Highest traffic counts in your city?

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Dariusb

I wonder what is the traffic counts on I-10 in Baton Rouge? Seems like every time I pass through there, it's almost at a standstill.

Oh yeah, it's hell there. Just before you get hit the bridge (eastbound) and about to where 10 and 12 split off.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Yes, apart from SF-Sacramento, Chicago-Milwaukee is one of the few corridors where his argument actually applies. Otherwise, it's not common for traffic between major cities to have that kind of intensity.

I don't know what the traffic is like between Chicago and Milwaukee, but it is absolutely awful between SF and Sacramento at various choke points just about every day during drive times. This was a screenshot map I took a year ago on a typical wednesday at 4:30pm

Im pretty sure the traffic between LA and SD is pretty intense the whole way. There's only one (or 2) routes connecting them.

[spoonman]

Couple San Diego numbers

15@MIRAMAR/ POMERADO ROAD 312,000
5@DEL MAR HEIGHTS ROAD  266,000
8@SAN DIEGO, WARING ROAD  254,000
805@JCT. RTE. 54 267,000

[Handro]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Yes, apart from SF-Sacramento, Chicago-Milwaukee is one of the few corridors where his argument actually applies. Otherwise, it's not common for traffic between major cities to have that kind of intensity.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/]

Chicago to Milwaukee is not that bad. It's terrible during rush hour until you get outside of Chicagoland, then it eases up for a while before starting with the Milwaukee traffic. There is definitely a respite, unless there is an accident or inclement weather or something.

Baltimore-DC can get pretty bad.

[iheartthed]

A couple other close proximity cities with major traffic:

NYC-Philadelphia (~90 miles)
Philadelphia-Baltimore (~100 miles)

[edale]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Most major cities arent 90 miles apart tho.

Depends on which part of the country you're talking about. Indianapolis, Columbus, and Louisville are all about 90 miles from Cincy. Tampa to Orlando is less than 90 miles. Baltimore is just over 90 miles from Philly and much closer (obviously) to DC.

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Most major cities arent 90 miles apart tho.

Your point?

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by edale

Depends on which part of the country you're talking about. Indianapolis, Columbus, and Louisville are all about 90 miles from Cincy. Tampa to Orlando is less than 90 miles. Baltimore is just over 90 miles from Philly and much closer (obviously) to DC.

Yeah not sure where he was going with that. NYC to Philly, Chicago to Milwaukee, San Antonio to Austin (actually less), the ones you noted, etc., etc.

[edale]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

This discussion made me think about Metro Parkway, which is the same road class as Telegraph Rd. and 8 Mile Rd. I don't think there is really a "parkway" concept in Michigan. OTOH, "drives" in NYC are often used to refer to large streets or quasi-freeways, whereas a "drive" in Michigan is usually something resembling a scenic, winding boulevard.

Interesting. Cincinnati has several parkways. Some are more or less just wider surface streets:

Victory Parkway:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1321...7i16384!8i8192

Central Parkway:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1078...7i16384!8i8192

While Columbia Parkway is more of an old freeway, like the examples posted from DC and NYC:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1180...7i16384!8i8192

Los Angeles also has a parkway like this- the Arroyo Seco Parkway:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1120...7i16384!8i8192

[JAYNYC]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

Yes, apart from SF-Sacramento, Chicago-Milwaukee is one of the few corridors where his argument actually applies. Otherwise, it's not common for traffic between major cities to have that kind of intensity.

Yeah, I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you're not familiar with the 75 mile drive down/up I-35 between San Antonio and Austin. Gridlock through several stretches of that route in each direction 7 days of the week.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Handro

Chicago to Milwaukee is not that bad. It's terrible during rush hour until you get outside of Chicagoland, then it eases up for a while before starting with the Milwaukee traffic. There is definitely a respite, unless there is an accident or inclement weather or something.

that's thanks in large part to WisDOT 6-laning I-94 a while ago.

now that they're upgrading I-94 yet again to 8 lanes, the increased capacity should reasonably keep up with increased demand for some time through SE wisconsin.

the northern illinois portion can only get worse as time goes on because i don't think there are any plans to upgrade the northern portion of tri-state to 10+ lanes anytime soon.

although, the northern tri-state isn't typically horrible, barring accidents/weather.

[chris08876]

Washington DC is quite bad. A lot of road construction when I was last there. Seemed like a standstill around 6 pm on a Sunday.

The area around greenbelt (I believe the Balt-Wash Parkway if I'm thinking of the same highway) near where NASA and the NSA employee entrances are was chock full of it. It also has a 55 mph speed limit.

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Your point?

You said that traffic between SF and Sacramento isnt heavier than what finds between any 2 major cities and that is just incorrect.

We've seen a few examples in this thread but it's not normal. Usually that level of traffic breaks betweem major cities because they arent usually that close.

I didnt think that required an explanation.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Washington DC is quite bad. A lot of road construction when I was last there. Seemed like a standstill around 6 pm on a Sunday.

The area around greenbelt (I believe the Balt-Wash Parkway if I'm thinking of the same highway) near where NASA and the NSA employee entrances are was chock full of it. It also has a 55 mph speed limit.

I know exactly where you're talking about. Don't remember the freeway but I recall passing NASA and the NSA and traffic was at a standstill. And then again on I-395 as you cross the bridge into VA. You get a real good look at the Pentagon because you're going to be sitting there staring at it a while...

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Yeah, I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you're not familiar with the 75 mile drive down/up I-35 between San Antonio and Austin. Gridlock through several stretches of that route in each direction 7 days of the week.

I did that a few months ago actually. It was a breeze compared to SF-Sac.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Originally Posted by edale

Interesting. Cincinnati has several parkways. Some are more or less just wider surface streets:

While Columbia Parkway is more of an old freeway, like the examples posted from DC and NYC:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1180...7i16384!8i8192

Los Angeles also has a parkway like this- the Arroyo Seco Parkway:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1120...7i16384!8i8192

The 110 north of Downtown LA (Arroyo Seco) for some reason reminds me of Columbia Parkway. I know there's probably very few similarities between the two other than being constructed in the 1930s and 40s, but they feel like they share a kinship of sorts? They're obviously both parkways but that stretch of the 110 is considered by many to be one of the first freeways in the United States, IIRC?

[craigs]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Wow. Never seen >400,000 before.

The Caltrans website you linked to lists the volume of vehicles on the 60 at Fairway Drive, City of Industry, at 461,000. That's almost certainly the busiest stretch of freeway in California.

[jtown,man]

Took me 3 hours last week to go from Dulles International to Stafford, Va. Just for references, the Dulles to Norfolk, Va trip with zero traffic is at just about 3 hours.

I honestly don't know how people deal with that type of traffic, in any situation.

If you live in the burbs and have to deal with it all the time, that SUCKS. You have to deal with it for EVERYTHING you do, like to get milk, go to work, get some food, or see a friend.

If you live in the city you have to deal with the traffic and all the pains of having a car in the city.

In short, having a car seems like a terrible decision to make in some select metros.

[chris08876]

Its terrible. Some areas are horrid.



I had to make this trip for work to visit a client in Deer Park NY. The Friday before memorial day weekend this year in 2019. It took me 5 f****n hours to get from Deer Park NY to my town where I live. This is the exact route I took. Only 94 miles too!

This was the day where I had to piss in a Monster Energy Drink can using a pen to carve a hole because out of those 5 hours, 2 was just getting through where the White Stone Bridge enters the Bronx , to the NJ side where the GW Bridge terminates.

Maybe I f'd that day, and should of taken the Southern route (Belt Parkway). IDK which route would of been quicker, but that map is the route I took.

What a nightmare. Ranks as one my my worse traffic experiences ever.

I think where I f'd up is I had an energy drink before I left. IDK, maybe cutting through Manhattan would of been quicker, IDK, but what a nightmare. I left at 2:30 pm, and got back home around 7:20 pm.

For reference, when I visited my sister who lives in Arlington VA, the trip took me right around 4 hours. And I left around 2 pm on a Friday (back in mid June).

94 miles of shit, and standstill. At one point, 20 minutes at a standstill at the WhiteStone Bridge termination where it meets I-95/I-278. And all of the damn trucks too!

[dimondpark]

Originally Posted by craigs

The Caltrans website you linked to lists the volume of vehicles on the 60 at Fairway Drive, City of Industry, at 461,000. That's almost certainly the busiest stretch of freeway in California.

Yup. Can anyone from that area tell us about it?

Also, I used peak month and came up with these busiest points on various LA/OC and IE freeways.
60@Fairway(Industry) 490,000
5@22/57(Santa Ana) 410,000
405@605(Seal Beach) 396,000
10@Hoover(LA) 375,000
210@Hill(Pasadena) 341,000
91@Lakeview(Anaheim 339,000
110@Manchester(LA) 328,000
55@McFadden(Tustin) 320,000
101@Havenhurst(LA) 320,000
605@5(Santa Fe Springs) 317,000
57@Chapman(Fullerton) 298,000
105@Vermont(LA) 280,000
118@Woodley(LA) 258,000
710@Imperial(South Gate) 250,000
15@Jurupa(Ontario) 224,000