Inside Lanes Merging

[webny99]

In situations where one multi-lane road or ramp joins another, which states allow the center lanes to merge together while retaining the outside lanes?

Here's an example I found while browsing Street View for another thread. I think I've seen a similar situation in Ohio, but it strikes me as potentially unsafe, and I'm pretty sure that type of striping is not allowed here in New York.

[tolbs17]

In situations where one multi-lane road or ramp joins another, which states allow the center lanes to merge together while retaining the outside lanes?

Here's an example I found while browsing Street View for another thread. I think I've seen a similar situation in Ohio, but it strikes me as potentially unsafe, and I'm pretty sure that type of striping is not allowed here in New York.

We have some here in North Carolina (practically at dated interchanges).

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I-494 NB to I-94 WB in Maple Grove, MN, though I'm assuming this will go away as part of the rebuild. All three movements in the Fish Lake interchange used to feature this, but the NB 494-EB 94/694 merge was fixed in 2004 and the EB 94-SB 494 in 2018.

Does the 90/94 EB merge into the Dan Ryan still have this?

[US 89]

There is one on eastbound I-20 at I-520 in Augusta, GA. It very much caught me off guard - especially with the extra ramp coming in from Walton Way Ext - and I would be in favor of removing all instances of this type of merge.

[wanderer2575]

Here's a dangerous example where northbound I-75 merges to itself at I-375 in downtown Detroit.  Spin the view around 180 degrees and you'll see where the barrier wall of the onramp blocks the view to the thru lanes from I-375.

Westbound I-696 onramp from M-1 in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan.

[SkyPesos]

Reagan Highway and I-275 in Cincinnati

[froggie]

NB I-93/I-293 north of Manchester, NH.  A tad troublesome if you're on NB 93 and trying to get left for the Express Lanes at the Hooksett toll booth.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Does the 90/94 EB merge into the Dan Ryan still have this?

I am thinking that you've meant this: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9611756,-87.7440334,3a,75y,165.2h,80.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svNLE8VnMbXOEND1JKx1yFQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
94 EB (SB) merge into the Kennedy (90) from the Edens

Another one in the Chicagoland region:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5774109,-87.5699597,3a,30y,76.93h,89.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sw1QuWdAqsTLK1_R6lBXA2Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
94 EB merging onto 80 from the Bishop Ford towards Indiana

[jeffandnicole]

In NJ the AC Expressway has 5 examples.

First and most common example: AC Expressway WB at 42 NB:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/a1YC9nPh4VDSb4om8

The other 4 examples would be both directions at each mainline toll plaza on the Expressway, where the right lane of the Express EZ Pass lane merges into what becomes the left lane from the traditional toll plaza lanes, such as:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/sHFZtbQGyMZuwbtH8

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

This one is on I-280 in Kearny, NJ.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7458253,-74.1337237,3a,25.2y,49.57h,86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3w1ls8DDM0YIea6oZKcc8Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
It's pretty terrible. No warning and the geometry makes it difficult to expect. Out of all the states NJ seems to be the one that will never tell you in advance of a lane ending, beginning, exiting, etc.

[Bickendan]

I-205 south to I-5 north https://goo.gl/maps/cFDtSLyiEX4nbU9QA

Formally: OR 99W north to I-5 north via I-5 trucklanes at exit 294. It used to be a 3+3 merge, with the center lanes merging as to allow the trucks climbing the grade an uninterrupted lane.

[CtrlAltDel]

Does the 90/94 EB merge into the Dan Ryan still have this?

I am thinking that you've meant this: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9611756,-87.7440334,3a,75y,165.2h,80.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svNLE8VnMbXOEND1JKx1yFQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
94 EB (SB) merge into the Kennedy (90) from the Edens

Another one in the Chicagoland region:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5774109,-87.5699597,3a,30y,76.93h,89.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sw1QuWdAqsTLK1_R6lBXA2Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
94 EB merging onto 80 from the Bishop Ford towards Indiana

The Illinois tollways also have a number of these. Both the ramp from I-88 W to I-355 S and from I-355 N to I-88 E have it. Also, both the ramp from I-57 N to I-294 N and from I-294 S to I-57 S. Also, I-88 E to I-294 S has it, or at least used to, and so do the combined ramps from I-355 N and I-355 S to I-55 N. There might be more.

[Mapmikey]

South Carolina had at least two of these:

I-385 SB merge with I-26 EB which was restriped to eliminate
US 52 CONN merge with I-26 EB at Exit 209.  This was completely reconstructed to a new configuration.

The last one I remember driving through was I-55/72 merge in Springfield IL which GMSV shows is still there.

These are dangerous if you don't know this is the configuration when you get there.  I almost got in a wreck in Dallas once because of one of these after sunset and there was no warning.

[achilles765]

Yes. IH 69/US 59 and SH 288 in Houston. They meet up in a dual freeway system after leaving IH 45. The way it works, if you're trying to get into IH 69 south from 45, you first exit onto what is the beginning of SH 288 for a about a quarter of a mile before the right lane merged into the center of the whole complex. I may not have described it the best but check out a video or a picture online sometime and you'll see what I mean.

[TheGrassGuy]

How common is the reverse? Because that happens at the Express-Local split on I-78.

[SkyPesos]

How common is the reverse? Because that happens at the Express-Local split on I-78.

What do you mean by reverse, outside lanes merging or inside lanes splitting to exit? They're both common.

[1995hoo]

.... I'm pretty sure that type of striping is not allowed here in New York.

Here's one in Brooklyn: The Belt Parkway's right lane and the left lane of the ramp from the Verrazzano merge. (Link from Google Maps app, pan around as needed. I'll try to replace it with a link from my PC later this morning.)

https://goo.gl/maps/qBvTtHz6FmB8QvcDA

Edited to use a link from the website on my PC: https://goo.gl/maps/GauNLQoaYqHpTwV78  Funny thing is, when I view the other link on my PC, it doesn't require me to pan. Strange.

If you click that back to 2013, you'll see the lane configuration more clearly due to lighter traffic.

[webny99]

The other 4 examples would be both directions at each mainline toll plaza on the Expressway, where the right lane of the Express EZ Pass lane merges into what becomes the left lane from the traditional toll plaza lanes, such as:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/sHFZtbQGyMZuwbtH8

I don't like that, but I don't mind it so much as the other examples just because speeds are lower, and merges are often weird coming out of toll booths.

[1995hoo]

The other well-known example from New Jersey is on the southbound Turnpike where the "dual-dual" configuration ends:

https://goo.gl/maps/ktvmjMUkHg6LquBx8

[webny99]

Here's one in Brooklyn: The Belt Parkway's right lane and the left lane of the ramp from the Verrazzano merge.
...

Edited to use a link from the website on my PC: https://goo.gl/maps/GauNLQoaYqHpTwV78

Well, at least they've got good signage for it - best I've seen so far. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the only example in the state.

To a certain extent, this actually makes more sense in high-traffic, space-constrained place like NYC. Then, not only are people going slow enough to get a better view of the merge, they can just take turns merging and traffic should keep flowing more evenly rather than the side with the lane ending getting significantly more jammed up.

The other well-known example from New Jersey is on the southbound Turnpike where the "dual-dual" configuration ends:

https://goo.gl/maps/ktvmjMUkHg6LquBx8

I've driven that stretch and had forgotten about that configuration. I don't hate it there, either. It's not perfect, but I understand why they don't want two lanes ending on a single side, and the signage and striping are well done.

[1995hoo]

Here's one in Brooklyn: The Belt Parkway's right lane and the left lane of the ramp from the Verrazzano merge.
...

Edited to use a link from the website on my PC: https://goo.gl/maps/GauNLQoaYqHpTwV78

Well, at least they've got good signage for it - best I've seen so far. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the only example in the state.

To a certain extent, this actually makes more sense in high-traffic, space-constrained place like NYC. Then, not only are people going slow enough to get a better view of the merge, they can just take turns merging and traffic should keep flowing more evenly rather than the side with the lane ending getting significantly more jammed up.

Some years back we were discussing the Jersey Turnpike's use of this configuration at the southern end of the "dual-dual" setup, which at the time was near Exit 8A and of course is now near Exit 6. Forum member jeffandnicole gave this explanation:

Jumping on this thread rather late, but at one of the local meetings prior to the start of any construction, I asked the very question about the merge at the car/truck lanes (the turnpike actually knows them as SNI, SNO (South to North Inner & Outer Drives), NSI and NSO (North to South Inner & Outer Drives).  A representive of the turnpike stated that their studies showed that a merging of two lanes at once produced fewer lane merges and allowed traffic to flow at a more steady pace than trying to merge one lane into another, then that lane again into another - regardless if it was a right lane end or left lane end.  Again, as mentioned before, only the turnpike powers-to-be know the real reason.

For the 3x3 drives, in most cases car/trucks/buses will only be in the 2 right lanes of the outer drive, so they will merge into one lane, and cars will exclusively use the Left and center lanes of the inner drive, and the right lane of the inner drive and the left lane of the outer drive.  And having said all of that, traffic volumes drop dramatically below interchange 6.  The merge will be 2 miles below the interchange, so except for the heaviest travel weekends and holidays, it shouldn't be a problem.

I also inquired about the lack of acceleration lanes (the turnpike typically has long decel lanes, but non-existent accel lanes).  Part of the widening project will include longer accel lanes.  Actually, many of the onramps in the construction zone have temporary lengthened accel lanes already...the exact opposite of many construction zones where there are stop signs at the end of the ramps!

One final note for now:  One reason the turnpike doesn't know the lanes as car and car/truck/bus lanes is that at any time a ramp is closed from an interchange or service plaza to the outer drive, trucks are permitted from the interchange onto the inner drive, and are not forced to exit that carriageway.  After the widening project, that would mean any of 14 interchanges and 3 service plazas along the dual-dual section could have a ramp closure that would lead to trucks using the 'car' lanes.

I suppose there might be something to the idea of the center two lanes merging at a given point being a potential reason to do a proper zipper merge in those two lanes because there is no advantage to "merging early."

[Dirt Roads]

We have some here in North Carolina (practically at dated interchanges).

The one on [By-Pass] US-15/501 southbound merging with Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard (Bus US-15/501) near South Square was changed a few years ago.  Before then, Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard was three lanes southbound with a right lane drop before merging into 15/501 two lanes southbound.  The middle lanes merged there.  After the change, the original concept had the second right lane drop before a merge into the far left lane of 15/501.  About a year later, that was changed to have the left lane drop and the remaining middle lane shift over to left hand merge.

The merge worked well prior to the change, balancing traffic weaving patterns for right and left turns before the AMF Bowling Alley crossover and Garrett Road intersection.  However, this is a poor drainage area on 15/501 and there had been numerous accidents during flooding conditions blocking the two lanes of 15/501 (with bypass traffic pushing over into the both lanes of Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard before the merge point).  Worse, I've seen a number of accidents when this area was iced over and cars spun out into the merge lanes.  Speeds on 15/501 drop from 60MPH to 45MPH just before the merge and nobody pays attention (most cars going over 70MPH) until closing in on the traffic signal at Garrett Road. 

[ET21]

Does the 90/94 EB merge into the Dan Ryan still have this?

I am thinking that you've meant this: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9611756,-87.7440334,3a,75y,165.2h,80.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svNLE8VnMbXOEND1JKx1yFQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
94 EB (SB) merge into the Kennedy (90) from the Edens

Another one in the Chicagoland region:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5774109,-87.5699597,3a,30y,76.93h,89.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sw1QuWdAqsTLK1_R6lBXA2Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
94 EB merging onto 80 from the Bishop Ford towards Indiana

The Illinois tollways also have a number of these. Both the ramp from I-88 W to I-355 S and from I-355 N to I-88 E have it. Also, both the ramp from I-57 N to I-294 N and from I-294 S to I-57 S. Also, I-88 E to I-294 S has it, or at least used to, and so do the combined ramps from I-355 N and I-355 S to I-55 N. There might be more.

I-294 north/south to I-90 westbound

[vdeane]

In situations where one multi-lane road or ramp joins another, which states allow the center lanes to merge together while retaining the outside lanes?

Here's an example I found while browsing Street View for another thread. I think I've seen a similar situation in Ohio, but it strikes me as potentially unsafe, and I'm pretty sure that type of striping is not allowed here in New York.

You might need to get to Binghamton more often.

[webny99]

... it strikes me as potentially unsafe, and I'm pretty sure that type of striping is not allowed here in New York.

You might need to get to Binghamton more often.

Slightly different because there are a few dashes before the merge... but for how many times I've been by there, it is surprising that I had no idea that was there. It should be striped so that the right lane ends and the second lane become the exit only lane. That's clearly how I thought it was striped, or I would have noticed and remembered it.