Best road in the country (car, ranked, build)

[JMT]

Overdrive Magazine just released its survey of truckers on the conditions of roads across America. According to the survey, the best stretch of highway in the country is I-40 through Tennessee, and Tennessee has, over all, the 3rd best roads in the country as well as the country's 3rd best drivers.

The results:

BEST ROAD SEGMENTS
1. I-40 Tennessee
2. I-75 Florida
3. I-10 Texas
4. I-81 Virginia
5. I-80 Ohio

BEST ROADS
1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Tennessee
4. Virginia
5. Ohio

BEST DRIVERS
1. Texas
2. California
3-4. (tie) Tennessee and
Wyoming
5. Minnesota

WORST ROAD SEGMENT
1. I-10 Louisiana
2-3. (tie) I-40 Oklahoma and
I-80 Pennsylvania
4. I-40 Arkansas
5. I-5 California

WORST ROADS
1. Louisiana
2. Pennsylvania
3. Oklahoma
4. California
5. Arkansas

WORST DRIVERS
1. New York
2. California
3. Illinois
4. Florida
5. Texas

I'm not sure how Texas and California can be ranked among the best AND worst drivers. Oh well.

[hiknapster]

I'm willing to bet it's because they are such big states. Lots of good and bad drivers!

[alleycat]

I drive I-40 every day (while never exceeding the posted speed limit ;-).

[gemkeeper]

JMT, they hit the nail on the head with I-80 in PA. No matter how often the rebuild and resurface that piece of highway, it is always in ruins. It runs 600 miles through N PA mountains the entire way and suffers for it.

It is a beautiful drive, but the horrendous winter weather breaks up that road surface something awful every winter. You could almost lose a car in some of the potholes that show up with each freeze and thaw!!

I have no idea how I-75 in MI could have escaped that list!! It is as bad, if not worse, than I-80. It feels like driving on a washboard. With the freeze and thaw going on all winter the macadam cracks across the highway and is constantly heaving sections upward like the teutonic plates! Do not drive these roads if you get carsick!!

I-40 and even country roads in TN are a pleasure to drive. It is not only that they don't have the severe weather conditions to keep them in a constant state of need of repair, but they are well-maintained and sooo clean to begin with.

[gary1958]

Sure hope no one takes this to seriously,as it is wrong in many areas. Just ask the next trucker you see what they think of Ohio roads.

I agree with the worst drivers part.

Wyoming has the highest drunk driver fatalities per capita.

Ca.has the best drivers and the worst drivers

Oh well I didn't take the survey.

[TheShadow]

Well I'm not sure how Californians can be both the 2nd best and the 2nd worst drivers in the country. I will agree that they are pretty poor. Most folks here drive way too fast for conditions and are always cutting in and out with barely enough room to spare. Many change lanes without looking or signalling and will speed up when wou are trying to merge in front of them. GGGGRRRRRR!!!!

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by TheShadow

Well I'm not sure how Californians can be both the 2nd best and the 2nd worst drivers in the country. I will agree that they are pretty poor. Most folks here drive way too fast for conditions and are always cutting in and out with barely enough room to spare. Many change lanes without looking or signalling and will speed up when wou are trying to merge in front of them. GGGGRRRRRR!!!!

And, that's how CA drivers got to be 2nd best and 2nd worst, TheShadow.

Those lousy drivers you just described are among the worst in the country.

All of the other folks are the ones who manage to stay out of the lousy drivers' way and not get involved in their mayhem. They are among the best drivers in the country! We're pretty sure which group you are in.

[TnHilltopper]

Originally Posted by TheShadow

Well I'm not sure how Californians can be both the 2nd best and the 2nd worst drivers in the country.

I think it depends on whether they were driving TO a Grateful Dead concert or FROM a Grateful Dead concert.

[SuzieQFL]

Originally Posted by gemthornton

I have no idea how I-75 in MI could have escaped that list!! It is as bad, if not worse, than I-80. It feels like driving on a washboard. With the freeze and thaw going on all winter the macadam cracks across the highway and is constantly heaving sections upward like the teutonic plates! Do not drive these roads if you get carsick!!

I wondered that myself, however once you cross the state line from Ohio and fall into the potholes, I-75 does smooth out quite nicely once you get north of Detroit. North of Flint, the roads "up north" are good, and I-75 is great past there. Maybe that's why it didn't make the list - because only a portion of it is truly horrendous.

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by SuzieQFL

I wondered that myself, however once you cross the state line from Ohio and fall into the potholes, I-75 does smooth out quite nicely once you get north of Detroit. North of Flint, the roads "up north" are good, and I-75 is great past there. Maybe that's why it didn't make the list - because only a portion of it is truly horrendous.

That is probably correct, SuzieQFL. Once you get away from the portion of I-75 where all of the steel haulers and car haulers pound the stuffings out of the roads, they do get better.

I know that everyone complains about the highways around the Motor City from Toledo, OH north, but I think that the highway department does a tremendous job of trying to keep up with the crumbling road system. Those roads probably take a more constant heavy beating than most interstates because of the auto industry.

To complain is kind of like throwing the baby out with the bath water. If you want good roads, you can't have the industry!!