"Where'd My Freeway Go?"

[JasonOfORoads]

Portland's I-405 just ends at a Hospital in NE Portland.

Check the street view.  It clearly goes to I-5 north.  The ramp to the hospital is signed as an exit.

Yeah, it's definitely an exit, with a gore sign and everything. Should be Exit 4B actually, but Oregon has an aversion to numbering exits at highway termini for some reason.

Fun fact: 405 was supposed to continue NE from the terminus as the Rose City Freeway. That got cancelled during the Freeway Revolts of the 1970s.

Another fun fact: Once the Rose City Freeway was cancelled, ODOT was planning on taking the Kelly Avenue/Hospital ramps out. However, the hospital successfully lobbied to keep them, since it drastically sped up response times for accidents on the bridge.

[Joe The Dragon]

the old end of the EOE at rohlwing rd

[sparker]

Fun fact: 405 was supposed to continue NE from the terminus as the Rose City Freeway. That got cancelled during the Freeway Revolts of the 1970s.

Another fun fact to add to the PDX freeway saga file:  The original I-80N (the change to I-84 occurred after the crux of the freeway revolts) plans were to jettison the old Banfield alignment west of I-205, "weave" the lanes of I-80N south along 205 (some of those provisions are still there), and then turn it west parallel to Powell on the path of the "Mt. Hood" freeway, with the latter portion multiplexed with US 26.  Some planners thought that route was a bit convoluted (which it obviously was), so an alternate suggestion was made to reroute the Interstate along the "Rose City" freeway, which would have intersected the eastern reaches of I-80N at the north I-205 interchange segment, snake around the north side of the hill, and then make a more or less "beeline" to the north I-5/405 interchange.  However, before any changes to the plans, which would necessarily include AASHTO/FHWA approval of such a change, could be finalized, the freeway revolt occurred in the interim -- with everything east of I-5 (that wasn't the Banfield) cancelled.  The expansion of the Banfield to 6 lanes to serve as I-84 occurred much later.       

[theroadwayone]

BTW, the OP needs to find the photo of the original end of the Kansas Turnpike for the ultimate "where'd my freeway go?"  scene.

Kansas Turnpike at Oklahoma border, 1956. Courtesy of the "Odd Temporary Endings to Freeways..." chain (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=21328.0)


Similar submission: the north end of Arkansas's I-49 at the Texas border:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.5180672,-94.0439474,898m/data=!3m1!1e3

I'm going to go dig up a picture of CA-905 ending at Britannia Blvd. which looked rather similar, before the two sections were connected.

[Mergingtraffic]

Also in PA:
-
-PA 63/Woodhaven Road has a freeway that abruptly ends at US 1 in Philadelphia. PA 63 then continues on US 1 for a bit.
Nexus 6P

The end of PA-63.

[Mark68]

Granted that it's a short freeway stub off of CA 210, but CA 330 is a freeway between 210 and just north of Highland Ave in Highland, CA. It quickly narrows to a twisty 2-lane mountain road to climb the 4500' or so to Running Springs.

https://goo.gl/maps/hind1Dd7ooM2

[Mark68]

The inglorious eastern end of the 6th Ave Freeway in Denver, east of I-25. Within about a mile and a half, 6th Ave sees the speed limit drop to 45 MPH as it rides a viaduct over the railroad tracks, has an exit for Osage St (which just serves a warehouse/industrial area, then climbs another viaduct over more railroad tracks (including light rail), then has another speed limit drop to 35 before a light at Kalamath St.

6th Ave continues east as a one way street eastbound (with the 8th Ave one way WB cohort joining at Kalamath, which is one way SB). The BGS approaching Kalamath shows the left lane becoming a left-turn land for Santa Fe Dr one block futher, with the remaining lanes showing "thru traffic", with left turns at Lincoln St north and right turns at Kalamath, Broadway, and Speer Blvd south (another few blocks away for Lincoln, Broadway, and Speer).

https://goo.gl/maps/5nwPiLSazdC2

https://goo.gl/maps/Kx8WVKFF26L2

"Freeway Ends 1/2 Mile" sign: https://goo.gl/maps/yu1jeh2exqw

Overhead gantry sign advising where to turn for Denver Health Medical Center and Signal Ahead: https://goo.gl/maps/GZw4WKeQtbp

Overhead gantry with upcoming intersections before the light at Kalamath: https://goo.gl/maps/f3miw2paus22

The end of the freeway (at Kalamath St intersection): https://goo.gl/maps/e1t3TRnmEsu

[Mark68]

Another one in Denver: US 285 northbound (which is actually on an E/W alignment) in Sheridan. The freeway was never constructed past this point, so the freeway portion becomes an expressway on Hampden Ave ahead of the light at Lowell Blvd, then an exit at Federal Blvd, and another light at River Point Pkwy before another interchange at S Santa Fe Dr (US 85).

The speed limit then drops to 35 MPH as Hampden proceeds thru downtown Englewood.

Here is the Google Maps for the area:

https://goo.gl/maps/qtcLKnjpNkA2

"Freeway Ends--1 Mile" signs just past the interchange with Sheridan Blvd:

https://goo.gl/maps/NmTKc7BTd6s

Lowell Blvd & Knox Ct--3/4 mile "exit" advance sign:

https://goo.gl/maps/xcEcGoCiEAm

Speed limit decreases from 65 to 55 (with advance sign for next 3 "exits" in the background--only one of which is an actual exit):

https://goo.gl/maps/dgMJndvgemA2

"Signal Ahead" signs with flashers:

https://goo.gl/maps/WPhtr7ryzNK2

1/2 mile advance sign for Federal Blvd (CO 88) exit:

https://goo.gl/maps/6kW7LqGiYkF2

Technical end of freeway at Lowell Blvd (south) and Knox Ct (north):

https://goo.gl/maps/KUoyZwPgosC2

Federal Blvd exit:

https://goo.gl/maps/N2FHf7wqf6N2

Eastbound RIRO "interchange" to access an RV park and self-storage facility (and advance sign showing speed limit decreases to 45):

https://goo.gl/maps/8dAPLiFMqjP2

Intersection at River Point Pkwy (south) and Hampden Ave (frontage rd paralleling highway to the north):

https://goo.gl/maps/dbXk8g1ERMU2

1/2 mile advance sign for Santa Fe Dr (US 85) exit:

https://goo.gl/maps/VG1UeUjJj4H2

Exit for Santa Fe Dr (US 285 is the through route, interchange is a modified folded diamond on the west side of Santa Fe...to the east lie light rail tracks):

https://goo.gl/maps/gtBLKMxr3cR2

The stretch before Lowell where the speed limit is reduced to 55 used to be all the way to 45 and was a notorious speed trap where the City of Sheridan used to make a lot of revenue--including some from me. I'm not sure when it was changed (I don't often get out that way any more), but I'm sure glad it was. Not sure if Sheridan PD or the City would agree with me, however.

[Bickendan]

What would be the northern terminus of G1012 in northeastern China: https://www.google.com/maps/@48.3649853,134.7277532,1540m/data=!3m1!1e3

[theroadwayone]

Or, better yet, here's the current north end of the A31 in Italy. It was supposed to connect with the A22 highway, but community opposition is stopping that from happening.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.7592316,11.4482479,560m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&authuser=0

[Bickendan]

That would have been a hell of an undertaking, even without community opposition o.0

[Perfxion]

SH 249 in Texas is currently being extended to go from a 6 lane tollway to a 2 lane road. And the 2 lane road with at grades will be new construction as well.

[theroadwayone]

That would have been a hell of an undertaking, even without community opposition o.0

How so?

[MrAndy1369]

The ending of old "I-695" in DC.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8768619,-76.9860796,3a,75y,64.56h,76.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shLPFpHOBg20CwDnDUCa07A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&authuser=0

In 2009 street view, as that area had changed somewhat since then. The freeway ends at Pennsylvania Avenue, but another lane would go under the bridge and abruptly become an one land road. It was actually interesting, and you could easily circle back to get back onto the freeway.

[Henry]

The ending of old "I-695" in DC.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8768619,-76.9860796,3a,75y,64.56h,76.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shLPFpHOBg20CwDnDUCa07A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&authuser=0

In 2009 street view, as that area had changed somewhat since then. The freeway ends at Pennsylvania Avenue, but another lane would go under the bridge and abruptly become an one land road. It was actually interesting, and you could easily circle back to get back onto the freeway.

I'm sure I read some plans back in the mid-90s to connect this with DC 295 as the Barney Circle Freeway. Does anyone have a map or drawings of the proposal?

[thenetwork]

For another couple of years, anyway:  I-490 @ E. 55th St. in Cleveland until the Opportunity Corridor (extended OH-10) is completed.