Undead Road Plans

[mrcmc888]

Interstate 3.

Dead for many years, but especially in East TN you will occasionally hear a story about it pop up despite the fact that it likely will never exist.

[Chris19001]

Woodhaven Road (PA63) extension in Philly to the Montgomery county line.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Woodhaven+Rd,+Philadelphia,+PA/@40.1230001,-75.0221306,4076m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c6b326f45522a5:0x6385f2bf2bbd0443!8m2!3d40.0916835!4d-74.9779193
The ROW is still there, but the community opposition is significant..

[sparker]

Interstate 3.

Dead for many years, but especially in East TN you will occasionally hear a story about it pop up despite the fact that it likely will never exist.

This was a project put together by some folks in GA who had absolutely no idea about the terrain north of their state (particularly the US 129 "Tail of the Dragon" alignment) as well as the NIMBY factor in their own north territory.  All they had were a couple of GRIP corridors along the east side of the state to string together, but anything farther north than I-85 was dead in the water.  Several years later, the suggestion was made -- from the other end -- to reinstate that corridor concept as a I-81 extension; again, rational thought prevailed and it went nowhere.  As a side note, the "I-3" ridiculously-out-of-grid designation was promulgated during the post-9/11 bouts of raw patriotism to honor the 3rd Army Division based at Ft. Gordon near Augusta, which would be more or less along the corridor's route in that area. 

[abefroman329]

In DC, tearing down the Whitehurst Freeway and extending I-395 in a tunnel to connect to the freeway portion of New York Ave (there's that one yahoo who insists it can be extended to the I-95/I-495 interchange using railroad and PEPCO rights-of-way, but he seems to be an army of one).

[Max Rockatansky]

Some select additional non-Interstate (in addition to CA 190)  routes that were never built but are still on the books in California:

CA 276:  For whatever reason Mineral King Road still has a proposed routing as CA 276 despite Sequoia National Park expanding and killing any chance of a ski resort.

CA 178:   The proposed routing over the Panamint Range is still active. 

CA 65:   The gap in the two CA 65 segments is still has an adopted route.

CA 152:   152 east of CA 99 still has an adopted routing to the unbuilt CA 65. 

CA 180:   The unbuilt segment to CA 25 is still on the books...and was likely signed as 180 prior to 1940. 

CA 130:  Still has a planned routing over the Diablos despite relinquishments in San Jose.

CA 211:  The Lost Coast planned alignment of CA 1 still shows up on State Highway maps.

CA 169:  The gap in the two segments of 169 still shows up as a planned route. 

As far as I know CA 48 and 122 are still considered active unbuilt projects.  It takes a lot for a project to disappear off California it seems, the list above is the tip of the iceberg.

[theroadwayone]

In DC, tearing down the Whitehurst Freeway and extending I-395 in a tunnel to connect to the freeway portion of New York Ave (there's that one yahoo who insists it can be extended to the I-95/I-495 interchange using railroad and PEPCO rights-of-way, but he seems to be an army of one).

In the unlikely (though not impossible) event that happens, would the I-95 designation on the beltway change or what?

[SSOWorld]

The Illiana.

[theroadwayone]

Interstate 3.

Dead for many years, but especially in East TN you will occasionally hear a story about it pop up despite the fact that it likely will never exist.

This was a project put together by some folks in GA who had absolutely no idea about the terrain north of their state (particularly the US 129 "Tail of the Dragon" alignment) as well as the NIMBY factor in their own north territory.  All they had were a couple of GRIP corridors along the east side of the state to string together, but anything farther north than I-85 was dead in the water.  Several years later, the suggestion was made -- from the other end -- to reinstate that corridor concept as a I-81 extension; again, rational thought prevailed and it went nowhere.  As a side note, the "I-3" ridiculously-out-of-grid designation was promulgated during the post-9/11 bouts of raw patriotism to honor the 3rd Army Division based at Ft. Gordon near Augusta, which would be more or less along the corridor's route in that area.

I seriously think that should the road somehow get built, it will likely get a different designation, as I-3 no doubt belongs to some SF-LA route in CA. Then again, we have so much out-of-grid routes ([cough cough] I-69) that I wouldn't be surprised.

[abefroman329]

In DC, tearing down the Whitehurst Freeway and extending I-395 in a tunnel to connect to the freeway portion of New York Ave (there's that one yahoo who insists it can be extended to the I-95/I-495 interchange using railroad and PEPCO rights-of-way, but he seems to be an army of one).

In the unlikely (though not impossible) event that happens, would the I-95 designation on the beltway change or what?

One would hope, since that was the original plan for I-95, and it wouldn't make sense to call the entire route I-395.  If they did change that route to I-95, I don't know if it would make more sense to leave current-day I-695 as is or change it to I-395 (the route would run from I-95 in DC to I-295 in Maryland).

[theroadwayone]

In DC, tearing down the Whitehurst Freeway and extending I-395 in a tunnel to connect to the freeway portion of New York Ave (there's that one yahoo who insists it can be extended to the I-95/I-495 interchange using railroad and PEPCO rights-of-way, but he seems to be an army of one).

In the unlikely (though not impossible) event that happens, would the I-95 designation on the beltway change or what?

One would hope, since that was the original plan for I-95, and it wouldn't make sense to call the entire route I-395.  If they did change that route to I-95, I don't know if it would make more sense to leave current-day I-695 as is or change it to I-395 (the route would run from I-95 in DC to I-295 in Maryland).

Someone suggested on another post that if there were to be such a road, I-95 would have to say on the beltway to keep long-haul traffic out of DC. But still, good idea.

[lepidopteran]

Of the plans below, I think they might be occasionally dusted off, but someone correct me if they're too far gone.

In Columbus, OH,  the Morse-Bethel Connector.  This is a gap in the street grid that would require a new bridge across a river.  Only problem is, it would also cut through a residential area, probably taking a row of houses with it.

In the DC area, there's the "Techway", or a bridge over the Potomac that would connect the "technology corridors" between Gaithersburg, MD and Sterling, VA (possibly joining two different State Route 28s).  This would help relieve traffic on the overburdened American Legion Bridge on the Capital Beltway (I-495).

On the MD side, there are occasionally plans to improve US-301 between US-50 and the Nice Bridge, or at the very least build a bypass around Waldorf.

Both of the latter two might be considered part of an "outer-outer-beltway" plan for the area.  Sometimes I'll hear about a "Western Bypass" or I-95 relief route, but I don't think there's anything half-serious there.

[abefroman329]

In DC, tearing down the Whitehurst Freeway and extending I-395 in a tunnel to connect to the freeway portion of New York Ave (there's that one yahoo who insists it can be extended to the I-95/I-495 interchange using railroad and PEPCO rights-of-way, but he seems to be an army of one).

In the unlikely (though not impossible) event that happens, would the I-95 designation on the beltway change or what?

One would hope, since that was the original plan for I-95, and it wouldn't make sense to call the entire route I-395.  If they did change that route to I-95, I don't know if it would make more sense to leave current-day I-695 as is or change it to I-395 (the route would run from I-95 in DC to I-295 in Maryland).

Someone suggested on another post that if there were to be such a road, I-95 would have to say on the beltway to keep long-haul traffic out of DC. But still, good idea.

I think really good signage would do the trick. Just ask Wilmington, DE.

[theroadwayone]

Long Island Sound crossing.

What's interesting is that I was thinking of it as I was writing the OP. The crossing was meant to go from the I-287/I-95 interchange in Rye to NY 135. There's pictures of the stub north end of NY 135; I think the reason they didn't take a page from Maryland's book and turn it into a park-and-ride is because someone out there's still holding on hope the Long Island Sound crossing might get built. Who knows, maybe someday the technology will be there to build it.

[ftballfan]

Interstate 3.

Dead for many years, but especially in East TN you will occasionally hear a story about it pop up despite the fact that it likely will never exist.

This was a project put together by some folks in GA who had absolutely no idea about the terrain north of their state (particularly the US 129 "Tail of the Dragon" alignment) as well as the NIMBY factor in their own north territory.  All they had were a couple of GRIP corridors along the east side of the state to string together, but anything farther north than I-85 was dead in the water.  Several years later, the suggestion was made -- from the other end -- to reinstate that corridor concept as a I-81 extension; again, rational thought prevailed and it went nowhere.  As a side note, the "I-3" ridiculously-out-of-grid designation was promulgated during the post-9/11 bouts of raw patriotism to honor the 3rd Army Division based at Ft. Gordon near Augusta, which would be more or less along the corridor's route in that area. 

Probably not enough traffic to warrant most of it either

[webny99]

The US 219 freeway has been floating between dead and alive for decades. I'm not sure how to classify it at the moment.

Same for I-86; it's quite an ongoing subject as to whether it will ever be completed (but there are other threads for that  )

[abefroman329]

Long Island Sound crossing.

What's interesting is that I was thinking of it as I was writing the OP. The crossing was meant to go from the I-287/I-95 interchange in Rye to NY 135. There's pictures of the stub north end of NY 135; I think the reason they didn't take a page from Maryland's book and turn it into a park-and-ride is because someone out there's still holding on hope the Long Island Sound crossing might get built. Who knows, maybe someday the technology will be there to build it.

I thought the LIE was intended to be extended to cross the Sound, and that's why it has a "temporary"  end in Riverhead.

[froggie]

^ Riverhead was the initially intended terminus of the LIE.  State Legislature authorized an extension to Mattituck in 1969, before the construction to Riverhead was completed.  There were proposals floating around to extend it across the Sound to Rhode Island, but not much happened with those proposals...the serious Sound crossing proposals were always further west, whether Oyster Bay-Rye or something connecting mid-Sound to Connecticut.

[Henry]

In DC, tearing down the Whitehurst Freeway and extending I-395 in a tunnel to connect to the freeway portion of New York Ave (there's that one yahoo who insists it can be extended to the I-95/I-495 interchange using railroad and PEPCO rights-of-way, but he seems to be an army of one).

The only way I'd be for this is if I-66 were also extended east to meet I-395. Of course, they'd have to to build a tunnel under the city, but that would be a worthwhile undertaking.

[abefroman329]

In DC, tearing down the Whitehurst Freeway and extending I-395 in a tunnel to connect to the freeway portion of New York Ave (there's that one yahoo who insists it can be extended to the I-95/I-495 interchange using railroad and PEPCO rights-of-way, but he seems to be an army of one).

The only way I'd be for this is if I-66 were also extended east to meet I-395. Of course, they'd have to to build a tunnel under the city, but that would be a worthwhile undertaking.

That was the last plan for 66, to run to 395 in a tunnel under E Street. There's a funny-looking support column at the Farragut North Metro station that was intended to support an on- or-off ramp to 66, meaning there was an entrance or exit planned for somewhere in the vicinity of Connecticut and L NW.

[jon daly]

^ Riverhead was the initially intended terminus of the LIE.  State Legislature authorized an extension to Mattituck in 1969, before the construction to Riverhead was completed.  There were proposals floating around to extend it across the Sound to Rhode Island, but not much happened with those proposals...the serious Sound crossing proposals were always further west, whether Oyster Bay-Rye or something connecting mid-Sound to Connecticut.

CT/RI-78 was one propoesed RI-NY crossing.

http://www.kurumi.com/roads/ct/ct78.html



More complete list of proposed crossings here.

http://www.kurumi.com/roads/ct/licrossing.html

I think there was a rai-ferry crossing at one point between LI and Stonington, Conn.

[Rothman]

US 219 recently had some unexpected life due to possible EIS development, but I am uncertain where it goes from there.

I-86: I would be surprised if Hale Eddy to Hancock is done in the next decade.

[mgk920]

^ Riverhead was the initially intended terminus of the LIE.  State Legislature authorized an extension to Mattituck in 1969, before the construction to Riverhead was completed.  There were proposals floating around to extend it across the Sound to Rhode Island, but not much happened with those proposals...the serious Sound crossing proposals were always further west, whether Oyster Bay-Rye or something connecting mid-Sound to Connecticut.

How 'buildable' is the Riverhead bypass and the rest the route to Mattituck?

Mike

[vdeane]

There's days, probably not very.  There's quite a bit of development, including apartments (and/or condos?) and golf courses in the way.

[RobbieL2415]

I-990 (NY) will be extended if traffic conditions necessitate it.

MA 57 will be extended if traffic conditions necessitate it.

I-84 to Providence could still technically happen because ConnDOT owns a buttload of its ROW.

I-291 still has its expansion ROW still intact for the most part.  If the NIMBYs would only back off...

CT 25 has its ROW still cleared north of Trumbull and could be considered since traffic gets nasty there during rush hour.

[hbelkins]

I-66 in Kentucky.