Highways that were underbuilt

[tolbs17]

I-485 in most of Charlotte - Western segment to I-85, southern segment, and the eastern segment. Was built with 4 lanes but only widened to 6 lanes and express lanes there are currently under construction.

I-540 in Northern Raleigh. Should have been 8 lanes, urban sprawl kicked in and it gets very congested. Ramp meters did help, but it still needs work.

I-40 from Hillsborough to Morrisville. Was built with 4 lanes, although widened to 6 lanes in 2004. Still gets congested and more upgrades are needed on it. It was built with a 46 foot median so widening it would be very expensive.

I have a feeling I-295 in Fayetteville might jump on this list because it was built entirely with 4 lanes.

I-40 bypass in Winston-Salem. Opened in 1992, has 4 lanes, although planned to be widened to 6, I say it needs 8 to prevent more future widening!

I-785 in Greensboro. Opened in 2002, has 4 lanes, and when the I-840 loop is finished, traffic volumes on that segment will be expected to increase quickly, warranting the need to widen it to 6 lanes.

I-40 in Western Raleigh, Eastern Cary. Has 4 lanes, widened to 6, although they left space for a future lane (either 8 GP lanes or they plan to add a toll lane in each direction).

[SkyPesos]

Related threads:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24186.0
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=29252.0

[tolbs17]

Related threads:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24186.0
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=29252.0

Not really directed to my question but okay.

[Max Rockatansky]

Of course Raleigh is involved because it's the de facto center of the Universe.

[SkyPesos]

Related threads:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24186.0
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=29252.0

Not really directed to my question but okay.

Needs to be widened = underbuilt

[tolbs17]

Related threads:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24186.0
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=29252.0

Not really directed to my question but okay.

Needs to be widened = underbuilt

I say underbuilt if it was built not too long ago based on population.

[sprjus4]

Related threads:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=24186.0
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=29252.0

Not really directed to my question but okay.

Needs to be widened = underbuilt

I think he's more focused on examples that were built and needed to be widened since day one, or when connecting pieces were finally complete - rather than simply highways that were once adequate, now need widening many years / decades later.

I'll add I-664 to this. It has needed 6 lanes since it was complete in the early 1990s and should've been built with such. Now they're evaluating merely adding HO/T lanes.

VA-168 between I-64 and N Battlefield Blvd was built with 4 lanes in 1999 and quickly exceeded capacity. Interestingly enough, I-464 north of this project was built with 6 lanes in the 1980s and carries 20,000 less vehicles per day. Traffic volumes jump as you go south of I-64, and the lanes reduce. I-464 also carries 30,000-40,000 less vehicles per day than the I-664 example, built around the same time.

[SkyPesos]

I think he's more focused on examples that were built and needed to be widened since day one, or when connecting pieces were finally complete - rather than simply highways that were once adequate, now need widening many years / decades later.

I totally knew that's what he meant from a very broad title and just a list of various examples in the first post. /s

[tolbs17]

I think he's more focused on examples that were built and needed to be widened since day one, or when connecting pieces were finally complete - rather than simply highways that were once adequate, now need widening many years / decades later.

I totally knew that's what he meant from a very broad title and just a list of various examples in the first post. /s

Yes that's my point of this thread.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Schuylkill expressway in Philadelphia/Montgomery County. 

[tolbs17]

Schuylkill expressway in Philadelphia/Montgomery County.

Per Wikipedia, it opened in 1951. Yes it could be overbuilt; But the interstate highway system didn't exist back then.

[roadman65]

Most highways in Central Florida especially being development is our states number one business .

[milbfan]

I-265 - Louisville Metro, both sides of the river.  Two lanes each way.

They're finally fixing that with an expansion project on the Kentucky side.  However, the Indiana side is still a bit clogged with only two lanes each way.

I-20 through Bossier City; only two lanes in each direction.  Throw in short feed-ons.

I-20 going into Dallas from the east was underbuilt.  It once was what is now the US 80 freeway.  I-20 was rerouted/built on a more southwesterly direction and opened in the late 80s.

[HighwayStar]

Schuylkill expressway in Philadelphia/Montgomery County.

In that case it was "under-built" but the bulk of the problem came from them not bothering to build the other expressway on the opposite side of the river.

Likewise, in DC the beltway is "underbuilt" but that is mostly because they did not bother to build any of the roads that were supposed to serve the actual city.

Every freeway in NYC is "underbuilt" again, due to not finishing other roads.

[US20IL64]

All of these places bragging about population growth, this is what you get, more traffic, 

[SkyPesos]

All of these places bragging about population growth, this is what you get, more traffic, 

One thing nice about living in a rust belt city

[1995hoo]

I-66 inside the Capital Beltway was deliberately underbuilt.

[roadman65]

I-476 in PA (the Blue RouteSection) was deliberately under built due to NIMBY compromise.

[HighwayStar]

I-476 in PA (the Blue RouteSection) was deliberately under built due to NIMBY compromise.

I would wager most cases of under building are a result of the undue interference of special interest groups.

[MATraveler128]

I think that the Northeast Expressway segment of US 1 is sort of under built. It happens to zig zag all over the place in Chelsea, Everett, and Saugus. Also from the Lynn St exit up to MA 99 by the orange dinosaur is also under built as it only has two lanes and substandard ramps.

[Revive 755]

Post-rebuild US 40 in St. Louis between I-170 and Skinker Boulevard - should have been built with for though lanes in that stretch, but instead it can back up horribly at Skinker during off-peak hours.

The US 40 interchanges at Brentwood Boulevard and Hanley Road also qualify - those should have bee SPUI's with braided ramps or C-D roadways.  Going eastbound, exiting to Hanley should not require exiting and going through the light at Brentwood.  Going westbound, exiting to Brentwood should not require getting off at Hanley.

[US 89]

Bangerter Highway in Salt Lake County should have been built with interchanges from day one. Sure, the expressway-with-stoplights was probably sufficient in the late 80s/early 90s when it was being planned, but even by the time it was built in the late 90s it was clear that those suburban type areas were going to explode in population.

What's really dumb is initially, no ROW was reserved for interchanges, so now the piecemeal upgrades at the intersections-turned-interchanges are more expensive because each one requires eminent domaining homes that in many cases were not even there back when the road was built. There is also no longer any room for any sort of direct freeway system interchange at the junctions with I-15 and SR 201.

[roadman65]

I think that the Northeast Expressway segment of US 1 is sort of under built. It happens to zig zag all over the place in Chelsea, Everett, and Saugus. Also from the Lynn St exit up to MA 99 by the orange dinosaur is also under built as it only has two lanes and substandard ramps.

Just think that was to be I-95 originally.  MA 1A was US 1 through the tunnels until I-95 was moved onto MA 128, which moved US 1 onto it.

[tolbs17]

Fun fact: When I-485 was built in South Charlotte, NCDOT was not ready for south Charlotte's and Pineville's explosive growth. They thought it would grow similar to Winston-Salem or Richmond.

Also, the Carolina Place Mall was another key of why it got so busy.

There were complaints in the mid 2000s about the congestion there due to it being only 4 lanes wide instead of 6 or 8.

Same with I-40 in west Raleigh (just east of Cary) as well as rural parts of I-40 there.

[skluth]

Post-rebuild US 40 in St. Louis between I-170 and Skinker Boulevard - should have been built with for though lanes in that stretch, but instead it can back up horribly at Skinker during off-peak hours.

The US 40 interchanges at Brentwood Boulevard and Hanley Road also qualify - those should have bee SPUI's with braided ramps or C-D roadways.  Going eastbound, exiting to Hanley should not require exiting and going through the light at Brentwood.  Going westbound, exiting to Brentwood should not require getting off at Hanley.

I agree the I-64 rebuild about 15 years ago should have built four lanes each way the entire length, not just west of I-170. The current two service roads could possibly have ramps to/from I-64 added to make that short section like a Texas freeway but there is not enough room for full C/D ramps. There's simply not enough room to satisfy all the movements between I-64 and Brentwood, Hanley, Eager Road, and I-170, along with access to the Galleria and Brentwood Promenade and an eight-lane freeway without taking more property along the corridor.