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U.S. Oddities A-Z: Roads

For each letter of the alphabet, identify the appropriate road-related name related to the identified clue.
Quiz by PapaFurchetta
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Last updated: May 26, 2021
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First submittedFebruary 1, 2021
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Average score73.1%
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Hint
Answer
A
I-97 is the only intra-county mainline (2-digit) interstate in the US, running 17.62 miles entirely in Anne Arundel County from I-695 south of Baltimore to US Route 50 in this capital city of Maryland.
Annapolis
B
Officially titled the "Central Artery/Tunnel Project," the megaproject which rerouted I-93 in downtown Boston was better known by this informal name of two rhyming 3-letter words.
Big Dig
C
A 17.6 mile long bridge-tunnel carries US Route 13 over this largest estuary in the US, thereby connecting the western and eastern shores of Virginia.
Chesapeake Bay
D
The shortest US interstate highway is the 1.06 mile stretch of I-375 which is a spur from I-75 into the downtown of this Michigan city.
Detroit
E
The US Interstate Highway System is named after this US president who initiated its development in the 1950s.
Eisenhower
F
There are only two places on the US Interstate Highway System where a mainline interstate splits and both sections retain the desigantion of the original interstate but with a directional suffix. In both cases, I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W in metroplexes with two major cities where neither wanted to give up the mainline designation for a spur or loop designation. One location is in Minnesota where I-35E serves St. Paul and I-35W serves Minneapolis. The other is in Texas where I-35E serves Dallas and I-35W serves this city.
Fort Worth
G
The US has several locations where the layout of the surrounding land makes a road with a slight downhill slope appear to have an uphill slope. A car left in neutral therefore appears to roll "uphill." Sometimes these are referred to as a "Magnetic Hill" or "Mystery Hill," but the most common name is "_______ Hill,"
Gravity Hill
H
Although it borders no other states, this state actually has three mainline and one spur interstate highways.
Hawaii
I
The self-proclaimed "World's Largest Truck Stop" can be found on I-80 in this Plains state.
Iowa
J
These ramps redirect left turning vehicles in an at-grade intersection to a ramp on the right side of the road, allowing for safer turns. In the US, these ramps are known as "Jughandles" or "_______ Lefts" after the east coast state where they are the most common.
Jersey Left
K
The southern terminus of US Route 1 is in this Florida island resort town, also known as the "Conch Republic."
Key West
L
The causeway over this body of water near New Orleans, Louisiana is the longest continuous bridge over water in the world, with a span of 23.79 miles (38.28 km).
Lake Pontchartrain
M
This suspension bridge joins the two peninsulas of Michigan across the strait that bears the same name, between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
Mackinac
N
At 876 feet above the river below, this West Virginia bridge is the third highest bridge in the US and hosts "Bridge Day" once a year where individuals can legally BASE jump or bungee jump from the bridge. It is located in, and shares its name with the newest US National Park.
New River Gorge
O
On May 26, 2002, the I-40 Webbers Falls bridge over the Arkansas River in this state was struck by a barge and collapsed into the river, resulting in 14 deaths.
Oklahoma
P
To the frustration of every "roadgeek" in America, the interstate that runs through the cities of Bedford and State College in this state had its I-99 designation written into the authorizing legislation by the US Congressman representing the area. According to the numbering regulations of the US Interstate Highway System, I-99 should be the easternmost north-south interstate in the country, likely running along the Atlantic coast. This road should, at best, be numbered as a 3-digit spur off I-80 or I-76.
Pennsylvania
Q
The US-Canadian border runs right down the middle of a quarter-mile stretch of Canusa Street, with houses on the south side in the town of Beebe Plain, Vermont and houses on the north side in the town of Stanstead in this Canadian province. .
Quebec
R
Also known as the "Main Street of America," this now-decommissioned road was one of the original roads in the U.S. Highway System, stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Route 66
S
A one-block stretch of Lombard Street in this California city contains 8 hairpin turns, and is a major tourist attraction dubbed the "crookedest street in the world."
San Francisco
T
Nicknamed "Galloping Gertie," the suspension bridge between these narrows in Washington state had a stunning design flaw. The bridge deck acted like an airplane wing in the windy narrows, swaying wildly and eventually resulting in the spectacular collapse of the bridge in November 1940, four months after its completion.
Tacoma Narrows
U
Likely the most boring stretch of the US Interstate Highway System, the 37 miles of I-80 through the Bonneville Salt Flats in this state is dead straight and level, with only a lonely rest area to disrupt the monotony.
Utah
V
This state is home to a 9-mile wrong-way multiplex of Interstates 77 and 81 where you can travel north and south at the same time. One direction of travel is signed I-77 North & I-81 South, and the other is signed I-77 South & I-81 North.
Virginia
W
I-180 is a 1-mile spur between I-80 and downtown Cheyenne, the capital of this state. It is not built to interstate standards as it includes 4 stoplights.
Wyoming
X
The downtown of this Ohio city is at the crossroads of US Routes 35, 42, and 68.
Xenia
Y
The one-letter designation for the three-legged bridge carrying US Route 40 over the confluence of the Licking and Muskingum Rivers in Ohio.
Y Bridge
Z
The above bridge is located in the downtown section of this central Ohio city
Zainesville
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