First lengths of freeway

[J N Winkler]

I have hesitation about starting this topic because it easily leads into questions of correct definition, but I think it is still worth doing for the individual US states and Canadian provinces, and for other countries globally which have extensive freeway networks.  There have been attempts to do it in the past on MTR but none of them have been carried through to completion, as far as I can tell.

Put simply, what were the first lengths of freeway?  If there are multiple claims (based on different definitions), the basis of the claim should be stated.  In the cases of Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, the lengths suggested are essentially guesses (i.e., I don't know for a fact that there were no urban grade-separated roads built prior to the turnpikes which would have qualified as freeways).

To start:

USA

California--Arroyo Seco Parkway (now SR 110), 1940

New York--Meadowbrook State Parkway, 1933 (?)

Oklahoma--Turner Turnpike, 1954 (later included in the Interstate system as I-44)

Pennsylvania--Pennsylvania Turnpike, 1940 (Irwin-Carlisle only)

Rest of world

Germany--AVUS in Berlin, 1921 (based on dual carriageway construction with no intermediate intersections on the level, but was originally a racetrack later retrofitted into the Autobahn network, and is now part of the A115 between Wannsee and Charlottenburg); Autostrasse Cologne-Bonn, 1932 (based on comprehensive grade separation with just one intermediate interchange with proper ramps allowing gradual change of speed, but however had a four-lane single-carriageway cross-section; now part of the Autobahn network as the A555); Frankfurt am Main-Darmstadt, 1935 (first Reichsautobahn to open, probably now part of the A5)

Italy--Milan-Lakes autostrade, 1924-25 (based on comprehensive grade separation, but access to the mainline was by turns rather than ramps, with some turns running across the path of oncoming traffic, and the mainline was a single carriageway with three traffic lanes on the mainline and two on spurs; later upgraded to conventional motorway standard in the 1960's; now the A8 and parts of the A8 diramazione and A9); A1 Autostrada del Sole, mid-1950's (probably first Italian autostrada built to modern motorway standards with dual carriageways and access by ramps only)

Britain--Preston Bypass, 1958 (first true British motorway)

Sweden--Malmö-Lund, 1953 (probably now part of the E22)

[froggie]

For Virginia, it is arguably the stretch of today's I-395 (but then numbered VA 350) near the Pentagon...not certain of the opening (maybe mapmikey knows), but it definitely was open by 1947.

In Minnesota, parts of MN 100 were open by 1936, but it'd be a huge stretch to call it a freeway (MN 100 at the time featured several RIROs and median crossovers).  The first true freeway segment to open was a stretch of I-35 north of Owatonna in 1958.

[Brandon]

Illinois has a few differing times by differing agencies.

Built by the City of Chicago -- Lake Shore Drive (US-41), 1937 (then Leif Ericson Drive - renamed in 1946).  LSD's origins extend back to 1882, and was included (not as a freeway) in Daniel Burnham's Plan for Chicago.
Built by Cook County Highway Commission -- Calumet Expressway and Kingery Expressway between the state line and 130th Street, 1950.  This is considered the first modern freeway in Illinois.
Built by Illinois Highway Department (now IDOT) -- US-66 bypass of Braidwood, Joliet, and Plainfield, now I-55, 1956.  IODT was relatively late to the freeway game (as usual) and thus it was proposed that a toll commission be formed.
Built by Illinois State Toll Highway Commission (now ISTHA) -- Tri-State Tollway, Northwest Tollway, and the East-West Tollway to Sugar Grove, 1958.  These were planned earlier but held up by lawsuits.  Without the lawsuits, they might have been built much closer to 1950.

Indiana:
Tri-State Highway (now Borman Expressway), 1949-50.  Was opened as Indiana SR 420.
Indiana East-West Toll Road, 1956

[Brandon]

Michigan:
Willow Run Expressway, 1942
Davison Expressway, 1942
The Davison is notable for being the first depressed urban expressway in the US (maybe the world).

[Mergingtraffic]

Boston it was Route 1A I think

CT Merritt Parkway- 1938

[Mapmikey]

For Virginia, it is arguably the stretch of today's I-395 (but then numbered VA 350) near the Pentagon...not certain of the opening (maybe mapmikey knows), but it definitely was open by 1947.

Scott Kozel's website has it opening in 1944 which is consistent with CTB entries about it.

I agree this is Virginia's first freeway by conventional definition.

Virginia might have some interchanges that are older, though:
US 13 and US 58 (Military Circle)
US 13-58-460 I think had at least a partial interchange in Bowers Hill way back when

Some of the grade separated intersections on the George Washington Pkwy south of Alexandria date to 1932.  Some of the Colonial Pkwy grade separated interchanges date to 1936.  Blue Ridge Pkwy interchanges date to the late 30s as well.

Close but...
US 1-VA 3 interchange opened in 1945.

Mapmikey

[haljackey]

The first highways in Ontario/Canada:

(Photos from Thekingshighway.com)

Middle Road (today known as the Queen Elizabeth Way/QEW) in 1936/37:


Highway 400: 1951.


Highway 401: 1938 plans. (Partially redesigned and postponed due to WWII)


1953/54.


1958/59. The highway is already congested. Widening begins.


1966/67: Some of the first parts of the 12 lane collector/express system open in Toronto.

[jdb1234]

In Alabama, the first length of freeway is I-65 from Warrior to Cullman, I believe.

[Duke87]

New York--Meadowbrook State Parkway, 1933 (?)

1934 on the Meadowbrook. And it's not the first anyway. The Wantagh State Parkway goes back to 1927. If we don't demand the highway still be in use, there's also the Long Island Motor Parkway from 1908.

[Alex]

Delaware would be the 1951-opened Delaware Memorial Bridge freeway approach from Farnhurst (U.S. 13), that U.S. 40 followed east to the span.

[froggie]

Some of the grade separated intersections on the George Washington Pkwy south of Alexandria date to 1932.  Some of the Colonial Pkwy grade separated interchanges date to 1936.  Blue Ridge Pkwy interchanges date to the late 30s as well.

There's only two grade separations south of Alexandria, a pseudo-interchange at Fort Hunt Park, and a simple overpass at Alexandria Ave.  All other GW Pkwy access through there (including to/from the Alexandria Ave overpass) is at-grade.

[roadfro]

Nevada didn't get any major freeway facilities until after the creation of the Interstate Highway system. The first stretches of Interstate highways appear on Nevada's 1960 state map, so it's likely they were completed in 1959. These three sections are:

*I-15: California state line up to just north of Sloan (probably ending at that minor mountain pass right before entering the Las Vegas Valley), about 26 miles.
*I-15: A stretch near the Valley of Fire interchange, about 15 miles (not labeled as I-15 on this map).
*I-80: A slightly mountainous stretch along the Truckee River between Reno/Sparks and Fernley, about 10 miles.

[Chris]

If we don't demand the highway still be in use, there's also the Long Island Motor Parkway from 1908.

The LIMP was not a freeway in today's sense.

The first Dutch freeway was the A12 east of The Hague, which opened on April 15th, 1937. It is also claimed to be the first freeway in the world to feature continuous shoulders.

[huskeroadgeek]

Nebraska had no pre-interstate freeways-the first section of freeway to open was a portion of I-80 near Gretna in 1961. The rest of I-80 between Lincoln and Omaha and I-180 in Lincoln opened soon after that as well.

[dfilpus]

North Carolina:  As far as I can determine, the first freeway in NC was the west side of the Beltline, now US 1 and I 440, opened in 1963.

[florida]

It was the Sunshine State Parkway down here in 1957 (I-4 came a close second), but looking at older county maps, they do show FL 9 (present-day I-95) as being proposed through Broward County in 1951, then built as a surface road up to Hollywood Blvd (FL 820) by the mid 1950s or so. The surface road of FL 9 had the codes of I.S.U. and I.S. listed along the road, but there is no indication of any interchanges at either Pembroke Road, Hallandale Beach Blvd, or Hollywood Blvd.

[bugo]

For Arkansas it was either the US 61-63-64-70-79 approach to the Memphis-Arkansas bridge between West Memphis and Memphis which opened around 1949.  I'm not sure if it was originally built as a freeway or if it was just a 4 lane expressway.  This stretch of highway is part of I-55 now.

The other candidate would be the New Benton Highway (US 67-70, now I-30) between the modern I-30/University Avenue interchange in Little Rock and Benton, which was built in the early 50s IIRC.  I believe the New Benton Highway was originally built as a freeway.

[bugo]

The other candidate would be the New Benton Highway (US 67-70, now I-30) between the modern I-30/University Avenue interchange in Little Rock and Benton, which was built in the early 50s IIRC.  I believe the New Benton Highway was originally built as a freeway.

http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-030.html

Looks like the New Benton Highway was originally built as a 2 lane road.

[Bickendan]

For Oregon, it was the TH Banfield Expressway (US 30, later I-80N and now I-84 and still US 30, natch). It opened between 42nd Ave and Troutdale Oct 1 1955, and west to the Burnside and Steel Bridges by 1957.

[yakra]

On 1947-12-13, the Maine Turnpike opened, from the US1 Bypass in Kittery to outer Congress St in Portland.

[Mapmikey]

North Carolina:  As far as I can determine, the first freeway in NC was the west side of the Beltline, now US 1 and I 440, opened in 1963.

Several freeway segments were open in NC by 1957:
US 301 Byp of Lumberton
US 15 Byp of Durham
US 29-70 Bypass of Lexington (possibly a freewayish route when opened in 1952)
I-95 around Dunn
What is now I-85 between Greensboro and Hillsborough

There are probably more...

Mapmikey

[agentsteel53]

very cool old photos of Ontario freeways!

dang, too bad there's no shields on those guide signs, just spelled-out designations. 

[thenetwork]

In the Cleveland area, it would have to be either:

A) The Willow Freeway (Then US-21, now SR-21/I-77) from Granger Road (SR-17) to Broadway (SR-14) south of Downtown. 

Side note:  I have heard a few times that the intersection of SR-17 & SR (nee US)-21, known as "The Cloverleaf" has some significance in transportation history (one of the first Cloverleafs ever built?) but it still remains as it was built the many, MANY decades ago!

or B)  The Cleveland Memorial (East/West) Shoreway. (SR-2 and parts of US-6 & 20).

In Akron, it would have to be parts of the "North Leg" of "The Expressway" (aka SR-8 between I-76/I-77 and Tallmadge Avenue/SR-261) and the "East Leg" of "The Expressway" which is the modern day I-76 between the SR-8/I-77 Central Interchange and SR-18/East Market Street(???).

In Grand Junction, CO, it was the "Bypass" (modern day I-70) between the ends of the modern day I-70 Business Loop in Grand Junction -- 1964-ish.

[njroadhorse]

I believe the first stretches of freeway in New Jersey were NJ 495 and Interstate 280.

[achilles765]

If I remember reading correctly, the first stretches in Texas (or at least Houston) were IH 45 (then US 75) through downtown and heading south... the original "Gulf Freeway"