Freeways that never got built

Started by Voyager, February 03, 2009, 03:17:19 AM

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cpzilliacus

Quote from: 1995hoo on May 07, 2013, 12:05:09 PM
There were a bunch of planned freeways in Northern Virginia detailed in the "1969 Northern Virginia Major Thoroughfare Plan." I can't find details online, though; the site that once had some maps is now gone. I believe the public library in Fairfax City has a copy; if I have time when I'm next out there, I'll try to find it and use my iPad camera to make some scans.

Scott Kozel's excellent Roads to the Future site had a discussion of some of those plans, but he seems to have taken them down.

The two biggest freeway cancellations in Northern Virginia were the Outer Beltway connections to Maryland; and the Monticello Freeway, which would have (roughly) run parallel to parts of Va. 620 (Braddock Road) from the City of Manassas, Prince William County, Fairfax County to Alexandria and Arlington County.  Much of the Outer Beltway is now a scaled-down Va. 286 (Fairfax County Parkway), and the lack of connections across the Potomac River can (in my opinion) more properly blamed on Maryland's elected officials, since the entire river is in Maryland.

So the Monticello Freeway got cancelled, but the massive development in the independent cities of Manassas, Manassas Park and nearby areas of Prince William County happened anyway (a recurring theme elsewhere).

Unlike some of the freeway cancellations in D.C. and Maryland, no assertion was ever made that some Metrorail lines could replace the Monticello Freeway, since Prince William County and the cities were never members of the WMATA interstate compact, and (as far as I know) have never shown any interest in joining (since they would almost certainly have to raise property taxes to fund their share of WMATA rail operating deficits and to fund at least some of WMATA's never-ending capital subsidy needs).

The predictable results of the cancellation of the Monticello Freeway can be seen nearly every day on I-66 between Va. 234 Business (Sudley Road) and I-495.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.


roadman65

I once saw an I-595 once planned near the Pentagon.  I was wondering what was up with that?  It seemed like it was a very short stub of I-395 that used one of the existing roads.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

cpzilliacus

Quote from: roadman65 on May 07, 2013, 12:44:24 PM
I once saw an I-595 once planned near the Pentagon.  I was wondering what was up with that?  It seemed like it was a very short stub of I-395 that used one of the existing roads.

I believe this was a planed spur of I-395 to run south along U.S. 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway).

Arlington County was very much opposed to this, and it was changed to an upgrade of U.S. 1 to a kind of  boulevard with  some interchanges but mostly signalized intersections at-grade.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

Quote from: roadman65 on May 07, 2013, 12:44:24 PM
I once saw an I-595 once planned near the Pentagon.  I was wondering what was up with that?  It seemed like it was a very short stub of I-395 that used one of the existing roads.

As cpzilliacus says, it's now US-1 through Crystal City. It's a six-lane arterial on which a lot of people go 60+ mph when traffic is light. I sometimes use that route at night coming back from Capitals games (due to construction on I-395) and it's quite difficult to haul your speed down from 65—70 on I-395 to anything remotely close to 35 mph through Crystal City.


Quote from: cpzilliacus on May 07, 2013, 12:35:17 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 07, 2013, 12:05:09 PM
There were a bunch of planned freeways in Northern Virginia detailed in the "1969 Northern Virginia Major Thoroughfare Plan." I can't find details online, though; the site that once had some maps is now gone. I believe the public library in Fairfax City has a copy; if I have time when I'm next out there, I'll try to find it and use my iPad camera to make some scans.

Scott Kozel's excellent Roads to the Future site had a discussion of some of those plans, but he seems to have taken them down.

....

I thought I recalled him having a sub-site (compiled by someone else) that had some maps and stuff. Somewhere I remember seeing a diagram of a proposed stack interchange somewhere not far from Fairfax Circle, possibly near where the Circle Towers complex has stood for the past 40-some years. I remember finding that part especially interesting because my parents have lived fairly close to there since 1983 and I was trying to wrap my mind around the idea of a highway rammed through the Pickett Road/Blake Lane area.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: PHLBOS on May 07, 2013, 11:15:08 AM
NJ 55 south of its present terminus at NJ 47.  Note: the NJ 347 corridor was originally planned to a part of the 55 Freeway Extension.

Actually, NJ 347 was simply a county road that was upgraded to NJ 347, although a sign states the stretch of roadway is still maintained by Cumberland County (and not NJDOT).  NJ 55 would have veered to the east just before where the southern end of 55 meets NJ 47, then ran more/less parallel to NJ 347, and at one point cross over what is now 347.  It would then run south of NJ 83, meeting up with the GSP around Exit 13.

Another mostly unknown about Rt. 55 - the original plans didn't have it meeting up with NJ 42, but rather with US 130 in the Westville area.  I've never seen the paper plans for this routing.  There is definitely nothing visible that would suggest where a corridor was even planned to come thru the area (unlike, for example, the visible corridor for some of I-95 thru North Jersey).

NE2

pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

1995hoo

Quote from: NE2 on May 07, 2013, 01:15:16 PM
http://web.archive.org/web/20081207055023/http://www.roadstothefuture.com/roadsnova/
You're welcome.

Outstanding, thanks. Indeed that is where I saw the interchange diagrams I was remembering. This one here is the one near Fairfax City I was referring to before. In this image, west is up, north is to the right. For those who know the area, the Northern Virginia Expressway shown on the map is superimposed over the baseball fields at Thaiss Park on Pickett Road at the left side of the map (Santayana Drive in the Mantua neighborhood ends at the cul-de-sac where the small circle is next to there) and the interchange between the Northern Virginia Expressway and the Blake Lane Connector is where the Circle Towers complex was built. The flyover ramp from the southbound Northern Virginia Expressway to eastbound Route 50 would have cut through the property where the luxury retirement home called "the Virginian" (9229 Arlington Boulevard....why do I know that? I worked there when I was in high school) is located today.

"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Stephane Dumas

Toronto got its share of unbuilt freeways/expressways like the Spadina expressway, Richwiew Expwy, Crosstown Expwy, Scarborough Expwy.
http://www.gettorontomoving.ca/Richview_Expressway.html
http://www.gettorontomoving.ca/Scarborough_Expressway.php

Montreal:
A-19 northern extension
Ville-Marie autoroute
A-13 to Mirabel airport
A-440 between A-40 and A-13

texaskdog

Quote from: hm insulators on May 28, 2009, 05:07:48 PM
Look at some vintage maps of the Los Angeles area and you'll see that the freeway system was originally intended to be even more extensive than it already is. The Reseda Freeway, the Whitnall Freeway, the Beverly Hills Freeway, the Laurel Canyon Freeway, the Industrial Freeway, all those and many others were originally slated to be built. By the 1970s, political and economic realities forced many of these projects to be canceled and now the Los Angeles/Orange County metropolitan area is paying the price.

Not before they tore down Brian Wilson's house

roadman

#59
Another one for Massachusetts that was never built -  the extension of the Lowell Connector from its present terminus at Gorham Street north to rejoin US 3.  The large church located at the end of the current highway is the principal reason this never happened.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

PHLBOS

#60
Quote from: roadman on May 07, 2013, 01:58:12 PM
Another one for Massachusetts that was never built -  the extension of the Lowell Connector from its present terminus at Gorham Street north to rejoin US 3.  The large church located the end of the current highway is the principal reason this never happened.
So the unbuilt Connector would've swung to a northwesterly direction at some point (the current Connector heads in a northeasterly direction)?  Interesting.

There's no mention of such in Steve Anderson's BostonRoads account of the Lowell Connector.  Looks like he missed that one.

http://www.bostonroads.com/roads/lowell/

Further up US 3 towards Nashua, NH; will the Circumferential Highway east of Nashua ever get built?  The southern stub from US 3 to NH 3A was built but that's about it.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

roadman65

We all know that both I-74 and I-69 would have went through Indy instead of going around it for I-74 and ending presently for the latter at the 465 loop, however it would have been nice, though, if both of those interstates could have made it to I-70 & I-65.

Just as the cancelled Baltimore connections, with the Boston, and Central Jersey sections of I-95 that never got built.  It would have been nice to see I-95 original alignment through those cities.   I must laugh now that the NJTA has to widen the NJ Turnpike from Exits 6 to 9 when if they would have allowed the cancelled Somerset Freeway to be built, they would have never had to undertake such a project now. 

Then in addition to I-95 in Baltimore you have I-70 ending at a Park and Ride lot and I-83 ending Downtown at city streets, that all would have connected to the Maine to Florida interstate.  I was disappointed when they cancelled them as the plans were neat.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

getemngo

#62
Michigan's M-37 (yes, the one in my avatar) had two freeway segments planned at various times.

There was going to be a freeway from Hastings to west of Battle Creek that would replace both M-37 and M-43 in southern Barry County, starting off as a Super 2 expressway and then being upgraded as necessary. It's not known why this never happened. The current highways are still mostly on their 1930s alignments, and have way more hills and sharp curves than you'd ever see on a new road today, especially M-43.

Then, as mentioned as the article above, M-37 in northern Kent County from Casnovia to south of Sparta is first a Super 2 expressway and then later a 4-lane divided expressway. There are no interchanges or overpasses, but everything north of the Alpine Ave split is limited access, and there's still enough right of way to make the whole thing 4-lane divided. It never became a full freeway because the US 131 freeway rendered it redundant. I'm not sure how far it was supposed to go (internet speculation says I-96 to Newaygo), but nothing north of Casnovia was ever started.
~ Sam from Michigan

DTComposer

There was a reference above to the myriad of L.A.-area freeways that never got built, but one of the most interesting to me is the bypass of PCH between Santa Monica and Topanga Canyon...3/4 mile offshore.

http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2003/Sept-2003/09_29_03_Dreaming_Big_The_Road_in_the_Sea.htm

cpzilliacus

Quote from: DTComposer on May 07, 2013, 11:41:41 PM
There was a reference above to the myriad of L.A.-area freeways that never got built, but one of the most interesting to me is the bypass of PCH between Santa Monica and Topanga Canyon...3/4 mile offshore.

http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2003/Sept-2003/09_29_03_Dreaming_Big_The_Road_in_the_Sea.htm

Wow.  Gives new meaning to the  phrase "go to sea in your car" (which was for many years the phrase by which Virginia's Chesapeake Bay  Bridge Tunnel marketed itself).
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

cpzilliacus

#65
Quote from: roadman65 on May 07, 2013, 03:31:16 PM
It would have been nice to see I-95 original alignment through those cities.   I must laugh now that the NJTA has to widen the NJ Turnpike from Exits 6 to 9 when if they would have allowed the cancelled Somerset Freeway to be built, they would have never had to undertake such a project now.

As much as I dislike NIMBYs (including NIMBYist opposition to the Somerset Freeway), I understand that had a "free" I-95 been built there, it would have diverted a large amount of commercial vehicle traffic away from the New Jersey Turnpike, which was built in large part to serve that traffic (and probably posed something of a financial threat to the long-term financial viability of the Turnpike Authority). 

In my perfect world, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (and not NJDOT) would have built I-95 from I-287 to Trenton across Somerset County as a tolled alternative to the existing Pike.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

Roadsguy

Quote from: cpzilliacus on May 07, 2013, 11:02:11 AM
Metropolitan Baltimore has the eastern end of I-70 and the southern end of I-83 which were never built.

Also the extension of I-395 along the MLK Parkway to 83? According to the latest Baltimore freeway plan thingy, I-70 would've ended at it instead of going across to I-95 near where 895 ends, and then that huge bend on the Beltway. Not completely sure, though.

Or did the final plan have 70 going down to 95, and then the leg into downtown (including the disconnected piece of it) would be 170? I know that was part of the improvision 1.0 plan. (2.0 was 595 along 170, then curving down along would-be 70 to 95.)
Mileage-based exit numbering implies the existence of mileage-cringe exit numbering.

PHLBOS

Quote from: Roadsguy on May 08, 2013, 07:51:17 AMAlso the extension of I-395 along the MLK Parkway to 83?
Wasn't I-395 originally planned to be the southern leg/terminus of I-83 had it been fully built by the Inner Harbor?
GPS does NOT equal GOD

Henry

Quote from: ssummers72 on February 03, 2009, 09:29:30 AM
Chicago Area:
I-494 LSD Route: Present To "I-90" at Stony Island Dr North to US-41(LSD) to Ohio St then West to I-90/94 at Ohio Street Feeder Ramps.

I-494 Crosstown: I-90/94 Split at Kennedy/Edens Expy South along IL-50 to 75th St then East to I-90/94 Dan Ryan/Skyway Split
I remember the I-494 Crosstown best! As a kid, I remember drawing the route on Chicago maps in the years after it was decided that it would never get built.

Also, the Lake Shore upgrade was briefly renumbered to I-694, once the I-494 number was moved to the Crosstown.
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

cpzilliacus

Quote from: PHLBOS on May 08, 2013, 08:29:24 AM
Quote from: Roadsguy on May 08, 2013, 07:51:17 AMAlso the extension of I-395 along the MLK Parkway to 83?
Wasn't I-395 originally planned to be the southern leg/terminus of I-83 had it been fully built by the Inner Harbor?

No, I-83 was to curve east of the Inner Harbor and through the Canton area of Baltimore City (the plans there were really, really destructive of the Canton neighborhood) and tie in to I-95 north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel toll plaza, in the middle of where the O'Donnell Street/Boston Street/Interstate Avenue (Exit 57) interchange. 

You can see the stub ramps on I-95 in Google satellite here and here.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

Quote from: cpzilliacus on May 08, 2013, 12:40:09 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on May 08, 2013, 08:29:24 AM
Quote from: Roadsguy on May 08, 2013, 07:51:17 AMAlso the extension of I-395 along the MLK Parkway to 83?
Wasn't I-395 originally planned to be the southern leg/terminus of I-83 had it been fully built by the Inner Harbor?

No, I-83 was to curve east of the Inner Harbor and through the Canton area of Baltimore City (the plans there were really, really destructive of the Canton neighborhood) and tie in to I-95 north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel toll plaza, in the middle of where the O'Donnell Street/Boston Street/Interstate Avenue (Exit 57) interchange. 

You can see the stub ramps on I-95 in Google satellite here and here.

Scott Kozel has some maps showing various versions of the plans: http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Balt_City_Interstates.html  Make sure you view the pages linked at the bottom as well. Interesting diagrams of the planned interchanges and the like, and one of them shows I-83 running across town. cpzilliacus is right, it'd also have done a number on Fells Point. That same image shows the proposed Fort McHenry Bridge that was originally the preferred option instead of the tunnel they eventually built.

It's amusing, and somewhat pathetic, to look at how urban planners (Robert Moses being another) once viewed waterfront real estate as undesirable and as places to build either tenements or roads that cut everyone off from the water.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

PHLBOS

Quote from: cpzilliacus on May 08, 2013, 12:40:09 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on May 08, 2013, 08:29:24 AM
Quote from: Roadsguy on May 08, 2013, 07:51:17 AMAlso the extension of I-395 along the MLK Parkway to 83?
Wasn't I-395 originally planned to be the southern leg/terminus of I-83 had it been fully built by the Inner Harbor?

No, I-83 was to curve east of the Inner Harbor and through the Canton area of Baltimore City (the plans there were really, really destructive of the Canton neighborhood) and tie in to I-95 north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel toll plaza, in the middle of where the O'Donnell Street/Boston Street/Interstate Avenue (Exit 57) interchange. 

You can see the stub ramps on I-95 in Google satellite here and here.
Thanks for the info.  Maybe they should've ran I-83 down to I-395 (the missing segment could be s similar set-up to what the I-676/Vine Expressway is in Philly w/its parallel boulevards (local Vine St.) flanking the expressway); that would've cleared the Canton area.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

oscar

Another waterfront freeway that never got built is the short-lived 1968 proposal for Interstate H-4 in Honolulu.  That apparently was conjured up in a hurry, to get Hawaii in line for some of the additional Interstate mileage Congress had recently authorized.  The H-4 idea died a quick and merciful death, though not before stirring up local opposition.

Details (including a link to the proposal to FHWA, with a route map) are in the Hawaii Highways FAQs.  The planned segment in downtown Honolulu was strikingly similar to San Francisco's late Embarcadero Freeway (I-/CA 480), with the viaduct passing right next to the waterfront Aloha Tower much like the Embarcadero was adjacent to the Ferry Tower.  The H-4 viaduct would have been single-decked, not double-decked like the Embarcadero, but I think the visual damage would've been similar.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

lepidopteran

#73
Someone mentioned NJ-92.  The original plan was where it peeled off of NJ-33 just east of Twin Rivers (I think predating the development) and headed west as far as US-1, and possibly US-206, presumably following the Millstone River much of the way.   When that didn't happen, another highway was proposed, actually to be a western lateral branch of the NJ Turnpike to connect the latter to US-1.  That didn't happen either.  What we did finally get was the NJ-133, which at least partially follows the approximate path of the original NJ-92 routing, albeit greatly reduced in length.

Edit: the NJ-92 substitute that was to be a branch of the turnpike was to connect at Exit 8A, rather than Exit 8 where the other routings were proposed to/actually do connect.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: roadman65 on May 07, 2013, 03:31:16 PM
Just as the cancelled Baltimore connections, with the Boston, and Central Jersey sections of I-95 that never got built.  It would have been nice to see I-95 original alignment through those cities.   I must laugh now that the NJTA has to widen the NJ Turnpike from Exits 6 to 9 when if they would have allowed the cancelled Somerset Freeway to be built, they would have never had to undertake such a project now. 

Maybe they wouldn't have, but how would traffic have been on I-95 in North Jersey if it was built?  Would they need to widen that road?  How about I-95 thru PA...would that highway, as small as 2x2, needed to be widened?  Would the current width of the highway thru Chester and Philadelphia accommodate the extra traffic? 

And don't forget...the lack of a 95 in Jersey already caused the NJ Turnpike to widen the Pike from Exit 9 thru 14, then the original widening from Exit 8A to 9.



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