What is your area's "malfunction junction?"

[Buffaboy]

What's the slowest and/or most dangerous interchange in your area?

For me, I think it's NY-33 at I-90 in Buffalo.

[Bickendan]

I-5 through Rose Quarter, followed by I-405 between the Marquam Bridge and US 26.

[triplemultiplex]

The too-closely spaced interchanges along the Beltline between Todd Dr and South Towne Dr.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Duluth: I-35/535. Poor sight lines, odd movements, tight curves.

[02 Park Ave]

For South Jersey it has to be the I-76/I-295/NJ 42 interchange; and you can extend that to include NJ 55's termination at NJ 42.

The problem is NJ 42 gets backed-up southbound during every afternoon's rush hour.  (Fridays during the summer are even worse due to the additional traffic heading down to the Shore.)  Traffic heading south on 295 trying to go south on 42 hits its back-up and consequently backs up onto 295 itself, sometimes for 10 miles or more.

There is a massive, long-term construction project to improve 295 itself through the interchange.  However, as long as 42 backs-up, traffic exiting 295 will back-up.  I don't see how this redesigned interchange will improve the current situation.

[epzik8]

Either one of the interchanges along the Bel Air Bypass in Bel Air, Maryland north of Baltimore. There's one very weird one that looks like this:

There's a ramp from U.S. 1 north to MD-24 south, and one that takes traffic from MD-24 north out of the Bel Air retail area onto U.S. 1 north. There's also a traffic signal in the middle of that where people are only able to turn left from U.S. 1 south onto MD-24 south, or from MD-24 north onto U.S. 1 south. MD-24 north splits just before reaching U.S. 1 north to allow for this. Occasionally, people not from the area will miss the ramp from U.S. 1 north to MD-24 south and instead turn right at the light onto 24 south. I also saw a truck with a Texas plate almost stay in the left lane on 24 north, which is marked as U.S. 1 south toward Baltimore. Then he cut over into the right lane, U.S. 1/MD-24 north toward Philadelphia, which is the ramp almost everyone takes. They'll split from the Bypass at the other interchange to continue on MD-24 north toward Rocks State Park, or continue following Route 1.

[Brandon]

Pick just one?  LOLOLOL!!!
Shall I choose the Circle, or should I choose the Strangler?  Those are probably the two worst around Chicago.

[hotdogPi]

Pick just one?  LOLOLOL!!!
Shall I choose the Circle, or should I choose the Strangler?  Those are probably the two worst around Chicago.

The Circle, because dzlsabe is always wrong.

[7/8]

For Kitchener, I would say the 401 and Highway 8 interchange. Going from the 401 EB to 8 WB and vice versa requires going on King St through several lights, and the 8 EB to 401 EB ramp is always congested in the morning due to the construction in that area.

One group in my class did their fourth-year design project on improving the 401 and Homer Watson Blvd interchange, and they found that the current off ramp from the 401 WB is LOS F, so I guess this one is worse than I realized.

[oldparoadgeek]

I-283  at junction with I-76  and PA-283. Traffic on I-283 S. is forced to share a ramp with traffic from PA 283 West to I-76.  There is only 1 lane for both routes  then PA 283  must take a very  sharp right turn to continue. Backups for a mile or more are very common during afternoon "rush".  Not much compared to NYC or LA; but I dont live there

[Roadgeekteen]

Lowel conecter.

[ilpt4u]

Pick just one?  LOLOLOL!!!
Shall I choose the Circle, or should I choose the Strangler?  Those are probably the two worst around Chicago.

3rd Place award for Jane Addams/Northwest Tollway and Rt 53/I-290?

I would probably vote the Strangler for the worst

80/94/294/394 used to be bad, but IDOT actually put some time, effort, energy, and money into that one, and came up with a pretty decent/good solution

[Rothman]

Thruway Exit 24 / Northway Exit 1.  Wrong number of lanes for the movements, tight turns, left exit ramps...

[sparker]

Let's see?  I'm in San Jose, CA.  What, oh what is the most dysfunctional interchange around?  So many to choose from!  Oh....yeah....RIGHT:  I-880/US 101.  The only high-AADT interchange I know of that posts one of the cloverleaf loops (SB 880>SB 101) as "curvature tightens" (i.e., diminishing radius!).  It was underpowered when it was built back ca. 1960-61 and is a really bad joke today.  Traffic in the primary transition directions (the direction described above and its inverse, plus SB 101>SB 880 and its inverse) grinds to a stop to traverse the loops at maybe 20 mph on a good day.  Once you've gone around the loop, then you have to weave through traffic to get into a through lane on the target roadway -- it's the poster child for what's wrong with cloverleaf interchanges lacking C-D lanes.  And to top it off, SB 880>NB 101 requires getting off on the old Bayshore Highway before making a entry onto 101 via a shorter-than-thou ramp.  Fortunately it's in an acute-angle directional change.  Unfortunately, the property surrounding the interchange is presently too valuable/pricey to acquire for any meaningful upgrades.  So it's probable that the interchange will remain the piece of shit that it is for the foreseeable future!

[BigRTM]

The I-275 / I-4 interchange in Tampa had been known as "malfunction junction" for decades, but it has been improved recently.

[Roadsguy]

There aren't any immediately near where I live, but nearby in Harrisburg, there were four. Recent improvement projects have significantly improved two of them (PA 581/US 15 and I-83/PA 581 "York Split"), leaving the other two: the Eisenhower Interchange (I-83/I-283/US 322) and, as someone else already mentioned, I-283/PA 283. At least the Eisenhower has a total reconfiguration planned (and perhaps eventually the York Split as well, as the fixes they did are much smaller by comparison), but the 283 interchange has only a relatively minor fix in the works, leaving us only with Brian Troutman's fictional redesign.

[bzakharin]

For South Jersey it has to be the I-76/I-295/NJ 42 interchange; and you can extend that to include NJ 55's termination at NJ 42.

The problem is NJ 42 gets backed-up southbound during every afternoon's rush hour.  (Fridays during the summer are even worse due to the additional traffic heading down to the Shore.)  Traffic heading south on 295 trying to go south on 42 hits its back-up and consequently backs up onto 295 itself, sometimes for 10 miles or more.

There is a massive, long-term construction project to improve 295 itself through the interchange.  However, as long as 42 backs-up, traffic exiting 295 will back-up.  I don't see how this redesigned interchange will improve the current situation.

I think it will help the reverse movements, SB mornings and NB evenings (and of course off peak traffic both ways), where the interchange configuration itself is the major bottleneck. And in the very long term, NJ 55 will get a second lane at the northern terminus, bound for I-295 South, which will also only help reverse peak and shore traffic because it won't change the rush hour backup on NJ 42/I-76 where most of 55 traffic will continue to be heading.

As for central Jersey, I will nominate the closely spaced interchanges of the NJ Turnpike, GS Parkway, I-287, NJ 440, US 1, and US 9 with each other. Aside from general heavy volume during rush hour, the design of Exit 10 on the Turnpike (access to 440 and 287) is horrible for a freeway to freeway interchange, and there are multiple missing movements (No direct access to US 1 from the Turnpike and Parkway North and vice versa).

[US 89]

In Salt Lake City area, the South Interchange (I-15/215 in Murray) is congested every day, as it's a major bottleneck since all southbound freeway traffic must merge onto I-15 there. Originally, the proximity of the 7200 South exit to the 215 one caused so much weaving that they put in a C/D lane to eliminate this issue. But traffic always backs up in the C/D lane, and UDOT has recently suggested removing it.
Also, the ramps from 15S to 215E and 15N to 215W are left merges, which often makes for several dangerous lane changes if you want the next exit on 215.

[jp the roadgeek]

I nominate the Charter Oak Bridge/I-91 interchange in Hartford.  The bridge is used as a connection for traffic from I-91 North to I-84 East and I-84 West to I-91 South, which is an integral link for those traveling between Boston and NYC.  Northbound I-91 traffic often backs up for miles in the right lane waiting to get off the ramp, while traffic southbound often backs up over the bridge into East Hartford, and on rough days, to I-84 itself. 

This replaces the I-91/I-95 interchange in New Haven, which used to funnel I-91 South to I-95 South traffic into one lane.

[hubcity]

For South Jersey it has to be the I-76/I-295/NJ 42 interchange; and you can extend that to include NJ 55's termination at NJ 42.

I will nominate the closely spaced interchanges of the NJ Turnpike, GS Parkway, I-287, NJ 440, US 1, and US 9 with each other.

I've been through both of the above, but they didn't get my heart pounding the way NJ 4/NJ 17 in Paramus still does, even with the adjustments that have been made. So maybe NJ gets three...

[roadman]

Lowel conecter.

Lowell Connector/I-495/US 3 can be challenging, but IMO interchanges like the I-93/MA 3 split in Braintree, or I-95 (MA 128)/I-93 in Woburn, are far worse in terms of congestion and merging/weaving behavior.

[US 89]

The other SLC malfunction junction is the I-15/80 concurrency, especially southbound. There's the I-80 merge and then the 500 South onramp, quickly followed by the C/D exit before the Spaghetti Bowl. There is so much weaving and lane changing in this area that even when it isn't rush hour, the general traffic speed will often drop from 70-75mph to 55 or less. Then, the merges in the Spaghetti Bowl (15/80/201) often cause backups on mainline I-15 back towards the C/D exit, especially at rush hour.

[michravera]

Let's see?  I'm in San Jose, CA.  What, oh what is the most dysfunctional interchange around?  So many to choose from!  Oh....yeah....RIGHT:  I-880/US 101.  The only high-AADT interchange I know of that posts one of the cloverleaf loops (SB 880>SB 101) as "curvature tightens" (i.e., diminishing radius!).  It was underpowered when it was built back ca. 1960-61 and is a really bad joke today.  Traffic in the primary transition directions (the direction described above and its inverse, plus SB 101>SB 880 and its inverse) grinds to a stop to traverse the loops at maybe 20 mph on a good day.  Once you've gone around the loop, then you have to weave through traffic to get into a through lane on the target roadway -- it's the poster child for what's wrong with cloverleaf interchanges lacking C-D lanes.  And to top it off, SB 880>NB 101 requires getting off on the old Bayshore Highway before making a entry onto 101 via a shorter-than-thou ramp.  Fortunately it's in an acute-angle directional change.  Unfortunately, the property surrounding the interchange is presently too valuable/pricey to acquire for any meaningful upgrades.  So it's probable that the interchange will remain the piece of shit that it is for the foreseeable future!

... and the Counter-intuitive movement, NB US-101 to SB I-880 has to mix into that. Worse yet, the HOV lane on SB I-880 ends at the centerline of US-101. If they would end it a couple hundred meters sooner, the people continuing on SB I-880 could move left and the US-101 people could move right. But, without a highspeed for SB-to-SB, all is lost. Perhaps, a ramp or two to CASR-87  would ease some of this, but, as sparker said, land acquisition is prohibitive. What alternatives are available, if, for instance, the SB I-880 to SB US-101 ramp ever had to be closed?

[Darkchylde]

Most of the interchanges in KC aren't so bad. However, if any were to be worthy of the Malfunction Junction moniker, it'd probably be the I-35/I-670 interchange on the southwest corner of the Downtown Loop. It's just way too tight for the type of interchange it is, and the merges are way too short.

Really, the entire Downtown Loop itself could qualify in a sense, but that SW corner is the absolute worst.

[RobbieL2415]

I nominate the Charter Oak Bridge/I-91 interchange in Hartford.  The bridge is used as a connection for traffic from I-91 North to I-84 East and I-84 West to I-91 South, which is an integral link for those traveling between Boston and NYC.  Northbound I-91 traffic often backs up for miles in the right lane waiting to get off the ramp, while traffic southbound often backs up over the bridge into East Hartford, and on rough days, to I-84 itself. 

I don't understand why there isn't more signage for alternate routes to I-84 East.  You've got at least two other ways: CT 3 to CT 2, and I-291 to I-84.  I often use the latter to bypass the backup.

You can also make an illegal U-turn at the I-91 Airport Road offramp to get onto CT 15 N.