also cross the Delaware River into New Jersey to meet Interstate 95.
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