Highways with bad reputations

[Alps]

Orange Blossom Trail from Taft-Vineland Road to Princeton Street in Orlando is dubbed "The Trail" cause of its roach motels, adult book stores, prostitutes walking down various areas, and the infamous Parliment House Resort that caters to the alternative life style.

I'm not seeing the causal relationship here. Is there a meaning of "trail" that I'm not familiar with?

Maybe snail trail?

[Mark68]

I-25 in southern Denver metro, pre-TREX. The freeway dipped to go underneath streets that remained at-grade, and had poor drainage, so every time it rained, there were low sections that were notorious for standing water.

[Alps]

Hard to tell, but the Alamagordo bypass on US 54/70 seems to be ever so slightly shorter than the old route through town. The ramp from US 70 EB may add just enough distance to negate the advantage, that's how close it is.

[DevalDragon]

I am amazed nobody has mentioned the northern part of I-65 between Indy and Gary, or I-95 between Richmond and Washington DC. The frequent backups, horrible drivers and frequent accidents give them a bad rep. And, like most other roads with these problems, there is no easy way around either one.

[tdindy88]

I am amazed nobody has mentioned the northern part of I-65 between Indy and Gary, or I-95 between Richmond and Washington DC. The frequent backups, horrible drivers and frequent accidents give them a bad rep. And, like most other roads with these problems, there is no easy way around either one.

I can't speak for the second one, but you can get around I-65 by taking US 52 and US 41, you just have to tolerate going through Lafayette and Northwest Indiana, but outside of that the driving is much calmer and roads emptier.

[realjd]

I am amazed nobody has mentioned the northern part of I-65 between Indy and Gary, or I-95 between Richmond and Washington DC. The frequent backups, horrible drivers and frequent accidents give them a bad rep. And, like most other roads with these problems, there is no easy way around either one.

I haven't driven between Lafayette and Gary very much, but I've been driving the stretch between Lafayette and Indy regularly for years and don't remember ever having problems.

[roadman65]

No it has its degrees.  Around the Citrus Bowl (hey I think the explosive experts made a mistake, they were supposed to set charges here and not the Amway) its the worst.  Nonetheless, it has a bad rap and is known as "The Trail."  By the way Ikea is not located there. You are thinking of Millenia which is nearby, but in a bad part of town also.

Yeah, my bad on Ikea. I was confusing the two malls. And the Mall at Millenia is also in a completely not bad part of town BTW. It's also in an area full of high end chain stores, restaurants, and expensive apartments. If you think millenia is ghetto, I imagine much of Orlando frightens you. And for what it's worth, I've been to many soccer games (Orlando Ciry SC) at the Citrus Bowl at night and never had any issues, and that's actually in a bad part of town. Olando has some shady places, but millennia and around the Florida Mall ain't them.

First of all, I have known two people who live or have lived on Americana Boulevard near Millenia Mall.  One has had her car stolen out of the parking lot of the apartment houses there that are not UPSCALE.  Then another friend of mine said the one of his friends was shot in one apartment complex along the same corridor.

Then you have the area on John Young nearby and Bruton Boulevard plus the apartments along Millenia Boulevard off Oak Ridge Road which may look like upscale, but not.  Maybe all not total ghetto (BTW I never said ghetto in the first place) only pointing out the bad rap the OBT has gotten over the decades and some things around the Millenia that have some issues.

[realjd]

No it has its degrees.  Around the Citrus Bowl (hey I think the explosive experts made a mistake, they were supposed to set charges here and not the Amway) its the worst.  Nonetheless, it has a bad rap and is known as "The Trail."  By the way Ikea is not located there. You are thinking of Millenia which is nearby, but in a bad part of town also.

Yeah, my bad on Ikea. I was confusing the two malls. And the Mall at Millenia is also in a completely not bad part of town BTW. It's also in an area full of high end chain stores, restaurants, and expensive apartments. If you think millenia is ghetto, I imagine much of Orlando frightens you. And for what it's worth, I've been to many soccer games (Orlando Ciry SC) at the Citrus Bowl at night and never had any issues, and that's actually in a bad part of town. Olando has some shady places, but millennia and around the Florida Mall ain't them.

First of all, I have known two people who live or have lived on Americana Boulevard near Millenia Mall.  One has had her car stolen out of the parking lot of the apartment houses there that are not UPSCALE.  Then another friend of mine said the one of his friends was shot in one apartment complex along the same corridor.

Then you have the area on John Young nearby and Bruton Boulevard plus the apartments along Millenia Boulevard off Oak Ridge Road which may look like upscale, but not.  Maybe all not total ghetto (BTW I never said ghetto in the first place) only pointing out the bad rap the OBT has gotten over the decades and some things around the Millenia that have some issues.

Fair point. OBT does have a bad reputation, and I misunderstood what you meant by "bad part of town". East of JYP, the area near Millenia does get a bit sketchy (as does OBT), but it isn't avoid-driving-through-at-night bad. I took "bad part of town" to mean something more like Pine Hills or Parramore which is why I was surprised at your characterization.

As for the apartments along Millenia Blvd, I'm not convinced there are true "upscale" apartments anywhere. Even the nice ones I've lived in had some weird folks living there. Apartments by their nature attract a more transient population and all of the problems that comes along with it. They aren't Section 8 rentals though, are they? At least here in Melbourne, the Section 8 apartments tend to be crime magnets, even in the nice parts of town.

[formulanone]

As for the apartments along Millenia Blvd, I'm not convinced there are true "upscale" apartments anywhere. Even the nice ones I've lived in had some weird folks living there. Apartments by their nature attract a more transient population and all of the problems that comes along with it.

Yeah, that's been my experience (as well as second-hand experience); I've known college students to rent out a very nice and posh place, just to say they lived there. Put 8 students in a 4-bedroom apartment going for $1600 a month with all the trappings (this was 1995 or so), and you've got one hell of a place to party, but a terrible place to crash. (I'm sure the other tenants hated them, and celebrated when they left the following year.) To be fair, three of them worked in the New Urban shopping plaza that stretched out below their apartment, so they had a good reason to stay there, since not all of them had any transportation.

My wife and I put our money together to get out of the apartment life, but even owning a house still has a very real chance of having a whack-a-doo neighbor who never mows his lawn, or another that burns trash for no earthly reason, sets off fireworks at 3am, you name it.

[Kein Mitleid]

WV 10 (and former WV 10 in some parts) between West Hamlin and Man, WV.

It has narrow lanes, blind curves, blind hills, and if you're driving right beside the mountain, there are jagged rocks just a few inches from the roadway. There's been countless deaths on this road, and I could've sworn there was a memorial built for all the victims of car crashes on it, but that could've just been misinformation or hearsay.

Parts in Logan County are currently being replaced with an ADHS-grade road, with bridges sweeping across whole valleys, probably a few hundred feet high, going over entire towns. I took a drive on it once and I was amazed by the bridges and the sights that could be seen from them.

Old WV 10 between Man and Logan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCcK58jVWiE

[nwi_navigator_1181]

I am amazed nobody has mentioned the northern part of I-65 between Indy and Gary, or I-95 between Richmond and Washington DC. The frequent backups, horrible drivers and frequent accidents give them a bad rep. And, like most other roads with these problems, there is no easy way around either one.

While I don't see the frequent backups, I completely understand your reasoning. The section between I-865 and U.S. 52 was (is?) notorious for heavy congestion, but they are working on the section between the Lebanon exit and U.S. 52 by widening the highway. The section between Exits 138 and 129 was completed in 2010. Where I live, I attribute the congestion between U.S. 30 and I-80/94 more to drivers who don't seem to understand that the left lane is not for leisurely cruises.

Now, if you want to talk about bad reputations, look no further than Indiana 912 (Cline Avenue). Very narrow shoulders (especially the inner shoulder), ramps that equate to actual right hand turns, slip ramps where access can be (and often is) blocked by trains, and HEAVY congestion from incoming and outgoing steel mill traffic (the road is only two lanes in each direction). I didn't even mention the now-condemned bridge over the Indiana Harbor, which may be converted into a toll bridge in the near future. (Worse, that bridge collapsed during construction in 1982, killing 15 workers.)

This is my first post after lurking for a few days. I like what I see here and hope to enjoy the ride!

[ftballfan]

I am amazed nobody has mentioned the northern part of I-65 between Indy and Gary, or I-95 between Richmond and Washington DC. The frequent backups, horrible drivers and frequent accidents give them a bad rep. And, like most other roads with these problems, there is no easy way around either one.

While I don't see the frequent backups, I completely understand your reasoning. The section between I-865 and U.S. 52 was (is?) notorious for heavy congestion, but they are working on the section between the Lebanon exit and U.S. 52 by widening the highway. The section between Exits 132 and 129 was completed in 2010. Where I live, I attribute the congestion between U.S. 30 and I-80/94 more to drivers who don't seem to understand that the left lane is not for leisurely cruises.

Now, if you want to talk about bad reputations, look no further than Indiana 912 (Cline Avenue). Very narrow shoulders (especially the inner shoulder), ramps that equate to actual right hand turns, slip ramps where access can be (and often is) blocked by trains, and HEAVY congestion from incoming and outgoing steel mill traffic (the road is only two lanes in each direction). I didn't even mention the now-condemned bridge over the Indiana Harbor, which may be converted into a toll bridge in the near future. (Worse, that bridge collapsed during construction in 1982, killing 15 workers.)

This is my first post after lurking for a few days. I like what I see here and hope to enjoy the ride!

Throw in the fact that Cline Ave goes through shady neighborhoods.

[ftballfan]

WV 10 (and former WV 10 in some parts) between West Hamlin and Man, WV.

It has narrow lanes, blind curves, blind hills, and if you're driving right beside the mountain, there are jagged rocks just a few inches from the roadway. There's been countless deaths on this road, and I could've sworn there was a memorial built for all the victims of car crashes on it, but that could've just been misinformation or hearsay.

Parts in Logan County are currently being replaced with an ADHS-grade road, with bridges sweeping across whole valleys, probably a few hundred feet high, going over entire towns. I took a drive on it once and I was amazed by the bridges and the sights that could be seen from them.

Old WV 10 between Man and Logan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCcK58jVWiE

What is now marked as Taplin Rd on Google Maps? From Google Street View, it looks hairy in some places. https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=37.761758,-81.891489&spn=0.000068,0.0421&t=h&z=15&layer=c&cbll=37.761766,-81.899673&panoid=nljzTNY0jaQy6xpyY_agEw&cbp=12,129.19,,0,9.58

[ftballfan]

Division Ave (old US-131) through Grand Rapids because it goes through shady neighborhoods. Same thing with parts of Chicago Dr (old M-21/BS-196) through the Godfrey-Lee area. M-11 (both 28th St and Wilson Ave portions) have bad reputations due to traffic (especially with Wilson being TWO LANES despite the growth through Walker).

[mjb2002]

I am surprised that this one was not mentioned:

GA 56, both the original and Spur, in Augusta-Richmond County.

A female newsanchor who recently left WRDW called it the Dieway, due to the high number of fatal accidents on both MIKE PADGETT HY and DOUG BERNARD PKWY.

While most of it has to do with the highway, quite a bit of it also has to do with people ignoring signs, traffic lights and turn lanes, or texting/eating/drinking while driving.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

Throw in the fact that Cline Ave goes through shady neighborhoods.

Without a doubt. Now, there are exits to decent areas, such as 169th Street (NOT 15th Avenue) and U.S. 12 (Columbus Drive). Otherwise, I'd only use Cline as a quick shortcut to Chicago...before the Indiana Harbor bridge was condemned. Now, you must be cautious. 

Indiana 49 (between U.S. 30 and the Toll Road) is known to have some flak, as well. There's a set of hard banking curves just south of the U.S. 6 interchange, and I remember reading an article where a trucker died for under-correcting one of those curves and crashing off-road. The at-grade intersections further south have had their fair share of fatal accidents, and then there's Vale Park Road (County Road 400 N).

When it was a lighted intersection, it was a statistical nightmare. I just read today that in 2 years (2008-2010), that intersection saw 103 vehicles involved in 54 accidents, resulting in 24 injuries and 2 deaths. After using staggered lights (all red for all directions for 5 seconds or more) and flashing lights to warn drivers of the impending signal - with failed results, they started work this month to turn it into a full-fledged diamond-roundabout interchange.

I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to make the stretch between U.S. 6 and U.S. 30 all freeway in a few years from now.

[gotwins76]

Two in the Central PA area that haven't been mentioned:

-US 22-322 through the Lewistown narrows- most of this has been upgraded now, but I traveled this a lot as a child, and I remember it seemed there were roadside crosses everywhere, and I remember it being fairly infamous.
-I-83 over Reeser's Summit in Northern York county and the I-83/PA-581 interchange are also known as being dangerous, although really I-83 anywhere in the Harrisburg area is horrendous.

[Kein Mitleid]

WV 10 (and former WV 10 in some parts) between West Hamlin and Man, WV.

It has narrow lanes, blind curves, blind hills, and if you're driving right beside the mountain, there are jagged rocks just a few inches from the roadway. There's been countless deaths on this road, and I could've sworn there was a memorial built for all the victims of car crashes on it, but that could've just been misinformation or hearsay.

Parts in Logan County are currently being replaced with an ADHS-grade road, with bridges sweeping across whole valleys, probably a few hundred feet high, going over entire towns. I took a drive on it once and I was amazed by the bridges and the sights that could be seen from them.

Old WV 10 between Man and Logan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCcK58jVWiE

What is now marked as Taplin Rd on Google Maps? From Google Street View, it looks hairy in some places. https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=37.761758,-81.891489&spn=0.000068,0.0421&t=h&z=15&layer=c&cbll=37.761766,-81.899673&panoid=nljzTNY0jaQy6xpyY_agEw&cbp=12,129.19,,0,9.58

Precisely.

[roadman65]

I have heard that Route 287 (I-287) in New Jersey is known for being a heavily used truck corridor.  In North Jersey many residents driving autos would complain about it for being that.

I used to live in New Jersey, and many people hated trucks then.  Hence the truck ban on the Garden State Parkway north of Exit 105, the dual carriageways of the NJ Turnpike restricting trucks to the outer two lanes as even in their own roadway there is a left lane ban for them, and last and not least the statewide truck prohibition on all highways with three or more lanes in the left lane. 

[signalman]

I used to live in New Jersey, and many people hated trucks then.  Hence the truck ban on the Garden State Parkway north of Exit 105 

To be fair, trucks aren't allowed north of Exit 105 due to narrower lanes (11 feet instead of 12) and the low aesthetically pleasing overpasses.

[deathtopumpkins]

I used to live in New Jersey, and many people hated trucks then.  Hence the truck ban on the Garden State Parkway north of Exit 105, the dual carriageways of the NJ Turnpike restricting trucks to the outer two lanes as even in their own roadway there is a left lane ban for them, and last and not least the statewide truck prohibition on all highways with three or more lanes in the left lane.

All of these things are common practices that are far from limited to New Jersey.
Generally any 'parkway' in any state is not open to trucks, be it in Virginia (Colonial Parkway), New York (almost all of the state parkways), Connecticut (Merritt Parkway), etc.
There aren't really enough dual carriageway setups to use them as an example, but California's Truck Bypasses are the same idea.
Many states ban trucks from the left lane when there are more than 2 lanes - especially all the New England states. It helps keep traffic moving.

[cpzilliacus]

I am amazed nobody has mentioned the northern part of I-65 between Indy and Gary, or I-95 between Richmond and Washington DC. The frequent backups, horrible drivers and frequent accidents give them a bad rep. And, like most other roads with these problems, there is no easy way around either one.

I-95 is bad in that stretch because it has effectively become a funnel for traffic between the Washington and Richmond metropolitan areas, especially on holiday weekends (bad southbound on the "getaway" day, bad northbound on the "return" day). 

Note that there are usually no holiday/weekend backups on I-95 south of the I-95/I-295 interchange in Henrico County, Va. because traffic "spreads out"  to I-295, I-64 and even I-85 south of there.

I also believe that southbound backups have gotten worse on "getaway" days because the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project is (mostly) complete and the Springfield Interchange is (mostly) complete, and these no longer function as "ramp meters" for southbound traffic.

[kphoger]

Generally any 'parkway' in any state is not open to trucks, be it in Virginia (Colonial Parkway), New York (almost all of the state parkways), Connecticut (Merritt Parkway), etc.

Kentucky ( . . . oh, wait. 

[kharvey10]

I-270 in North St. Louis County.  Some of the locals refer it as "the Valley of Death" due to high accident rate (that MoDOT wants to fix), functionally obsolete interchanges, westbound exits dumping you onto a road that was once US 66, and the rolling hills that go from river to I-70.  The truck traffic percentage is no less than 20% for that entire mainline, and it has a very poor safety rating for both the mainline and interchanges, and portions of it functions at LOS F during peak periods.  Just for good measure this section has seen two different videos go viral on youtube, one involving a cop arresting a firefighter just doing a job, and another with a stunt rider doing an infamous facebook post.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

The Borman Expressway (I-80/94) is starting to get a bad rep. Bad luck with construction (the about-to-be-replaced Martin Luther King Bridge along with strike-related delays) and nature (the infamous flood of 2008, which they have since addressed) aside, the worst came within the last few days.

Two nasty accidents - one fatal - took place in as many weeks; the first accident happened westbound between Indiana 51 and I-65, and the second happened eastbound near the Cline Avenue exit 10 days later. Both accidents required medical helicopters to enter to scene to relocate the injured, causing massive delays and full-blown shutdowns. Worse, both investigations reveal that alcohol was a factor. Besides that, I hear many complaints about the numerous amount of reckless drivers who fly by at high speeds in the recently-expanded corridor, and I see that myself.

It just goes to show: highways can improve, but it amounts to nothing when the drivers can't.