Runaway truck ramps in urban areas

[STLmapboy]

Recently, I came across this "escape lane" in Rolling Hills Estates, CA (signed as a runaway truck ramp multiple times beforehand). It reminded me of this runaway truck ramp in Beverly Hills.

Any other urban runaway truck ramps you know of?

[GaryA]

Recently, I came across this "escape lane" in Rolling Hills Estates, CA (signed as a runaway truck ramp multiple times beforehand). It reminded me of this runaway truck ramp in Beverly Hills.

Any other urban runaway truck ramps you know of?

Another one in the general LA area is here at the end of Kanan-Dume Rd, where it meets PCH.  This one's in the center divider, and they still call it an "escape ramp" even though it's level or even downhill.

[lepidopteran]

There used to be one in Covington, KY, on I-71/I-75.  This was before that treacherous hill was smoothened/straightened out.

There is also one in Pittsburgh, PA, on I-376 (formerly I-279) shortly before the south portal of the Fort Pitt Tunnel.

Both are/were of the "gravel" type.

[KCRoadFan]

I'm pretty sure there's one along I-70 eastbound in Colorado, as it makes its long descent into the Denver metro area coming from the mountains in the west.

[ErmineNotyours]

Bonners Ferry, ID.  Downhill, gravel.

(Why is US 2 listed as "south"?)

[TheHighwayMan3561]

There was/is one in Minnesota on the Gunflint Trail southbound descending into Grand Marais, but all the signs relating to it were removed the most recent time I was on that road. The ramp is still there. There's a major timber processing plant up the hill so the ramp has a valid reason for being there.

[roadman65]

I-95 SB & I-64 EB used to have one at the former toll plaza at Belvidere Street as there was a steep grade for semis approaching the tolls.  I am guessing that with the plaza gone, no need for trucks to have to slow down fast.

[Buck87]

I'm pretty sure there's one along I-70 eastbound in Colorado, as it makes its long descent into the Denver metro area coming from the mountains in the west.

I drove that for the first time last month, and I especially liked the signs in the flat areas of that descent that said things like "Truckers: don't be fooled, 4 miles of steep grades and sharp curves left" and "Truckers: You are not down yet, still 1.5 miles to go."

[STLmapboy]

I'm pretty sure there's one along I-70 eastbound in Colorado, as it makes its long descent into the Denver metro area coming from the mountains in the west.

I drove that for the first time last month, and I especially liked the signs in the flat areas of that descent that said things like "Truckers: don't be fooled, 4 miles of steep grades and sharp curves left" and "Truckers: You are not down yet, still 1.5 miles to go."

These were added after a huge 1989 crash. https://www.cpr.org/2019/04/30/cdot-created-those-infamous-truckers-dont-be-fooled-signs-after-this-historic-i-70-crash/

[wriddle082]

Not really urban, but a busy area nonetheless.  US 431 northbound in Guntersville, AL has one at the bottom of a big hill, with a frontage road to the right of it, and a traffic light at the end.  Looks like it has a pea gravel surface.

[thspfc]

US-44 in Avon, CT: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8048521,-72.814214,3a,15y,284.34h,83.65t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1stD_rHMLIFh5uHIEbPF_P2Q!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DtD_rHMLIFh5uHIEbPF_P2Q%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D261.96875%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656
There are definitely a couple in Carson City and maybe around Lake Tahoe.

Not exactly relevant to this but Iowa and Minnesota have runaway truck ramps. I kid you not.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0262043,-91.2055604,3a,48.2y,44.9h,88.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSGvWVVg9kp5V2JYHPy64CQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0262043,-91.2055604,3a,48.2y,44.9h,88.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSGvWVVg9kp5V2JYHPy64CQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (sorry for the dinosaur GSV on this one)

There are currently no ramps at all in WI, but if those spots have them, there could feasibly be a few in Wisconsin. There was a nasty runaway accident in 2019 in Taylors Falls, MN. A truck lost its brakes going down a long 8-9% grade on US-8 in St. Croix Falls WI, then crossed the bridge and rolled over at a stoplight, narrowly missing several cars. Another possibility is a less steep but long winding hill on I-39/90/94, a major truck route, near the CTH-CS exit. US-12 south of Baraboo is also pretty steep and has many trucks.

[cl94]

The aforementioned I-376 escape ramp approaching the Fort Pitt Tunnel is probably the closest you'll find one to the downtown of a major city in this country. A whopping mile and a half from downtown Pittsburgh. That being said, it's not the only one in the middle of a town in PA. US 119 NB in Punxsutawney has a glorified gravel pile at the edge of downtown.

Outside of PA, NY 12 has one in the Utica suburbs.

[ilpt4u]

Not exactly relevant to this but Iowa and Minnesota have runaway truck ramps. I kid you not.

I was shocked when I came across this one in Illinois: https://goo.gl/maps/C6hPNJ61ZhbSxQwcA

Granted, it is south of the small town of Chester, so not exactly an urban area, but it is the only Runaway Truck Ramp in IL I have come across. There may be others in the state, tho

It is on the route between an active coal mine and a coal Mississippi River port, so that may be part of the reason for the ramp - lots of coal trucks getting from the mine to the barges

[thspfc]

I can't remember how or why I figured this out, but Ridgway, PA has the most runaway ramps of any town in America, with four. You could argue that three of them are useless - two are on a road that trucks aren't allowed on, and the first one on US-219 Truck is somewhat redundant to the second one, but they are all signed and well maintained.

[thspfc]

Not exactly relevant to this but Iowa and Minnesota have runaway truck ramps. I kid you not.

I was shocked when I came across this one in Illinois: https://goo.gl/maps/C6hPNJ61ZhbSxQwcA

Granted, it is south of the small town of Chester, so not exactly an urban area, but it is the only Runaway Truck Ramp in IL I have come across. There may be others in the state, tho

It is on the route between an active coal mine and a coal Mississippi River port, so that may be part of the reason for the ramp - lots of coal trucks getting from the mine to the barges

Lol ok, they tried I guess

[ilpt4u]

Not exactly relevant to this but Iowa and Minnesota have runaway truck ramps. I kid you not.

I was shocked when I came across this one in Illinois: https://goo.gl/maps/C6hPNJ61ZhbSxQwcA

Granted, it is south of the small town of Chester, so not exactly an urban area, but it is the only Runaway Truck Ramp in IL I have come across. There may be others in the state, tho

It is on the route between an active coal mine and a coal Mississippi River port, so that may be part of the reason for the ramp - lots of coal trucks getting from the mine to the barges

Lol ok, they tried I guess

Even has an advance sign up the hill a bit: https://goo.gl/maps/9r6M5z79veciZSjN7

[gonealookin]

There are definitely a couple in Carson City and maybe around Lake Tahoe.

There are two such ramps on eastbound US 50 on the downhill from Spooner Summit to Carson City.  The second one is just before the junction of US 50/US 395/I-580, and I suppose if you can get a Costco in the same GSV shot as the runaway truck ramp, that should probably count as "urban":
https://goo.gl/maps/UyLkHTqqK9FQt1Eo8

[cl94]

I can't remember how or why I figured this out, but Ridgway, PA has the most runaway ramps of any town in America, with four. You could argue that three of them are useless - two are on a road that trucks aren't allowed on, and the first one on US-219 Truck is somewhat redundant to the second one, but they are all signed and well maintained.

Ridgway has no fewer than 5. One on US 219 south of where the truck route breaks off, two on the section of 219 that bans trucks, and two along US 219 TRUCK.

[jay8g]

The final ramp on the long downhill stretch of US 95 approaching Lewiston, ID is well within the city. (The ramp itself is on US 12, past the junction with 95, but the only way you'd have a runaway truck is if came from 95. There's also a runaway truck ramp on the ramp to stay on 95, leading to this interesting sign assembly.)

[Revive 755]

Granted, it is south of the small town of Chester, so not exactly an urban area, but it is the only Runaway Truck Ramp in IL I have come across. There may be others in the state, tho

There's a second one around Chester near the river bridge.

[thspfc]

I can't remember how or why I figured this out, but Ridgway, PA has the most runaway ramps of any town in America, with four. You could argue that three of them are useless - two are on a road that trucks aren't allowed on, and the first one on US-219 Truck is somewhat redundant to the second one, but they are all signed and well maintained.

Ridgway has no fewer than 5. One on US 219 south of where the truck route breaks off, two on the section of 219 that bans trucks, and two along US 219 TRUCK.

Huh, I missed the highest one on US-219. That one looks more justified than some of the others.

[STLmapboy]

The final ramp on the long downhill stretch of US 95 approaching Lewiston, ID is well within the city. (The ramp itself is on US 12, past the junction with 95, but the only way you'd have a runaway truck is if came from 95. There's also a runaway truck ramp on the ramp to stay on 95, leading to this interesting sign assembly.)

Interesting. Look what happened when the overhead assembly was replaced.

[ftballfan]

US-44 in Avon, CT: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8048521,-72.814214,3a,15y,284.34h,83.65t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1stD_rHMLIFh5uHIEbPF_P2Q!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DtD_rHMLIFh5uHIEbPF_P2Q%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D261.96875%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656
There are definitely a couple in Carson City and maybe around Lake Tahoe.

Not exactly relevant to this but Iowa and Minnesota have runaway truck ramps. I kid you not.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0262043,-91.2055604,3a,48.2y,44.9h,88.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSGvWVVg9kp5V2JYHPy64CQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0262043,-91.2055604,3a,48.2y,44.9h,88.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSGvWVVg9kp5V2JYHPy64CQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (sorry for the dinosaur GSV on this one)

There are currently no ramps at all in WI, but if those spots have them, there could feasibly be a few in Wisconsin. There was a nasty runaway accident in 2019 in Taylors Falls, MN. A truck lost its brakes going down a long 8-9% grade on US-8 in St. Croix Falls WI, then crossed the bridge and rolled over at a stoplight, narrowly missing several cars. Another possibility is a less steep but long winding hill on I-39/90/94, a major truck route, near the CTH-CS exit. US-12 south of Baraboo is also pretty steep and has many trucks.

Michigan has one, on M-72 just inside the Traverse City city limit: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.7751684,-85.6547158,3a,15.9y,63.43h,88.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgPMrseS9Wr4qd5TwA3XkBQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[hbelkins]

Two in Kentucky. One is on KY 11 in the city limits of Beattyville (pop. 1,000) and was built when the new route was constructed in 1980, bypassing a very steep hill that was the scene of a tragic gasoline tanker truck crash in 1977 that resulted in a fire that killed seven people. The current hill on KY 11 isn't really that steep, but the ramp was built probably as a PR effort.

The other is on KY 118 (Hyden spur off the Hal Rogers Parkway) approaching the T intersection with US 421/KY 80. It may be in the city limits of Hyden.

I don't believe there are any others.

[thspfc]

Two in Kentucky. One is on KY 11 in the city limits of Beattyville (pop. 1,000) and was built when the new route was constructed in 1980, bypassing a very steep hill that was the scene of a tragic gasoline tanker truck crash in 1977 that resulted in a fire that killed seven people. The current hill on KY 11 isn't really that steep, but the ramp was built probably as a PR effort.

The other is on KY 118 (Hyden spur off the Hal Rogers Parkway) approaching the T intersection with US 421/KY 80. It may be in the city limits of Hyden.

I don't believe there are any others.

You were at a junior high marching band competition when that 1977 accident occured, correct?