I-80 suffers from the fact that there are long stretches of highway without any signficant cities, hence the use of many minor control cities, especially in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania. Of course the cities that are used are large for that region of the country.
80 isn't the only cross-country interstate with this issue. I'd say that 20 (as a whole) and the 40, 70, and 90 have this same issue when the roads head towards the Rockies. The Rockies themselves create most of that vast open space with no major cities (the common theme for 40, 70, 80, and 90).
@@dvferyance true. California itself creates most of that for the 5 cuz it is such a massive land mass state. similar to Texas for the 10 between El Paso and San Antonio .... and the 20 between Fort Worth and the 10.
There are no control cities for Interstate 80 that are listed for Pennsylvania between Cleveland and Youngstown. Instead, New York City is used as the control city despite the interstate ending five miles west of the city. Interstate 80 should be extended with a concurrency involving Interstates 95 and 295. With that change Interstate 495 would become Interstate 780 and a concurrency with state route 495 would be established.
i moved from san diego to nyc this past month, driving the whole way there. after four days of driving the feeling you get when you FINALLY see that sign ‘80 East - New York City’ exiting ohio…it was so incredible
@@ControlCityFreak OR MAYBE... Having signage for Sharon, DuBois, Bellefonte, Lock Haven, and the other towns along I-80 is more useful to the residents and business traffic in the state than having every exit tell us something that we already know. We all know that no matter what interchange we are approaching, New York is eastbound, and no matter what interchange you are approaching Cleveland is westbound. So, there is NO reason for any additional signage about NY until you get to the Poconos.
One nice feature of I-80 in PA is the signs in both directions just east of exit 111 that say "Highest Point on I-80 East of the Mississippi/Elevation 2250 FT"
Yeah. I was expecting him to show that sign since he made a big deal about how low key the signage was for the highest point out West. I guess there wasn't time since he blew off the entire state of PA in seconds.
Interstate 80 shows a sign for I-80 E/ Hazleton/ New York at the I-81 N junction. I-81 North is signed Wilkes Barre alone on one sign, Wilkes Barre/ Scranton on another, and finally Wilkes Barre/New England/I-84 on the actual interchange.
28:02 New Jersey does indeed have a welcome sign here, but it’s within 2 miles from the PA/NJ border, and it’s right by the weigh station close by. It’s still pretty small as it’s on the the divider, but it’s not the fanciest welcome sign ever. I think that New Jersey’s welcome signs aren’t as noticeable to the point where people just flash by them and don’t really notice them.
I found it insulting. Especially after 20+ minutes of every sign coming through the Midwest. He made a comment about the lack of signage for the highest elevation of the highway out West. But he couldn't find the time in a half hour long video to show that PennDOT actually has signage for the ""Highest Point on I-80 East of the Mississippi/Elevation 2250 FT" at mile marker 111. He could have commented on the signage for State College/Penn State University approaching exit 161. Or signage to Williamsport and the Little League world Series. ***The boring, poorly signed Bellefonte exit 161 will be replaced with a high speed I-80/I-99 Interchange that finally started construction in 2024 thanks to President Biden getting infrastructure funding. It is scheduled for completion in 2030. A new exit labeled "Jacksonville/Howard" was built at mile 163 since this video was made, to provide access to the local roads that will be cut off from exit 161 once the high-speed interchange is done.
all the toll roads in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio are going away from the old toll booth gate systems (which the mainline Pennsylvania Turnpike has done, as best as I recall) post Covid ... and converting to an EZ Pass (open road) system. That's what was shown when 80 joined the Tri-State Tollway (22:41), and the conversion is in progress on both ends of the Ohio Turnpike (the toll booth at 25:16 is going away/might be gone already). I know the Indiana Toll Road also will be converting over as well.
@@dvferyance Ohio was in the process of getting rid of the gates on BOTH ends last time I was on the Turnpike, which I think was early 2021. and was constructing a new ORT gate west of the Toledo Airport exit.
PA has some of the prettiest segments of I-80 (especially for just the eastern half of the country), but I remember the first time I drove this segment, I had absolutely no idea what the control cities were for! 🤣
Ahhhh, good ole I-80. Probably the most used highway for me, being a trucker. Almost every trip I take and load I deliver, I use at least one of the main East/West interstates, I-80 definitely being the most used.
At the I80/I69 interchange Angola is the local city with its own ramps to IND227 and IND120, , The soutbound 69 to IND 120 ramp crosses the Toll road to 69 ramp with a stop sign at a right angle And the Toll Road has an onramp from 120 which also feeds into the toll road right beside the toll booths.
The Pennsylvania “montage” made me lol! 😂. What PA lacks in substantial control cities makes up for in beautiful scenery, especially in the central and eastern part of the state. 😍
26:26 This 80 East New York City sign is in a way comparable to the 40 West Los Angeles sign in Flagstaff, AZ, because neither 80 nor 40 reach New York or Los Angeles respectively, and yet they are signed for these cities, as most traffic on each road are headed to these cities, and then in the next state that each road goes through, they completely get rid of the signage for each respective city, instead having a small, not-so-well known town signed on the road within that state. (I'm looking at you PA and CA). lol
Because every PA driver KNOWS that no matter where you run into I-80 within the state, NY will always be to the east and Cleveland will always be to the west. We don't need signs to tell us that. Before GPS, it was more important to know if some "not so well-known" town was to the east or the west when you approach an interstate to know which way to head to get where you are going.
For the All Request Episode: Iowa 80 Exit 164, my hometown exit. I visited the east end of US 6 on Cape Cod during my honeymoon and I’ll be visiting the west end of it next summer! Thanks, Jordan
Angola/Fort Wayne/Lansing? The Indiana Toll Road is old. When first built, the twelfth exit as numbered on the Toll Road was for US 27. Angola was the closest significant town in Indiana to Exit 12, and the Indiana Toll Road neglected to mention towns in Michigan even if the Michigan town is similar in size and similarly distant from the Toll Road (Coldwater) or even if the Michigan town is much bigger than the two towns mentioned at the exit (Sturgis, which is much bigger than either Howe or Lagrange). Heck, even Kalamazoo, which is roughly the same size as South Bend) isn't mentioned for the exit for US 131. "Angola" on the exit for I-69 is a relic of the time in which the exit was to the now-defunct US 27.
I kind of wish that Utah would do like Colorado does and put a sign before the junction with US40 East that to get to Denver you can use either 40 or I80
As a Northern California native and now Bay Area resident, Fairfield is actually a decent CC secondary to Sac. It's grown a lot, is larger than Vacaville, and definitely larger than Davis. Travis AFB is a big presence, plus Cordelia Jct at I-680 is a major travel stop. Fairfield is also kind of widely considered to be the eastern edge of the bay area on 80, though with the current expansion and the new express lanes, Vacaville might end up encroaching on that territory soon...
12:12 I think it has more to do with US 191, which is the main route to get into Yellowstone National Park. Then again, most people travelling East on 80 to Yellowstone would probably take US 189 east of Evanston.
Few things I want to mention: Choked on my steak at 11:09 because it totally caught me off guard. The banter after literally made me lol. The picture from 1995 was really cool! (If you have more of your own pictures, you should show them!!) I-80 reminds me of I-44 exiting itself a lot I was LITERALLY about to comment about New Jersey’s landscape at the border, but you took the thoughts right out of my head. New Jersey actually does have a welcome sign, but it is in the welcome center/ rest area. It’s just not on the actual interstate. Loved this video Todd! Looking forward to the westbound video!! Keep up the good work sir!
Fairfield is kinda useful locally as a control city. It's mostly known for having a ton of outlet stores, so you have a decent amount of people heading there.
Todd, it’s funny you mentioned the elevation plaque in Wyoming, because one of the few things PA gets right on I-80 is that they put up a sign to mark the highest elevation on I-80 east of the Mississippi, around mile 110 or so.
However, at the rest area nearby the highest point along I-80, they do have an exhibit and a large statue of Abraham Lincoln (at this point it is also the highest point on the historic Lincoln Highway)
@@mrath Interstate 80 is not anywhere near the historic Lincoln Highway. The old Lincoln Highway runs across the southern part of PA, along the PA Turnpike (I-76) route.
At I-88 in the Quad Cities, 20:22, who does IDOT think they are? Nebraska? I have seen these myself when viewing the Lincoln and Omaha areas on this highway with no control cities (80 East, 80 West). As for the Des Plaines River bridge in Joliet, 21:44, that is so outdated, as is I-80 in that area; I think it should be 3 lanes each direction beginning at I-55 at the very least. Those bridges should get the I-74 treatment in Moline over the Miss. Soon.
Us route 31 in Indiana running through South Bend could become future proposed “Interstate 67” as Indiana has done a feasibility report on the corridor and Kentucky has expressed interest. It would go from Grand Rapids, Michigan to just outside Nashville, TN probably won’t happen until after I-69 is completed in those states.
It’s been upgraded to freeway standard between Holland, MI and Indianapolis as it stands now. I don’t see the need to route it to Grand Rapids as 196 already goes there from Holland. I’d rather see a future 67 continue up the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at least through Ludington if not all the way to the Macinaw Bridge. As for south, I think to Nashville would be great but 31 pretty much parallels 65 south of Indy, so extending a future 67 would be pretty useless.
Well done for over 30 minutes. My theory on I-80 in PA is that for the most part, they break it down into intervals. It's not the best approach but it gives travelers an idea of what is around. Sharon - last city in PA before Ohio. Clarion - significant university popular in state. Dubois - Intersection of US 219 (road to Buffalo, NY) and US 322 (Road to Harrisburg & Atlantic City) so more popular with traffic than city itself. Bellefonte - This should be State College and Penn State University. Milton - Intersection with US 15 (Williamsport-Harrisburg) Bloomsburg - Intersection with US 11 (Scranton/Wilkes Barre-Harrisburg and south) Hazelton - I-81 It should be NYC all the way but I think PA uses the major intersections with US routes to help with lack of other stuff.
Another oddity is that three signs listing control cities on I-80 EB after exit 178 (US 220 NB: Lock Haven) display Williamsport (farther away) above Milton (closer).
@@roadgeek1961 At the interchanges Pennsylvania could sign intermediate locations. Everyone knows that Ohio is tothe west (small city Youngstown and large cities Cleveland and Columbus) and tht to the est are New Jersey and New York City.
Been on I-80 in PA and NJ (which is part of a route to family members in jersey) and went from a further east section of the interstate to NYC for a baseball game once. I-81 is closer to home for me so thats going to be a fun video(s) for me.
Is there no mileage sign to NY like the Sacramento sign when you get on US-50 West in Ocean City, MD or the Cove Fort sign on I-70 when you leave Baltimore?
They changed the signs at the I-80/I-81 interchange eastbound to say New York City as a control city. I absolutely agree that I-80 should go right to the George Washington Bridge, as some locals refer to that as I-80/I-95 anyways. Then once it hits the NY State Line, there should be an End I-80 sign there.
17:35 it’s supposed to say interstate 680 to north Omaha,you can tell that the original text is still there,technically 680 follows interstate 29 but unsigned,880 should be signed where 680 ends and along 29 to the other junction where they split off
On the Ohio Turnpike just east of the Peck Rd overpass near Mantua OH, there's large brown signs in both directions marking the divide between the Mississippi and Great Lakes watersheds.
4:55 That road is also unsigned I-305. 27:29 I-99 doesn't actually meet I-80 just yet; really the exit should be "US 220, PA 26, To I-99". Currently, there is construction undergoing for a full high-speed interchange between I-80 and I-99 to be completed by 2025. Most likely by then will there be overhead signs for both Interstates.
@@ControlCityFreak when you get to I-99, it still technically doesn't connect with any other interstate highway -- both I-80 and I-76 remain, I believe, "To I-99" situations. AASHTO just bent over backwards for Congressman Shuster's whim.
5:35 That's so cool, another Street View car is staring back at you. I guess they were traveling in a convoy. 12:55 That's the first time I've ever seen "--AND--" on a highway sign. Most times they save space and just put the two destinations on separate lines. 18:20 Pretty interesting to see they used a flattened oval instead of a regular oval for the state highway circle shield on the sign.
Fairfield is near Travis AFB, probably the reason it’s signed. Could have been Vacaville too. Was wondering if the sign for Salt Lake 707 miles outside of Sacramento is still there?
I live in western Pa as I’ve said and I kind of agree with your thoughts on signing 80E for NYC but I like seeing my local towns represented lol. I think they could be used as long as NYC is bottom line
I can understand an OCCASIONAL sign along the road, saying how far it is to NYC or Cleveland. But until you get near the Poconos there is no reason that we need to see NYC on every sign. I'm pretty sure most interstate travelers know that NYC is east of PA, no matter where they enter I-80, and I'm sure the ones driving in from Ohio don't forget which way it is along the way because it isn't repeated at every exit. Without GPS (and back before exit numbers were based on mile markers) those local towns on the signage can be useful to know if you need to head east or west when getting on the highway in an unfamiliar location.
The new Bay Bridge is earthquake proof while the old one wasn't. Remember the earthquake in 1989 that damaged the old Bay Bridge? It even disturbed the 1989 World Series (Battle of the Bay) as well.
In 2013, after the completion of the new Bay Bridge, the old one was torn down. I hope there won't be another earthquake coming to California yet, even though California is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
24:48 Angola is on there because it's a strange double exit. After the exit toll you can go north or south onto I-69 OR onto surface streets for the Angola area and there are a few big truck stops/travel centers here.
@@ControlCityFreak Bull. I don't understand why you would need signs that say NY City the whole way across PA. Especially across the center of the state, where there are no confusing interchanges. If someone in PA doesn't know that NY is east of PA and Cleveland is west of PA, they probably shouldn't be allowed to drive on interstate highways. PA has more miles of road than any other state, because of all the mountains, valleys, and hollows where people live, and it wasn't hard before GPS to not know exactly where you are crossing paths with an interstate. When that happens, it doesn't do any good seeing a sign that NY is to the east. But it would do a lot of good to know if Bellefonte is to the east or to the west.
Loving your videos especially since you are getting to the roads I’ve traveled most through the east coast. Have traveled every bit of 95/81/83 and 97 which I’m sure will be a tough marathon of a show for you.
22:55 - 23:04 for the ENTIRE length of the Tri-State Tollway (whether it's 94/294/294 & 80), the mileage numbering system is based off the southern endpoint (at I-94/Illinois 394), and the Tollway Authority (which has jurisdiction over maintenance of that stretch) made that decision. fun fact: exits along the entire Illinois Tollway system weren't even numbered until about 20 years ago.
The mile numbering system for the Illinois tollways follow the same rule that the interstates do .... the north/south routes use the SOUTHERN endpoint as the zero demarcation, and the east/west routes use the WESTERN endpoint. The Jane Addams (90), the Ronald Reagan (88), and Elgin-O'Hare (Illinois 390 for now, future I-390) are east/west. The Veterans Memorial (355), the future 490, and the Tri-State are north/south. You'll see this come into play again when you get to 94's stretch on the Tri-State. another fun fact: the Chicago Skyway (which you'll see for I-90) is NOT under the Tollway Authority, so it doesn't follow this rule.
I’m very curious to see what you think of the control cities on 80 West out of New York City and New Jersey through Pennsylvania. Since NYC was signed starting in Youngstown, probably signing Cleveland through PA makes the most sense and 80 does actually go to Cleveland, but would you argue for Pittsburgh being signed? 80 goes well north of Pittsburgh, but it is still a way to access that area coming out of NYC and it meets 79, which is the one two digit interstate that goes into the city of Pittsburgh. Sign 80 for Pittsburgh until the junction with 79 and then go to Cleveland.
It is, but locally the collapsed portion was almost never called 880 til more recently. News reports after the quake all used the now-superseded CA state highway number (17) or its name (the Nimitz Freeway).
Being from Elko, NV, I believe one of the reasons Nevada would sign coming through Reno is that it does have one of the largest Union Pacific yards in the west. Also, Elko has the largest gold mine in North America that is headquartered there as well. Good video. Thanks!
Elko is also useful for truck drivers, as there’s not many other places to stop between SLC and Reno. They have a couple truck stops in Elko, and truck parking can be a nightmare in SLC, so staying the night in Elko becomes an option since, relative to a trucker, it’s not that far to go.
@@Sir_Austin_T_Gee Maybe you could co-sign Elko with the proper long-distance control cities of 80 East/Salt Lake City, and 80 West/Reno, if you MUST sign Elko.
Yes, and it's the only town of any consequence between Cheyenne and North Platte. I alway take that second Sidney exist near Cabela's, last gas stop of the day ending in York, NE.
That's because the Appalachians have "water gaps", with rivers/streams flowing through, and "wind gaps", which don't (at least now, most were formed by streams that later moved courses)
Apparently, there is a small town in Wyoming named Buford. It's now a ghost town but, it had 1 resident for awhile. It's exactly in the middle between Cheyenne and Laramie off Exit 335.
Fairfield is pretty big in that outskirts of bay area spot between vallejo and vacaville etc... with Travis AFB and the jelly belly factory among a bunch of other stuff and also has double the population of davis btw lmao.
As someone who has driven I-80 across Pennsylvania many times, I knew you were going to hate the ridiculous control cities! (And I even used to live in one of them!) I may love my state but there's really no reason not to sign New York City through the whole state. I-80 through the Appalachians is an extremely beautiful drive though, and the Delaware Water Gap is really nice!
Yep. I’m originally from DuBois, PA. I actually grew up thinking signing cities like DuBois, Sharon or Bellefonte was normal. It’s especially beautiful during fall foliage coming up. But I can’t imagine how miserable this drive was during the 55 MPH days.
@@14Rocket the funny part is the two biggest things along I-80 in western PA that people from out of the area would know about are not used at all as even places where the exits ago other than extra signs. Penn State University and State College is on another sign for exit 161 (PA 26, US 220, I-99 signed for Bellefonte). Punxsutawney (for the dang groundhog) has a sign that says to use Exit 78, which is signed PA 36 for Brookville and Sigel. There is no mention of Pittsburgh at Exit 81 for PA 28, which is a straight shot to Pittsburgh. (Straight as in you don’t leave 28… through some of them hills… lots of twists and turns.) It’s signed only for Hazen, which has a flea market the 1st weekend of eight months of the year.
@@MikeyLewTV if I were coming from Williamsport or DuBois I'd take 99 or 119 being that its faster. The stretch of 28 between Kittanning and Brookville is slower has too many deer on the road and banjos playing in the background.
27:00 New Castle makes sense as a control city at that point rather than Pittsburgh, for New Castle is a pretty significant town in Western Pennsylvania, and it is before you get to Pittsburgh. From I-80, the more direct route to (Downtown) Pittsburgh would be I-79 to I-279 (also avoids tolls), although 376 would be the more direct route if you were going to the West Hills of Pittsburgh or the airport.
I-376 goes into Pittsburgh Proper, I would be ok with using it. Westbound should be New Castle though. Pittsburgh traffic would have gotten off at I-79.
20:25 Sterling/Rock Falls goes back to when ILL 2 was what existed. ILL 2 had gone from the Wisconsin state line at Beloit to Rock Island. In the 1970s, when the freeway portion of ILL 5 was extended from Rock Falls to Rock Island, it dropped ILL 2 in Rock Falls. There is still an exit for "Old Rt 2" at Exit 10 on I-88. While I agree that Sterling-Rock Falls is not a great choice, I can understand having one of them as a secondary still with Aurora and Chicago. Sterling-Rock Falls are about 25k together and it is where I-88 ends being free. You could also do DeKalb (44k, almost midway between Quad Cities and Chicago & home of N Illinois Univ) and Chicago.
Fairfield is the home of Travis AFB, a base vital for Air Force operations in the Pacific. So, with bias from an AF vet, I can see including it as a control city.
I know you probably couldn't really fit it in but there's an odd mileage listing sign in Pennsylvania just after you pass I-99 that actually lists a farther away city ON TOP. Just wanted to let you know. Just found your channel by the way and these videos are super interesting! Can't wait for the westbound video and for the rest of the 2-digit Interstates! I live just a couple miles away from 99's northern end :)
Well, whenever they manage to get 220 up to interstate standards all the way to Williamsport, I guess it won't be accurate for me to say that anymore, but somehow, I don't see that happening anytime soon.
As someone who lives in Nebraska and goes on I-80 a lot, York is right in between Grand Island and Lincoln. It’s along highway 81 which is a straight shot to Dallas and it is home to a lot of simi trucks staying the night. There’s plenty of hotels and fast food so no need to go 3 miles into town.
Didn't realize this but 4:14 mark, which shows Fairfield off of Waterman Blvd, going on to EB 80. However if you heading towards the other direction off of water, past the Safeway shopping plaza you will see a sign for Sacramento and San Francisco as you head towards 80.
I appreciate you making these types of videos, I’ve been following you I think since interstate 50 or 60 something which is actually a while since you post every week and this is my Type of content that I never knew I wanted to watch! Keep it up
I-80 In parleys canyon to park city and Wyoming is literally so terrifying. The amount of semis on the road is insane and they all go 90 down the canyon.
Those one-lane exits for the main route would make me pretty nervous if I were the traffic planner. I gotta assume their _actual_ traffic flows aren't what you'd expect on a mainline so they don't get ridiculously congested.
On a recent roadtrip that took me through southern Wisconsin to Dubuque and back to I-80 through the Quad Cities I noticed that just before Joliet (and I-55) I saw a warning sign to consider an alternative route. I took the advice and went through downtown Chicago on I-55. The Tri-State Turnpike has no scenic merit, so going to Chicago made more sense.
@paulbrower4265 Actually, there is a portion of the 80/294 concurrency (kind of pointless in my opinion) that goes over a quarry some 350-400 feet deep.
As a Nebraskan, I can't figure out the love for Sidney either. The former headquarters for Cabela's was located in Sidney until 2017, when Sidney lost 2,000 jobs due to Cabela's merger with Bass Pro Shops. Perhaps it is signed as a form of mourning> :-)
I sort of went along highway 80. That's when I took an Amtrak train, namely the California Zepher line. However I went through Colorado instead of Wyoming, but up until Erie Pennsylvania it was pretty much the same.
Any signs in western Wyoming (Ft Bridger, Lyman, etc) should also include Flaming Gorge, considering this is the main destination any non-Wyoming driver would be pulling off I-80 for.
I80 in the Chicagoland area at some of the interchanges going east are signed for Gary, Indiana between Joliet and I294, mainly at the Harlem Avenue I80 interchange.
I think Elko is a good choice in Nevada since it's the largest city of any importance between Reno and SLC and relatively conveniently located between the two. If you need to stop, stopping in Elko is your best bet. I think in Wyoming, westbound signing Cheyenne/Laramie, and eastbound signing Salt Lake City/Rawlings, makes sense due to the 287 split (easiest way to get to Colorado westbound or Yellowstone NP eastbound, both of which are popular destinations).
Elko is too small to be signed far away. I think it should be SLC all the way from Reno. And no Rawlings signs. Those are definitions of secondaries. Next substantial town with services.
@@mxderate The recurring debate is whether CCs should be destinations known to locals or to long-haul drivers. I generally agree with Todd that small cities aren't ideal, but I did appreciate, in Pennsylvania, seeing an onramp sign for Dubois after getting very lost on local roads (way in the pre-GPS days). IMO since Elko is a common stopping point for long-haulers, it makes sense to have it on a mileage sign but not on an overhead.
Nevada doesn't really do dual control city signage, and I don't believe Utah does, neither (although I know 15N does have dual control city signage for 70E) .... but the 80 stretch would be ideal for havin Elko AND Reno (westbound out of SLC) or SLC (eastbound out of Reno). for all intents and purposes ... Elko is a facilities stop for travelers going across the western portion of 80 into/out of the Rockies ... so it IS important from that standpoint, even though the city itself isn't all that significant.
Northern and Southern California have different temperature conditions. The south it’s warm weather year round. The north goes through spring, summer, winter gihandra, and fall.
I would include South Bend somewhere in NW Indiana where there’s a lot going on with 94 and 65 and the Toll Road. South Bend gets a good bit of traffic from Chicagoland and Milwaukee in the fall. Not like Toledo is some major city like Indianapolis and Detroit.
This was interesting because I have been on part of this road through Illinois and part of Iowa. I loved Iowa City. I loved seeing the Indiana sign when coming from Chicago because I grew up in Northwest Indiana and I was almost home. The traffic is bad there and always construction in the summer. I will be taking 80 frim I 99 and stay at Delaware Water Gap. It is close to the recreational area. I also plan to stop at Paterson Falls in New Jersey. I will take it to 95 and the Cape.
I’ve only ever been on I-80 East in the Chicago area back in 2004 while heading home to Detroit as I-94 is the direct route to Chicago in Michigan. Also, I-80/90 in Indiana comes within inches of crossing into Michigan. What kind of I-80 content will we see in your next video? Perhaps 880? 580? 180 Wyoming? I’d personally like to see I-280 Ohio as it’s the route I took to Cedar Point all the time. It provides a quicker connection to the Ohio Turnpike than taking I-75. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if you do 880 as it has a lot of history behind it and had to be rebuilt because of the 1989 earthquake. You have any pictures of the old double-decker section of 880?
Been from tip to stern. Used to drive for Schneider and Marten Transport. I-80 was a mainstay while driving for Schneider since we had to stay in Des Moines. Years ago, the control signs for eastbound I-80 before the GW Bridge was I-80 The Oranges.
The Oranges! I recall decades ago that was also signed on the NJ Turnpike & wonder if it's worded that way. Disconcerting at best, even if technically it made sense.
Here's my theory on what I-215 to Provo is about: there are a lot of people (mostly Mormons) who their first time in Utah is coming out of the airport and are trying to get to BYU. The signage out of the Salt Lake Airport basically force you to go this way and under that control sign, so for non-locals, this sign is immensely useful.
This is one of my love hate relationship interstates to drive. As a former OTR truck driver, I use to see a whole of nasty winter accidents 80 from the Sierra Nevadas to the Eastern Pennsylvania. Wyoming was the worst due to weather and horrible winds. Jumping to I-80 in New Jersey, in my heart of hearts 80 should be named in honor of Bill Parcells. He's a native of Northeast Jersey. In North Jersey 80 is called Route 80 by locals and all stations that do traffic reports. Why not the Bill Parcells Expressway???
@@ControlCityFreak He's the Rodney Dangerfield of North Jersey but I truly believe that would a great compliment to a native who did a lot in sports for The NYC and North Jersey fans
Many years ago, especially before I-84 opened to I-81, truckers used US 209 as a shortcut to I-84 and on to New England. When 84 was finished, they would still take 209. Many fatal accidents happened despite efforts to reduce the speed limit. Around 1976, they closed the highway to commercial vehicles. So today, truckers to New England must use I-81 and I-84 or they can use I-287 and I-87 NY Thruway to I-84.
My ride to work is thoroughly on 80 from Netcong to Wayne. What sucks is I have to do a u-turn off 80 and go west to get to my job. This is what frustrates me about New Jersey (and I’ve lived elsewhere)
I-80 suffers from the fact that there are long stretches of highway without any signficant cities, hence the use of many minor control cities, especially in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania. Of course the cities that are used are large for that region of the country.
80 isn't the only cross-country interstate with this issue.
I'd say that 20 (as a whole) and the 40, 70, and 90 have this same issue when the roads head towards the Rockies. The Rockies themselves create most of that vast open space with no major cities (the common theme for 40, 70, 80, and 90).
@@dhinton1 I say I-5 has the same issue though southern Oregon and northern California.
I came here to say something like this. This is especially true in Wyoming where the freeways are sometimes the ONLY way between towns.
@@dvferyance true. California itself creates most of that for the 5 cuz it is such a massive land mass state. similar to Texas for the 10 between El Paso and San Antonio .... and the 20 between Fort Worth and the 10.
There are no control cities for Interstate 80 that are listed for Pennsylvania between Cleveland and Youngstown. Instead, New York City is used as the control city despite the interstate ending five miles west of the city. Interstate 80 should be extended with a concurrency involving Interstates 95 and 295. With that change Interstate 495 would become Interstate 780 and a concurrency with state route 495 would be established.
i moved from san diego to nyc this past month, driving the whole way there. after four days of driving the feeling you get when you FINALLY see that sign ‘80 East - New York City’ exiting ohio…it was so incredible
That would be awesome! But PA is out trying to build excitement for Sharon and Dubois.
@@ControlCityFreak OR MAYBE... Having signage for Sharon, DuBois, Bellefonte, Lock Haven, and the other towns along I-80 is more useful to the residents and business traffic in the state than having every exit tell us something that we already know. We all know that no matter what interchange we are approaching, New York is eastbound, and no matter what interchange you are approaching Cleveland is westbound. So, there is NO reason for any additional signage about NY until you get to the Poconos.
you're gonna be so sad when PENDOT removes that sign
One nice feature of I-80 in PA is the signs in both directions just east of exit 111 that say "Highest Point on I-80 East of the Mississippi/Elevation 2250 FT"
Yeah. I was expecting him to show that sign since he made a big deal about how low key the signage was for the highest point out West. I guess there wasn't time since he blew off the entire state of PA in seconds.
Wyoming, the state, was named after Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. This historical connection carries through in their approach to control cities.
Pretty ironic, isn’t it.
lol
Interstate 80 shows a sign for I-80 E/ Hazleton/ New York at the I-81 N junction. I-81 North is signed Wilkes Barre alone on one sign, Wilkes Barre/ Scranton on another, and finally Wilkes Barre/New England/I-84 on the actual interchange.
28:02 New Jersey does indeed have a welcome sign here, but it’s within 2 miles from the PA/NJ border, and it’s right by the weigh station close by. It’s still pretty small as it’s on the the divider, but it’s not the fanciest welcome sign ever. I think that New Jersey’s welcome signs aren’t as noticeable to the point where people just flash by them and don’t really notice them.
The 9-Second Montage in Pennsylvania never gets old 💀🤣 Saves so much time too!
I beg to differ.
I found it insulting. Especially after 20+ minutes of every sign coming through the Midwest. He made a comment about the lack of signage for the highest elevation of the highway out West. But he couldn't find the time in a half hour long video to show that PennDOT actually has signage for the ""Highest Point on I-80 East of the Mississippi/Elevation 2250 FT" at mile marker 111. He could have commented on the signage for State College/Penn State University approaching exit 161. Or signage to Williamsport and the Little League world Series.
***The boring, poorly signed Bellefonte exit 161 will be replaced with a high speed I-80/I-99 Interchange that finally started construction in 2024 thanks to President Biden getting infrastructure funding. It is scheduled for completion in 2030. A new exit labeled "Jacksonville/Howard" was built at mile 163 since this video was made, to provide access to the local roads that will be cut off from exit 161 once the high-speed interchange is done.
The control city analysis is interesting, and this is an amazing way to become familiar with the interstates!
Thanks1
all the toll roads in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio are going away from the old toll booth gate systems (which the mainline Pennsylvania Turnpike has done, as best as I recall) post Covid ... and converting to an EZ Pass (open road) system. That's what was shown when 80 joined the Tri-State Tollway (22:41), and the conversion is in progress on both ends of the Ohio Turnpike (the toll booth at 25:16 is going away/might be gone already). I know the Indiana Toll Road also will be converting over as well.
The New York State Thruway also got rid of the toll booths. It's all done by EZ Pass or by mail
As of now Indiana and Ohio still have the old toll booth gate system. Illinios has gotten rid of them with the one exception of the Chicago Skyway.
@@dvferyance Ohio was in the process of getting rid of the gates on BOTH ends last time I was on the Turnpike, which I think was early 2021. and was constructing a new ORT gate west of the Toledo Airport exit.
PA has some of the prettiest segments of I-80 (especially for just the eastern half of the country), but I remember the first time I drove this segment, I had absolutely no idea what the control cities were for! 🤣
Ahhhh, good ole I-80. Probably the most used highway for me, being a trucker. Almost every trip I take and load I deliver, I use at least one of the main East/West interstates, I-80 definitely being the most used.
It was probably my most-used interstate as an OTR trucker as well. It was rare that I didn’t use I-80 at least once during my road time.
At the I80/I69 interchange Angola is the local city with its own ramps to IND227 and IND120, , The soutbound 69 to IND 120 ramp crosses the Toll road to 69 ramp with a stop sign at a right angle And the Toll Road has an onramp from 120 which also feeds into the toll road right beside the toll booths.
The Pennsylvania “montage” made me lol! 😂. What PA lacks in substantial control cities makes up for in beautiful scenery, especially in the central and eastern part of the state. 😍
I live in PA right near i80. Scenery is beautiful.
26:26 This 80 East New York City sign is in a way comparable to the 40 West Los Angeles sign in Flagstaff, AZ, because neither 80 nor 40 reach New York or Los Angeles respectively, and yet they are signed for these cities, as most traffic on each road are headed to these cities, and then in the next state that each road goes through, they completely get rid of the signage for each respective city, instead having a small, not-so-well known town signed on the road within that state. (I'm looking at you PA and CA). lol
Good point! Given that, it kinda makes the Barstow signage look even dumber.
@@ControlCityFreak Also, don't forget about the signing of Ludlow in CA on 40.
Because every PA driver KNOWS that no matter where you run into I-80 within the state, NY will always be to the east and Cleveland will always be to the west. We don't need signs to tell us that. Before GPS, it was more important to know if some "not so well-known" town was to the east or the west when you approach an interstate to know which way to head to get where you are going.
CCF fails to escape Limon, no matter how it's spelled.
Lol
Lmao not another thoosie, love skyrush. I worked racer at KI this summer!
@@TanookiOshawott64 I swear there are more enthusiast geography nerds than regular geography nerds
Lyman reminds me of the Lyman guy who "disappeared" from the Garfield comic strip. Maybe Lyman should also "disappear" as a control city. 😄
I literally snorted when I saw that. TWICE 😂😂
From Utah through to Illinois, Im very familiar. Ive driven the Utah to Nebraska stretch many times.
Limon: *exists*
Todd: *ANGER*
I’m happy for them for existing, but they don’t need to be signed!
For the All Request Episode:
Iowa 80 Exit 164, my hometown exit. I visited the east end of US 6 on Cape Cod during my honeymoon and I’ll be visiting the west end of it next summer!
Thanks,
Jordan
Thanks, you got it!
New Jersey is beautiful. Often goes underappreciated, but Jersey (North, Central and South) has some beautiful scenery!
I grew up in Sussex County. Very beautiful country up that way.
@@davidfrischknecht8261 Absolutely. Hunterdon myself
Jersey has some beautiful countryside. Farmland and horse farms. Nothing like Jersey corn and Jersey tomatoes.
If you’re further away from New York City and Philadelphia (or any populated cities), the better it is.
Angola/Fort Wayne/Lansing?
The Indiana Toll Road is old. When first built, the twelfth exit as numbered on the Toll Road was for US 27. Angola was the closest significant town in Indiana to Exit 12, and the Indiana Toll Road neglected to mention towns in Michigan even if the Michigan town is similar in size and similarly distant from the Toll Road (Coldwater) or even if the Michigan town is much bigger than the two towns mentioned at the exit (Sturgis, which is much bigger than either Howe or Lagrange). Heck, even Kalamazoo, which is roughly the same size as South Bend) isn't mentioned for the exit for US 131. "Angola" on the exit for I-69 is a relic of the time in which the exit was to the now-defunct US 27.
Great info, thanks!
11:08 "Here's our next major interchange, and we're signed for 80 east Lyman?! LYMAN?! It changed its spelling! It's after me!!!"
Cracked me up lol.
LYMANNNNNNNNNNNNN
I kind of wish that Utah would do like Colorado does and put a sign before the junction with US40 East that to get to Denver you can use either 40 or I80
Whew, here it is! It makes sense that the video is so long for such a big and important interstate. Nice job!
Thanks!
As a Northern California native and now Bay Area resident, Fairfield is actually a decent CC secondary to Sac. It's grown a lot, is larger than Vacaville, and definitely larger than Davis. Travis AFB is a big presence, plus Cordelia Jct at I-680 is a major travel stop. Fairfield is also kind of widely considered to be the eastern edge of the bay area on 80, though with the current expansion and the new express lanes, Vacaville might end up encroaching on that territory soon...
Don't get me started on the fact the express lanes are getting added in Solano County.
12:12 I think it has more to do with US 191, which is the main route to get into Yellowstone National Park. Then again, most people travelling East on 80 to Yellowstone would probably take US 189 east of Evanston.
Taking i80 to nb then heading down to Arkansas...first long road trip curious what ill see and i ended up here.....ty
Few things I want to mention:
Choked on my steak at 11:09 because it totally caught me off guard. The banter after literally made me lol.
The picture from 1995 was really cool! (If you have more of your own pictures, you should show them!!)
I-80 reminds me of I-44 exiting itself a lot
I was LITERALLY about to comment about New Jersey’s landscape at the border, but you took the thoughts right out of my head.
New Jersey actually does have a welcome sign, but it is in the welcome center/ rest area. It’s just not on the actual interstate.
Loved this video Todd! Looking forward to the westbound video!! Keep up the good work sir!
Thanks!
NJ is bad at placing their welcome signs. In fact, they’re just not a good DoT
Fairfield is kinda useful locally as a control city. It's mostly known for having a ton of outlet stores, so you have a decent amount of people heading there.
The Delaware Water Gap is the 15th most visited unit of the National Parks Service.
At 21:02 I-80 goes through Joliet and I-80 goes passed Chicago ( on the south side only ) it’s a Chicago bypass.
It does that very well. We used I29 and I80 to completely bypass Chicago and we didn't encounter any traffic
Still should be Chicago until I-55.
Todd, it’s funny you mentioned the elevation plaque in Wyoming, because one of the few things PA gets right on I-80 is that they put up a sign to mark the highest elevation on I-80 east of the Mississippi, around mile 110 or so.
Oh nice, I’ll look for it in westbound
@@ControlCityFreak here’s a photo of it, just to give you an idea: commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:I80_Highest_Point.jpg
However, at the rest area nearby the highest point along I-80, they do have an exhibit and a large statue of Abraham Lincoln (at this point it is also the highest point on the historic Lincoln Highway)
@@seanmerritt2905 Thanks!
@@mrath Interstate 80 is not anywhere near the historic Lincoln Highway. The old Lincoln Highway runs across the southern part of PA, along the PA Turnpike (I-76) route.
At I-88 in the Quad Cities, 20:22, who does IDOT think they are? Nebraska? I have seen these myself when viewing the Lincoln and Omaha areas on this highway with no control cities (80 East, 80 West). As for the Des Plaines River bridge in Joliet, 21:44, that is so outdated, as is I-80 in that area; I think it should be 3 lanes each direction beginning at I-55 at the very least. Those bridges should get the I-74 treatment in Moline over the Miss. Soon.
North Carolina: I have by far the worst control cities in the country.
Pennsylvania: Hold my Keystone Lite.
Lol
Here’s one *WELCOME TO PENNSYLVANIA WE LOVE PROVINCIAL CONTROL CITIES*
Us route 31 in Indiana running through South Bend could become future proposed “Interstate 67” as Indiana has done a feasibility report on the corridor and Kentucky has expressed interest. It would go from Grand Rapids, Michigan to just outside Nashville, TN probably won’t happen until after I-69 is completed in those states.
It’s been upgraded to freeway standard between Holland, MI and Indianapolis as it stands now.
I don’t see the need to route it to Grand Rapids as 196 already goes there from Holland. I’d rather see a future 67 continue up the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at least through Ludington if not all the way to the Macinaw Bridge. As for south, I think to Nashville would be great but 31 pretty much parallels 65 south of Indy, so extending a future 67 would be pretty useless.
Well done for over 30 minutes. My theory on I-80 in PA is that for the most part, they break it down into intervals. It's not the best approach but it gives travelers an idea of what is around.
Sharon - last city in PA before Ohio.
Clarion - significant university popular in state.
Dubois - Intersection of US 219 (road to Buffalo, NY) and US 322 (Road to Harrisburg & Atlantic City) so more popular with traffic than city itself.
Bellefonte - This should be State College and Penn State University.
Milton - Intersection with US 15 (Williamsport-Harrisburg)
Bloomsburg - Intersection with US 11 (Scranton/Wilkes Barre-Harrisburg and south)
Hazelton - I-81
It should be NYC all the way but I think PA uses the major intersections with US routes to help with lack of other stuff.
Seems as good an explanation as any
For most Pennsylvanians that what most of these towns mean. For the National travelers little or no meaning.
Most control cities (including solely secondary ones) signed on I-80 in PA are county seats. (My guess on PennDOT's reasons for signing them)
Another oddity is that three signs listing control cities on I-80 EB after exit 178 (US 220 NB: Lock Haven) display Williamsport (farther away) above Milton (closer).
@@roadgeek1961 At the interchanges Pennsylvania could sign intermediate locations. Everyone knows that Ohio is tothe west (small city Youngstown and large cities Cleveland and Columbus) and tht to the est are New Jersey and New York City.
27:18 What would have happened if you had played 10 seconds of that song? Would you have had to go straight to Lyman without passing Go?
All ad revenue from this video would have gone to the song’s copyright owner.
There is a welcome sign along I-80 in New Jersey. If I remember correctly, it is located past Columbia, a few miles from the border for some reason.
I do hate that New Jersey doesn’t have any nice & big welcome signage (except for the Parkway, Turnpike and it’s extensions).
16:10 once in Lincoln Omaha is the only primary control city,please note that all interstate 80 control cities alternate after Lincoln or ogualla
I like SaltLakeCity as one word on that NV sign. Makes it seem like a startup company or some MCU/Bond villain organization
11:10 “Lyman, LYMAN!?!?!”
Been on I-80 in PA and NJ (which is part of a route to family members in jersey) and went from a further east section of the interstate to NYC for a baseball game once.
I-81 is closer to home for me so thats going to be a fun video(s) for me.
Is there no mileage sign to NY like the Sacramento sign when you get on US-50 West in Ocean City, MD or the Cove Fort sign on I-70 when you leave Baltimore?
Nope but would be cool
They changed the signs at the I-80/I-81 interchange eastbound to say New York City as a control city. I absolutely agree that I-80 should go right to the George Washington Bridge, as some locals refer to that as I-80/I-95 anyways. Then once it hits the NY State Line, there should be an End I-80 sign there.
17:35 it’s supposed to say interstate 680 to north Omaha,you can tell that the original text is still there,technically 680 follows interstate 29 but unsigned,880 should be signed where 680 ends and along 29 to the other junction where they split off
11:10 Lyman Wyoming does have a slightly higher population than Limon Colorado
On the Ohio Turnpike just east of the Peck Rd overpass near Mantua OH, there's large brown signs in both directions marking the divide between the Mississippi and Great Lakes watersheds.
Awesome! Will check for westbound
I like how Ohio changes the signs' colors when there is a special event. For example, orange signs signify that there's construction.
4:55 That road is also unsigned I-305.
27:29 I-99 doesn't actually meet I-80 just yet; really the exit should be "US 220, PA 26, To I-99". Currently, there is construction undergoing for a full high-speed interchange between I-80 and I-99 to be completed by 2025. Most likely by then will there be overhead signs for both Interstates.
I would hope so
@@ControlCityFreak when you get to I-99, it still technically doesn't connect with any other interstate highway -- both I-80 and I-76 remain, I believe, "To I-99" situations. AASHTO just bent over backwards for Congressman Shuster's whim.
ok, the few miles long stub at the NY/PA border where it links with I-86 -- the highway reverts to US-15 the moment you hit the PA state line.
I think the long-term plan is to connect the portion of 99 that goes south to the Turnpike, to the portion of 99 that goes into NY state.
While on I80 I stopped in Sacramento to snap a picture of the Ocean City, MD sign. 3073 miles.
Nice!
It used to say Gary Indiana on the mileage signs on I-80 E past Joliet, as it should be or Toledo. States or countries should never be control points.
5:35 That's so cool, another Street View car is staring back at you. I guess they were traveling in a convoy.
12:55 That's the first time I've ever seen "--AND--" on a highway sign. Most times they save space and just put the two destinations on separate lines.
18:20 Pretty interesting to see they used a flattened oval instead of a regular oval for the state highway circle shield on the sign.
Fairfield is near Travis AFB, probably the reason it’s signed. Could have been Vacaville too.
Was wondering if the sign for Salt Lake 707 miles outside of Sacramento is still there?
I live in western Pa as I’ve said and I kind of agree with your thoughts on signing 80E for NYC but I like seeing my local towns represented lol. I think they could be used as long as NYC is bottom line
That would be fine too
80 goes through Lake Hopatcong and Netcong, nJ and then there is Hoboken.
I’m also from western PA.
I can understand an OCCASIONAL sign along the road, saying how far it is to NYC or Cleveland. But until you get near the Poconos there is no reason that we need to see NYC on every sign. I'm pretty sure most interstate travelers know that NYC is east of PA, no matter where they enter I-80, and I'm sure the ones driving in from Ohio don't forget which way it is along the way because it isn't repeated at every exit. Without GPS (and back before exit numbers were based on mile markers) those local towns on the signage can be useful to know if you need to head east or west when getting on the highway in an unfamiliar location.
The new Bay Bridge is earthquake proof while the old one wasn't. Remember the earthquake in 1989 that damaged the old Bay Bridge? It even disturbed the 1989 World Series (Battle of the Bay) as well.
I remember
That is why the old part of the Bay Bridge has been replaced.
In 2013, after the completion of the new Bay Bridge, the old one was torn down. I hope there won't be another earthquake coming to California yet, even though California is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
11:12 is this named after the Lyman in Ukraine? It's spelled the same
Great video. I always wanted to see what the views from I-80 looked like in the western half of the country.
Thanks!
24:48 Angola is on there because it's a strange double exit. After the exit toll you can go north or south onto I-69 OR onto surface streets for the Angola area and there are a few big truck stops/travel centers here.
@rayizard5687 While on a road trip this summer, I saw another exit configuration just like the Angola exit: the 90/91 interchange in Springfield.
This confirms my thinking that I-80 is the worst-signed Interstate. Double-signing would be a good thing along this Interstate.
The 1200 or so miles in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania definitely bring it down some
@@ControlCityFreak Bull. I don't understand why you would need signs that say NY City the whole way across PA. Especially across the center of the state, where there are no confusing interchanges. If someone in PA doesn't know that NY is east of PA and Cleveland is west of PA, they probably shouldn't be allowed to drive on interstate highways. PA has more miles of road than any other state, because of all the mountains, valleys, and hollows where people live, and it wasn't hard before GPS to not know exactly where you are crossing paths with an interstate. When that happens, it doesn't do any good seeing a sign that NY is to the east. But it would do a lot of good to know if Bellefonte is to the east or to the west.
Loving your videos especially since you are getting to the roads I’ve traveled most through the east coast. Have traveled every bit of 95/81/83 and 97 which I’m sure will be a tough marathon of a show for you.
22:55 - 23:04 for the ENTIRE length of the Tri-State Tollway (whether it's 94/294/294 & 80), the mileage numbering system is based off the southern endpoint (at I-94/Illinois 394), and the Tollway Authority (which has jurisdiction over maintenance of that stretch) made that decision.
fun fact: exits along the entire Illinois Tollway system weren't even numbered until about 20 years ago.
Oh I never realized that
The mile numbering system for the Illinois tollways follow the same rule that the interstates do .... the north/south routes use the SOUTHERN endpoint as the zero demarcation, and the east/west routes use the WESTERN endpoint.
The Jane Addams (90), the Ronald Reagan (88), and Elgin-O'Hare (Illinois 390 for now, future I-390) are east/west.
The Veterans Memorial (355), the future 490, and the Tri-State are north/south. You'll see this come into play again when you get to 94's stretch on the Tri-State.
another fun fact: the Chicago Skyway (which you'll see for I-90) is NOT under the Tollway Authority, so it doesn't follow this rule.
@@dhinton1 Yep the Skyway was owned by the city and leased to some company in Spain in 2003-ish. I lived in Chicago at the time, remember it well.
@@ControlCityFreak good ol' Richard (Daley) 😂
Less than that. I-88 got them first around 2010. The rest of the system got them around 2013 or 2014.
Donner pass: love "don't get stuck!"
One might add, "or eaten."
I’m very curious to see what you think of the control cities on 80 West out of New York City and New Jersey through Pennsylvania. Since NYC was signed starting in Youngstown, probably signing Cleveland through PA makes the most sense and 80 does actually go to Cleveland, but would you argue for Pittsburgh being signed? 80 goes well north of Pittsburgh, but it is still a way to access that area coming out of NYC and it meets 79, which is the one two digit interstate that goes into the city of Pittsburgh. Sign 80 for Pittsburgh until the junction with 79 and then go to Cleveland.
West of NYC and Teaneck(where I-80 ends), I would use Pennsylvania as a Control City. Then once in PA it gets very confusing
I don’t like skipping Youngstown on this either
@@spellcast1391 I'd skip Youngstown WB because Cleveland is a lot bigger.
Perhaps Scranton could work until I-380, but if not that I'd go Cleveland from the jump.
2:25 The infamous I-880 made famous by the 1989 World Series quake?
The same!
It is, but locally the collapsed portion was almost never called 880 til more recently. News reports after the quake all used the now-superseded CA state highway number (17) or its name (the Nimitz Freeway).
Being from Elko, NV, I believe one of the reasons Nevada would sign coming through Reno is that it does have one of the largest Union Pacific yards in the west. Also, Elko has the largest gold mine in North America that is headquartered there as well. Good video. Thanks!
Thanks!
Elko is also useful for truck drivers, as there’s not many other places to stop between SLC and Reno. They have a couple truck stops in Elko, and truck parking can be a nightmare in SLC, so staying the night in Elko becomes an option since, relative to a trucker, it’s not that far to go.
@@Sir_Austin_T_Gee Maybe you could co-sign Elko with the proper long-distance control cities of 80 East/Salt Lake City, and 80 West/Reno, if you MUST sign Elko.
Elko is like the largest city in Nevada that's not in the Las Vegas area or the Reno Carson City area.
I think it should skip elko and say salt lake city from reno
-slc resident
Sydney, NE was where the headquarters for Cabela's was at before they were bought out by Bass Pro Shops.
Yes, and it's the only town of any consequence between Cheyenne and North Platte. I alway take that second Sidney exist near Cabela's, last gas stop of the day ending in York, NE.
I love how its called "water gap" and not "river"
man, Pennslvania wants to separate itself from Jersey so hard
Lol
That's because the Appalachians have "water gaps", with rivers/streams flowing through, and "wind gaps", which don't (at least now, most were formed by streams that later moved courses)
Apparently, there is a small town in Wyoming named Buford. It's now a ghost town but, it had 1 resident for awhile. It's exactly in the middle between Cheyenne and Laramie off Exit 335.
This man spoke thru the entire highway
Indeed he did.
Fairfield is pretty big in that outskirts of bay area spot between vallejo and vacaville etc... with Travis AFB and the jelly belly factory among a bunch of other stuff and also has double the population of davis btw lmao.
Great job! The LymXn nightmares continue for you! Maybe sometime there should be a Todd's fan's meetup there.
Lol
Yeah we could all drive from Lyman to Limon.
this video brought back so many memories when i moved from sacramento to detroit in 2017 driving thru 80
As someone who has driven I-80 across Pennsylvania many times, I knew you were going to hate the ridiculous control cities! (And I even used to live in one of them!) I may love my state but there's really no reason not to sign New York City through the whole state. I-80 through the Appalachians is an extremely beautiful drive though, and the Delaware Water Gap is really nice!
Yep. I’m originally from DuBois, PA. I actually grew up thinking signing cities like DuBois, Sharon or Bellefonte was normal.
It’s especially beautiful during fall foliage coming up. But I can’t imagine how miserable this drive was during the 55 MPH days.
You just threw all of Penn State University under the bus...
@@14Rocket the funny part is the two biggest things along I-80 in western PA that people from out of the area would know about are not used at all as even places where the exits ago other than extra signs.
Penn State University and State College is on another sign for exit 161 (PA 26, US 220, I-99 signed for Bellefonte).
Punxsutawney (for the dang groundhog) has a sign that says to use Exit 78, which is signed PA 36 for Brookville and Sigel.
There is no mention of Pittsburgh at Exit 81 for PA 28, which is a straight shot to Pittsburgh. (Straight as in you don’t leave 28… through some of them hills… lots of twists and turns.) It’s signed only for Hazen, which has a flea market the 1st weekend of eight months of the year.
@@MikeyLewTV if I were coming from Williamsport or DuBois I'd take 99 or 119 being that its faster. The stretch of 28 between Kittanning and Brookville is slower has too many deer on the road and banjos playing in the background.
Scranton would be okay to sign but these tiny towns they are using are laughably bad
Fairfield is where the Jelly Belly factory is located
27:00 New Castle makes sense as a control city at that point rather than Pittsburgh, for New Castle is a pretty significant town in Western Pennsylvania, and it is before you get to Pittsburgh. From I-80, the more direct route to (Downtown) Pittsburgh would be I-79 to I-279 (also avoids tolls), although 376 would be the more direct route if you were going to the West Hills of Pittsburgh or the airport.
New Castle is a pretty significant town in western PA, but Pittsburgh is THE significant town of western PA. I could see the argument for 79 though
@@ControlCityFreak But traffic going to Pittsburgh would have stayed on I-76 anyways so I get the argument for New Castle.
@@dvferyance I'd dual control it. Because that's the way for locals to get to Pittsburgh.
@@dvferyance Yeah but that's a good alternate route.
I-376 goes into Pittsburgh Proper, I would be ok with using it. Westbound should be New Castle though. Pittsburgh traffic would have gotten off at I-79.
20:25 Sterling/Rock Falls goes back to when ILL 2 was what existed. ILL 2 had gone from the Wisconsin state line at Beloit to Rock Island. In the 1970s, when the freeway portion of ILL 5 was extended from Rock Falls to Rock Island, it dropped ILL 2 in Rock Falls. There is still an exit for "Old Rt 2" at Exit 10 on I-88. While I agree that Sterling-Rock Falls is not a great choice, I can understand having one of them as a secondary still with Aurora and Chicago. Sterling-Rock Falls are about 25k together and it is where I-88 ends being free. You could also do DeKalb (44k, almost midway between Quad Cities and Chicago & home of N Illinois Univ) and Chicago.
Fairfield is the home of Travis AFB, a base vital for Air Force operations in the Pacific. So, with bias from an AF vet, I can see including it as a control city.
Yeah I'm okay with putting it WITH Sacramento, but not by itself.
I’m also very biased for Fairfield being a control city as Travis AFB is where I’m stationed at
I know you probably couldn't really fit it in but there's an odd mileage listing sign in Pennsylvania just after you pass I-99 that actually lists a farther away city ON TOP. Just wanted to let you know. Just found your channel by the way and these videos are super interesting! Can't wait for the westbound video and for the rest of the 2-digit Interstates! I live just a couple miles away from 99's northern end :)
Thanks!
99 in NY or 99 in PA?
Pennsylvania, I mentioned in a comment on the Westbound video that I'm from State College which is a little ways off of 80.
@@courtemanche437 Ahh okay.
Well, whenever they manage to get 220 up to interstate standards all the way to Williamsport, I guess it won't be accurate for me to say that anymore, but somehow, I don't see that happening anytime soon.
As someone who lives in Nebraska and goes on I-80 a lot, York is right in between Grand Island and Lincoln. It’s along highway 81 which is a straight shot to Dallas and it is home to a lot of simi trucks staying the night. There’s plenty of hotels and fast food so no need to go 3 miles into town.
Sounds like a great secondary!
@@ControlCityFreak it’s the worlds largest rest stop (the entire town is one)
@@gumbyshrimp2606 It shouldn't be a primary. 8,000 people.
Didn't realize this but 4:14 mark, which shows Fairfield off of Waterman Blvd, going on to EB 80. However if you heading towards the other direction off of water, past the Safeway shopping plaza you will see a sign for Sacramento and San Francisco as you head towards 80.
I appreciate you making these types of videos, I’ve been following you I think since interstate 50 or 60 something which is actually a while since you post every week and this is my Type of content that I never knew I wanted to watch! Keep it up
Thanks!
@@mxderate 50 or 60 something, so something in the 50s or 60s
@@ControlCityFreak Oh my bad. Apologies for the misconcern.
I-80 In parleys canyon to park city and Wyoming is literally so terrifying. The amount of semis on the road is insane and they all go 90 down the canyon.
Those one-lane exits for the main route would make me pretty nervous if I were the traffic planner. I gotta assume their _actual_ traffic flows aren't what you'd expect on a mainline so they don't get ridiculously congested.
On a recent roadtrip that took me through southern Wisconsin to Dubuque and back to I-80 through the Quad Cities I noticed that just before Joliet (and I-55) I saw a warning sign to consider an alternative route. I took the advice and went through downtown Chicago on I-55. The Tri-State Turnpike has no scenic merit, so going to Chicago made more sense.
I’d have done the same
@paulbrower4265 Actually, there is a portion of the 80/294 concurrency (kind of pointless in my opinion) that goes over a quarry some 350-400 feet deep.
As a Nebraskan, I can't figure out the love for Sidney either. The former headquarters for Cabela's was located in Sidney until 2017, when Sidney lost 2,000 jobs due to Cabela's merger with Bass Pro Shops. Perhaps it is signed as a form of mourning> :-)
I sort of went along highway 80. That's when I took an Amtrak train, namely the California Zepher line. However I went through Colorado instead of Wyoming, but up until Erie Pennsylvania it was pretty much the same.
Nice! Would like to ride that sometime
I don't drive myself, perhaps a Greyhound bus goes along I-80.
Any signs in western Wyoming (Ft Bridger, Lyman, etc) should also include Flaming Gorge, considering this is the main destination any non-Wyoming driver would be pulling off I-80 for.
Oh I should check that out
I80 in the Chicagoland area at some of the interchanges going east are signed for Gary, Indiana between Joliet and I294, mainly at the Harlem Avenue I80 interchange.
Oh interesting, forgot about that
Gary is decent due to I-65 junction but Toledo would work as well. Indiana hates signing in state places unless they have to
@@spellcast1391 Ohio?
@@mxderate what do you mean? that is a bit provincial. I thought it was Toledo in Indiana Borman.
@@spellcast1391 What I meant was that Indiana signs Ohio as a state on 80-90
I think Elko is a good choice in Nevada since it's the largest city of any importance between Reno and SLC and relatively conveniently located between the two. If you need to stop, stopping in Elko is your best bet.
I think in Wyoming, westbound signing Cheyenne/Laramie, and eastbound signing Salt Lake City/Rawlings, makes sense due to the 287 split (easiest way to get to Colorado westbound or Yellowstone NP eastbound, both of which are popular destinations).
Elko is too small to be signed far away. I think it should be SLC all the way from Reno. And no Rawlings signs. Those are definitions of secondaries. Next substantial town with services.
@@mxderate Oh yeah I agree Rawlings should be secondary, not primary. Elko though really makes a lot more sense than SLC I think.
@@elli6220 How? It's a lot smaller, much less famous, and there's nothing important there.
@@mxderate The recurring debate is whether CCs should be destinations known to locals or to long-haul drivers. I generally agree with Todd that small cities aren't ideal, but I did appreciate, in Pennsylvania, seeing an onramp sign for Dubois after getting very lost on local roads (way in the pre-GPS days). IMO since Elko is a common stopping point for long-haulers, it makes sense to have it on a mileage sign but not on an overhead.
Nevada doesn't really do dual control city signage, and I don't believe Utah does, neither (although I know 15N does have dual control city signage for 70E) .... but the 80 stretch would be ideal for havin Elko AND Reno (westbound out of SLC) or SLC (eastbound out of Reno). for all intents and purposes ... Elko is a facilities stop for travelers going across the western portion of 80 into/out of the Rockies ... so it IS important from that standpoint, even though the city itself isn't all that significant.
In August 2022 I went to Elko from Utah to home
Nice!
Thanks
Also in Wyoming, almost every major non-interstate intersection has control cities on the signage.
Just wait until we get to I-90 in Wyoming.
Northern and Southern California have different temperature conditions. The south it’s warm weather year round. The north goes through spring, summer, winter gihandra, and fall.
I would include South Bend somewhere in NW Indiana where there’s a lot going on with 94 and 65 and the Toll Road. South Bend gets a good bit of traffic from Chicagoland and Milwaukee in the fall. Not like Toledo is some major city like Indianapolis and Detroit.
lots of traffic, east bound or west bound for Notre Dame on football weekends -- South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart is a significant urban area in N IN.
True
Still bigger than South Bend.
I'd be okay with only signing it EB. I would not sign it WB because Chicago is HUGE.
840,000 people in South Bend CMA.
When did 80 mile speed limits pop up outside of Texas?
Excited to see your channel on the upswing! What’s your plan after you finish the mainline 2-digit interstates?
Thanks! 3 digit roads, US highways, international roads
@@ControlCityFreak I’m excited for this…
This was interesting because I have been on part of this road through Illinois and part of Iowa. I loved Iowa City. I loved seeing the Indiana sign when coming from Chicago because I grew up in Northwest Indiana and I was almost home. The traffic is bad there and always construction in the summer. I will be taking 80 frim I 99 and stay at Delaware Water Gap. It is close to the recreational area. I also plan to stop at Paterson Falls in New Jersey. I will take it to 95 and the Cape.
Sounds awesome! Have a great trip!
@@ControlCityFreak thank you very much.
I’ve only ever been on I-80 East in the Chicago area back in 2004 while heading home to Detroit as I-94 is the direct route to Chicago in Michigan.
Also, I-80/90 in Indiana comes within inches of crossing into Michigan.
What kind of I-80 content will we see in your next video? Perhaps 880? 580? 180 Wyoming? I’d personally like to see I-280 Ohio as it’s the route I took to Cedar Point all the time. It provides a quicker connection to the Ohio Turnpike than taking I-75.
Though I wouldn’t be surprised if you do 880 as it has a lot of history behind it and had to be rebuilt because of the 1989 earthquake. You have any pictures of the old double-decker section of 880?
I don’t but I remember seeing it in the news. Prior to that I didn’t know double decker freeways existed
The 880 is the only freeway that I know of off-hand that was double-decker outside of crossing a waterway.
Been from tip to stern. Used to drive for Schneider and Marten Transport. I-80 was a mainstay while driving for Schneider since we had to stay in Des Moines. Years ago, the control signs for eastbound I-80 before the GW Bridge was I-80 The Oranges.
Nice! Only been on fits and spurts, probably about half of it altogether.
The Oranges! I recall decades ago that was also signed on the NJ Turnpike & wonder if it's worded that way. Disconcerting at best, even if technically it made sense.
Here's my theory on what I-215 to Provo is about: there are a lot of people (mostly Mormons) who their first time in Utah is coming out of the airport and are trying to get to BYU. The signage out of the Salt Lake Airport basically force you to go this way and under that control sign, so for non-locals, this sign is immensely useful.
Oh that makes sense
15:05 That's a pretty interesting museum.
This is one of my love hate relationship interstates to drive. As a former OTR truck driver, I use to see a whole of nasty winter accidents 80 from the Sierra Nevadas to the Eastern Pennsylvania. Wyoming was the worst due to weather and horrible winds.
Jumping to I-80 in New Jersey, in my heart of hearts 80 should be named in honor of Bill Parcells. He's a native of Northeast Jersey. In North Jersey 80 is called Route 80 by locals and all stations that do traffic reports. Why not the Bill Parcells Expressway???
2 rings for the region, and even more amazing, took the Jets to the AFC championship
@@ControlCityFreak He's the Rodney Dangerfield of North Jersey but I truly believe that would a great compliment to a native who did a lot in sports for The NYC and North Jersey fans
Many years ago, especially before I-84 opened to I-81, truckers used US 209 as a shortcut to I-84 and on to New England. When 84 was finished, they would still take 209. Many fatal accidents happened despite efforts to reduce the speed limit. Around 1976, they closed the highway to commercial vehicles. So today, truckers to New England must use I-81 and I-84 or they can use I-287 and I-87 NY Thruway to I-84.
@@skipabby Oh interesting
@@skipabby I've seen the Signs prohibiting through commercial vehicles on U.S. 209 when travelling I-84. Thanks for that tidbit of History.
My ride to work is thoroughly on 80 from Netcong to Wayne. What sucks is I have to do a u-turn off 80 and go west to get to my job. This is what frustrates me about New Jersey (and I’ve lived elsewhere)