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Permanent freeway shooflies

Started by pderocco, September 22, 2024, 10:02:04 PM

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pderocco

I'm talking about these:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/QRKGDRXrxHeQQuqg8

I'd never seen (or noticed) them until I started exploring Idaho, which has a lot of them on I-84. I've also seen them in Montana, and one in Oregon (on I-84 literally right next to Idaho), and now I see them in Google Earth in IL, MN, ND, NE, SD, WI, and WY. That leads me to several questions:

  • Is there a more technically correct term for these?
  • Does MUTCD say anything about them? I couldn't find anything.
  • Are these designed into roads and built in advance, or are they usually built as needed and then left alone in case they'll be needed again?
  • Any other states use them?
  • Are there any downsides? I would think they'd be more universal, since they don't add much to construction costs, and they reduce the use cost down to a little restriping.


lepidopteran

I think they have something like that outside the tunnels on the PA Turnpike (and elsewhere?), to make it easier to set up 2-way traffic in a single tube when one needs to be closed for maintenance.

Big John

Temporary crossovers usually setup for future construction projects.

Road Hog

You also see them on hurricane evacuation routes to enable contraflows. I've seen them on I-45 north of Houston.

RG407

Quote from: Road Hog on September 22, 2024, 10:27:17 PMYou also see them on hurricane evacuation routes to enable contraflows. I've seen them on I-45 north of Houston.

Florida also has them, like this one on I-4 at the I-75 interchange near Tampa, but has never implemented them.

webny99

These "X crossovers" are not common in NY, but there are permanent ones on the approaches to the Grand Island bridges that are used whenever one of the bridges is closed. There are overhead red/green signals over each lane on the bridges for the same reason.

vdeane

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

jeffandnicole

The Delaware Memorial Bridge has them. They were installed after the 2nd bridge was built, when the original bridge was closed for reconstruction. Afterwards, even though they were given significant overhead gantry signage, they were never used for emergency or construction related crossovers. Signage was removed and barriers were put up to prevent direct crossovers; u-turns could be made though, and roadway striping appeared to make this movement legal albeit unsigned. However, more recently when the NJ-Bound Bridge has surface reconstruction closing 2 lanes for extended periods of time, barriers are removed so traffic can travel thru the median. A single lane contraflow on the DE bound bridge was used, with jersey barriers separating traffic. Motorists using the lane were forced onto the NJ Turnpike/US 40 roadway after they entered NJ.

Quote from: RG407 on September 22, 2024, 10:33:51 PM
Quote from: Road Hog on September 22, 2024, 10:27:17 PMYou also see them on hurricane evacuation routes to enable contraflows. I've seen them on I-45 north of Houston.

Florida also has them, like this one on I-4 at the I-75 interchange near Tampa, but has never implemented them.


NJ has a few single-direction ones also, including on I-195/NJ 138, and one on the AC Expressway.

Same as above; never been used.

SeriesE

that's actually pretty cool. It looks like a x railroad switch

froggie

Quote from: pderocco on September 22, 2024, 10:02:04 PM
  • Is there a more technically correct term for these?

Median crossovers (in at least one of the juridsdictions cited).

LilianaUwU

Quote from: vdeane on September 22, 2024, 11:08:12 PMThey're all over Québec.

Sure are. I thought they were common everywhere, considering I've seen them regularly in all provinces in which I've been on freeways.
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epzik8

Definitely seen them in IA, SD and WY though I didn't realize they looked like that.
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1995hoo

Quote from: epzik8 on September 23, 2024, 07:58:26 AMDefinitely seen them in IA, SD and WY though I didn't realize they looked like that.

Heh. Given the state in which you live, I'm kind of surprised you didn't cite the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which has crossovers of that sort (shaped a little differently from an "X," though) on both ends that are used regularly (pretty much every weekend during the summer) to allow for one lane of eastbound traffic on the three-lane span that is nominally the "westbound" span. A look at Street View shows the Google car using one of them.
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CtrlAltDel

By freeway shoofly, I thought you meant something more like this on I-80 in Iowa:

I-290   I-294   I-55   (I-74)   (I-72)   I-40   I-30   US-59   US-190   TX-30   TX-6

hbelkins

Several of them on I-64 in West Virginia just inside the Kentucky state line.
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TheHighwayMan3561

I've seen in cases where the DOT just decides to leave the crossovers once the projects they were built for are complete, they just stick reflector posts in them.
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WillWeaverRVA

Quote from: pderocco on September 22, 2024, 10:02:04 PMI'm talking about these:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/QRKGDRXrxHeQQuqg8

I'd never seen (or noticed) them until I started exploring Idaho, which has a lot of them on I-84. I've also seen them in Montana, and one in Oregon (on I-84 literally right next to Idaho), and now I see them in Google Earth in IL, MN, ND, NE, SD, WI, and WY. That leads me to several questions:

  • Is there a more technically correct term for these?
  • Does MUTCD say anything about them? I couldn't find anything.
  • Are these designed into roads and built in advance, or are they usually built as needed and then left alone in case they'll be needed again?
  • Any other states use them?
  • Are there any downsides? I would think they'd be more universal, since they don't add much to construction costs, and they reduce the use cost down to a little restriping.

There is half of one of these at the eastern I-64/I-295 interchange in Virginia - it only runs from the eastbound lanes to the westbound lanes as this is the western terminus of the I-64 contraflow setup used for hurricane evacuations and other emergencies that have thankfully never happened.
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pderocco

Quote from: froggie on September 23, 2024, 07:07:38 AM
Quote from: pderocco on September 22, 2024, 10:02:04 PM
  • Is there a more technically correct term for these?

Median crossovers (in at least one of the juridsdictions cited).

I thought "median crossover" was a more general term that includes the little turnarounds that are labeled "authorized vehicles only". These are intended to be driven at freeway speeds, when they are unblocked and appropriately striped, so I'd think road departments or freeway designers would have a term for them.

TheCatalyst31

Quote from: TheHighwayMan3561 on September 23, 2024, 01:57:02 PMI've seen in cases where the DOT just decides to leave the crossovers once the projects they were built for are complete, they just stick reflector posts in them.

Wisconsin has one of these on I-39 that only goes in one direction. I assume that was a leftover from an old construction project, since otherwise it would make more sense to have a full X.

cl94

I read "shoofly" and thought we were talking about something like a railroad shoofly, which would be a "temporary" road parallel to the main road. Using that definition, I was thinking the border patrol checkpoints near the Mexican border and California's ag inspection stations, both of which are often on what is kind of a "shoofly" from the main road. In the case of CA ag inspection stations, the road without the ag station typically still exists, but you're usually kicked off into the ag inspection detour.
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Bickendan

First one of these I saw was in 1987 in Belgium, for a segment of the Autoroute that was under construction between Bruxelles and Verviers, with traffic being diverted onto the eastbound carriageway of E40 while the westbound was being built.

Got to experience the same thing in Idaho back in 1999 while I-84 was being repaved, and the idea of a Super2 with a 65 construction zone speed limit was wild at the time. Those crossovers in Idaho are likely permanent and likely make it easy to define project locations for IDOT.

froggie

Quote from: pderocco on September 24, 2024, 12:19:58 AM
Quote from: froggie on September 23, 2024, 07:07:38 AM
Quote from: pderocco on September 22, 2024, 10:02:04 PM
  • Is there a more technically correct term for these?

Median crossovers (in at least one of the juridsdictions cited).

I thought "median crossover" was a more general term that includes the little turnarounds that are labeled "authorized vehicles only". These are intended to be driven at freeway speeds, when they are unblocked and appropriately striped, so I'd think road departments or freeway designers would have a term for them.


Both types are technically correct.  Whatever your previous thoughts, I can tell you that both MnDOT and VTrans use the term "crossover".

-- US 175 --

Other than the occasional work on a divided 4-lane (which would be more temporary) where drivers have to squeeze to just 2 of the lanes during construction of one set of lanes or the other, the only time I've seen this is on the HOV lane east of downtown on I-30 in Dallas. When WB drivers during morning rush hour come upon the east HOV entrance, there is an opening in the median barrier to veer left into.  Then drivers have to cross over to the EB side, where a zipper truck has moved the portable barrier over so that WB HOV traffic can use the lane and go into downtown.  Drivers will then reverse the process at the west end of the HOV lane.  They can get back on an I-30 main lane or exit at Cesar Chavez Blvd. for side-street travel into downtown.  This process is reversed during afternoon rush hour where EB I-30 traffic (and those getting on I-30 from Cesar Chavez) get over to the left WB lane.

I'm not sure why they do the HOV this way instead of same-direction traffic on the same side, other than not wanting to take out any lanes needed during rush hour.  I'm not sure if the upcoming I-30 work to redo this particular part of the freeway (the work will take at and above-ground lanes and trench them) will take a different approach to HOV/managed lanes or what, but surely the crossings and zippering will go away after the redo is completed.

Bitmapped

Ohio and Pennsylvania build them pretty frequently when doing bridge or roadway reconstruction. It allows them to close one side of the roadway to work on, or to cross one lane over to allow for a 2+1 / 1 configuration to maintain capacity through work zones. In these states, they're almost always removed when the project is completed.

Scott5114

There are a few of them along I-35 in southern Oklahoma.
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