Road Problems your city or state will never likely fix

[Dirt Roads]

What Kentucky really needs is to extend the BG Parkway to I-64.

A good one for the Never Likely Fix thread.  Too many fancy horse farms surrounding Keeneland.  I don't know if Kentucky was paying attention, but West Virginia section of fancy horse farms all sold off for development within 10 years of completing I-64 through Teays Valley (and the local show horse park shut down a few years later).  I doubt that anything will disrupt Keeneland, but race horses and show horse get awfully skittish around road noise.  But the current traffic certainly warrants extending the Blue Grass to I-64 (or to New Circle Road, with a freeway connection on the northeast side of Lexington).

[ftballfan]

Cline Ave Bridge in East Chicago.

I thought that was in progress, unless INDOT diverted the $$ destined for it to other projects

[DandyDan]

The one I don't ever see ever getting fixed in my area of Iowa is making the I-35/US 18 interchange south of Clear Lake into a full cloverleaf. They would have to build a new expressway to Garner, but I doubt that really needs to happen.

[DTComposer]

Bay Area:
- Freeway connection between I-880 and I-680 in Fremont or Milpitas

I take it you mean a fully grade-separated route.  I've used the Mission Blvd. extension (California SR 262?) and that works, to a point, but it is not a true freeway.

Yes. Originally CA-237 was going to be routed more to the northeast from Alviso, crossing I-880 (nee CA-17) and joining I-680 near Scott Creek Road. This would have obviated the need for Mission Blvd/CA-262 to be part of the state highway system.

Even so, CA-262 was built as freeway as far as Warm Springs Blvd. (and remains as such), I'm assuming because it pre-dates the idea of having two freeways coming from San Jose to Fremont (i.e. I-680), and thus was going to be the connector between the Nimitz Freeway and CA-21 towards Pleasanton.

Even as late as the early 1980s the right-of-way was clear for a full freeway upgrade (the developments on the south side of Mission and Warm Springs were originally built with no access from Mission, and the north side of the intersection was undeveloped). It would have been less than 3,000 feet of construction, but by 1987 it was hemmed in by development.

CA-237 has even more development, and you can tell by the way the CA-237/I-880 interchange was rebuilt that there is no intention of continuing CA-237 as a freeway to the east.

[Revive 755]

there's no need to extend 865, no one uses 74 west of indy anyway, it's one of the least traveled interstates in the state.

the amount of truck traffic on IN 32 between I-74 and I-65 seems to indicate the need for a better connection to I-74.

I would use I-74 west of Indy more than I-65 if the US 41/IN 63 corridor was of better quality.


Surprised Breezewood has not been mentioned yet.

[ilpt4u]

there's no need to extend 865, no one uses 74 west of indy anyway, it's one of the least traveled interstates in the state.

Trucks like it - part of the Long Distance Chicago Bypass - either to/from I-80 at the Quad cities or to I-39 and up north to 90/94 in Wisconsin at Bloomington/Normal

I've used IN 32 between 74 and 65. Trucks use that route plenty, as well

Looking at the Satellite on Google Maps, New Construction subdivision looks to be being built west of the 65/865 interchange. 865 could Zag, but if INDOT is ever going to think about doing it, they need to protect a corridor, and soon

[skluth]

there's no need to extend 865, no one uses 74 west of indy anyway, it's one of the least traveled interstates in the state.

Trucks like it - part of the Long Distance Chicago Bypass - either to/from I-80 at the Quad cities or to I-39 and up north to 90/94 in Wisconsin at Bloomington/Normal

I've used IN 32 between 74 and 65. Trucks use that route plenty, as well

Looking at the Satellite on Google Maps, New Construction subdivision looks to be being built west of the 65/865 interchange. 865 could Zag, but if INDOT is ever going to think about doing it, they need to protect a corridor, and soon

I noticed the last few times I drove around Bloomington that most of the I-74 traffic at the I-55/I-74 split south of town was truck traffic. I figured it was truckers bypassing Chicago and shunpiking the toll roads. I imagine most of it was heading for I-70.

Looking at the map, the best option might be four-laning IN 32 between I-74 and I-65, preferably on a new limited access alignment.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Twin Cities metro:
-widening MN 62 between 100 and Cedar
-widening US 169 between 13 and 610
-fixing the 394/Shelard Parkway/55 mess on 169
-flyover ramp upgrades at several cloverleaves
-Lyndale Avenue from 94 to Lake Street

[Flint1979]

there's no need to extend 865, no one uses 74 west of indy anyway, it's one of the least traveled interstates in the state.

Trucks like it - part of the Long Distance Chicago Bypass - either to/from I-80 at the Quad cities or to I-39 and up north to 90/94 in Wisconsin at Bloomington/Normal

I've used IN 32 between 74 and 65. Trucks use that route plenty, as well

Looking at the Satellite on Google Maps, New Construction subdivision looks to be being built west of the 65/865 interchange. 865 could Zag, but if INDOT is ever going to think about doing it, they need to protect a corridor, and soon

I noticed the last few times I drove around Bloomington that most of the I-74 traffic at the I-55/I-74 split south of town was truck traffic. I figured it was truckers bypassing Chicago and shunpiking the toll roads. I imagine most of it was heading for I-70.

Looking at the map, the best option might be four-laning IN 32 between I-74 and I-65, preferably on a new limited access alignment.

I did that route about a month ago. I'm not a truck driver or anything just a road tripper. I came from Walcott, Iowa to Saginaw, Michigan via I-74 and I-474 around Peoria since the Illinois River bridge on I-74 is under construction. Went to Montezuma, Indiana simply to collect Parke County. Main reason was because I wanted to do a massive bypass of Chicago, secondary reason is it put me on the right route to collect some counties in Illinois and Indiana. When I was in Bloomington, Illinois I just kept following I-74 east.

Regarding IN-32, that might be a better plan to connect I-74 to I-65 but if someone from NW Indy was heading for I-74 westbound I think sliding down the west side of I-465 to I-74 is doable enough. IN-32 could be upgraded to four lanes between Lebanon and Crawfordsville that would be better than extending I-865 further west which can't be done since there is development right on the other side of the western end of I-865.

[Crown Victoria]

In Pennsylvania:

-Schuylkill Expressway. There are plans to widen the shoulders for use as travel lanes during peak traffic, but a proper reconstruction and widening will most likely never happen, at least anytime soon.
-Interstate 476/Blue Route widening between MacDade Blvd. and PA 3. It took decades to get the road built due to local opposition, and as a compromise was only built to 4 lanes. It clearly needs more, but...
-Numerous junctions between the PA Turnpike and other freeways/Interstates, including with I-376 near Homewood, PA 28, US 219, I-99, I-81 at Carlisle, US 222, and I-80...

Surprised Breezewood has not been mentioned yet.

-Breezewood.

Edit: I did not include the NE Extension/I-78 junction above as I feel the current setup adequately handles traffic to/from I-78 via the US 22 and PA 309 freeways. Also the Turnpike/I-95/I-295 interchange is planned for completion, albeit not in the near future. Lastly, the Scranton Beltway project would improve connections between the NE Extension and I-81, whenever it gets built.

[ilpt4u]

...extending I-865 further west which can't be done since there is development right on the other side of the western end of I-865.

It could be done yet, but it would involve 865 running parallel along 65 for a bit to the northwest, and then turning west - along the lines of 88/355, 290/294, 76/295, 85/285, 35W/94, etc

Especially with the Amazon DC, that area is going to continue to grow, so if even on INDOT's RADAR, a corridor protection kinda needs to move quick

[mhking]

As far as I-865 goes, how are you going to extend it any further west? There is development just west of where I-865 dumps into I-65. All this would have to be demolished for any extending of I-865
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9313753,-86.3481654,3a,75y,172.5h,92.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZW0c-AkwzCtjk4zQTmKAcw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

After all these years, someone finally built on that land... I suppose it was inevitable.

I could see some sort of westbound connection a bit north of the current 865/65 junction, perhaps along/near the current Whitestown Pkwy corridor, ala the 285/85 southside split in Atlanta, though it would be pricy to construct.

As for "need," a lot would depend on bypassing Chicago. The Illiana is still dead in the water, last I heard, so an easy connection to 74 would give westbound traffic easy access to a continued northwestward route that doesn't get closer to Chicago itself, and a natural bypass/access potentially to 39 to get around Chicagoland, as well as potential access to the CKC corridor.

(Yeah, I know, it's pie-in-the-sky stuff, don't judge me)

[skluth]

There's a few problems in the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley that Caltrans or local governments will never fix.

• Indian Canyon Road from Sunrise and I-10 is regularly closed by sand during a lot of high wind events and any time it rains. This is the main road for emergency traffic from I-10 and points north to Desert Regional Hospital, the only hospital in Palm Springs. (Eisenhower, the largest local hospital, is several miles away on the Rancho Mirage/ Palm Desert border.) Gene Autry Trail between I-10 and PS also closes during and after some of these events, but it's not as severe. One needs to be a low bridge above the flood plain.
• An alternate road to I-10 between Banning and the CA 111 exit. There are some side roads between the two exits, but no connections on the very edge of either side of that gap. I-10 backs up for miles here whenever there's an accident or even heavy traffic from events like Coachella and Stagecoach. There is no good way to bypass it.
• Widening I-10 east of Indio to the Arizona state line to six lanes so there is always a truck-free lane. There are a lot of accidents on this stretch, especially at night. Six lanes might actually happen one day, but I don't see it in my lifetime.
• Converting all the stop lights on CA 86 to interchanges. It would be impossible to remove all the sideroads, but most aren't that busy. The lights at Avenue 50, Avenue 52, and 66th Avenue are especially dangerous. Preferably this would be part of a non-stop CA 86/78/111 south to I-8, but that's no longer local for me.
• Do something about the stoplights between I-10 and the CA 62 climb up to Morongo Valley and Joshua Tree. It's not bad on the way up, but a pain in the ass when you've been braking all the way down that long downhill. Personally, I'd build a full interchange at Pierson Blvd and a half interchange for Indian Canyon. A Two Bunch Palms Trail extension west with a full interchange would be better than one at Pierson, but I'm already way too ambitious here.

[Revive 755]

Chicagoland

With 60% Certainty
* A relief/alternative route for I-80/I-94

* Freeway upgrades for more of IL 394

With 75% Certainty
* The mess at the north end of IL 53  - Lake Cook needs to be at least six-laned between IL 53 and US 12, and the Lake Cook intersection with US 12 needs a triple left for EB US 12 to EB Lake Cook or a higher type alternative design.

* US 12 through Lake County

* US 12 through Richmond

* Adding the missing movements at the I-94/IL 120 interchange

* Extending IL 390 west and/or upgrading US 20 to the Elgin Bypass - I think the most that will happen is IL 390 will make it to County Farm Road and a new interchange will eventually get added on US 20 at Shales Parkway.

With 99.99% Certainty
* The missing movements at the Kennedy/Edens Junction

* Off peak congestion on I-290 between US 12/20/45/Mannheim Road and IL 43/Harlem Avenue

* The IL 83/IL 64 intersection (ideally should be an interchange)

* Upgrading Palatine Road to a full freeway between IL 53 and I-294 (unless somehow it becomes the next big project for ISTHA after 2025)

* Completing the interchanges on the Edens with Willow Road

* Making both ends of the Edens Spur full access (so NB I-294 to NB US 41 becomes possible)

I am sure there are plenty more others can add.

[webny99]

This lane merging here should absolutely become a through lane rather than inexplicably ending and cramming three lanes of traffic into two. Volumes (and morning congestion, at least pre-COVID) warrant it, and it would be inexpensive to fix (only $1M by the DOT's own estimate) but it probably isn't going to happen.

[Dirt Roads]

This lane merging here should absolutely become a through lane rather than inexplicably ending and cramming three lanes of traffic into two. Volumes (and morning congestion, at least pre-COVID) warrant it, and it would be inexpensive to fix (only $1M by the DOT's own estimate) but it probably isn't going to happen.

Depending on how much traffic is coming down off I-490, the lane drop might be necessary.  If the onramp dumps directly into a third lane, heavy onramp traffic will cause congestion on the mainline and bring the onramp to a standstill.  I know it doesn't seem fair to folks driving on the "mainline", but traffic patterns sometimes don't follow the route numbers.

[wanderer2575]

Michigan: 
*  Six-laning US-23 between I-75 in Flint and I-94 in Ann Arbor
*  Six-laning all of I-94 between I-196 in Benton Harbor and US-23.

[vdeane]

This lane merging here should absolutely become a through lane rather than inexplicably ending and cramming three lanes of traffic into two. Volumes (and morning congestion, at least pre-COVID) warrant it, and it would be inexpensive to fix (only $1M by the DOT's own estimate) but it probably isn't going to happen.

Depending on how much traffic is coming down off I-490, the lane drop might be necessary.  If the onramp dumps directly into a third lane, heavy onramp traffic will cause congestion on the mainline and bring the onramp to a standstill.  I know it doesn't seem fair to folks driving on the "mainline", but traffic patterns sometimes don't follow the route numbers.

That merge he's talking about is from another onramp.  Here's the view from further back.

[DJ Particle]

Twin Cities metro:
-widening MN 62 between 100 and Cedar
-widening US 169 between 13 and 610
-fixing the 394/Shelard Parkway/55 mess on 169
-flyover ramp upgrades at several cloverleaves
-Lyndale Avenue from 94 to Lake Street

May I also add:
- upgrade MN-252 into a freeway
- upgrade the rest of MN-36 into a freeway (and renumber it and WI-64 to I-135 to Somerset, WI)
- reroute US-169 along current MN-610, I-94, and MN-101.

[NWI_Irish96]

Cline Ave Bridge in East Chicago.

I thought that was in progress, unless INDOT diverted the $$ destined for it to other projects

It wasn't an INDOT project. A private company decided to build it, but hit some kind of snag and the project is now idle.

[zachary_amaryllis]

two things, in my area.

the intersection of us-287 bypass, and north overland trail. i've mentioned it before. terrible intersection of a county road and a super-2.

the intersection of vine and lemay in fort collins. 2 2-lane streets with no left turn lanes or anything, with railroad tracks that tie things up for hours at times, plus its in a neighborhood with no room for expansion. city says they have a fix for it, but i'm not holding my breath.

[Eth]

Completing the interchange between I-75 and I-575 in Cobb.  Currently there are no ramps from I-575 South to I-75 North or I-75 South to I-575 North, and putting them in would require some major rock blasting.

How much of a problem is that, really? Particularly for the 575-to-75 movement, surely going 3/4 mile on Chastain would still probably be quicker than the 5-mile freeway journey would be even with a free-flowing ramp.

[Coelacanth]

Twin Cities metro:
-widening MN 62 between 100 and Cedar
-widening US 169 between 13 and 610
-fixing the 394/Shelard Parkway/55 mess on 16
-flyover ramp upgrades at several cloverleaves <in priority order 135W/494, I35W/694, I94/494/694, I494/TH100>
-Lyndale Avenue from 94 to Lake Street

May I also add:
- upgrade MN-252 into a freeway
- upgrade the rest of MN-36 into a freeway (and renumber it and WI-64 to I-135 to Somerset, WI)
- reroute US-169 along current MN-610, I-94, and MN-101. <Don't see this as necessary. Current 169 would still be a TH through Champlin anyway.>

The main thing missing from both these lists is the connection from I394EB to I94EB.
Also the connection from SB TH169 to WB TH212 is a deathtrap.

[architect77]

What are some major or at least significant road issues in your state or city that they will likely never fix? Either because they have explicitly said they never will or funding, etc. One example near me is the intersection of College Av. and Kessler Blvd. E Dr. in Indianapolis. This intersection is notoriously terrible during rush hour, in particular for Kessler traffic. the simple fix is to simply widen Kessler. This intersection has been studied and gets a LOS of F. Recently the Red Line BRT Line was added on College, possibly making it worse (not sure on this, the route is too new to tell). Anyway, the city has no plans on fixing this mess, what are some examples near you all?

How many times have you talked with them pointing the problems and suggesting solutions in several price ranges?
Sometimes that's all it takes to get action.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Twin Cities metro:
-widening MN 62 between 100 and Cedar
-widening US 169 between 13 and 610
-fixing the 394/Shelard Parkway/55 mess on 169
-flyover ramp upgrades at several cloverleaves
-Lyndale Avenue from 94 to Lake Street

May I also add:
- upgrade MN-252 into a freeway
- upgrade the rest of MN-36 into a freeway

The plan of converting MN 252 to a freeway has been accelerating in the last couple years, and Oak Park Heights has changed positions on a MN 36 freeway. So I think those things are decidedly less impossible now.