What is the most substandard interstate?

[MNHighwayMan]

Then I nominate I-19. Due to metric signage which is most American and therefore substandard much better.

Fixed that for you.

[jwolfer]

Then I nominate I-19. Due to metric signage which is most American and therefore substandard much better.

Fixed that for you.

I like it!!  When i was in elementary schoolin the late 1970s we were learning metric to switch by 1980... Around the same time as Canada..

Metric makes more sense to me... But 35 degrees doesn't sound hot to me..

I can never remember how many ounces are in a quart? or a pint? or which is bigger teaspoon or tablespoon?

LGMS428

[cpzilliacus]

I-676 is pretty substandard if the PA and NJ sections are considered one interstate.  The section around Franklin Square uses surface streets.

As far as two-digit Interstates go, I also vote I-83.  Unfortunately my home state of Pennsylvania is an embarrassment here, and I-83 inside the Baltimore Beltway Baltimore City Limits is also not great.

Nexus 6P

FTFY. 

Aside from the short multiplex with I-695 (not great), I-83 in Baltimore County, Maryland is fine (and lots better than I-83 north of the state line).

[Eth]

To its credit, Georgia really has no candidates here that I can think of. The shoulders on I-516 are kinda narrow, I guess?

[SignGeek101]

We've talked about crappy roadways before, but only segments.  What interstate, as a whole, is the most substandard?

Reading comprehension is obviously not a thing on this forum, as I've seen plenty of responses similar to "I-9999 between Turkey Trot and Bean Blossom."

In my experience, I'd have to say I-83.

Then I nominate I-19. Due to metric signage which is very unamerican and therefore substandard.

Must have really low speed limits then! 

[hotdogPi]

I know I-180 has already been mentioned, but what about the Alaska and Puerto Rico Interstates?

[OCGuy81]

No mention of I-5 in Portland, OR??? Terrible stretch of freeway.

[ET21]

I-190 in IL, very tight. Some of the interchange merges need to be redone but space is a major issue with any improvement

[Bickendan]

No mention of I-5 in Portland, OR??? Terrible stretch of freeway.

Because we're talking about the entire route, not specific stretches.

[Tom958]

(3) This at PA-643;

Wow, that's a classic. Westbound, the offramp has this crazy-long decel lane, but the merger lane is all but nonexistent, apparently because they didn't want to make the PA 643 bridge a laneswidth longer. That's bad, but what's worse is that the original 1962 bridge was replaced in 2010 and still isn't long enough! 

[Flint1979]

(3) This at PA-643;

Wow, that's a classic. Westbound, the offramp has this crazy-long decel lane, but the merger lane is all but nonexistent, apparently because they didn't want to make the PA 643 bridge a laneswidth longer. That's bad, but what's worse is that the original 1962 bridge was replaced in 2010 and still isn't long enough! 

Looks like they could have had the WB on ramp coming off of Bark Road there.

[dcharlie]

I agree with I-180 in Wyoming.  I mean, really... It's got traffic lights.  Debate over...

[Roadgeekteen]

I-93 through the notch.

[Roadgeekteen]

I-93 through the notch.

The notch does not encompass ALL of I93, does it?
Also, you've made 7 posts in the last 10 minutes 

I have not posted in six days. Half the posts were welcoming new members.

[bing101]

I-780 mainly its a carryover when Solano County had a smaller population and the exit and entrance ramps are outdated plus it resembles CA-160 the Freeway section in Sacramento.


This had to be way before More people made Solano County the commuter county for both Sacramento and San Francisco.

[mgk920]

For 'substandardness', I would consider how the road compares with the basic engineering standards of the interstate system, not its immediate surface or structural conditions.  Thus, I would say, in no particular order (does not include narrow bridges or tunnels):

- I-180 (Wyoming) - no interchanges, only signalized intersections.
- I-70 (Pennsylvania) - signalized intersections and narrow median/short merge areas, including STOP sign protection on some.
- I-278 (NYC) - narrowness and tight interchange merges.
- I-78 (Jersey City, NJ) - signalized intersections.
- I-93 (Francona Notch S.P., NH) - two lane section.
- I-55 (Memphis, TN) - tight single-lane cloverleaf loop ramp to stay on highway (is being or will soon be fixed).
- I-80 (Delaware Water Gap, NJ) - westbound RIRO intersection.

Mike

[TEG24601]

I-5 in downtown Seattle has an awful design and left exits.  I could go for the lay-up with I-70 in Breezewood...might as well say it before it gets too obvious of a pick.

I have never understood the hate for left exits.  That being said there are numerous design deficiencies with I-5 throughout its whole length, including having too few lanes through Seattle; the bottlenecks at Marysville, Centralia/Chehalis, North Portland; the left entrance from SR-520 just 1/2 mile from the right exit to Mercer St (SB, the opposite NB); the drawbridges between Vancouver and Portland, and the horrible approach to it in Vancouver; the lack of proper merging lanes/run-up space at the south end of the Express Lanes in Seattle; the sharp turns and non-banked turns in LA.


I would also say that most urban freeways qualify as substandard, as they often rarely have much of an interior shoulder, and often have the exterior shoulder minimized.

[Flint1979]

I don't think left lane exits are that bad if your going from an Interstate to another Interstate but when they are just another exit I don't like them. The Detroit area has quite a few of them and some of them are being rebuilt to have right lane exits.

I never considered the Square Lake exit (exit 75) on I-75 as a bad exit, coming NB it had a left lane exit but that interchange is being rebuilt and will no longer have the left lane exit once it's finished. Coming NB though it breaks down to 55 mph but doesn't become a city street until about a mile past the exit.

The exit at US-23 and I-96 use to have a left lane entrance from SB 23 to EB 96 with a left lane exit. The exit is still a left lane exit but the entrance to 96 is now a right lane entrance.

[kkt]

What makes left lane entrances and exits bad is when they are close together with right lane entrances and exits on high volume freeways.  The whole freeway james up for people who are trying to merge across the whole freeway in time to make their exit.  A single left exit in the middle of nowhere with low traffic is no problem, but they tend to be built in urban areas where exits are closely spaced and traffic volumes are high.

[silverback1065]

What makes left lane entrances and exits bad is when they are close together with right lane entrances and exits on high volume freeways.  The whole freeway james up for people who are trying to merge across the whole freeway in time to make their exit.  A single left exit in the middle of nowhere with low traffic is no problem, but they tend to be built in urban areas where exits are closely spaced and traffic volumes are high.

exactly, and if a semi has to do that, it ruins everything, as they move slower and cause more slowdowns as a result

[Beltway]

I have never understood the hate for left exits. 

There was an NCDOT highway engineer that had conniption fits over left exits and entrances, on several online forums.

[AlexandriaVA]

I would also say that most urban freeways qualify as substandard, as they often rarely have much of an interior shoulder, and often have the exterior shoulder minimized.

The issue then is not the freeways, but the standard itself. Simply not enough room...don't see why urban freeways need to always be compared to rural wide-open freeways where land is abundant.

[The Nature Boy]

I have never understood the hate for left exits. 

There was an NCDOT highway engineer that had conniption fits over left exits and entrances, on several online forums.

I hate them because in the era before GPSes were widespread, you often didn't know that your exit was a left exit so you would have to cut across lanes in order to make your exit. If you're in an area that you're unfamiliar with, it can be a challenge.

[paulthemapguy]

Whichever Interstate spends the most time in Indiana and Illinois.  So I guess I-74? 

In terms of inability to handle traffic demand, it has to be I-290 in Illinois.  In terms of failure to meet Interstate standards, I'd go with I-93 and I-180 in WY.

[Beltway]

I have never understood the hate for left exits. 

There was an NCDOT highway engineer that had conniption fits over left exits and entrances, on several online forums.

I hate them because in the era before GPSes were widespread, you often didn't know that your exit was a left exit so you would have to cut across lanes in order to make your exit. If you're in an area that you're unfamiliar with, it can be a challenge.

If it is properly signed, then you will know a mile or two in advance.