Last freeway in your city to be widened

[webny99]

Not only is it just cool to start the reverse of an existing thread, I think there's a lot of scope to discuss freeway widenings that have occurred more recently around the country (and world, for that matter).

I consider a widening to be at least several lane miles added to the mainline of a freeway, including through at least one interchange (to differentiate from auxiliary lanes being added).

Which states/metros are the most aggressive with widening their freeways, and which are most cautious? Which have the best widening programs?

Rochester's NY 390 freeway is getting auxiliary lanes added, but that wouldn't count per the above. The last legitimate widening in the area was almost certainly before I was born, so I'll defer to others. Needless to say, New York doesn't really have a widening program per se (much to my disgust - as anyone who follows the Thruway thread already knows). Almost everything I can think of has been just auxiliary lanes: I-90 at NY 33, I-690 in downtown Syracuse, etc.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

MSP sucks at widening. The most recent large-scale widening completed was 494 between MN 55 and 94/694, in 2016. Some freeways like US 169 and MN 62 have yet to receive any major widening work.

[Eth]

Interpreting this as "metro area" rather than "city proper", I believe Atlanta's answer would be I-85 in north Gwinnett County, up past GA 20, just beating out the long-awaited widening of GA 400 in the Cumming area a few months earlier.

[michravera]

Interpreting this as "metro area" rather than "city proper", I believe Atlanta's answer would be I-85 in north Gwinnett County, up past GA 20, just beating out the long-awaited widening of GA 400 in the Cumming area a few months earlier.

Right now, I-880 is getting widened (actually express lane extended) right through Fremont.
I could give a decent list of extended Bay Area freeways that are getting widened or improved, but, ironically NOT US-101 through San Francisco!

[triplemultiplex]

In Madison, we got a third lane WB on the Beltline extended west from Verona Rd to Gammon Rd in 2016.  The EB side only got the third lane added at Whitney Way, though, one exit further east.

Milwaukee area got a fourth lane for I-94 between the Zoo Interchange and Moorland Rd just this year. They might still be doing the finishing touches on that one as we speak.

[vdeane]

Not only is it just cool to start the reverse of an existing thread, I think there's a lot of scope to discuss freeway widenings that have occurred more recently around the country (and world, for that matter).

I consider a widening to be at least several lane miles added to the mainline of a freeway, including through at least one interchange (to differentiate from auxiliary lanes being added).

Which states/metros are the most aggressive with widening their freeways, and which are most cautious? Which have the best widening programs?

Rochester's NY 390 freeway is getting auxiliary lanes added, but that wouldn't count per the above. The last legitimate widening in the area was almost certainly before I was born, so I'll defer to others. Needless to say, New York doesn't really have a widening program per se (much to my disgust - as anyone who follows the Thruway thread already knows). Almost everything I can think of has been just auxiliary lanes: I-90 at NY 33, I-690 in downtown Syracuse, etc.

Honestly, there might not have ever been any that meet your definition!  I know NY 104 was widened at some point over the Bay Bridge, but since the third lane each way doesn't extend to Five Mile Line Road, or through the NY 590 interchange, I wouldn't count it.  I think I heard Dad say something about former NY 47 being widened at some point, but historic images appear to be as wide as today, and the area was already suburban, so I can't see why it would have been four lanes.

Around the Capital District, the only two widenings I can think of that meet this definition would be I-87 from Saratoga Springs to Lake George, and the Thruway from I-88 to exit 24 (which has since been invalidated eastbound when they re-striped around exit 25 to deal with the heavy merge from I-890, since the right lane briefly drops before returning from the I-890 ramp).  Unless I-90 was widened in Rensselaer County at some point, figuring out which one of those came first would probably answer both threads.

The fact that NY doesn't really do widening other than auxiliary lanes does have an effect on my driving.  I'm pretty good about "keep right except to pass" for the most part, but that starts to break down when I get to a freeway with four or more lanes each way, since I'm conditioned to expect the rightmost lane(s) to drop at the next exit or soon thereafter.

[webny99]

I consider a widening to be at least several lane miles added to the mainline of a freeway, including through at least one interchange (to differentiate from auxiliary lanes being added).

Honestly, there might not have ever been any that meet your definition!

I was actually wondering that. Most of our six-lane freeways were built when population was booming, so it would've made sense to build them with six lanes. Once they were built, the metro population started to plateau, so congestion woes have never been such that large-scale widenings are needed.

I-490 between Exits 25 and 27 would be a great place to start, though, being one of the only segments that legitimately needs a mainline widening! I'd also extend the six-laning on NY 104 to around Holt Road, but other than that, I don't foresee the major widenings here being needed here like they are in many Southern and Western cities.

I'm pretty good about "keep right except to pass" for the most part, but that starts to break down when I get to a freeway with four or more lanes each way, since I'm conditioned to expect the rightmost lane(s) to drop at the next exit or soon thereafter.

Yeah, same here. Taking I-690 in Syracuse as an extreme example - there are generally between four and eight lanes along the corridor, but I tend to want to keep to the left two, because I drive it just infrequently enough that I can never remember how long any of the lanes on the right last for (usually a few miles or less).

I would love to drive I-40/I-85 in North Carolina someday. It would be very interesting to see how my NY instincts react to 30+ miles of eight-lane highway, which is literally unheard of around here.

[vdeane]

I don't recall traffic conditions and the speed I wanted to go permitting me to hand out in the rightmost lane on I-40/I-85 when I was there a couple years ago.  I must say, clinching I-85 in NC was quite an experience (one that alas became super boring once I got past Durham towards VA).  I highly recommend it.  Although the fact that Southern freeways are either super boring or super interesting with not much in between does mean I never quite know what to expect when planning a trip down in that part of the country.

[US 89]

Unlike some other places, Utah has generally been on top of widening its urban freeways (at least in the Wasatch Front area). There's currently a widening project on I-15 in northern Utah County, which will widen the road to five lanes with an HOT lane in both directions once complete next year.

If we want the last widening project to be completed, it's likely the Point Project, which did the same 3+1 to 5+1 widening on I-15 between 12300 South and SR-92. The I-215 southwest quadrant has been reconstructed since then, but I don't think it meets the OP criteria.

[ET21]

This one will be the original answer I had in the other thread 

I-90 from O'Hare to Randall Road, and just recently from I-190 to Harlem Ave eastbound (westbound is now under construction for the 4th lane)

[Bruce]

Pretty much every major freeway in Seattle has been widened over the last few years.

Interstate 5: currently being widened in Tacoma

Interstate 90: HOV lanes added to replace the lost capacity of the express lanes; widening

Interstate 405: HOT lanes added between Bellevue and Lynnwood (with an auxiliary lane south of Bothell).

State Route 99: Not widened, but getting a long-awaited replacement.

State Route 520: New floating bridge added a set of HOV lanes, with further expansion planned

State Route 167: HOT lane added in 2008

[Roadsguy]

I-95 in Philadelphia is currently being widened from I-676 to the Betsy Ross Bridge with plans to connect to the already-completed widening through the Cottman Avenue interchange. That widening is the most recently completed.

[Beltway]

I-64 between I-295 and west of VA-623, 5 miles, widened from 4 lanes to 6 lanes, Henrico and Goochland counties, west of Richmond, VA, completed 2016.

[MarkF]

Currently I-5 between CA 91 and I-605 is being widened in southern Los Angeles County, I think the completion will be in 2019.  The project to widen I-405 in Orange County from CA 73 to I-605 got underway this year and goes through 2023.

[kurumi]

Adding thru lanes (not just auxiliary lanes): For San Jose, probably I-880 from 101 to 237 (summer 2013)

[1995hoo]

I-66 outside the Beltway has construction underway now to widen and reconfigure it from the Beltway (Exit 64) west for just over 20 miles to a spot immediately east of the Gainesville interchange (Exit 43); when completed, it'll be a 3-2-2-3 configuration with HO/T lanes. The current configuration is a bit of a mishmash.

I-66 inside the Beltway is to have one lane added eastbound from US-29 in Falls Church (Exit 69) to the Ballston exit (Exit 71); this meets the OP's criteria because of the partial interchange with Sycamore Street midway through this area, although it's an entry-only interchange eastbound. I haven't been on that road in a while and I don't know whether the construction has begun yet. From what froggie said a while ago, the traffic counts don't indicate that most of the traffic leaves I-66 at Exit 71, but if you drive on it during the morning rush hour it certainly feels like that's the case because the pace of traffic picks up noticeably once you pass that exit. Or at least, that used to be the case prior to HO/T operations. I haven't used it eastbound in the morning recently and I don't know whether the tolling has made a difference.

I-395 is having a lane added southbound from Duke Street to Edsall Road (passing through the Turkeycock ramp complex) and the reversible carriageway is being widened to three lanes and converted to HO/T operation. The latter work is supposed to be finished sometime in 2019.

[sparker]

US 101 through the Coyote Valley south of San Jose got the widening treatment just this last year (some orange cones are still out there) just south of the CA 85 merge; it's 10 lanes for about a mile and a half south from the interchange before reverting to 8, which it maintains down to Cochrane Ave. in Morgan Hill (where it reduces to 6 overall).  This includes an interchange serving the Coyote Valley county golf complex.

I would love to drive I-40/I-85 in North Carolina someday. It would be very interesting to see how my NY instincts react to 30+ miles of eight-lane highway, which is literally unheard of around here.

They you'd just be astonished by I-5 north of L.A., which maintains a minimum of 8 lanes from MP 163 just north of the CA 14 interchange to the CA 99 divergence at Wheeler Ridge (exit #221), a distance of 58 miles and change -- and over a mountain pass to boot! 

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Last freeway widening in C-bus, would have been Oh 315, between Oh 161 & I-270. It gained another lane, NB, as part of the Northside Fix and was completed in September(?). Just after ODOT had widened I-270 between I-670/US 62 and Oh 317 (Hamilton Rd), this summer.
Mind you, I-270 on the westside of Columbus will soon be the new champ again, when that widening is finished in the Spring of 2019.
That will hold till the Columbus Crossroads (I-70/71) gets through most of their work in 2021 (leaving only the West Split [I-70/71/Oh 315] to be done).

IOW, Doing the last widened road is dumber than the first, because the last one is always changing. 

[PHLBOS]

Since Roadsguy already covered Greater Philly (where I currently reside); the last freeway widening in the Greater Boston area (my old stomping grounds) was the Add-A-Lane project along I-95/MA 128 & I-93 from Wellesley (MA 9) to Randolph (MA 24).  Such was widened from 6 to 8 lanes; a project that was literally some 40+ years in the making (from promise to reality).

[michravera]

US 101 through the Coyote Valley south of San Jose got the widening treatment just this last year (some orange cones are still out there) just south of the CA 85 merge; it's 10 lanes for about a mile and a half south from the interchange before reverting to 8, which it maintains down to Cochrane Ave. in Morgan Hill (where it reduces to 6 overall).  This includes an interchange serving the Coyote Valley county golf complex.

I would love to drive I-40/I-85 in North Carolina someday. It would be very interesting to see how my NY instincts react to 30+ miles of eight-lane highway, which is literally unheard of around here.

They you'd just be astonished by I-5 north of L.A., which maintains a minimum of 8 lanes from MP 163 just north of the CA 14 interchange to the CA 99 divergence at Wheeler Ridge (exit #221), a distance of 58 miles and change -- and over a mountain pass to boot!

Isn't I-5 8 or more lanes pretty much from the Mexican frontier all of the way into downtown LA (where it occasionally narrows to six)?

[cl94]

Only limited-access road in the Albany area to be widened in my lifetime is I-87 (Thruway) between Exits 23 and 24 (I-787 to I-90). Hell, that's one of the few limited-access segments in NY to be widened period (minus short auxiliary lanes between interchanges) in the 24 years I've been alive.

[Plutonic Panda]

Excluding projects U/C, I believe here in west side LA area is the Sepulveda Pass? I haven't been out here for 5 years yet and I'm not sure about Orange County.

OKC would be I-40 in west suburbs, Kilpatrick Turnpike in North OKC, and I-35 through Norman. I believe I-35 through Norman was the latest that opened a couple years ago and the others including I-40 crosstown opened to traffic within the last 5-6 years. All are six lanes except I-40 which is 10. I think I-40 fully opened to traffic around 2012.

[DJ Particle]

MSP sucks at widening. The most recent large-scale widening completed was 494 between MN 55 and 94/694, in 2016. Some freeways like US 169 and MN 62 have yet to receive any major widening work.

That may be the most recent *completed* one....  parts of I-35W are being widened (from 9 lanes to 10) as we speak.

[sparker]

US 101 through the Coyote Valley south of San Jose got the widening treatment just this last year (some orange cones are still out there) just south of the CA 85 merge; it's 10 lanes for about a mile and a half south from the interchange before reverting to 8, which it maintains down to Cochrane Ave. in Morgan Hill (where it reduces to 6 overall).  This includes an interchange serving the Coyote Valley county golf complex.

I would love to drive I-40/I-85 in North Carolina someday. It would be very interesting to see how my NY instincts react to 30+ miles of eight-lane highway, which is literally unheard of around here.

They you'd just be astonished by I-5 north of L.A., which maintains a minimum of 8 lanes from MP 163 just north of the CA 14 interchange to the CA 99 divergence at Wheeler Ridge (exit #221), a distance of 58 miles and change -- and over a mountain pass to boot!

Isn't I-5 8 or more lanes pretty much from the Mexican frontier all of the way into downtown LA (where it occasionally narrows to six)?

Close but no cigar.  The Santa Fe Springs/Norwalk segment (between the Orange/L.A. county line) remains under construction for the 6-to-8+ expansion.  There are still only 6 (3+3) through lanes through the I-605 interchange, and SB I-5 remains 3 lanes through the I-710 interchange.  And the through I-5 lanes narrow to 2 through the East Los Angeles interchange in both directions.  Pretty much the rest in Orange and San Diego counties is now 8 lanes; the short segment between I-405 and CA 133 was 6 lanes until about 2004, when it was expanded out. 

[ftballfan]

The last one I can think of in Grand Rapids is I-196 between US-131 and Fuller Ave (which was widened to 6 lanes plus auxiliary lanes fairly recently).