Unbuilt Evidence

[FLRoads]

Stubs for the proposed SR-9B (aka I-795) southeast of Jacksonville: The freeway is still supposed to built and connected to a new St. Johns River crossing, but plans have been pushed back quite a bit:
http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&ie=UTF8&ll=30.181081,-81.515636&spn=0.020812,0.049438&z=15

Stubs and clearings for the Florida's Turnpike / Central Florida Greeneway interchange, which has been planned for, um, 20+ years and still doesn't appear to ever get built:
http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&ie=UTF8&ll=28.369614,-81.389744&spn=0.010592,0.024719&z=16

Yes, Florida 9B is still a long way off. Florida 9A converting to Interstate 295 will happen next year at least.

I wrote FDOT about that Greeneway/Turnpike interchange in 2007, and they replied that there is no funding at this time and funding will not be available anytime soon.

Yes, the interchange between the Greeneway and the Turnpike will not be built until at least 2017/2018.

[PAHighways]

I think the reason the tunnels were bypassed in the first place was because it was less expensive to build up the mountains than to expand the tunnels (they were only 1 lane each direction when first build so the PA turnpike would have to build a second tunnel at each spot in order to use them).

That is the exact reason the tunnels were bypassed.  It is cheaper to maintain a road than it is to have to maintain lighting and ventilation systems as well as the tunnel structure itself.  These reasons were also being used to push for bypassing the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel earlier this decade.

My Abandoned Turnpike Page

[PAHighways]

The number of stubs has slowly been disappearing in Pennsylvania with completion of the US 422 bypasses around Kittanning and Indiana, US 219 Bradford Bypass, and the former US 220 ends in Tyrone and Altoona to name a few.  Some that still remain:

PA 56 - New Kensington
Birmingham Bridge - Pittsburgh
Woodhaven Road - Philadelphia

[Revive 755]

I don't suppose the study for whether to keep or bypass all the tunnels is lying around the internet somewhere.  If it is so much cheaper, why not bypass the Blue Mountain and Kittatiny Mountain Tunnels by shifting the turnpike south towards PA 641?

Anyway, there seems to be a stub in Toronto on the Gardiner Expressway:
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=r87stk8cn2cy&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=28300636&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

[PAHighways]

I don't suppose the study for whether to keep or bypass all the tunnels is lying around the internet somewhere.  If it is so much cheaper, why not bypass the Blue Mountain and Kittatiny Mountain Tunnels by shifting the turnpike south towards PA 641?

I mention the plans for Allegheny Mountain on my Turnpike page, but they chose to realign the highway on the eastern portal approach and keep the tunnel.  The only places I can think of where the 1960s study would be is either the PTC headquarters, State Library, or State Archives.

[djracer201]

What surprises me is that the stub for I-795 in Jacksonville when your going north on 9A has lane ending signs merging you over instead of directly moving you to the thru lanes.

[Voyager]

Aren't there stub ramps for the planned freeway on the Richmond Parkway in CA?

[corco]

On US-30 between Rock River and Bosler Wyoming US-30/287 inexplicably widens into a 4-lane, interstate standard highway (except for one driveway).

Is this an aborted I-80 alignment?

[Voyager]

Naw, probably just extra funds...

[corco]

Whoever decided to build about 14 miles of beautiful freeway in the middle of absolute nowhere wasn't very smart then

[Voyager]

I think it happens often when DOT agencies have extra funds that they have to use.

[corco]

Interesting- I wasn't aware of that

[mightyace]

Or some politician wants a good road to his home/retreat/hunting cabin, etc. 

[John]

The temporary end of the George Herbert Walker Bush Turnpike near Dallas.

[Voyager]

CA-1 widens out to near freeway standards in Mendocino, CA. I was wondering if they were ever planning on doing something else with that.

[Revive 755]

More possible evidence for an unbuilt part of US 50 around Lebanon, IL:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.593395,-89.793191&spn=0.015429,0.043945&t=k&z=15
Some the ground looks like it had been bought for part of a curve - almost lines up with the other curve on US 50 - and a large diamond interchange at IL 4.

(EDIT:  Looking at the historic imagery in Google Earth, I appear to be wrong since the above features seems to be more recent.)

Another area that looks like it had an interchange planned:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.616367,-89.609942&spn=0.015425,0.043945&t=k&z=15

Another one at IL 127:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.62475,-89.37168&z=15&t=O

More possible ROW east of Lake Carlyle:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.62405,-89.26683&z=14&t=O

Another unbuilt diamond, this one east of I-57, and has a little more evidence from a topo map:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.65281,-88.63559&z=15&t=O
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.65281,-88.63559&z=15&t=O

Unused four lane section at US 45?
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.68074,-88.51283&z=16&t=O

Plenty of other sections east of US 45 where there appears to be ROW for a future set of lanes.

[Alps]

Whoever decided to build about 14 miles of beautiful freeway in the middle of absolute nowhere wasn't very smart then

It should be pointed out that it's not freeway.  There are at-grade intersections.  Though to be fair it's extremely rural with almost no population.

Could have been a safety issue.  Some of the most dangerous roads (like 666) are straight, flat, and in the country.

[akotchi]

When I worked on the 895 project in Virginia (I did signing and striping for the western segment -- Laburnum Ave. westward), I noticed that the geometry of the EB approach to the I-295 ramps at the eastern end suggested that the mainline was to continue at one time -- I thought perhaps to I-64.  (That would have been nice.)  I was told by Scott Kozel, though, that it was only for a local connector to Charles City Road.  Wonder why that did not come to pass.

P.S.  When I first got involved in the project (for conceptual design), the route on the documents was I-895.  Further into the design, the route changed to the current VA 895.

[TheStranger]

Sacramento area:

- tons of stuff around the I-80/Business 80 split, first off the portion of the realigned (but unfinished) I-80 path towards the center city (that would have replaced what is now Business 80 between midtown and North Highlands/Arcade), now used as right of way for the Sacramento Regional Transit light rail:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Winters+Street+%26+Grand+Ave,+95838&sll=38.635713,-121.407809&sspn=0.011968,0.019033&ie=UTF8&ll=38.636601,-121.406415&spn=0.011967,0.019033&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr

- Route 244's terminus at Auburn Boulevard, which shows some of the pavement that would have continued eastward towards Fair Oaks (paralleling Winding way) and then across the river to US 50:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Park+Rd+%26+Auburn+Blvd,+95841&sll=38.643288,-121.365881&sspn=0.011966,0.019033&g=Park+Rd+%26+Auburn+Blvd,+95821&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=16

Now, in the SF Bay Area...

- Slight extra width at the I-280/Army Street interchange, originally the point at which Route 87 (now unbuilt Route 230) would have met up with current I-280 after traversing the shoreline:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Evans+Ave+%26+Selby+St,+94124&sll=37.745964,-122.393832&sspn=0.012115,0.019033&g=Evans+Ave+%26+Selby+St,+94107&ie=UTF8&ll=37.746303,-122.394304&spn=0.012115,0.019033&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr

- Former north terminus (1991 to about 2002) for the Central Freeway, Fell Street & Laguna Street in San Francisco:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Fell+St+%26+Laguna+St,+San+Francisco,+CA&sll=37.775188,-122.424592&sspn=0.003027,0.004758&ie=UTF8&cd=1&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr - this was the point where the I-80 extension west to Golden Gate Park would have started

- Former right of way for US 101/Central Freeway from Fell Street to Golden Gate Avenue (this segment of freeway was demolished after the Loma Prieta Earthquake), now a diagonal line of parking lots northeast from Linden Street and Octavia Boulevard to Turk Street/Golden Gate Avenue:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Gough+St+%26+Grove+St,+San+Francisco,+CA&sll=37.777643,-122.422816&sspn=0.003027,0.004758&ie=UTF8&ll=37.777893,-122.423299&spn=0.003027,0.004758&t=h&z=18&iwloc=addr

- Route 380 west extension in San Bruno, never constructed (but exit numbers on existing I-380 segment reflect the unbuilt portion) -
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Cherry+Ave+%26+Bayhill+Dr,+San+Bruno,+CA&sll=37.628865,-122.427778&sspn=0.012134,0.019033&ie=UTF8&ll=37.627607,-122.425418&spn=0.012134,0.019033&t=h&z=16

- The wide-median portion of I-680 in Fremont, where a Route 238 freeway would have begun:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=43300+Sabercat+Rd,+Fremont,+CA&sll=37.524737,-121.942041&sspn=0.012151,0.019033&ie=UTF8&ll=37.522729,-121.947169&spn=0.024302,0.038066&t=h&z=15

[Marc]

Hmm, seems to be a good bit from Memphis. Well, the is one from that area that really makes me angry.

The brand new I-40 "Little Rock" flyover was never finished due to insufficient funds. So, there is a ghost ramp in it's place. It's been there for several years now. They did, thankfully, finish the much needed I-240 ramp to "Jackson Miss" but it dumps traffic out onto the left lanes of I-240 rather than the right!

[Marc]

TDOT split that interchange project into multiple phases.  Hence why you have the "ghost ramps".  The next phase hasn't started yet.

Well, one starts to wonder after four or five years of no construction

[Voyager]

Lots of it exists between Reno and Carson city along US 395.

[Sykotyk]

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=meadville,+pa&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=us&ei=UH2lScf5GKKBtwefvtDTBA&ll=41.673457,-80.16818&spn=0.01529,0.036521&t=h&z=15

US 6/US 19 in Meadville, PA.

The road has a right of way that continues north, but you're forced to 'exit' by way of jersey barriers to the right. Then make a left hand turn to continue. Southbound has a 'y' split, but lacks and evidence that the southbound side went any further north (other than the trees are cleared).

Quite an odd stretch of expressway. Was originally designed as a bypass of town.

Sykotyk

[SSOWorld]

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=h&lat=45.556692&lon=-89.670708&zoom=16

US 51 just north of US 8 in Oneida County, Wisconsin  You'll see the road stub for the northbound right-of-way.  The ROW continues northward another 5 miles (claimed, but not built)

[Voyager]

Now where were they planning on going with that?