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In personal experience driving, I find I-44, from Oklahoma City to St. Louis, much of the drive in rural areas, to be one of the most draining. Many trucks on this route, with terrain on it. It's one of the few interstates I can think of that doesn't run directly north-south or east-west, but rather, northeast to southwest and between two out of the four major cross country interstates (I-40 to I-70). Many stretches of 44 in rural Missouri are two lanes. The road should be 3 lanes throughout, minimum.
I've been on I-44 many times. It is the favorite diagonal shortcut for truck traffic between southern California (port of Los Angeles) and Chicago / mid-west destinations. The rolling terrain through the Ozarks is enough to slow down trucks on the climbs, and sometimes one truck tries to pass another on the climb which causes a left lane backup in many cases. I-44 is rural from OKC to St Louis with the exception of a few dozen miles around Tulsa and Springfield.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Rural interstates that need an upgrade from four to six lanes -
I-40 from Albuquerque, NM to Flagstaff, AZ
I-81 through most of Virginia
Several parts of I-80 between CA and NJ
These are some of the busiest shipping corridors in the US and the truck volume even in some of the remotest parts is very thick. The left lane is often blocked by a truck doing 55/60 mph, even late at night. As a result, car wrecks often happen from frustrated drivers trying to get around them. All these corridors need an upgrade.
I-44 is worse than I-70 in Missouri in my opinion.
Oh well.
Kentucky has extensive 6 lanes out in the boonies on 65 and 75.
It’s getting pretty common.
I've been on I-44 many times. It is the favorite diagonal shortcut for truck traffic between southern California (port of Los Angeles) and Chicago / mid-west destinations. The rolling terrain through the Ozarks is enough to slow down trucks on the climbs, and sometimes one truck tries to pass another on the climb which causes a left lane backup in many cases. I-44 is rural from OKC to St Louis with the exception of a few dozen miles around Tulsa and Springfield.
I-44 is being widened to six lanes in Oklahoma. The first section west of Tulsa is finished. The rest of the Tulsa to Oklahoma City stretch and a section running for about 20 miles east of Tulsa are due to be completed in the next several years. Those projects are currently held up in court.
I-90 in Washington is 3 lanes through a long stretch of the Cascades. There are a lot of accidents and sudden blizzards out there in the winter, which I assume is the reason.
No....it was to convert Kittitas County to subdivisions and second homes.
The decision was endorsed by the Sierra Club!!! I never thought I would see the day where environmentalists endorsed destroying natural landscapes for a interstate highway.
It's fairly common in many mountain passes stretch of interstates anyway. Many uphill sections of interstate has 3 lanes each direction with one being the "slow truck lane". You see that on I-5 in CA near Tejon Pass also (It's actually 4 lanes each direction...but back to 2 once you're in Central Valley).
Rural interstates that need an upgrade from four to six lanes -
I-40 from Albuquerque, NM to Flagstaff, AZ
I-81 through most of Virginia
Several parts of I-80 between CA and NJ
These are some of the busiest shipping corridors in the US and the truck volume even in some of the remotest parts is very thick. The left lane is often blocked by a truck doing 55/60 mph, even late at night. As a result, car wrecks often happen from frustrated drivers trying to get around them. All these corridors need an upgrade.
I've experienced how awful I-81 in Virginia is, for myself. That one for sure, could be helped by it being widened from 4 to 6 lanes.
I'll also nominate I-24 in Tennessee, as being worthy to be widened. Not just the part between Nashville to Murfreesboro should be 6 laned, as to me the rest of 24 could benefit from going up to 6 lanes.
Only rural in spots, but Alabama's portion of I-65 is being pushed by lawmakers to get the 6-lane treatment from the Tennessee border to the Gulf coast.
I-70 from Hagerstown down to Frederick gets a bunch of commuters on weekday mornings. It's a beautiful stretch of road though, however, I do think many of the communities between these two cities are quickly shedding their rural roots.
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