Highway Oddities

[Alex]

I have a Triborough Bridge Authority map in storage (at Andy's?) that shows several of the unconstructed expressways in NYC. Interstate 78 was to follow the Lower Manhattan Expressway to the Williamsburg Bridge and then southeastward along the Bushwick Expressway to the Nassau Expressway. There are remnants of the expressway concept along Conduit Avenue From the Nassau, Interstate 78 was to turn northward along the unconstructed portion of the Clearview Expressway to the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Interstate 295/695 split (which was originally the Interstate 78/78 Spur split).

Interstate 478 existed as three concepts, one in its current form along the Battery Tunnel. A second was to follow the Manhattan Bridge between the Lower Manhattan Expressway and Interstate 275 (BQE). The third was heading northward along the now defunct West Side Highway (perhaps to Interstate 95?).

Interstate 278 was to take a different path in the Bronx than it does today. Current I-278 ends at the Bruckner Interchange along what was originally a stretch of Interstate 878. Interstate 278 was to follow what is now Interstate 895 (Sheridan Expressway) north to Interstate 95 and northeast along an unconstructed segment to Interstate 95 at one of its Hutchinson River Parkway interchanges.

Interstate 878 was moved to New York 878 after Interstate 78 was officially decommissioned in Queens and made an unsigned Interstate (the shortest of them all). The Nassau was only built in the eastbound direction between Conduit Avenue and Interstate 678 btw.

Interstate 678 was signed in the 1970s in its current form. There was a previous planned version along the unconstructed Astoria Expressway that included a section of the GCP.

I've done a lot of research on NYC Interstates and have a bunch more photos to add. Much of my information comes from Steve Anderson's super detailed nycroads.com.

[deathtopumpkins]

was 78 supposed to be extended?  495 was supposed to go under Manhattan.  Here is an optimistic trailblazer on the west side of the island!

Hmm... yeah, I see it in google earth. I-495 comes from the east through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, directly across Manhattan from the Lincoln Tunnel, which is signed as NJ-495. Were there originally plans to build an freeway across Manhattan?

I have a Triborough Bridge Authority map in storage (at Andy's?) that shows several of the unconstructed expressways in NYC. Interstate 78 was to follow the Lower Manhattan Expressway to the Williamsburg Bridge and then southeastward along the Bushwick Expressway to the Nassau Expressway. There are remnants of the expressway concept along Conduit Avenue From the Nassau, Interstate 78 was to turn northward along the unconstructed portion of the Clearview Expressway to the Throgs Neck Bridge and the Interstate 295/695 split (which was originally the Interstate 78/78 Spur split).

Hmm... Lower Manhattan Expressway? Was that another planned one across Manhattan? I-78's Holland Tunnel reaches Manhattan directly across from the Williamsburg Bridge.

[Alex]

Hmm... yeah, I see it in google earth. I-495 comes from the east through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, directly across Manhattan from the Lincoln Tunnel, which is signed as NJ-495. Were there originally plans to build an freeway across Manhattan?

Yes, Interstate 495 was to travel the unconstructed Mid-Manhattan Expressway between the Lincoln and Queens-Midtown Tunnel. There may still be an Interstate 495 sign on the New Jersey stretch of freeway leading east from the NJ Turnpike. Here's a photo of it from 2000:

Hmm... Lower Manhattan Expressway? Was that another planned one across Manhattan? I-78's Holland Tunnel reaches Manhattan directly across from the Williamsburg Bridge.

Lower-Manhattan Expressway would have joined the Holland Tunnel with the Williamsburg Bridge.

[agentsteel53]

don't recall seeing that I-495 green sign. 

what's the half cut off US shield?  Is it the 1/9 pair with buttons?

[Alex]

U.S. 1 & 9, which I took back in 2000 in an effort to turn around. To see that sign you have to take the NJ Turnpike exit; its not on the New Jersey 3 freeway.

[deathtopumpkins]

Now that sign shows 495 as a state route, at least on street view. That's where I saw that it was signed as NJ-495.

[Alex]

Now that sign shows 495 as a state route, at least on street view. That's where I saw that it was signed as NJ-495.

Are you sure its in street view? I went to look and they did not show that area of freeway covered.

[deathtopumpkins]

You in Google Earth of Maps? That might be the difference... Nah, same in both. OK, I looked again and it was actually on NJ-3 right here.

[Alex]

Right that is not the same sign bridge, the sign bridge is on the connecting ramp from the NJ Turnpike east, which is the NJ-495 mainline, at its partition with the ramp to NJ-3 southbound.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qswn518twgdz&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=23720454&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

[deathtopumpkins]

Ahhhh... And so it is.

[Scott5114]

Just remembered. OK 63A has three termini. And OK 77S has four.

Thank goodness we don't devote separate articles to the Oklahoma lettered spur routes on Wikipedia. Expressing that in an infobox would be a nightmare.

[agentsteel53]

I-710 in Long Beach has three southern termini.  It then has a northern terminus at Valley Blvd, and two termini in Pasadena (as unsigned CA-710).  They never quite finished the section in between, but a bunch of the northbound southern segment has Pasadena as its control city.

[Alex]

The houses that sit empty with Caltrans "No Trespassing" signs within the unconstructed I-710 right of way are what's creepy. The rest of it is just an overly tagged with graffiti, industrialized freeway.

[deathtopumpkins]

They kicked people out of their houses with eminent domain and then didn't build the highway?  Caltrans is starting to sound a bit like VDOT here...

[akotchi]

I have a couple thoughts for this thread.

The state of Arizona uses an odd mileposting system where a new route starts with the milepost of the route from which it starts, such that AZ 67 (leading to the north rim of the Grand Canyon) starts in the 400's, when the road is only about 30 miles long.  (I don't remember specifics, because it was 7 years ago that I was there.)  Does anyone know why they use this system rather than starting at 0?

Along U.S. 1 in Lawrenceville, NJ, the southbound approach to the highway loop around Trenton provides an unusual situation.  At this interchange, both I-295 and I-95 end (the latter temporarily).  So, the signing for the soouthbound approach leads one direction to I-95 SOUTH, the other direction to I-295 SOUTH, and through to U.S. 1 SOUTH.  (I'll try to get a picture or two, since this has been reconfigured recently.)  Almost feels like you are on the north pole, because all roads lead south.  Are there other places where this phenomenon occurs?

[Voyager]

I-81 and I-77 are both cosigned, but they're both going the opposite direction.

[Alex]

The mileage based exits for Interstate 17 in Arizona are explained on the Interstate 17 page of Rocky Mountain Roads:

The mileposts on Interstate 17 begin at Milepost 194. Interstate 17's mileposts came from Arizona 69, which began at mile 201 of U.S. 89 originally (where the Grand Avenue overpass of Interstate 17 is today). Since Interstate 19's mileposts also correspond to U.S. 89, it has led to some speculation that Interstate 17 and 19 were supposed to be one freeway, which has never been in state highway system plans.

[Voyager]

That is one of the most confusing explanations ever.

[Alex]

Along U.S. 1 in Lawrenceville, NJ, the southbound approach to the highway loop around Trenton provides an unusual situation.  At this interchange, both I-295 and I-95 end (the latter temporarily).  So, the signing for the soouthbound approach leads one direction to I-95 SOUTH, the other direction to I-295 SOUTH, and through to U.S. 1 SOUTH.  (I'll try to get a picture or two, since this has been reconfigured recently.)  Almost feels like you are on the north pole, because all roads lead south.  Are there other places where this phenomenon occurs?

And Interstate 95 was extended east to U.S. 1 in the early 1990s from its end at nearby U.S. 206. This was done after they realized that unconstructed Interstate 95 between Trenton and New Brunswick would never come to fruition.

[Alex]

That is one of the most confusing explanations ever.

Read the whole page, it helps.

[akotchi]

Along U.S. 1 in Lawrenceville, NJ, the southbound approach to the highway loop around Trenton provides an unusual situation.  At this interchange, both I-295 and I-95 end (the latter temporarily).  So, the signing for the soouthbound approach leads one direction to I-95 SOUTH, the other direction to I-295 SOUTH, and through to U.S. 1 SOUTH.  (I'll try to get a picture or two, since this has been reconfigured recently.)  Almost feels like you are on the north pole, because all roads lead south.  Are there other places where this phenomenon occurs?

And Interstate 95 was extended east to U.S. 1 in the early 1990s from its end at nearby U.S. 206. This was done after they realized that unconstructed Interstate 95 between Trenton and New Brunswick would never come to fruition.

It was about 1993 when the extension occurred.  I-95 ended and I-295 began between the NJ 31 and Federal City Road exits (a bit west of U.S. 206).  There is a widening median between the two exits where the I-95 mainlines were to turn north.  A third lane was added in each direction between the exits in the mid-1990's to make the roadway a continuous freeway.

[Voyager]

Where does US 101 begin and I-80 end on the skyway?

[agentsteel53]

I had always thought I-80 starts at the split that is just north of 17th street.  I don't know for sure; I figure one can dead-reckon from the postmiles on I-80 ... it starts one mile away from the 1.00 postmile, or two from the 2.00, or wherever from whichever one is available.

[mightyace]

I-81 and I-77 are both cosigned, but they're both going the opposite direction.

I've seen a number of cosigned routes with opposite directions on the reassurance signs.

In my home town of Bloomsburg, PA; US 11 and PA 487 duplex for a few blocks but have opposite directions on the signs.  Going one way, (compass NNW) it's US 11 South, PA 487 North.  Naturally, the other way (compass SSE) is US 11 North and PA 487 South.

In Berwick, PA you have:
compass ENE: US 11 north and PA 93 South
compass WSW: US 11 South and PA 93 North

In W. Nanticoke, PA, US 11 does it again for a couple of miles:
compass East: US 11 North and PA 29 South
compass West: US 11 South and PA 29 North

Going the other way, there is another short couple block stretch in Northumberland, PA where US 11 (yet again!) and PA 147 do the opposite direction dance.

In all, four "wrong way" duplexes in a 56 mile stretch of highway!

In Williamsport, PA there's a couple mile stretch of I-180 that is cosigned with US 15 and US 220.  The highway and I-180 run east/west, but the reassurance signs are as follows:
I-180 West, US 15 North, US 220 South
I-180 East, US 15 South, US 220 North

BTW The west end of this stretch is where future I-99 will go from US 220 to US 15.

My holy grail were is to find a reassurance sign assembly with all four cardinal directions! 

[PAHighways]

US 119 and PA 36 in downtown Punxsautawney is a "wrong way" multiplex:  US 119 North/PA 36 South and vice-versa.