Interstate Violations | Highways that DON'T FOLLOW The Rules

On this video we take a look at a few famous violations of interstate highways standards on the system.
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[@JonathanCabot]

93 in Franconia New Hampshire's single lane section (0:03) was really put to the test following the 2024 solar eclipse when half of New England was traveling south back home. Stop and go traffic lasted until 4:00 AM, in a town with a population density of 17 persons/square mile.

[@njdevilku1340]

I was in it.

[@jmhobson1]

​@@njdevilku1340 Same here, it put the usual leaf-peeping delays to shame

[@walterwright7896]

It's a lot more than just leaf peeping.😂

[@Decopunk1927]

My family got a few hours of traffic going north but actually managed to beat the traffic going south

[@boardingurban]

Woah. I'm so happy I used i89 for that. Traffic back to Canada: 0. Traffic back to Boston: 60 miles of standstill

[@alansewell7810]

On the Mackinac Bridge you can look down through the grating and see the water several hundred feet below. Or look sideways from the high elevation and see miles into Lake Michigan on one side and Huron on the other, usually with freighter traffic plowing the water. An awe-inspiring view no matter which way you look.

[@bluegrasspalms]

I love that bridge just wish they would update there tollbooth and accept EZPass

[@warriyorcat]

That might have something to do with where the money goes. The toll collected goes to bridge maintenance alone, whereas I think EZPass tolls go to the state for transportation in general

[@calvinsmith6681]

@@warriyorcatthere’s also just no reason to. Tolls are rare in Michigan and the Mackinac Bridge is the only toll road of note in the state. Switching the MacPass to E-ZPass doesn’t really make sense given that there are few MacPass users, who are mostly residents of the area who cross the bridge frequently, who would benefit from using an E-ZPass instead given that the other E-ZPass facilities are far to the south. Liberty Bridge in Bay City accepts E-ZPass but it’s merely because the BC-Pass transponder uses the same technology as E-ZPass. Liberty Bridge being tolled is also very controversial as it was previously a free crossing until the city sold a lease to a private company to repair both it and Independence Bridge, both drawbridges that the city owns but could no longer afford to maintain.

[@ztl2505]

@@calvinsmith6681I don’t think it would necessarily have to be a full replacement though, just cross-compatibility. Sort of like I-Pass did years back.

[@calvinsmith6681]

@@ztl2505 perhaps, but again there’s not really a reason to. If there was a significant slice of MacPass users who also frequented the Ohio Turnpike or what have you then perhaps there would be a case, but since the bridge is so isolated from other toll roads that use E-ZPass, there’s not really a compelling reason to invest in the infrastructure to make it happen. I’m speaking as a MacPass user who could theoretically be using an E-ZPass since I live close to that aforementioned Liberty Bridge, but I have no reason to cross that bridge so I have no reason to have an E-ZPass at the moment .

[@aaronmccracken7351]

I-180 in Cheyenne has to be the stupidest one mentioned. At least all the others covered are interstate standard for most of their route. 180 has no excuse to exist.

[@colormedubious4747]

Obvious money laundering is obvious.

[@jovetj]

Yeah, it should be one of those "green" Interstate "connector" routes. WTH!

[@GJtheRoadandRailFan]

@@jovetjbecause there is one already, but it doesn’t stop them from calling it I-80B Business

[@downskated]

But it's okay, because the Thai restaurant right off of it is amazing.

[@GJtheRoadandRailFan]

@@downskated lol

[@Quaza57]

As a long haul trucker i had the pleasure of saying i have driven through everything he has mention, even the Big Mac ( that's the Mackinac Bridge) especially since i grew up around the bridge. when i was a kid I never found it odd that there wasn't any Jersey dividers on that bridge. Also you forgot to mention I-69 in MI from Lansing to Port Huron is labeled as an east / west when it fact being an odd number it should be north / south no matter what the actual directions the highway is facing then you got the New York Through Way. that highway which is part of the I-90 highway is backwards. from the PA state line its start at the highest number (MM 496 I think) and goes down as you head east. Now every other highway in America the numbers start high and goes low the feather west / south you go but not this highway nope it the backward cousin we don't want to talk about of the family

[@matthewryan9323]

I know what you mean about the NYS Thruway mile numbers! Of course, that brings up another pet peeve of mine - I grew up in the Midwest, so I'm used to exit numbers that (mostly) correspond to mile markers. NY meanwhile is still stubbornly like "nope, not for us!" - although I *do* have to admit I like the N/S/E/W designators they use in places. Makes way more sense than having A/B labeling to figure out...

[@Quaza57]

@@matthewryan9323 there quite a few NYS highways that uses the mile markers, but there quite a few that uses the exit numbers instead so it a mix thing, but most of NE uses exit numbers instead of mile markets, CT, RI ME, NH and VT. But MA has switched from exit number to mile markers finally in the last few years. YAY

[@colefulton6209]

“The locals have decided to display their artistic designs on them” is way better then calling it grafiti! Long live the local art!

[@CouchPotator]

But non of it was good art :/

[@JBG20]

I've been through Breezewood way too many times. Now I take I-68 and avoid that mess, as well as the PA Turnpike.

[@stevenpugsley2542]

Thanks Mike. I have driven through just about all of these sections except the Mackinac Bridge and I-10 in west Texas. As a Philadelphian I can agree that I-676 traffic light is rough but understandably I-676 was only completed in the 1990s and uses a suspension bridge that was built in 1920s; As you mentioned, the Chinatown section will soon become covered and made into a park to reconnect the halves of a split neighborhood.

[@rjmcallister1888]

I-676 is just US 30 with an Interstate sign slapped on it to get funding.

[@anderfrank1]

What about Dead Man's Curve in Cleveland, OH? There's no way that can be up to current interstate standards.

[@MileageMike485]

Yeah that’s a good one

[@rustyshacklefordrefined5756]

Piss on that Curve

[@mryesinberea]

I believe there are plans to remedy Dead Man's Curve. Date TBD.

[@mityace]

I-83 in PA from the PA Turnpike to the MD line used to have many "slip ramps" that were unsigned and led to service roads creating defacto service plazas. The median was also just a pair of guard rails like the PA Turnpike and many other freeways in PA back in the 1970s-80s. I went on that many times while I was in grad school at Johns Hopkins. Most of this was because the highway was built as US 111 before the interstate act was enacted. A stub of the old route into York as BR 83 only had a narrow grass median (3-6 feet, if that) with reflectors marking the middle. (This was also the way the PA Turnpike was in the beginning. The model was the German Autobahns and early on they had the same useless center barriers. Also, at the beginning, the PA Turnpike had no speed limit like the autobahns. As time went on and the state rebuilt I-83 it was brought up to interstate standards with Jersey barriers replacing the guardrail median and the grass one on BR 83. Most of the ad-hoc ramps were closed as well. I'm not sure if there aren't still some questionable ramps, but it's oodles better than it was in the mid 1980s.

[@nitehawk86]

Thats a good point, until very recently a most of the PA turnpike wasn't to interstate standards for bridge clearance or lane width. Its problem with the road being a limited access highway longer than the interstate system has existed.

[@Markkos1992]

The good thing about ending up at US 30 is that it is easy to shunpike the PA Turnpike between Bedford and Breezewood as it is a high speed four-lane highway with direct access to I-99/US 220 (which of course the PA Turnpike does not directly access I-99/US 220).

[@mmburgess11]

Ah, a very rare and correct use of the word "shunpike". Cheers!

[@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2]

Us 30 is famous

[@BhaktaJason1008]

As a lifelong New Hampshireite I have driven the single lane near Franconia Notch many times. One other violation in NH is the traffic lights on I-393 East. It also has to be one of the shortest Interstates in the country.

[@oliverbenquo8827]

I am from the Concord area myself, it is definitely strange seeing traffic lights there

[@Duckcalculator]

New Hampshire is a weird state.

[@oliverbenquo8827]

@@Duckcalculator it's not that weird

[@Mistertbones]

I don't even know how I-180 in Wyoming is even an interstate.

[@TowWyo]

To get federal funding for our fancy viaducts. lol

[@1pcfred]

@@TowWyo that's it. It's all about that sweet federal nectar.

[@idontevenknow3456]

catching a new mileage mike video that was uploaded under 10 minutes is the very last thing i expected today lmao

[@wiispy98]

It is very minor, but this one section of i81 South in Syracuse just after exit 18. It turns into one lane for a TINY bit, but is slightly wider than one lane to allow tight merges. It becomes 2 lanes again once the i690 west ramp to 81 south joins in.

[@Chuzini]

Somewhat soon that whole section of I-81 will cease to exist when they take it all down to street level. One of the biggest projects New York State has ever done.

[@CJ3WT]

I used to love going through Breezewood when I was younger. Family would stop at Pizza Hut or Perkins (fake Dennys) before continuing our drive to Ohio. My grandmother used to also stop at the Gateway Plaza (I believe that is the name of that building near the turnpike entrance/exit) and buy we rare Coins. Now that I’m older I do not even stop in Breezewood - outside of the traffic lights. I breeze through and get back on the highway. Great video Mike.

[@creativemindplay]

Hey, Perkins is a fine family restaurant!

[@justinsayin3979]

Perkins has been around since 1958. Denny's didn't become Denny's until 1959.

[@colormedubious4747]

Perkins is FAR better than Denny's. How dare you, sir!

[@DragonTamerWes]

I crossed the Mackinac Bridge yesterday, and will be crossing again today.

[@cheapme1850]

Thank you for pronouncing Mackinac correctly. 👍

[@dyhrdmet]

A great example of a freeway getting upgraded to interstate standards is NY 17 being upgraded to I-86 (put aside the different segments and how long it's taken for this work to be done).

[@Boss-KingInc.]

Although it’s not a violation, the wrong way concurrency of I-77 and I-81 in Virginia is unique in it’s own right. It’s the only time you have 2 interstates running in opposite directions like this

[@justinsayin3979]

I-73 and I-85 in Greensboro do too.

[@PlayaPotna1984]

I-80 and I-580 between Oakland & Richmond also has this status.

[@theresemalmberg955]

Thank you for pronouncing Mackinac correctly!

[@edwardrasmussen3465]

But if you look on his map it's misspelled with a w at the end.

[@calvinsmith6681]

@@edwardrasmussen3465 Mackinac can be spelled with either a c or w. Mackinaw City is spelled with a w while Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac Island, and the Straits of Mackinac are spelled with a c. You can blame the French for the -ac spelling and the British for the -aw spelling.

[@frank-qf9pm]

Great video! This made me want go back and watch your driving videos of Interstate 676 and Interstate 78.

[@MileageMike485]

Good move

[@aaronkcmo]

Why don't they just take away the Interstate designation? US highways don't have the same restrictions as Interstates, why aren't these highways demoted?

[@jasoncnd]

Exactly my thinking

[@CaesarRoyale]

Probably state DOT's throwing a fit for losing federal funding. If the Feds say it's okay, then they're gonna take the money every time because on interstate highways the feds fund 90% of it and the state would take the rest. DOT's like getting 90% off the cost

[@ki5aok]

Because the states want those sweet Federal highway funds. It's the same argument I made with I-238 in California. If it is tied to a state route, why not just use the state route number instead of the Interstate number? With the first one, you could simply decommission I-676 in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania to not include the Benjamin Franklin bridge and that plaza as part of the decommission. US-30 is already signed on that road, just keep that designation. For I-78, you have it merging into a state route in New Jersey. Just decommission it at the point where both I-78 and the state route meet. As for New York, decommission I-78 in its entirety. It's not like New York is ever going to connect any of the x78 routes to it, so why bother?

[@djmoch1001]

Considering that I-180 through Cheyenne also has a business route as well as two concurrent US highways, they could easily just drop the interstate designation, especially if there are no plans to upgrade it to proper interstate standards.

[@aaronkcmo]

@@djmoch1001 I think it must have something to do with the federal funding. He mentioned that in the video about another interchange.

[@aaronkcmo]

There were/are two violations in downtown Kansas City. Both I-35 and I-670 drop down to one lane in the downtown area.

[@aaronkcmo]

Also, I-70 does the same in downtown Kansas City, Kansas at the James Street exit.

[@KG-xt4oq]

When I was stationed in MA (03-07), I drove on 93 in NH to check out Franconia Park and when it went down to one lane each side I was a bit confused for several minutes, thinking I had somehow made a wrong turn without making a turn...lol.

[@theawesomer8587]

I-690 in Syracuse did have a traffic light on it that was used for one of the parking lots for the state fair. They eventually built an on ramp and removed the light a few years ago.

[@pepejpg5039]

oh I helped do that, fun time!

[@wschmrdr]

Sadly, the I-690 signal during the state fair in Syracuse, NY is no more.

[@mattguey-lee4845]

I believe I-70 through West Virginia was reconfigured after I-470 was built. It's definitely wide enough for 4 lanes but it would require the ramps to be very short with no merge lane. I-70 has large sub par sections, especially west of the PA turnpike.

[@penguinsfan251]

You are omitting the ongoing reconstruction of the section of I-70 between New Stanton and Washington. Most of it has been upgraded.

[@ericcalhoun412]

Could a “fix” for this not be changing I-470 to I-70 and removing the interstate designation for current I-70 or re-designating it as Business 70?

[@RealBlueony]

What is often forgotten is that I-68, the main alternate route to going through Breezewood on I-70, also has a section that there's no way is up to current interstate standards, that being pretty much all through Cumberland MD, especially with regards to "Moose Curve". Speed limit drops to 40 and even at that speed the curve feels like a kamikaze curve.

[@truckercowboyed2638]

What about the section through Frostburg, trucks are limited to under 40 mph and sometimes have to be down to 25 to safely make the curves...

[@ahamjax]

I-110 in Biloxi has a red light for the draw bridge.

[@justinsayin3979]

Several Interstates have that, even the newish 8-lane I-95/I-495 Wilson Bridge over the Potomac.

[@jovetj]

That is, at least kinda, understandable. Almost all of these other things are just ridiculous.

[@jacrzy95]

Hey Mike, been really liking the content on the channel, you should do a video on stretch of 95 in CT starting in Stamford going all the way to Bridgeport it’s a literal parking lot and has been rated one of the top 5 worst traffic corridors in the country for a few years

[@nitehawk86]

"Of course you have to pay to leave New Jersey" :)

[@KyleHatesHiking]

Love your videos Mike! Never knew I had an interest in interstates/civil engineering until I found your videos.

[@KevyB1990]

Many years ago when I drove over the road I spent a night in Breezewood. It's an interesting place when you consider the road design.

[@danieljackett4193]

Construction of the Mackinac Bridge was started a couple years before the Interstate Highway Act was made into law...For the first few years after opening, the bridge was part of US 27

[@brandenwilkison]

I-95N near Quincy MA goes down to 1 lane at the split with I-93. Huge bottleneck.

[@edwardrasmussen3465]

That is in Canton MA. It's a 1-lane ramp with a 270-degree curve. MassDOT has had plans to correct this for years but it hasn't come to fruition yet.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

because it was never supposed to be I95…

[@bostonrailfan2427]

@@edwardrasmussen3465it was supposed to be corrected 70 yers ago but plans got canceled and changed then killed constantly by outside influences

[@walterwright7896]

I see rt 128 the boston loop has been changed to i95 over the years.

[@edwardrasmussen3465]

@@walterwright7896 That happened in the mid 1970s after the Southwest Expressway was cancelled in 1972. You can read all about it in Wikipedia.

[@jacktion1546]

Breezewood is never going away. The PA Turnpike doesn’t seem to want direct access to other highways. The intersection between I-81 and the Turnpike also forces you onto a local highway for a mile or so before you can get into the other highway. I don’t know if that is a Turnpike-wide policy, but it certainly pertains to the western section of the turnpike.

[@penguinsfan251]

There is a deep seated problem with Breezewood. The late Bud Shuster was a powerful US Representative from Bedford County. He was powerful enough to block any direct connection between I70 and I76. Since Covid, and even before, most of the hotels, motels, restaurants and gas stations have closed and they will not come back. People won't stop there anymore unless they absolutely have to.

[@coldpepper3175]

But I-70 in New Stanton is directly connected.

[@penguinsfan251]

​@@coldpepper3175Yes, it is. That stretch of I-70 was originally PA 71 and it was started before the Interstate System became law

[@evancombs5159]

Why are they so opposed to access from other highways?

[@jmhobson1]

Until 2019, parking along parts of I-93 through Franconia Notch was allowed (or at least not enforced) as long as tires were "not on the pavement".

[@elizabethorsillo7187]

I’ve been through Breezewood many, many times! I think there will come a time in the not so distant future where constructing a proper interchange will be possible as the little town continues to shrink.

[@ddrdanganvloger2187]

The congested Bronx is another one with lack of Shoulder space & 4 hours to go 6 miles.

[@davestewart2067]

The cross bronx was obsolete when it opened. It should have been completely rebuilt 45 years ago, before the run up of costs in just about every thing. Absent planning.

[@noobiumbaconate]

And BQE

[@mr.z_yt]

On the way back from a kayaking trip, we took I-520 for a little bit and did pass that one side road, I just didn’t notice it until now lol

[@mjscheinberg]

Great video! In the one-laners club -- I would think of I-395 in DC -- where it leaves the Southwest Freeway and heads into the Third Street Tunnel. The way it's configured now has I-395 continuing in the very right exit lane, with the "exit" being the three thru lanes going straight onto I-695! Someday in the far future apparently they'll change this -- where the entire freeway becomes I-395., and the Third Street Tunnel becomes I-195. We'll see....

[@dyhrdmet]

for I-78, wouldn't it make more sense to truncate the interstate designation after the last toll plaza? it's not like it goes through NYC like it was once intended.

[@jamesl8928]

I always thought 78 started at the 1-9 skyway / turnpike divide.

[@dyhrdmet]

@@jamesl8928 nope. it goes into Manhattan. there's quite a large Wikipedia article for it considering it's only 1/2 mile long.

[@datopdawg01]

Maybe if Breezewood loses enough of its population in the future, I-70 will financially be built up to interstate standards.

[@penguinsfan251]

Breezewood has always had very few people and most of the businesses there have closed. The PA Legislature could authorize PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission to build an interchange any time they want. There should be one for I-81. A new interchange is planned for PA 130 in Westmoreland County.

[@TheTrainwreck2010]

Right on time. I was just thinking about a video like this throughout this week. Probably due to my work commute being changed to I-76 through the Schuylkill Expressway, which as you mentioned in a previous video dedicated to the highway is full of oddities and violations. So many of the merge or die lanes here is what keeps traffic constantly backed up through the day.

[@gali01992]

I've driven the Super Two (I-93) in New Hampshire a few times. As a speed limit driver, I've irritated a lot of people by driving 45 MPH through that area. Tail gaters, horn honkers, etc. I live in Arizona now and I don't miss I-93.

[@zzzaphod8507]

Interesting list! Breezewood is horrible--I hope to never go through that "interchange" again.

[@MileageMike485]

Surprisingly enough I haven’t been there yet myself so I’ll have to go do it at least once.

[@zzzaphod8507]

@@MileageMike485 Whenever you're in the mood to have some of your lifetime stolen from you due to human greed, sure

[@penguinsfan251]

It really is not that bad except for Thanksgiving and I have driven through there since 1988.

[@penguinsfan251]

My original post disappeared. Breezewood isn't bad except for Thanksgiving.

[@peterdibble]

The violation that immediately comes to mind for us in the Portland/Vancouver area is the Interstate Bridge that completely stops the flow of I-5 to allow river traffic to cross.

[@Blueyzachary]

The big Utah violation is the 215-E 80 interchange

[@EdwardM-t8p]

I don't know why there hasn't been a direct connector to and from the PA Turnpike toll plaza from and to the I-70 to DC and Baltimore. It can be done without eliminating any access to Breezewood in any way. In fact the existing route can be posted BR I-70 once the PennDOT and PA Turnpike Authority build the connector!

[@Chillin4030]

I dont know if its a direct violations but in Allentown pa turnpike i476 passes right over i78 and instead the 2 are linked by going through route 22 or 309 with both merging into i78. Its not a horrific design from a sky view but between the congestion in that area, accidents, and a lack of signage in spots and e cessive signage in others it's very confusing if you dont know where you're going and you are likely to miss an exit.

[@InvaderMik]

Great video! I did have a chuckle, though, when you described each of the last three or four entries as “and finally, [this]”. Not very final, lol!

[@fishingthelist4017]

I had a chuckle over two of the names for highways in the video because I drive on the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway and the Purple Heart Trail every time I go to Montgomery on I-85 and never leave Alabama.

[@davidgreenhow7811]

I seem to remember I-75 in Toledo, Ohio having traffic lights in the early 1970s between the Ohio Turnpike and the Michigan state line. It's been brought up to Interstate standards since then.

[@kanealoha]

Excellemt video. My personal experience is of 78 into the Holland Tunnel. You get used to it.

[@1pcfred]

After seeing all the folks doing so great on the left hand side all the time we just figured out how to use 1&9 It takes a bit of nerve to drive on the Skyway but it's not too bad. Just so long as you don't have to use any of the exits off of it. Because those exits are absolute insanity.

[@klystron22]

Pennsylvania also has I-76 to I-81 which you have to get off in Carlisle, PA to get onto the other. Every time they attempted to build a direct interchange, local businesses that get pass by it objected.

[@appalachianenthusiast9499]

5:54 Hey, it's the violation I go through almost every day!

[@1pcfred]

I never thought about the entrance of the Holland Tunnel to still be part of the highway. Once I hit that first light I figure that's the end of it right there. Because the tunnel entrance doesn't exactly scream interstate. You're pretty much just downtown then. I always liked how when the tunnel entrance sign gets wet you can't read it anymore. They're magical disappearing letters.

[@jeffbernard5272]

I275 in Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL has multiple left hand exits, and also the mainline I75 bypasses the downtown areas to the east which seems backwards from the usual interstate standard.

[@history_leisure]

It looks like the Breezewood interchange might be back on the table now

[@BryanNoggy]

Thank you for mentioning WV's only 3 digit Interstate with I-470 existing to alleviate I-70 tunnel traffic and reduce hazardous waste passing through surface streets.

[@metalslinger]

US 74 and I-74 run concurrent in NC, which is a violation. An Interstate and a Highway cannot have the same number in the same state. There's also I-87 and NC-87 in NC.

[@justinsayin3979]

Those aren't Interstate violations, though they run counter to NC state _practice,_ which is to have only one route per number. But there is at least one other exceptions: I-540/NC 540.

[@kingmo8789]

Also Louisville has I-265 that run concurrent to Indiana. But in Indiana, after crossing the Ohio River on the Lewis and Clark Bridge (the toll bridge), it label as "Indiana 265" until it reaches to i-65 for some reason. The only expectation is it open in 2016

[@DerekWitt]

I-41 and US 41 are concurrent in Wisconsin. In fact, US 41 was upgraded to interstate standards. They simply kept the 41 number! US 41 became I-41. Rather than replacing the designation, they kept both!

[@rjmcallister1888]

Tell that to Wisconsin, which has US 41 and I-41 concurrent from Green Bay to the Illinois state line.

[@Train2589]

drove through Breezewood for a few years on way out to Baltimore. always was a hell of a thing to see epspecially with the abandoned interstate right at the end of the ramp to US-30. other things ive experienced are the very short ramps that just dump you into traffic without any ability to get up to speed in the mountains over Raton pass.

[@atillerman5843]

I will note that there are many sections of original interstate still in use that were built in the 60s and do not meet today's standards, especially without breakdown lanes on over passes, very narrow medians, narrow lanes, etc. Due to the haste states had to design and build these roads before Federal $$$ ran out. Some of that is because toll roads already built (like the Pa, Ohio, Indiana and Chicago Skyway) were built pre interstate act and just absorbed into the system since these states were not going to build FREE alternate routes (like I 295 in NJ) and take away toll revenue.

[@ramblinman4197]

My first trip out west I was surprised to see the at-grade intersections with what appeared to be ranches along I-40 in and around Texas. In these areas, the interstate directly overlaid the predecessor US 66, so I figured they needed to leave some way for locals to access their properties. In other places out west, there are "controlled access intersections" with the parallel service roads where the ramps on and and off are very short. There are stop signs on the service roads at these intersection where you have to look up the short ramp to make sure a semi isn't coming off at interstate speed as they have no real deceleration lanes to work with.

[@DerekWitt]

Technically a violation, but also rather a huge annoyance: Right after the James Street exit in Kansas City, Kansas, eastbound I-70 drops down to one lane. Speed limit drops down to 40 mph. At this point, I-70 is actually going north before sharply turning back due east to form the north side of the downtown/alphabet loop. I avoid I-70 through downtown and take I-670. If you go westbound on 670, it’s also signed as Alternate 70.

[@Hordes_Of_Nebulah]

I live in western NC just off I-40 at the start of "the gorge" section through the Smokies. I've been down that Hurricane Creek road once back in my old truck a long time ago. There are a couple people actually living way out there but it is otherwise just miles of dirt/gravel roads that are only accessible in a 4x4!

[@Scott-hb1xn]

676 is a recent(last 30/40 years development). On the NJ side, it was all new construction. However, in Philadelphia, 676 is the "Vine Street Expressway"It was, until the early 1980s, a regular surface street, with stop lights at every intersection, leading up to the first below grade crossings, which comprised one tunnel just before the Schyulkill (pronounced "skoo-kul") River, and I76(Schyulkill Expressway). Over the intervening decades, it has been lowered into its current configuration, and the rest of the formerly surface streets are now in a trench with limited access: the point where the lights are is the feed ramp from Rt 30 There is NO way to not have them, as the Benjamin Franklin Bridge was originally built in 1927(IIRC), and is in the middle of Center City Philadelphia- the bridge feeds into center city, and 676/Vine Street Expressway is only one of the roads coming from it: the lights are necessary for the cross streets which can not be rerouted. Additionally, at that point the interchange for I95 is also right there- 676 eastbound actually feeds directly into 95N/S, with an exit onto 6th street/Rt 30- which is the route number for the Ben Franklin Bridge into NJ, and 95 N/S feed directly into 676. So, technically the lights mentioned are not part of 676- 676 essentially stops at I95 in Pa, and restarts again on the east side of the Ben Franklin Bridge, with Rt 30 being the interconnect between the two sections. While there are signs TO 676 in either direction, the bridge is NOT part of it. So there is no violation. I grew up in this area, and take 676 in NJ from 42 and over the Ben Franklin Bridge daily...

[@MarloSoBalJr]

I've traveled through Breezewood countless times, and I can say with the utmost confidence that, that Junction is a welcoming sight after traveling non-stop along I-76 & I-70 (and vice-versa)

[@ethanwooley1725]

I think another violation would be on I-5 between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington state, where there is a vertical lift bridge on the Columbia River, and it completely stops the flow of traffic on that road when it's lifted to allow ships to pass through.

[@Hodaggium]

Another example I found on I 75 in Michigan is on the International Bridge. The entire length of the bridge is two lanes and undivided, and I understand the Interstate terminates right at the border.

[@VictoryHighway]

I-291 East in Chicopee, MA ends and continues as a surface street at the interchange with I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike). To connect to I-291 West from the pike, you must take a left at a traffic light.

[@grahamturner2640]

The closest instances Arizona has to interstate violations that I know of are along I-17 in Flagstaff. Just south of the first at-grade intersection along Milton Rd, the road I-17 becomes after the McConnell Dr interchange, there’s a driveway leading into Milton Rd southbound, which only allows you to turn right. I’m not sure how far south of Forest Meadows St Milton Rd becomes I-17, but for all intents and purposes, it is an interstate. Just south of that, there are 2 ridiculously close interchanges. The on-ramp from McConnell Dr merges with I-17 around 500 ft before the off-ramp for I-40 westbound, and on I-17 northbound, the on-ramp from from I-40 westbound merges with I-17 around 350 feet before the off-ramp for McConnell Dr. I’m not sure if there are any minimum distance rules between on- and off-ramps, or if so, what they are. Also, on I-17 northbound, the on-ramp from I-40 eastbound has a yield sign where it merges with I-17 northbound. That’s almost certainly an interstate violation.

[@GJtheRoadandRailFan]

I-5 at the Oregon-Washington State line has a drawbridge on it slowing traffic I-520 was also odd numbered yet reconnects to the parent, but many do that, and it didn’t connect back then so that’s fair I guess, SC took forever building their side. I-585 as well in Spartanburg SC doesn’t connect to its parent at all, which is a violation but a pretty small one, I thought I’d mention this one because I-585 is not that good to be honest.

[@benbrown2119]

I've been through several of these areas: I-40 in North Carolina, I-81 over the bridge to Canada, I-78 from the NJ Turnpike through the Holland Tunnel, and Breezewood. I-83 in Baltimore probably violates the on ramp/off ramp rules in the city portion, but that wasn't covered in this video.

[@rjmcallister1888]

Several of these, especially in the East, were US routes, predating the Interstate Highways Act of 1956, and were grandfathered into the system. I-78 at the Holland Tunnel, I-76 (I-80S) at I-70 at Breezewood (and most of the Turnpike itself), I-70 in Wheeling and the I-75 Mackinac Bridge are all examples of that. Politics always plays a role in highways; that's why the Act includes a waiver process to allow what shouldn't be when needed. I-180 in Cheyenne probably needed funding to get done; so it's small Congressional delegation got the waiver to build Business I-25 over the Union Pacific railyards for traffic safety reasons. Building a four-to-six-lane freeway in the mountains is grossly expensive, and the tree-huggers want to keep it pristine; thus I-93. And it does save money to not build an overpass or interchange for likely one person to get his farm or other equipment across in the West (and avoid the "road to Nowhere" critics), especially when it's 40 miles to the next exit.

[@colormedubious4747]

I'm not sure if this meets your criteria for "nonstandard," but when taking I-40 through western Arizona you can see DOZENS of private roads on ranches adjoining the freeway that simply open right onto the shoulder of the travel lanes where there are no frontage roads. This seems more noticeable on the westbound side, for some reason. There's also at least one ranch that occupies the insanely wide median along a fair stretch of the freeway. Another oddity of Interstates in the western mountains, especially noticeable at a few interchanges near Raton Pass, are the extremely short (if not nonexistent) acceleration/deceleration lanes due to space constraints. There's nothing like adding a bit of a challenge to a routine fuel stop!

[@colin-nekritz]

Mike, you should check out the folly of New York State’s joke of a highway “Route 86,” or, as all of us locals not buying NYS’s attempts to fool us, what is in all realized Route 17 aka as many have called it Highway to Hell. I’m using scarequotes as any person should when calling Route 17 “Route 86” because it’s no route and as it barely crosses into Pennsylvania, so is pretty much an Intrastate at best. 17 er [cough] “Route 86” varies from a real interstate with nicely graded limited access, even some somewhat scenic, to suddenly narrow four lanes, to occasional stoplights, to even places where the state gave up running out of money, abandoning almost finished berms, with even long abandoned construction equipment, and exposed beams crossing dirt farm roads with methed up truckers from Allegheny Plateau logging and diners that would make Roadhouse seem like Disney World. Again, a few sections are some of the most grand types of interstate highway you’ll see with sweeping vistas and well engineered grading, others are a hellscape of four lanes, traffic stops, and dangerous people ala the movie Deliverance. Just the craziest highway. PS While I’m a NY native I have traveled by car across the country multiple times and traveled north and south on the east coast with enough miles clocked to have gone around the entire earth 15 times and up and down, N to S, on the west coast six times, and crossed massive sections of Canada. To wit like Mike fascinated by and have traveled literally millions of miles but it’s here, in my home state is the WORST highway of them all, and I’ve seen bad, and you may have thought you’ve seen bad, but if you’ve never experienced Route 17 or “Route 86” along the New Yorks southerntier, you have never experienced the highs, lows, and horrors of any highway like it.

[@GamingBren]

Nice video! the stop-controlled on-ramp on I-81 in NY would probably be the easiest to fix, they could simply adjust the ramp to have a smoother curve and a merge lane

[@carlhansen5501]

I 5 from Portland to Vancouver WA. No shoulders on a draw bridge where all vehicle traffic has to stop for large ships

[@meforaaron]

i83 at the Eisenhower exchange near Harrisburg drops to one lane in what looks like an exit before joining i283 and meeting up with i81. Drivers continue to cut across two lanes after realizing it or end up going towards Hershey.

[@jliller]

The Lover's Lane "exit" on I-520 in Augusta is odd. The portion within the highway ROW is unpaved; the portion outside it is paved. There are no signs on either end. It looks like it was gated at one point and probably intended for emergency access, but at some point the gate got left open and it was forgotten about.

[@jss27560]

Some trails come off of I40 in the mountains of NC and like you said the cost is prohibitive to do anything. I240 in Asheville there’s an area with a 50 MPH speed and no shoulders on either side. There’s also I240 over the French Board River and I26 which I have no clues about.

[@walterwright7896]

Another bottle neck in Mass is on i91 in Springfield and speed trap.

[@agent807]

Perhaps not as egregious as the violators here but what about I-69 in Michigan? It follows every all of the rules for it to be an interstate except for half of the leg in Michigan officially changes cardinal direction (using east-west for an odd number interstate).

[@brmolnar]

PA has another one I-81 at I-76 (turnpike) near Harrisburg. Basically the same as the I-70/76 already mentioned. You have to take US-11 for a short and crowded road with a ton of traffic lights to get to the other road. There is another way that stays on highways, but the signage is not there and my GPS found it a few times. Or maybe I-76 at I-76 (turnpike) near Philly. Going down the highway and BAM toll road with no free exit. Although this may have changed, haven't been there in a while.

[@stephensuggs6121]

Here's a fun one. In Queens, NY, from westbound I-495 the signed exit for I-678 North takes you to the I-495 service drive and then an Immediate right on Rodman St which then merges with College Point Blvd. Then after 3 traffic lights, you can turn left and enter I-678 North. There is no signed exit for I-678 south but you take 22A exit for Grand Central Parkway which eventually splits and merges with I-678 South. Not sure if it's a violation but it's certainly an inconvenience.

[@Demopans5990]

Highways in the NYC area in general need a redesign. Too many cars trying to squeeze into an city not meant for cars

[@MileageMike485]

New York interstates had to get lots of waivers and exceptions to qualify.

[@grantorino2325]

Boston's _Central Artery/Tunnel_ completely revolutionized that city's freeway system. If it weren't so expensive, we could see something like that built in N.Y., Phila., and Baltimore.

[@Markkos1992]

There is a debate on whether I-676 officially crosses the Ben Franklin Bridge in PA or if it just continues on the Vine Street Expressway east to I-95. I-676 in NJ does not have this issue, but it arguably could be considered as two interstates, but signed as one to not confuse people.

[@southpond]

This is exactly correct. In PA I-676 really does end at I-95. While it is mentioned in the video, it is worth emphasizing that preserving Franklin Square in Philly and not paving over it to create short section of real interstate was 100% the correct way to go!

[@timoofi]

I-10 west just south of downtown San Antonio drops to a one lane ramp when it merges with I-35

[@louhudson1256]

Mike, I90 in the western half of South Dakota is FULL of what I call “stop sign” interchanges. And the speed limit is 80mph. Not sure I’d want to be pulling out onto that highway very often.

[@Jeeters87]

The PA ones are hilarious. Living here my whole life it’s been one of the strangest experiences for me while driving and I’ve driven in Manhattan before. Btw the turnpike here is finally “completing” the last leg of 43 to connect to 376 east. It’s only taken 60 years to finish. Should time nicely with the closure of 376 for a few months in 2026 when they need to replace the bridge by the tunnels. Just closing an interstate as we do…

[@jazzman8690]

There is also a short stretch of I-40 westbound in Tennessee where it meets the start of I-81 north. 40 has 2 lanes at first, and then the travel lane becomes an exit only lane for exit 421 (81). Thus, for about 1000 feet, 40 westbound is down to 1 lane until 2 lanes coming from the end of 81 southbound join 40.

[@andrew_ray]

The entire state of New Hampshire violates exit numbering rules by using sequential exit numbers instead of mile-based ones and having no renumbering plan. There are a few other places that violate this rule, like the four exits at the end of the Holland Tunnel in New York being 1, 2, 3, and 4 instead of 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D, but these have waivers. Not so in New Hampshire, so the state could theoretically lose federal highway funding if the FHA ever felt like actually enforcing the rules.

[@PeterWarner-yz7tb]

I-69 and I-196 in Michigan change their cardinal signed directions . I-69W in Texas is signed as East & West.

[@tazareal]

Wisconsin got rid of the signals at the I-43 and I-90 intersection. So now you have to go down a side road or go to Illinois to get to Beloit from I-43, which a lot of people find more irritating than the traffic signal.

[@BusyBodyVisa]

Great video, but you forgot abou I35 in Dallas Texas where the lanes are too narrow

[@PlayaPotna1984]

If dropping to one lane is a violation on an Interstate, I-10 in San Antonio should be on here. Once it reaches an interchange where it meets (or splits from) I-35 & US 90 southwest of downtown, it drops to one lane due to the nature of the ramps to continue on from one physical freeway to another in either direction. 😮

[@jeffryreese]

A violation (in one direction) can be found on I-794 from downtown Milwaukee, WI south of the Hoan Bridge going out to Cudahy and the airport. As a compromise to southsiders, they put a traffic signal at Oklahoma Ave. for northbound traffic since the access points did not line up with a rail route within just a few feet running parallel to the highway.

[@marcusdamberger]

9:00 The Boulder City grade intersection has a keycode gate access only from Buchanan boulevard at the bottom of the access road. So you cant directly access Buchanan Blvd unless you have that code. There are also signs on the highway for Do Not Enter, authorized vehicles only etc. I suspect this is for the major utility substation just south of the access road. Maybe the route through Boulder City doesn't allow for large enough wide or tall loads to pass, the I-11 bridge over Buchanan Blvd looks particularly low from google street view, no signs on how high it is. So it's probably lower than even semi trailer standards.

[@SpruceOaks]

The I-11 intersection with Buchanan Blvd. is not public access. It is an emergency vehicle access, only, which is allowed under Interstate standards.

[@colin8449]

another banger video mike! 🎉🎉🎉