Road Problems your city or state will never likely fix

[roadman65]

Then a continuation of SR 453 to Leesburg  as US 441 between Mount Dora and Leesburg is so congested due to sprawl along the corridor.  I know its in the master plan, but I doubt it will ever materialize in my lifetime just as I-69 completed from Mexico to Canada or I-74's two segments between Mt. Airy, NC and Cincinnati, OH.

[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.

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.

Yes, correct. Thanks for pointing out the congestion further back - I missed that myself, but that's just what a typical morning rush used to look like!

[gonealookin]

We have been discussing the "Loop Road", the re-routing of US 50 behind the casinos at South Lake Tahoe/Stateline, forever.  Discussion thread here.

The political angst about that is ongoing.  It's certainly a point of discussion in the South Lake Tahoe City Council races this November (I'm not a part of that as I live in Nevada).  It looks to me like it's going to be a subject of argument, with no actual shovels in the ground, for the rest of my lifetime.  Nevada isn't the problem there, the arguing is all within California.

[sparker]

1.  CA 17 Los Gatos-Scotts Valley.  A long tunnel notwithstanding, there's no politically/environmentally consensual solution to that problem.  So it'll be one band-aid after another (provided the whole damn range doesn't burn up in the next decade!) with little in the way of incident reduction or traffic relief to show for it.
2.  US 101 Salinas-Gilroy.  Might get upgraded as far south as San Juan Bautista/CA 156 north junction, especially if some activity toward a CA 152 and/or CA 25 set of upgrades actually materializes.  Past that, another D4/D5 joint "band-aid" would likely be administered.  Those two districts seem to cringe at deploying anything that could be seen as capacity increases by automotive transportation critics, so actually bringing US 101 up to full and continuous freeway standards down to Salinas is at best a long shot.
3.  Connecting I-880 and I-680 at or near CA 262.  Talked about, dismissed, revived, planned, forgotten -- all of the above have applied since plans for 237 across Milpitas were scrapped.  We'll just have to see if the cut/cover plan currently being fomented actually materializes in my lifetime.

[Finrod]

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.

I wouldn't think it would be a big deal, but I've read how it's still a long-term goal for the GDOT.  I get the impression that Chastain was expanded to what it is now largely because of those missing ramps.  Certainly no sane person nowadays tries to use Barrett Parkway to connect between 75 and 575.

[zachary_amaryllis]

i've mentioned this intersection before... its been reconfigured a few times, and people keep dying here. bridge it over, put in a light.. something... small county road intersecting with 65mph (i think its a 'super-2') us-287 near fort collins. turning highway north, its either a left right into the passing lane, or a right into the slow lane usually occupied by trucks.

turning highway south, its either a left into the single lane, or a right into a very short merge lane.

https://goo.gl/maps/AuHUazRjufAQeaUV6

[Tom958]

North Avenue in Atlanta, parts of which have been or still are various numbered routes, is sixty feet wide and was striped for six lanes from I-75-85 to Boulevard- - except for the block between Peachtree and Juniper Streets, which is ten feet narrower. As this Streetview shows, the reduction in width and lane count is entirely on the north side, requiring through drivers to shift left from the correct through lanes and enticing unattentive drivers into heading straight from the left turn lane, cutting off or hitting cars that are proceeding correctly.

For most of my life, an eighteen-or-so story fifties-vintage building on that block (why was it allowed to be built there in the first place?) prevented the addition of another lane. Then, a few years ago, that building was torn down and replaced by a five or six story building... and the street still remains as it was. 

In fairness, the stretch of North Avenue east of here has finally been striped down to two lanes in each direction instead of three, and a two-way left turn is provided so drivers must opt into the left turn lane at Juniper rather than it being a surprise change to a through lane. but still. 

[djlynch]

The most obvious example that comes to mind for Austin is the gap in Barton Skyway where its namesake bridge was never built. The environmental NIMBYs would not take it well and the well-off (and only getting richer) neighborhood on the east side won't want the traffic.

Only second because it feels like there's some chance it might happen some day is completing the SH 45 loop. It might even help one of my personal complaints about the Austin road network, which is the lack of crossings of Lake Austin.

[J N Winkler]

In the Wichita area, the Kellogg freeway (US 54-400) is projected to end in the east at a traffic signal at 143rd Street East (Springdale Road, just one mile west of the Butler County line).  The next two and a half miles east are built up and, in Butler County, are part of the tony suburb of Andover.  I remember seeing a document issued years ago by either Wichita city government or the MPO that disavowed any intent to extend the freeway further east.  Now that is apparently under consideration, but I expect land acquisition to be a significant and possibly insurmountable obstacle.

In order for Kellogg to be fully upgraded to freeway between deep rural areas west of Kingman in the west and just west of Leon in the east, the following upgrades to full freeway would need to happen:

*  Construction of the Kingman bypass (part of the current 10-year transportation plan)

*  Construction of a Goddard bypass (tentatively planned as part of the Northwest Wichita Bypass)

*  Completion of the freeway (partial frontage roads already built) between Goddard and 111th Street West in Wichita

*  Construction of a freeway (currently unplanned, but IMO most plausible as a very expensive "throughpass") through eastern Sedgwick County and Andover to connect to the four-lane divided segment east of Andover

*  Upgrade of the Andover-Augusta section to full freeway (would likely require construction of frontage roads for at least part of the length)

*  A freeway bypass of Augusta (also built on top of the current US 54 routing)

[Ned Weasel]

*  Construction of a Goddard bypass (tentatively planned as part of the Northwest Wichita Bypass)

Why would Goddard need to be bypassed?  The current alignment of US 54 already looks wide enough to be upgraded to a freeway.  The only issues I see are a few houses that would need to have their driveways relocated, and a gas station that would need to have one of its three access points closed.

[DJ Particle]

"Suicide Alley", Cape Cod.

Despite the changes in 1989 (the year the lollipop sticks went up) and 1992 (slight widening to allow for a larger median), head-on accidents are still far too common there.

Will likely never be fixed because:  proximity to delicate reservoirs/aquifers (especially near Exit 85), NIMBYism.

[J N Winkler]

*  Construction of a Goddard bypass (tentatively planned as part of the Northwest Wichita Bypass)

Why would Goddard need to be bypassed?  The current alignment of US 54 already looks wide enough to be upgraded to a freeway.  The only issues I see are a few houses that would need to have their driveways relocated, and a gas station that would need to have one of its three access points closed.

A "throughpass" more or less on the existing alignment may be what is eventually constructed, but the prevailing concept for the Northwest Wichita Bypass has been for it to tie in to a northern bypass of Goddard, which (as of the early 2000's) had a gravity sewer system that tends to disfavor housing subdivisions north of US 54.  Given that there are now houses near Tanganyika Wildlife Park, I'm not sure that is still true.

[NWI_Irish96]

Indiana

4 Lane IN 1 from I-70 to Connersville

So I drove this section of IN 1 for the first time a couple weeks ago. It was not during rush hour (if that even exists in this area of the state) but there was nowhere near the traffic to justify 4 lanes.

[ozarkman417]

The Kansas Expressway extension south of Republic Road in the south side of Springfield, MO

[silverback1065]

i-72 will never be finished in missouri.

[bing101]

For Sacramento
The completion of CA-244 would never be finished due to the area not being all built up for  the completion of the Beltline freeway.
Widening of Yolo Causeway I-80

Make CA-99 north of Natomas meet interstate standards for the rumored I-9 and  make CA-51 meet interstate standards.

[TXtoNJ]

Austin's never getting a high-capacity arterial in the central section.

[The Ghostbuster]

A north-side freeway bypass of the Madison area, to compliment the existing Beltline Highway along the south and west sides of the city. There was a study about being a roadway called the North Mendota Parkway, but it likely will never be built.

[I-55]

Another for Indiana: I-67 (regardless of whether or not you perceive it as a problem is it 95% likely this designation will NOT be happening)

[roadfro]

Bay Area:
These are "problems" (depending on your perspective) that I do not see being resolved at least in the next 40 years, if ever:
- 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.

I invite you to take a look at this recent thread in the Pacific Southwest board: Route 262 freeway upgrade proposal in Fremont

[plain]

Mississippi:

That stupid 4 way stop on US-82 in Mathiston.

I know I'm a month late with this response but what the fuck were they thinking with this??? Might as well make it a regular full blown traffic signal.

[thspfc]

WI-26 in Rosendale. WISDOT hates anyone who uses WI-26 as a shortcut between I-41 and US-151, so they got rid of the signage for Oshkosh (on US-151 at the WI-26 exit) and Madison (on I-41 at the WI-26 exit). This to me is a clear statement that WISDOT is not at all interested in a Rosendale bypass, and would rather have thru traffic go through Fond du Lac.

[Thing 342]

A US-29 bypass of northern Charlottesville.

[silverback1065]

i'll add i-69 in mississippi to this list.

[lepidopteran]

Ohio:

• A bypass of Delaware to connect US-23 to I-71, with a freeway-to-freeway connection.
• 6-laning I-70 east of Columbus to Zanesville, and/or partly smoothening out those 3 hills mentioned recently in another thread

Pennsylvania:

• Adding a third bore, or even widening the existing bores, of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel on Parkway East (I-376).  A bypass was planned with the PATP Southern Beltway project, but that was axed.

Maryland:

• Eliminating the remaining traffic signals on US-29 north of New Hampshire Ave.
• Upgrading MD-3 to freeway, or at least replacing the major intersections with interchanges.  Same with the stretch of US-301 south of there, through Bowie, that 3 sort of "turns into".