Beltways/Circumferential/Orbital highways

[vtk]

I think you typed "innerbelt" more times than the general populace of Central Ohio has said that word in the last 45 years.

Haha! Okay, so it's not used in the traffic reports from day to day, but I think at least some measurable fraction of Columbusites at least know what the Innerbelt is, and that its four legs can be referred to by a directional prefix similar to the Outerbelt. 

[SidS1045]

it would be hard to build a "complete" circumferential highway around Boston, but it has two reasonably complete ones (given the dry land available) in Ma. 128 and I-495.

According to at least one source, MA-128 was the first beltway in the US.  Not sure if that's actually true, however.

[PurdueBill]

The Tri-State Tollway is what it is, and always has been.  No, it doesn't actually enter Indiana or Wisconsin, but those are the other two states to which the name refers.  I suppose one could argue that roads like the Indiana Toll Road, Ohio Turnpike, Pennsylvania Turnpike, Kansas Turnpike, etc are just as much "tri-state" as the Tri-State Tollway.  I'm not sure there are any true multi-state tollways (besides bridges or similar short tolled connections across state lines) built and operated by single entities.

Related, but not exactly proving anything, is the interesting tidbit I've noticed on my Mass Pike Fast Lane (Mass version of EZPass) statements when I drive out to Chicago via the Ohio Turnpike, Indiana Toll Road, and Chicago Skyway.  The Skyway tolls are itemized as Indiana Toll Road transactions.  Not sure why this would be so except that the Skyway and Indiana Toll Road are maintained/operated by the same foreign concern (whose name escapes me and which someone else here will know immediately) so I guess at least for out-of-state tag transactions, they process them all under one umbrella?  Very odd to see the Skyway listed as an Indiana Toll Road item.  It lists as ITR "Plaza 50" eastbound and "Plaza 51" westbound.

[Alps]

it would be hard to build a "complete" circumferential highway around Boston, but it has two reasonably complete ones (given the dry land available) in Ma. 128 and I-495.

According to at least one source, MA-128 was the first beltway in the US.  Not sure if that's actually true, however.

Believe it is; although the original 128 was just a circumferential road, it was well upgraded by the 50s as at least a four-lane divided highway.

[NE2]

NYC's Belt Parkway was intended as a beltway.

[SidS1045]

the original 128 was just a circumferential road, it was well upgraded by the 50s as at least a four-lane divided highway.

Originally (in the 1920s and 1930s) it was just a cobbled-together string of local streets that described sort of a circle around Boston, if you de-focused your eyes while looking at a map of it.  The list of streets is on Steve Anderson's Boston Roads site:  http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/MA-128/

The first limited-access highway version of 128 was built in stages, beginning in 1936, and until 1955 did not exist south of MA-9 in Wellesley, where the highway ended in a T-intersection with traffic signals.

[aridawn]

Hamilton, ON now has an offical bypass.  It is signed as two routes but does a semi-circle around the city.  Starting at the QEW on the south end of the city, taking the Red Hill Valley Parkway west, at the top of the "mountain" (Niagra Escarpment) it JCT's with Lincon Alexander Parkway "The Linc", and Mud St W.  Following The Linc north to finish the bypass at ON-403.

below is the google maps link of the bypass

http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=hamilton,+on+bypass&hl=en&ll=43.222941,-79.876442&spn=0.221657,0.528374&t=m&z=12