AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: Voyager on January 28, 2009, 07:38:08 PM

Title: Widest Freeway
Post by: Voyager on January 28, 2009, 07:38:08 PM
My vote goes here:

(https://www.aaroads.com/california/images005/i-005_nb_exit_094a_01.jpg)

This interchange widens out to 22 total lanes.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: deathtopumpkins on January 28, 2009, 07:39:30 PM
Actually, the current official record is the 401 in Ontario:
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/9599/highway401missqj6.jpg (http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/9599/highway401missqj6.jpg)
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: rawr apples on January 28, 2009, 07:47:47 PM
But whats the widest in America?
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Voyager on January 28, 2009, 07:52:39 PM
The 5-405 I'm pretty sure.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: tankerdave on January 28, 2009, 08:09:36 PM
What about the Orange Crush interchange just up the road?  Isn't the 5/22/57 interchange just as wide?
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: John on January 28, 2009, 08:18:00 PM
I-80 just before the Bay Bridge toll plaza is at least 10 lanes westbound, and probably 3 or 4 eastbound. Could be the widest in America.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: tankerdave on January 28, 2009, 08:20:42 PM
As good s 14 total lanes is, 22 lanes is still more.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Alex on January 28, 2009, 10:23:08 PM
Interstate 75/85 do swell to 16 lanes in downtown Atlanta.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: deathtopumpkins on January 28, 2009, 10:43:37 PM
Biggest I've seen in person is the 16-17 lanes I-264 is here and some stretches of the NJTP. I'm still going with the 401 as the widest and the I-5/405 as widest in the US though.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: akotchi on January 28, 2009, 10:44:31 PM
North of Interchange 14 (I-78), the New Jersey Turnpike is a total of 18 lanes wide (6 separate carriageways with three lanes each).
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Ian on January 28, 2009, 11:29:08 PM
Here is a wide portion of I-95 in Hampton, New Hampshire. 8 lanes!
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/Random#5296136410392754434 (http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/Random#5296136410392754434)

It was raining at the time of the photo, so sorry for the white orbs.

i.c.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: John on January 29, 2009, 12:18:29 AM
Don Valley Pkwy/401 is unquestionably the widest road in North America, but the US I'm not sure about. Probably is NJTP, I know it is wide in many places.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Voyager on January 29, 2009, 01:37:57 AM
How many lanes?
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Chris on January 29, 2009, 03:12:15 AM
This kicks ass
(I-75 just outside the Perimeter in Atlanta)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gribblenation.com%2Fgapics%2Fgallery%2FI75N-exit261.jpg&hash=96ee48119e606d39784b6960b96c13b950fc75a2)

pic from gribblenation.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Voyager on January 29, 2009, 04:27:11 AM
Looks like the freeway might be a tad underused.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Scott5114 on January 29, 2009, 05:56:09 AM
I'm sure it gets heavy use in peak periods. Imagine the influx of cars when work lets off at Dobbins AFB and Lockheed!
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Bryant5493 on January 29, 2009, 08:56:15 AM
I-75 in Cobb County, GA gets really, really packed during morning and evening. The worst back-ups are on I-85, north of I-285, I-75, north of I-285, Georgia 400 and I-75/85.

Those are some of widest freeways that I've seen, as well.


Be well,

Bryant
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Chris on January 29, 2009, 09:59:28 AM
7 lanes on I-95 near Palm Beach. Taken by forumer OKroads!
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3222%2F3148705396_7a08799e21_o.jpg&hash=31b8c58802ac329512f910c0b8f8a1e71be0b3ae)

Frankly, such roads are unthinkable of in Europe. The more we resist the cars, the more congestion, the better (but we do want all their taxes) is kind of how they think in Europe.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Bryant5493 on January 29, 2009, 10:02:55 AM
I love wide freeways. They make driving more fun, unexpected and interesting.

A friend of mine said she's more comfortable with four lane freeways (two lanes in either direction). I agree, they're easier to drive, because you don't have too many directions to look for traffic. But, once one gets used to the wide freeways, it's not that bad.


Be well,

Bryant
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: DAL764 on January 29, 2009, 11:32:50 AM
Quote from: Chris on January 29, 2009, 09:59:28 AMFrankly, such roads are unthinkable of in Europe. The more we resist the cars, the more congestion, the better (but we do want all their taxes) is kind of how they think in Europe.
Ain't that the truth. Germany is the home country of the Autobahn, and yet the most we can manage is 4 lanes per direction at most, and that is limited to very few locations. Granted there might be more with exit/entrance lanes included, but those don't count, IMHO.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Duke87 on January 29, 2009, 12:15:03 PM
Well, the New Jersey Turnpike has the distinction of being the world's widest and most heavily used toll road, but it's certainly not the widest or most used outright.

Of course, the question is begged: how long does a number of lanes have to be sustained for it to count? Does a brief swelling before a major junction count or do we only count situations where the number of lanes continues through multiple interchanges/for several miles?

Personally, I'd go for the latter. In which case, the Jersey Turnpike just might be the widest in the US (sustains 14 lanes from exits 11-14, about 13 miles).

Although, due to its quad carriageway system, those 14 lanes are distributed 4-3-3-4, so you're never have more than 4 lanes without a barrier between them. Another question would be: what is the most number of lanes in a single carriageway?
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Chris on January 29, 2009, 12:30:06 PM
^^ Buenos Aires, Argentina.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi40.tinypic.com%2Fnqsm79.jpg&hash=47814d37ebbc1c45f45f42c7001a4a6da4432cb6)
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Duke87 on January 29, 2009, 12:39:23 PM
Okay, but that looks like it lasts for about 500 feet. So it fails my criterion of it needing to be sustained for an extended length of roadway.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: akotchi on January 29, 2009, 12:59:55 PM
[A bit off-topic] Chris, this looks like the Autopista del Sol at the south end (General Paz highway?).  If so, up to the Avenida Marquez (the large circle that bridges the toll road), there are three carriageways in each direction.  The inside are the mainline lanes.  Next are limited access "colectora," and on the outside are "frentistas" that carry the local traffic and have signalized intersections and other streets/driveways.  Ramps interconnect the three sets of roadways.

Do all of these lanes count?

Not sure if this is still true, but all of the traffic uses the frentistas because they do not want to pay the tolls.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Voyager on January 29, 2009, 01:19:10 PM
Duke, 75 and 85 in GA is a single stretch of 16 total lanes and they aren't seperated.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: travelinmiles on January 29, 2009, 08:18:20 PM
I would say I-10 Katy Freeway in Houston.  Its anywhere between 16-12 mainlanes/HOV and 6 frontage lanes. This is for about a 15 mile sustained distance and doesnt include auxilary lanes.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: un1 on January 29, 2009, 10:15:23 PM
The 401 in Ontario (Peek width 22-25 lanes) is way to small for the amount of traffic.

500,000 % 22 = 27,727.27... cars per day on each lane of the freeway.
Ontario's standard say that there should be a lane for each 5,000 cars of traffic daily.

Just :offtopic: ramblings.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Duke87 on January 30, 2009, 12:14:33 AM
Quote from: voyager on January 29, 2009, 01:19:10 PM
Duke, 75 and 85 in GA is a single stretch of 16 total lanes and they aren't seperated.
Looking at it on Google earth, I see 14, but not 16.

Quote from: un1 on January 29, 2009, 10:15:23 PM
The 401 in Ontario (Peek width 22-25 lanes) is way to small for the amount of traffic.

500,000 % 22 = 27,727.27... cars per day on each lane of the freeway.
Ontario's standard say that there should be a lane for each 5,000 cars of traffic daily.
That's a pretty ridiculous standard, if you ask me. 5,000 per day means 17.28 seconds between cars passing a given point. If you allow even 5 seconds you've got more than enough space for people to maintain a safe following distance (17280 cars per day).
It sounds like Ontario's standard is written with the idea of providing Level of Service A everywhere... which is simply not realistic. By that standard, the 401 should be a 100 lane freeway. Even if you can find the space, where are you going to find the money to build that?

No, once you've gotten to the point where you've got a 22 lane highway, it's only realistic to attempt to solve traffic problems by taking cars off of it rather than widening it even further. Try cutting a couple lanes out of the middle and building a subway line along it, how about.
Title: Re: Widest Freeway
Post by: Chris on January 30, 2009, 02:32:34 AM
Standard lane capacities are 2,200 to 2,500 per hour. Dutch traffic engineers were baffled the Coentunnel near Amsterdam got 3,000 vehicles per lane per hour, which would technically impossible.

To get to a daily capacity, multiply the 2,200 to 2,500 by 10 tot 12 (depending on how busy the area is) and you've got yourself the daily capacity for a lane.

So a six lane freeway would have an approximate capacity of 2,200 * 10 * 6 = 132,000 vehicles per day.