Examples of cross-freeway arterials upgraded to freeways

[Zmapper]

When a major arterial crosses a freeway in an urban area, development generally moves to cover the prime real estate surrounding the interchange. Typically a minor arterial, parallel to the freeway, will intersect the cross-freeway arterial about 1/4 to 1/2 mile away from the freeway, which provides adequate distance between consecutive at-grade intersections.

Suppose a freeway were to be planned along the existing alignment of the cross-freeway arterial. The existing diamond or similar freeway-arterial interchange, occupying a relatively narrow area, would need to be upgraded to a full free-flowing interchange, consuming more space towards the minor arterial which accesses the development surrounding the interchange. At this point nowhere near enough distance exists between the freeway and the minor arterial for proper interchange separation; 1/3 of a mile is proper for a major arterial but 1 mile or more would be needed between two freeway interchanges.

What examples are there where a cross-freeway arterial was upgraded into a freeway, and how did they handle adjacent minor arterials and development access?

[vtk]

What examples are there where a cross-freeway arterial was upgraded into a freeway,

In an already developed area? Few if any.

[Zmapper]

I ask because the NW Parkway is proposed to be extended along Interlocken Loop. The plans I've seen either handwave away this segment or hastily plop a viaduct above the existing arterial.

https://goo.gl/maps/gUIwM

[cl94]

I ask because the NW Parkway is proposed to be extended along Interlocken Loop. The plans I've seen either handwave away this segment or hastily plop a viaduct above the existing arterial.

https://goo.gl/maps/gUIwM

You build frontage roads and depress/elevate the freeway for a mile. As it is, it's expressway-grade and was probably built with the intent of an upgrade. Looks like the ROW exists to do that and not affect normal operations too much.

[Pete from Boston]

Could be the long-term evolution of the Lloyd Expressway in Evansville, Indiana, off I-69.  It's been mentioned here that traffic light elimination continues to be planned (and is going on now at US 41).  It's a few intersection replacements from being a freeway all the way to the West Side.

[TheCatalyst31]

Madison, WI is trying to do this with Verona Road (US 18/151) at the Beltline... and right now they're converting the rest of southbound 18/151 to a freeway and leaving a couple of lights near the actual interchange, which pretty much proves your point. I think they have tentative plans for what to do about it, but they're not planning to build anything for 20 years and I haven't see what they look like.

[J N Winkler]

When a major arterial crosses a freeway in an urban area, development generally moves to cover the prime real estate surrounding the interchange. Typically a minor arterial, parallel to the freeway, will intersect the cross-freeway arterial about 1/4 to 1/2 mile away from the freeway, which provides adequate distance between consecutive at-grade intersections.

Suppose a freeway were to be planned along the existing alignment of the cross-freeway arterial. The existing diamond or similar freeway-arterial interchange, occupying a relatively narrow area, would need to be upgraded to a full free-flowing interchange, consuming more space towards the minor arterial which accesses the development surrounding the interchange. At this point nowhere near enough distance exists between the freeway and the minor arterial for proper interchange separation; 1/3 of a mile is proper for a major arterial but 1 mile or more would be needed between two freeway interchanges.

What examples are there where a cross-freeway arterial was upgraded into a freeway, and how did they handle adjacent minor arterials and development access?

A situation of this nature occurred with Kellogg Avenue (then US 54, now also US 400) in Wichita around the I-135 turban, when I-135 was being completed through Wichita in the 1970's.

General view of the area

The original plan for the I-135/Kellogg interchange was a cloverleaf with collector-distributor lanes, but I-135 in Wichita was always planned to follow a watercourse that is the canalization of Chisholm Creek through the built-up area and is a natural severance corridor.  It is the reason I-135 is known as the Canal Route within Wichita.  It may be unique in the US as an example of a freeway with water running down its median, though designs of this type are actually fairly common in southeastern Spain (Valencia has long had one example, and Murcia has another under construction).

The last parts of Kansas I-135 to be finished were all in Wichita and included the turban, the viaduct to its north, and the level section (surface streets carried over the freeway on overpasses) to its south.  Kellogg was a signalized surface arterial between Oliver (on the east) and the Arkansas River (on the west), but there was a railroad viaduct over Washington Ave. and the tracks just to its west, with the connection to Washington being made by a half-diamond interchange (access to and from the west only).  Kellogg, Hydraulic (a north-south section line road), and George Washington Blvd. (an arterial running on a NW-SE diagonal and the main access route to McConnell AFB) had a major three-way signalized intersection.

When the I-135 turban was under construction, this length of Kellogg was upgraded to a six-lane freeway.  The old railroad viaduct (built in the 1950's) was replaced, and the Washington Ave. interchange became a parclo with full access.  The three-way Hydraulic/Kellogg/Geo. Wash. Blvd. intersection was under the footprint of the turban, so it was removed and a new three-way intersection further to the SE, at Grove and Lincoln, was developed.  There are still remnants of Geo. Wash. Blvd. in the parts of the subdivision to the northwest that were not acquired for the turban.  Kellogg received a half-diamond (restricted access) interchange at Grove partly to facilitate access to Geo. Wash. Blvd.  No similar access was provided at Hydraulic even though the spacing between it and I-135 was the same.

So, to make a long story short, the upgrade of the intersecting arterial (Kellogg) was effected by carrying it out at the same time as construction of the freeway (I-135)--so that there was no lag time for additional development to occur, though the entire area was already heavily developed--and by ignoring the standard minimum interchange spacing, which I believe may have been permissible without a design exception since it was not an Interstate.

[dfwmapper]

Modern freeways in Texas don't have a problem because of the frontage roads and the willingness to build 5-level stacks. The I-10/SH 99 interchange outside of Houston is pretty much straight out of the design manual and a good one to look at to see how to do it right. http://goo.gl/maps/OZME7

A less land-hungry way of doing it is like Loop 101/US 60 interchange in Tempe, AZ. Price Road used to be a surface street with a canal running down the middle, with a half-diamond (west half) interchange at 60 (nothing on the east side due to the canal). Price was rebuilt into frontage roads, and the freeway was built below-grade in the middle. The US 60 interchange is a 3 level stack/turbine hybrid, and the arterials 1/2 mile north and south have half-diamonds facing away from the freeway, and use the frontage roads to provide full access. The arterials a mile east/west have braided ramps on the sides facing towards the interchange. http://goo.gl/maps/p1zkR

[NE2]

US 6 in Omaha.
MD 100 at MD 295 (they just closed the old road).
MD 5 at I-495.
FL 202 at I-95.

[6a]

This isn't exactly a 'cross-freeway' arterial but I believe it covers some or many of your questions. US 74 in Charlotte is being upgraded to a freeway in fits and starts. Some of the project info shows how they are dealing with existing businesses, new interchanges at existing major intersections, and interactions with minor arterials.

[Roadsguy]

I-366 VA 28 at I-66 might count, but it isn't actually freeway-freeway at 66 yet, nor is it full freeway until just north of 66, though this will be fixed with the 66 HO/T lanes project. (Right?)

[vdeane]

That was my impression.  When this is completed, the speed limit will be 85.

[3467]

MO 367 Between US 67 and I-270

Sort of ...but I am less sure of the timing and its not fully upgraded would be IL 83 south of I-88

[pianocello]

I'm not too sure about the history of this, but I think Cline Ave in Gary/Hammond, IN (SR 912) would qualify. If I remember right, there was a significant amount of time between the construction of the Toll Road and the upgrade of Cline.

[OCGuy81]

Was the Hardy Toll Road or Westpark Tollway in Houston two examples of this?  Were they surface streets prior?  I think Westpark was, but Hardy?

[TXtoNJ]

Was the Hardy Toll Road or Westpark Tollway in Houston two examples of this?  Were they surface streets prior?  I think Westpark was, but Hardy?

Yes, Hardy Road/Hardy Street is still a surface street that parallels the Hardy Toll Road for the most part. However, it's not really a cross-freeway arterial, as much as it is a reliever route for I-45.

Not sure if the Westpark Tollway qualifies either, as its primary function isn't to cross Beltway 8, but to extend freeway access to the western suburbs south of George Bush Park.

[froggie]

The way the OP described it, I-494/US 169 in Bloomington, MN could be considered an example.  Though what is now 169 was built as a freeway to the north, it still had 3 traffic signals in the vicinity (one each at the 494 ramp/frontage road intersections and a third to the south where Highwood Dr used to cross).  When first built, County 18 was a 2-lane road to the south...it was upgraded in the mid-1990s (though still with at-grade intersections at Anderson Lakes Pkwy and Pioneer Trl) and eventually became part of US 169.  MnDOT added loops around 2000 but couldn't eliminate the signals at the time.  169 was finally freewayed across 494 within the past few years.

[roadman65]

Actually the US 27 and I-4 interchange in Daveneport, Florida could be used as something.  Even though US 27 is not a freeway, nor an arterial planned to be as such, they did a good job of adding a frontage road on the NW quadrant to access the Wendy's there.

This is perhaps what could be done at any interchange if the businesses prevent it from being the perfect freeway to freeway interchange.   A nearby diamond interchange to connect those service roads to the planned upgraded arterial and you might have something.