Fuel for Thought

US Highway 6

By Eric
Posted Sep 12th 2013 12:54PM


Coming in from the west on Interstate 84, I’ve wondered if I could use US 6 instead of the out-of-the-way routing of the interstate when I hit Hartford, Connecticut on my way to Providence, Rhode Island. On the US map, a long run on Interstate 84 looks fairly straight when heading east towards Providence until hitting Hartford. This week I delivered in Cranston, Rhode Island and took the opportunity to check out the section of Hwy 6 between Providence and Hartford when I trolled out the area. I’ll use the route in the future. It might not be something for those who like to romp. It took 100 minutes for 72 miles. The first few miles leaving Providence made me wonder if the route was a mistake, but the route opened up. Most speed limits were 45-50 mph. It was two lanes and nicely paved. The road was straight with wide curves and mostly gentle hills. Nothing like West Virginia or Pennsylvania. There were only a couple steep grades in the range of 6 degrees for a half mile. I saw one truck smoke his brakes, but it couldn’t have had anything to do with the grade. It was open-country scenic with only a few towns with city traffic. I traveled between 6 and 8 in the evening and the traffic was light. Google Maps also considers the traffic light for this route.


This route is highlighted in my atlas.


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