Bad interchanges

[Mr_Northside]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Breezewood.

Also, in PA, I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned the "South Junction" of I-70 & I-79, with all of it's issues.  Though, apparently, work should begin on redoing it in a couple of months.

[ToledoRoadgeek]

494's backups are largely due to other interchanges and factors.  The 35W interchange is a contributing factor, but by far is *NOT* the primary factor.
[/quote]

You probably have a better feel for that than I do.  I'm just going based on my (limited) experience driving through this corridor.  It always seems to choke up a couple miles before the interchange and free up a few miles after.  You're right though, that whole stretch is problematic.  I saw a few aerials of the proposed improvements on MnDOT's website, looks pretty elaborate.  Given the current economy and condition of state budgets, it will probably be a while before it's completed in it's entirety.

[wandering drive]

494 backs up for miles in either direction largely because of this interchange.

494's backups are largely due to other interchanges and factors.  The 35W interchange is a contributing factor, but by far is *NOT* the primary factor.

I think you're right, but TRG does have a point.  The primary culprit is 494 WB to I-35W SB, which for a while was part of an alternate route (and occasional detour) to avoid the MN-62/I-35W commons while it was being reconstructed.  Even though there's not as much traffic making that exit it has since been completed, the window to merge in and out is very small and so there can be a lot of deceleration in the through lanes.  It's still a scary exit to make.

[hbelkins]

How about in Wayne, NJ where I-80 EB has no movements to NJ 23! You have to exit 5 miles sooner and use US 46 to make the connection!

That whole interchange is screwed up. And I can say that having just used it earlier this month.

Also, in PA, I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned the "South Junction" of I-70 & I-79, with all of it's issues.  Though, apparently, work should begin on redoing it in a couple of months.

"All of its issues?" It's just a standard trumpet with a tight curve.

[agentsteel53]

speaking of bad interchanges due to the absence of connecting ramps... I-95 and the Penna Turnpike is the canonical example.

[aridawn]

The 401/427 interchange in Toronto is horrific. 18 lanes on Highway 401 converge to just 8, plus there's left-hand exiting, sharp turns, etc.

The behemoth of an interchange was overbuilt in preparation for another freeway to connect at this junction, but it never got built.

Hwy 403 was to meet at this interchange but was scrapped by the NIMBY effect, instead they built two freeways into one at the JCT of hwy 401, 410, and 403. Creating the E/C system west, to this interchange with only a half transfer from Collector to Express going west, and a 'basket weave' going east. 403 was originally planed to follow East Gate parkway then follow as transmission tower line to this interchange

[roadman65]

How about the current I-80 and I-99 interchange near Milesburg, PA?  It has no freeway to freeway connection and just south of I-80, I-99 drops to a surface arterial.  If I-99 is to be duplexed with I-80 it cannot be on a non freeway type of road.   I know we are talking about the same Commonwealth that allows a traffic light and surface arterial on I-70, so I guess why not in the eyes of PennDOT.

[SidS1045]

The I-90/I-95/MA-128/MA-30 interchange mess in Weston & Newton MA.  Add the long C/D road on 95/128 NB and the access to/from Recreation Rd and it can be a massive bottleneck, especially where the ramp from 90 to 95/128 NB merges from 3 lanes to 1. (2 lanes from 90 and one on the C/D road which is still handling traffic from the Grove St. interchange to the south.

That's by far not the worst feature of that interchange.  Coming off I-90 westbound at exit 15 and going onto I-95/MA-128, there is a scary dangerous merge, with traffic on the ramp from I-90 required to yield to traffic coming from behind on the left (from I-90 east) and moving to the ramp to 95/128 south, all within less than 100 feet.  Traffic moving from I-90 west to 95/128 north must move immediately to the left after the merge in that same tiny space.  There are tons of crashes at this point, mostly because the concept of "Yield" is so foreign to Massachusetts drivers.

both I-93/I-95 interchanges

There's nothing wrong design-wise with the one on the South Shore (where MA-128 ends/begins) and there are very few crashes there.  The one on the North Shore, which is about a mile and a half from my house, is a cloverleaf (read: at least one crash a week) and a sterling example of the lack of foresight by Massachusetts highway designers which we see over and over again.  They've been trying to fix it for years by a re-design with single off-ramps in each direction and flyovers, but even the least costly fix would involve removing about a dozen homes and a few businesses, and property costs being what they are these days the condemnation costs alone raise the possibility that this problem will never be solved.

[hbelkins]

How about the current I-80 and I-99 interchange near Milesburg, PA?  It has no freeway to freeway connection and just south of I-80, I-99 drops to a surface arterial.  If I-99 is to be duplexed with I-80 it cannot be on a non freeway type of road.   I know we are talking about the same Commonwealth that allows a traffic light and surface arterial on I-70, so I guess why not in the eyes of PennDOT.

Isn't some sort of preliminary work underway to make this a full freeway-to-freeway interchange?

[Greybear]

How's this for a bad interchange: the Dallas Mixmaster, junction of I-30 and I-35E

[huskeroadgeek]

* Any interchange where a mainline interstate uses a loop ramp.

How about two.  The Big X near Moline, Illinois has both I-80 and I-74 go through loops. 

For that exact reason, I choose my route around the Quad Cities based on whether I am going to/coming from I-74 or I-80. If I am going to/from I-80, I use I-280, if I am going to/from I-74, I use I-80.

[Chris]

Nothing beats Japan in terms of compressed interchanges. The speed limit is often only 25 or 40 mph on such interchanges.

[ftballfan]

This is also in Michigan and also on I-96, but it's not as bad as the other two I posted on the first post. This is where I-96, US-131, and M-37 meet north of Grand Rapids.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=43.018203,-85.673146&spn=0.01277,0.039783&t=k&z=15

[roadman65]

How about the Conroy Road Interchange in Orlando, FL on I-4?  It has a cloverleaf ramp from EB Conroy to EB I-4, but a left turn ramp from WB Conroy to WB I-4 using a left turn signal.  There is less traffic going EB to EB then WB to WB and top it off there is a mall to the east on Conroy where (guess what) most people leaving it go to (uh I-4).  

Also another thing to add, the moron who designed the Conroy overpass for the interchange with I-4 installed big ugly spires on all four corners of the bridge!   They are just plain ugly and a waste of tax dollars!  Just google the interchange and check out the street view to see it!

Then the WB ramp onto I-4 merges into a lane that ends at the Florida Turnpike.  During rush hour there is a back up on the Conroy ramp because so many cars need to exit I-4 WB onto the Turnpike and you have the vehicles entering I-4 clashing with those exiting I-4.  It was not well planned at all.

[hobsini2]

It's bad for transponder people too: if you're getting off/on at that exit, you have to pay cash!

WTF!?!  I-Pass (and therefore EZ-Pass) is accepted in all toll lanes at all ISTHA toll plazas.  If you only use cash, you need to go through the manual lanes at the mainline plazas and cannot exit at Eola Rd on I-88.

Maybe ISTHA handles it better than NYSTA, but on the Thruway, if you use EZ-Pass in a cash lane it isn't automatically handled - the booth operator has to push a button saying you can go, and you have to come to a complete stop.  There was even a post on MTR a while ago where a person did that entering at exit 23 and the toll booth was unattended - the person from the adjacent booth would walk over and hand out tickets to people in that lane.  Needless to say, rather than pushing the button to handle EZ-Pass, the person simply handed the driver an exit 23 ticket.  That driver had to use the cash lanes at Woodbury rather than the high speed lanes because of this.

Since I live in the Chicago area and my brother lives in Brooklyn, i was pleasantly surprised 5 years ago when i drove out there that mym I-Pass worked on the ez-pass system.  At the time, Ohio and Indiana hadn't incorparated the electronic tolls but both state now have them. If i really wanted to, i could drive from here to Augusta ME or Norfolk VA using one transponder.  It would be nice if Kansas and Oklahoma would also have the "exchange" program for my storm chasing.

[Alps]

I-495/I-678 - so, about the east half of the interchange?

[roadman65]

I-83 and US 322 with I-283 in Harrisburg, PA.  Too many single lanes for movements and including straight through on I-83.

[D-Dey65]

I mentioned this on this thread;
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3015.msg98884#msg98884

But Northbound I-95 between the South Carolina Welcome Center and Exit 5 needs to be rebuilt.

[Henry]

Charlotte has a very bad interchange, I-77's Exit 11 (I-277/NC 16). Too many left-hand entrances and exits there.