Confusing Concurrencies

[inkyatari]

How many concurrencies can you think of where the two (or more)  route numbers are confusing?

I cite as my example the I-69 / 96 concurrency in Lansing, Michigan.  I almost got lost through there one time because I wasn't paying strict attention to the route numbers.

Any more examples of similar situations?

[Rothman]

When I was a kid, the I-87/I-287 concurrency made me twitch.

[michravera]

How many concurrencies can you think of where the two (or more)  route numbers are confusing?

I cite as my example the I-69 / 96 concurrency in Lansing, Michigan.  I almost got lost through there one time because I wasn't paying strict attention to the route numbers.

Any more examples of similar situations?

I-580 West is signed concurrently with I-80 East near Oakland.

[jp the roadgeek]

US 22/322 in PA
US 222/422 in Reading
I-41/US 41
I-74 /US 74
US 6 and US 9 in Peekskill

[sparker]

I remember driving with my dad on the old Pasadena Freeway in the days before Interstates were signed in metro L.A.; the segment of that freeway between the 4-Level downtown interchange and the Figueroa/Avenue 26 exit (a left-hand ramp) hosted the main route utilizing that freeway, US 66 -- but also US 6 and US 99 (with SSR 11 along for the ride).  Don't have any archival pictures out there, but the BBS (overhead freeway signs were white-on-black in those days) EB ahead of that LH exit had 4 shields on it: US 6, US 99, Alternate US 66, and SSR 11; all but Alternate 66 exited the freeway then; Alternate US 66 began with the ramp and multiplexed with CA 11 up Figueroa St. (old US 66 as well).  As large trucks were not allowed on the Pasadena Freeway (nee' Arroyo Seco Parkway), Alternate US 66, which eventually passed over the Colorado Street ("Suicide") series arch span west of central Pasadena was the designated truck route from central L.A. to Pasadena. 

There were several four-shield "sign salads" on that Pasadena Freeway segment from 1940 to 1960; the earliest I can recall had the old-style signs with the state name and button-copy on the route numbers; the SSR 11 spade was the last iteration of the "bear" style.  About 1956 or so the larger white-enameled (but also with button copy) shields simply stating "US XX" began to replace the older smaller shields; the 4-shield format (more often than not with US 66 and US 99 occupying the top row, and US 6 and SSR 11 the bottom of the quadrant) lasted until 1960, when US 99 was rerouted over Avenues 19 & 20 to get to a newly-opened segment of the Golden State Freeway from Broadway south across I-10 to Boyle St. in the Hollenbeck neighborhood, ending at what would be the north end of the East Los Angeles (I-5/I-10/CA 60/US ) interchange.  The combination of all the US routes converging on this neighborhood -- the fact that one of those routes was iconic and one of the others approaching that status,  and the third being the longest US highway in existence -- and with a bannered route as a bonus -- made that 2-mile highway segment unique -- especially with all the US route numbers composed of 6's and 9's.     

[kphoger]

I-69 / 96

Yeah, I get these mixed up very easily–just looking at a map, even.  If I were in charge of posting shields at their interchanges, I would probably have dreams at night about putting them on the wrong signs.

[inkyatari]

I-69 / 96

Yeah, I get these mixed up very easily–just looking at a map, even.  If I were in charge of posting shields at their interchanges, I would probably have dreams at night about putting them on the wrong signs.

One year, when I was 17, I got a Trivial Pursuit game for Christmas.  Now back then, the front and back side of the cards had a little number in the lower left corner.  Apparently at the factory the idea was to match the numbers on the front with the numbers on the back.  One day while playing, I read the question "What does the word SPAM stand for?"  The answer on the back was, and I am not making this up, "Leon Trotsky."  I looked as the cards and noted that the numbers on the front and back were wrong.  Apparently someone mistook a lot of the 9's, 6's, 0's and 8's on a bunch of the cards that had at least two of these numbers.  I think I had a total of 100 defective cards out of 1000.

[bzakharin]

I-95 / NJ Turnpike. Actually it's the non-concurrency that's more confusing than the concurrency. Things will only get worse when the PA Turnpike interchange is complete

[Hurricane Rex]

Don't know why but the I 90/80 concurrency was confusing when I was much younger. Otherwise any route that has a concurrency with its parent.

[Max Rockatansky]

CA 108 takes some pretty lengthy multiplexes east of Modesto to reach Sonora on CA 120 and CA 49.  I always thought it would be better to terminate CA 108 in Sonora and have two renumber the two non-multiplexed sections (one near Chinese Camp and the other near Modesto) to something else to simplify things.

[jwolfer]

I-95 / NJ Turnpike. Actually it's the non-concurrency that's more confusing than the concurrency. Things will only get worse when the PA Turnpike interchange is complete

Most (non roadgeek)people already think the turnpike is 95.. the 95 shields at exit 6 will be a mindfuck for some people.. I can see them stopping right on the shoulder in their bewilderment.

NJ should make an exception to the non duplication rule and make the turnpike SR95 and put up the circle signs. And continue as Delaware 95, Delaware already has duplicated routes.  In NJ it would just be called Route 95 by everyone anyway, shields don't matter

Z981

[Ga293]

The wrong way US 41/411 concurrency in Georgia has probably caught out more than one person.

[bzakharin]

I-95 / NJ Turnpike. Actually it's the non-concurrency that's more confusing than the concurrency. Things will only get worse when the PA Turnpike interchange is complete

Most (non roadgeek)people already think the turnpike is 95.. the 95 shields at exit 6 will be a mindfuck for some people.. I can see them stopping right on the shoulder in their bewilderment.

NJ should make an exception to the non duplication rule and make the turnpike SR95 and put up the circle signs. And continue as Delaware 95, Delaware already has duplicated routes.  In NJ it would just be called Route 95 by everyone anyway, shields don't matter

Z981

And this will help how? You're going to have a choice of two 95s going south *and* north?

[Buffaboy]

I didn't realize I-190 was concurrent with NY-324 on the S Grand Island bridge until a few years ago.

[hbelkins]

The wrong way US 41/411 concurrency in Georgia has probably caught out more than one person.

I was always fascinated by the wrong-way concurrency of 411 and 441 between Knoxville and Sevierville.

Apparently, map makers were as well. Back in the days when US 411 ran from Newport to Jonesborough and then was concurrent with US 11E up to Bristol, one map maker showed one of the route markers as US 441 instead of 411. That typo persisted for years.

[Flint1979]

How many concurrencies can you think of where the two (or more)  route numbers are confusing?

I cite as my example the I-69 / 96 concurrency in Lansing, Michigan.  I almost got lost through there one time because I wasn't paying strict attention to the route numbers.

Any more examples of similar situations?

That's kind of a surprising one. If you pay attention to the control cities it helps out a little bit but I don't think that stretch is too bad. You just have to look for Grand Rapids, Flint, Fort Wayne or Detroit on the control signs. It's actually the only multiplex in the country where the numbers are the same but just flipped around.

I can't recall any that are really confusing though. Possibly I-80/90 running across most of Indiana and Ohio and then 90 breaks off before Chicago and 94 joins 80 for a multiplex. I can see where that one is confusing.

[Flint1979]

Or how about any wrong way multplex where you are traveling say north and for some reason a route heading south is multiplexed or east and west same thing. I've seen this before and it's probably confusing due to the fact that if it's dark out and you see both north and south you'd be confused on which direction you were really going.

[MNHighwayMan]

Or how about any wrong way multplex where you are traveling say north and for some reason a route heading south is multiplexed or east and west same thing. I've seen this before and it's probably confusing due to the fact that if it's dark out and you see both north and south you'd be confused on which direction you were really going.

It's even better when it's a N/S wrong-way concurrency but the road itself is E/W aligned.

[inkyatari]

Or how about any wrong way multplex where you are traveling say north and for some reason a route heading south is multiplexed or east and west same thing. I've seen this before and it's probably confusing due to the fact that if it's dark out and you see both north and south you'd be confused on which direction you were really going.

There's one on IL where RT 47 goes North, US 20 goes west, and IL 72 goes east.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0826554,-88.4591797,15.25z

[roadman]

I-95 / NJ Turnpike. Actually it's the non-concurrency that's more confusing than the concurrency. Things will only get worse when the PA Turnpike interchange is complete

Most (non roadgeek)people already think the turnpike is 95.. the 95 shields at exit 6 will be a mindfuck for some people.. I can see them stopping right on the shoulder in their bewilderment.

NJ should make an exception to the non duplication rule and make the turnpike SR95 and put up the circle signs. And continue as Delaware 95, Delaware already has duplicated routes.  In NJ it would just be called Route 95 by everyone anyway, shields don't matter

Z981

IIRC, at one time, NJTP posted "TO 95" markers.  Perhaps that's a solution.

[Flint1979]

Or how about any wrong way multplex where you are traveling say north and for some reason a route heading south is multiplexed or east and west same thing. I've seen this before and it's probably confusing due to the fact that if it's dark out and you see both north and south you'd be confused on which direction you were really going.

There's one on IL where RT 47 goes North, US 20 goes west, and IL 72 goes east.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0826554,-88.4591797,15.25z

Lol I haven't even clicked your link yet and I imagine your talking about Starks. I've been through that one before. If I remember correctly I was traveling WB on the Tollway and got off at the exit where the Outlet Mall is at but at that time there wasn't access to the WB Tollway from that exit so I had to drive down RT 47 to US 20 west and take US 20 back to the Tollway. I've dealt with RT 72 in the Chicago area as well.

[Flint1979]

I guess the reason that I don't get I-69/96 confused is because I'm use to that stretch of highway traveling to Chicago and back all the time. Coming north on I-69 you enter the multiplex with I-96 which at the south end you have a choice of staying on I-96 WB/I-69 NB or going to I-96 EB towards Detroit. At the northern end of it you have I-96 going west towards Grand Rapids and I-69 going east towards Flint and Port Huron. Like I said before you just have to pay attention to the control cities which are correct.

[paulthemapguy]

I was always fascinated by the wrong-way concurrency of 411 and 441 between Knoxville and Sevierville.

This.

Also, US141 and US41 north of Green Bay, Wisconsin.  You'd think US41 would be the direct route to Marquette and US141 would be an auxiliary branch winding around to the east.  NOPE.  Plus, it's all the 14141414141414141 going on.

[Flint1979]

I was always fascinated by the wrong-way concurrency of 411 and 441 between Knoxville and Sevierville.

This.

Also, US141 and US41 north of Green Bay, Wisconsin.  You'd think US41 would be the direct route to Marquette and US141 would be an auxiliary branch winding around to the east.  NOPE.  Plus, it's all the 14141414141414141 going on.

Just so you know US 41 is the direct route to Marquette from Green Bay. US 141 doesn't come within 50 miles of Marquette.

[Flint1979]

The thing that gets me about US 41 in Michigan is that it takes an inland route instead of hugging the water which is what M-35 does. It seems like US 41 should run along the water and M-35 should be the inland route.