Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with highway

Are there any sites that offer driving recommendations?

Deathalicious — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:51:58 -0800

Are there any sites that offer driving recommendations? I don't mean driving directions, I mean sites that offer tips and tricks for more pleasant ways to go from point A to point B, or that provide information and tips about specific interstates, freeways, highways, and roads. Tomorrow I'm taking a trip from Philadelphia down to Virginia. Google maps says take I95, but I'm fairly sure that taking I81, though a greater distance, will avoid the potential nightmare that is the beltway on a Friday afternoon. Beyond that, however, I really don't know what's better: do I stay on I81 the whole way and then take I64 East? Or are there state roads/highways that offer a more scenic, pleasant, or stress-free trip?

So, I'm wondering if there is a "Chowhounds" for driving...a place where expert/practiced car travelers share their collective wisdom about the best way to get from one place to another. Reports on individual roads would be great too, especially if they're updated regularly enough that information like construction is listed there on a timely basis, or at least more timely than Google (Here in Philly Google Maps routinely tells me to take a street that is not only currently partially roadblocked, but also takes ages to drive on).

Piggyback question: I know a lot of people swear by those in-car GPS tools like TomTom. Is it possible to use factors like "low traffic" or "pleasant scenery" when calculating a route? Is getting one of those worth-while?

Are Badlands Good?

silkygreenbelly — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:38:32 -0800

Is it worth it to leave I90 and drive through Badlands National Park? Google maps says taking SD 44 adds 13 miles to our trip and taking SD 240 adds 18 miles. Is either route worth the extra time so we can see the Badlands as we pass through?

We are towing a trailer and part of our concern is that either state highway will be more hilly than the interstate, putting more stress on the truck and reducing our time and mpg too far.

Best route from SoCal to Washington?

fermion — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:56:27 -0800

I'll be driving from Los Angeles to the Seattle area in a few weeks. I don't want to endure the dreariness of I-5 all the way up, but I also don't want to spend too much time on the trip. Three days would probably be ideal; four would be acceptable. What route will provide the best balance of beauty/points of interest and expediency? Routes that won't be too hard on my elderly and heavily-laden Civic are a bonus. Note: I've looked over previous threads on coastal roadtrips, but they're mostly more focused on sight-seeing than I'll have time for.

Highway to hell?

weaponsgradecarp — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:50:17 -0800

RoadTripFilter: Driving from New York City to Chicago, IL for Lollapalooza. A few questions... According to Google Maps, we're looking at a thirteen hour drive. We plan on leaving Wednesday the 30th, late afternoon/evening, and doing a good chunk of the driving during the night, until like midnight or so, and then crashing somewhere along the way, waking up the next morning, and finishing off the reminder drive.

A couple of questions:
1) Any suggestions/personal experiences as to a particular recommended sleep spot, and/or place to avoid? Cheaper is better, but since we four are splitting it, it doesn't have to be like $35/night seedy. $100/night seedy is probably fine. Any thought?

2) As far as the route, it looks to be pretty much a straight shot on I-80. Any experiences as far as traffic speed and flow? For example, the speed limit on my home highway turf, the LIE, is 55mph, but going under 60 in anything but the right lane is...dicey. Conversely, going above 72 is basically asking for a speeding ticket. What should we keep in mind as far as driving style, regionally speaking?

3) Suggestions for not killing eachother during the trip? Four collegiate males in a car...if you've done this before, anything you wish you'd brought/done/hadn't brought.

4) Suggested road trip music?

Thanks!

Mystery in the fast lane

mudpuppie — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:39:36 -0800

Mostly on highways, but also on large surface streets, there are these configurations of tar lines. Usually two per lane. They're sort of octagonal -- basically squares with angled-off corners, making them 8-sided. Additional lines of tar lead from the roadway to the shoulder. What are they?

Why are there so many dead deer bodies on the Merritt?

Jimmie — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:48:46 -0800

Why are there so many dead deer bodies on the side of the highway on the Merritt Parkway in CT? Do they die on the side of the road right before they prance onto the highway? They look too perfectly placed and appear to lack much bleeding to have been run over then moved aside. I know every once in a while you see a dead deer body on the side of the highway here and there. However, this weekend I drove down the Merritt Parkway from Milford into New York and saw at least 10 dead deer bodies on the side of the highway.

The bodies didn't look like they're run over and even if they are... do people who run over deer really have the time to back up to move the deer body aside? Especially at night when cars tend to speed down the Merritt... deer-hitters actually get out of their car to move the deer body aside risking the possibility of getting hit by a car themselves?

I know it was unusually hot this weekend (mid 90s) so maybe deers are passing out cause of the heat? But I also noticed the high body count of dead deers when I drove down in February when the temperature was in the 30s.

Travel the Newell Highway

mattoxic — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:41:21 -0800

I want to travel to Brisbane from Melbourne via the Newell Highway. I have done thisn drive many times before, but non stop. I have a young family now and would like to break the trip up. We'd like to do the trip over three days, with one day beig around Dubbo so we can visit the zoo. Can anyone suggest other overnight stops?

Why does road paving take so long in Massachusetts?

scottso17 — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:43:15 -0800

Why does road paving take so long in Massachusetts? Last year, when the Mass Pike was being paved, it was a multi-month project. They would mill the road, leave the milled road as is for several weeks, then pave it. The process of covering the length of the work area took several months. By comparison, when I lived in the DC Metro area, paving happened overnight on Route 66 in Northern Virginia inside the Beltway - seemingly instantaneously. One machine would mill the road, collect the milled asphalt, turn it into new asphalt, lay it, and then it would be paved -- in hours, not weeks or months. They would mill/pave one lane one night, then move to the next lane the next night. As another example of the lengthy paving processes that take place in Massachusetts, there is now a major project underway to pave Route 9. It's so involved that it even has its own website: www.pavert9.com.

Regarding the paving on Route 66, I thought of three reasons why it may have been so speedy - and these are far from comprehensive:

1. Capital area security: Milled roads might provide a hazard in the event of a disaster inside DC.

2. Budget and/or availability of machinery: Mass doesn't have access to the fancy machines in the DC area or can't afford them.

3. Weather: It doesn't get nearly as cold in DC, and that may make the milling process easier.

Any of these make sense? Anything else?

Why does this town smell like garlic?

nekton — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 08:44:37 -0800

There is a stretch of highway 25 in Wareham, MA (south of Route 195) that consistently smells like garlic, and I have no idea why or where the smell is coming from. The garlic smells "appears" suddenly about 2 miles south of the intersection with 195 (GMap of area) and fades about a half mile before 195. I have attempted to track the source of the smell (on side roads next to the highway) and haven't been able to find it. There are multiple cranberry bogs on either side, but I have never encountered another bog smelling like this.

What could this smell be? Where is it coming from? (Is it keeping the vampires away?)

Driving from San Jose to Pasadena via CA-1, what are the must-see scenic stops?

parttimeninja — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:43:11 -0800

Driving from San Jose to Pasadena via CA-1, what are the must-see scenic stops? The time constraint is 24 hours (from Sunday morning to Monday morning). So far, the only markers on my route are the Mystery Spot and Big Sur.

What's the difference between highways and freeways/the interstate in the US?

pravit — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 03:17:32 -0800

What's the difference between highways and freeways/the interstate in the US? Got curious after noticing everyone made the distinction in this question. The answers would make it seem like a highway is a road that does not require you to enter via an entry ramp, that it may have intersections or pedestrian traffic, and that it is an alternative to taking the interstate. However, where I live, I can't think of any way to get to the next major city without getting on the interstate, unless you were to drive along the frontage road, which is hardly what I would call a highway. Until reading the AskMe question, I've never heard anyone make the distinction between the interstate and the highway. Perhaps this is a regional difference? I live in a smaller city in the southwestern US along I-10 and have never driven in other parts of the country.

Also, I read the Wikipedia articles and googled around a bit, but I'm still not very clear on the distinction.

Accellerate/Coast method more fuel efficient than cruise control?

Quarter Pincher — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 09:39:28 -0800

Question about cruise control vs. a special acceleration/coasting technique in terms of fuel efficiency. If you've got say, a speed limit of 45, and while driving on flat clean road, no wind aside from your own forward movement, etc, you accellerate to 47, coast until you're down to 40, then accellerate to 47, coast back down -- could this period of brief gassing up and long coasting by momentum, use less gas than having the pedal down the entire time and keeping at 45 (which I would assume cruise control would do)?

Would there be an ideal range (instead of up to 47 and down to 40, and back up/down) that would achieve greater efficiency? Would it be better to quickly accellerate to 47, or slowly (as the transmission gear may affect gas consumption)?

What is the best way to live-blog a cross-country road trip??

tarthur — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 19:40:01 -0800

What is the best method & location for live-blogging a cross country trip using a MacBook, DSLR camera, DV camera, t-mobile EDGE and intermittent wifi? I'm about to drive/move back to Southern California from Central Florida with my boyfriend and we want to document the trip with photos/video 'live' as we progress across the United States. Our travels will bring us up through New Jersey, Chicago, Denver with a stop at the Grand Canyon.

I have a t-mobile phone capable of EDGE (slow but useable) data transfer for the Mac and plan on stopping at wifi equipped locations to upload video/photos. A GPS type hookup would be sweet but I'm not familiar with doing that with a Mac.

It would be nice to have some type of map showing progress (GPS preferred but manually updated OK), the ability to post photos, gas prices, mood and other utterly useless information.

Has anyone had any experience with this type of blogging? I'm trying to determine if it would be best to use my limited skills to build some type of moveable type/wordpress with google + flickr or use something like Vox.

Thanks!

Crossing highways?

smackfu — Mon, 14 May 2007 06:40:04 -0800

Is there anywhere that two interstate highways cross at the same exit number? For illustration, a close but not quite example is: in NJ, the I-287 exit to get onto I-80 is Exit 41A/B. The exit on I-80 for I-287 is Exit 43.

on the road again

luriete — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:57:06 -0800

In late May, I'll be driving with a bunch of friends in an RV from Sacramento CA to George WA and back for the Sasquatch Music Festival. I've only driven as far north as the Oregon border before, so I'm looking for recommendations of interesting places to stop - your favorite diners, pie shops, waterfalls, hot springs (improved or not) and other oddities of northwest highway culture. I'm familar with many Northern California hot springs (I really like the one in Sierraville), and would love to find other very inexpensive and informal places like that.

What's the deal with the "D" on a "wide load" sign?

gwenzel — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:16:37 -0800

A "wide load" vehicle on the highway seems to always have a sign on the back to indicate that it's a "wide load", but the sign doesn't say "wide load". Instead, it has the letter "D" in the middle of it, and red/white vertical bars. Why a "D"? What does the "D" stand for? Why not just have the sign say "WIDE LOAD"? I'm in Canada, if this is something that'd be different in other countries.

Failure to stop and render aid

chitlin — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 05:44:53 -0800

Do I have to stop and render aid when witnessing an accident? My coworkers and I had an argument the other day concerning the law on stopping and rendering aid. We live in Texas, and I had been told since I got my driver's license (about twelve years ago) that if you witnessed an accident, you had to stop and call authorities and render aid, if you could. I had heard that if you just drove off, you were committing an offense.

But, someone asked a state trooper and he said this was not the case. Anyone know the law for Texas and/or other states? And does every state honor the good samaritan laws?

Show off.

nakedcodemonkey — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 23:07:36 -0800

A motorcycle cop turned on the flashing lights and started weaving back and forth between cars on the highway. The passes kept getting wider, gradually prompting everyone to clear out of all 4 lanes and hang back about 1/4 mile behind him. Then he continued these sweeping 'S' maneuvers across the lanes for miles. By the time I had to exit, prevailing speed had dropped from 75 to 40. What was he doing, and why?

Can anyone recommend some good stops on Highway I95 between NC and Florida?

runningdogofcapitalism — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 10:16:01 -0800

Can anyone recommend some good stops on Highway I95 between NC and Florida? I'm driving to Florida after Christmas on Highway I95 and thought I'd consult the mefi hive for some suggestions on good stops for food or other things that are worth pulling off the road for periodically. I've driven the route before but I've always wished I knew of better places to eat than the usual chains/fastfood (ugh!) that have saturated the highway offramps. Roadside attractions are welcome, too (but not Pedro's tourist trap emporium at the NC/SC border).

Headlight vocabulary?

ztdavis — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 20:11:43 -0800

What are common courtesy signals for driving at night on highways? It seems like every time I go on a long drive I see at least one person flash their brights, turn their lights on and off, etc. I'm not referring to the obvious circumstances, like warning the other driver they have their lights on, etc., but situations where one person is letting the other person know it's okay to pass, thanks for letting me pass, OMG DUDE DEER, or the like.

So is there some secret headlight vocabulary that I'm missing out on? An accepted system of one blink, two blink, lights on then off type dealio, or am I just imagining this phenomenon.

It's a parking lot on the southbound 101 this morning

armage — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 18:04:15 -0800

Why do people in Los Angeles usually refer to their numbered highways with "the" (for example, US 101 is "the one-oh-one")? Perhaps this is done in other regions as well, but as far as I know it seems to be specific to Los Angeles. According to Wikipedia, US 101 is just called "one-oh-one" in Northern California and Oregon. Another article also notes a linguistic divide between Northern and Southern California in this regard.

In my hometown of Richmond, VA, when we colloquially refer to our major interstates and arterial highways (I-95, I-64, I-295, US 1, US 301, US 360, etc.) we do so without using "the" (so just "Ninety-five" or "Eye-ninety-five"). We also have named highways that also have numbers, like Chippenham Parkway (Rt. 150). (Interestingly we don't refer to it with "the".) (I'm aware that in many places, especially in LA, they use the names of highways more often. E.g. "The Santa Monica Freeway" is used in conversation, not just in official documents.)

Is this specific just to LA? Is it done in other regions? How do you refer to numbered (or named and numbered) highways where you live?

What's with the little road cuts?

notsnot — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 09:38:52 -0800

Roadconstructionfilter: Why do I see so many highway crews replacing only a 10' by 2' section? It seems like they cut a section only wide enough to get a hammer drill and drill rebar holess into the unmolested part, then pour it back in with concrete. Then the make another cut 20' down the road!

Is this for research purposes - to see how various roadbed recipes hold up, or something else? Why not replace a whole section if there's a problem - I imagine the labor costs on a small cut are much more than the concrete to do, say, a 10'by 30' section?

to park, perchance to dream

luriete — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 16:34:56 -0800

What's a good safe place to park a car for maybe 4 days along the I-80 corridor, south/west of Davis CA and north/east of the Bay Area? A friend will be accompanying us on a camping trip and we're trying to consolidate cars - however he's on the road right now and we'll pick him up somewhere in this area. Is there a good Amtrak parking lot, for example, or something like that through here somewhere?

Moving Beverly Hillbillies style

slapshot57 — Wed, 11 May 2005 20:13:07 -0800

Highway_Patrol_Filter: I'm moving from Baltimore to Manhattan in three weeks and trying to avoid shelling out $250 for a moving van. I don't have that much stuff, but want to take my mattress Is it ok to strap a full sized mattress to the roof of a volvo station wagon on I-95 or will that result in me getting pulled over by the cops? Also, for those of you who've moved like this, what's the best way to strap it to the roof?

Question number 12207

glyphlet — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 13:58:30 -0800

[trafficsnarlfilter] Seattle, as I'm sure a lot of you know, has a very serious traffic problem. There are two causes that get the majority of the press (geography and highways that don't support the population) but I'm curious if folks in other metro areas have this problem: you're driving along on the intersate/highway/freeway/whatever and suddenly you come to a standstill. After a while, you come to discover that someone has been pulled over by the police or there's a tow truck on the side of the road. At the head of the pack, some wonderful lookie-loo has slowed down to see if they know this person stuck on the side of the road and caused a chain reaction that forces everyone else to slow down as well.

This happened to me yesterday on my way to Thanksgiving dinner. It took me 45 minutes to go 3 miles. I was not a happy camper.

Somehow I'd feel better knowing it's not just drivers in Washington State that are this dumb. Then again...

:-)