Johnny Cash's Cadillac interchanges

[Tom958]

A couple of weeks ago I did one of my much-maligned Streetview-Facebook posts about the I-45-I-610-TX 35 interchange south of Houston. The interchange was initially built in 1951 in the configuration shown in this aerial photo (link to the original). Three original 1951 bridges carrying I-45 are still in service, but the interchange has been cobbled onto massively over the years, most notably when I-610 was built in the mid seventies and when the missing movements between 610 to the west and 45 to the north were added in 2019 and 2020. While most of this occurred before Texas started devoting a lot of attention to bridge aesthetics, there are a variety of bridge styles, including a couple of rare voided slab structures from the mid seventies in places where vertical clearances were tight and required span lengths short. Even the most recent flyovers feature two distinct architectural treatments, changing midway through the length of the structures.

It's not just the appearance, either. It's obvious how TxDOT's philosophy toward design features such as left-side ramps and required vertical clearances evolved over time. It's lost to history now, but the distinctive 1953 TX 35 bridges over the old South Loop were replaced in 2018 by these even-more-distinctive voided slab structures to eliminate inadequate clearances under the 610 mainline.

Surely there are other interchanges that display evidence of having evolved over the decades. Let's talk about them.

[Road Hog]

I hurt myself today ....

trying to figure out what this post has to do with Johnny Cash or with Cadillacs.

[Tom958]

I hurt myself today ....

trying to figure out what this post has to do with Johnny Cash or with Cadillacs.

Obviously you didn't try typing Johnny Cash Cadillac into YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNmp6bAEQXM

[Road Hog]

I'll take "Completely Out of Left Field Cultural References" for $1,000, Alex.