Truncation of I-70

[froggie]

By that point, roads may well be obsolete.

[Duke87]

Road? Where we're going we don't need roads!

Though I doubt we'll be there next year.

[cpzilliacus]

By that point, roads may well be obsolete.

The electric street railway technology proposed for the Red Line in Baltimore has been obsolete for many years.  It is being revived thanks to very generous subsidies from Maryland highway users.

[Pete from Boston]

So what killed I-70 the NIMBY's or the econuts?

They ran out of politically weak people to displace.

[Henry]

So what killed I-70 the NIMBY's or the econuts?

They ran out of politically weak people to displace.

First the NIMBY's in the inner-city areas, and the econuts who kept the parks from being destroyed. Trying to finish the I-170 freeway was already a lost cause when the environmentalists won the battle.

[Avalanchez71]

Some could probably stand to win now if part of a neighborhood was to be plowed.  However, I hate the use of eminent domain as well.  It is a catch twenty-two.

[skluth]

Honestly, I-70 ending at 695 instead of at the park and ride is not a big loss, most traffic will not even notice the missing mile or two of interstate. It is not as big of a change as 195/295/95 changing their routing between NJ and PA, having 195 extend over 295, and connecting to 95 in PA.

Has anyone, besides posters to this Forum, proposed extending I-70 south along I-695 so it ended at I-95? If only because it was supposed to originally.

I was thinking this too, I figured it wasn't that big of a deal, more of a way to tidy things up.

I was thinking that as well, but i came to the conclusion that extending it along 695 would be a useless project, would create more hassles since you would have to put up new signs and change all the stuff around, then figure out the exit numbers and miles, etc. Having it run along 695 is a good idea...but would just confuse people in the long run since suddenly 695 has a second route on it, I-70. But, if i were in charge, i would have it go beyond 95, have it go all the way to 97.

I like your idea of extending I-70 along I-695 and replacing I-97 (to US-50/US-301).  It frees up an interstate number and provides a single route number for those traveling from far Western Maryland to to Annapolis, far Eastern Maryland & Delaware.  Plus I-70 would, of sorts, be a complete bypass route of both Baltimore & DC proper.

The downside of extending I-70 to Annapolis is renumbering all the exits along I-695 and what was I-97, but all-in-all, it would provide less confusion for the non-local, through traffic.

Besides, to the anal road geeker, aren't 2 digit interstates not supposed to end at 3 digit interstates?

Bugo for the win


iPhone

OTOH, if I-83 is ever rerouted to follow I-695 (west) to replace I-97 to . . . .

Another decent idea...Just run I-83 along the western bypass to I-70, then multiplex it to I-95.  The old alignment of I-83 would be I-183 (a logical spur route "dead ending" downtown).

If the freeway portion of MD 32 could be extended to I 70 (maybe west of the Howard County Fairgrounds), I 70 could be rerouted along MD 32 to I 97 and then replace I 97 to Annapolis. It could eventually be extended across Chesapeake Bay to Dover. The old I 70 could be renamed I 170 since it is no longer being used in the city and it wouldn't matter where it ended.

I'd rather run I-83 down the east side of Baltimore via 695, 95, and 895 and then down 97 to the newly aligned I-70 (eliminating 97 in the process).

[Alps]

Can we try to stop venturing into Fictional Highways territory?

[Pete from Boston]

Can we try to stop venturing into Fictional Highways territory?

That's precisely where this part of I-70 is headed.

[Duke87]

Can we try to stop venturing into Fictional Highways territory?

That's precisely where this part of I-70 is headed.

I thought that part of I-70 headed to the little known suburb of Local Traffic.

[kj3400]

Can we try to stop venturing into Fictional Highways territory?

That's precisely where this part of I-70 is headed.

I thought that part of I-70 headed to the little known suburb of Local Traffic.

Actually it's heading to the small town of Security Blvd Park & Ride.