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Out of all the cities in this country LA is still king of back ups since it is further spread out. It's the most spread in every direction enough to cover a medium size state. LA has way too many freeways.
I think that I learned on these forums that LA's freeway miles are actually on the low side based on the population. And I wouldn't say that LA is more "spread out" than DC, Houston, or Atlanta. It's actually less spread out than those are and by quite a bit. I think that the correct word is "bigger".
I think that I learned on these forums that LA's freeway miles are actually on the low side based on the population. And I wouldn't say that LA is more "spread out" than DC, Houston, or Atlanta. It's actually less spread out than those are and by quite a bit. I think that the correct word is "bigger".
Yeah exactly how can the densest metro in the country also be the most spread out? That wouldn't make any sense, people who have never visited are just going off old stereotypes.
Just reading the question in the title (and before looking at the choices), my answer was immediately Atlanta and DC!
By far the worst "beltway" traffic that I've ever experienced, aside from the 405 in L.A., which is also technically a "beltway" of Interstate 5.
Wouldn't the freeway loop around downtown count as a Beltway? That's some pretty terrible traffic - sometimes it takes my wife 20 minutes just to get from Wilshire / Fig to the 110.
Good point on the 5 / 405 being a gigantic beltway - I never thought of it that way.
Another interesting thing is LA doesn't really have a proper connected beltway around the most center parts of the city a la Houston because the 710 freeway was blocked from connecting in South Pasadena. There is a project underway / planned to do a "Big Dig" to connect this loop but is still pretty much universally reviled in the area. Guess it is just kind of funny that the city most famous for freeways routinely blocks them (also why there is no freeway through the Westside to Century City). Probably has the highest amount of "freeways to nowhere" in the country, or at least one of the most.
Wouldn't the freeway loop around downtown count as a Beltway? That's some pretty terrible traffic - sometimes it takes my wife 20 minutes just to get from Wilshire / Fig to the 110.
Good point on the 5 / 405 being a gigantic beltway - I never thought of it that way.
Another interesting thing is LA doesn't really have a proper connected beltway around the most center parts of the city a la Houston because the 710 freeway was blocked from connecting in South Pasadena. There is a project underway / planned to do a "Big Dig" to connect this loop but is still pretty much universally reviled in the area. Guess it is just kind of funny that the city most famous for freeways routinely blocks them (also why there is no freeway through the Westside to Century City). Probably has the highest amount of "freeways to nowhere" in the country, or at least one of the most.
The 3 digit interstates that start with an even number (i.e. 405) are radial (true 360 degree beltway) or circumferential/bypass (i.e. they hit the main interstate in at least two places -- for the 405 it connects with the 5 both in Sylmar and in Irvine.)
Because of geography, L.A. does not have a true closed loop single-number "beltway", but the 405 IS a "bypass" of Interstate 5, which goes almost through downtown.
But now I am probably veering off into the semantics of Interstate highway numbering lol....
In terms of true "beltway" (a single freeway making a closed loop around a main city), ATL and DC are the worst....
Houston Interstate 610 - by far the worse because it has way more lanes than the other cities and when it's full you wish you weren't even on it. Washington DC Interstate 495 - DC like Houston can be unpredictable not as many lanes but can also lock up. DC and Dallas have the most aggressive drivers when it comes to road rage.
Atlanta Interstate 285 - The problem with I-285 is that there's parts of it that only have 4 lanes. The metro has out grown this design do to population growth. It can fill up very quickly exceeding capacity which is similar to Boston's problem.
Fort Worth Interstate 820 - It has more lanes but not so bad during non rush hour unless there's an accident or road work. Now if we're talking downtown Dallas that' a whole different story as that area can be unpredictable.
Now we should also include Boston's I-495/I-95, Chicago's I-294 along with NYC's I-287 and LA. Out of all the cities in this country LA is still king of back ups since it is further spread out. It's the most spread in every direction enough to cover a medium size state. LA has way too many freeways.
Actually, I would say Atlanta 285 and DC 495 is by far worse than Houston 610. Because with Houston being a gridded city, you can easily exit the freeway, find a secondary artery that will continue in the same direction of your destination. Not too many twists and turns until you get way out there in the suburbs. With DC and Atlanta being cities that have roads follow old trailways, you can go out of your way just to get to where you need to go. 495 in DC is extremely bad. Now exiting 610 when you are in that left lane can be a hassle no doubt.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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The question applies to those 4 interstates specifically, and I have only rode two of them: 285- ATL, 495-DC. Between these two highways 495 (DC Beltway) takes the cake by far.
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