*NA Why Interstate and not Intrastate? *NA

pilot_dude

pilot_dude

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pilot_dude
I'll concede the point that this pet peeve of mine is really insignificant in the big picture but it bothers me nonetheless :wink2:...

Why are highways that don't cross state lines called interstates and not intrastates? Here are but just a few examples: I-405 in California, I-465 in Indiana and I-285 in Georgia. I realize they are by-passes that connect to highways that do cross state lines but they do not.

Curious minds want to know :)
 
Because the average American can't speak English and would **** it up anyway...

... And what Tim said.
 
Well if you think your examples are weird, how 'bout H1 in Honlulu? That is an interstate.
 
Any highway in the Interstate system with three numerals is a spur (odd numbers) or a loop (even numbers) by the original numbering scheme.

Of course that gets broken all the time, but that was the system's numbering standard.

I-70 here is the E-W Interstate. I-270 is supposed to be part of a loop around the city (it kinda is just one quarter of it.) E/C-470 was built by the State and a private toll road company and attempted to follow the numbering convention, and is a loop.

(W-470 was the Northwest finishing segment of that loop that got halted by Boulder and Golden NIMBYs.)

I-25 is the N-S Interstate. I-225 is again part of a partial loop.

They're also supposed to be consecutively numbered higher the further you get from city-centers.

Similar in other cities.

In L.A. I-5 is the interstate. The 405 is the loop.

There's method behind the madness. ;)
 
pilot_dude said:
I'll concede the point that this pet peeve of mine is really insignificant in the big picture but it bothers me nonetheless :wink2:...

Why are highways that don't cross state lines called interstates and not intrastates? Here are but just a few examples: I-405 in California, I-465 in Indiana and I-285 in Georgia. I realize they are by-passes that connect to highways that do cross state lines but they do not.

Curious minds want to know :)
Click to expand...

Because the system is really "Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways" but is shortened to Interstates for convenience.
 
I-96 in Michigan goes from Detroit to Muskegon, or more accurately Muskegon to Detroit since the first mile marker at the west end is 1. I think it may be the only interstate in the CONUS that is entirely in one state. (Not counting loops and spurs).

Edit: Forgot about I-4 in Florida.

Edit2: Looks like there are a couple others, but at least appear to have the ability to go interstate in the future.
 
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Bob Noel said:
Because the system is really "Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways" but is shortened to Interstates for convenience.
Click to expand...


I have also seen them referred to on their prints "Rapid Troop Deployment System".
 
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