<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by swag:
Another abomination - I'm only aware on one interstate outside hawaii that has letters as well as numbers in its designation.
In both the MSP and DFW areas, I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W, only to merge again on the other side of the metro area. I imagine that this was done to solve fights over whether the main highway goes thru Minneapolis or St Paul; and Dallas or Ft Worth.
But it's dang confusing to give directions to an unsuspecting out-of-towner:
"take i-35E..."
"you mean east?"
"no, take I-35 East, north"
...
They ought to just call one branch I-135, or something like that.</font>
I don't think the problem is with out-of-towners, it's those who are not fans of maps, directions, road networks, etc.
When I first moved to the D/FW Metroplex, I immediately recognized the logic of I-35E and I-35W. It makes more sense to me than to have an I-35 and I-135. With the E or W suffix, you know exactly which city you're going through (assuming you know that Dallas is east of Ft. Worth).
"Northbound I-35 East" might sound odd, but it is true that you are heading to or from a point northeast of the center of I-35E and I-35W.
I wish we did that with other highways. It would be easier to figure out where I-635 and Skillman Rd is if you said "I-635N and Skillman".
Not only that, but there are two intersections of I-635 and I-35E, and there are two intersections of I-820 and I-35W. Why not uniquely identify them with I-635N & I-35E, I-635S & I-35E, I-820N & I-35W, and I-820S & I-35W?