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{{Short description|A person with an interest in roads}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Roads scholar|Rhodes Scholarship|Road Scholar|Road Scholars}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Roads scholar|Rhodes Scholarship|Road Scholar|Road Scholars}}


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{{multiple issues|
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{{cleanup reorganize|date=January 2014}}
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{{fan POV|date=January 2014}}
{{Cleanup|date=December 2009}}
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[[File:OldalignIL.jpg|thumb|An abandoned early [[U.S. Route 66]] alignment in southern [[Illinois]] in 2006.]]
[[File:OldalignIL.jpg|thumb|An abandoned early [[U.S. Route 66]] alignment in southern [[Illinois]] in 2006.]]


A '''roadgeek''' (from ''road'' + ''[[geek]]'') is an individual involved in "roadgeeking" or "road enthusiasm"—an interest in [[road]]s, and especially going on [[road trip]]s, as a [[hobby]]. A person with such an interest is also referred to as a '''road enthusiast''', '''road buff''', '''roadfan''' or '''Roads Scholar''', the latter being a play on the term [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholar]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Wear |first=Ben |url=http://www.houstonfreeways.com/statesman_2004-12-12.htm |title=Road to Future or a Dead End |work=[[Austin American-Statesman]] |date=December 12, 2004 |accessdate=January 20, 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905172529/http://www.houstonfreeways.com/statesman_2004-12-12.htm |archivedate=September 5, 2006 }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=January 2014}}
A '''roadgeek''' (from ''road'' + ''[[geek]]'') is a person involved in "roadgeeking" or "road enthusiasm", an [[enthusiasm]] for [[road]]s, fond of [[road trip]]s as a [[hobby]]. One may also be called a '''road enthusiast''', '''road buff''', '''roadfan''' or '''Roads Scholar''', the latter a play on "[[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholar]]".<ref>{{cite news|last=Wear |first=Ben |url=http://www.houstonfreeways.com/statesman_2004-12-12.htm |title=Road to Future or a Dead End |work=[[Austin American-Statesman]] |date=December 12, 2004 |access-date=January 20, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905172529/http://www.houstonfreeways.com/statesman_2004-12-12.htm |archive-date=September 5, 2006 }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=January 2014}}


==Interest==
==Interest==
Roadgeeks view their interest as an appreciation of engineering and planning feats:
Roadgeeks view their interest as an appreciation of engineering and planning feats:
{{cquote|We're interested in all the effort that goes into making roads. The railways in this country get an awful lot of press as great engineering achievements. Roads aren't seen in that way, but it wasn't always so. In the 1950s and 1960s they were part of a brave new era. Back then it was something to get excited about. They actually put people on buses and drove up and down them to have a look...|author=Steven Jukes<ref name=Gupta>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/2732679/Never-mind-the-trainspotters.html |title=Never Mind the Trainspotters |last=Gupta |first=Lila Das |date= January 17, 2005 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |accessdate= April 9, 2009}}</ref>}}
{{cquote|We're interested in all the effort that goes into making roads. The railways in this country get an awful lot of press as great engineering achievements. Roads aren't seen in that way, but it wasn't always so. In the 1950s and 1960s they were part of a brave new era. Back then it was something to get excited about. They actually put people on buses and drove up and down them to have a look...|author=Steven Jukes<ref name=Gupta>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/2732679/Never-mind-the-trainspotters.html |title=Never Mind the Trainspotters |last=Gupta |first=Lila Das |date= January 17, 2005 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |access-date= April 9, 2009}}</ref>}}
[[File:United Kingdom A road zones.svg|thumb|200px|The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain]]
[[File:United Kingdom A road zones.svg|thumb|200px|The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain]]
[[File:Highway Gothic sample.svg|thumb|right|200px|[[FHWA Series fonts]]—also known as Highway Gothic or the Interstate typeface]]
[[File:Highway Gothic sample.svg|thumb|right|200px|[[FHWA Series fonts]]—also known as Highway Gothic or the Interstate typeface]]


However roadgeeks are not necessarily interested in motor vehicles;<ref name=Gupta/> there may also be an interest in [[cartography]] and map design. Enthusiasts may focus on a single activity related to roads, such as [[driving]] the full length of the highway system in a specific area, researching the history, planning and quirks of a particular road or national highway system. They occasionally are quoted in the press on topics related to the history of roads.<ref name=Gordon>{{cite news |url= http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1224682/M1-motorway-Watford-Gap-service-station-celebrate-50-years.html |title= M1 and Watford Gap Celebrate 50 Years...with a 6p Cup of Tea |last= Gordon |first= Sarah |date= November 2, 2009 |work= [[The Daily Mail]] |location = London |accessdate=June 21, 2011}}</ref> Sometimes, road geeks are called "highway historians" for the knowledge and interests.<ref name=LSJ>{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Matthew |title=Looking Back: I-496 Construction, a Complicated Legacy |work=[[Lansing State Journal]] |date=February 22, 2009 |pages=1A, 8A}}</ref>
Roadgeeks are not necessarily interested in motor vehicles;<ref name=Gupta/> there may also be an interest in [[cartography]] and map design. Enthusiasts may focus on a single activity related to roads, such as [[driving]] the full length of a highway (known as 'clinching') or researching the history, planning and quirks of a particular road or national highway system. Sometimes, road geeks are called "highway historians" for the knowledge and interests.<ref name=LSJ>{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Matthew |title=Looking Back: I-496 Construction, a Complicated Legacy |work=[[Lansing State Journal]] |date=February 22, 2009 |pages=1A, 8A}}</ref>


Even the numbering system can be a subject of deep interest, as Joe Moran describes in his book "On Roads: A Hidden History": {{cquote|On the online discussion forum of SABRE, the Society for All British Road Enthusiasts" (sic), the 1400-odd Sabristi often debate about where the M25 starts and whether it is correctly numbered, or why the motorway from Carlisle to Glasgow is called both the M74 and the A74(M). In road-numbering lore, the absence of pattern—the discovery that there are so many exceptions to rules that the rules might as well not exists—only seems to revivify the search for inner mysteries. Road buffs talk in reverential tones about "David Craig Numbers" - the elegant theory, named after the man who proposed it, that three digit numbers derive from the roads they connect.<ref>{{cite book |last= Moran |first= Joe |authorlink= Joe_Moran_(social_historian) |title= On Roads: A Hidden History |edition= Hardcover |page= 77 |year= 2009 |publisher= Profile Books |location = London |isbn= 1-84668-052-2}}</ref>}}
Even the numbering system can be a subject of deep interest, as Joe Moran describes in his book "On Roads: A Hidden History": {{cquote|On the online discussion forum of SABRE, the Society for All British Road Enthusiasts (sic), the 1400-odd Sabristi often debate about where the M25 starts and whether it is correctly numbered, or why the motorway from Carlisle to Glasgow is called both the M74 and the A74(M). In road-numbering lore, the absence of pattern—the discovery that there are so many exceptions to rules that the rules might as well not exist—only seems to revivify the search for inner mysteries. Road buffs talk in reverential tones about "David Craig Numbers" - the elegant theory, named after the man who proposed it, that three digit numbers derive from the roads they connect.<ref>{{cite book |last= Moran |first= Joe |author-link= Joe Moran (social historian) |title= On Roads: A Hidden History |edition= Hardcover |page= 77 |year= 2009 |publisher= Profile Books |location = London |isbn= 978-1-84668-052-6}}</ref>}}

==Activity==
{{refimprove section|date=January 2014}}
{{original research|section|date=January 2014}}
Example activities include:
* Taking [[road trip]]s for the roads rather than for the destination, sometimes referred to as roadgeeking or '''Roads Scholaring'''
* Comparing the extent of their travels with other enthusiasts, such as the number of [[Interstate Highway]] sections that have been wholly traveled.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.triskele.com/highway-heaven/my-clinched-freeways |work=Mike the Actuary's Musings |title=My Clinched Freeways |accessdate= November 16, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821162737/http://www.triskele.com/highway-heaven/my-clinched-freeways |archivedate= August 21, 2008}}</ref>
* Photography of [[road sign]]s, bridges or various highway artifacts
* Collecting old [[road map]]s
* Writing about the history of highways,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40612-2005Feb20.html |first=John |last=Kelly |title=A Long Way to Go for a Refund |work=[[Washington Post]] |page= C11 |date=February 21, 2005 |accessdate= June 27, 2008}}</ref> [[List of road-related terminology|highway terminology]] and the design of graphics or fonts to facilitate the work of others.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.n1en.org/Pages/Roadgeek.aspx |title=Roadgeek Fonts |work=Michael Adams' Blog |accessdate= December 19, 2014}}</ref>


==Online==
==Online==
In 2002, the ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' reported that road enthusiasm was an Internet phenomenon. There is a [[Usenet]] newsgroup, misc.transport.road, where participants discuss all facets of roads and road trips from "construction projects to quirks and inconsistencies in signage".<ref name=Lamb/> These individuals who anticipated each [[Rand McNally]] road atlas release each year found a community of others online who were also interested in roads as a hobby. These communities of people could share photos, swap their thoughts on the highways in their areas and "debate the finer points of interchange design".<ref name=Lamb>{{cite news |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/SL/lib00170,0F63781FF9F53473.html |title='Road Geeks' Ramp Up Their Hobby on the Information Superhighway |first=William |last=Lamb |work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |date=September 22, 2002 |page= C1 |accessdate= July 20, 2008}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
In 2002, the ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' reported that road enthusiasm was an Internet phenomenon. There is a [[Usenet]] newsgroup, misc.transport.road, where participants discuss all facets of roads and road trips from "construction projects to quirks and inconsistencies in signage".<ref name=Lamb/> Those who await each annual [[Rand McNally]] road atlas release found a community of others online who were also interested in roads as a hobby. These communities of people could share photos, swap their thoughts on the highways in their areas and "debate the finer points of interchange design".<ref name=Lamb>{{cite news |last=Lamb |first=William |date=September 22, 2002 |title='Road geeks' ramp up their hobby on the information superhighway |pages=C1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45824021/road-geeks-part-2/ C5] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45823957/road-geeks-ramp-up-their-hobby-on-the/ |work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |access-date=February 28, 2020}} {{free access}}</ref>


Web based forums are popular; one of the largest is AARoads Forum.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thomson |first=Robert |date=February 27, 2014 |title=Map rage: Navigating Google's revised way-finding system |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2014/02/27/map-rage-navigating-googles-revised-way-finding-system/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=February 28, 2020}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=September 2023}}
===Yahoo Groups and Forums===
There are several Yahoo Groups dedicated to Roadgeek activities, including the {{cite web|url=https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/roadgeek/info |title=Roadgeek YahooGroup}} group itself and many regional or special interest groups.

Web based forums are also popular; the largest is {{cite web|url=http://www.aaroads.com/forum/ |title=AARoads Forum}}


===SABRE===
===SABRE===
Started in 1999, the '''Society for All British and Irish Road Enthusiasts''' ('''SABRE'''), originally known as "Study and Appreciation of the British Roads Experience",<ref name=SABRE>{{cite web|url=http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/|title=Society: About Us |publisher=Society for All British Road Enthusiasts |accessdate= June 21, 2011}}</ref> is one of the larger and most prominent communities of road enthusiasts online.<ref name=Milmo>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/round-the-bend-how-we-became-a-nation-of-roadies-755067.html |title=Round the Bend? How We Became a Nation of Roadies |last=Milmo |first=Cahal |date=October 29, 2004 |work=[[The Independent]] |location=London |accessdate=April 9, 2009}}</ref> The organization hosts a large collection of articles and histories of particular roads and terminology, online photo galleries, discussion forums,<ref name=totalvauxhall>{{cite web|last=Greenacre |first=Simon |url=http://www.totalvauxhall.co.uk/2008/09/10/society_for_all_british_road_enthusiasts/ |title=Society for All British Road Enthusiasts |work=Total Vauxhall |date=September 10, 2008 |accessdate=June 14, 2011 |location=Gloucester |publisher=A & S Publishing |issn=1474-1393 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619010858/http://www.totalvauxhall.co.uk/2008/09/10/society_for_all_british_road_enthusiasts |archivedate=June 19, 2011 |df= }}</ref> and an application to overlay and compare historical roadmaps.<ref name=SABRE/> Although SABRE is primarily an online group, members organize group tours to visit sites of interest.<ref name=Gupta/>
Started in 1999, the '''Society for All British and Irish Road Enthusiasts''' ('''SABRE'''), originally known as "Study and Appreciation of the British Roads Experience",<ref name=SABRE>{{cite web|url=http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/|title=Society: About Us |publisher=Society for All British Road Enthusiasts |access-date= June 21, 2011}}</ref> is one of the larger and most prominent communities of road enthusiasts online.<ref name=Milmo>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/round-the-bend-how-we-became-a-nation-of-roadies-755067.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424052018/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/round-the-bend-how-we-became-a-nation-of-roadies-755067.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 24, 2008 |title=Round the Bend? How We Became a Nation of Roadies |last=Milmo |first=Cahal |date=October 29, 2004 |work=[[The Independent]] |location=London |access-date=April 9, 2009}}</ref> The organization hosts a large collection of articles and histories of particular roads and terminology, online photo galleries, discussion forums,<ref name=totalvauxhall>{{cite web|last=Greenacre |first=Simon |url=http://www.totalvauxhall.co.uk/2008/09/10/society_for_all_british_road_enthusiasts/ |title=Society for All British Road Enthusiasts |work=Total Vauxhall |date=September 10, 2008 |access-date=June 14, 2011 |location=Gloucester |publisher=A & S Publishing |issn=1474-1393 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619010858/http://www.totalvauxhall.co.uk/2008/09/10/society_for_all_british_road_enthusiasts |archive-date=June 19, 2011 }}</ref> and an application to overlay and compare historical roadmaps.<ref name=SABRE/> Although SABRE is primarily an online group, members organize group tours to visit sites of interest.<ref name=Gupta/>


===Taiwan websites===
===Taiwan websites===
In 2006, a board called "Road" ({{zh|公路板}}) in the [[PTT Bulletin Board System]], which is a [[Taiwan]]ese forum, was established.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Road/M.1147757235.A.5C7.html|script-title=zh:公告 公路板開了~ |trans-title=|language= Chinese |publisher=Road board of [[PTT Bulletin Board System]] |accessdate= September 30, 2011}}</ref> Because some Taiwanese road enthusiasts didn't know how to use a [[terminal emulator|terminal]] or [[bulletin board system|BBS]] reader to access it, the web forum ''Taiwan Highway Club'' ({{zh|公路邦}}; literally, "Highway State") was started in 2008;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Road/M.1200406345.A.69F.html|script-title=zh:【公路邦】成立 |trans-title=|language= Chinese |publisher=Road board of [[PTT Bulletin Board System]] |accessdate= September 30, 2011}}{{zh-tw}}</ref> it contains subforums allowing users to discuss road policies, and to add news about, and post pictures of, highways.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://road.club.pixnet.net/forum |title=公路邦 > 討論區首頁 |accessdate=September 30, 2011 |publisher=公路邦 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904021116/http://road.club.pixnet.net/forum |archivedate=September 4, 2011 |df= }}</ref> However, since the online community service by [[Pixnet]] was discontinued in 2012, the site moved to http://www.twroad.org/.
In 2006, a board called "Road" ({{zh|公路板}}) in the [[PTT Bulletin Board System]], which is a Taiwanese forum, was established.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Road/M.1147757235.A.5C7.html|script-title=zh:公告 公路板開了~ |language= zh |publisher=Road board of [[PTT Bulletin Board System]] |access-date= September 30, 2011}}</ref> Because some Taiwanese road enthusiasts didn't know how to use a [[terminal emulator|terminal]] or [[bulletin board system|BBS]] reader to access it, the web forum ''Taiwan Highway Club'' ({{zh|公路邦}}; literally, "Highway State") was started in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Road/M.1200406345.A.69F.html|script-title=zh:【公路邦】成立 |language= zh |publisher=Road board of [[PTT Bulletin Board System]] |access-date= September 30, 2011}}{{in lang|zh-tw}}</ref> It contains subforums where users discuss road policies and post highway news and images.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://road.club.pixnet.net/forum |title=公路邦 > 討論區首頁 |access-date=September 30, 2011 |publisher=公路邦 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904021116/http://road.club.pixnet.net/forum |archive-date=September 4, 2011 }}</ref>

==Partial list of roadgeek topics==
{{original research|section|date=July 2012}}
[[File:Gravelly Hill Interchange.svg|thumb|right|One of many "[[Spaghetti Junction]]s", this one is in [[Birmingham, England]]]]
[[File:Magic Roundabout Schild db.jpg|right|thumb|[[Magic Roundabout (Swindon)|Magic Roundabout]] in [[Swindon, England]]]]

===Brazil===
* [[BR-485]], providing access to the interior of [[Itatiaia National Park]], is the highest highway in the country. The highway's highest point is at [[milestone|kilometer post]] 36 ({{convert|36|km|mi|disp=output only}}) (with the count starting in the city of [[Itatiaia]]), beyond the third entrance to the park (called ''Posto Avançado das Agulhas Negras''), just northeast of the [[Eletrobras Furnas]] radio broadcasting station.
* [[BR-488]], in [[Aparecida]], [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]], is the shortest [[Brazilian Highway System|federal highway]] in the country, at {{convert|5.9|km|mi|sp=us}}.<ref>{{ cite news | url = http://www2.camara.gov.br/legin/fed/lei/2006/lei-11314-3-julho-2006-544147-publicacaooriginal-55014-pl.html |title= Lei nº 11.314, de 3 de Julho de 2006 | language = Portuguese}}</ref>
* [[BR-116]], the longest highway in the country.
* [[Trans-Amazonian highway|Trans-Amazonian Highway (BR-230)]], the longest highway that crosses the [[Amazon Rainforest]].
* The [[Belém-Brasília Highway]] has many decommissioned stretches along its route.
* [[BR-363]] is the only highway in the country that is located on an [[oceanic island]], [[Fernando de Noronha]].

===Canada===
* The [[Coquihalla Highway]] is an engineering marvel. {{citation needed|date=February 2017}}<ref name="Avalanche Territory">{{cite web |last1=Kent |first1=Heather |title=Avalanche Territory |url=http://www.canadianconsultingengineer.com/features/avalanche-territory/ |website=Canadian Consulting Engineer |publisher=Annex Business Media |accessdate=7 July 2018 |date=1 January 2009}}</ref><ref name="BC Parks Coquihalla Canyon">{{cite web |title=Coquihalla Canyon |url=http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/coquihalla_cyn/nat_cul.html |website=BC Parks |accessdate=7 July 2018}}</ref><ref name="TranBC Construction">{{cite web |title=Construction of the Coquihalla: Still Amazing After 30 Years |url=https://www.tranbc.ca/2016/05/16/construction-of-the-coquihalla-still-amazing-after-30-years/ |website=TranBC |accessdate=7 July 2018}}</ref>

===Republic of Ireland===
* The [[Red Cow interchange|Mad Cow Roundabout]] located at junction 9 on the [[M50 motorway (Ireland)|M50]] was notoriously congested and locally known as the Mad Cow roundabout instead of its actual name the Red Cow interchange.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bielenberg |first=Kim |url=http://www.independent.ie/incoming/my-mad-cow-break-wish-you-were-here-1269382.html |work= Independent.ie |publisher=Independent News & Media |title=My Mad Cow Break (Wish You Were Here) |date=January 19, 2008|accessdate=April 9, 2009}}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
* The [[Magic Roundabout (Swindon)|Magic Roundabout]] in [[Swindon]] consists of five mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle.<ref name=Milmo/>
* [[Gravelly Hill Interchange]], one of many known as [[Spaghetti Junction]], is junction 6 of the M6 motorway where it meets the A38(M) Aston Expressway in [[Birmingham]].<ref name=Milmo/>
* The A64(M) portion of [[Leeds Inner Ring Road]] is classified as a "pathetic motorway" by one SABRE member because it is "sadly, only 800 yards long and that's if you go the long way".<ref name=Gupta/>
* The expansive but unrealised [[London Ringways]] system.

===United States===

====Arizona====
* [[Interstate 15 in Arizona|Interstate 15]] only traverses 30 miles through the northwest corner of the state, but is considered one of the most scenic interstate routes as it winds through the [[Virgin River Gorge]].
* [[Interstate 19]] is signed in metric units.

====Arkansas====
* [[Arkansas Highway 43]]/[[Oklahoma State Highway 20]] [[concurrency (road)|concurrency]], the only concurrency of two state highways from different states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://roads.tulok.net/u-a43.html |title=Oklahoma Terminus: Arkansas SH-43 |first=Martin |last=McMahon |work=Roadklahoma |accessdate=July 17, 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184713/http://roads.tulok.net/u-a43.html |archivedate=September 30, 2007 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref>

====California====
[[File:Zzyzx Road.jpg|right|thumb|[[Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx]] Road exit sign on [[Interstate 15]]]]

* The [[Ridge Route]], the first paved highway directly linking the [[Los Angeles Basin]] with the [[San Joaquin Valley]] over the [[Tejon Pass]], a portion of which is in the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. It was documented by author and roadgeek Harrison Irving Scott in 2002, in ''Ridge Route: The Road That United California.''<ref name=Scott >{{cite book |last=Scott |first= Harrison Irving |year=2002 |title=Ridge Route: The Road that United California |location=Torrence, California |publisher= H.I. Scott |isbn= 978-0-615-12000-3}}</ref>
* [[California State Route 35|State Route 35]] (Skyline Boulevard), the road that spans the highest ridge of [[Santa Cruz Mountains]], making it possible to see the [[Pacific Ocean]] and [[San Francisco Bay]] simultaneously.
* [[Decommissioned highway|Decommissioned]] portions of [[U.S. Route 6 in California#History|U.S. Route 6]], now part of [[California State Route 14#History|State Route 14]], are the subject of significant roadgeek interest.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/119615812.html?dids=119615812:119615812&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+14%2C+2002&author=LISA+LEFF&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=BEHIND+THE+WHEEL%3B+Road+Scholars+Driven+to+Go+the+Extra+Mile%3B+A+small+but+dedicated+band+of+buffs+spends+free+time+studying+and%2C+yes%2C+traveling+the+state's+highways+and+byways.&pqatl=google |first=Lisa |last=Leff |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 14, 2002 |title=Behind the Wheel: Road Scholars Driven to Go the Extra Mile; A Small but Dedicated Band of Buffs Spends Free Time Studying and, Yes, Traveling the State's Highways and Byways |page=B2 |accessdate= June 27, 2008}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
* [[Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx Road]], a landmark about halfway between [[Los Angeles]] and [[Las Vegas]], known for its unusual name. It is the last place on Earth in the [[English language]] alphabetically.
* [[Interstate 238]] in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] which defies numbering logic both by location and the absence of its parent, [[Interstate 38]].
* The portion where [[Interstate 580 (California)|Interstate 580]] and [[Interstate 80]] run concurrently (through Berkeley), which happens to be a [[wrong-way concurrency]]. This means that one road goes east and the other goes west at the same time.

====Colorado====
[[File:Colorado05.JPG|thumb|right|Westbound [[Interstate 70 in Colorado|I-70]] on a viaduct inside [[Glenwood Canyon]] paralleling the [[Colorado River]]]]
* [[Interstate 70 in Colorado|Interstate 70]]'s route through [[Glenwood Canyon]], an engineering marvel.
* [[Eisenhower Tunnel]], the highest point on the [[Interstate Highway System]].

====Delaware====

*[[Delaware Route 1]] was originally signed in metric units.
*[[Delaware Route 1]] replaces the old [[US Route 13]].

====Maryland====
* A portion of Route 54 running directly on the state line (almost directly on the double yellow line) is signed as [[Maryland Route 54]] eastbound only while the westbound lane lie in [[Delaware]] and is signed as [[Delaware Route 54]].
* [[Interstate 70 in Maryland|I-70's eastern terminus]] at a Park & Ride on [[Maryland Route 122|MD 122]] (Security Boulevard) in Baltimore, one of the more unusual Interstate termini.
* The roadway south of the [[College Park Interchange]] also leads to a Park & Ride, due to the cancellation of [[Interstate 95 in Maryland|I-95 through Washington]].
* The "Highway to Nowhere", a short section of [[U.S. Route 40 in Maryland|US 40]] west of downtown Baltimore that was once signed as [[Interstate 170 (Maryland)|I-170]] but never connected to any other freeway due to the cancellation of I-70 inside the city limits.
* [[Interstate 97]], the shortest two-digit Interstate Highway in the US existing entirely within [[Anne Arundel County, Maryland|Anne Arundel County]].

====Michigan====
* [[County Road 492 (Marquette County, Michigan)|County Road 492]], location of the first painted [[Road surface marking|centerline]] on a rural highway in the United States.
* [[Interstate 375 (Michigan)|Interstate 375]], the second-shortest signed interstate in the system.
* [[M-185 (Michigan highway)|M-185]], the only highway in America where automobiles are banned (except [[Emergency vehicle|emergency vehicles]])
* [[Portage Lake Lift Bridge]], the heaviest and widest double-deck [[lift bridge]] in the world; also the only link between the [[Keweenaw Peninsula]] and the rest of the [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Upper Peninsula]].
* [[U.S. Route 141|U.S. Route 102]], the first canceled [[United States Numbered Highway System|U.S. Highway]].

====Missouri====
[[File:Y-Bridge 1.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Y-Bridge (Galena, Missouri)|Y-Bridge]] looking east]]
* Galena [[Y-Bridge (Galena, Missouri)|Y-Bridge]], an unusual bridge with three land connections.

====Montana====
* [[Going-to-the-Sun Road]], a scenic road crossing [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]], designated both a [[National Historic Landmark]] and a [[Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/goingtothesunroad.htm |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |title= Going-to-the-Sun Road Information and Transit System |author=Staff |date= May 31, 2011 |accessdate= June 21, 2011}}</ref>

====New Jersey====
* [[New Jersey Route 495|NJ&nbsp;495]] travels through a helix on approach to the [[Lincoln Tunnel]] providing an uninterrupted view of the [[Manhattan, New York]] skyline.
* [[Interstate 95 in New Jersey|I-95]] parallels itself as it exists in two unconnected sections. This will be corrected in 2018 when an interchange between I-95 and the [[Pennsylvania Turnpike]] is opened, allowing I-95 to be rerouted onto both state's turnpikes.
* [[New Jersey Route 49]] was originally planned to be a freeway. However, it was canceled because it was designed to parallel a similar freeway: [[New Jersey Route 60]], which was never built.

====New York====
* [[Interstate 990]], the highest numbered interstate in the system.
* [[Interstate 878]], the shortest interstate in the system.
* [[New York State Route 17]] enters [[Sayre, Pennsylvania]], briefly to curve around [[Waverly, Tioga County, New York|Waverly, New York]]. The road is maintained by NYSDOT but is patrolled by the Pennsylvania State Police{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}}. A PennDOT-constructed bridge crosses the New York-designed and -maintained road in this stretch.
* A similar situation also exists where [[Interstate 684|I-684]] crosses into [[Greenwich, Connecticut]], for a few miles, but is maintained by NYSDOT.

====North Carolina====
* [[Interstate 73 in North Carolina|Interstate 73]], which lies east of [[Interstate 77 in North Carolina|Interstate 77]].

====Ohio====
* The [[Interstate 271 in Ohio|Interstate 271]]/[[Interstate 480 in Ohio|Interstate 480]] [[Concurrency (road)|concurrency]] in Cleveland is the only instance of two auxiliary (3-digit) interstate highways sharing pavement in the system.

====Oklahoma====
* [[Arkansas Highway 43]]/[[Oklahoma State Highway 20]] [[Concurrency (road)|concurrency]], possibly unique instance of two highways from different states overlapping.

====Oregon====
* [[Historic Columbia River Highway]], the first paved highway in the [[Pacific Northwest]], an engineering and scenic marvel, designated both a [[National Historic Landmark]] and a [[Historic Civil Engineering Landmark]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.columbiariverhighway.com |title=Historic Columbia River Highway |accessdate= June 21, 2011}}</ref>

====Pennsylvania====
[[File:Abandoned Turnpike.jpg|right|thumb|[[Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike]]]]
* [[Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike]], an example of 1930s-era highway standards.
* [[Breezewood, Pennsylvania]], a gap in [[Interstate 70 in Pennsylvania|I-70]] that routes traffic down [[U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania|US&nbsp;30]] through town. A similar situation exists with [[Interstate 676|I-676]] using portions of 6th Street eastbound and Vine Street westbound to access the [[Ben Franklin Bridge]] in [[Philadelphia]].
* [[Centralia, Pennsylvania]], site of underground coal fires undermining the area highways.
* [[Interstate 99]], which lies west of several lower-numbered interstates, such as [[Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania|Interstate 81]] and [[Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania|Interstate 95]].
* [[Interstate 476]] is the longest auxiliary interstate in the system and ends abruptly at a sharp curve near [[Clarks Summit]], ending just a few hundred yards from Interstate 81. This is because the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension was to continue north towards New York but was later constructed as I-81. Current plans call for the completion of this connection starting in 2020.

====Virginia====
[[File:NB77SB81.JPG|right|thumb|[[Concurrency (road)#Wrong-way concurrency|Wrong-way concurrency]]]]
* The [[wrong-way concurrency]] of [[Interstate 77 in Virginia|Interstate 77]] and [[Interstate 81 in Virginia|Interstate 81]], where one goes north on one route and south on the other at the same time. Located near [[Wytheville, Virginia|Wytheville]]. The road is oriented east–west in this overlap.<ref>{{google maps |url= https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Wytheville,+va&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=53.432436,114.257812&ie=UTF8&ll=36.943993,-80.982628&spn=0.106464,0.22316&z=13 |title= Wytheville |accessdate= March 16, 2012}}</ref>
* The [[Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel]], a {{convert|23|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} [[fixed link]] crossing the mouth of the [[Chesapeake Bay]]. Selected by the [[American Society of Civil Engineers]] (ASCE) as "One of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World".

====Washington====
* [[Interstate 82 in Washington|Interstate 82]], which is not only completely north of [[Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah)|Interstate 84]], but also runs predominantly north–south, despite its even number.
* [[Pontoon Bridge|Floating bridges]] are numerous in the state of Washington. Four of the five largest floating bridges in the world are located there. <ref>http://www.seattlepi.com/local/transportation/article/Floating-bridges-of-the-world-2971885.php</ref>

====Wisconsin====
* [[Interstate 41]], which has a concurrency with [[U.S. Route 41 in Wisconsin|US 41]] between Milwaukee and Green Bay.

====Other====
* [[U.S. Route 66]], an iconic highway across the western USA whose remnants attracts enthusiasts from around the globe. There are several Route 66 museums and attractions along the road.
* [[U.S. Route 630]], the shortest U.S. Route ever, at a whopping 2 miles (3 km) between Idaho and Oregon.
* [[List of gaps in Interstate Highways]]


==Relationship with governments==
==Relationship with governments==
In Taiwan, the [[Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan)|Ministry of Transportation and Communications]]' [[Directorate General of Highways]] ({{lang|zh|公路總局}}) has held occasional Road Fan Conferences ({{lang|zh|公路迷座談會}}) since 2011 to allow roadfans and highway transportation-related organizations to make suggestions to the government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://public.thb.gov.tw/epaper/Sites/Page/12?pgid=249|title=官民合作‧大道開闊 公路總局舉辦第二次公路迷座談會|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405094357/http://public.thb.gov.tw/epaper/Sites/Page/12?pgid=249|archivedate=April 5, 2016|df=mdy-all}}{{zh}}</ref>
In Taiwan, the [[Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Taiwan)|Ministry of Transportation and Communications]]' [[Directorate General of Highways]] ({{lang|zh|公路總局}}) has held occasional Road Fan Conferences ({{lang|zh|公路迷座談會}}) since 2011 where roadfans and highway transportation-related organizations made suggestions to the government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://public.thb.gov.tw/epaper/Sites/Page/12?pgid=249|title=官民合作‧大道開闊 公路總局舉辦第二次公路迷座談會|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405094357/http://public.thb.gov.tw/epaper/Sites/Page/12?pgid=249|archive-date=April 5, 2016|df=mdy-all}}{{zh}}</ref>


{{Portal|Roads
==Roadgeek websites (partial)==
}}
* [https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/humehwy31/index.html&date=2009-10-26+00:16:26 Brad's Australian Highways Page]; founded September 19, 1999
* [http://www.cbrd.co.uk CBRD (Chris's British Road Directory)]
* [http://www.glasgows-motorways.co.uk Glasgow's Motorways Fan & Info Site]
* [http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/greatlakesroads/ Great Lakes Roads] [[Yahoo! Group]] (US); founded February 16, 2002
* [http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1394 Irish Roads forum] on [[boards.ie]]
* [http://www.thekingshighway.ca/ The King's Highway (Ontario, Canada highways)]
* [http://kurumi.com/roads/interchanges/index.html Kurumi's Field Guide to Interchanges]
* [news://misc.transport.road misc.transport.road] ([[Usenet]]); charter approved November 27, 1995<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.faqs.org/usenet/news.announce.newgroups/misc/misc.transport.misc|title=RFD unmoderated group misc.transport.misc|last=Herron|first=Kenneth|date=November 27, 1995|work=Internet FAQ Archives|publisher=Advameg|format=TXT|accessdate=August 16, 2009}}<!--"charters were approved for misc.transport.misc, misc.transport.marine, and misc.transport.road; the charter for misc.transport.road "is for discussion of all aspects of road/highway transportation and design not included in other groups (such as misc.transport.trucking and misc.transport.urban-transit)."--></ref>
* [http://www.roadfan.com/mtrfaq.html misc.transport.road FAQ]
* [http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/roads Northern Ireland Road Site]
* [http://www.ozroads.com.au Ozroads: The Australian Roads Website]; founded July 13, 2003
* [http://www.pathetic.org.uk Pathetic Motorways (UK)]
* [https://groups.yahoo.com/group/roadgeek/ Roadgeek] [[Yahoo! Group]]; founded April 25, 1999
* [http://www.roadsuk.com Roads UK]
* [http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/ Society for All British and Irish Road Enthusiasts (SABRE)], founded August 13, 1999

==See also==
{{portal|Roads|U.S. Roads|Canada Roads}}
* [[County collecting]]
* [[Metrophile]]
* [[OpenStreetMap]]
* [[Railfan]]
* Spotting
** [[Aircraft spotting]]
** [[Bus spotting]]
** [[Car spotting]]
** [[Railfan#Trainspotting|Trainspotting]]


==References==
==References==
Line 213: Line 51:
==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.aaroads.com/glossary.php AARoads Glossary]
* [http://www.aaroads.com/glossary.php AARoads Glossary]
* {{dmoz|/Recreation/Roads_and_Highways/|Roadgeek sites}}


[[Category:Hobbies]]
[[Category:Hobbies]]
[[Category:Transport culture]]
[[Category:Transport culture]]
[[Category:Road transport|Greek]]
[[Category:Transportation engineering]]
[[Category:Highways]]

Latest revision as of 04:19, 19 October 2024

"Roads scholar" redirects here. Not to be confused with Rhodes Scholarship, Road Scholar, or Road Scholars.

Driving south on The Alaska Tok Cutoff Highway.
An abandoned early U.S. Route 66 alignment in southern Illinois in 2006.

A roadgeek (from road + geek) is a person involved in "roadgeeking" or "road enthusiasm", an enthusiasm for roads, fond of road trips as a hobby. One may also be called a road enthusiast, road buff, roadfan or Roads Scholar, the latter a play on "Rhodes Scholar".[1][failed verification]

Interest

[edit]

Roadgeeks view their interest as an appreciation of engineering and planning feats:

We're interested in all the effort that goes into making roads. The railways in this country get an awful lot of press as great engineering achievements. Roads aren't seen in that way, but it wasn't always so. In the 1950s and 1960s they were part of a brave new era. Back then it was something to get excited about. They actually put people on buses and drove up and down them to have a look...

— Steven Jukes[2]
The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain
FHWA Series fonts—also known as Highway Gothic or the Interstate typeface

Roadgeeks are not necessarily interested in motor vehicles;[2] there may also be an interest in cartography and map design. Enthusiasts may focus on a single activity related to roads, such as driving the full length of a highway (known as 'clinching') or researching the history, planning and quirks of a particular road or national highway system. Sometimes, road geeks are called "highway historians" for the knowledge and interests.[3]

Even the numbering system can be a subject of deep interest, as Joe Moran describes in his book "On Roads: A Hidden History":

On the online discussion forum of SABRE, the Society for All British Road Enthusiasts (sic), the 1400-odd Sabristi often debate about where the M25 starts and whether it is correctly numbered, or why the motorway from Carlisle to Glasgow is called both the M74 and the A74(M). In road-numbering lore, the absence of pattern—the discovery that there are so many exceptions to rules that the rules might as well not exist—only seems to revivify the search for inner mysteries. Road buffs talk in reverential tones about "David Craig Numbers" - the elegant theory, named after the man who proposed it, that three digit numbers derive from the roads they connect.[4]

Online

[edit]

In 2002, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that road enthusiasm was an Internet phenomenon. There is a Usenet newsgroup, misc.transport.road, where participants discuss all facets of roads and road trips from "construction projects to quirks and inconsistencies in signage".[5] Those who await each annual Rand McNally road atlas release found a community of others online who were also interested in roads as a hobby. These communities of people could share photos, swap their thoughts on the highways in their areas and "debate the finer points of interchange design".[5]

Web based forums are popular; one of the largest is AARoads Forum.[6][failed verification]

SABRE

[edit]

Started in 1999, the Society for All British and Irish Road Enthusiasts (SABRE), originally known as "Study and Appreciation of the British Roads Experience",[7] is one of the larger and most prominent communities of road enthusiasts online.[8] The organization hosts a large collection of articles and histories of particular roads and terminology, online photo galleries, discussion forums,[9] and an application to overlay and compare historical roadmaps.[7] Although SABRE is primarily an online group, members organize group tours to visit sites of interest.[2]

Taiwan websites

[edit]

In 2006, a board called "Road" (Chinese: 公路板) in the PTT Bulletin Board System, which is a Taiwanese forum, was established.[10] Because some Taiwanese road enthusiasts didn't know how to use a terminal or BBS reader to access it, the web forum Taiwan Highway Club (Chinese: 公路邦; literally, "Highway State") was started in 2008.[11] It contains subforums where users discuss road policies and post highway news and images.[12]

Relationship with governments

[edit]

In Taiwan, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Directorate General of Highways (公路總局) has held occasional Road Fan Conferences (公路迷座談會) since 2011 where roadfans and highway transportation-related organizations made suggestions to the government.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Wear, Ben (December 12, 2004). "Road to Future or a Dead End". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on September 5, 2006. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c Gupta, Lila Das (January 17, 2005). "Never Mind the Trainspotters". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
  3. ^ Miller, Matthew (February 22, 2009). "Looking Back: I-496 Construction, a Complicated Legacy". Lansing State Journal. pp. 1A, 8A.
  4. ^ Moran, Joe (2009). On Roads: A Hidden History (Hardcover ed.). London: Profile Books. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-84668-052-6.
  5. ^ a b Lamb, William (September 22, 2002). "'Road geeks' ramp up their hobby on the information superhighway". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. C1, C5. Retrieved February 28, 2020. Free access icon
  6. ^ Thomson, Robert (February 27, 2014). "Map rage: Navigating Google's revised way-finding system". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Society: About Us". Society for All British Road Enthusiasts. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  8. ^ Milmo, Cahal (October 29, 2004). "Round the Bend? How We Became a Nation of Roadies". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
  9. ^ Greenacre, Simon (September 10, 2008). "Society for All British Road Enthusiasts". Total Vauxhall. Gloucester: A & S Publishing. ISSN 1474-1393. Archived from the original on June 19, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  10. ^ 公告 公路板開了~ (in Chinese). Road board of PTT Bulletin Board System. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  11. ^ 【公路邦】成立 (in Chinese). Road board of PTT Bulletin Board System. Retrieved September 30, 2011.(in Chinese)
  12. ^ "公路邦 > 討論區首頁". 公路邦. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  13. ^ "官民合作‧大道開闊 公路總局舉辦第二次公路迷座談會". Archived from the original on April 5, 2016.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Beresford, Kevin (2004). Roundabouts of Great Britain (Hardcover ed.). London: New Holland. ISBN 978-1-84330-854-6.
[edit]
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