Worst Stretch of Highway

[Scott5114]

This is actually the Indian Nation Turnpike sign I had in mind:


Gotta love OTA.

[Tarkus]

Interstate 82 is pretty bad . . . it's an engineering marvel given that it goes over 3 mountain passes between Yakima and Ellensburg, but it really desperately needs a third lane on the ascents.  The grade in spots, particularly going south out of Ellensburg over Manastash Ridge, is around 5% or so.  It gets scary with the trucks, especially when they get impatient and try to pass one another despite going 50mph under the speed limit.

-Alex (Tarkus)

[Bryant5493]

One highway that I like -- well, two I like driving on that are some of the worst are the Buford-Spring Connector (Georgia 13) and Arthur B. Langford, Jr. Parkway ("Lakewood Freeway"/Georgia 166). The reason that I say that they are some of the worst is because of terrible, poorly designed merge points.

For visual evidence of what I've written, view these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLR8SrkWw5U (Georgia 13 begins at 2:46 into the video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmE7kc87rQY (Georgia 166 East TO I-75/85)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxhsh0Ph5VE (Georgia 166 West TO I-285 South)

[Voyager]

Interstate 80 over the Donner pass used to be really torn up from the chain and truck traffic. I'm pretty sure it's been repaved since I was there.

[agentsteel53]

it's not bad at all.  Now US-50 on the other hand, once it stops being a freeway, it is quite the deathtrap.  Narrow two-lane road, no shoulders, and all the idiots bombing down to Tahoe in their oversized SUVs doing blind suicide passes, just to meet their tee time.

CA-88 is a much nicer alternative.  But don't tell anyone, because, more so than the wider lanes and the shoulders, it's the lack of traffic that makes it nice!

speaking of highways made dangerous by idiotic behavior... US-160 in Colorado:


two lanes going up the hill, one (us) coming down.  The first SUV darts, illegally, into the inner climbing lane to make a suicide pass.  The second SUV decides that is insufficiently manly, and makes a double suicide pass, with a blind corner coming up, in the outer climbing lane!

what is it with ski resort areas encouraging people to behave idiotically??

[Freewayjim]

The worst stretch of freeway I've ever seen is I-70 in PA from the Turnpike to Washington, PA, that stretch of road needs makeover in the worst way. I-280 from the NJ Turnpike to through Downtown Newark is no joyride either.

[Revive 755]

The worst stretch of freeway I've ever seen is I-70 in PA from the Turnpike to Washington, PA, that stretch of road needs makeover in the worst way. I-280 from the NJ Turnpike to through Downtown Newark is no joyride either.

Agree.  Either PA fixes that section, or I-70 should be rerouted down to I-68 - which ought to happen anyway to fix the gap at Breezewood.

Here are a couple views of the substandard ramps that section has:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=40.133085,-79.994373&spn=0,359.978027&z=16&layer=c&cbll=40.133034,-79.994277&panoid=yWL4yZ1j_MPGRN0gFvdhWA&cbp=12,484.9342321956691,,0,3.948238693559706
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=40.154605,-79.777436&spn=0,359.956055&z=15&layer=c&cbll=40.154683,-79.777152&panoid=DY-n5UQyXW3mtzcYiO-ZUg&cbp=12,87.28787326566919,,0,7.419051004812674

[deathtopumpkins]

Not much of a median on that there interstate!  I'd be a little afraid to go very fast on it.

[Voyager]

Doesn't Arkansas have the worst roads in the country?

[Revive 755]

Not much of a median on that there interstate!  I'd be a little afraid to go very fast on it.

Most of the drivers on that section of I-70 seem to disagree with you.  Most of the drivers seem to do at least 65.

[deathtopumpkins]

Gah...!  I just couldn't... I have a hard enough time doing 55 on a 2-lane road... much less 65 on an interstate with only a curb seperating oncoming traffic.

[Greybear]

Doesn't Arkansas have the worst roads in the country?

I don't think so. In the last few years, Arkansas has spend hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild and rehabilitate the interstates, espcially the re-built and widened sections of I-30 and I-40 in the Little Rock area.

[njroadhorse]

95 through the Bronx 

[ComputerGuy]

WA-520 on Lake Washington

[Duke87]

95 through the Bronx

Ah yes. Robert Moss meant to build a highway. He accidentally built a parking lot instead.

The signage is also a mess at the moment now that NYSDOT has decided to slowly renumber the exits sequentially, ditching their old milepost experiment. So on I-95 in the Bronx (and a bit of Manhattan) one now encounters exits 1A, 2, 3, 2A, 2B, 3, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 11, 12, 7A, 7B, 7C, 8A, 8B, 8C, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 ... in that order. Up to 8C was the milepost experiment, now gradually disappearing. The thruway authority then just took over sequentially from there. However, judging from the fact that many new signs have recently been installed in Westchester with existing numbers, it appears as though the thruway authority isn't going to renumber their exits to be in parity with those further south... meaning eventually that above sequence will (presumably) be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17E, 17W, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.
I don't know whether that's an improvement or not.

[deathtopumpkins]

Now that's just messed up. 

Wasn't the Cross-Bronx messed up enough without non-sequential exit numbers? 

[Voyager]

I-5 in Los Angeles county has no shoulders, only 6 lanes, and very substandard curves.

[agentsteel53]

and a whole lot of traffic.  That section at the LA/Orange county line dates back to 1952, I believe.  Great from a roadgeek perspective, but as an actual conveyance of traffic, it totally sucks.

[Alex]

95 through the Bronx

Ah yes. Robert Moss meant to build a highway. He accidentally built a parking lot instead.

The signage is also a mess at the moment now that NYSDOT has decided to slowly renumber the exits sequentially, ditching their old milepost experiment. So on I-95 in the Bronx (and a bit of Manhattan) one now encounters exits 1A, 2, 3, 2A, 2B, 3, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 11, 12, 7A, 7B, 7C, 8A, 8B, 8C, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 ... in that order. Up to 8C was the milepost experiment, now gradually disappearing. The thruway authority then just took over sequentially from there. However, judging from the fact that many new signs have recently been installed in Westchester with existing numbers, it appears as though the thruway authority isn't going to renumber their exits to be in parity with those further south... meaning eventually that above sequence will (presumably) be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17E, 17W, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.
I don't know whether that's an improvement or not.

What ever happened with the rumor proposal that New York would renumber its Interstates to mileage-based exit numbers.

Interstate 278, which I vote as one of the worst freeways in the country, has some goofyness where it uses Grand Central Parkway exit numbers on the brief shared alignment. See - http://www.northeastroads.com/new_york200/i-278_eb_exit_028_02.jpg

Its so goofy, that when I created the Interstate 278 guides, I came up with my own mileage-based exit numbers for the whole route, starting at U.S. 1 & 9 in NJ and heading east.

[vdeane]

I think the current situation with the exit numbers on I-95 has been that way for a while.  We can only hope that rumor proposal is why the renumbering has stopped.

[Duke87]

What ever happened with the rumor proposal that New York would renumber its Interstates to mileage-based exit numbers.

So far as I can tell, that was a completely baseless rumor. Officialy, NYSDOT has stated that it favors sequential numbering since milepost numbering creates multiple exits with the same number when they're spaced less than a mile apart, which occurs a lot in the state's urban areas... and they don't like that. But they don't seem to mind duplicate numbers that are actually duplicates (not with different letter suffixes) resulting from piecemeal renumbering. Go figure.

Actually, some of the credit for that can go to the Thruway Authority for not being cooperative with the state DOT's numbering.

Thus, New York has some of the most messed up exit numbering in the country. We've already mentioned the Cross Bronx and I-278. Then we've got:

- I-87's exit numbers start over from 1 twice. It also, on the Thruway, features exits 21, 21B, 21A, and 22... in that order.
- I-90, due to the Thruway, has decreasing numbers going east most of its length in the state. Then it has exits 1-12. Then B2 and B3.
- Upon entering Westchester county, the Henry Hudson Parkway becomes the Saw Mill (River) Parkway, and its numbers start over... from 3. No exit 1 or 2.
- The Hutch has no exit 11 or 21, for no apparent reason. It then, at the state line, becomes the Merrit and spontaneously drops from exit 30 to exit 27, rather than starting over from 1. Okay, so Connecticut can take most of the blame for that one.
- Some highways (like the Sprain Brook Parkway) lack exit numbers completely.
- I-495 (the LIE) starts at exit 14.
- I-678's exit numbers start at the Belt Parkway. The exits south of there, in JFK airport, have letters.

[vdeane]

Don't forget NY 17's randomly omitted numbers.  Its first three exits are 4, 6, and 7.

[travelinmiles]

I hate most roads in PA.  They are so undercapacity and have antiquated design.  But the worst would have to be 76 the Schuylkill Expressway, especially between Valley Forge and US 1 City Avenue. 2X2 and the only road going to the west, only an outer shoulder, chronically congested.  I wish they would bring back the 1980's plans to add a lane in each direction.

[Voyager]

81 near Scranton is terrible.

[akotchi]

Gotta love those older Pennsylvania freeways that have no acceleration lanes and stop signs at the entrances. 

Also, the Pulaski Skyway (U.S. 1&9) in northern New Jersey, with the tight left entrances/exits, no acceleration lane and no sight distance.  The best way to enter from those ramps is to close your eyes, floor it, and pray for no bloodcurdling sounds of crumpling metal!  I will only take the Skyway if I am on the mailine on either end.  The deck is not in really good shape, either, but there are projects on the horizon to overlay and eventually reconstruct the deck.