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National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: golden eagle on September 07, 2009, 08:51:10 PM

Title: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: golden eagle on September 07, 2009, 08:51:10 PM
I-55 northbound in Memphis at exit 12 (Crump Blvd.)  :banghead:! I-55 traffic must merge unto an exit ramp on the far right lane (a cloverleaf ramp at that). The traffic, which is always full of 18-wheelers, can become quite backed up. In fact, I've pretty much pledged not to go that way anymore. From now on, I'm going either I-240 north to I-40 west or stay on 55 where it becomes Riverside Drive when proceeding north and take it to I-40 (where Riverside ends). I wish something new could be done about that exit.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Bryant5493 on September 07, 2009, 08:59:15 PM
285 North to 20 West on the Westside -- it's a left exit.

I dislike the merge from U.S. 78 West to 285 South -- it's a left hand merge.

I dislike the merge from Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd. (Turner Field) to I-75 South/85 South. The ramp ends pretty much immediately upon reaching I-75 South/85 South.

I dislike the whole set-up for I-85 @ Virginia Ave. Va. Ave. to I-85 South exits pretty much immediately into the Atlanta Airport. Va. Ave. to I-85 North does the same, but into N. Central Ave. Travelers wishing to go north on I-85 from the Atlanta Airport must merge left to continue north, and travelers on I-85 North wishing to exit on Va. Ave. East, must merge right to go east on Va. Ave.

Many of the entrance/exits ramps on the Downtown Connector are a mess, due to right-of-way constraints.


Be well,

Bryant
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: 74/171FAN on September 07, 2009, 09:11:02 PM
I-95 at US 250/Broad St(Exit 74C) obviously because of the obvious US 33 errors

I-95 at VA 144/Temple Ave(Exit 54) especially where traffic from I-95 NB has to yield to traffic coming from I-95 SB into one lane before widening to three just before the VA 144 signal.

I-95 at VA 10(Exit 61)- has too much traffic enetering/exiting to still be a regular cloverleaf.  Too bad VDOT is broke to where they won't tear down the old RPT building and make it add C/D Roads.  Also traffic from I-95 NB to VA 10 EB has to stop at a stop sign instead of merging.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Darkchylde on September 07, 2009, 09:13:43 PM
I-10 East through Baton Rouge - I-110 is a left exit and takes the mainline. Not only does I-10 traffic have to exit, it damn near has to compress to one lane to proceed.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Hellfighter on September 07, 2009, 09:53:58 PM
I-75 at M-59, an interchange that hasn't changed, but the amount of traffic has.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: deathtopumpkins on September 07, 2009, 10:41:06 PM
I-64 Eastbound/Outer to VA 168 Southbound. A very tight loop ramp immediately after which you must cut across 3 lanes of traffic to stay on VA 168 and not exit onto US-17. Not an easy proposition. Last time I tried it I ended up sitting on the shoulder with a few other cars waiting for someone to be nice and let me in. Forget taking VA 168, I was lucky to just get in with traffic.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: agentsteel53 on September 07, 2009, 10:47:45 PM
when I was living in San Diego, I was always bothered by the fact that I-8 eastbound reduced to one lane to cross I-5.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Marc on September 07, 2009, 10:57:29 PM
I-10 eastbound at the I-45 interchange in downtown Houston. The exit to southbound (Galveston) is always messed up. Something has to be done on I-45 throughout downtown and to I-610 in either direction. They should also revamp 45's interchange with 59/288. I-45 only retains two lanes in each direction through that interchange.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: froggie on September 08, 2009, 03:20:24 PM
I live along the DC Beltway.  'Nuff said.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Duke87 on September 08, 2009, 11:20:27 PM
All those places in the New York area where, to go from one highway to another (usually a parkway is involved), you have to first exit onto the service road (frontage road) and then, sometimes after having passed through a signal or two, take an exit onto the other highway from there.
There are many examples of this:

-Hutchinson River Parkway and I-287: all movements use Westchester Avenue (287's service roads). The NE, SE, WN, WS, and ES movements must pass through a traffic signal in the process. The SW movement passes through no signal but must shift all the way across two lanes of Westchester Av from right to left in the space of about 500 feet.

-I-87 and Cross County Parkway: all movements use Central Park Avenue. ES and WS movements must pass through a signal. The NE movement passes through no signal but must shift across a lane of Central Av from left to right in the space of about 400 feet.

-Bronx River Parkway and I-95: The SW movement uses E 177th St and must pass through a traffic signal. All other movements use the Cross Bronx service road. The EN and NW movements must use a U-turn at Rosedale Av, and the EN movement has about 500 feet to merge from left to right across two lanes of service road after that. The WN movement must pass through a signal. The SE and NE movements have about 400 feet and 200 feet (respectively) to merge across two lanes of service road from right to left. The ES and WS movements are not even possible (but would be mostly redundant anyway).

- Grand Central Parkway and I-495: all movements use the LIE service road, the SW movement takes you along the service road for some length through two traffic signals.

- I-678 and Belt Parkway: the SW, NW, and WS movements use North Conduit Avenue. WN, SE, and NE are direct (though SE is a left exit). EN and ES involve using the "Nassau Expressway", which here operates as really little more than a glorified CD road (not the I-878 portion of it).
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: DBrim on September 09, 2009, 12:30:47 AM
I-95 to I-95 one-lane cloverleaf south of Boston.

East LA interchange.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: mapman on September 09, 2009, 01:04:07 AM
Hamilton Avenue exit from southbound CA 17 in Campbell, CA (near San Jose).  This exit frequently backs up onto the mainline freeway during commute hours, despite the fact that it has TWO dedicated exit lanes from the freeway.   :wow:
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: myosh_tino on September 09, 2009, 02:53:51 AM
I've got three in Silicon Valley (San Jose and Vicinity)...

* Foothill Expwy exit from north I-280 in Cupertino.  This exit is located less than 1/4 mile from the I-280/CA-85 interchange and in order to make the exit, you have to deal with traffic from 85 merging onto I-280.  Click for MAP (http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=37.333859,-122.062612&spn=0.009384,0.014184&z=16)

* Stevens Creek Blvd exit from south CA-85 in Cupertino.  This exit is similar to the Foothill/280 exit I mentioned above.  To make this exit from CA-85, you have to deal with traffic merging onto 280 south onto 85 south all within 1/4 of a mile. Click for MAP (http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=37.32956,-122.053385&spn=0.018769,0.028367&z=15)

* CA-237 exit from CA-85 north in Sunnyvale.  During the morning commute, this exit causes traffic to routinely backup on CA-85 all the way back to the I-280 interchange 4 miles away.  The reason is the close proximity to the El Camino Real/CA-82 cloverleaf interchange on CA-85.  The ramp from north 82 to north 85 is located less than 1/4 mile from the exit to CA-237 which causes tremendous weaving.  Making matters worse, CA-237 is a major corridor handing traffic getting to the companies located in north San Jose. Click for MAP (http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=37.380695,-122.068276&spn=0.018756,0.028367&z=15)

Local transportation officials are aware that these interchanges need to be addressed but there is no money available to fix them.  There was talk of rebuilding the CA-85/I-280/Foothill Expwy interchange complex and the CA-85/CA-237 interchange but with no funds, these projects may not be built for years.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Tarkus on September 09, 2009, 03:14:53 AM
My all-time least favorite has to be Exit 9 on I-84 Westbound in Portland, OR (the I-205 exit).  It's a left-exit that basically takes two fast lanes and dumps them onto I-205 right by the airport.  So you go from doing about 70 to doing 5 in a matter of moments, and of course, this causes the through lanes on I-84 to back up.

From what I know of Portland freeway history, this absolute clusterbleep of an interchange is the result of the Mt. Hood Freeway getting canceled.  I-84 (well, technically, I-80N as it was known then) was to have been routed down the I-205 corridor south to Powell Blvd., and it would have been a right exit off onto the present-day I-84, which I assume was originally intended as a 3di/spur of some sort.

I-405 at US-26 is always a colossal mess as well.  Horribly outdated ramps that don't have nearly enough lanes, and it probably isn't going to get rebuilt anytime soon (if ever) because of the proximity to downtown Portland.

-Alex (Tarkus)
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: agentsteel53 on September 09, 2009, 03:20:02 AM
I dislike the 101/85/237 triangle because I used to live there and was always bewildered by the quantity of surface streets I needed to take to make the acute angles, as those did not have direct freeway-to-freeway connections.  It was assumed that through traffic would take the obtuse angles as needed to continue, but for me, who needed to take very specific local exits that would've been most quickly accessed via a quick hook turn, this turned into a navigational disaster every time.

add to that that I never quite fully grasped that "101 north" ran almost due west through there... ah well, at least there's a nice old sign just a few miles on the 101 north (west, whatever!) of that triangle.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Terry Shea on September 09, 2009, 11:06:40 AM
Almost every exit off from US-131 in Grand Rapids is challenging to say the least.  Many have very short ramps with a traffic light at the top and traffic gets backed up quickly.  Others have sharp turns, left hand exits or both.  The interchanges with I-196 and I-96 are particularly bad.

At the I-196 interchange the NB and SB lanes weave over and under each other (and under and over I-196 along with a surface street) so that the SB lanes are actually to the right of the NB lanes right at the exits.  NB US-131 to WB I-196 requires a left hand exit and a left hand entry, as does SB US-131 to EB I-196.  There are also left hand exits and entries from I-196 to US-131.  I call this interchange "the corkscrew" or "the maze".

US-131 NB to I-96 is also quite nightmarish.  Traffic to EB and WB I-96 both must exit to the left, then about 1/2 mile down the ramp, the EB traffic exits once again off to the right, so EB traffic must first take a sharp left and then a very tight right.  Traffic continuing WB on the ramp then has the Alpine Ave NB exit ramp to contend with which is almost always backed up it seems, creating more problems.  Further complicating matters is the Alpine Ave SB exit about 200 feet or so after the ramp merges with I-96 WB traffic.  The exit is on the right and the US-131 traffic merges with I-96 traffic on the left.  Pile-ups in the area are quite frequent.

There are a couple of good diagrams of these interchanges on The Interstate Guide (although the Alpine exits are left out).

http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-296_mi.html (http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-296_mi.html)

The bottom left hand pic is the best view I can find of the US-131/I-196 interchange.
http://www.photography-plus.com/image_pages/GrandRapids.htm (http://www.photography-plus.com/image_pages/GrandRapids.htm)
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: mightyace on September 09, 2009, 02:10:22 PM
1) In another thread, I mentioned Louisville's "Spaghetti Junction" of I-64/65/71.
2) The "triple trumpet" at the end of PA's Northeast Extension. I-81/476/US 6/US 11
3) I-40 Westbound to I-24 EB/I-440 WB on the east side of Nashville.
4) The ramp from I-76 EB to OH 8 NB in Akron.  They reworked the interchange and that left exit ramp still sucks!  :pan:
5) Trying to stay on I-71 in Downtown Columbus with the brief duplex with I-70.  In both directions you need to go from the right side to the left side of the highway!
6) Where I-26 "West" splits off I-240 in Asheville, NC to go compass north.
7) Having to use US 11 to go between the PA turnpike and I-81.
8) I-81 and the Front/Second street interchange in Harrisburg - needlessly complex!

The following were bad until reconfigured:
1) The I-71/76 tight "double trumpet" west of Akron.
2) The I-80/680/OH 11 junction west of Youngstown, prior to reconfiguration, I-80 was just one lane through the intersection in both directions.
3) I-71 from the I-75 split along the Cincinnati riverfront.  It's not ideal now, but it's MUCH better.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: agentsteel53 on September 09, 2009, 03:26:51 PM
Pennsylvania has some lousy intersections. 

I-80 and I-81; the two most significant truck routes in the area (and maybe the whole country) meet completely out in the middle of nowhere, with all kinds of room to build a giant interchange with some nifty high-speed ramp solutions.  And what do they have?  15mph-advisory cloverleaves!   

oh and how can we fail to mention that extremely well-designed intersection between the Penna turnpike and I-95!  :banghead:
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: hm insulators on September 09, 2009, 04:16:35 PM
The I-10 through the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles has what I call "squashed cloverleaves." You know what a regular cloverleaf looks like, with the round looping ramps. On these, the looping ramps look more like stretched-out rubber bands. And the other ramps, instead of making a relatively gentle C-curve, instead make a sharp 90 elbow. So let's say you're heading east on the I-10 and you want to go south on Atlantic Blvd. You get off the freeway on a very short offramp and immediately have to slow down to about 15 mph to negotiate a sharp 90-degree right turn to get to southbound Atlantic Blvd. Then there's another sharp turn to the left that puts you onto your street.

Getting on the freeway from Atlantic Blvd. is fun. If you're going south on Atlantic and want to pick up the freeway westbound, you have to negotiate these sharp turns onto the acceleration lane, then FLOOR the gas pedal (because there's almost no room to accelerate before you're forced onto the freeway) and hope that other drivers will let you on the freeway.

I imagine when this freeway was built in the early 1950s (as US 60/70/99), these interchanges were probably considered "state of the art." But now, they are just a total disaster, especially in this day and age of rude, discourteous drivers. And Los Angeles is full of those! :banghead:

Perhaps someone in Los Angeles with a little more computer savvy than myself could post maps or aerial pictures of one of these interchanges.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: mightyace on September 09, 2009, 05:04:00 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on September 09, 2009, 03:26:51 PM
I-80 and I-81; the two most significant truck routes in the area (and maybe the whole country) meet completely out in the middle of nowhere, with all kinds of room to build a giant interchange with some nifty high-speed ramp solutions.  And what do they have?  15mph-advisory cloverleaves! 

Having been through that interchange hundreds of times in my life, I have to agree.  While the terrain is not wide open (I-81 on the north side is on a long mountain upgrade), there is still more than enough room to do something better.

The left exit ramp from I-80 East to I-81 North is probably the best of the "inner" movements that are normally loop ramps.  While a left exit is not ideal, it is certainly better than those loop ramps.  I'm sure that if they wanted to, this ramp could be replaced with a flyover and similar ramps could replace the existing loops.

I think that this didn't make my list because 99% of the I-80/I-81 movements I've done in my life are I-80E to I-81N and I-81S to I-80W which are not much of a problem.

Edit:
<rant>
Probably the only way something will get done about this interchange is if Gov. Rendell and the other looters in H'burg get the I-80 tolling thing done!  :evilgrin:
</rant>
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: agentsteel53 on September 09, 2009, 05:27:20 PM
the last time I was there, I turned from 80 WB to 81 SB and damn near fell off the road.  80 WB to 81 NB looks to be even worse.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: myosh_tino on September 09, 2009, 06:10:39 PM
Quoteah well, at least there's a nice old sign just a few miles on the 101 north (west, whatever!) of that triangle.
If you are referring to the overhead signs that still had a green U.S. 101 shield outlined in white, there used to be two, one northbound at San Antonio Road and one southbound at Rengstorff Ave.  The southbound sign still exists but the northbound sign was replaced in 2008.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: TheStranger on September 09, 2009, 06:36:52 PM
The ramp from US 50 westbound to Business 80 east in midtown Sacramento is painful, with a merge less than 200 feet long.  Yikes!
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: agentsteel53 on September 09, 2009, 06:45:34 PM
the northbound sign was gone by 2006, I am quite sure.  there was one on southbound 880 at 101 that vanished sometime between 2004 and 2006, and one on the Dumbarton bridge westbound that was around in October '06 but gone by the time I next tried to find it, sometime in 2008.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Hellfighter on September 09, 2009, 07:09:38 PM
The M-14 exit ramp to Barton Drive in Ann Arbor. Pure Evil!  :banghead:
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: UptownRoadGeek on September 09, 2009, 10:43:33 PM
Business U.S. 90 @ Manhattan Blvd -> it takes 5-10 minutes on average to clear this intersection during most of the day.

I-75 S. @ I-285 W. (Southside) -> the ramp is too d*** long.

I-45 S. Gulf Freeway @ I-610 W. South Loop -> You exit the freeway onto the feeder, turn right onto the 610 feeder and get onto the other freeway

I-10 E. @ I-110 -> the interstate narrows to one lane after the bridge.

TX-288 @ U.S. 59 South -> I just don't like this one.

Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: jdb1234 on September 10, 2009, 12:04:24 AM
I-459 @ US 280 Birmingham, AL
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Marc on September 10, 2009, 12:12:43 AM
Quote from: Annunciation70130 on September 09, 2009, 10:43:33 PM
I-45 S. Gulf Freeway @ I-610 W. South Loop -> You exit the freeway onto the feeder, turn right onto the 610 feeder and get onto the other freeway.

Absolutely, I had totally overlooked this interchange fail. Most interchanges along I-610 need to be redone in their entirety. And I-45 should be redone from 610 on the southside all the way through downtown and to 610 on the northside (that's another horridly inadequate interchange).

QuoteTX-288 @ U.S. 59 South -> I just don't like this one.

This one needs improvement too. To go along with it, they should improve the elevated section of U.S. 59 to the south to the new trenched section.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: mightyace on September 10, 2009, 07:17:09 PM
Quote from: RoadMaster on September 10, 2009, 07:10:06 PM
I DESPISE Exit 2 off of PA-60 North (or Exit 58 off of Future I-376 West). You have to slow down to 15 MPH. C'mon, PennDOT! :pan:

<sarcasm>
Just, let them put tolls on I-80 and everything will be fixed!  :rofl:
</sarcasm>
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Terry Shea on September 10, 2009, 10:19:06 PM

Another real bad one is the exit from NB US-127 to M-20 near Mount Pleasant.  You come over the crest of a hill and US-127 takes a little jog to the left and it appears that the exit is going to go straight down the embankment and more or less parallel the freeway.  Instead you're hit with a sharp right 20 MPH curve that you can't see until you're right on top of it.  I had to slam on the brakes the first 2 times I went this way, but I won't make that mistake again.  You need to start breaking well before you hit the ramp but you're blind coming over the hill and there is no warning until you're basically on the ramp and have about 20 feet (probably more than that but it seems like it's even less) or so to get your vehicle down around 20 MPH.  A lot of traffic goes this way because it's the exit to The Soaring Eagle Casino.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Hellfighter on September 10, 2009, 10:41:23 PM
How about 4/5 of all the Ford Freeway ramps. Can you say cramped?
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Terry Shea on September 10, 2009, 11:06:30 PM
Quote from: Hellfighter on September 10, 2009, 10:41:23 PM
How about 4/5 of all the Ford Freeway ramps. Can you say cramped?
Yeah, but they're working on a lot of them now.  In fact according to MDOT the work on the I-96/I-196 corridor should be completed by about 2030 if there aren't any delays or the state runs out of money.  :-/
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Bryant5493 on September 10, 2009, 11:13:11 PM
Quote from: Annunciation70130I-75 S. @ I-285 W. (Southside) -> the ramp is too d*** long.

Whenever I drive through there, I always get stuck behind a slow driver. Never fails (lol).


Be well,

Bryant
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: akotchi on September 10, 2009, 11:26:34 PM
The Pa. Turnpike/I-76/U.S. 202/U.S. 422 mish-mosh around Valley Forge, PA.  Much better since reconstruction, but still no fun.  76E to 202S/422W exits and splits on a curve without any clear signing.

U.S. 1/Pa. Turnpike/Street Road/Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem, PA.  Ramps are way too tight and too close for the road speeds.

U.S. 1/Route 29 in Trenton, NJ.  NB ramp backs up all the time, onto the toll bridge.

U.S. 1/I-95/I-295 in Lawrenceville, NJ, especially in the evenings going south . . .

I second (and third!) the I-95/Pa. Turnpike connections, or lack thereof.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: njroadhorse on September 15, 2009, 05:30:52 PM
The I-287/I-80 junction
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: golden eagle on September 15, 2009, 07:55:37 PM
Quote from: jdb1234 on September 10, 2009, 12:04:24 AM
I-459 @ US 280 Birmingham, AL

Is that the Riverchase Galleria exit?
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: jdb1234 on September 15, 2009, 08:02:08 PM
Quote:
Is that the Riverchase Galleria exit?

No, the Riverchase Galleria is at Exit 13A-B.  US 280 meets I-459 at Exit 19.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: UptownRoadGeek on September 15, 2009, 10:41:58 PM
add I-10 east @ Mall of Louisiana.  It looks like some cheap imitation of Texas construction work.  Also, whoever decided to make feeder traffic yield to exiting traffic must have forgotten that yield means speed up in Louisiana. I'm surprised no one has been hurt up there.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Mr_Northside on September 16, 2009, 10:49:49 AM
As a matter of safety, here in Da Burgh, the interchange I think I loathe the most is the ramp from the end of PA-65 (Ohio River Blvd) to I-279 North.  It's a left-sided ramp that ends pretty quick, and the curve of I-279 from the Ft. Duquense Bridge makes it difficult to determine what traffic you may have to yield to until your almost out of ramp.
What makes it even worse is, at least 99% of the time, I'm headed to PA-28 north, a right-handed exit from I-279 right after you merge into the left lane of I-279.

It creates a situation where you want to get onto I-279 from the O.R.B. ramp at a good speed to be able to get across both lanes of 279 to get to the Rt.28 ramp.... but if there is too much traffic in the left lane of I-279 to safely merge, you have to come to a stop in a BIG hurry.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: WISFreeways on September 23, 2009, 05:11:49 PM
I-70/I-170 near St. Louis. You have to switch FIVE lanes in order to get on SB 170 from WB 70.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: wytout on September 23, 2009, 06:46:53 PM
Exit 30 on I-91 SB in Hartford CT, to I-84/US6 EB.

Very tight left hander that empties onto 84 already partially on the Bulkley bridge, plenty of crash barrels in the V that get replaced quite often.

The best part is that the exit empties onto an exit-only lane on 84 for US 44, and the next lane immediately to the left is an Exit-only to Route 2.  So once you use the exit ramp to get onto 84, if you want to stay on 84 you have to merge at least 2 times to the left by the time you get over the Bulkley Bridge to get out of Exit only lanes.

Additionally at rush hour, it's very underpowered.  It's short and backs up the left lane of the only two southbound pull through lanes on 91 through that part of hartford.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=qyvcpm8y9wmh&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=16250548&encType=1 (http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=qyvcpm8y9wmh&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=16250548&encType=1)
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Bryant5493 on September 23, 2009, 07:29:50 PM
Quote from: Bryant5493I dislike the whole set-up for I-85 @ Virginia Ave. Va. Ave. to I-85 South exits pretty much immediately into the Atlanta Airport. Va. Ave. to I-85 North does the same, but into N. Central Ave. Travelers wishing to go north on I-85 from the Atlanta Airport must merge left to continue north, and travelers on I-85 North wishing to exit on Va. Ave. East, must merge right to go east on Va. Ave.

Update to my previous post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu0hh7eizSo


Be well,

Bryant
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: OracleUsr on September 23, 2009, 11:37:08 PM
The junction of I-40 and I-77 in my town of Statesville is horrible.  It's a narrow bridge, so, for instance, if you take I-77 North to I-40 West, you have to fight the I-40 West traffic trying to exit on to I-77 South...and that's headed to Charlotte, so you have to pray someone doesn't speed up and try to cut you off then slow down.  They're planning to revamp this interchange and I hope they do.

Dishonorable mention is the twin left-exits on I-40 at I-240/26.  Who thought that one up should have their PE licenses revoked.

Then there is the soon-to-be upgraded NC 150 multiplex at I-85 in Spencer.  To stay on NC 150W, you have to exit on to I-85 south, then dart across the lanes to take a left exit...DUM DA DUM DUM DUMB!!!!

Or how about I-40 East to Business I-85???  Yeah, great, a sharp, steep curve to a short accel lane fighting traffic getting onto Rehobeth Ch. Road...Here's your sign...(shows a certain finger) and a POST TO HANG IT ON
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: TheStranger on September 24, 2009, 12:49:21 AM
Surprised I didn't remember this one earlier...the short merge lane from the ramp from US 101 southbound to I-80 northbound (the interchange where 101 transitions from the Bayshore/James Lick Freeway to the Central Freeway) in San Francisco is painful to look at!

Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: agentsteel53 on September 24, 2009, 01:10:48 AM
speaking of 101 in San Francisco, where northbound 101 randomly turns into a city street is pretty horrific too.

(especially because the first time I drove it, I was looking for a freeway continuation and was convinced, almost to the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, that I had taken a wrong turn somewhere!)
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: TheStranger on September 24, 2009, 01:46:11 AM
agentsteel53 - I wonder if the transition from freeway to city street was much less difficult to figure out when the Central Freeway went to Turk Street (pre-1989)...I've always wanted to see photos of that long-defunct section of road and its signage and don't think I ever really have.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: yakra on October 20, 2009, 01:22:42 AM
Quote from: wytoutSo once you use the exit ramp to get onto 84, if you want to stay on 84 you have to merge at least 2 times to the left by the time you get over the Bulkley Bridge to get out of Exit only lanes.
Sounds like northbound ME26 merging onto I-295, when you want to continue on 295 rather than 26. Hate!
I also hate I-295 exits 5 and 6, pedal to the floor (brake if exiting, accel. if entering) with about a centimeter of weave room to adjust your speed. And I hate all the schmuckolas who think it's a good idea to come to a complete stop before entering the freeway, even if they have their own (short) auxiliary lane. As if merging into thick 50 MPH minimum traffic from standstill is a good idea.
It's posted YIELD, not STOP. I've said it before and I'll say it again - 295 is not the Merritt Parkway.
Whew. I feel better now.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: Brandon on October 20, 2009, 10:52:47 AM
Tight exit ramps don't bother me as much, but underpowered ones do.  They're more dangerous IMHO because they cause traffic to back up onto the freeway.  My personal candidate for worst exit ramp would have to be I-55 and Weber Road (Exit 263).  It was widened to a two lane exit ramp southbound with an exit only lane, and it still backs up onto I-55 during the evening rush.  What causes this?  Three separate traffic signals, one is a road near the interchange, and two are for this underpowered diamond.  Thus, traffic turning gets caught by the signals.  X-(
IDOT's been told to improve the situation, and all they've done is to lengthen the left turn lanes from Weber onto I-55.  Yeah, that worked well.  Now the choke point is even closer to the ramps.  :pan:
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: OracleUsr on October 20, 2009, 05:46:01 PM
Portland is a gorgeous city on Casco Bay, but I have had similar experiences on I-295.  For instance, I could never figure out how to get to ME 77 to Cape Elizabeth from I-295N.  One mileage sign mentioned it, then nothing.  I got to Falmouth and had to turn back.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: wytout on October 31, 2009, 06:53:21 AM
Quote from: yakra on October 20, 2009, 01:22:42 AM
Quote from: wytoutSo once you use the exit ramp to get onto 84, if you want to stay on 84 you have to merge at least 2 times to the left by the time you get over the Bulkley Bridge to get out of Exit only lanes.
Sounds like northbound ME26 merging onto I-295, when you want to continue on 295 rather than 26. Hate!
I also hate I-295 exits 5 and 6, pedal to the floor (brake if exiting, accel. if entering) with about a centimeter of weave room to adjust your speed. And I hate all the schmuckolas who think it's a good idea to come to a complete stop before entering the freeway, even if they have their own (short) auxiliary lane. As if merging into thick 50 MPH minimum traffic from standstill is a good idea.
It's posted YIELD, not STOP. I've said it before and I'll say it again - 295 is not the Merritt Parkway.
Whew. I feel better now.

Very few things on earth are the Merritt ;)  Ahh the things that road can get away with and be called charming!  :-D  Anywhere else... it's a major design flaw.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: AZDude on October 31, 2009, 10:02:32 PM
I dont like the US 60/I-10 interchange in Tempe.  Every day I drive along westbound US 60 and need to get onto eastbound I-10.  This is a left exit.  And it sucks not only because its a left exit but that I have to merge over three lanes of traffic and at times it seems that I won't make it.  Plus since most people drive faster than the speed limit it makes more difficult to get onto the left lane.

Oh there is more!  Along side the left lane is the carpool lane.  If you were to stay on the carpool lane, it would lead onto west I-10.  So you have people merging so they can get on east I-10.  The result is a freeway backup.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: florida on November 01, 2009, 02:09:30 PM
I-4, I-95 & US 92. Coming east on I-4 to I-95 north, you exit onto a 1/2 mile stretch of exit only for US 92. Coming west on US 92 to I-95 south, you enter I-95 on the left lane and have to cross four lanes to get to the I-4 exit...1/2 a mile down. It seems like a totally shoddy interchange layout for two interstates and a US route separated by pretty much 3/4 to 1 mile.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: papakilz on November 03, 2009, 10:55:04 AM
I-75 North in Mackinaw City--Exit 339.  Your exit is a 90 degree turn to a STOP sign iat M-108--the ramp HAS to be the shortest exit "ramp" in the entire interstate system--I believe I read that somewhere once
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: realjd on November 03, 2009, 11:14:27 AM
I'm always annoyed at the I-5/I-805 split in San Diego. You can't go north on 5 without changing lanes. Because the 5 is so wide, all traffic has to move left 4 or 5 lanes in a fairly short length of road.
Title: Re: Freeway exits you hate the most
Post by: hm insulators on November 03, 2009, 11:26:16 AM
Quote from: AZDude on October 31, 2009, 10:02:32 PM
I dont like the US 60/I-10 interchange in Tempe.  Every day I drive along westbound US 60 and need to get onto eastbound I-10.  This is a left exit.  And it sucks not only because its a left exit but that I have to merge over three lanes of traffic and at times it seems that I won't make it.  Plus since most people drive faster than the speed limit it makes more difficult to get onto the left lane.

Oh there is more!  Along side the left lane is the carpool lane.  If you were to stay on the carpool lane, it would lead onto west I-10.  So you have people merging so they can get on east I-10.  The result is a freeway backup.

Where do you get on the 60, at Mill Avenue? I used that onramp last night, and although I was using the 10 west, that merge is nerve-wracking with the construction! :banghead: