The 10 Weirdest US Interstate Oddities 

My favorite is when Interstates 77 and 81 merge near Wytheville VA. While going North on 77, you'll be going south on 81, and vice versa!

Good content! The e in Laredo has an "ey" sound to it, though. I grew up in South Texas, and I always thought the I-69's made no sense.

The Breezewood Interchange is like that because the Pennsylvania Turnpike (the road I-70 joins to run concurrent with through much of PA) was built nearly 20 years before the Interstate Highway System. There were a lot of real weird rules and policies basically prohibiting direct interchanges between interstates and toll roads in the early days of the Interstate System. Hell a (semi) direct connection between the Turnpike and I-95 just north of Philly was just completed in 2018.

For me, the biggest oddity is that the Carolinas have gotten away with having a measly 2-lane I-95 for so long. Often can cause killer jams around midday if you catch it at the wrong time on a roadtrip, especially if there's a rubberneck incident. This is the main corridor of the US East Coast we're talking about!

Here's an oddity for a future video. Interstate 99 in Pennsylvania, in addition to being out of the grid, doesn't even directly connect to the rest of the interstate system, being connected indirectly with I-76/70 on the southern end by a Breezewood, PA style interchange, and on the northern end the interstate stops at a traffic light about a third of a mile from I-80. However, there is part of I-99 that is connected directly with the system, which is in New York, connected to I-86. Also, I-238 in California should get a mention, since there's no I-38.

I-69 generally follows a north-south path but once you get north of Lansing, Michigan, it takes a huge turn to the East in order to get to Port Huron, MI. The signs on the highway from this point to the Canadian Border read East/West I-69 instead of the traditional North/South (since it's an odd number interstate) I-69

I-78 has traffic lights as it end in Jersey City, NJ as it goes into the Holland Tunnel. Also keep making these great videos!

One of the major reasons for the interstate highway system Is for national defense and the interstate highway that cuts through the center of the island of Oahu directly connects 2 military bases which was extremely important when it was planned in the 1960s.

In general, if you see an interstate that goes to a whole lot of nothing or just seems unnecessary, it means that there were most likely plans for it to extend farther/be larger than it ended up being. One example is I-189 in Burlington, VT.

When you look at the full name of the Interstate system (Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways) and think about the system as a means of national defense, it actually makes perfect sense why Hawaii has Interstates. Hawaii's Interstates connect all of the major military installations on O'ahu. I-H1 runs from near the Coast Guard station at Barbers Point to the Hawaii National Guard base near Diamond Head, and passes by Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam. I-H2 is an offshoot of I-H1 and ends near Wheeler Army Airfield and Schofield Barracks. I-H3 is another offshoot of I-H1 which ends at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

Slight misconception-the term “interstate” actually refers to its funding, as interstates are funded by a combination of multiple state governments and federal money, rather than state highways that are funded purely by the state they’re in. While it’s up to each state’s DOT to maintain the roads, the initial money for constructing them came from several different sources, hence the name interstate. There are plenty of “intrastate” interstates like I-45, I-4, I-2, and I-12, all that received federal funding. The Hawaii ones are just the same, only they have an H in front due to the fragmented nature of the state away from the mainland.

In the early days of the interstate system there used to be multiple suffixed Interstate routes. I-76 in NE-CO used to be I-80S, I-82 in WA-OR used to be I-80N, and I-76 in Ohio used to be I-80S as well. There's also an officially designated I-480N in Cleveland, Ohio, but is only signed as such on mile markers.

The old I 84 and I 87 interchange in Newburgh, NY used to be like that. Had to get off the highway to go on a state route for 100 yards and then can get on the other interstate. About 15 years ago they redid the entire thing

You forgot interstate 99, it's supposed to be east of interstate 95 but it's not it's in the middle of Pennsylvania. The reason is because one congressman REALLY wanted I99 to be in their state and Congress specifically made an exemption for this interstate in the highway code just so he could have it

One of my favorite quirks is the junction of I-215, I-515, and I-11 in Las Vegas. They all start/end at the same interchange, which is bizarre. I remember being confused by that while driving through that area. The north end of I-476 ends in a big u-turn feeding into three separate trumpet interchanges, all in the name of collecting tolls.

4:31 No it won't it's been confirmed by the Arizona Department of transportation that when I-19's sign's are replaced (which could happen soon given the new infrastructure bill) it will be in miles

You forgot I-40 around the TN/NC border where it goes thru the mountains. Its 55mph, curvy, tiny shoulders, dangerous as hell. Every 2-3 years there is a rock slide that blocks one or both sides of the road for a few weeks. Honestly though its an impressive feat of engineering considering the terrain.

The Breezewood junction in Pennsylvania isn't that odd when you consider the PA Turnpike was built in 1940 before the Interstate system. The interchanges connected to US highways in town, which spawned all the gas stations and hotels. Only in the past 20-30 years have links been built from interstate to interstate. Up until the early 1990's to continue on I-76 in King of Prussia through to Philadelphia you had to exit and go on local streets for a bit. I wonder if the local businesses that would be bypassed by a direct link exerted some political power to keep direct links from being built.

LOVE THESE VIDEOS! My favorite oddity is interstate 93 in northern New Hampshire, more specifically the Franconia notch. It becomes a super two parkway. Also, only five states base most of their exits on a sequential basis rather than by mile marker, and they are New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

I-97 in Maryland is not only in a single state, it's all within a single COUNTY. Also, there should be a whole video on wrong-way concurrencies. I think you covered the most notorious one (77-81 in SW Virginia) , but there are certainly others such as on i-376 just south on the Ft. Pitt Tunnels.

I-93 in New Hampshire is one lane between the White Mountains. I believe this is the only section of interstate highways that is only one lane.

One of my favorite oddities in the Interstate system is how I-75 and I-85 merge in Atlanta into one highway to run north-south through downtown. The weird part is how the merged section also doubles as a crossing: at the north end of I-75-85, I-75 splits off to the northwest to go to Chattanooga, while I-85 splits off to the northeast to go to The Carolina’s; at the south end, I85 splits to the southwest to go to Alabama, while I-75 splits off to the southeast to pass the Hartsfield International Airport and go through Macon and down through Florida. And ironically, the bypass I-475 around the western edge of Macon is shorter than the path through Macon.

Running immediately south of downtown St. Paul for several miles, the posted speed limit for 35E is only 45mph. I believe it is the slowest interstate highway speed limit in the US. Locals call it the "practice freeway!"

I've been on that I-70 interchange!! Being in Maryland, I took it traveling to Cedar Point and I was SO CONFUSED. I literally had no clue why the GPS took me off the highway, just to get back on, but I never thought much more about it until this video lmao

An interesting oddity in my town Kingston NY is the home of the 7th smallest Interstate (and 5th smallest signed Interstate), I-587. It's 1.4 miles long with no exists and is also dual signed as NY Rt. 28 and starts and ends into two roundabouts.

Here's one in my parts - Interstate 275 in Knoxville, Tennessee has a very heavy "kink" between the Heiskell Ave Exit and the Oldham Ave/W Woodland Ave exits instead of just going straight through. That's because when it was built there was a very large Norfolk Southern railyard in the planned route. With them having significant power and play so-to-say, I-275 was rerouted to have said kink in the layout as not to disturb the railyard.

Love your videos! Keep 'em coming!

Great video. I'd loke to see some more follow through concerning WHY these oddities ended up the way they did. Keep up the great work!

I'm a truck driver, and I've hit every single inch of interstate, so this channel immediately got my follow 🙏🏾

That Breezewood interchange is sooo weird. They totally Coulda done a real interchange

your lisp is endearing. i had a friend back in kid times who had a lisp just like that. good memories. you chose the perfect animal mascot to represent the voice. great channel and vid man. love stinkpieces on the highway system

Keep up the great content man!

2:28: A lot of interchanges on the Pennsylvania Turnpike look like this - this design allows there to only be one tollboth for the entire interchange, regardless of what direction you're going! Maybe less important now that human toll collectors have been eliminated... 4:47: Hawaii isn't "dumb"; the interstate system is funded by the federal government, so having interstates lets Hawaii take advantage of that funding. But that requires them to use the interstate branding for those roads.

Interstate 64 in Virginia Beach, at the end of the road it's going opposite direction. 😳

Love your content. Thanks for sharing!

Dude another great video

Love this stuff! Anything to do with geography! Great job, perhaps you could do a feature on the toll roads in the United States I think that would be really interesting! You know something like shortest, longest, cheapest so on and so forth!

I-10, a cross country major route swings down to New Orleans in Louisiana, where I-12 forms a by pass that is 30 miles or more, shorter than staying on I-10 all the way. Same thing happens in the city of New Orleans proper, where I-610 creates a shortcut to I-10, saving 4-5 miles by taking the I-610 shortcut instead of staying on I-10.

Loving the content man

good videos bro keep doing what you’re doing!

This was the first of your videos I have watched and I love all of the weird stuff you dug up! My only feedback is it is too quick to understand each point so if you continued to show the map you are discussing instead of switching to your clip of the beaver with the earth, we would get more time to understand your amazing points. Keep up the great work!!

Yeah, don't get me started on the whole Breezewood situation! Lol! I grew up about 20 minutes away from there, in the 90s! Believe me, that area is a nightmare! The reason I-70 doesn't directly connect to I-76, is because I-76 is the PA Turnpike and is a toll road! The Turnpike was originally constructed in the 1930s and 1940s, and I-70 much later! That whole area definitely has some interesting history! I think you should check into the PA Turnpike history, you could probably make some great content with that! By the way, keep up the great videos!

You are growing by the day. Keep it up man.

I’ve traveled via New Stanton a number of times over the years and as discombobulated as it is, you get fairly used to it in short order.

Up until 2002, I-865 in Boone County, Indiana was designated as I-465, so there was a time when I-465 intersected with itself. Also, if you ever plan on doing a video of interstates that were planned but never built, there's I-165 in Indianapolis.

The real insult to the Interstate name is I 45 in Texas. You may want to look up Alaska's Interstates as well to better understand what the Hawaii H interstates are all about.

Also I must say I'm loving these videos. You're doing great

All 4 of the Interstate 180’s have some quirks: You nailed the Wyoming one. The one in Pennsylvania is signed east-west for it’s entire route even though half of the route runs north-south. The other interesting part is that the exit numbers go up as you go east and down as you go west, which is not the standard format. And the ones in Nebraska and Illinois both have exit numbers that go down as you go north and go up as you go south, which is not the standard format.

Another oddity is where I-77 and I-83 meet in Virginia. The two interstates are merged but one is labelled "North" and the other "South".

In Castaic CA, and Charlotte, NC the interstate crosses over and drives on the left. In Castaic, it is due the grading requirements to climb the south side of the Grapevine connecting the central valley to Los Los Angeles Basin. In Charlotte, it is to accommodate a rest stop.

Excellent video! Glad to see you channel is growing. If you do some research into MN interstates you'll find a really short one and one that was considered and never built. Ideas for your growing future.

The worst part about the Breezewood connection is that it's a 90 degree turn, so you can't even merge smoothly onto the interstate. You're forced to come to a stop or at least slow down below 20 mph. I'm guessing they know it will affect the local economy if they fix it, but it was just a really stupid idea.

Amen on Breezewood! I always felt they should add legalized gambling there--if anywhere. It already has the bright lights and hotel rooms. But it shouldn't have interstate traffic pushed through it. In fact, I'd like to see I-68 should be extended west, its Cumberland, MD leg rerouted, and I-70 be given that new way west along the "National Freeway." Another place along I-76 that makes one interstate (I-81) use a traffic-laden street is in Carlisle, PA. It's long overdue for I-76 to be toll-free and "opened up." The traffic on it is is strikingly low because the fares (and access) are issues.

I-78 is unique in that none of its child routes (I-678, I-278, and unsigned I-478) connect to the parent route.

I really enjoyed this! It was interesting and well done

In downtown Cleveland I-90 makes a sharp 90° turn where you have to slow all the way down to 35 mph, it’s known as dead man’s curve locally. Always seemed strange to me that a major interstate would make such a sharp turn out of nowhere and i’ve yet to see a similar instance anywhere else in the US.

Don’t for get about Alaska’s and Puerto Rico’s intra state interstate highways that don’t fully conform to standards.

Both I 70 quirks are because one of the segments are paid toll roads. A straight simple interchange would lead to backups on the main non toll highway. The longer oval like curve that crosses itself allows for less backups. While the one that goes on the main road in town had to also consider the terrain and lack of space. While some backups occur, imagine having to put the toll booth in right past the on ramp from town. Backups would likely bring thevtiwn to a standstill

Nice video

I literally subcribed about 2 hours before this was posted so you could image my surprise when I saw you uploaded 1hour ago

Also in Hennepin, there was a steel plant there that made steel for the government, not a power plant

I live in St. Petersburg and I could never really understand the reason for I-175 and 375. It's only another mile to get on to the interstate without it.

This is very well done. Thank you.

I-70 through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado is double-decked for some stretches as the canyon was too narrow to allow for four full lanes to be laid down. Also, when it was built, a bike/recreation path was designed into it from the beginning.

69 W/C/E is because Congress mandated the specific number 69 on a path with those three branches, so AASHTO's (the organization that usually decides Interstate and US route numbers) hands were tied. That same legislation also said that I-94 between Chicago and Detroit is *also* Interstate 69 for some reason, but since it's already built and that's a pretty stupid stipulation, nobody really cares if IDOT, InDOT, and MDOT just never get around to signing that part of I-69.

Not really having anything to do with interstates, but with a regular US route... I think Route 3 in Massachusetts is so weird. US Route 3 terminates in Boston, but then Massachusetts Route 3 takes its place throughout the rest of its trip to Cape Cod. What's even weirder is that US Route 3 and Massachusetts Route 3 are considered the same highway by MassDOT. So US Route 3's mileage signs continue off of where MA Route 3's mileage signs left off.

Wow beaverman, congrats on blowing up 🤯

Interstate 93 through Franconia Notch in New Hampshire is the only stretch of interstate that is a single lane in each direction, with a 45 MPH speed limit. This is so it doesn't have too much of an environmental impact on the Notch area.

Hawaii is allowed to have "Interstate" highways because they serve interstate commerce (a.k.a. tourism). Actually, I-H3 is more about national defense, but that's always been another stated purpose of the Interstate system. Also note that I-H201 only got designated as such in the last 20 years; the road itself already existed under a state highway designation. Alaska and Puerto Rico have Interstate highways too, they're just not signed. Also the ones in Alaska don't have to be built to freeway standards. I'd also like to point out that Hawaii doesn't have the only intra-state Interstates. Other notable examples include I-4, I-19, and I-97. Lastly, here's something I find amusing. In Texas, they tend to abbreviate their Interstate Highways as IH-xx instead of just I-xx, so while Hawaii has I-H2, Texas has IH-2!

Near my hometown of Stevensville, Michigan. I 96 or US 31 runs north up until Benton Harbor and then abruptly ends, leaving a few miles of unconnected highway to sit for about 40 years because of an endangered butterfly species. They just started construction to meet I 94 and I, I 96 and US 31 together. Not super interesting but interesting to me because it's my home. Buddies and I were able to bike a mile or so of unconnected freeway. Fun stuff

Just found you and subscribed.... good luck, great job!

Just discovered your channel excellent content

I-74 starts in the Quad Cities and ends in Cincinnati, OH but then suddenly pops up in North Carolina in 3 random sections: one that goes around Mount Air near the Virginia border, one that starts near Winston-Salem and goes south to near Ellerbe, and one in between Maxton and Lumberton. and some of these stretches are part of state routes that just become interstates.

3:27 Finally! Someone has mentioned I-175 and 375, basically glorified exit ramps.

We just used the Breezewood I-70 I-76 nightmare and boy... was it a nightmare. We were thrown completely off guard by it and since we were pulling a 30 foot long camper it was absolute hell. I have no idea why the didn't just make it an interchange!!!

Another weird situation that people don’t talk about is I-94. It’s normal at first, but once you get to Milwaukee, I-94 starts heading south to avoid Lake Michigan. But the signs are signed for I-94 EAST/WEST. They could have just terminated I-94 in Milwaukee and had the remaining portions Re numbered. I-94s portion where it heads south to Chicago could had been replaced by a longer I-41. Also they should rename I-94 in Indiana and Michigan I-86 or I-98.

Another more Egregious Intrastate Interstate is I-97 Which is only in MD between US-50 in Annapolis and I-895 outside of Baltimore

I-84 and I-91 around Hartford Connecticut is interesting. Mostly because of the number of spur routes or bypasses that were planned then canceled. You can still see some evidence of this today. Canceled interstates: I-291(partially built), I-284,I-484,I-494 and I-82 to providence, RI. Along with a whole number of state highways planned then canceled.

You should make a video about the construction of interstate 490 around O'Hare Airport in Chicago. Keep up the great content!

Interstate 78 traverses a pair of one-way streets in Jersey City, NJ, between the eastern end of the NJ Turnpike’s Newark Bay extension and the Holland Tunnel. I-78 does not end in Jersey City, but rather continues through several traffic lights and through the Holland Tunnel, ending across the river in New York.

I'm surprised that I-24 didn't make it into the Top Ten. It stretches 317 miles in a southwest diagonal direction from Southern Illinois to East Ridge, Tennessee (a Chattanooga suburb) but just before it enters the Chattanooga western city limit, it dips down from Tennessee to cross into Georgia for three miles and intersects with I-59 before crossing back into Tennessee.

I-5 between Portland OR and Vancouver WA is a drawbridge. The entire interstate lifts for barge traffic on the Columbia River. Kinda weird.

Dam, you grew quick. I remember watching when you were at like 400 subs

In Wisconsin there are 2 spots where 3 interstates run concurrently. North of Madison 39/90/94. Southern Milwaukee 41/43/894.

How I'd make sense of the triple split of I-69: I-69 East (Brownsville) becomes an extension of I-37 with the part leading into Corpus Christi becoming a spur to it (337). Per another comment already, convert I-69 West (Laredo) to go across to Corpus Christi instead and call that I-6 (eventually it would take over I-337 above). That leaves only the McAllen branch as I-69 but does far south Texas really need two interstates to the Mexican border (maybe it does, I've never been there)?

No list of weirdest interstates is complete without mentioning I-238 in the Bay Area of California. Why? Because 1, There is no I-38. 2. If there was an I-38, it would be several hundred miles south, below I-40.

You should make a video on the former discontinuity of I-95 on the East Coast and how it was just recently changed.

Interstate 676 through Philadelphia and Camden new jersey has a section that has a traffic light and a massive half roundabout. 676 Eastbound in Philly splits to be a ramp into i95 or continue as itself. If you continue 676E you come to a traffic light and then go 180 degrees around a big sculpture with options to get off into various small roads and also traffic merging on before it crosses over the Ben Franklin bridge into nj

Something I only learned recently after it was added into the video game American Truck Simulator: All interstates (and various other major roads) entering California (and as far as I know, no other state-to-state border crossings do this) have Agricultural Inspection stops. So, almost as if you were pulling up to a toll booth, you get stopped and asked about or even searched for if you have any plants, bugs or animals in your car that they would not allow into the state (to keep invasive species and things that would harm farm crops out of California). Unlike much of today's modern toll roads though, there's no EZ-pass or toll-by-mail, so you *must* stop. I just found that weird that no one ever talks about that, considering that an interstate is something you usually think of being able to have easy and unimpeded travel on across the whole country.

Another oddity is Interstate 49's northernmost segment in Kansas City. Instead of continuing up to I-70/I-35 in downtown, it terminates at the Grandview Triangle (officially named Three Trails Memorial Crossing). The Triangle is where I-435, I-49, I-470 meet. US 50 and US 71 also cross through the interchanges. The kicker about the Triangle is that the city of Grandview, Missouri is actually south of there. The Triangle is wholly within KCMO. In the 70s, the residents revolted against upgrading US 71 to an interstate. Oddly enough, there is already enough land to upgrade that stretch of 71. However, there are 3 traffic lights within a 5 mile stretch. 71 has a wide median there. The mainline lanes actually follow where the frontage roads would be in both directions. The traffic on that part of 71 is at times heavy. But, no plans to extend 49 north any time soon.

One oddity is that Texas has four instances of Exit 0 (zero). There is one in each direction on Interstate 10 and another pair on Interstate 40, both extremely close to the boundaries with New Mexico.

I travel through the town of Breezewood when I travel to Niagara Falls. I always just end up turning left on US RT 30. Another interstate junction mess is I-70/I-76 and I-99 just north of Bedford, PA. If you want to go from either interstate you have to exit off the interstates to US RT 220 and get back on the interstate you need to get onto. That's why in Breezewood, I turn left onto US RT 30 because there is an interchange between RT 30 and I-99.

I-238 in Ashland, CA (in the East Bay) is not named after I-38, instead it is named after State Route 238

Try I-40 through Memphis. It doesn’t actually run through Memphis because of an environmental lawsuit some 50 years ago that stopped it in its tracks. They tried to fix it about 20 years ago by re-designating the north leg of the I-240:loop as I-40 and fixing two key interchanges, while what was supposed to be the real I-40 just runs under the name Sam Cooper Blvd. (with its signature green signage in place) to the point it was stopped by the suit. I think there is still a sign along this road-to-nowhere section - or there was until very recently - saying you’re on your way to Little Rock when you’re not. You’re really just going to the zoo, albeit a very nice zoo. Psych! Then there’s what’s left of I-240 that is now called I-240 east and west, even though it actually runs more north and south for much of its distance. Or, how about the other remaining leg of I-240, which also runs north and south through town. There’s also the funky way I-55 goes through town, where you essentially exit and then get right back on - though they did finally fix this at least to some degree. It’s still not very elegant and causes quite a backup when there is the slightest amount of traffic. Oh, the area also has an operating I-269 loop, even though any meaningful I-69 is decades away from making it into the area. I almost forgot to mention the new I-22. It enters the city from the southeast but can’t connect to the main interstate system because it travels its final leg along a business route. They completed I-269 loop and connected it that way, but the connection with 269 is so far out of the way it doesn’t work well for either long or short-haulers. Check out the area. It’s full of interstate quirks.

MY favorite oddity has since been fixed unfortunately(?). For many years on west bound I 280 in Essex County New Jersey, the exit for the Eisenhower Parkway has two off ramps. The second ramp, Eisenhower Parkway South's exit, was marked "Exit Only" from the middle lane.

The part of I-88 that coincide with I-77 in Virginia has weird signs, where I-88 N and I-77S are the same road and vise versa.

The thing with Interstates 375 and 175 in Florida is that they were originally suppose to extend west more into Pinellas County in the 80s with one going to St. Pete Beach or Treasure Island and the other one going to Clearwater Fl. None of those stuff never happened. Now there’s discussions on tearing down I-175 but leaving 375 which is much shorter in distance then 175 the one they want to tear down 🤦‍♂️

I think I-69 West in southern Texas should be renumbered as I-6. I never understood what the planned southern terminus of I-69 is but I-69 West is the perfect road to be renumbered as I-6.

A project was recently completed which completes I-95 to make it contiguous. However, they renamed the part that goes further north through PA to NJ as I-295 West/East when it is a north-south highway, and when it gets to the border at the Delaware River, it switches to North-South even though it makes a loop around Trenton, meaning on the west side, going north means using South I-295. Weird naming.