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Boring interstate endings

Started by RobbieL2415, May 22, 2017, 09:26:37 PM

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dfwmapper

The west end of I-20. It's 100 miles of absolutely fucking nothing on I-20 followed by another 100 miles of absolutely fucking nothing on I-10.


Bickendan

Quote from: sparker on May 24, 2017, 05:41:25 PM
In CA, the west end of I-105 is somewhat boring -- emptying, as it does, onto Imperial Highway west of CA 1.  The mutual southern end points of I-280 & I-680 would be terminally (yeah, I know, bad pun!) boring if not for the confusion it causes with folks not paying attention or cognizant of what's happening:  Shit -- I was heading south and now I'm heading north?  WTF?  And along that vein, the north end of I-680 was historically boring -- no "End" signage was ever posted; one just coasted out onto I-80 -- but now that the interchange is being revamped, maybe it'll get a bit more interesting! 
I-680 isn't as bad as CA 170 merging onto I-5... literally, last time I drove that, I blinked and missed it.

formulanone

#52
Quote from: dfwmapper on May 25, 2017, 09:31:13 PM
The west end of I-20. It's 100 miles of absolutely fucking nothing on I-20 followed by another 100 miles of absolutely fucking nothing on I-10.

Ironically, the few miles where I-10 continues west is actually somewhat scenic, and I-20 avoids some of it by going north of that.

In some ways, many interstate-to-interstate connections are devoid of much fanfare and continue seamlessly, especially the mainlines. And I guess they're built that way intentionally.

I prefer when there are defining characteristics, differing subtleties, or scenery change between individual highway designations, which makes the auxiliary interstates much more interesting (compared to the mainlines) to me. And that's probably because a lot of them were built during varying eras of freeway construction.

ekt8750


sparker

Quote from: Bickendan on May 26, 2017, 05:15:03 AM
I-680 isn't as bad as CA 170 merging onto I-5... literally, last time I drove that, I blinked and missed it.

It's a left-side merge, so it's not like you're making any effort to blend with I-5 traffic.  Somehow, I think that was the point when it opened to traffic -- 49 years ago next month! 

Flint1979

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on May 24, 2017, 11:15:38 PM
Here's a neat little category, and one I would call boring:  Interstates that end at an intersection or become a surface street but have no interchange with another interstate.

I-35, Brownsville, Tx.  Wyes off onto San Dario Ave. just before the border

I-19, Nogales, AZ.  Ends at an intersection where the side streets are controlled by stop signs.  It's also probably the only Interstate to end at its Business route.

I-78, Hoboken, NJ.  This one everybody knows.  Signed and dumped onto surface streets leading to the Holland Tunnel with signalized intersections and with turns permitted.

I-35, Duluth, MN.  Ends at MN 61.
For I-35 you mean Laredo, Texas.

Quillz

I don't know if it was mentioned yet, but I was in Idaho last year and I-84/I-86 was possibly the most boring interchange ever. Not much in the way of scenery, and I-86 merges onto I-84 westbound with no way of going eastbound, so it's not even a full junction.

sparker

Quote from: Flint1979 on August 17, 2017, 01:33:58 AM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on May 24, 2017, 11:15:38 PM
Here's a neat little category, and one I would call boring:  Interstates that end at an intersection or become a surface street but have no interchange with another interstate.

I-35, Brownsville, Tx.  Wyes off onto San Dario Ave. just before the border

I-19, Nogales, AZ.  Ends at an intersection where the side streets are controlled by stop signs.  It's also probably the only Interstate to end at its Business route.

I-78, Hoboken, NJ.  This one everybody knows.  Signed and dumped onto surface streets leading to the Holland Tunnel with signalized intersections and with turns permitted.

I-35, Duluth, MN.  Ends at MN 61.
For I-35 you mean Laredo, Texas.

Another ends-at-intersection situation is with the west terminus of I-8 in the Ocean Beach section of San Diego.  Comes to a stop at an angled T-intersection; you can turn NE and backtrack to Sea World, or head SW on Sunset Cliffs; this is where it gets interesting -- almost immediately it splits into the aforementioned Sunset Cliffs, still heading SW, or you can turn off on a flyover onto Nimitz Blvd. heading SE toward the airport.  While the terminus is just another intersection, the street it intersects immediately heads into an interchange; why the freeway terminus wasn't interwoven into that interchange is puzzling.   

Super Mateo

Quote from: Quillz on August 17, 2017, 01:51:14 AM
I don't know if it was mentioned yet, but I was in Idaho last year and I-84/I-86 was possibly the most boring interchange ever. Not much in the way of scenery, and I-86 merges onto I-84 westbound with no way of going eastbound, so it's not even a full junction.

Go back and read reply #24.  This thread isn't that long...

roadman

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 24, 2017, 08:58:09 PM
I-84 in Mass also ends boringly.
Now that the toll booths are gone, I agree.  Although, now that the roadway has been reconstructed, the I-84 eastbound approach to I-90 is slated to get the first mainline APL signs in Massachusetts shortly - they will be installed as part of the ongoing legacy toll plaza demo contract.
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SP Cook

It is not, IMHO, a real interstate, but I-74's current end in Mt. Airy is boring and confusing.  There is just an exit for US 52 North and the road just becomes US 52 South with a sign, and an unexplained change in MP and exit numbers, with the occasional "future" sign. (NC signs 74 on I-77 to the state line, so the north end is more boring still).  The next end of this silly venture, outside Rockingham is similar, just a sign for "END" of 73-74, and a resumption of all the route every should have been, US 220, although I think they are working to bypass Rockingham so this will change eventually. 

I am surprised no one mentioned I-79.  South end is just a merger into I-77 on the outskirts of town, north end just has a warning sign for a stop light and ends at a street.

doorknob60

Quote from: Super Mateo on August 17, 2017, 09:48:46 AM
Quote from: Quillz on August 17, 2017, 01:51:14 AM
I don't know if it was mentioned yet, but I was in Idaho last year and I-84/I-86 was possibly the most boring interchange ever. Not much in the way of scenery, and I-86 merges onto I-84 westbound with no way of going eastbound, so it's not even a full junction.

Go back and read reply #24.  This thread isn't that long...

Also, it is a full interchange.

paulthemapguy

Hmmm...to me, "boring" would mean an interstate ending that is not noteworthy as you drive past it.  So it would be an interchange where you blink and you miss it--you hardly notice that it's happening.

A good example of this:  the northern end of I-39.  It still continues as a freeway carrying US51, so nothing really changes.  You just forget that the I-39 designation even ends. 

The southern end of I-335 is another good example.  You keep going, and you're just still on a freeway where you don't change anything about your driving.
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hubcity

Quote from: bzakharin on May 25, 2017, 03:26:14 PM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on May 24, 2017, 11:15:38 PM
I-78, Hoboken, NJ.  This one everybody knows.  Signed and dumped onto surface streets leading to the Holland Tunnel with signalized intersections and with turns permitted.
It doesn't end there, though (though maybe it should). Those surface streets are part of I-78. It does end on surface streets of Manhattan as I already mentioned.

Ah, but not without a glorious mess of exits (Exits 1 through 5!) within a one block loop!

roadman

#64
QuoteHmmm...to me, "boring" would mean an interstate ending that is not noteworthy as you drive past it.  So it would be an interchange where you blink and you miss it--you hardly notice that it's happening.

By that definition, I-93 south where it ends at I-95 north in Canton (MA) would qualify.  This is because the road (having originally been MA 128) is continuous through the interchange, even after the Add-A-Lane widening.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

Flint1979

The one's that end as an Interstate but continue as an Interstate quality expressway for several miles after the Interstate has ended. Like the northern end of I-39 which has already been mentioned.

JJBers

Quote from: Flint1979 on August 17, 2017, 09:35:51 PM
The one's that end as an Interstate but continue as an Interstate quality expressway for several miles after the Interstate has ended. Like the northern end of I-39 which has already been mentioned.
I-27...
I-384 is also like this
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ilpt4u

#67
Quote from: Flint1979 on August 17, 2017, 09:35:51 PM
The one's that end as an Interstate but continue as an Interstate quality expressway for several miles after the Interstate has ended. Like the northern end of I-39 which has already been mentioned.
I mentioned the northern end of IL's I-290 earlier in this thread, as it fits this category as well, continuing as the IL 53 Expressway/Freeway up north to Lake/Cook Road

Northern end of IL's I-255 does as well, continuing north of I-270 as the IL 255 Freeway.

The northern end of IL's I-474 continues north and east as IL 6 Freeway, around Peoria to the north, until it approaches the IL River (Ghost roadway for a northern extension along the river to possibly tie into the southern end of I-180, maybe...probably not tho)

I'm surprised as a gag no one has thrown in I-30->I-440->AR 440->US 67/167/Future I-57 north of Little Rock. As an aside here -- once I-57 makes it down to Little Rock, how about I-440 be decommissioned? I-30 and I-57 can meet at the current US 67/167/AR 440 junction at the north end, and at the current I-30/I-440/I-530 junction at the south end. Either I-30 or I-57 can take the route thru Downtown, and the other can take the current AR/I-440 route around

As least temporarily, going clockwise around Metro Louisville, IN's I-265->IN 265->KY 841->KY's I-265 is a single Freeway (with a Toll Bridge/Tunnel). I assume that this route will soon be unified as I-265, officially, hopefully, maybe...

Southern end of IA's I-380 becomes US 218 Freeway near Iowa City

Quillz

Quote from: Flint1979 on August 17, 2017, 09:35:51 PM
The one's that end as an Interstate but continue as an Interstate quality expressway for several miles after the Interstate has ended. Like the northern end of I-39 which has already been mentioned.
Technically, I-210 does this. Its old incarnation ended at I-10 and continued seamlessly to the south as CA-57. Its present incarnation now ends at CA-57, but continues eastbound as CA-210.

US 89

I-15 in CA. It just ends at I-8, and CA 15 keeps going on to I-5.

bing101

I-70 in Baltimore because the interstate ends at a park and ride.

TravelingBethelite

Quote from: bing101 on August 18, 2017, 01:14:36 PM
I-70 in Baltimore because the interstate ends at a park and ride.

I think it is actually very interesting the way I-70 ends, because its uniqueness and the story it tells.
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Flint1979

Quote from: Quillz on August 17, 2017, 10:58:49 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on August 17, 2017, 09:35:51 PM
The one's that end as an Interstate but continue as an Interstate quality expressway for several miles after the Interstate has ended. Like the northern end of I-39 which has already been mentioned.
Technically, I-210 does this. Its old incarnation ended at I-10 and continued seamlessly to the south as CA-57. Its present incarnation now ends at CA-57, but continues eastbound as CA-210.
I'm surprised that it isn't I-210 all the way instead of switching to CA-210. Isn't CA-210 built up to Interstate standards?

TheHighwayMan3561

Quote from: TravelingBethelite on August 18, 2017, 01:39:42 PM
Quote from: bing101 on August 18, 2017, 01:14:36 PM
I-70 in Baltimore because the interstate ends at a park and ride.

I think it is actually very interesting the way I-70 ends, because its uniqueness and the story it tells.

If I'm not mistaken didn't MDDOT truncate 70 back to I-695 a few years ago? Not that it matters, because we all know the real ending is still at the park and ride.
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jp the roadgeek

Quote from: JJBers on August 17, 2017, 09:40:05 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on August 17, 2017, 09:35:51 PM
The one's that end as an Interstate but continue as an Interstate quality expressway for several miles after the Interstate has ended. Like the northern end of I-39 which has already been mentioned.
I-27...
I-384 is also like this

I-384 defaults onto US 6/44, which only goes another 1/2 mile or so before the split, then both downgrade into 2 lane roads. 

NY is notorious for these kinds of roads:  I-390, I-590, I-690, I-481, I-790 (if you keep going through on NY 49 going westbound or on NY 12 North going eastbound)
Interstates I've clinched: 97, 290 (MA), 291 (CT), 291 (MA), 293, 295 (DE-NJ-PA), 295 (RI-MA), 384, 391, 395 (CT-MA), 395 (MD), 495 (DE), 610 (LA), 684, 691, 695 (MD), 695 (NY), 795 (MD)



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