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Old alignment of US-40 or I-70?

Started by tckma, April 15, 2016, 01:51:19 PM

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tckma



Mapmikey

Yes this was part of US 40.  An even older alignment of US 40 followed Dr. Baxter Rd and Patrick Ave on both sides of the river.

http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/img4/ht_icons/Browse/MD/MD_Walkersville_257235_1944_31680.jpg


tckma


cpzilliacus

#3
Quote from: tckma on April 15, 2016, 01:51:19 PM
Is this satellite view of MD-144, including the Park-And-Ride, a former alignment of either I-70 or US-40?

To elaborate a little on Mapmikey's comment, it was never I-70.

This section of (present-day) Md. 144 was once U.S. 40, even when the section west of there (from Frederick to the Pennsylvania border) and east of there (from Ijamsville, present-day I-70 Exit 59) were completed as I-70.  So drivers would suddenly, and with little warning, find themselves on a divided arterial U.S. 40 with at-grade intersections (the temporary transitions from I-70 to U.S. 40 were not especially well-signed).  This section of old U.S. 40 was bypassed with the new section of I-70 to the north in about 1988 or 1989.

What was U.S. 40 (and is now signed as I-70/U.S. 40) was this from Exit 59 to the western terminus of the old I-70N in Marriottsville (present-day Exit 83 on eastbound I-70). It was rebuilt from the old four-lane arterial U.S. 40 to six lane freeway roughly "in place" in 1975/1976.  It was never clear why SHA did not simply rebuild old U.S. 40 to a freeway all the way to the eastern terminus of the old Frederick Bypass (sections of the bypass were originally signed as U.S. 40 and U.S. 15).
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

froggie

Quote...and when did MD-71 become MD-194?  That was a change I was not aware of.

According to MDRoads, that change happened ca. 1958.

ixnay

In the summer of 1983, I drove that stretch of would-be I-70 and got paid for it.  A temp agency assigned several guys (including me) to drive test cars out of the R&D lab at Sunoco's Marcus Hook, PA refinery, with an R&D tech in his lead test car as chaperone.  (I lived in the area at the time.)  Our route was U.S. 13 south to 495 south in Claymont, DE, then 495 south to 95 south, 95 south to outer loop 695, outer loop 695 through Towson to 70 west, 70/40/70 west to 81 south, then 81 south to Winchester, VA, lunch at Wendy's, then reverse course back home.  We did a total of ten runs (M thru F one week in mid July, then M thru F one week in mid August).

And since I-81 cuts across WV's eastern panhandle via Martinsburg, that first run was my first time in the Mountaineer State.

Going back to that ex-U.S. 40 alignment...  IIRC where it crossed Monocacy Creek, the westbound bridge was maybe 20 feet lower than the eastbound bridge.

ixnay
The Washington/Baltimore/Arlington CSA has two Key Bridges, a Minnesota Avenue, and a Mannasota Avenue.

Mapmikey

The original bridge (1808-1942) was a fair bit lower than the old bridge still standing as well...

https://southmountaincw.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/081777pv.jpg (from this page with history of that bridge - http://nationalpike.blogspot.com/2008/01/jug-bridge-frederick-maryland.html)

GMSV showing current bridge and older standing bridge:
https://goo.gl/maps/5kPAPQQnAiN2


TheOneKEA

Quote from: cpzilliacus on April 15, 2016, 02:32:54 PM
Quote from: tckma on April 15, 2016, 01:51:19 PM
Is this satellite view of MD-144, including the Park-And-Ride, a former alignment of either I-70 or US-40?

To elaborate a little on Mapmikey's comment, it was never I-70.

This section of (present-day) Md. 144 was once U.S. 40, even when the section west of there (from Frederick to the Pennsylvania border) and east of there (from Ijamsville, present-day I-70 Exit 59) were completed as I-70.  So drivers would suddenly, and with little warning, find themselves on a divided arterial U.S. 40 with at-grade intersections (the temporary transitions from I-70 to U.S. 40 were not especially well-signed).  This section of old U.S. 40 was bypassed with the new section of I-70 to the north in about 1988 or 1989.

What was U.S. 40 (and is now signed as I-70/U.S. 40) was this from Exit 59 to the western terminus of the old I-70N in Marriottsville (present-day Exit 83 on eastbound I-70). It was rebuilt from the old four-lane arterial U.S. 40 to six lane freeway roughly "in place" in 1975/1976.  It was never clear why SHA did not simply rebuild old U.S. 40 to a freeway all the way to the eastern terminus of the old Frederick Bypass (sections of the bypass were originally signed as U.S. 40 and U.S. 15).

I have also always wondered why that segment of US 40 was never upgraded when the 23 miles of I-70 was built east of there. Was that area built up enough in the early 1970s that the cost of acquiring access controls was deemed too high or too controversial?

As for the old bridge across the Monocacy, I would like to explore it sometime but I've never been able to get close enough.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: TheOneKEA on April 15, 2016, 10:43:01 PM
I have also always wondered why that segment of US 40 was never upgraded when the 23 miles of I-70 was built east of there. Was that area built up enough in the early 1970s that the cost of acquiring access controls was deemed too high or too controversial?

I do not think it had to do with controversy.  After all, this is Frederick County, not Montgomery County.

Quote from: TheOneKEA on April 15, 2016, 10:43:01 PM
As for the old bridge across the Monocacy, I would like to explore it sometime but I've never been able to get close enough.

My guess is that SHA felt that it was cheaper to abandon the structure in place instead of tearing it down.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.