Non-freeways that feel like freeways

[Bryant5493]

Also, I'd like to add that Freedom Parkway (Georgia State Route 10) feels like a freeway, as it's built to freeway standards in certain section. Freedom Parkway starts at I-75/85 and ends at Ponce de Leon Avenue (U.S. 78/278/S.R. 8 ).


Be well,

Bryant

[TheStranger]

Also, I'd like to add that Freedom Parkway (Georgia State Route 10) feels like a freeway, as it's built to freeway standards in certain section. Freedom Parkway starts at I-75/85 and ends at Ponce de Leon Avenue (U.S. 78/278/S.R. 8).

If I'm not mistaken, that was originally constructed as part of a canceled I-485.

[Bryant5493]

Also, I'd like to add that Freedom Parkway (Georgia State Route 10) feels like a freeway, as it's built to freeway standards in certain section. Freedom Parkway starts at I-75/85 and ends at Ponce de Leon Avenue (U.S. 78/278/S.R. 8).

If I'm not mistaken, that was originally constructed as part of a canceled I-485.

Correct you are.


Be well,

Bryant

[Stephane Dumas]

PQ-117 from Ste-Agathe-des-Monts (northern terminus of A-15) to Labelle, 2 traffic lights south of St-Jovite but there some plans to upgrade it into a freeway. A short section of the St-Jovite bypass is freeway grade.

PQ-175 in the Laurentides Park is upgraded to a 4-lanes divided highway, the only interesections are for PQ-169, at L'Étape rest area and forest roads.

[Riverside Frwy]

Had some friends in town from Portland, OR recently and was dropping them and their kids off at Disneyland.

Driving down S. Harbor Blvd in Anaheim generated the comment "Geez! Your boulevards are wider than most of our freeways!"

Same for CA 39(Beach Blvd). It gets as wide as a 8 lane freeway in some sections.

[vtk]

^ I had a dream some time ago that I was cruising down some very wide city street in SoCal at about 70MPH (just keeping up with traffic).  It had row houses all along it, and at least 6 traffic lights per mile.  It didn't matter if the lights were coordinated or not, because everyone was running the reds anyway.  Silly dream...

[OCGuy81]

I'd also throw in CA-133, Laguna Canyon Road.  North of the 73 toll road, it's divided and feels like a full freeway, though there are some at-grade intersections.  I don't think it's officialy a freeway until after the 405.

[jwolfer]

Another one in FL is SR 16 between SR 21 and CR 215.. 65 MPH speed limit. One side is Camp Blanding and the other side is tree farms... no cross roads at all.  I think it is 5 miles or so

[Riverside Frwy]

I'd also throw in CA-133, Laguna Canyon Road.  North of the 73 toll road, it's divided and feels like a full freeway, though there are some at-grade intersections.  I don't think it's officialy a freeway until after the 405.

CA-133 between I-405 and CA-73 is a type of highway configuration used all through out California.  CA 58, CA 152, and CA 17 through the Santa Cruz Mountains just to name a few.(Even US 101) I haven't found an official name for this type configuration, but it's definitely a freeway-expressway hybrid. It's has at-grade intersections, no signals, and traffic is allowed to continue travel uninterrupted at 65 mph. Crossing traffic must yield, and there are usually acceleration lanes after the intersection for entering traffic.

[roadfro]

^ The way you describe CA 133, the technical term would be an expressway...it's just an expressway without signals.

[myosh_tino]

^ The way you describe CA 133, the technical term would be an expressway...it's just an expressway without signals.

While that may be true at the federal-level, it's technically not true according to the California Vehicle Code (CVC)...

Expressway

314.  An "expressway" is a portion of highway that is part of either of the following:

(a) An expressway system established by a county under Section 941.4 of the Streets and Highways Code.

(b) An expressway system established by a county before January 1, 1989, as described in subdivision (g) of Section 941.4 of the Streets and Highways Code.
Added Sec. 17, Ch. 615, Stats. 2004. Effective January 1, 2005.

I should know this because Santa Clara County has it's own expressway system (Lawrence, Capitol, Central, San Tomas, Montague, Foothill and Oregon).  These roads generally have signalized intersections with a few interchanges, are multi-lane (4 to 8 lanes) and carry a higher speed limit (45-50 MPH).

I believe the CVC defines highways like CA-17 (Scotts Valley to Los Gatos) and CA-152 (east of CA-156) as "Divided Highway".

Divided Highways

21651.  (a) Whenever a highway has been divided into two or more roadways by means of intermittent barriers or by means of a dividing section of not less than two feet in width, either unpaved or delineated by curbs, double-parallel lines, or other markings on the roadway,

[Laura]

US 460 between US 1 near Petersburg and some point not too far east of Lynchburg also carries 55 or 60 mph speed limits and has relatively few intersections, with some exceptions (Rice, Crewe, etc). US 460 east of Petersburg not so much, though, as it has high speed limits but is not a divided highway until it reaches Suffolk.

I agree.
Also, that point "not too far east of Lynchburg" is where US-29 splits from US-460, which ignores the globby mess where the two are concurrent (sans US-501).

US-29 from Charlottesville to Gainesville is another; the speed limit is 60 for most of the portion between Ruckersville and Opal with one exception near Madison.

Except for the bypasses, I disagree with this one.  The tendency for one direction to be hilly (i.e. the original 1930/40s-era grading) plus the large number of driveways, especially near Opal and north of Warrenton, decidedly make it NOT feel like a freeway to me.  From the Culpeper bypass up to Remington is closer...no driveways here...but this segment still has 4 traffic signals.

I figured you'd disagree, but to me it feels no worse than many of Pennsylvania's freeways. For obvious reasons I've spent a lot of time on that part of 29 over the years, although these days we usually use the other route via Orange and Gordonsville.

I might have listed US-15 between Orange and Gordonsville except that it's just too short a segment (9 miles). In my younger and dumber days I once ran that segment in five minutes....

I would say US-29 just north of Charlottesville to Warrenton. The bits from Warrenton to Gainesville and the giant shopping strip right above historic Charlottesville always bothered me when I'd drive from Lynchburg to wherever and back.

...speaking of Lynchburg, I'm surprised you didn't mention US-29 from Charlottesville to Lynchburg - that area feels more like a freeway to me than Charlottesville-points north. Now I'm feeling nostalgic for the mountains!

Some other candidates in my book:

US-211 from Luray to Warrenton
MD-10 (which I think was an early alignment for Something More)
MD-100 and MD-32 (which seem like outer beltways, really)
Heck, US-29 all the way to the NC border. But I think I'm just biased because I like 29 so much.

[Riverside Frwy]

^ The way you describe CA 133, the technical term would be an expressway...it's just an expressway without signals.

While that may be true at the federal-level, it's technically not true according to the California Vehicle Code (CVC)...

Expressway

314.  An "expressway" is a portion of highway that is part of either of the following:

(a) An expressway system established by a county under Section 941.4 of the Streets and Highways Code.

(b) An expressway system established by a county before January 1, 1989, as described in subdivision (g) of Section 941.4 of the Streets and Highways Code.
Added Sec. 17, Ch. 615, Stats. 2004. Effective January 1, 2005.

I should know this because Santa Clara County has it's own expressway system (Lawrence, Capitol, Central, San Tomas, Montague, Foothill and Oregon).  These roads generally have signalized intersections with a few interchanges, are multi-lane (4 to 8 lanes) and carry a higher speed limit (45-50 MPH).

I believe the CVC defines highways like CA-17 (Scotts Valley to Los Gatos) and CA-152 (east of CA-156) as "Divided Highway".

Divided Highways

21651.  (a) Whenever a highway has been divided into two or more roadways by means of intermittent barriers or by means of a dividing section of not less than two feet in width, either unpaved or delineated by curbs, double-parallel lines, or other markings on the roadway,

Divided Highway is the term I've always used to describe them, but I figured there was some specific name or fancy word for it.

[1995hoo]

....

...speaking of Lynchburg, I'm surprised you didn't mention US-29 from Charlottesville to Lynchburg - that area feels more like a freeway to me than Charlottesville-points north. Now I'm feeling nostalgic for the mountains!

....

That's just because I haven't been on that portion of US-29 since July 1998. The last time I used it I was coming back from Roanoke, where I had been taking the bar exam, and I just didn't want to take I-81, so I went over the mountains on US-460 and then took US-29 north. The fancy new bypass near Lynchburg didn't exist yet, either. Since it's been so many years since I used that road, I don't feel as though I can give a valid comment about it. I just haven't had much reason to go south in that direction in recent years, and on two football trips to Charlotte I opted for I-81 to I-77 going south and then I-85 to I-95 coming north.

FWIW, though, when I drove between Durham and Charlottesville during my law school years at Duke, I tended NOT to take US-29. Going south, I liked VA-20 to Dillwyn, US-15 past Farmville to Keysville, US-360 to South Boston, then US-501 south to Durham. Sometimes I took US-29 all the way to Lynchburg and then US-501 the rest of the way via Rustburg, Brookneal, and Halifax, but Lynchburg was a bit of a crapshoot on the traffic. I also recall seeing fewer cops on the Dillwyn to Farmville route.

[Mr_Northside]

Some other candidates in my book:

US-211 from Luray to Warrenton
MD-10 (which I think was an early alignment for Something More)
MD-100 and MD-32 (which seem like outer beltways, really)
Heck, US-29 all the way to the NC border. But I think I'm just biased because I like 29 so much.

I'm pretty sure those aren't "Non-freeways that feel like freeways", but are in fact Freeways.  They may have some features (I know MD-32 has a stretch that allows bikes on the shoulders...) which would not be up to interstate standards, but I don't think MD cares to sign them as such anyway.

* - Obviously, I'm only referring to the "freeway portion" of MD-32.

[froggie]

MD 32 is fully freeway east of MD 108.  Yes, there's a stretch that allows bicycles on the shoulder.  But when you figure there are states that allow that on their Interstate highways...

[MDOTFanFB]

The six mile stretch of Route 35/Skyline Boulevard between Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco and Hickey Boulevard in Daly City/Pacifica has four lanes (mostly divided) with a 50-55 MPH speed limit, and very few intersections.  There is one short freeway segment that consists of one interchange with the Route 1 freeway.

Major intersections are about a mile or more apart in that stretch: Route 1 interchange, Westmoor Avenue, Westridge Avenue, John Daly Boulevard (former Route 1), John Muir Drive, and Lake Merced Boulevard.

Is John Daly Blvd named for the famously obese drunk golfer?

We have a John Daly Street that starts in Taylor, MI and continues up to near Redford, MI.

Around here, the south end of M-85 (the final mile to be specific) feels like a freeway because it eventually merges with I-75.

[roadfro]

A portion of Paradise Road and Swenson Street in Las Vegas feels like freeway, even though there is one or two traffic signals along the stretch. The two roads are a one-way couplet that lead to/from Tropicana Avenue (SR 593) to McCarran Airport. The roads start off wide, narrow down with numerous ramps and bridges providing airport access, then eventually connect to the freeway-grade Airport Tunnel and unsigned SR 171 to interchange with I-215 to the south. It's a popular shortcut from the UNLV/south-Strip area to Henderson.

[nyratk1]

The western end of Suffolk CR 99/Woodside Avenue in Holtsville/Holbrook, NY west of the intersection of Woodside and West Woodside.

[TheStranger]

The six mile stretch of Route 35/Skyline Boulevard between Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco and Hickey Boulevard in Daly City/Pacifica has four lanes (mostly divided) with a 50-55 MPH speed limit, and very few intersections.  There is one short freeway segment that consists of one interchange with the Route 1 freeway.

Major intersections are about a mile or more apart in that stretch: Route 1 interchange, Westmoor Avenue, Westridge Avenue, John Daly Boulevard (former Route 1), John Muir Drive, and Lake Merced Boulevard.

Is John Daly Blvd named for the famously obese drunk golfer?

No, it is named for the early-1900s founder of Daly City (northernmost city in San Mateo County).

[D-Dey65]

The western end of Suffolk CR 99/Woodside Avenue in Holtsville/Holbrook, NY west of the intersection of Woodside and West Woodside.

Which is partially why I've always believed that Suffolk CR 99 should be upgraded.

[Ace10]

US 1 between Titusville and Edgewater.  North of there, it urbanizes quickly.  Also, SR 50 from Titusville to Bithlo at the SR 50/528 split.

Wait, SR 50 and SR 528 never interchange. Do you mean SR 520?

That stretch of SR 50 does feel pretty freeway-grade ... until you use it to catch a few shuttle launches. Not so much freedom of movement then.

US 27 in Lake County also feels like a freeway. It starts a few miles north of US 192 and continues to SR 50. 65 mph speed limit, no traffic signals, and few side roads.

SR 607 in Mississippi is like this once out of Waveland. Also with a 65 mph speed limit and a few intersections to access SR 604 and I-10.

[newyorker478]

NY 304 in Pearl River-New City - Havestraw NY

NY 22 from North White Plains to Armonk/684

US 113 in Delaware

DE 1 through Delaware, incl non-freeway portions

SR 80 in Florida

a few off the top of my head i know many more.

[roadman65]

US 19 & 98  between Crystal River and Chiefland.  US 19, US 98, Alt. US 27 from Cross City to Perry.  US 19 & 27 from Perry to Capps.

FL 60 for a short distance east of Lake Wales and probably also between the FL Turnpike and I-95 now it is four laned.
US 27 from Griffin Road to South Bay.

[Takumi]

A few I've driven on this year:
VA 33 between West Point and Saluda
US 17 north of Saluda (ties into the VA 33 segment)
US 360 west of Skinquarter (particularly between Skinquarter and the Chesterfield-Amelia line, which has only one intersection and really not much of anything)