Best and worst interchange in the US

[thspfc]

In all of your opinions, what is the best interchange and worst interchange in the nation? Based on whatever criteria you want.

Worst is easy for me: I-55 and Crump Blvd in Memphis.

Best is more difficult. I'll go with I-635 and US-75 in Richardson TX. The Marquette Interchange is a close second.

[Hobart]

For me, I'd consider the best interchange to be literally any free-flowing interchange that isn't a cloverleaf variant. They put so many of them in Chicago, and they always back up.

Here are some of my most strongly disliked interchanges:

• The cloverleaf at I-90 and I-290. They put a ton of money into I-90, only for it to be backed up by that interchange.
• The trumpet interchange where the I-290/Illinois 53 freeway ends abruptly at Lake Cook Road. It's what happens when NIMBY's run a town.
• Crump Boulevard is admittedly pretty terrible. Why did they make I-55 traffic work around a tight cloverleaf?
• The single laned double trumpet connecting I-80 from I-94 to the Indiana Toll Road. Why is it one lane for a significant coast to coast highway?

An honorable mention that's been on my mind recently is Cline Avenue and US-20 in Gary, Indiana. I've been driving through it every day for work. It's a normal cloverleaf, but the ramp from north Cline Avenue and east US-20 turns way more abruptly than I would like. It's like they ran out of frontage to make a gentle curve, which means I have to slow down to 25 on the freeway.

[webny99]

In all of your opinions, what is the best interchange and worst interchange in the nation? Based on whatever criteria you want.

I think we'd do better with criteria, since that would give us something to argue about. 

From a visual perspective, I really like I-390/I-490, and I'm surprised that design isn't used more often around the country. It's basically a full diamond, but this one has wider medians and more forgiving ramp alignment than others I've seen. It's also been functionally modified (especially southbound) by several improvement projects over the past few years.

My most-disliked interchange would be pretty much any interchange where a freeway transitions to a surface street. Blech.

[DJ Particle]

No contest IMHO.  Hutch/Merritt at NY/CT-120A

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Merritt+Cir,+Edina,+MN+55436/@41.0366454,-73.6757586,610m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x87f6211076df37ad:0x80df60f44d02a628!8m2!3d44.9035565!4d-93.3681202

[cockroachking]

No contest IMHO.  Hutch/Merritt at NY/CT-120A

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Merritt+Cir,+Edina,+MN+55436/@41.0366454,-73.6757586,610m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x87f6211076df37ad:0x80df60f44d02a628!8m2!3d44.9035565!4d-93.3681202

With all due respect, I believe that the Taconic at NY-301 is far inferior.

[Joe The Dragon]

For me, I'd consider the best interchange to be literally any free-flowing interchange that isn't a cloverleaf variant. They put so many of them in Chicago, and they always back up.

Here are some of my most strongly disliked interchanges:

• The cloverleaf at I-90 and I-290. They put a ton of money into I-90, only for it to be backed up by that interchange.
• The trumpet interchange where the I-290/Illinois 53 freeway ends abruptly at Lake Cook Road. It's what happens when NIMBY's run a town.
• Crump Boulevard is admittedly pretty terrible. Why did they make I-55 traffic work around a tight cloverleaf?
• The single laned double trumpet connecting I-80 from I-94 to the Indiana Toll Road. Why is it one lane for a significant coast to coast highway?

An honorable mention that's been on my mind recently is Cline Avenue and US-20 in Gary, Indiana. I've been driving through it every day for work. It's a normal cloverleaf, but the ramp from north Cline Avenue and east US-20 turns way more abruptly than I would like. It's like they ran out of frontage to make a gentle curve, which means I have to slow down to 25 on the freeway.

for 1 no funds for the free road (maybe with the bears)
for 4 there where plans for better (befor the IN toll road was leased out)

[SkyPesos]

A very original choice here...

Worst: Breezewood

[adventurernumber1]

In all of your opinions, what is the best interchange and worst interchange in the nation? Based on whatever criteria you want.

Worst is easy for me: I-55 and Crump Blvd in Memphis.

Best is more difficult. I'll go with I-635 and US-75 in Richardson TX. The Marquette Interchange is a close second.

I second I-55 and Crump as the worst, although there's definitely some others that could give it a run for its money.

For the best, there really are so many contenders it's hard to decide, but I might go with the US 101/CA 110 interchange, an absolute classic and the first stack interchange to be built. I'd say give it a tie between that and I-635/US 75 (which you mentioned), which may be the magnum opus of all U.S. interchanges (thus far). 

I also really like the FL 826/FL 836 interchange near Miami, which also looks incredible lighted up at night.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Worst interchange in the Indy metro: I-465 at US 31 (Meridian Street)

[wanderer2575]

Worst Michigan interchange:  I-96 at US-31 outside of Muskegon.  The drawbacks of a cloverleaf made worse.

https://goo.gl/maps/L5chKY2uPYaBAAcf6

[epzik8]

I like the Rosedale interchange. I hate the Springfield Interchange.

[VTGoose]

Until it was rebuilt, the junction of I-79 north with I-70 in Washington, Pa. was the worst. The approach was on a long downgrade that ended in a tight spiral ramp that 25 mph was almost too fast to negotiate it (the high concrete barrier with all the scuff marks showed that). The ramp ended with an uphill climb to I-70 with one of the shortest acceleration lanes to be found.

[kurumi]

I took the title literally and tried to find one horrible but awesome interchange.

How about the 1/9/21/22/78/95 complex in Newark: https://goo.gl/maps/S8vwNzsMqcJPbyav5
- 8 legs, plus express lanes, although not all 56+ possible movements are provided
- low vertical profile because of adjacent airport
- but it's uuuuugly

[ethanhopkin14]

Love it!  I have thought about this a lot recently.  Purely astatically speaking, the western terminus of Interstate 20 defaulting onto Interstate 10 is one of my favorites.  Its very plain yes, and even features a left-hand ramp that's a glorified Texas U-Turn in the median for movements from westbound Interstate 20 to eastbound Interstate 10, but there is something about it.  It is rural so it has high speed in mind, the transitions are graceful and there is something about the desert mountain backdrop that makes me feel like the west has begun at that point.  I-20 has now ended (like I-30 before it), and it gives you a bit of foreshadowing of what is to come on your westbound journey of how I-70 will die in two states and so will I-40, leaving I-10 as the loan cross-country survivor of the southern 4 zeros.

I love the Interstate 35E/Interstate 20 interchange south of Dallas (you can put the other interchanges with that exact design in this group all over Dallas).  I know most people clown it, but I love something that symmetrical.  I love interchanges that are symmetrical, and these are the most symmetrical. 

I also love the Interstate 10/ SR-51 interchange in Phoenix.  I love how it is for the most part a standard stack, yet keeps the continuity of Interstate 10 as it transitions through the stack from a north-south alignment to an east-west alignment.  I am a sucker for interchanges like that.

My least favorite would be any interchange lacking movements, and specifically the Interstate 95/Interstate 87 interchange in New York.  That is way to tight of an area for a major interstate to interstate intersection. 

Also Interstate 99/Interstate 76 uses surface streets for all of it's movements. 

[skluth]

Illinois is notorious for its freeway-to-freeway cloverleafs. I-39/80, I-74/80, I-57/74, and I-55/72 all suck the big one but none are as bad as I-55/80 near Joliet. It's not the worst interchange in the country, but it's certainly one of the dumbest and most underpowered.

I really love some of the newer Wisconsin interchanges. I-39/WI 29 south of Wausau connects with some wonderfully smooth ramps (at least did when it was new). I also like how Virginia rebuilt the Springfield Interchange, aka the Mixing Bowl, several years ago. It looks insane on a map but is surprisingly easy to navigate freeway-to-freeway though some of the entrance ramps can be confusing with the directional signs obscured by stoplights.

[RobbieL2415]

Best:
I-84 Manchester/East Hartford C/D complex. Still going strong after almost 40 years.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7879665,-72.5600552,5284m/data=!3m1!1e3

I-91 @ CT 9. Very nice high-speed interchange.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6254545,-72.686191,2500m/data=!3m1!1e3

I like how MassHighway built three identical hourglass interchanges on US 6:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7165273,-70.4137029,5605m/data=!3m1!1e3

Worst:

I-91 @ I-90, Holyoke, MA. Very round-about way to reach the Pike, but the design was necessary for the old closed-ticked toll system.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1585226,-72.6366744,1912m/data=!3m1!1e3

This monstrosity.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8476693,-73.9420651,1594m/data=!3m1!1e3

And this one.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.844387,-73.9239505,820m/data=!3m1!1e3

I-91 @ US 5/CT 15, Exit 17. This may have worked in the late 60s but it doesn't now, and is home to many deadly accidents.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.844387,-73.9239505,820m/data=!3m1!1e3

[CoreySamson]

I love the new TX-288/Sam Houston Tollway stack on the south side of Houston:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.596022,-95.3851815,1866m/data=!3m1!1e3

It has a couple of left entrances and exits, but I feel that this interchange has some of the cleverest toll/HOV lane access of any interchange in the US. It is also geometrically pleasing and has a lot of traffic output.

I'm also impartial to this piece of artwork off of I-310 in LA:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.9487508,-90.3698023,1804m/data=!3m1!1e3

[ethanhopkin14]

I'm also impartial to this piece of artwork off of I-310 in LA:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.9487508,-90.3698023,1804m/data=!3m1!1e3

Speaking of I-310, I have always loved it's intersection with I-10.  A T-stack completely over a swamp. 

[MATraveler128]

I’ll nominate I-95/I-87 in New York City as being one of the worst traffic wise, but I-95’s interchange with the Henry Hudson Parkway/NY 9A is worse as it can be very confusing to navigate. One has to exit onto city streets to get to I-95.

[Flint1979]

Worst: The Lodge Freeway (M-10) at the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) in Detroit.

[Terry Shea]

Worst Michigan interchange:  I-96 at US-31 outside of Muskegon.  The drawbacks of a cloverleaf made worse.

https://goo.gl/maps/L5chKY2uPYaBAAcf6

I think the I-196/US-131 interchange is worse with all the left hand turns, crossovers, close exits nearby and incredibly high traffic volume. 

https://www.google.com/maps/search/US-131+I-196+interchange/@42.9733169,-85.6776219,17z

[Flint1979]

I'll nominate I-95/I-87 in New York City as being one of the worst traffic wise, but I-95's interchange with the Henry Hudson Parkway/NY 9A is worse as it can be very confusing to navigate. One has to exit onto city streets to get to I-95.

I sat in one of the worst traffic jams of all time at that interchange once.

[JoePCool14]

Best:
The Marquette Interchange
The NEW I-39/I-90/I-43/WI-81 interchange (While it's not as nice for I-43 traffic looking to continue onto WI-81, the fact that they essentially built a trumpet interchange on top of a DDI is impressive)

Worst:
The Hillside Strangler (thankfully, being addressed)
I-294 and Willow Rd (Palatine Rd) (despite being a standard diamond, this one is made awful because of the piss-poor signal coordination/timings. It's almost impossible to get through this without stopping)
US-151 at US-14 on the west side of Madison
US-151 at US-20 in Dubuque (this one could be much worse, though with decent signal, timing it works out alright)
I-39 at US-20 and I-39 at I-90 (they're so close you can almost count them as one interchange. Woefully insufficient to handle I-39 plus US-20's traffic on 4-lanes. The left merge from I-90 west to I-39 south is also not great)

I tried to come up with more good interchanges, but I couldn't. A good interchange that works well just isn't as memorable as one that sucks!

[oscar]

For the best, there really are so many contenders it's hard to decide, but I might go with the US 101/CA 110 interchange, an absolute classic and the first stack interchange to be built. I'd say give it a tie between that and I-635/US 75 (which you mentioned), which may be the magnum opus of all U.S. interchanges (thus far). 

Another impressive stack, but more modern than the classic US 101/CA 110, is I-8/I-805 in San Diego. Like 101/110, this is a four-level stack with I-805 on a long viaduct spanning Mission Valley, with the connecting ramps to/from I-8 in the middle levels of the interchange between the two freeways.

A messier interchange in San Diego is I-5/I-8. I heard about a sign posted by the construction company (I think R.E. Hazard) while it was under construction, saying something like "We don't know what this is either, we're only building it".

[Tom958]

I-91 @ US 5/CT 15, Exit 17. This may have worked in the late 60s but it doesn't now, and is home to many deadly accidents.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.844387,-73.9239505,820m/data=!3m1!1e3

Wrong link. Try this: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5303617,-72.7660196,3145m/data=!3m1!1e3. I don't really see what's wrong with it, but if it's dangerous, it's dangerous.