When one state has to clean up another state's mess

[hbelkins]

Best example I can think of is Pennsylvania having to connect I-95 to the PA Turnpike because New Jersey didn't built its portion of I-95.

Others?

[oscar]

Best example I can think of is Pennsylvania having to connect I-95 to the PA Turnpike because New Jersey didn't built its portion of I-95.

Blame Pennsylvania, for its failure from the outset to build a direct connection between I-95 and the Turnpike, as well as similar failures elsewhere such as most notoriously I-70 in Breezewood.

[paulthemapguy]

Not as egregious an example, but the US-12 freeway at the IL/WI state line is a similar issue.  IL won't build the freeway, so the Wisconsin freeway just spills off onto a surface road via a pair of ramps.

[Jmiles32]

Probably the most famous example in the DC metro area is when Virginia had to redesignate its portion of I-95 inside the beltway into I-395 since Maryland didn't construct its portion of I-95 south of the College Park interchange. 

Another local example involves West Virginia. Recently, West Virginia upgraded WV-9 from Martinsburg to the VA State line into an expressway that many DC commuters from that area use. Virginia however(more specifically Loudoun County), did not want to upgrade their portion of Route 9 from the state line to VA-7(Leesburg) resulting into tons of traffic and accidents on the rural 2-lane road. In response to this problem, Virginia has been trying to persuade these WV commuters to instead take the 4-lane US-340 from Berryville to hook back up with WV-9. While there are still backups on VA-9, West Virginia is now planning to widen US-340, so perhaps the strategy is somewhat working.

[cpzilliacus]

Probably the most famous example in the DC metro area is when Virginia had to redesignate its portion of I-95 inside the beltway into I-395 since Maryland didn't construct its portion of I-95 south of the College Park interchange.

More of the blame for that deserves to be directed at the municipal government of the District of Columbia, not Maryland.

[J N Winkler]

Ongoing example:  Bella Vista Bypass (Missouri/Arkansas).

Historical example:  I-35 continuation of the Kansas Turnpike (Kansas/Oklahoma).

[Jmiles32]

Probably the most famous example in the DC metro area is when Virginia had to redesignate its portion of I-95 inside the beltway into I-395 since Maryland didn't construct its portion of I-95 south of the College Park interchange.

More of the blame for that deserves to be directed at the municipal government of the District of Columbia, not Maryland.

True, although I'll still give D.C props for constructing at least part of their section.

[webny99]

Ongoing example:  Bella Vista Bypass (Missouri/Arkansas).

I don't know much about the bypass, but from what I can tell it looks like Arkansas is making the mess and Missouri will have to clean it up.
If the bypass is to become I-49, it's strange they didn't build it with four lanes. Or, perhaps that's partly why it's a mess! Because of the routing of existing US 71, the bypass will serve zero purpose unless it's completed. There's not even any northbound through roads between the end of the bypass and Missouri's I-49, much less roads that could handle interstate and truck traffic.

[BrianP]

Not as egregious an example, but the US-12 freeway at the IL/WI state line is a similar issue.  IL won't build the freeway, so the Wisconsin freeway just spills off onto a surface road via a pair of ramps.

But that's a mess that hasn't been cleaned up.  So how does it fit here? If Wisconsin did something about the problem then it would fit. 

[J N Winkler]

I don't know much about the bypass, but from what I can tell it looks like Arkansas is making the mess and Missouri will have to clean it up.

It does look like that on the ground, but I think most people familiar with the story might say the mess-making goes in the other direction.  Arkansas was committed to building it while Missouri postponed construction and removed funding from its STIP a few years ago, putting Arkansas in the position of having to build an interim facility (two lanes expandable to four), while Missouri has built nothing except a ramp stub.

[GaryV]

M-239, the "Cornfield Roadblock" that existed for many years until Indiana finally completed their section if I-94.  Conspiracy theories abound.

[Hurricane Rex]

I would argue Portland/Vancouver CRC, as Washington is wanting to move the ball forward again, but Oregon doesn't want a new freeway unless there is no other option. Some would make a good argument to the freeway system in general.

LG-TP260

[roadman65]

New York has a mess as Chris Christie cancelled the ARC project that was to benefit the state.

NJ had issues with PA as for years I-78 ended up having the freeway terminate at Still Valley while they waited for PA to decide where to build their portion of I-78.  It took until Spring of 1990 for I-78 to be completed from its west end to the Holland Tunnel.

[paulthemapguy]

Not as egregious an example, but the US-12 freeway at the IL/WI state line is a similar issue.  IL won't build the freeway, so the Wisconsin freeway just spills off onto a surface road via a pair of ramps.

But that's a mess that hasn't been cleaned up.  So how does it fit here? If Wisconsin did something about the problem then it would fit.

I looked at it as Wisconsin doing their share, and having to clean up Illinois's mess.  Illinois made a mess by necessitating that US12 barf all its traffic onto the surface streets, from this perspective.

[BrianP]

Not as egregious an example, but the US-12 freeway at the IL/WI state line is a similar issue.  IL won't build the freeway, so the Wisconsin freeway just spills off onto a surface road via a pair of ramps.

But that's a mess that hasn't been cleaned up.  So how does it fit here? If Wisconsin did something about the problem then it would fit.

I looked at it as Wisconsin doing their share, and having to clean up Illinois's mess.  Illinois made a mess by necessitating that US12 barf all its traffic onto the surface streets, from this perspective.

But it's still a mess. There hasn't been any clean up done by Wisconsin.  Otherwise the highway would continue on into IL. In the example the mess of an incomplete I-95 in NJ is being resolved by PA by rerouting I-95. 

Say Wisconsin rerouted US 12 along WS 50 to I-94 and had US 12 enter IL on I-94.  Then Wisconsin would clean up the mess by doing something at least for US 12.  The dead end highway would still be there.  But that essentially would be equivalent to the example.

[jp the roadgeek]

MA is cleaning up some of CT and RI's mess by handling people who use I-84 to I-90 to MA/RI 146 to get from Hartford to Providence (of course, they're being reimbursed somewhat in the tolls collected).  If I-84 had been built as planned, no one would use this as the all-freeway route between the 2 cities. 

[webny99]

I don't know much about the bypass, but from what I can tell it looks like Arkansas is making the mess and Missouri will have to clean it up.

It does look like that on the ground, but I think most people familiar with the story might say the mess-making goes in the other direction.  Arkansas was committed to building it while Missouri postponed construction and removed funding from its STIP a few years ago, putting Arkansas in the position of having to build an interim facility (two lanes expandable to four), while Missouri has built nothing except a ramp stub.

I think I actually just happened upon Missouri's stub ramp while browsing Street View in the area.
I get the impression, from news articles and other sources, that there are few Missourians that see the need for the facility, while there's been an understandably much stronger push from Arkansas.
I still wonder why Arkansas didn't just build four lanes from the outset; a full freeway would make the gap much more glaring, hopefully prompting (or perhaps embarassing) Missouri into taking action.

[jon daly]

MA is cleaning up some of CT and RI's mess by handling people who use I-84 to I-90 to MA/RI 146 to get from Hartford to Providence (of course, they're being reimbursed somewhat in the tolls collected).  If I-84 had been built as planned, no one would use this as the all-freeway route between the 2 cities. 

People use that route? That would be plan C or D for me.

A. I-84 to US-44 to CT/RI-101 to US 6.
B CT-2 to I-395 to US-6
C (scenic route) I-84 to US-44


E I-84 to I-384 to US-6

[1995hoo]

Does this count?

[Revive 755]

Not as egregious an example, but the US-12 freeway at the IL/WI state line is a similar issue.  IL won't build the freeway, so the Wisconsin freeway just spills off onto a surface road via a pair of ramps.

But that's a mess that hasn't been cleaned up.  So how does it fit here? If Wisconsin did something about the problem then it would fit.

I looked at it as Wisconsin doing their share, and having to clean up Illinois's mess.  Illinois made a mess by necessitating that US12 barf all its traffic onto the surface streets, from this perspective.

But it's still a mess. There hasn't been any clean up done by Wisconsin.  Otherwise the highway would continue on into IL. In the example the mess of an incomplete I-95 in NJ is being resolved by PA by rerouting I-95. 

Say Wisconsin rerouted US 12 along WS 50 to I-94 and had US 12 enter IL on I-94.  Then Wisconsin would clean up the mess by doing something at least for US 12.  The dead end highway would still be there.  But that essentially would be equivalent to the example.

There was at least a study for a partial fix of the mess on the Illinois side.  This would have been a bypass of Richmond for US 12, but wetland issues seem to have killed it.

[briantroutman]

Does this count?

That thought occurred to me when I first saw this thread. I've read reports of Petersburg, Ohio being flooded with traffic when the Pennsylvania Turnpike's western extension opened up to the PA/OH border, coming to "an abrupt halt in a farmer's field"  until Ohio built its turnpike.

Then I wondered: Has any state ever unilaterally built a highway up to the state line, thereby basically "forcing"  the neighboring state to build a highway it otherwise would not have (or in a location it otherwise would not have)?

[Beltway]

Best example I can think of is Pennsylvania having to connect I-95 to the PA Turnpike because New Jersey didn't built its portion of I-95.

How about Delaware and New Jersey having to build the Northeast Corridor freeway bypass of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in the first place?  New Jersey Turnpike and Delaware Memorial Bridge.

No other state and major metro area got this kind of a benefit.

[sparker]

When TN declined to participate in the development of I-22, MS stepped in and expedited the development of their portion of I-269 in order to provide a legitimate outlet for the new trunk route.  Ironically, the present configuration that shunts I-22 traffic north on I-269 into TN actually places more traffic on both sections of TN 385 -- the E-W section connecting I-269 and I-240 as well as the N-S section recently co-signed with I-269.  Until the section of I-269 heading west to I-55/69 is opened (hopefully later this year), the path of least resistance for dispersal (and the corresponding collection) of I-22 traffic continues to use TN-maintained facilities.   

[Henry]

I-520 around Augusta: Until SC built its portion, GA had a section that ended well before crossing the Savannah River, where the state border also was. The number was appropriate back then, but is not so much now.

[jeffandnicole]

Best example I can think of is Pennsylvania having to connect I-95 to the PA Turnpike because New Jersey didn't built its portion of I-95.

NJ's had to clean up PA's mess on other occasions, such as when I-76 (then known as I-80S) in NJ went thru Camden and across the Ben Franklin Bridge.  Because PA didn't get their portion of I-76 thru the city constructed, NJ changed their route designation to take I-76 across the Walt Whitman and connected it with what PennDOT did build.  (Eventually the old I-76 became I-676)

How about Delaware and New Jersey having to build the Northeast Corridor freeway bypass of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in the first place?  New Jersey Turnpike and Delaware Memorial Bridge.

No other state and major metro area got this kind of a benefit.

The NJ Turnpike and Delaware Memorial Bridge (US 40) were built before there was even an interstate system to speak of.  NJ was basically relieving the traffic off of US 1 in NJ.  It wasn't really intended to bypass Philly.

I-295 in Delaware simply connected US 40 with their portion of I-95.