Boneheaded detours

[signalman]

I've seen this type of missed opportunity elsewhere. One example that I recall well was reconstruction of the cloverleaf between I-180 and I-80 near Milton, PA. When they closed one of the outer ramps, PennDOT detoured traffic to the next exit (a diamond) to turn around and take the inner loop ramp on the opposite side–when they could have just taken three consecutive loops to make a 270° turn.

I assume that people's behavior patterns on a cloverleaf are so hard-wired (loop around, then merge immediately) that they'd likely ignore any detour sign and merge after the loop, ending up 180° off course. But being savvy enough to make the maneuver, I looked at it as an insider shortcut for roadgeeks.

I've done this to clinch an interchange where some of the loop movements I'd never make otherwise.  I, however, used all 4 loops so I could continue on where I initially exited.

Come to think of it, this post would also fit well in the "You know you're a roadgeek if..." thread.

[jeffandnicole]

Of course, the much shorter alternative involved several narrow gravel roads, so I'm sure they didn't want to route a bunch of traffic, especially truck traffic, that way.

I would think that many seemingly senseless, long detours have to do with bridge and road weight restrictions. Also in the case highlighted here, it appears that PennDOT routed over state-maintained highways whereas the short route would have involved some township roads.

And I would imagine that local DOT districts are more concerned with mollifying their local constituents (i.e. the people who would phone their state representative and complain that the boneheads at PennDOT routed a tractor-trailer down their narrow street which could have run over their precious kids...).

If you're talking about narrow streets with kids on them, chances are the roads aren't made for tractor trailers either.  A rare tractor trailer is one thing.  Hundreds of them rolling down a side street on a daily basis will quickly damage the roads, especially when the detour can last months if not a year or more.

I'll have to say: Look at it as if you lived on that road.  Many side roads barely fit cars going both ways when people are parked on the road.  Imagine adding 18 wheelers to that mix.  Then try backing out of your driveway with the constant traffic from a US route being sent down a side street.

A few I can handle.  A year of it...um, not so much.

[signalman]

I live on a narrow side road that is a loop (it connects out to the main road on either end).  It does change names midway through though, why, I'm not exactly sure.  There's no municipal line on this road, as an example of why it might change names. 

In the last few years, since GPS has become so widespread in useage I've noticed an uptick in through traffic on my road.  Presumably it is people using it to avoid two speed humps and rather poor pavement found on the main road.  Before GPS, with two different names on either end, most did not realize that it connected through.  There's also two back-to-back 90 degree bends in the road that are impossible for a tractor trailer to navigate, even pulling a short trailer.  Two cars can't even pass on these bends simultaneously.  Despite signs telling trucks that commercial traffic is banned, some will attempt it and have to back out once they reach the sharp bends.  At least two trucks that I know of have even tipped on their side attempting the first of the two bends. 

When it comes time to repave the road on the poor pavement section of the main road, (which is slated to occur this summer) the obvious detour would be via the road I live on.  Trucks definitely can't navigate it though, so they will have a very long detour via state and county roads, and an interstate from one interchange to the next.

[DaBigE]

PennDOT's signed detour was this: https://goo.gl/maps/X244f

So, this is another case where the DOT tells people to take an unoptimal route that can handle all the traffic, in lieu of an optimal route which would not be optimal if everyone tried to take it.

When PennDOT has to set up a detour of one of "their" roads, they keep their detours on other PennDOT maintained (state) routes, which can lead to some lengthy "official" detours, but usually the locals know the more efficient detours using borough/township/etc. roads instead.

WisDOT will do this as well, unless a county or town approves the use of their roads. By policy, highways have to be detoured onto other similar classification highways. Otherwise, counties and towns bitch about the extra wear-and-tear of their roads caused by the additional traffic, as well as just the presence of the additional volumes.

I remember when Wis 33 was closed about a decade ago for reconstruction between Horicon and Addison. The official detour took you along Wis 60, the "closest" parallel route, 7 miles south.

[SD Mapman]

Of course, the much shorter alternative involved several narrow gravel roads, so I'm sure they didn't want to route a bunch of traffic, especially truck traffic, that way.

I would think that many seemingly senseless, long detours have to do with bridge and road weight restrictions. Also in the case highlighted here, it appears that PennDOT routed over state-maintained highways whereas the short route would have involved some township roads.

And I would imagine that local DOT districts are more concerned with mollifying their local constituents (i.e. the people who would phone their state representative and complain that the boneheads at PennDOT routed a tractor-trailer down their narrow street which could have run over their precious kids...).

If you're talking about narrow streets with kids on them, chances are the roads aren't made for tractor trailers either.  A rare tractor trailer is one thing.  Hundreds of them rolling down a side street on a daily basis will quickly damage the roads, especially when the detour can last months if not a year or more.

I'll have to say: Look at it as if you lived on that road.  Many side roads barely fit cars going both ways when people are parked on the road.  Imagine adding 18 wheelers to that mix.  Then try backing out of your driveway with the constant traffic from a US route being sent down a side street.

A few I can handle.  A year of it...um, not so much.

Yeah, that makes sense. But, if there are nice wide paved roads and the DOT won't use them... 

[kurumi]

There are a few head-scratcher detours for intermittent ramp closures on CT 2 in Glastonbury, CT: http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=2135&Q=543906. Let's look at those one by one:

* Exit 9 WB [Neipsic Road] on-ramp closed: go west on Neipsic Road to New London Turnpike (old CT 2) west to CT 17 north to CT 2 WB. This one makes sense.

* Exit 9 EB off-ramp closed: take exit 8 (CT 94), turn west into downtown Glastonbury, then New London Turnpike to Neipsic Road. I would take 17 south to NLT east (a high-capacity ramp) and bypass downtown.

* Exit 10 [CT 83] WB off-ramp closed: continue to exit 8, get back on CT 2 east, and take the exit 10 EB off-ramp. Detour: 8.7 miles. I would get off earlier, at exit 11, and take 1.7 miles of back roads -- not much longer than the freeway route. (This is basically what ConnDOT recommends for the mirror detour (EB on-ramp closed).)

* Exit 10 WB on-ramp closed: get on CT 2 east, go into Marlborough (exit 12), get back on WB. Detour: 7.5 miles. I would take New London Turnpike to CT 17 to CT 2 west (but that's no longer a state road)

* Exit 10 EB off-ramp closed: same deal: go to exit 12 and turn around. Probably for the same reasons as above.

* Exit 10 EB on-ramp closed: go to exit 11 on-ramp, about 1.5 miles further. That's the best choice

It looks like ConnDOT wants to avoid long detours down old Route 2 (New London Turnpike), which I can understand. The best choice for you as an individual driver may not make sense for all CT 2 traffic. But the detour through downtown instead of using CT 17 doesn't make sense.

[Revive 755]

Missouri usually tries to keep detours for state maintained highways on other state maintained highways.

Some of the counties in Illinois near Chicagoland seem to try and keep detours for county highways on other county highways or state routes when there are more efficient township/village routes available.

Once in a while there will be a detour for a local route around Chicagoland that is less efficient then possible because the locals try to keep the detour off any state highways to minimize IDOT involvement in the project.

[jeffandnicole]

Creek Rd over Rt. 42 in NJ was closed this weekend.  The accompanying press release here: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/about/press/2014/042514a.shtm describes the detours.  While the car detours weren't terribly long, one particaular truck detour has you going seemingly around South Jersey! (Map it out if you want to see how long it is).

Now, thankfully, unlike many of the detours others have described, this detour didn't require traffic to remain on like-jurisdiction roadways.  In fact, the truck detour was only needed because the prime car detour takes people thru residental development areas. 

[bugo]

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) will typically only sign detours along state routes, not county highways of municipal streets.  This often has the effect of creating a very long detour for a very short closure.

Minnesota will often improve a county road as part of a state highway reconstruction project so the county road can handle detour traffic. This limits the length of detours.

The first time I ever was in Minnesota there was a detour on I-90 westbound to get to I-35 southbound.  The detour was to the south of I-90 and east of I-35.

[DandyDan]

I discovered another one yesterday.  US 75 between US 34 and NE 2 in Nebraska City is closed.  You have to go all the way west on NE 2 to NE 50, north on NE 50 to US 34, and east on US 34 back to US 75, according to the official detour.  I think it ultimately shows the stupidity of having NE 67 still a part of the highway system, but still a gravel road, because that would be shorter, and that would be the real detour if your ultimate destination is somewhere south of Plattsmouth on US 75.  Of course, if you're going north of Plattsmouth (i.e. going to Omaha), you are either taking I-29 in Iowa (possibly taking the Plattsmouth or Bellevue exit and paying a toll), or you follow the official detour, realize once you're going north on NE 50 you're headed straight for Omaha, and just take NE 50 north.