Freeways with only free-flowing (no stoplight/at-grade) interchanges

Started by TheStranger, June 27, 2019, 06:28:15 PM

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Kulerage

The Falmouth Spur in Maine has only two interchanges; each at both of its ends, with free-flowing ramps.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.7219851,-70.2696191,13.16z


webny99

Quote from: kphoger on June 29, 2019, 01:19:34 PM
Quote from: 1 on June 28, 2019, 05:01:05 PM
Quote from: kphoger on June 28, 2019, 04:59:51 PM
Quote from: NE2 on June 28, 2019, 04:41:47 PM
Quote from: kphoger on June 28, 2019, 02:34:16 PM
FWIW, I don't think a roundabout should count.  They are not free-flowing, but rather have yield situations.
And cloverleaves don't have yields? What the fuck.
Depends how your state signs entrance ramps.
They might not have yield signs, but they do have yields.
In that case, then, we must also rule out every interchange that has any instance of two lanes merging into one.

No, he meant actual yields with no merge area, similar to roundabouts (at least, that was my interpretation).

Edit: Aha! I knew there was plenty of these around. I found one here, not far from me at NY 104 and Mount Read Blvd. For the purposes of defining "free-flow", this situation is very comparable to a roundabout, and IMO not at all comparable to a typical freeway-to-freeway cloverleaf. Only the latter counts as free-flowing, if you ask me.

Roadsguy

The short PA 309 freeway west of Allentown, PA from I-78 to just north of US 22 has all free-flowing interchanges, not counting its northern terminus at a simple signalized intersection. Its partial interchange with I-78 is free-flowing, and it has full cloverleafs at US 22 and Tilghman Street.

I don't know of any other examples in Pennsylvania.
Mileage-based exit numbering implies the existence of mileage-cringe exit numbering.

US 89

Only thing that comes to mind for Utah is the south end of Foothill Drive/SR 186 in Salt Lake City. I’m not sure whether it counts as a freeway - it could be seen as a glorified ramp, which is how UDOT inventories it. But in my opinion, you could also view it as a short freeway with partial interchanges at 215, 80, and Parleys, all of which are fully free-flowing.

roadman65

Quote from: Roadsguy on July 05, 2019, 11:59:38 PM
The short PA 309 freeway west of Allentown, PA from I-78 to just north of US 22 has all free-flowing interchanges, not counting its northern terminus at a simple signalized intersection. Its partial interchange with I-78 is free-flowing, and it has full cloverleafs at US 22 and Tilghman Street.

I don't know of any other examples in Pennsylvania.
The PA 413 connector on I-95 in Bensalem?  It has no ramps on it and is long enough to be considered a freeway.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

TheStranger

Quote from: roadman65 on July 07, 2019, 10:28:04 PM
Quote from: Roadsguy on July 05, 2019, 11:59:38 PM
The short PA 309 freeway west of Allentown, PA from I-78 to just north of US 22 has all free-flowing interchanges, not counting its northern terminus at a simple signalized intersection. Its partial interchange with I-78 is free-flowing, and it has full cloverleafs at US 22 and Tilghman Street.

I don't know of any other examples in Pennsylvania.
The PA 413 connector on I-95 in Bensalem?  It has no ramps on it and is long enough to be considered a freeway.

The connector ends at a T-intersection though which isn't free-flowing at all.
Chris Sampang

roadman65

Thought so, but I was not sure if that end counted or not.  The 309 thing ends at a stoplight which is not free flowing,

Then I-587 in Kingston does not count being it has a roundabout on one end and a stoplight on the other?
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

PHLBOS

Quote from: TheStranger on June 28, 2019, 10:24:07 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 28, 2019, 09:33:01 PM
If we look at just a state's portion of a freeway, I-76 within NJ only has 1 controlled offramp (Exit 1C Northbound, ending at a stop sign).

If you don't feel this counts, then neither does Delaware's I-295 example, as that route continutes into NJ and PA.

I'd count that, yeah (76 in NJ, 295 in DE as near-misses, 295 in VA as a near-miss, and 76C in NJ as fully qualifying)
If one's only looking at stretches within a state, and assuming that cloverleaf interchanges count; then I-295 in MA would meet the OP's criteria as well.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

TheStranger

Quote from: PHLBOS on July 08, 2019, 06:02:17 PM
Quote from: TheStranger on June 28, 2019, 10:24:07 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on June 28, 2019, 09:33:01 PM
If we look at just a state's portion of a freeway, I-76 within NJ only has 1 controlled offramp (Exit 1C Northbound, ending at a stop sign).

If you don't feel this counts, then neither does Delaware's I-295 example, as that route continutes into NJ and PA.

I'd count that, yeah (76 in NJ, 295 in DE as near-misses, 295 in VA as a near-miss, and 76C in NJ as fully qualifying)
If one's only looking at stretches within a state, and assuming that cloverleaf interchanges count; then I-295 in MA would meet the OP's criteria as well.

It does!  It's actually pretty neat to see how the first two interchanges west of the state line have at-grade intersections at the end of each offramp, while the two in MA are both cloverleaf variants.
Chris Sampang

mrsman

To some extent, I-895 in Maryland seems to nearly fit this description.  Certainly the section south of the Harbor Tunnel.  With the exception of the exit to Childs St, it was designed as being a roadway to only feed traffic to the tunnel (thereby bypassing Downtown Baltimore).  Northbound, there are only entrances.  Southbound there are only exits.  With the exception of the Childs St exit, all traffic on this section is going to/from the tunnel.  All of the exits lead to freeways or fast roads, and a quick check seems to indicate that between Childs St and I-95, every southbound exit does not lead to a roundabout, stop sign, or traffic signal.

Many yield signs certainly, and some of them are short merges, but I beleive those are allowed by OP's criteria.

North of the tunnel, there are some exits with traffic signals,  (Moravia, Lombard) so it doesn't work as well.

Mr_Northside

Quote from: roadman65 on July 07, 2019, 10:28:04 PM
Quote from: Roadsguy on July 05, 2019, 11:59:38 PM
The short PA 309 freeway west of Allentown, PA from I-78 to just north of US 22 has all free-flowing interchanges, not counting its northern terminus at a simple signalized intersection. Its partial interchange with I-78 is free-flowing, and it has full cloverleafs at US 22 and Tilghman Street.

I don't know of any other examples in Pennsylvania.
The PA 413 connector on I-95 in Bensalem?  It has no ramps on it and is long enough to be considered a freeway.

Also not sure if it were to count as it is a freeway segment (that just becomes either 2-lane or 4 lane at-grade on either end - not a separate road that's just a freeway) - but the stretch of US-119 that bypasses Indiana in central/western PA is a ~9 mile freeway that consists of 3 trumpets and a cloverleaf.

I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

TheStranger

Quote from: Mr_Northside on July 11, 2019, 02:21:00 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on July 07, 2019, 10:28:04 PM
Quote from: Roadsguy on July 05, 2019, 11:59:38 PM
The short PA 309 freeway west of Allentown, PA from I-78 to just north of US 22 has all free-flowing interchanges, not counting its northern terminus at a simple signalized intersection. Its partial interchange with I-78 is free-flowing, and it has full cloverleafs at US 22 and Tilghman Street.

I don't know of any other examples in Pennsylvania.
The PA 413 connector on I-95 in Bensalem?  It has no ramps on it and is long enough to be considered a freeway.

Also not sure if it were to count as it is a freeway segment (that just becomes either 2-lane or 4 lane at-grade on either end - not a separate road that's just a freeway) - but the stretch of US-119 that bypasses Indiana in central/western PA is a ~9 mile freeway that consists of 3 trumpets and a cloverleaf.



That absolutely counts - was the interchange with PA 286 always that trumpet setup or was there something simpler there in the past?  This US 119 segment might actually be one of the best examples of this, where the effort to make sure that every interchange was free-flowing led to loop ramps at each junction, especially compared to nearby US 422!

Chris Sampang

Mr_Northside

QuoteWas the interchange with PA 286 always that trumpet setup or was there something simpler there in the past?

I'm almost positive that arrangement is original to the freeway construction.

QuoteThis US 119 segment might actually be one of the best examples of this, where the effort to make sure that every interchange was free-flowing led to loop ramps at each junction, especially compared to nearby US 422!

In some ways it was kind of coincidence.  With 422 built/planned as a freeway (the section just west of the cloverleaf opened some time after the stretch of 422 east of there, and US-119 was built) the cloverleaf made sense (cloverleaves falling out of favor due to weaving notwithstanding)
The Wayne Ave and PA-110/Creekside trumpets were just how they got the respective existing alignments to tie into the new freeway (keeping the freeway as the "through" movement)
In these leaner times, you could say they went a little above & beyond with the PA-286 interchange(s)
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

TheOneKEA

The "Between the Beltways"  segment of I-95 in Maryland almost qualifies; the interchange with MD 175 has at-grade crossings of each side of 175 by the exit ramps from each direction of I-95.

roadman65

I-895 Spur in MD is that way really.  It goes until the split where one leg is I-97 and the other leads to MD 2.   

I-895 was that way sort of before the SB Lombard Street exit and the new ramp at the toll plaza.  Before there were no exits before the tunnel in either direction and no entrance ramps beyond the tunnels.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

ftballfan

Quote from: TheOneKEA on July 23, 2019, 09:24:16 PM
The "Between the Beltways"  segment of I-95 in Maryland almost qualifies; the interchange with MD 175 has at-grade crossings of each side of 175 by the exit ramps from each direction of I-95.

Konterra Drive, just north of MD-200, is a folded diamond

tolbs17

All I can think of is the NJ turnpike. You get on it, you stay on it.

hotdogPi

Quote from: mrhappy1261 on July 27, 2019, 04:12:33 PM
All I can think of is the NJ turnpike. You get on it, you stay on it.

The idea of this thread is that even if you get off the road, you don't have to stop.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

sprjus4

Quote from: mrhappy1261 on July 27, 2019, 04:12:33 PM
All I can think of is the NJ turnpike. You get on it, you stay on it.
There's 16 exits along the entire roadway. You're not forced to stay on it, though logically a good portion of the traffic is thru traffic that is not going to exit.



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