Most Surprising Road Configurations and Control Devices

[michravera]

I am sure that people can easily come up with "I can't understand why this road is only this many lanes at this point!" Everyone always wants more lanes.

But how about:
"Why is this road 8 lanes at this point?"
"Why is there a STOP sign at this point?"
"A crosswalk? on US-95?"
"A 70MPH limit sign 20 m before the end of the road?"

Have fun!

[sparker]

Particular to Caltrans' decision to board the roundabout wagon train big-time:

"Why is there a traffic circle out in the middle of nowhere?"

Got that from some friends -- who moved to Lompoc recently -- after their first encounter of the roundabout at the CA 154/246 junction east of Solvang.

[kphoger]

Near me in Wichita...  Here is a four-lane bridge in the middle of a two-lane road.

[inkyatari]

Particular to Caltrans' decision to board the roundabout wagon train big-time:

"Why is there a traffic circle out in the middle of nowhere?"

Illinois is getting in on this bandwagon now...

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9879294,-88.4715331,17.58z

(the satellite image hasn't been updated for here yet.)

[Brandon]

Particular to Caltrans' decision to board the roundabout wagon train big-time:

"Why is there a traffic circle out in the middle of nowhere?"

Illinois is getting in on this bandwagon now...

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9879294,-88.4715331,17.58z

(the satellite image hasn't been updated for here yet.)

Yeah, that's a bit of a mind-boggling one.  It's sandwiched between intersections that have signals.

Here's Stony Island, South Chicago, 79th Street, and the Skyway in Chicago.  Let's just throw some ramps in the middle of the street (Street View).  Add a narrow rail viaduct.  A six-corner intersection.  And an express-local setup.
With great rush hour merges.

[jeffandnicole]

Particular to Caltrans' decision to board the roundabout wagon train big-time:

"Why is there a traffic circle out in the middle of nowhere?"

Got that from some friends -- who moved to Lompoc recently -- after their first encounter of the roundabout at the CA 154/246 junction east of Solvang.

NJ 70 has several circles in the middle of nowhere (at least as middle of nowhere as you get in NJ), and others that had been converted to intersections long ago.

[Max Rockatansky]

Particular to Caltrans' decision to board the roundabout wagon train big-time:

"Why is there a traffic circle out in the middle of nowhere?"

Got that from some friends -- who moved to Lompoc recently -- after their first encounter of the roundabout at the CA 154/246 junction east of Solvang.

CA 145, CA 43, and CA 137 all have roundabouts now at major junctions in the sticks.  At minimum the one at 43 and Lacey Blvd is warranted. 

[kphoger]

The Camino Colombia (Toll TX-255) splits into a divided highway for an intersection with a gravel road.  That has always seemed a bit excessive to me.

[formulanone]

The Camino Colombia (Toll TX-255) splits into a divided highway for an intersection with a gravel road.  That has always seemed a bit excessive to me.

That better be the free exit.

[wanderer2575]

Near me in Wichita...  Here is a four-lane bridge in the middle of a two-lane road.

May make sense to do that if, at the time the bridge was built, there was even a pipe dream that the road might be widened in the future.  Here's another example, in Southfield MI.  And here's one more a couple miles away, in Farmington Hills.

[Eth]

The Camino Colombia (Toll TX-255) splits into a divided highway for an intersection with a gravel road.  That has always seemed a bit excessive to me.

Probably makes it easier in case they want to upgrade that to an interchange some day. Those carriageways get converted into the exit ramps and all they have to do is build an overpass in the middle.

[paulthemapguy]

Particular to Caltrans' decision to board the roundabout wagon train big-time:

"Why is there a traffic circle out in the middle of nowhere?"

Got that from some friends -- who moved to Lompoc recently -- after their first encounter of the roundabout at the CA 154/246 junction east of Solvang.

This drives me nuts about rural Wisconsin.  Especially in situations where it's just a low-volume T-intersection.

[kc8yqq]

Near me in Wichita...  Here is a four-lane bridge in the middle of a two-lane road.

May make sense to do that if, at the time the bridge was built, there was even a pipe dream that the road might be widened in the future.  Here's another example, in Southfield MI.  And here's one more a couple miles away, in Farmington Hills.

Here is one of US-127 south of Jackson, MI:  https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1397836,-84.3643393,208a,35y,356.01h,44.97t/data=!3m1!1e3

Talk over the years have been to make this a 4- or 5-lane highway.  It was also one of the proposed routes for I-73.

[fillup420]

Near me in Wichita...  Here is a four-lane bridge in the middle of a two-lane road.

May make sense to do that if, at the time the bridge was built, there was even a pipe dream that the road might be widened in the future.  Here's another example, in Southfield MI.  And here's one more a couple miles away, in Farmington Hills.

Here is one of US-127 south of Jackson, MI:  https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1397836,-84.3643393,208a,35y,356.01h,44.97t/data=!3m1!1e3

Talk over the years have been to make this a 4- or 5-lane highway.  It was also one of the proposed routes for I-73.

Here is another one on NC 49 in Denton, NC: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.5061183,-80.1833738,1293m/data=!3m1!1e3
This example is 2 separate bridges, and judging by the street view, the northbound bridge was built long before the southbound.

[kphoger]

Near me in Wichita...  Here is a four-lane bridge in the middle of a two-lane road.

May make sense to do that if, at the time the bridge was built, there was even a pipe dream that the road might be widened in the future.  Here's another example, in Southfield MI.  And here's one more a couple miles away, in Farmington Hills.

Here is one of US-127 south of Jackson, MI:  https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1397836,-84.3643393,208a,35y,356.01h,44.97t/data=!3m1!1e3

Talk over the years have been to make this a 4- or 5-lane highway.  It was also one of the proposed routes for I-73.

Here is another one on NC 49 in Denton, NC: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.5061183,-80.1833738,1293m/data=!3m1!1e3
This example is 2 separate bridges, and judging by the street view, the northbound bridge was built long before the southbound.

At least that one is striped for four lanes of traffic, like my example.  The Michigan ones linked to by wanderer2575 and kc8yqq are all still striped for two lanes of traffic–which, to me, doesn't make them a "surprising road configuration".

[GenExpwy]

Near me in Wichita...  Here is a four-lane bridge in the middle of a two-lane road.

May make sense to do that if, at the time the bridge was built, there was even a pipe dream that the road might be widened in the future.  Here's another example, in Southfield MI.  And here's one more a couple miles away, in Farmington Hills.

Here is one of US-127 south of Jackson, MI:  https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1397836,-84.3643393,208a,35y,356.01h,44.97t/data=!3m1!1e3

Talk over the years have been to make this a 4- or 5-lane highway.  It was also one of the proposed routes for I-73.

Here is another one on NC 49 in Denton, NC: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.5061183,-80.1833738,1293m/data=!3m1!1e3
This example is 2 separate bridges, and judging by the street view, the northbound bridge was built long before the southbound.

Likewise US 20/NY 5 at the Livingston/Ontario county line: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.909601,-77.5588372,342m/data=!3m1!1e3

[vdeane]

Likewise US 20/NY 5 at the Livingston/Ontario county line: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.909601,-77.5588372,342m/data=!3m1!1e3

Looks like it was replaced with a single bridge.

[SSR_317]

The Camino Colombia (Toll TX-255) splits into a divided highway for an intersection with a gravel road.  That has always seemed a bit excessive to me.

Probably makes it easier in case they want to upgrade that to an interchange some day. Those carriageways get converted into the exit ramps and all they have to do is build an overpass in the middle.

That's how they built a lot of the Bruce Woodbury Last Vegas Beltway (Clark CR 215) when it was in "interim configuration". At many future interchange locations, the alignment basically used the exit/entry ramps to/from crossroad at-grade intersections until funding was available to build the grade separations and the freeway mainline over/under them. This is a fairly common practice in building new freeways in rapidly-growing areas when money is tight.

[skluth]

Particular to Caltrans' decision to board the roundabout wagon train big-time:

"Why is there a traffic circle out in the middle of nowhere?"

Got that from some friends -- who moved to Lompoc recently -- after their first encounter of the roundabout at the CA 154/246 junction east of Solvang.

This drives me nuts about rural Wisconsin.  Especially in situations where it's just a low-volume T-intersection.

Not a T. But this surprised me on the way to my Godmother's funeral in Chilton several years ago.

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2129443,-88.1569104,17z

WI 57 used to enter Forest Junction on Church St. You can still see evidence of the old curve before they extended the diagonal to Cemetery Road which was WI-57 south of US 10.

[epzik8]

There appears to be a crosswalk within the ramp from University Avenue (U.S. 189) to I-15 in Provo, Utah.

[kphoger]

There appears to be a crosswalk within the ramp from University Avenue (U.S. 189) to I-15 in Provo, Utah.

I'm not seeing it.  Link to the location?

[vdeane]

Maybe he's referring to the pedestrian path the loops under the ramp and University Ave?

[US 89]

^^He's most likely referring to this.

The Camino Colombia (Toll TX-255) splits into a divided highway for an intersection with a gravel road.  That has always seemed a bit excessive to me.

Probably makes it easier in case they want to upgrade that to an interchange some day. Those carriageways get converted into the exit ramps and all they have to do is build an overpass in the middle.

That's how they built a lot of the Bruce Woodbury Last Vegas Beltway (Clark CR 215) when it was in "interim configuration". At many future interchange locations, the alignment basically used the exit/entry ramps to/from crossroad at-grade intersections until funding was available to build the grade separations and the freeway mainline over/under them. This is a fairly common practice in building new freeways in rapidly-growing areas when money is tight.

Yeah, that's very likely a future interchange. This is also how the Mountain View Corridor is being built in western Salt Lake County, Utah -- at least the part north of Old Bingham Highway. The segments south of Old Bingham and along 2100 North are the future one-way Texas-style frontage roads.

[kphoger]

There appears to be a crosswalk within the ramp from University Avenue (U.S. 189) to I-15 in Provo, Utah.

^^He's most likely referring to this.

But none of that path is a crosswalk.

[Paulinator66]

Near me in Wichita...  Here is a four-lane bridge in the middle of a two-lane road.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/De+Soto,+MO+63020/@39.82888,-89.5926875,159m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x87d8e2c0d8a809b7:0x69484eecc130dfeb!8m2!3d38.1394978!4d-90.5551258
About 15 years ago IDOT upgraded all overpasses for I-55 though the Springfield area to 3 lanes but, then, never widened the highway. So we've had 3-lane bridges for each direction ever since then but only 2 lane roads.  Kind of like your situation.  However, now they have new plans to upgrade this whole section through Springfield but they want to tear everything out and start from scratch.  That means we paid millions for upgrades that never got used.  Illinois is sure a great place to live.