Originally Posted by
Jaywalk3r
One of the most surprising things I learned on a long bicycle tour was which highways were actually the most bicycle friendly. Interstate shoulders, when legally accessible to bicyclists, have become my first choice for intercity riding. The shoulders tend to be wide, clean (in comparison to other highways), and well maintained. Some of the most relaxed, stress free distance riding I've experienced has been on interstates and other restricted access highways.
Yes, they can have some advantages. A number of years ago we found out that I-5 was 'bike-legal' all the way from Tracy (outside SF) to Santa Clarita (near LA) so we did a ride down it. The route along the I-5 shoulder was very well maintained with smooth surface and the almost constant passing traffic gave us a nice tail wind. And compared to other roads in the area it was graded for minimum climbing although there was still a long ascent over the grapevine. OTOH, it was noisy, felt slower than it was since you're far away from surroundings and constantly passed by fast traffic, and we had lots of flats from the little wires left behind from shredded car and truck tire remnants. Good for getting somewhere, but not my ideal choice for touring where I want to experience the area. OTOH, those nice 'deserted desert' alternate routes can be a bit too deserted if you run into problems, esp. if in an area without cell coverage.