Interstate 79
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Interstate 79 sweeps its way from central West Virginia through eastern Pennsylvania through lovely scenery and terrible control city signage. It's pretty cool! Control City Freak is updated weekly and covers every two digit Interstate Highway in America. I'll be showing control city signs on each 1 and 2 digit (2di) Interstate Highway in the continental United States and will strive to make as complete a record as possible. I'll also be getting into the roadgeek weeds here and there, showing downtown skylines and state border crossings, and making corny jokes. I welcome all to join my geeky tour of every primary Interstate in the country!
All images of roads and signs come from Google Street View unless otherwise specified.
The Interstate 79 Shield comes from Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.o...
Maps used in this video come from Google Maps www.google.com...
Music: Acoustic Sunrise, from the Apple iMovie sounds library
Airhorn Sound effect comes from Non-Copyright Air Horn Sound Effect • Non-Copyright Air Horn...
Control City Freak Episodes mentioned in this video:
Interstate 68 • Interstate 68
Interstate 70 West • Interstate 79
Interstate 64 West • Interstate 64 West
Interstate 76 Eastern • Interstate 76 Eastern
Interstate 77 South • Interstate 77 South
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Interstates, Interstate Highways, Control Cities, Signs, Roadsigns, highway nerdery, Interstate 79, I-79, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Charleston, Morgantown, Pittsburgh, Erie
As a Pittsburgh native I can lend the answer to the question on 279 being a spur now vs 376 being a loop. I-279 Used to be a loop and was shortened in the late 2000s when 376 was extended from the Fort Pitt Bridge over the former 279 routing to I-79 then over the old PA Route 60 up to I-80. The I-79 exit for 376 is the original end of I-279. They never re-numbered but they should have. I-476 out east is also curiously a giant long spur route from the turnpike up to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. What can I say... PennDOT's always been a mess. 😂
476 used to just be the Blue Route section from the Turnpike down to I-95. North of that, the Northeast Extension used to be PA-9 up until the mid-90s, when PennDOT decided it made sense to have that be an interstate. At which point, it just made sense to reuse the I-476 number, since it was right there anyway. It is admittedly weird how it turned out, tho.
To be fair, the interstates in and near Pittsburgh have been renumbered so much that simply extending 376 and truncating 279 was probably the best solution.
Should they have been renumbered? Ideally, yes. But I also understand why perhaps they didn’t.
Thanks, great info!
Good to know. Usually they tend to keep from changing the numbers of highways too much so as to not confuse drivers.
PA and the Pittsburgh Int'l Airport wanted an interstate to run past the airport. (The route was then PA 60.) So I-376 was extended westward from intown Pittsburgh, and I-279 South was truncated to I-376 West's former ending.
I find it amazing you post this on the same day as The Backyard Brawl. Let's Go Mountaineers!!!
I know! Huge miss on my part there
Hot take: On northbound, I think you could skip Morgantown and sign Pittsburgh since it’s not that far from Charleston. Or co-sign them. Southbound, Morgantown is fine since Charleston isn’t that much bigger.
I'm taking a trip from Las Vegas, New Mexico to Washington, PA. I am blessed by control city Gods
Don't get lost in Limon.
Be sure to grab some IHop in Limon along the way.
Less famous picks
@@spellcast1391 It was a joke.
@@mxderate I know but LVNM and Washington Pa are the less famous versions of famous cities. Nashville Illinois makes a great stop
Just stopped by to say it's awesome that I-79 got posted on the day West Virginia-Pitt is finally back, but I see I'm not the only one with that observation. Funny how things work out sometimes.
In the late 70s, my dad and I used to drive yearly from our home in the DC area to eastern KY. We drove much of I-79 stretch between Morgantown and Charlestown when it was just opened, it was one of the last stretches of 79 to be finished.
There actually is an “End 79” sign going south. For some reason, it’s about a mile and a half before the
I-77 interchange. Also, Exit 1 is at Mile 2 and there’s no exit number for 77. So there’s a few interesting things at the end of I-79 going south
Oh cool! Pretty weird to have an end sign so early.
and Google Maps confirms the location of the sign for End I-79 ...... weird AF indeed.
Actually Interstates 79 ends before Charleston. It is reflected in the mileage signs. Going south out of Weston which is exit 99 you see a sign that says Charleston over 100 miles.
I'm really late to the party here, but Erie area native here...
Couple of trivia things.
1. Starting SB on the Bayfront Pkwy it isn't Lake Erie off to the right, that is Presque Isle Bay. The lake is on the other side of Presque Isle State Park. There is a channel between the two.
2. 79's northern terminus used to be just north of US 20 (26th St). It used to dump out onto 18th St and extended to 12th St (PA 5) in the 1980s where 79 would end by dumping you onto W 12th St.
3. The Bayfront Parkway/Connector now connects 79 and 90 through Erie's east side and eastern suburbs. However, PennDOT created PA 290 as a preferred route and runs concurrently with PA 5 and PA 430 since 12th St within Erie's city limits is a wider road with lights timed for faster speeds.
Would love to eventually see a US 6 video including 6N in PA. I think I still remember US 6's former route in California.
Will definitely get to 6 at some point
Love the West Virginia scenery 👍
Agreed. The signage though...
negatory amigo
I-79 means one thing: I-80 is next. I look forward to your commentary on the New York City signs in Ohio, but vanish in PA.
Right
80s gonna be wild. Most slides of any video I’ve done and it’s not close
Wait for i-90 and that's will be a doozy as well
@@ControlCityFreak I think 90 may be more.
And then once 95 comes, that will be a long one, with all of the cities.
I'll always remember Fairmont as the home of Mary Lou Retton when she was in the 1984 Olympics. That's about it.
Oh didn’t know that, that’s something!
That's right. I almost forgot about that.
I have a theory about WV control cities: By signing places people have never heard of, people are gonna look up these places and be like "wow this place looks nice", then maybe they go grab coffee there or lunch, and if it's good then they come back, and tell their friends, and boom, tourism is rampant in WV
Is this a stretch? Is it working? Maybe, but I don't think they're being provincial because theyd only sign their big cities
Fairmont and Clarksburg and Bluefield are big? I think they’re being pretty provincial. And why not sign Morgantown from Charleston? It’s still in WV and it’s probably way more likely to impress visitors.
@@ControlCityFreak I mean, by WV standards, Fairmont and Clarksburg are pretty big, as is Bluefield. I definitely think those are all bad choices, but I could see travelers wanting a smaller city, because it's known that WV is small, and so even Morgantown is pretty small, so they may be more likely to check it out, or at least look it up, try some food that looks good there, etc. I can attest from my experience some of the best food comes from the middle of nowhere places you'd least expect!
I think that the reason they sign places like Washington, PA or Lake City, FL is that they are near the junction of two interstates. Washington PA is the junction of I-70 and I-79. New Stanton is the junction of I-70 and I-76. Lake City, FL is the junction of I-75 and I-10.
Being from both Pa and Florida that's what the towns mean to me. But at the Penn Lincoln Parkway ( I 376 ) it says Erie which is fine for me. Doesn't mention Cranberry Township for the Turnpike or Slippery Rock for 80.
That’s exactly why. Same with Tomah Wisconsin(population 9,000) is the junction between I-90 and I-94. It’s their claim to fame. Albert Lea, MN is another one(I-35 and I-90 junction).
Yeah, but they still shouldn't be signed.
Watching this makes me homesick….from Weston…love seeing road signs for Clarksburg, Fairmont, Morgantown…
79!
My old hometown’s 2-digit interstate! Yeah!
Woot!
Clarion! Sharon! I love how they took time to boldface the C and the S as a way to highlight the unappreciated importance of these towns. :-;
Lol
CLARION and SHARON are prob worse control cities than LIMON!!! or LYMAN as in I-80 terms! It should be New York City from Youngstown, although i would argue would be better to sign New York City at the junction with I-76 or as early as the I-90 split.
Clarion has a University, so at least it would have some people looking for it.. No idea about Sharon.. Those signs look photoshopped. I'm from just south of Clarion in PA, but have never been there
@@Wish667 clarion is a decently large vacation spot for Pittsburgh and i80 in pa goes through absolutely nothing. Sharon is just the last city before Ohio lol
Next Week is the one we're all looking forward to!!
8 x 10 baby!!!!
@@langstonreese7077 or 79 + 1
I've been waiting for this one, as someone who lives in NW PA this was as close to my local interstate you'd get to cover. I learned how to highway drive on this one lol. I know the road well from Pittsburgh to Erie so there's a few things I have to say about I79's northern route.
In the southern end of Crawford county right after the Meadville/US322 exit the road crosses the Geneva swamp and gets close to 19 before another exit. When they constructed the bridge they couldn't find bottom so the interstate basically 'floats' in that area. Also a bit further south near the US 422 exit in Butler county is a ghost exit on NB 79 that used to connect to a boy scout camp directly, presumably for Pittsburgh traffic.
I279 takes you into downtown Pittsburgh but also takes you to the worst interchange in the entire country imo. You've probably seen the meme of it honestly, its a multi-lane bridge where you have to make a turn but if you're not prepared it creates a fuster cluck.
Also I'll defend signing the turnpike to Youngstown instead of Cleveland in NW PA since a lot of traffic goes solely between Youngstown and Pittsburgh daily. I'd wager that the city of Youngstown and Pittsburgh have a closer economic and human tie to them than Ytown does with Cleveland honestly. But that is my opinion, I can't wait to see the 80 video and your take on the stretch from the 76 interchange in Ohio and the PA stretch. The bridge over the Allegheny River in Venango county offers great views.
It's cool that someone else knows about the swamp before the Cochranton Geneva Exit.
@@roadgeek1961 I grew up in Jamestown by Pymatuning so that’s local to me. I also worked for Pendott a few summers so they showed me all the neat things around here
@@dylanlowers5236 I'm Originally from North East we heard about it. It's strange to see like Telephone poles as Bridge piers .
Great info, thanks!
@@roadgeek1961 I’m quite familiar with it, too.
They do sign Pittsburgh in Weirton on US 22.
Is your "fun stuff" with I80 saying Sharon going to be an imitation of the Ozzy "SHARRRRRROOOOOOOONNN!" yell?
Yeah. And all the other cities. (DuBois, Mercer, Bloomsburg, Clarion, many more.)
Fairmont, West Virginia’s Limon
Lol
I have fond memories of driving I-79 to see August is Falling in Pittsburgh, I was so hyped for the concert and it was great driving through the Appalachians blasting AiF.
I-79 parallels US 119 from Charleston, WV to Morgantown, WV and US 19 from southern Braxton County, WV to Erie, PA.
Yeah I like how lots of US highways are concurrent with other Interstates. However, I don't think they deserve to be equally billed. I think the Interstate shield should be bigger than the US shield and the Interstate control city should be in a bigger font than the US highway control city.
At least your 9th video like and 11th video comment. Good morning! Honestly, I came across your channel months ago because of the views as I was trying to find channels that like you drove the entire interstates but filmed it.
Route 80 is so long though PA that you almost have to have small cities as control cities. Drivers will be driving for hours in PA traveling across pa. So its nice to know when you are aboit to and how long until you are gonna be in PA for. It actually makes sense
Knowing the distance to Clarion or Dubois in know way helps any normie, who would have no idea where those cities are in relation to PA as a whole. People know where New York is, so milage to it would actually be useful.
We will get to see the Welcome to West Virginia sign on I-81, so 79 isn’t the last time
D’oh! Forgot about that part
D’oh!
I-81 is also gonna be another 2-part video after 80 is done. It’s a long North-South interstate.
@@ControlCityFreak it’s a very short part of 81 In West Virginia, so fairly easy to miss, just like how 70 only hits the northern panhandle, only about 20 miles or so of 81 are in WV.
@@ianp1745 And there are no major junctions on I-81 in WV.
Both Clarion(University) and Sharon(Penn State) are college towns. Peaople actually go there.
Going northbound, I sort of understand Clarksburg as a control city. There's a somewhat major airport, US 50 takes people toward D.C., and by WV standards it's a fairly large town.
I agree, Clarksburg is a big junction and many people know it when they come on US-50.
Yeah, but Morgantown is much more well known and much more important. (University, Interstate Junction, bigger)
US junction aren't the way to go. Do not learn from NM.
@@mxderate suprised NM wasn’t the worst Southwest state in Todd’s video. they don’t do well with them.
But then, Limon, Julesburg, and other bad CO cities aren’t great.
@@spellcast1391 Limon is okay going eastbound but westbound it’s not as good
Honestly, I don't see why they don't extend 79 south to Knoxville, Tennessee from Charleston. It could follow the existing US. 119 to Pineville, KY. and then follow US. 25E to just passed Harrogate, TN. and make it's own way to Knoxville from there. Just and idea.
Yay you finally did my closest highway! 1: The I-80 signs are not just horrid control cities, but also the font on those signs is all messed up. Hate those signs... 2. One reason for avoiding Charleston as a control city possibly is that a good bit of 79 traffic southbound splits south on US 19 to Beckley which is mostly highway to the turnpike? I wonder if that's why they sign Weston since that's the last *cough* major *cough* city before that split?
I'm glad someone else noticed those awful fonts on the "I-80 Sharon" and "I-80 Clarion" signs, and seems at least as bothered by them as I always am when I drive through there!😂
Those signs and cities suck. Clarion is the Limon of Pennsylvania. Sharon has a junction, ofc it’s not useful going westbound from I-79
The combined population is less than 20,000 people
@@spellcast1391 Back in the day Sharon used to be more important, but you’re right. I’m of the belief that 80W should be signed for Youngstown but I’m sure Todd will have some disagreements there in the next video lol.
But you’re right, if you would need to go west on 80 from south by Pittsburgh, then you’d take 76W or 376W to 80 in that Sharon interchange, hell even US 422 in New Castle/Butler area would take you there.
I also don’t really think you’d need to go all the way up 79 to 80 to go East either since you could drive up PA 28 or just go on 422 E to Altoona then go up I99 if you’re going east towards NYC. Most would probably just take the PennPike until they got to the Philly area but I’m not familiar with eastern Pa as well.
So yeah, 80 is pretty irrelevant for NB 79 traffic except for local drivers who would likely know where Sharon and Clarion are. SB 79 is a similar story since you could just take I90, US 20, US 6, or US 322 to get to Cleveland. If you want to get to Youngstown from that area then you could go 79-80 or take 90 to Ashtabula then shoot down OH 11. If you’re going east then going down to 80 would make sense but if you’re already in Erie then you might be better off taking I 86 or 90 if you’re trying to get to NYC but again I’m not too familiar with eastern upstate NY
@@dylanlowers5236 I-90 doesn’t go to New York City. And overall, I-90 is much better signed
Not a fan of either West Virginia or Pittsburgh but what I can tell you is that college football rivalries often lead to emotional based decisions that people will stick by for generations regardless if that rivalry still exists or not.
True. Also in hoops, I feel like my Jayhawks winning the 2022 chip would have come with an asterisk if we'd somehow lost to Missouri in the regular season (in our first meeting in a decade).
We still have a little bit of West Virginia left.
Yep I-81 enters it a for a few miles then we will be done with WV. I have been on that part of I-81 it enters 4 states in less than 50 miles. They are PA,MD,WV and VA.
@@dvferyance Yeah I-81 is cool. Longest X1 Interstate I believe. (I-11 will soon challenge I-81 for that title)
Sharon - Rust Belt City (I’m from there!)
Clarion… only thing there is a university.
West: Cleveland
East: New York City
That's how it should be.
I've never been on I 79, hopefully one day I will go on I 79, it looks like a Beautiful Interstate. As is every other West Virginia Interstate.
79 is a great drive. Have been on all of it except the portion between I-77 and Corridor L (US-19).
I have been on it from Erie to the Pa Turnpike.
Better to drive through West Virginia and enjoy the scenery along the way than to stop ANYWHERE in the state!
It's a beautiful drive. I've been on it from the southern terminus to Pittsburgh.
I've driven I 79 between 70 & 77, it's the most beautiful drive EVER, especially in the beginning of autumn
I am EXCITED for the I-80 Video! We’re only one Interstate away!! Take your time on it though.
I’m stoked!
"And we have 68 (Bm bmbmbmbm) 😂😆
They put Washington on the sign because that’s where 79 hits I 70.
You still have I-81 for West Virginia
D’oh!
Yep. Just a little bit though.
Brief history on I 79 and Corridor L ( US 19) West Virginia. Construction started around 1968 between Morgantown and Fairmont Most of I 79 was constructed around 1974 and finished 1977. The first 9 miles I 77 to Exit 9 Finished in 1979.
Pennsylvania, I 79 was a pre Interstate planned Turnpike like most Interstates in Pennsylvania. From cranberry Township to what would be future I 90. From Cranberry Township south around 1953 it was added. In 1965 around Zeleinople basically started working north. Around 1970 in the Conneaut swamp area a problem with the piers not hitting bottom, the piers were made with a telephone pole material.. The last sections mile 1 to 7 completed in 1976. Neville Island exit 76 to Cranberry Township exit 78 in 1976. and the last section West 26th to West 12th in Erie 1984.
Thanks, great info!
You should've mentioned the S curves in the Pittsburgh area.
The Pittsburgh thing, I 79 was supposed to be on the current Parkway North corridor, Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnels then Parkway West current I 376. The mainline was switched to the current I 79 bypassing in 1972..My theory is coming from the Parkway North to the Ft Pitt Bridge right Two Lane to left 2 lane difficult during rush hour . the Tunnels are usually backed up.. Simular story in the Tampa Bay area with I 275 and I 75. Howard Franklin Bridge
There used to be a Pittsburgh 70 miles as the third city on the sign Northbound I-79 just North of Exit 155 in Monongalia County, WV. Not sure when they took it down or why. Now it's Mt. Morris, Waynesburg, Washington on the new sign.
Oh for sure, definitely agree with that. Not sure if a random small town on an overhead makes someone more likely to get off the freeway tho, especially when it meansvv driving into town past the ubiquitous chains at the actual off ramps.
Because Clarksburg is where you can access US 50, a major historic highway
The way it should be:
North:
Pittsburgh
Erie
South:
Pittsburgh
Morgantown
Charleston
I'd add Morgantown going north.
Waynesburg is slightly smaller than the town ( Borough) where i come from and its signed. When I 79 approaches I 90 the control city is Buffalo which it should be . Erie metro ( Erie county) 250 k. Historic, battle of Lake Erie. Presque Island a popular state park and beach for Pittsburghers.
My control cities on 79
South ... PITTSBURGH, MORGANTOWN, CLARKSBURG, CHARLESTON, HUNTINGTON*
*- 79 curves to the west before merging onto 64, kind of a stretch though
North ... CLARKSBURG, MORGANTOWN, PITTSBURGH, ERIE, BUFFALO*
*- Another stretch, but if you wanted to go to Cleveland, you would've gotten off on I-80, US 6, 322, 422
Clarksburg, meh. Would be a fine secondary.
Interstate 79 does not go through Pittsburgh City, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
I think they sign Youngstown OH instead of Cleveland for 76 & Turnpike because 76 concurrent with the turnpike doesn't go into Cleveland. Youngstown is where I-80 & I-76 switch.
True, but Cleveland is far bigger and more well known and more likely to be where traffic is actually heading, and to get there you don't even exit onto 80, the pavement you're already on stays the same.
My theory, Ithink the majority of the off signage is there for truckers. They all seem to be at areas of industry or Us or state routes
Yeah but my OCD can't handle those signs lol.
Every place has something though. If you sign ‘em all it’s no more helpful than signing none.
@@ControlCityFreak Exactly. Cleveland and New York City is enough.
3:39 I totally agree Todd, nobody is gong East then west on turnpike to the small town of new Stanton!
77 north should be signed to Cleveland when it splits from 79
Others have already commented on the 279/376 history, so I'll just tell a story about 1:55. Many years ago, I was a volunteer for an event and was selling raffle tickets. People would fill out their information on the stub and one lady put Jane Lew, WV. I commented on the fact that I had seen Jane Lew on the highway signs. She said, "Well, we just call it Jane Stinkin' Lew!"
lol
I-79 in western Pennsylvania is my neck of the woods, near the I-80 interchange! I’m quite familiar with those train wreck control cities! 😂
lol
Same here
I feel like Fairmont and Clarksburg are used as control cities due to the fact they are in the top 10 most populous cities in West Virginia
Top 10 most populous city in a state is hardly a reasonable standard. Anaheim is the 10th biggest city in CA, Plano is the 9th biggest city in TX, both are far more populous than any WV city and neither are control cities.
West Virginia isn't a populous place though.
@@mxderate All the more so then. The only slam dunk easy picks are Charleston and Morgantown, and the only other ones that are arguably ok are Huntington, Wheeling, and Beckley (southbound only)
@@ControlCityFreak True. I'm iffy on Beckley but the other two are good control cities despite being small.
If Fairmont and Clarksburg were among the top 10 largest cities in another, more populous state (California, Texas, etc.), then I'd 100% be okay with it. But since its not, they 100% need to be skipped.
I mean Sharon is a part of Youngstown lol
PA-5 is a western extension of, ultimately, New England Interstate Route 5 (which hasn't been signed since the late 1920s when the US highways came on the scene). In Massachusetts, NEI-5 basically became US-20. New York extended the New England routes to the Hudson and then extended 5 west along the New York Central RR's "Water Level Route" (and put US-20 on a more southern/inland and rural route than 5) and Pennsylvania elected to continue the NY numbering almost to the Ohio line.
Great info!
Mod's the way it should be:
(NORTH): Morgantown, Pittsburgh, Erie
(SOUTH): Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Morgantown, Charleston
Solid
Thinking about it I'm fine with Wheeling but at the same time I wouldn't be upset to see Columbus on there because Columbus isn't that far down the road from Wheeling anyway.
Otherwise this looks pretty good.
@@DMAN_2314 Yeah I'm okay with Columbus as well. I just think it should be Wheeling because I-70 is already signed for Wheeling. I like to stay consistent with control cities. Though I do like monkey wrenches every once in a while. For example, the mileage signs on 75 SB after Toledo.
Anyways, back on topic, I think it would be cool to have some mileage signs have Columbus on the bottom line along 79 SB and 70 WB. However, I think Wheeling is fine as a primary.
Wheeling is a half-hour off the I-79 corridor. It makes no sense as a control city for I-79. Either do Washington, PA or jump to Morgantown.
@@BitmappedWV LA is not on I-40 nor I-15, yet both Arizona and Nevada still sign Los Angeles on both those roads. Chicago is signed on I-65, Vancouver BC is signed on I-5, Boston and NYC are signed on I-84 Eastern, and both Phoenix and Tucson are signed on I-8.
Can’t wait for 80 and 90! 90 is my favorite!!
Gonna be awesome!
You may have not noticed, but I rebranded my channel. (you may know me as Moderate Railfan)
Also, great work! Road to 4k subs!
Awesome!
HYPE next week is I-80 one of big ones! Also what is up with that font they used for the I-80 interchange?
It actually looks like the regular font but _massively_ mangled in a few different ways. They must've given that job to the intern...
That font made me cringe 😂
CAN'T WAIT FOR I-80!!! This is going to be great!!!
I'm excited!
Fairmont the Limon of West Virginia
I-79 south control cities ... Pittsburgh, Morgantown, Clarksburg, Charieston
I-79 north ... Clarksburg, Morgantown, Pittsburgh, Erie
The way I think it should be
NORTH: Morgantown
Pittsburgh
Erie
SOUTH: Pittsburgh
Morgantown
Charleston WV
Being near the airport doesn't put Washington PA in the greater Pittsburgh area; the airport is 10 miles past bumblefuck. If someone told me it's closer to Youngstown than Pittsburgh I'd probably believe them.
5:22 I literally drove I-79 in June and thought, "Well, I know what photo he's using to preview I-80..."
Lol
That ugly sign- Todd found it
It’s not a good signed road in PA. I’ve never driven it before. ProvinciAl cities galore!
@@spellcast1391 At least Ohio makes there mileage after Youngstown count. New York City should've been signed from Youngstown.
Top 5 worst DOTs:
5. West Virginia
4. Colorado
3. Wyoming
2. Pennsylvania
1. New Mexico
Honorable mention to AASHTO as well for doing a bad job as well.
Corridor L US 19 Conversion to controlled access Highway. I 77 , I 64 to US 60 1977 with the completion of the New River Bridge. In the 2000s US 60 to I 79 .
Currently in Maine now on my I-95 Google maps road trip and 95 is signed pretty well!
Nice!
But southbound...
For the I-80 junction, it really should say Cleveland and New York City.
Yes
PennDOT just wants to sign their cities though!
@@highway2heaven91 Yep. They care about signing an in-state city that nobody's heard of rather than an out-of-state city that everyone's heard of, NYC, and what most people have heard of, Cleveland.
Ohio uses Youngstown out of Cleveland, not NYC. It wants to sign its own city, but then at the I-680 split, they do use New York City. I like that about Ohio. Marietta is the only bad city that Ohio does.
@@mxderate heard of both of those cities. Cleveland and New York City.
My family and I take I-79 almost every year to go from Buffalo to Greensboro NC, we get on from Erie, PA and get off at HWY 19 Mountaineer Expressway.
Nice!
I grew up in northwestern PA and I am going to be laughing when you have a meltdown with the dumpster fire of I80 control cities in PA
Gonna be fun!
What part of NW PA?
Wait until you see the Wyoming and Nebraska signage for I-80.
@@TimEssDub Nebraska ain't too bad. Wyoming is gonna suck though.
Sharon is a suburb of Youngstown
That makes Sharon an even dumber choice than it already is.
Can't wait for the I-80 videos! 😅
Gonna be awesome!
So excited for I-80
Gonna be awesome!
Agreed.
People know what Clarksburg is in WV. Granted, Morgantown can be signed, but still Clarksburg is one of the better cities in WV to live.
Yeah but Morgantown is much more well known and much more important.
Clarksburg because of US 50. I have family near Clarksburg
I’m so excited for I-80 next week :)
Gonna be cool!
It feels almost like Pennsylvania was more willing to sign Erie than Pittsburgh.
Yeah PA is all over the place.
West Virginia Morgantown is like State College is to Pennsylvania, Gainesville is to Florida. Morgantown is Slightly larger than Fairmont, Fairmont is Larger than Clarksburg similar sized Towns. Morgantown is like 68 miles from Pittsburgh. Washington is considered Pittsburgh metro.
Facts.
5:27 HAHA! LOL
I-279 is a spur of I-79 while I-376 is weird and it meets I-76 Eastern twice. Let's get a flashback in the late '50s as the interstates were constructed. For the misinformation I said, correct me if I'm wrong.:
Back in 1958, I-279 was once signed as today's I-79 when I-79 was about to travel through Pittsburgh, but was cancelled while I-279 was signed to bypass west of Pittsburgh. Until 1972, I-79 and I-279 swapped places as I-79 bypasses Pittsburgh while I-279 becomes a business spur route to Pittsburgh. I-376 was extended to meet with I-76 Eastern and end with I-80 near Hermitage, PA in the Mahoning Valley since 2009.
Great info, thanks!
Todd, for me, I can put it simple to sign cities for I-79 as follows.:
Northbound I-79:
•Morgantown, WV
-Washington, PA | •Pittsburgh (I can tell that Wasington, PA is a satellite of Pittsburgh and I'm okay to sign it as a secondary over a primary as long as it's part of Greater Pittsburgh.)
•Pittsburgh
•Erie, PA
Southbound I-79:
•Pittsburgh
-Washington, PA (Just sign that instead of Wheeling and Columbus as long as it's Pittsburgh's largest satellite city.)
•Morgantown, WV
•Charleston, WV
Solid
I'm sure politics plays a role in what cities and towns get control city placement. Politician A wants to promote his town of 5000 that's along the interstate and wants the recognition for doing so and then makes whatever political maneuvers needed to make that happen. As a truck driver, I just view the small town control cities not as destinations because obviously they're not, but as waypoints/checkpoints to break up the monotony of a long drive.
You’re probably right
Great video Todd. Good recap throughout. Being from Erie, 79 was always our road to the south. If we wanted to go to Charlotte or points south down to Florida, it was always 79 to route 19. I think that's why Beckley is called out so much on other interstates in West Virginia. I always thought once I got to Beckley I was close to the south. West Virginia took forever it seemed to get to that point. I do have thoughts on what you see on 80 in PA. I'll share those when you drop that video.
Thanks!
5:52 Ah, so PennDOT is capable of signing Cleveland after all!
Right?
Why would you sing it for I-76 when it does not go there? You can sign Akron but Cleveland makes no sense.
@@dvferyance agree. Would use Youngstown or Akron for I-76, and for I-80 I would use Youngstown or Cleveland. They did a great job on I-90. That’s nice. I think I-90 will be one of the best signed interstates. Except for you, Albert Lea(but what else goes there). I’d use Rochester MN. Have to have the MN in there because of Rochester NY which I-90 also serves that area(i heard NY skips it and goes to Albany, which is less than half the size of it)
They did it for I-90 because it actually goes into Downtown Cleveland. If not, then PennDot gets VERY provincial and sign small towns(Clarion) instead
@@dvferyance The turnpike goes there, and it is much bigger than Akron. Kind of like a Los Angeles situation on I-15.
Plus, Ohio even signs it for Cleveland.
I can't wait for I-80... soooo close!!!
Around the corner!
I like 79
It’s cool!
Question: do we think 79 should be extended to Kingsport, Tennessee?
Team Sheets winning on lead filled shoes...seriously steel toed shoes would be a huge advantage
I'm excited for I-80! :)
As am I!
Us 6 follows interstate 80 for most of its route in rural parts of states interstate 80 goes over the former us 6 route.
You mean 90? US 6 only gets close to 80 in Cleveland I believe, but it’s relatively close to 90 in NW PA, even if you don’t count 6N
I think he’s referring to the Midwest.
@@RFE812 after all the interstate he wants to review,he should do the us highways
I-79, the I-39 of West Virginia!
Also I-59.
@@mxderate That works also considering how bad both interstates were signed.
@@markwilson4078 Yeah and they both are X9 roads and they both go diagonal.
1:16 - I like these two cities on the sign together, because they rhyme .. almost.
These two cities are both at the junction with US-50 (50 is a 'major' US-route)
can’t wait for I-80
Gonna be awesome!
What happens when you run out of interstate videos dude? Are you going to do us routes?
Hawaii Interstates, 3-digit Interstates, US Highways, and highways in Canada I believe.
@@mxderate I would like to see him cover the Ontario 400 routes and the Autoroutes Quebecois.
@@TimEssDub Same. Trans-Canada highway 1 and 16 as well.
My “The Way It Should Be”
North: Pittsburgh, Erie
South: Pittsburgh, Charleston
Hope no one gets mad that I didn’t include Morgantown although it is arguable. I just think that Major cities should be used whenever possible as primaries since they are the cities that out-of-towers would be most familiar with. Morgantown and Washington PA would make great Secondaries though 🙂
Update: After some research, I’m willing to make Morgantown the primary on I-79 as it is a big city (by WV standards) with a University and has an Interstate junction.
Solid, but I’d include Morgantown for sure
I think PA would prefer you sign Washington Pa instead of Charleston
Morgantown is fairly well known, has an Interstate junction, and has a big university. I'd include Morgantown 100%.
@@ControlCityFreak Same.
@@mxderate I would use Morgantown for sure. Pittsburgh is too far from Charleston, and WV should sign something within its borders. Morgantown is about 30,000 people so it’s not that big and it has the I-68 junction to Cumberland and via I-70 to Baltimore/Washington DC
You have to know how to read a road Atlas to understand this
Not really...
5:22 Sharon? Seriously? They couldn't use Youngstown at the very least, if not Cleveland, like they did for I-76 near Pittsburgh? I get there's not much on I-80 east, it bypasses popular cities like St. College and Wilkes Barre, but NYC should be the control city at least at that interchange. So have fun with that the next couple weeks. But at least they get it right at I-90. P.S. The only Sharon I'm familiar with is Ozzy's wife. Not some town near the Ohio state line.
Lol
Sharon USED to have 70k people a long time ago.. long before the steel industry went away. Also, since I-80 in PA is the Z. H. Confair memorial highway (The State Senator wanted a highway from Sharon to Stroudsburg)
If there's nothing out there for the next few hundred miles, sign the next big city no matter how far it is. And if there's nothing for the rest of its route, then sign it for the control city on the highway that it ends at.