Longest Beltways Around US Cities: A Ranked List

American beltways, like Atlanta's I-285, significantly impact city traffic flow.

### America's Longest Beltways

* 🗺️ The video explores the **longest beltways** in the US, focusing on divided highways with a single designation.
* 🚗  The **Atlanta Perimeter (I-285)**, at 62.9 miles, is heavily traveled and suffers from significant traffic congestion despite expansion to eight lanes.
* 🚧 The **Washington, D.C. Capital Beltway (I-495)**, measuring 64 miles, also experiences high traffic volume and was originally intended as a bypass.
* 🏙️ The **Charlotte Outer Loop (I-485)**, a 66.7-mile beltway, was completed in 2010 after phases of construction and now features at least six lanes in newer sections.
* 🔀 The **Kansas City I-435**, spanning 83 miles, is considered a beltway despite a complicating interchange in the northwest corner.
* 🛣️ The **Cincinnati Bypass (I-275)**, at 83.7 miles, is the longest interstate beltway, completed in stages between 1961 and 1979.
* 💲 The **Sam Houston Tollway**, an 88-mile route in Houston, is the second longest, featuring a four-lane design with some exceptions.
* 📏 The **San Antonio Loop 1604**, at 95.6 miles, is the longest but doesn't fully meet the video's criteria due to undivided sections in the south.  "It's limited access for a lot of its route...but in the rural south it has no requirement to be divided and it goes down to two lanes."

America's Longest Beltways (Ring Roads)

Beaver Geography

Introduction to Beltways and their Significance

Development of urban freeways and their impact on city landscapes.

Existing extensive networks of urban interstates connecting downtowns to suburbs.

Definition of a beltway as a loop around a city or urban area.

Beltways' evolution from connecting dense urban areas to forming outer loops of metropolitan areas.

Objective: to discuss the longest beltways in the US and their histories.

Inclusion criteria: only divided highways with one singular designation are considered.

Exclusion of beltways composed of multiple routes to maintain definition consistency.

Overview of the Longest Beltways in the US

Discussion of Interstate 285 (Atlanta) – its length, importance, traffic issues, and history.

Discussion of I-495 (Washington, D.C.) – similarities to Atlanta's perimeter, high traffic volume, and history.

Discussion of Interstate 485 (Charlotte) – its relatively recent completion, high traffic, and expansion projects.

Discussion of I-435 (Kansas City) – its slightly looser definition as a beltway due to an interchange.

Discussion of Interstate 275 (Cincinnati) – its length, spanning three states, and construction history.

Discussion of Sam Houston Tollway (Houston) – its length, design, and history as the city's third beltway.

Discussion of State Highway Loop 1604 (San Antonio) – its length but exclusion due to not meeting the defined criteria.

Summary of the importance of beltways in connecting metropolitan areas and influencing traffic patterns.

Potential for future beltway projects and expansion of existing ones.