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 Interstate 75
Total length: 1,785 miles (2,873 km) States traversed & length in each:
Major cities along route:
Junctions with non-related Interstates:
Related loops and spurs:
Length I’ve traveled: From FL Exit 19 (I-595) to northern terminus Time zones: Counties traversed: A quick hypertext drive: At 1,785 miles, Interstate 75 ranks second to only Interstate 95 in terms of length among north-south Interstates. The first 19 miles of I-75 from its southern terminus are in suburban South Florida, from Hialeah to Weston. At Weston, where it meets I-595, I-75 turns to the west to cross the “Alligator Alley” toll road across the Everglades. The next 80 miles are spent crossing this marshy swamp; there are only a couple exits and next to nothing for services. At Naples, I-75 turns back to the north along the Gulf Coast of Florida, steadily gaining traffic up to Sarasota and into the Tampa Bay area. In the immediate Tampa area, just north of I-4, I-75 is only a four-lane freeway and rush-hour backups are commonplace. After I-275, the downtown Tampa connector, merges back in, I-75 traffic calms down a bit up to Wildwood, at the northern terminus of Florida’s Turnpike. From Wildwood to Valdosta, GA, I-75 is at least six lanes — a distance of 159 miles. Widening of I-75 in South Georgia is ongoing; it returns to six lanes for good near Cordele, and stays that way all the way through Atlanta and up to Chattanooga. North of Atlanta, I-75 starts crossing hillier terrain; this begins to become especially noticeable after Chattanooga. Following a few long climbs and descents, I-75 settles down into the Tennessee River valley until it meets I-40 west of Knoxville. Those two freeways multiplex for 17 miles; I-75 breaks off on to I-640, the Knoxville bypass, for three miles before resuming its own alignment. Roughly 30 miles north of Knoxville, I-75 begins its longest, steepest climb — a five-mile, 4% grade that takes it up on to the Cumberland Plateau. Fifteen miles later, at Jellico Mountain, I-75 comes back down off the plateau with a 5% downgrade. The Kentucky state line is just beyond the bottom of that hill; the terrain stays hilly for another 70 miles or so, then flattens a bit. I-75 has a short multiplex with I-64 northeast of Lexington, after which it passes Toyota’s largest North American automaking plant in Georgetown. At Walton, after 40 more miles of rolling hills, I-75 meets I-71, with which it will multiplex into downtown Cincinnati. The 1½-mile, 5% grade immediately before the Ohio River provides a sweeping, scenic vista of the Cincinnati riverfront. I-75 remains six lanes — and heavily traveled — beyond Dayton; near Piqua, it drops back to four. Most of the rest of Ohio, save Lima and Findlay (both of which have sections that aren’t up to Interstate standards), is flat and nondescript; Toledo finally breaks the monotony of northern Ohio. The section immediately across the state line in Michigan carries as much as 30% truck traffic (as a percentage of all traffic), making it one of the most heavily truck-traveled sections of Interstate. The Rouge River bridge, several miles southwest of downtown Detroit, affords an excellent view of downtown and the Ambassador Bridge to northbound travelers. North of Detroit, I-75 lacks sufficient capacity for the traffic volumes it carries in some areas in the suburbs; this becomes less of a problem approaching Flint. The Zilwaukee Bridge, constructed between 1979 and 1988 to bypass a drawbridge over a then-busy shipping channel, wouldn’t be needed today, as that magnitude of shipping no longer occurs in Saginaw. The next 35 miles from Saginaw to Standish comprise perhaps the most boring Michigan section of I-75, going through flat farmland. North of Standish, I-75 begins a long, slow climb (about seven miles of which gets as steep as 3%) on to the plateau that takes up much of northern Lower Michigan, coming back down into a flat plain north of Gaylord. The Mackinac Bridge, the only connection between Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas, was once the world’s longest-span suspension bridge. The final 50 miles to the Canadian border are flat, traveling mostly through a heavily forested area. |