Shreveport, Louisiana has the most dangerous onramp I've ever seen

[Dustin DeWinn]

I was in Shreveport for 3 weeks for work. the onramp to get onto I-20 from Traffic Street has so many problems.

*ONE LANE for traffic in both directions.
*You need to cross over oncoming traffic to get to the ramp.
*No traffic signals in the across intersection.

I was also surprised how bad the roads are in Shreveport. I'm so glad I had a rental and not my own vehicle.

https://goo.gl/maps/TZdybc9tG5nxQYvN6

[briantroutman]

*ONE LANE for traffic in both directions.
*You need to cross over oncoming traffic to get to the ramp.
*No traffic signals in the across intersection.

This type of situation is pretty common in Texas in areas where the development along the freeway frontage roads–and the number of over/underpasses to facilitate U-turns–isn't great enough to warrant converting the frontage roads to one-way. And therefore, you have two-way frontage roads on both sides of the freeway with "wrong way"  traffic closest to the freeway. And you wind up with situations like this. Oncoming "wrong way"  frontage traffic is directed to yield to on-ramp traffic, and though this may have a high degree of compliance from Texans who are familiar with the setup, it's counterintuitive to motorists from anywhere else.

[bwana39]

I am confused by this. The problem is there is no yellow center stripe.
The NB Riverside / Traffic to EB i-20 is an easy right. The turn lane is a little short, but it is there. Like most; if not all Y-pattern ramps in Louisiana the vehicle turning RIGHT yields to the traffic turning left (and usually crossing oncoming traffic.)
There is a protected left turn lane from SB Traffic to EB I-20. The traffic making this turn would yield before turning left then be able to not have to yield when they clear the roadway.

The yield pattern on Texas exits is not relevant to this intersection.   Yes, I agree that until you learn Texas exits, that they seem odd. Once you get used to them, they make lots of sense. IE Don't stop on the freeway.  Let the slower traffic on the service roads slow down / stop.

I will add one other thing. The reason there is no traffic signal is that the traffic count from Traffic Street to the interstate EB is really low.  Perhaps there should be a traffic light there, but there never has seemed to be the need for one.

History might add something to this.  Riverside and traffic didn't use to intersect. Before the casinos. it looked far differently.  Riverside ran to Hamilton Rd (Diamond Jacks) and ended at some houses. The stub of Traffic ST. ONLY went to the EB freeway ramp.  I seem to think that the exit from I-20 WB and the entry to I-20EB here were done after the initial construction.

I will give you. Roads in Shreveport particularly (This is in Bossier City) are less than perfect. As a whole, I think Baton Rouge may be worse. 
This intersection is fairly common all over Louisiana where parallel roads are involved in the intersection. While there aren't that many two-way service roads left in Texas, this is how they were done there as well.

[Scott5114]

If that were in Oklahoma City, that wouldn't even rank in the top 10 worst onramps in town. It's a near-spitting image of S. 19th St at I-35 SB in Moore, but with actual merging room.

[debragga]

There's a more dangerous on-ramp 100 miles east in Monroe:
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.5001802,-92.1087776,3a,75y,72.86h,71.29t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sct_nzPWWhwYco4nxbEzTgA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[kphoger]

I am confused by this. The problem is there is no yellow center stripe.

Or rather, the yellow center stripe has worn away.  It used to be there.

[US 89]

I've seen worse than that in Georgia. Here's a ramp similar to the OP on Langford Parkway (GA 166) southwest of Atlanta.

[Dustin DeWinn]

I've seen worse than that in Georgia. Here's a ramp similar to the OP on Langford Parkway (GA 166) southwest of Atlanta.

Wow, okay, you win.

[bassoon1986]

See I heard Traffic Street on ramp and thought this was where the thread was heading. One of my least favorite on ramps growing up in Shreveport.

https://goo.gl/maps/gvL8g4SkZjufH5iM7


iPhone

[Dustin DeWinn]

See I heard Traffic Street on ramp and thought this was where the thread was heading. One of my least favorite on ramps growing up in Shreveport.

https://goo.gl/maps/gvL8g4SkZjufH5iM7


iPhone

Work put me in the Courtyard right outside the Horseshoe so I'm very familiar with that road. Also, never got used to the freight trains as my window was closest to the tracks. 3 weeks of basically waking up every hour.

[MCRoads]

If that were in Oklahoma City, that wouldn't even rank in the top 10 worst onramps in town. It's a near-spitting image of S. 19th St at I-35 SB in Moore, but with actual merging room.

Really? Did you forget this one on I-240 near Crissroads Blvd? It is the same setup, but about 100 ft before you join the interstate!

[Rothman]

There was that one notorious ramp to get on the Pulaski Skyway.  I believe it may even have had a stop sign at the end of it.

[Scott5114]

I've seen worse than that in Georgia. Here's a ramp similar to the OP on Langford Parkway (GA 166) southwest of Atlanta.

Wow, okay, you win.

That's cute.

[ThatRandomOshawott]

I've seen worse than that in Georgia. Here's a ramp similar to the OP on Langford Parkway (GA 166) southwest of Atlanta.

Wow, okay, you win.

That's cute.

That's just shameful. No turn lane, and hardly any room for acceleration onto a highway with high-volume traffic.

[seicer]

Awwwwww

[silverback1065]

Awwwwww

that shouldn't be allowed. but it is pennsylvania, i think they have the worst designed roads i've ever driven on.

[Flint1979]

See I heard Traffic Street on ramp and thought this was where the thread was heading. One of my least favorite on ramps growing up in Shreveport.

https://goo.gl/maps/gvL8g4SkZjufH5iM7


iPhone

Work put me in the Courtyard right outside the Horseshoe so I'm very familiar with that road. Also, never got used to the freight trains as my window was closest to the tracks. 3 weeks of basically waking up every hour.

It sounds almost like when I was staying in Gilman, Illinois at the Super 8. There was a train every 15-20 minutes for about two hours in the early morning. The crossing just west of there on US-24.

[STLmapboy]

Here's the worst onramp I've ever seen. View from above.

I think a lot of Pennsylvania stop sign controlled ramps would qualify. The first example provided by the OP doesn't strike me as particularly bad.

[webny99]

From an outsider's perspective, the slip ramps from frontage road to freeway are jarring. If I was in oncoming traffic, I wouldn't even consider yielding to left-turning traffic, and can easily imagine myself missing the yield sign and blowing through at speed.

I'd actually prefer a stop sign in that situation, because the sign itself is more visible and would (hopefully) be accompanied by a stop line. There would also preferably be a secondary sign that read "LEFT TURNING TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP" or something along those lines.

[webny99]

Awwwwww

Great example, but here is the more PA-esque vantage point. Note also the at least three additional trucks approaching from behind.

[Mr_Northside]

Awwwwww

Great example, but here is the more PA-esque vantage point. Note also the at least three additional trucks approaching from behind.

Not sure what the timetable is, but that cloverleaf is planned to become a DDI.

[jakeroot]

Hold up. Everyone is just posting left turns. What the hell is the big deal? Every state has examples of this. I've been staring at the OP for ever now, and I don't know what I'm looking at beyond just a regular left turn. Not every left turn is a signal; some involve porkchop islands, some involve yielding, some involve more than one lane, etc. This is nothing unusual going on here.

Some of these have slightly more obtuse angles, but they're still just a left turn.

[Dustin DeWinn]

Hold up. Everyone is just posting left turns. What the hell is the big deal? Every state has examples of this. I've been staring at the OP for ever now, and I don't know what I'm looking at beyond just a regular left turn. Not every left turn is a signal; some involve porkchop islands, some involve yielding, some involve more than one lane, etc. This is nothing unusual going on here.

Some of these have slightly more obtuse angles, but they're still just a left turn.

Well it's a left turn onto a major road, and both directions have to negotiate the same lane. 2 opposing onramps merge into one. It's not something I'm used to seeing. It's not merely a left turn at a regular intersection.

[jakeroot]

Hold up. Everyone is just posting left turns. What the hell is the big deal? Every state has examples of this. I've been staring at the OP for ever now, and I don't know what I'm looking at beyond just a regular left turn. Not every left turn is a signal; some involve porkchop islands, some involve yielding, some involve more than one lane, etc. This is nothing unusual going on here.

Some of these have slightly more obtuse angles, but they're still just a left turn.

Well it's a left turn onto a major road, and both directions have to negotiate the same lane. 2 opposing onramps merge into one. It's not something I'm used to seeing. It's not merely a left turn at a regular intersection.

Two opposing on-ramps? I'm guessing you're not familiar with slip lanes. Note in the image that the slip lane has a yield sign. Traffic turning left from Traffic St has to yield to oncoming traffic, as is always required, but has priority over the slip lane, which are almost always universally yield situations, as they are not part of the intersection (they are a bypass of the intersection).

Here are two images: your intersection, and one near me, and I've marked them using MS Paint to show how they operate exactly the same: traffic turning left yields to oncoming traffic, but the slip lane must yield to all traffic, regardless of where it originates. This is standard operation for all slip lanes across the country, with some exception in places like Illinois, where they are often signalized.

[jakeroot]

This left turn acts no different than any other left turn that turns onto a road where a slip lane also deposits traffic in that direction. This regular four-way intersection in Langley, BC has three slip lanes: none are 'add lanes', and must yield to traffic from the left no matter what. The zebra crossings indicate that the slip lane is not controlled by the signal (which, in BC, use continental markings). Traffic in the slip lane is 'bypassing' the main intersection, and has the lowest amount of priority possible. This, again, is indicated by yield signs (which, again, are present in your example):



In the image below, the intersection is denoted by aqua markings. The slip lane is not part of the intersection, and has a yield sign controlling traffic: