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Yes, agreed. My point was simply California is a big enough State to expand I-5. It certainly is not Wyoming.
I don't think I-5 needs to be expanded. The real problem is that there are too few Interstates in the Western US. California should have at least three north-south Interstates, instead of just one. If there were three Interstates, much of the I-5 traffic would divert to the other two. Expanding I-5 would just attract even more traffic to it.
The last time I drive from LA to the Bay Area, traffic was moving just fine on I-5. The hell started when I got off I-5 into CA-152. Which at that time was a two lane road. It took me two and a half hours to travel 50 miles to Gilroy.
Last edited by Cloudy Dayz; 01-03-2021 at 07:58 AM..
Yes, the freeway also gets heavily congested during holiday periods, as it’s a main thoroughfare between Southern California and Northern California. I drove once on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and it was a 12 hour crawl from Southern California back to Northern California. Never again!
Quote:
Originally Posted by pnwguy2
In addition, most of this segment is just two lanes in each direction, unusual for Southern California. So not only is it boring, but frustrating as it has high truck traffic, many of which are on metered speeds so when they move into the left lane it slows everyone.
I don't think I-5 needs to be expanded. The real problem is that there are too few Interstates in the Western US. California should have at least three north-south Interstates, instead of just one. If there were three Interstates, much of the I-5 traffic would divert to the other two. Expanding I-5 would just attract even more traffic to it.
The last time I drive from LA to the Bay Area, traffic was moving just fine on I-5. The hell started when I got off I-5 into CA-152. Which at that time was a two lane road. It took me two and a half hours to travel 50 miles to Gilroy.
Building a new n/s Interstate would be way more expensive than expanding I-5. I just don’t see it. Adding a third lane (basically a truck lane) from mp 225 to mp 440-something would be relatively cheap.
Building a new n/s Interstate would be way more expensive than expanding I-5. I just don’t see it. Adding a third lane (basically a truck lane) from mp 225 to mp 440-something would be relatively cheap.
Yes, it would be cheaper, but that is not the point. The whole problem with the Interstate highway system is that it's not nearly extensive enough, especially in the West. When the Interstates were built, trucks that were spread out on hundreds of different highways were suddenly funneled onto just a few Interstate routes. Of course that is going to cause congestion. Including congestion on the access routes to the Interstate.
Adding lanes to freeways has been proven time and again not to be a solution. Just look at LA. You add a lane it fills up, you add another lane it fills up too. The solution is more Interstates, not more lanes.
I don't think I-5 needs to be expanded. The real problem is that there are too few Interstates in the Western US. California should have at least three north-south Interstates, instead of just one. If there were three Interstates, much of the I-5 traffic would divert to the other two. Expanding I-5 would just attract even more traffic to it.
The last time I drive from LA to the Bay Area, traffic was moving just fine on I-5. The hell started when I got off I-5 into CA-152. Which at that time was a two lane road. It took me two and a half hours to travel 50 miles to Gilroy.
I never take I-5 in the Central Valley of California. I'll always take a detour of either US 1, US 101, US 99, or US 395. US 101 adds at least two hours of travel time between LA and San Francisco and another two hours between San Francisco to Oregon, but at least I can see the Redwoods and the Pacific Coast.
US-99 allows me to at least see a few towns along the way and it is a nice drive in Nothern California. I can also detour and see the Sierra's, or even take a detour to Yosemite. There are also fabulous side roads along the Sierra mountains that go north and south.
US 395 only adds an hour or two at most through California to Oregon, and I can detour to Lake Tahoe and take advantage of some cheap and very nice 5 star hotels in Reno, especially on a weekday. There is also a quick stop at both Mono Lake and Burney Falls.
US-1 is amazing, but this takes a bit too much time generally.
I never take I-5 in the Central Valley of California. I'll always take a detour of either US 1, US 101, US 99, or US 395. US 101 adds at least two hours of travel time between LA and San Francisco and another two hours between San Francisco to Oregon, but at least I can see the Redwoods and the Pacific Coast.
US-99 allows me to at least see a few towns along the way and it is a nice drive in Nothern California. I can also detour and see the Sierra's, or even take a detour to Yosemite. There are also fabulous side roads along the Sierra mountains that go north and south.
US 395 only adds an hour or two at most through California to Oregon, and I can detour to Lake Tahoe and take advantage of some cheap and very nice 5 star hotels in Reno, especially on a weekday. There is also a quick stop at both Mono Lake and Burney Falls.
US-1 is amazing, but this takes a bit too much time generally.
Those are all good drives, but I think you mean US-101, not US-1. US-1 is on the East Coast.
1. I-35 northbound from OKC to Kansas City, MO, especially the Kansas Turnpike. Absolutely horrific.
2. NY-17/I-87 (Southern Tier Expressway) from Corning/Steuben County to Orange County/Rockland County. Horrible drive. Also, better hope you don't have to use the restroom because there are none for about a 60 mi stretch between Broome County and Orange County.
3. I-88 from Iowa City to Chicago. Terrible scenery. Just flat land and corn fields for miles. Also, in certain areas the hog farms emit some pretty foul odors.
4. I-10 from Baton Rouge to Texas. May be the worse part of a bad drive from Atlanta to Houston.
I think that if you are in a hurry, it is all boring. If you have the luxury of covering short distances a day you will notice stuff that is a little interesting. If you learn the history or geology along the way you will find something more interesting. The trip across Kansas is more interesting if you avoid the interstate. Interstates avoid old historic places and as much terrain as possible.
I think that if you are in a hurry, it is all boring. If you have the luxury of covering short distances a day you will notice stuff that is a little interesting. If you learn the history or geology along the way you will find something more interesting. The trip across Kansas is more interesting if you avoid the interstate. Interstates avoid old historic places and as much terrain as possible.
Good point, I am retired and enjoy the trip more than the speed. There is so much to see out there, too bad most don't appreciate it.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz
Those are all good drives, but I think you mean US-101, not US-1. US-1 is on the East Coast.
I actually think he meant CA 1 (aka the PCH)
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