Unused Stretches of Highway

[cl94]

In Ohio, frontage roads along US-23 between Waldo and Delaware.
https://goo.gl/maps/yEYmjp4HKms

They rotate what US 23 uses every once in a while. It's a pavement test section. When I was last through there in 2006, both main carriageways were not using the center.

[Eth]

Part of the old southbound carriageway of I-75/85 just south of where the two routes merge is still intact, now forming the median between the two sides. Four lanes, including two HOV lanes, can be seen in the satellite imagery here. You should also have a good view of it from the 17th St and 14th St overpasses.

[PHLBOS]

King of Prussia, PA at the junction of US 202 & PA 23:
Stretch of Lower East Valley Forge Road

[Roadgeek2500]

Philadelphia's got more than a few

Here's one at the foot of the Betsy Ross Bridge, where PA 90 would've continued west
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9972912,-75.081967,16z?hl=en&authuser=0

And here's PA 63 at US 1, you can see the ROW for the unbuilt expressway to the northwest.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1107194,-74.9987484,1753m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&authuser=0

Also, I'm surprised how many stubs Staten Island has for being such a small area.

[cl94]

Staten Island had a major expressway get canceled and NYSDOT R10 built any and all planned ramps instead of doing "ghost ramps". Actually used to be worse: the interchange at the east end of the Richmond Parkway was built, but removed when they widened the SIE.

[BrianP]

Here's one at the foot of the Betsy Ross Bridge, where PA 90 would've continued west
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9972912,-75.081967,16z?hl=en&authuser=0

There's nothing left of the old PA 90.  No ghost ramps anymore.  And the old mainline has been repurposed for the direct ramps. 

[jeffandnicole]

Here's one at the foot of the Betsy Ross Bridge, where PA 90 would've continued west
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9972912,-75.081967,16z?hl=en&authuser=0

If you put it on satellite view, what you see isn't the old stub ramp, but a new overpass under construction.

[NWI_Irish96]

How about this: a stretch of freeway that is used in one direction but not the other:

IN 912 freeway between Calumet Avenue and Riley Road.  You can enter westbound at Riley Road and travel the freeway to Calumet Ave, but eastbound traffic is forced off at Calumet and the pavement between Calumet and Riley is growing weeds

[inkyatari]

How about this: a stretch of freeway that is used in one direction but not the other:

IN 912 freeway between Calumet Avenue and Riley Road.  You can enter westbound at Riley Road and travel the freeway to Calumet Ave, but eastbound traffic is forced off at Calumet and the pavement between Calumet and Riley is growing weeds

That's because of the removal of the Cline AVE bridge, right?

[NWI_Irish96]

Yes, though that doesn't necessarily explain why the remaining section is used Westbound but not Eastbound.   I wasn't living in this area when the bridge was shut down and then removed, so I don't know everything that went on, but the result is very odd that you can drive just one way on perfectly fine two way stretch of road.

[hubcity]

Here's one at the foot of the Betsy Ross Bridge, where PA 90 would've continued west
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9972912,-75.081967,16z?hl=en&authuser=0

There's nothing left of the old PA 90.  No ghost ramps anymore.  And the old mainline has been repurposed for the direct ramps.

I find it interesting that all I-95 BGSs for Betsy Ross Bridge exits are signed for NJ 90. Was PA 90 totally decommissioned?

[BrianP]

I find it interesting that all I-95 BGSs for Betsy Ross Bridge exits are signed for NJ 90. Was PA 90 totally decommissioned?

That version* of PA 90 was proposed but never proceeded past that stage. 

*There was a previous unrelated PA 90.

[Roadgeek2500]

Here's one at the foot of the Betsy Ross Bridge, where PA 90 would've continued west
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9972912,-75.081967,16z?hl=en&authuser=0

If you put it on satellite view, what you see isn't the old stub ramp, but a new overpass under construction.

I, in my infinite wisdom, decided to use Windows 10's built-in Maps app for satellite views, which of course uses Bing satellite images that are years out of date.  I knew they were reworking the interchange, but I didn't realize they'd finished.

[freebrickproductions]

Looks like US 98 was planned to be widened and rerouted east of the Alabama/Mississippi state line:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8635491,-88.4170645,923m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8584127,-88.3991199,1548m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8448501,-88.3649172,3075m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8228741,-88.3277224,4348m/data=!3m1!1e3

AL 158 has a couple of stubs at its west end near Semmes, AL:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8071875,-88.2253918,3a,69.8y,240.82h,91.54t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sB18N9W7pVz56IscdguBaTw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Here's the infamous unfinished AL 13 bypass for Phil Campbell, AL:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.3493561,-87.6664306,7514m/data=!3m1!1e3

AL 255 has a couple of stubs at the north end of the freeway section:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7957159,-86.6601158,322m/data=!3m1!1e3

Here are some unused lanes from I-20/I-59 in Birmingham, AL that were used during some road work:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.5195138,-86.8584889,351m/data=!3m1!1e3

Also, here in Huntsville, AL, Wall Triana Highway near the airport was widened and straightened out (along with a few sharp curves made larger so they wouldn't be as sharp), but a few sections of the old road still remain. The northern part of this section is still in use as James Madison Drive, but here are a few sections that were left behind and pretty much abandoned:
Stub at the former intersection with James Record Road (now the intersection of James Record Road and James Madison Drive):
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.6541345,-86.7590503,3a,59.3y,213.9h,82.18t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1stNQW3bOuOSUuRvftBAR7aQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Section of Wall Triana Highway that's now used by the airport for testing paint, it seems:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.6316288,-86.7607412,584m/data=!3m1!1e3

The original curve that was replaced with a wider one:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.6199156,-86.7538314,282m/data=!3m1!1e3

Also, in downtown Huntsville, a section of the original alignment of Constellation Drive still exists behind the Spring Hill Suites along Memorial Parkway:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7234897,-86.5926671,138m/data=!3m1!1e3

And then there's abandoned bridge on what originally was Hobbs Island Road at what's now Ditto Marina:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.5765074,-86.5634158,77m/data=!3m1!1e3
Interestingly enough, that's also the site of the ghost town of Whitesburg, AL.

Near downtown Huntsville, a large section of Bankhead Parkway was closed off to road traffic due to continuous washouts along it between Fearn Street and Monte Sano State Park, though it's now in use as a hiking trail:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7477121,-86.519782,1397a,35y,355.48h/data=!3m1!1e3

There's also an unused stretch of the original alignment of Meridian Street in downtown Huntsville that's mostly intact, complete with speed limit sign!
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.738949,-86.585808,3a,25.4y,186.03h,82.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sh-AIyf1Q6YEcLZip9YhqGg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

And near Port St. Joe, FL, a section of US 98 was bypassed due to a new development going in, and a lot of the old highway still remains as a walking trail, which I documented back in 2014:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=12863.msg310626#msg310626

Some others are listed on this page on Wikipedia, though most of the ones I posted aren't listed there for some reason:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unused_highways_in_the_United_States#Alabama

[froggie]

Looks like US 98 was planned to be widened and rerouted east of the Alabama/Mississippi state line:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8635491,-88.4170645,923m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8584127,-88.3991199,1548m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8448501,-88.3649172,3075m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8228741,-88.3277224,4348m/data=!3m1!1e3

AL 158 has a couple of stubs at its west end near Semmes, AL:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8071875,-88.2253918,3a,69.8y,240.82h,91.54t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sB18N9W7pVz56IscdguBaTw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

These are both related.  The plan (if ALDOT ever gets off their arse and both funds it and fixes their environmental gaffes with the project) was to extend that relocated US 98 to AL 158 and use the 4-lane AL 158 as part of the 98 relocation.

[davewiecking]

And here's PA 63 at US 1, you can see the ROW for the unbuilt expressway to the northwest.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1107194,-74.9987484,1753m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&authuser=0

Looks like that stretch of road serves 2 functioning warehouses (just going by your link, and the number of trucks in the parking lots). How is this "unused"?

Here's one at the foot of the Betsy Ross Bridge, where PA 90 would've continued west
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9972912,-75.081967,16z?hl=en&authuser=0

I didn't realize that the extensions of the Betsy Ross had been completed over Aramingo Ave, but I'll trust the project's website (http://95revive.com/i95/project-areas/bridge-street-interchange-to-betsy-ross-bridge-interchange-(bri)/bri-construction-status) that they were completed last fall. If I lived closer, such as Philly-based Roadgeek2500 does, I'd go take a look myself and report back. Since the new roadways aren't yet in use, and won't be until a subsequent project to add more ramps (scheduled to START in 2019) is completed, I would count this as a currently unused stretch of highway, meeting the "etc" portion of the OP.

I'm mildly surprised that no one so far has mentioned the abandoned section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (complete with two tunnels), immediately east of Breezewood, Pennsylvania (itself infamous for having I-70 on surface streets).

Tell us more about this I-70 Breezewood thing which you reference (JK; please don't). I like the abandoned Laurel Hill Tunnel in western PA; because the OP asked "and why?", I'll go with "because it was originally built as a train tunnel, and has been repurposed for high speed race car aerodynamic testing".

My favorite is the western portion of I-189 in Burlington, VT. Because the OP asked "and why?", I'll go with "because I like its collection of unused ramps and the curve in the unused portion".

[Flint1979]

My favorite is the abandoned section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I like the tunnels (Rays Hill and Sideling Hill). The other abandoned section of the Turnpike features the bypassed Laurel Hill Tunnel as well. You can see the western end of the Laurel Hill Tunnel traveling eastbound at milemarker 99.

[fillup420]

There is a cut-off section of US 21 hidden among the ramps of the northern I-485/I-77 interchange.

[triplemultiplex]

This road plunging into the Jordanelle Reservoir used to be US 40. When the Jordanelle Dam was built, US 40 was relocated to a freeway on the west side of the lake.

I've inspected this in person when low water levels exposed a long stretch of old US 40.  You could see where some unlucky bastard chopped up the prop on their boat motor when they ran into the old road.

[ftballfan]

Looks like US 98 was planned to be widened and rerouted east of the Alabama/Mississippi state line:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8635491,-88.4170645,923m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8584127,-88.3991199,1548m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8448501,-88.3649172,3075m/data=!3m1!1e3
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8228741,-88.3277224,4348m/data=!3m1!1e3

AL 158 has a couple of stubs at its west end near Semmes, AL:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.8071875,-88.2253918,3a,69.8y,240.82h,91.54t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sB18N9W7pVz56IscdguBaTw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Here's the infamous unfinished AL 13 bypass for Phil Campbell, AL:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.3493561,-87.6664306,7514m/data=!3m1!1e3

Looks like AL started work on these projects then gave up when the money ran out (or when they diverted money to more pressing projects)

[csw]

US 50 between Lawrenceville, IL, and Xenia, IL. Nearly the whole 50 miles has some form of frontage road or abandoned pavement that used to be US 50. Most of this is still in use as frontage road or IL 250, but the stretch just east of Clay City has a few ancient bridges that have piqued my interest.

Bridge 1: https://goo.gl/maps/tfENATYnZU42 note the brick guardrails.
Bridge 2: https://goo.gl/maps/TjBZi7KpLmr
Bridge 3: https://goo.gl/maps/coLFk1m75rJ2

There is also an abandoned rest stop in the area.
https://goo.gl/maps/Xrjq9ZpZy3A2

[bzakharin]

And here's PA 63 at US 1, you can see the ROW for the unbuilt expressway to the northwest.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1107194,-74.9987484,1753m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&authuser=0

If I'm not mistaken it's open to traffic all the way to the dead end, so it's not "unused"

Here's a stub at the southern end of NJ 18 complete with a ramp from NJ 34
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1696003,-74.0709191,461m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1
It's fenced off, but still appears to be used by the DOT

[BrianP]

It's not being used for it's intended purpose.  The part past Evans street is not a highway, more like a driveway. 

[Roadgeek2500]

Here's another one I passed recently: the old Mogantown interchange on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It was decommissioned after I-176 was rerouted to make a direct connection to the Turnpike.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1599399,-75.8865058,583m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&authuser=0

[Max Rockatansky]

Going back to Florida State Road 4a:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2017/05/2017-southeast-trip-part-13-us-route-1.html