CBenson wrote:Sure, but Homer was changing edits by a good editor based on what he said.

Awww Shucks. You are going to make me blush. Haha. Thanks.

I follow guide #2. I believe they should be defined based on the quality of the road and/or the amount of traffic they handle. I have some pretty crappy US highways around me, 25 mph speed limit with stop signs. So I have trouble marking that a major highway.

R4CLucky14 wrote:... Well, to me, it's quite out of place for a State Route to be limited access ...

Not to keep beating up on you for this statement, Lucky, since several others have already done so ... but NY-17 is a great example of a state route that's mostly limited-access, stretching nearly 400 miles from near Erie PA all the way to New Jersey. Granted, a lot of that has been become I-86 over the past few years (most of the western half), with the rest of it in the process of being upgraded to Interstate standards ... but yes, I grew up very accustomed to the idea of NY-17 being a limited-access state route. (Of course, NY-60, NY-5, and others which were also in my home area were nothing close to that. )

Hey look, it is the topic that will not die! Since I am one who has brought this topic up a few times in the past, I guess I should chime in with my recent thoughts...

And those recent thoughts are in flux until we confirm the weighting differences in the test rig

If there is a difference between Major and Minor, then we need to discuss further. If not, then it doesn't matter.

But right now I am a fan of US = Major and State = Minor, but with exceptions to bump things up or down. Similar to the examples R4CLucky14 gave of some of the highways here in east TN. If it has dual carriage ways with a wide grass median and has grade crossings but a speed limit of 50 mph+, then I make it a major highway even if it is a state hwy. And I am much more likely to bump up than down.

But on the topic of examples, it isn't just TN that has roads that make you think. Here are 3 examples from NJ. One is a state route, one is a US highway, and one is an interstate. Which is which?

R4CLucky14's joke answer is correct actually!

First is I-78 leaving the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City. One of the few Interstates with at-grade crossings:
http://www.waze.com/forum/download/file.php?id=2848


And this is NJ-18 somwhere between Wall and Eatontown (I saved these images long ago):
http://www.waze.com/forum/download/file.php?id=2849


And finally this is US-202 and US-206 concurrent through Bridgewater.
http://www.waze.com/forum/download/file.php?id=2850


I couldn't find a good example, but there has to be a County Route somewhere that is built to Interstate quality. There are many that are much better than 202/206 for sure. Honestly I think the US Highways are the worst in NJ -- probably because they were there first and everyone built on both sides and they had no way to expand the road as traffic grew.

R4CLucky14 wrote:Well, to me, it's quite out of place for a State Route to be limited access, but an Interstate to not be. Unless New Jersey requires State Routes to be limited access, but still - and Interstate is Federally funded more-so than any other road. And from the map, I'd say New Jersey (and New York) gets quite a bit of that pie.

I guess it's just really weird to me. Like how my favorite New York team is in New Jersey

No requirement for State Routes to be of any quality. Look at NJ-33, 34, 35, or 36 near the shore for examples. Even NJ-18 has other sections that are more typical of what you'd expect for an urban highway.

Remember that for the NY region, many of the highways existed long before the Interstate system was created. Here in TN we are lucky that the Interstates could be laid out with fewer constraints. Except for those pesky mountains

R4CLucky14 wrote:Well, to me, it's quite out of place for a State Route to be limited access, but an Interstate to not be.

Your statement has two parts, but to address the first, I'm in Nashville this week and while driving tonight I was on the Briley Pkwy, TN-155, which is limited access. Which reminded me of your comment. And Chattanooga has TN-153 which is limited access. And Knoxville has James White Pkwy, TN-168/TN-71. And Memphis has Sam Cooper Blvd which isn't even a state highway but is interstate quality (it was to be the path of I-40).

So we have a few examples of TN state highways that are limited access. Interstates are well behaved for the most part, except I-40 headed into NC where there are tight turns and a few grade crossings for side roads.