Last week we put up a post titled 5 Things You Didn’t Know About America’s Roads, and this week we’re back with 5 more things. Do you know of any other random or obscure facts about America’s roads?
1. Texas has the most Interstate miles, with 3,233.45 of them among 17 routes.
2. There is a rhyme and reason to Interstate and national highway numbers: East-west routes have even numbers and north-south routes have odd numbers. The Interstates were numbered higher for the northern routes and get smaller on southern routes; and north-south routes have larger numbers in the east and grow smaller in the west – such as I-95 on the east coast and I-5 on the west coast.
3. Concrete road surfaces generally last longer that asphalt, but they typically generate more road noise. Because asphalt is produced with petroleum, more road builders are finding ways to make concrete surfaces quieter so that they can use it more.
4. A couple of years ago, as part of an advertising promotion, Honda had grooves cut into a highway in Lancaster, California. When cars drove over them, the tune from The William Tell Overture played.
5. Bobby Troup composed the song “Route 66” after driving the road with his wife. She suggested the famous line, “Get your kicks on Route 66.”
5.5. (Our honorable mention) Michigan’s M-185 is the only state highway in the country that does not allow cars. Foot traffic, bicycles and horse-drawn carriages are the only traffic allowed on the eight mile road that circles Mackinac Island.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cletch/ / CC BY 2.0
Tags: asphalt, concrete, facts, highways, honda, I-5, I-95, interstate, M-185, Mackinac Island, roads, route, route 66, Texas, The William Tell Overture, “Get your kicks on Route 66.”
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