The US Interstate System: More than 40,000 Miles of Open Road
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- Опубликовано: 22 апр 2021
- And when we say "open road," we are obviously not counting the New Jersey turnpike.
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Born and raised in america. Road trips were a regular part of my childhood. And yes, it is EXACTLY how it is in the movies. You can really drive for an entire day and still not be at your destination. I love it.
I live on the Eastern border of Ontario and it takes me more than two days just to drive to the border of the next province west, Manitoba. And that still ain't prairie.
I hate it. We should've invested in highspeed rails instead of the interstate.
@@nightshade8958 You're gonna need a bigger time machine.
@@nightshade8958 Most Americans value personal freedom of travel over mass transit unfortunately. I live in Tennessee and riding on a train is unheard of, most people go their entire lives without ever stepping foot on a train.
@@bigmac575 what's the difference in personal freedom from a car vs a train.
I'd say a train would give you more personal freedom, Youre not burdened with a expensive high maintenance piece of metal that's heavy regulated by the government and cops can pull you over and give a 150$ ticket for going 1 mph over. where having a train you would just get on and get off. We Americans talk about freedom a lot and how great the US is, but that's a joke. We live in a extremely regulated not free country.
Before she passed, my grandma told me about a road trip she and her family went on in 1924, when she was 12. They drove from Chicago to upstate New York to visit her uncle. Since motels weren’t a thing yet, they usually camped on the side of the road, which wasn’t always paved, and stocked up on provisions when they got the chance, since restaurants weren’t always available. It took them about a week or more to drive there and the same back. Luckily, Great-Grandpa Jesse ran his own barbershop and just shut it down for their vacation.
Wow! And to think that you can set aside a week alone for that trip nowadays, travel and all
My mother's parents, and two sisters did the same except their trip was from Fairfield, OH to Las Angeles, CA by way of Yellowstone Park. Just before the trip, her dad Pete bought a brand new 1926 Dodge Brothers De-Luxe Sedan. Your description is similar except they emphasized how bad the road were and the several times they had to fix flat tires. The car was perfect for the trip and they were happy it got them home. But Pete traded it for a new car when they got back. Pete made a good living as the owner-operator of a thirteen acre farm with Greenhouses. Raising 'Cut-Flowers' (Roses, Carnations, Snap Dragons etc...) for the Tri-State area flower shops.
I remember going from suburban DC to family reunions in Kansas City in the early fifties in Dad's '49 Ford. We took route 40, a two lane blacktop the whole way, going through a town every 15 miles with one stop light. We stayed overnight in motels straight out of Capra's movie "It Happened One Night." The keepers had recognizable regional accents we had fun imitating. The burgers were like those we later cooked on the charcoal grill out on the patio. The trip took two full days averaging 40 mph, 26 hours travel time. Now it takes 16 hours averaging 75mph.
The interstates revolutionized auto technology. They also brought about a new culture, fast food franchises and motels. In urban areas, the interstates are the driving force of economic development. Build a nice high speed road; people will use it!
My father said that when his father took a trip from the farm to the city - only 20 miles, they almost always had to stop and repair a flat tire. Sometimes when the creek was high grandfather had to remove the fan belt to prevent water from splashing and causing the engine to stall.
What a cool story.
The US Interstate road system is insanely good. I moved from New York State to AZ (2,400 miles) and got there in three days. Left Friday morning and got there Sunday night. I took one day off from work to move 2,400 miles!
I love that you appreciate how incredible that is... I marvel! (American, Grateful...)
3 days? When I went from WI to Florida (~2200 miles) it only took a day!
Well guys when moving from a blue state to a red state, vote red. 😀
Guess you didn't go through Texas, that would of added at least 2 weeks to your trip.
@@ObservationofLimits if you drive at average speed of 60mph , it would take 37 hours without any stopping. How did you achieve it in one day?
The 2006 “Cars” animated movie, funnily enough, outlines the issue of the loss of the beautiful American town experience that was mentioned. Lol
Yeah but if you've ever tried to socialize with those small town people.. Ew
@@sacredhealstv901 Wow. Perhaps actually try being a nice person and see them open up.
@@RK-cj4oc no thanks.
@@RK-cj4oc I prefer not to speak to people of an inferior species. And yes I think of inbreds from small towns inferior species. Then you just have the people that live there cus they wanna be away from people n shit. But yeah you walk into a store and you're not talking to physicists
@@sacredhealstv901 Yeah because human beings living crammed together like sardine is such a great way to live. I love how people from big cities like talking shit about people who don't want to be part of your big city collective. I'm guessing you eat food? You'll have to starve, because our small town inbred sub human hands labored to produce it.
Hey Simon, truck driver here. I have to correct you on your terminology; a spur route is a branch off from the system to reach a town. A bypass is what you described, that goes around a busy city while the main route goes through it.
Simon a spur on the Interstate is a 3 digit number starting with 8. for example I-865 is a spur that connects I-65 with I-465 east. While I-465, a bypass runs in a complete circle around Indianapolis and allows you to avoid the city center while connecting to I-65, I-69, I-70, & I-74. Bypasses are numbered with a 4.
@@kdrapertrucker Three digit Interstates in which the first number is odd are spurs. (Example is I-170 that goes from Clayton in I-40 to I-270 north of the airport). Three digit in which the first number is even are usually bypasses (I-270 and I-255 in St Louis.) A full circle isn't required, a semicircle will do - check out Kansas City. But there's some states that had used up all their spur numbers and had to borrow an unused bypass number.
I wouldn’t brag about being a truck driver 😂😂😂
@@BA-dt6tg i made $80k last year. Pretty good for a career.
@@BA-dt6tg damn imagine hating on truck drivers when their the ones that get your shit to your basement
"The 405 just means 4 out of 5 times your ass ain't going anywhere...' -Carrot Top
The 405: AKA, "The Freeway of Death"
Reminds me of living in Miami where driving on "US 1" is always called "Useless One".
I say it's the Four Oh Five cos you're gonna be crawling along at Four Or Five miles an hour.
yes lol
thankfully short road compared to the 5(which the 405 is a small partition of) the entirety of the 5 gets even worse by length, but less by travel.
Being an American from the Midwest born in 1974, I took our highway system for granted until I traveled to Brazil in 2001. Their lack of highways between major cities greatly limits ground travel and shipping. The US Highway system is very unique and a key enabler to individual transit.
It has its benefits. I do think the drawbacks are larger as it causes massive traffic congestion and longer commute times, but businesses definitely benefited the most from them, efficiency wise.
@@kristoffcapron556 don't forget in urban areas used to level and quarantine minority communities and overall making the city worse allowing whites to move out killing business. If we had stuck to how Eisenhower envisioned them I think we would have been a lot better off.
Still waiting for them to connect I 57 to 67 and 167 from North Little Rock Arkansas to Missouri all the way to Chicago and there are plans to do it but no details yet.
@@tomcat_1484 The interstate system would be much, much, much better if they did like every other country has done and made their interstates go around major city centers instead of through them (ie have a circular interstate like 10 miles around the city instead of just going straight through the middle.)
@@senseiadam-brawlstars9465 ummm…they do…
Why did you forget to mention it was called the Interstate and Defense Highway System, and it was also a Cold War military project. The roads specifically have flat straight runs, capable of emergency aircraft operations. All overpasses were high enough to allow tank transporters to pass under them. Grades and curves were laid out to allow courier (car) traffic at sustained speeds of 90mph, and heavier vehicles at 70mph.
It was designed to allow effective military operations in the event that the Cold War went atomic. Later segments in later times were allowed to miss some of these requirements.
Great point
He *did* mention that is was a cold war defense project.
@@therealunicornselene Yes, but he omitted all the details, and the full name. When Nixon forced speed limits on those roads down from 65 to 55 it was interesting to know they had been built for safe use at 90.
@@lyfandeth
k make your own lol
@@lyfandeth meanwhile there's roads in montana that are still restricted to 90
Fun fact odd number interstates run north to south and even goes east to west
With the exception of interstate 69.
And numbers increase going south to north, or west to east.
Which is opposite of the U.S. highways that numerically increase east to west, or north to south.
@@tangydiesel1886 Odds and Evens are also switched 90 degrees from the interstate system. This can get quite confusing in the middle of the country were everything is numbered in the 50's-60's. There are also places where the interstate numbers intersect with the state highway systems that run backward to the US highways, but not rotated. Here in the PA capitol we have PA-283 (E/W) that merges with I283 (N/S) and splits off again after a few miles.
big bang reference?
@@dhawthorne1634 god damn i hate driving threw Harrisburg lol
The 405 is not a highway, it's a parking lot.
Same with the M25 in England
How true! Most interstates turn into parking lots for at least a few hours per day around morning and evening rush hours. Where I live, if you want to get somewhere, DON"T take the interstate.
So is I-93 south of Boston.
I-55 in Memphis due to the I-40 closure
So is 76 and 95 in Philly
I’m a Kentuckian. I’ve traveled to every state (except Hawaii) as a long haul trucker. It’s truly amazing how vast America truly is.
In business law class in college, a student was told they are the owner of an interstate trucking company. What state is your company located in?" the teacher asked. "Hawaii!" The class laughed. "Just for that, your company is located in New Jersey!"
Drove to Alaska? 🙄
@@MyMonsterguy No. I flew from Louisville to Alaska on a vacation. You can drive to Alaska. Are you not able to follow an atlas?
@@jonfromstearns You said you were a long haul trucker while implying you have traveled to every state except Hawaii...
Why so defensive?
You should go to Hawaii
It’s comical to think our severely partisan current federal and state governments could ever agree upon and execute a plan this ambitious in 2021.
With the EPA, prevailing wage, OSHA among others, we could never afford to do it!
Have you ever seen how the workers who worked the CCC and other depression era "work programs" lived?
Homeless people today live better...but people think those type programs would work today...
Guaranteed republicans would say it would cost too much and be too dangerous , off of tradition of getting rid of perfectly okay bills
@@nickutzig1157 and the democrats would say that it would destroy the environment and promote global warming (via car exhaust)
I'm okay with it as long as they only focus on actual infrastructure.
@@Kaiserboo1871 Well, something similar might be possible with rail eventually.
The Interstate System will never be done. Resurfacing and widening and upgrading. Some part, many parts, seem to be always under construction.
I am from Michigan, we have a few, they are all terrible and ALWAYS under construction, ALWAYS!
With Interstate 11 being built between Las Vegas to Phoenix, finishing I-49 and I-22, and the expansion of I-69, there's going to be plenty to work on and follow for decades.
Utahn here. I have yet to live a year where part of I-15 was not being resurfaced or expanded. Anytime it looks like it will, I-80 fills in for a year, gets its own 20 year project, and I-15 goes in for another "improvement" a year or two after it's "completed". If we ever had to use them for what they're intended for (mass movement) we're all screwed.
@@steeljawX - And we must admit that much of it was built to very low standards, which is why it wears out so fast. I've been to Montana in the summer, and they'll pull the entire deck off an overpass, crush it, and pour a new one in its place. Sometimes, they'll pull up miles of pavement and start from scratch.
As for all the widening, etc, that just fills up with more cars. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Interstate roads need to be deconstructed. Scars on the land. The railroads were bad enough
A Southern California valentine once read, “I would get on the 405 at 5PM for you.” Many people who saw it replied, “The Hell I would.”
i might do it for family. though i would like to avoid the 110 at that time
I accidentally learned to drive stick on the 405 at rush hour.
That's true love!
So true!
Nah nah nah, the Ontario Highway 401 at 5pm... now that's a challenge, busiest highway in North America
You forgot that I-70 has the highest freeway tunnel in the world. The Eisenhower memorial tunnel which sits at an elevation of 11,125 feet above sea level
Go search tunnels in China. lol
By that I mean a paved freeway. That’s is concrete, cement or even asphalt. Not dirt, or gravel.
Isn’t it also the longest underground tunnel
No. Norway holds the record of the longest underground road tunnel. It is like 70 miles.
But they had to get clever to make it safe.
They made the tunnel do S curves and straightaways that have LED lights to mimic sunrise.
@@eddog6666 70 miles is insane. I can nearly make it through the Eisenhower with out having a panic attack of someone getting in an accident lol
I remember talking to a German tourist flying into LA. It was his first time in the US, and he was going on a road trip. When I asked him what he wanted to see, he seriously said he wanted to see the golden gate bridge, hollywood, and the statue of liberty. In three days.
I told him he is going to need a really fast car.
Or plane ticket
@@jrmckim road trips generally don't involve aircraft.
And a Time Machine.
I'm pretty sure it was a misunderstanding. ..or you got creative telling your story ;)
Cheers from 🇩🇪@🇪🇺
..or he was really, really stupid. So much, that I can't believe he was able to board an international flight.
The Great Alaska Pipeline is a definite megaproject.
Boy is it ever! Hope Simon does it.
Bet you won’t google Alaskan Pipeline urban dictionary
@@69FTWB bruuuuuhhh what the fuck lmaoo
Live in Alaska the road system where I live goes 60 miles in total 🤔
I've been commenting saying that for a year. Hopefully it will be soon!!!
As late as the 90s some portions of the Interstate in Montana had a speed limit of “Reasonable and Prudent”
Until the mid 90s, daytime was reasonable and prudent and night was 55. And then it took one driver and a court case to ruin it all. Of course the Jersey Turnpike might be called an unlimited speed limit as well!!!
@@aaronswink8554 - I remember that in 1997. The locals were reasonable and prudent, it was the visitors from out of state that were unreasonable and impatient. Funny about the nighttime speed limit. It was much lower than that of Washington State which still had daytime speed limits.
I remember driving south from Cut Bank to Helena, cruise set to 95. Talk about a boring ride!
Montana was still using "Reasonable and Prudent" when the national speed limit of 55 was made in 1974 . Like several other states, Montana had a clause that reverted to its limit when the national speed limit was repealed. It's just that there's was non numeric. Montana technically had no speed limit starting in Dec 23, 1998 when the MT supreme court thru out that clause as unconstitutionally vague. (The driver was only going 85.) That ended when the legislature passed the new limit - then 75 MPH , but it's since been raised to 80 MPH.
They still do. Its 90-ish in good weather, still.
@@drboze6781 In my limited experience only Idaho drivers are worse than Washington drivers.
I feel like not many people understand the absolute scale of the US interstate system. It's absolutely monstrous
People underestimate the size of the US period... wanting to vacation to LA and NY in the same week.
That’s why it’s annoying when people cry about americas roads vs other countries. Most counties aren’t as vast as America.
@@Kevinb1821one example is China….also the fourth largest country after the U.S. I think that is the only proper example though. I dunno, what do you think?
Europe is the same size basically as the US.
And you can see the air pollution against the mountains more than one hundred miles out from Los Angeles. Not cool.
At Salt Lake you see all this pollution- small city really.- Big interstate in the background with cars buzzing on it.
This is the first video I’ve clicked in forever that has to do with the something in the US which isn’t explicitly negative about it. Kinda refreshing, I wasn’t expecting it.
Amen
@@thepsychicspoon5984 Huh? What was that? I can't hear you over my hamburgers, guns, bald eagles, and freedom.
USA USA USA
@@thepsychicspoon5984 you can be imprisoned for rude tweets in twitannica
@@thepsychicspoon5984 gotta love not having freedom of speech.
@@THESLlCK Wait, is that true?
There is an Interstate segment designated as "1" its on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu running from Pearl Harbor to Waialae Kahala. While it has the H-1 designation (all Hawaiian Interstates use H) it is techically an Interstate (by its being part of the system) since the port connects commercially with other States' ports.
And no one cares
@@BA-dt6tg Like ratio speaks wonders about your opinion doesn't it. This is a video about fucking roads...Pretty sure that comment belongs here if anywhere else on the planet.
It connects Schofield Barracks with Pearl Harbor.
Should also add that The H-2 is technically the shortest route at just over 8 miles, and the H-3 was the last section of interstate to be made/opened in 1997.
The H2 has to be one of the most beautiful in the country though H1 and H3 are pretty close. I was a kid when they connected the 605 with the 405 (busiest) and even though the flyover was visible from the front lawn, the property value (Rossmoor CA) somehow went from $25K in 1962 to almost $2M today.
My grandfather's farm was seized by Eminent Domain to build 195 in MA. You can't stop progress was the phrase of the day
The state and federal government are trying to decide how much land they'll need to grab just west of where I live in Gainesville FL. They want to build a bypass for I-75 around the developed areas. But this will mean cutting through a lot of private property.
My grandparent’s farm in NC was almost taken, but they did a slight rerouting so it was built about 1/4 mile away
Now its all about the toll roads, just so we can pay to use them.
My great-grandfather owned a farm outside Front Royal, Virginia. When they came through obtaining land for I-66 nobody but him was willing to sell land. Up until his death in 2002 he was proud that he milked as much as he could for the land to build the interstate. The last thing the Commonwealth wanted to do was piss off people with eminent domain. So they were willing to pay essentially whatever he asked for it.
Eminent domain wiped out a whole town to build I-43 on the north side of Port Washington WI.
after traveling to a number of places around the world ive learned to appreciate the fact that aside from a few bridges and tunnels, the interstate system is entirely toll free
I-95 has tons of tolls what you talking about?
The town of Weed has been a source of juvenile giggling for every Northern Californian and Oregonian teen for decades. I'm intrigued Simon has actually been through places I've lived in Northern California.
Yeah I've been there and passed by numerous times visiting my sister near Fresno coming from WA state. Find it hilarious that he's also seen it.
UK has much sillier place names
And he probably stopped by that same Shell gas station too.
Even when apple made fun of it at wwdc 2013
Arizona has a city named: Kaka. Alabama has a city named: Hot coffee.
Might i say simon your head is looking exceptionally shiny today
Yes
Indeed, truly dazzling.
His beard is also looking very well-oiled
The glare is blinding me.
It's that beard oil of his. It creates a nice contrast between his head and beard.
The left over foundation of my grandmother's house is now part of an exit ramp in Pennsylvania.
I'm from Pennsylvania.
I have cousins in Cumberland, Maryland ( who I have never met) that sold their farm to allow for I-68.
@@penguinsfan251 was is sold or "forced confiscation"?
@@marryson123 I believe you are thinking of "eminent domain" which is Constitutionally enshrined... (Madison era) But yes, "market" prices must be paid...
I grew up while the interstate highway system was being built and saw the transition from the old US highway system to the interstate system. Our travel plans etc. changed drastically and I saw many small towns die off and new areas build up around interstate interchanges. Looking back it was a very interesting transformation to watch. The old US highways are still there for the most part and are very interesting to drive if you want to get a pre interstate travel experience. Nice video.
In 1919, the young LtCol Eisenhower and other Army Officers were given the task, to see how fast they could get a small convoy of trucks across the country: it took 62 days, averaging about 52 miles a day.
People usually don't use the full name...
Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways
Defense budget helped pay for it...
if i recall, part of the cost was also marked as a matter of national defense which made it more palatable. Eisenhower did imagine the system as a means of transport for the military in the event of another war.
Yep, I see trucks and sometimes tanks going between camp Pendleton and 29 palms
People say stretches of the system were planned with the intent of being able to land bombers and stuff on them in the event of a major war in the states, and the military does practice landing aircraft on them from time to time, but supposedly there's no evidence to support that they actually specifically designed some stretches for B52s and the like ot land on them.
Yes, the route takes it near several bases. You can get from the main gate at Scotts Air Force Base in IL to its I-64 exit in less than five minutes.
@@jonnunn4196 I always liked going past Scott as a kid cause it was so common to see aircraft coming in to land. It was one of my favorite parts of going to St.Louis.
I've also heard that the median separating the lanes has a military purpose. If the road is bombed it would be less likely to take out travel in both directions. And the damage could be bypassed by a short two lane two-way detour.
Weed, California, Beaver, Utah, Intercourse, Pennsylvania & many others all have souvenirs stating “I love (insert comedic town name)”.
Here in Canada we have a town named Dildo down in the Maritimes.
Hooker, Oklahoma 🤣
Goobertown, Arkansas
I'm partial to Hell, Michigan.
Only in Michigan can you go from Hell to Paradise in 5 hours, with a side trip to Climax if you must, all in time for Christmas!
Boring, Oregon (probably named after digging holes, but...).
As the general in charge of allied forces in Europe, Dwight Eisenhower, was enamored with the German Autobahn and it influenced some of his vision, for the US highway system.
@Allen Tokyo intelligentcollector.com/blog/heres-why-dwight-d-eisenhower-admired-germanys-autobahn/
www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/eisenhowers-1919-road-trip-and-interstate-highway-system
www.army.mil/article/198095/dwight_d_eisenhower_and_the_birth_of_the_interstate_highway_system
They say Eisenhower was impressed with how the whole country of Germany was connected together. It's amazing how much time you save taking the interstate instead of the state highway or routes.
@@tennesseegirl9724 That's true and if you want to see the sights you can program that into your gps.
@Allen Tokyo dERP
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate
and Defense Highways,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Construction of the system was authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.
@Allen Tokyo notice HOW ALL military bases are CONNECTED by the Interstate highways..
They isolated towns to ROUTE the highways for Military bases...IT was partly FUNDED with DOD funding...though they might have still been the War Department...
16:15 I feel like you can physically see Simon holding back a "BA DA BUM-BUM TSSS" at that "pave" pun.
but waggled eyebrows
I’m from Tifton Georgia and I know a neat fact. The I 75 was diverted from going from Atlanta south through Albany so it could go through Tifton instead because a member of the Georgia DOT was from Tifton and wanted to see it grow, so now Albany is the largest city that is more than 40 miles from an interstate in the whole lower 48.
I was thinking Albany, NY not Georgia for a bit.
Wel Albany is also a major detour to the west from a relatively straight south from Atlanta towards Florida as well. Doesn’t make sense to go to Albany when the demand to just go south is greater. Ga 300 is better for that
@@DrRiley01 well you have to look at a flat map and see than really Atlanta is almost the more direct route south to Albany rather than Tifton, the route could have easily gone Atlanta down to Albany to Tallahassee down the coast to Tampa with spurs to Orlando and Gainesville
Too bad there's nothing in Tifton, nor Albany 😆 hard to believe it's the largest city more than 40 miles from interstate in continental US
@@rickc303 every chain restaurant and hotel you can think of is in Tifton I was there last weekend. And they just spent like some absurd amount $150 million I think on the hospital so there’s something there. And I think Albany had a population of about 75k I think, I know we aren’t all from the big cities but we like are small town/city facts
Honestly I think you could make a whole series of videos on the interstate systems in America. There is so much more information you could address. Like the roads that go through mountains and the steep inclines in some areas. Thanks...
My family and I were once followed by an outbreak of tornadoes along I-70 from Kansas all the way to Ohio. Saw a stop sign in St. Louis get bent to a right angle by the wind.
I think I broke the world record for "most Hail Marys ever prayed in a day that day".
The interstate system often helped rural areas at least as much as it hurt them, since it gave them much easier access to larger cities.
We lost a lot of greasy spoons cafes but we gained much more reliable and more rapid transportation of agricultural products to market, which helped rural areas more than you know.
Can we get a video on the Autobahn? I feel like it also deserves a video with how much when into it.
I agree. Was the autobahn the father of modern highways? The autobahn is legendary with it’s no speed limit parts and on the other side very safe drivability. I watched an episode on History channel (when it was actually on history) that tailgating was ticketed ruthlessly. With fines being assessed as a percentage of your gross annual income. Which makes absolute and total sense.
tailgating is like 80% of accidents. the funny people are the ones who get pissed when being tailed, but then tail someone else. Give the bad drivers room to be bad drivers, and to be dealt with by cops, you don't need to ride that idiots bumper.
@@MrSTSIRO what? Theres no tailgating there. If someone comes up behind you, you move to the slow lane.
Yes absolutely!
The autobahn was one of the large reasons why America has the interstate system in the first place
The Glenwood canyon section is really something to see.
Funnily enough, the best way to actually see it is from the train. Amtrak's California Zephyr runs along the opposite side of the Colorado River, giving passengers a great view of both the canyon and the highway running through it.
Yessir
@@davidguthary8147 I'd love to take the train through there; I've driven probably more than a hundred times.
@@davidguthary8147 I'd love to do that someday. (I'm in California too)
The boring one run through Nebraska. Interstate 80. My gosh. I've been through it many time.
"Are we there yet?"
A very popular question by anyone traveling with kids
also a very good movie
Simon you were remiss in not covering the numbering system for the interstates, being even numbered 2 digits designate mainly a north-south route, odd numbered 2 digits mainly east-west route, a 3 digit with the first digit being even is a perimeter ( by-pass or loop ), and a 3 digit with the first digit being odd is a spur. Lower numbered north-south routes begin on the west coast moving up as they approach the higher ones near the east coast, hence I-5 in California and I-95 along the east coast. Lower numbered east-west routes being to the south and higher numbers to the north.
Good post, Dallas, except that EVEN numbered interstates are east-west; ie 4, 8, 10, 12, 20, 40, etc. while ODD are north-south; ie 5, 15, 25, 55, 75, etc. Interstate designations are reversed geographically so as not to be confused with US highways; which ascend from east to west while interstates descend from east to west.
@@Pilski good catch. I knew that just wrote it wrong as I am sure you guessed by my further description.
When I was a small child I watched the Interstate and access ramp being built near my home. I also remember a vacation trip before I.75 and I.40 were finished. My sister and I were in the back seat of the NON-AIR Conditioned auto. With windows down and moving, no problem. We were stuck in mid summer heat, as in hot and humid, and we were melting. We were in a long line of vehicles making a RIGHT turn in a small, tiny, town. We finally got to the right turn, waited for our turn, and then we started moving and the breeze felt so so so good. I give a HELL YA to the Interstate System. As for the right turn, it was illegal at that time to make a right turn against a red light. Even if you were the only car anywhere to be seen. Speed Trap communities loved that. One thing you left out, tourism. It was a boon for tourism. My father took us to the south east coast one year. It took two days of driving, and an overnight stay. When I was an adult stationed in Augusta, GA, I was able to drive from my home town, to my station, which was an hour away from the old vacation destination, in less than a day. I think good public transportation is not incompatible with the Interstate System. But I love my highway. I love driving. When I was stationed in Berlin, I had no car for three years. But I still dreamed of driving on a regular basis. I love me a good long drive.
That 12 miles through Glenwood Canyon is one of most beautiful canyon drives you can take. I'm sure there are many others, but you have to drive it to have the appreciation.
Within the freeway system, the only other segment that comes close is the Virgin River portion of I-15 in remote northwestern Arizona. It's one of the other super expensive, yet short sections of highway. Both are worth driving at some point!
@@johnchedsey1306 I believe that stretch of I-15 is THE most expensive section.
First time I drove that stretch - going from Vegas to St. George - was at night and it was surprising nerve-racking, with the turns, grades, rock walls very close to the shoulder edges, and guard rails. During the day, it's gorgeous - though I think the Glenwood Canyon stretch is more picturesque and certainly more level.
Try doing it in a semi truck in the winter it'll make u appreciate nature
@@Binkley-rj6gf My only drive through there was during the night too. I’d love to drive it during the day, must be spectacular
@@farstrider4592 I live 10 miles from the canyon, and I always hated driving through it at night. Make sure to set cruise control while sightseeing at day, or you may find yourself accidentally doing 40 in a 60 😂
We live in a very touristy area and I remember we had a family visiting from a county in Europe that shall remain nameless. This is in Northern Wisconsin, the big woods. They were going to drive down to Disney World in Florida and thought they could do it in a day. We had to gently explain just how far apart Wisconsin and Florida really is. They changed their plans and flew.
Many Europeans tend to greatly underestimate how large the US actually is.
Had a friend of mine from the UK that was coming to the US with his family to visit Disney World or go on a cruise or something (in Florida). He fancied himself a bit of gambling and figured he'd 'pop over' to Las Vegas for a bit before or after. Had to break the news to him that it would take multiple days to do that driving and even flying was about half the time it would take him to fly from London to Orlando.
If it's less than 1,000 miles, you CAN do it in a day - if you like driving and have a comfortable car. Depends if I want to go for speed or enjoy the ride as to how far or fast I want to go. On long trips, 400 miles a day is a casual drive that I'd try to do non-stop (not even for fuel). And that's within the UK.
I just drove part of the old Lincoln hwy constructed before the interstate system. Much better views and I’m glad it is still around.
Did anyone else notice Simon visibly restrain himself from his signature Blaze rimshot at 16:23? 😂
He's just prolonging the inevitable merging of all of his channels. "Explrd Top Geo-biographics highlights: Today I Mega Side Blazed."
Good call, rimshot would probably get him kicked off of youtube
I did catch a cheeky wink in there to make up for it though
@@cashgarman
I was wondering who else noticed his wink
@@cattibingo He'd do it for the Blaze ;)
Simon, I live just outside Memphis very close to a new interstate system that's part of the Mexco Canada interstate project ... Memphis successfully protested I40 (primary interstate ) going through the heart of a large midtown park here. That is why I40 goes around the sides of much of the city. Cheers friend
Ah, yes. The I-240 Raceway.
@@onespiceybbw Hate it haha. But fortunately I don't have to go into Memphis very often. I actually travel more on 385 between Millington and Collierville 🙏🏻
I wouldn't mind visiting either the Rendezvous or the Interstate Bar-B-Q tonight, but I'm 10,000 miles away in Thailand.
I love Overton Park. Thanks goodness Memphians stood up. Great story.
@@jourdanredden3190 It would have changed that part of the city completely for sure. Now Midtown is one of the nicest parts of Memphis thanks to the successful reroute
No one else find it’s weird how when you’re traveling on the highway . There’s someone in another state technically traveling on the same road you are . Just hundreds if not thousands of miles away .
I spent my whole life in California, I now live in Ohio, and I’ve traveled to 40/50 states. I’ve been on a lot of the highways mentioned in this video at least once.
Damn that's quite the change! I live in WA myself, but have alot of family in Ohio around Cleveland.
@@chickenfishhybrid44 I love Washington! And yes it’s a huge change but I love it here only things I have complaints about is the labor laws (or lack thereof) the weather is crazy sometimes and I miss good ethnic food!
There was also the US Route System. A networik of 2-lane highways that included the famous Route 66 and there were state routes, such as 138, which runs through MA and RI so that it is 138 MA and 138 RIjoined at the lines of Fall River MA and Tiverton RI
the US Routes was setup after WW1 because of the rail roads could not keep up with the supplies needed. Consider it the stop gap between the hodgepodge roads between cities/states and the Interstate system.
@@wmarkwitherspoon As someone who lived before the I-system, I'll buy that
Two Lane? US-101 was multi lane long before I-5 existed.
@@Rocketsong I've seen US Routes that were fourl lane jobs without medians, each side was a two-lane with either a full or broken white line down the center of that sie with a double yellow or white line down the center of the whole On a straightaway they could accmmodate speeds of 60 mph in low traffic, My Aunt used to toake about driving from NH to Boston at 60 in 1937 in a '37 de Soto
The US Route system still exists. Where I live in Columbus, OH we have incorporated parts of some of those into the interstate system (US 40 runs concurrent with I-70 and US 62 with I-670 in places), but have also turned some like US 23 and US 33 into freeways of their own for stretches in between the city proper and some of the farther out suburbs. We have also "freewayized" some state routes within the city as well (104, 161, 315).
The section of the I-15 running through the heart of San Diego was the last section of that freeway to be completed, mainly because the City Heights community didn't want to be torn apart. Due to citizen activism, we were able to convince the City to build a freeway deck spanning over one block of the freeway, although this was shaved down considerably during planning phases. The segment was completed in 1999. Because this was a low-income community, public transportation couldn't be ignored, so eventually years after the last segment of the I-15 was completed the community leaders were able to convince the City to finally build freeway-level (below grade) Rapid Transit bus stops to carry people Downtown much faster than before. Our "Centerline" freeway Rapid Transit is a strong example of the effects of citizen activism.
So, for significantly less than what US spends on defense every year, their entire interstate system could be rebuilt? That is hard for me to conceptualize.
I can't see why you'd do that, the interstate I've driven on was always in great condition
If you are totally naive, maybe you could think that.
You could build an Aircraft Carrier for millions in the 1950's.
#1 the quality of the road they built back then would be a death trap by today's standards
They technically didn't FINISH until 1992, and that was because of protests over routes..
nowadays? You would have protests on 100% PLUS you now have the EPA, OSHA, prevailing wage laws, re-engineering to avoid lawsuits..
Apples and Oranges...
@@fredschnerbert1238 the roads themselves were more dangerous, or is it more that the cars were more dangerous?
@@unclenightmare754 A combination of both.
The 380 billion we will spend on interest on the debt this year could fix a lot of roadway and bridges.
If you want to bemoan poor neighborhoods being destroyed or pushed aside then you should look in to the building of Professional Sports Venues, i.e. Arenas, Stadiums and Fields. These use up land under the pretense of improving the communities. They end up being built to house Professional Sports Teams and in some cases like Olympic Sports venues that sit idle after the events have ended, only for newer, bigger and even more expensive ones to be built. All in the name of prestige?
And paid for by taxes no less.
The owners and builders should be prevented from using ANY taxpayer money or taxes. You want it? YOU pay for it, Bub.
Hey, here it is. 🇺🇸
Also, check out the movie CARS, and the story of how Radiator Springs and RT66 all but died out when they built the new Interstate Highway and bypassed the small town. Hell, RT66 could be a great video on its own.
It certainly could, as could the old US Highway system in general. If I'm not in a hurry I'd MUCH rather take those older roads then an Interstate. Funny thing about Radiator Springs, if you look at the map of Route 66 shown early in the movie and compare it with a real map it pretty much matches up with the real Route 66 in northern Arizona... and right about where Radiator Springs is you will find the town of Peach Springs.
One of my best memories is of driving across a stretch of desert on 66 in Arizona in '99 (as a vacationing Ohioan). Went through Kingman, the cacti were in bloom -- just fascinating and beautiful -- a different world.
There can never be enough videos about old Route 66!
Small towns of the 1950's also survived by supporting farm families, but the small 80 acre farm became less common because eventually it couldn't produce enough income vs larger farms and their land was sold off to become acreage for bigger operators.
@John Chedsey look up Roamin' Rich on YT. Lots of rt66 content.
When I was in the Navy, I was stationed in California and my family was in Kentucky. This gave me the opportunity to drive cross country several times. My favorite way was on my old beat up 750 Honda. I miss those days.
That sounds like a great road trip!
@@gilbertvehicleservices it was. Lots of scenery and places to explore. I miss it.
I-20 is right outside my front door. And has been for the 27 years I’ve been alive. The low hum of semi trucks and cars driving by at night puts me to sleep.
Brake dust causes cancer move.
Oh my god, I just mentioned Weed California to a coworker last night. Just drove past a sign when passing through on the highway and they just have a giant billboard saying "Welcome to Weed!" With the tiniest text underneath it "California". Laughed our asses off. Gotta love the weird things you see driving across the country.
Imagine if you saw a police car with “Weed Police” written on the side
So, Simon visited a town in America called Weed.
The Blaze is alive and well.
Suggestion: The roadway system in Britain.
If I'm not mistaken, it is Weed, California. Located in the Norther region, above Sacramento. I got some sweet merch there!
I've been there as well, on my way to Oregon for the solar eclipse in 2017
lol that has to be the most boring video ever. the state of Illinois is bigger than England.
Look for Drain, Oregon...
@Amethyst aka the garbage lady There are 5 towns called Weed in the US
I absolutely love the Glenwood Canyon section of I70
I remember seeing that on modern marvels, it is truly beautiful
The real fun happens when they have one or the other of the decks closed and you get a one lane contraflow going. Get a clear shot at that at night, turn up the Teriyaki Boys and it becomes ridiculously fun 😅
@@TinyScorpion44 I got a ticket speeding through there a couple years ago. It was a fun drive until then!
@@TinyScorpion44 The largest tandem drift of all of time, I'm guessing?
Yep, it's amazing. To people here in North Carolina who don't know about it I tell them it's the Interstate system's version of the Lynn Cove Viaduct.
Back in the early 90s we travelled through, I think Wyoming, on an interstate that suddely ended and became a field full of old construction equipment and lead to an old timey town.
On I-70 in Kansas between mile posts 342-350 are historical signs stating that the stretch was the first section open in the country.
The system might've been declared finished, but I-49 and I-69 are having the missing sections built now.
Speed limits depend on where you are. Highest I've seen is western Texas at 85 mph. Wyoming and Utah have stretches at 80 mph.
1:55 - Chapter 1 - A star is born
3:05 - Chapter 2 - 1st half of the 20th century
5:45 - Chapter 3 - The glory years
7:45 - Chapter 4 - Construction begins
10:50 - Chapter 5 - The finished article
12:15 - Chapter 6 - Public reaction
14:05 - Chapter 7 - Effects
16:00 - Chapter 8 - The great american highway system
9:30- So, in a different place.
17:34 - Chapter 9 - Your mother
@@j.a.weishaupt1748 😆😆😆
My wife and I moved several times between central Ohio and central California throughout the '90s. We quickly came to consider Interstate 80 our home away from home.
Did you leave california?
Three times. Haven't been back and I miss it dearly.
That's how I feel about I70
My life has carried me from 'pre-interstate' hiways to the current proliferation. I suppose such hiways have been beneficial; however, I miss the simple life during which I was I was reared. I thoroughly enjoy your videos and am an avid viewer. Much obliged.
Negatives?!?!? Before this, You literally HAD to take Covered Wagons and TRAINS to get Anywhere!!! Interstates are awesome!!!!
Well there were state roads -- train and wagons were 19th century until 1950’s. Modeled after Autobahn.
What's wrong with taking the train? You ain't gotta worry about driving and other drivers on the road, and the benefit of not having to focus on driving and other drivers is that you can focus on the scenery of the journey more. What's there to dislike?
I could decide to go and visit a friend of mine in Indiana from where I live in Washington and if I had a 2nd driver make it there in a little over a day
Trains are amazing, almost every other developed country has a high speed rail system that works well. Higher travel speeds and cheaper than operating a car and cheaper than road repair/maintenance costs.
@@tendoking99 or you can just fly in a plane
haha! 0:06 i like the your very direct way of engagement, "you might not think its interesting, BUT it is, KEEP WATCHING!" XD
More like 0:04 but eh its so nice to know the usa is boring to many people
The interstate system is under construction again! I-11 is a new interstate being built from Las Vegas to Phoenix, with dreams of being expanded as far north as Reno.
There's a Highway enthusiast message board that is obsessed with I-11 and all the potential northern routes, some possibly going clear to Oregon. And a chance it could extend to Mexico in the south. But as someone who lived near the Phx/LV highway in Arizona, the sheer amount of traffic should have motivated freeway construction 30 years ago. Between Wickenburg and Kingman was an extremely deadly portion of highway for awhile.
One correction: the federal speed limit was fully repealed in '95 I believe. The states set there own limits today.
Initially, after the repeal, Montana had no speed limit. I think Texas currently has the highest speed limit at 85 mph on some interstate sections.
85 MPH is only on TX-130, a failed toll road replacement for an Interstate
Yay!! I remember recommending this for a mega project video a few months ago! Thanks for making it!!
The Transcontinental Railroad was completed at Promontory Summit and not Promontory Point 50 miles away. I know that today the route does pass Promontory Point. This is due to the rerouting of the line via the Lucin Cutoff through the Great Salt Lake and pass Promontory Point from 1902-1904.
We live in Washington, near Tacoma. We road-trip all over the country. The next one will take us from here to Maine, to DC, to California, and then back home. We're figuring 3 months.
Everyone here in Tacoma wonders if the I-5 construction will ever be completed. I've been in the state since 2006 and it seems like work is always being done!
@@johnchedsey1306 It's been a constant for the nearly 40 years I've lived here.
Assuming you go through Wisconsin, in Madison take I-94 through Milwaukee instead of I-90. Because I-94 has little traffic and goes through a nice little town called Johnson Creek. It has a mall and everything. Also it’s 8 lanes from Milwaukee to Chicago compared to 6 on interstate 90. Let me know if this helped or if you have any questions!!
I live in Eastern WA myself, have a nice trip!
You're gonna be disappointed by the maine sections of the highway. There's absolutely nothing here
The footage at 14:22 is not an American highway.
I love the interstate system. So efficient. But it does take a toll on some urban districts. Happily, the Golden Gate Bridge was never connected by a freeway through SF. Most would agree that's a good thing even though it takes some 30 minutes to drive 5 or 6 miles from the bridge to the nearest east or southbound freeway.
All through those petroleum-wasting, pollution-promoting old city streets.
On holiday in Italy, I talked with an American who had just arrived in Italy for the first time. He had driven the ca 300 KM from Milan on the famous A1, “Autostrada del Sole” to where we were. He noted that the Autostrada system were all toll roads, and quite expensive. I agreed. “You drive, you pay”. I said that I had driven on great big Interstate highways in US without paying anything. Since building and maintaining them obviously cost money, it has been paid for by the government, and made free for all to use. “It is interesting, I said. In reality US has "socialist" highways, whereas much of Europe has capitalist highways!, exactly the opposite of Health Service” 😊
Have you considered an episode about the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway?
My dad worked on it back in the late 50s.
Didn't they make a TV crime drama in the 60's called Seaway? The long arm of Canadian law-enforcement tracking down stowaways who were evading justice in other countries, smugglingl, etc. And all the cops & their support staff looked like professional models, of course.
@@billolsen4360 yes there was such a series…it was Canadian…you can google it to learn more
Douglas Adams had something to say about highways taking away people's land too
I'd let Earth be demolished in exchange for 2 Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters.
@@PoeRacing Why 2?
@@anklexpress2789 Because after two of those babies, the dullest, most by-the-book Vogon will be up on the bar in stilettos, yodeling mountain shanties and swearing he's the king of the Gray Binding Fiefdoms of Saxaquine.
@@PoeRacing I don’t know if I would want to see that.
In 1970 our family drove non stop from western Kentucky to Los Angeles via St Louis, KC, corn corn corn, Denver, Vegas, LA.
Took the southern I-10 route back home and took our time to see sights.
Best vaca ever.
Kind of weird that we ALL can be talking about a particular interstate and have MANY MANY different experiences from that SAME interstate because it is so long !
I-90 peeps where ya at?
I-75 gang rise up
@@polcyon hell yeah.
I look forward to all of your new videos but this channel is my favorite. Very nice work
You have clearly not seen business blaze. Allegedly.
@jeremy s. Semper Fi brother✊🏾
Here in North Carolina, Yankees driving down I-95 to Florida, pay $10 a pop to watch my brother wrestle his dog, he painted to look like an Alligator.
.....ahhh, and so the tradition continues. On the Dartmouth Fossil Expedition around 1941 on which my Dad was a member, there was a grizzly, bearded looking fellow budding geologist (from the east) among the group. Somewhere in the Dakota`s they had stopped and during the lay-over some tourists happened upon them and wanted a picture with a "real live mountain man". The "mountain man" obliged and they got their snapshot.
.... I'll give you $15 if it comes with a cold beer.
@@wrifraff Liquor license revoked after the 2nd person lost his arm. {0.o}
😂😂😂
This was an awesome summary! It's also interesting to look at the original plans and how the interstates are actually aligned now. An analysis on that and new interstates would be cool.
I live near Weed (1 valley to the west). It is a very interesting town, still recovering from a devastating fire a few years back that burned a lot of the town. It is named after its founder, Abner Weed, not marijuana. The Weed family (I think they are up to Abner VI now) is still around.
However, they lean HARD into the obvious joke. I have some friends that live there and I’ve spent some time there, all the gift shops lean into the marijuana jokes and stoner vibes
Fun facts about the interstate system
Odd numbered interstates run north-south with lower numbers in the west and higher numbers in the east.
Even numbered interstates run east-west with lower numbers in the south and higher numbers north.
In three digited interstates, if the prefix is an odd number it runs through a metropolitan area, while the even numbered ones run around the metropolitan area.
And generally the lower the prefix digit is, the closer in the metropolitan area it’ll take you. I/e 4XX will be further around than 2XX. And 1XX will be closer than 3XX and much closer than 5XX
Three digit numbers with an odd first digit are spur routes that run from their interstate route to an end or another different interstate. Even numbered first digits denote bypass or ring routes that will leave the 2 digit interstate and return to the same route, skirting a heavily traveled part of the main route.
Simon, you should review your speed limits. The highest one is in Texas at 85mph and others at 80. 70 mph is very common.
Good idea, would be cool to bring up speed traps too, which Texas is quite well known for them. One minute its 70 then 50 not a mile away its 80 and then down to 15, they really wanna give you tickets there
The 85mph speed limit is on a toll road not an interstate right? I don’t remember when it happened, but in the last several years most roads in Texas including the interstates bumped all the rural limits by 5mph making the majority 75 and a few spots 80.
@@NM-yu3fc Yes, that toll road isn't an interstate. However, it's fully compliant with interstate standards and seems new enough that it may be a pass only. Oklahoma also had it's turnpikes posted with +5 MPH compared to freeways for decades - that includes the portions of I-44 that are toll.
That explains why Texans die in so many car accidents!
@@jamesmeppler6375 Yeah... the speed limits go down when going through congested areas or town centers... It's not because it's a speed trap. It's because of safety.
I’m surprised you missed the main secondary purpose of the Interstate system, national security. One of the main reasons was to allow the movement of troops and military support services anywhere in the country. This is why many 1 mile straightaways were part of the routing, as potential runways for military aircraft in case of attack.
I'm so glad you guys did a video on this. I love to drive and I love the interstate system but nobody has videos on them. Like dropped!
The American Intracoastal Waterways are definitely a Megaproject
I love driving on the US Interstate with country music in the middle of the Texas plains
with a 6pack on your lap and your baby by your side :-)
Country music has been targeted for elimination, doncha know? Scads of fake profiles first started showing up years ago on myspace and friendster badmouthing that style of music, and it has continued to this day on other platforms.
Just imagine having the location of your car accident preserved for posterity on a Megaprojects video at 8:46
Excellent video as always Simon. In addition to your mention of the longest and busiest highways in the US Interstate System, I'd like to add that the widest is Interstate 10 in Houston in its section near Houston's Beltway 8.
You should have mentioned the movie Roger Rabbit and it's commentary on how the interstate system was going to change the public transportation system.
There are at least 3 sections of I405 that I know of. The most famous being LA, but Portland and Seattle both have interchanges called I405 as well.
3 digit interstates are designated as such because they start and end on (or near) the main interstate they are connected to
The 405 is not only physically the same freeway in LA as in Seattle, but in spirit as well. "Parking lot" isn't terminology referring exclusively to the la stretch.
I just searched one interchange for city skyline , now this is my feed
Excellent. Simon hit a home run with this video. When I was growing up, there was no Interstate system. Got out of the Navy, and took 66 from California back to the Midwest. Now the whole Country is connected, and we lived to see it happen.
Dont lie to me
@@johnredcorn2476 Are you still salty 'cause your wife's boyfriend beat your azz on Jerry Springer?
The 405 to the 101 is the saddest place in So Cal at rush hour
Calling it "rush" hour is definitely a misnomer... You're not rushing anywhere.
405, 210, and the 91 are a bitch around 4 or 5 in the afternoon
Rush hour? More like rush day... LA has traffic 24/7
@@lik7953 Nahhh it begins to clear up a little after 8pm.
@@parkerhughes434 the following day
Fun Fact the current cannonball record (Manhattan to Redondo Beach, California) is a blistering 25 hours and 39 minutes
@vinwiki will confirm
You have rapidly risen to the top of my favorite channels. Thanks for all you do. 👍🏾
Gorgeous video, thanks for the info
i like this Simon guy. thoughts on discussing the crumbling infrastruvture?
Good point!
Yea he reads other peoples scripts quite well. So do we like Simon or the people doing the real work?
Crumbling infrastructure would essentially bring up how the US is failing, I would definitely watch that episode
President Biden is going to make a video about America's crumbling infrastructure and help finance fixing and upgrading it to modern 21st century standards
Hey Simon, I live in Weed actually. Never did I think our town would pop up on one of your videos.
It was a big lumber town, now it’s all about that sweet, sweet marijuana
I live about an hour from Weed. As a kid when I lived in California we would visit my grandparents in Bend Oregon and every trip we stayed tye night in Weed. Great little town
Thank you Simon. I basically grew up on and with the interstate highways in the eastern half of the US, and I have lived a strange life because of it. This actually helped me see why some parts of my life are hard to remember. Travelling back and forth between Indiana and Florida and all the states in between always made me yearn for a stable home environment, one that I finally have now that I'm in my 40s. Strange how we're taught some very trivial shit in school "history" classes but the interstate and it's effects on us on a daily basis is never mentioned.
Your presentations, Simon, are just invaluable. Thank you.