Favorite Interchange

[Alps]

I second the I-95/VA 895/VA 150 interchange, for two reasons.  One, the high ramps and river bridge are breathtaking in height.  Second, the signing at the interchange is mostly my design.

Dammit akotchi, you did too good a job.  Nothing for me to take photos of sign-wise!

[rmsandw]

I-355 at I-88

[yanksfan6129]

Ooh, I don't know if it has been mentioned, but I like the US 61/Airline Hwy and Causeway Boulevard in NOLA. I wonder if it is the only roundabout freeway/freeway interchange in the USA?

Note: yes I know that they are not freeways. But that is definitely a freeway style interchange, grade separations and all.

[74/171FAN]

Quote
The I-95/VA 150/VA 895 interchange is quite impressive to look at.

It's also missing a ramp movement...

About the missing ramp movement(from I-95 South to VA 895 East), is Transurban also responsible for that ramp as well as the Airport Connector Rd(which is now under construction)???

[74/171FAN]

Quote
About the missing ramp movement(from I-95 South to VA 895 East), is Transurban also responsible for that ramp as well as the Airport Connector Rd(which is now under construction)???

AFAIK, there is no plan to add the missing ramp movement...

I believe there is a stub on the VA 895 East Bridge over I-95 for the future construction of the movement; however, Transurban's $2.75 toll won't allow for traffic needs to warrant it for a really long time.

[Ian]

Well I can't choose only 1 so I'll give a few.

I-95 and I-695 in Essex, MD. Though this is currently under a huge rebuilding project and will be soon replaced.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=39.350925,-76.493082&spn=0.016626,0.038452&t=h&z=15

The I-95/I-295/I-495/US 202/DE 141 "Megachange" in Newport, DE:
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=39.703555,-75.594435&spn=0.033083,0.076904&t=h&z=14

I-87/I-287 at US 9W in Nyack, NY:
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=41.081138,-73.922507&spn=0.008103,0.019226&t=h&z=16

I-90/I-93/US 1/MA 3 new Big Dig interchange thats mostly underground in Boston, MA:
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=42.346619,-71.058755&spn=0.015891,0.038452&t=h&z=15

I-93/US 1//MA 99Storrow Drive in Boston, MA:
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=42.370926,-71.066651&spn=0.003971,0.009613&t=h&z=17

I-95/US 4/US 1 By-Pass/NH 16/Spaulding Turnpike in Portsmouth, NH:
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=43.074311,-70.781693&spn=0.015705,0.038452&t=h&z=15

Thats about it for my favorite interchanges.

-i

[auumn]

NJ I-80 Exit 53 WB (NJ 23 & US 46). That one is so fun to drive through.
NJ 17 going into NY I-287, I-87 and NY 17. Flyovers are fun to drive on.
I-295 going into I-95 and DE 141 in Delaware.
All the interchanges on free I-80 in OH before the OH turnpike going WB.

[Duke87]

I-95 and I-695 in Essex, MD. Though this is currently under a huge rebuilding project and will be soon replaced.

That was a fairly creative interchange there. No weaving I assume being the intent. Problem is, four of the eight ramps are left hand exit and left hand entrance... something which we today know to avoid. So fixing that is a functional improvement.

Of course, the actual reason they're replacing it is they can't build HOT lanes through the existing interchange with the roadways crossing like that.

[hm insulators]

I grew up in the Los Angeles area and still visit a few times a year. Some of the interchanges there that I've always liked:

I-405/I-10
The Kellogg Interchange (I-10/California 57/California 71)
The Orange Crush (I-5, California 57/California 22)
The Stack or Four-Level near downtown Los Angeles
The aforementioned East L.A. Interchange (I-10/I-5/US 101/California 60)
The Newhall Interchange (I-5/I-210/California 14, with the northern terminus of
  I-405 just a couple of miles to the south), which probably has the most bizarre
  history of any interchange in the country

[achilles765]

Interstate 45 and State Highway 288/US 59 --- Downtown Houston Texas
Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 -- Houston
Dallas' "Mixmaster' (IH 35E, IH30 and ... kinda IH 45/US 75)
Interstate 310 ... pretty much every exit.  Huge sweeping loops over the swamp
Interstate 10 at Airline/Carrollton- New Orleans

and my all time favorite ever:
Exit 234.. Interstate 10 at US 90/Business Us 90 in New Orleans

[empirestate]

Well, my official favorite interchange has always been I-787/US 9/US 20 in Albany, because of the contrast between its apparent orderliness when viewed from above, and the utter visual chaos it presents from ground level. In that way, it reflects the idealist aesthetic of city planning from its period, the new urbanism of le Corbusier, also seen in the nearby Empire State Plaza. Such design is notable in how harmonious and satisfying it is when taken theoretically (as with the aerial view), but how it stands apart from the human element, isolates and excludes it, when everyday interaction comes into play.

http://empirestateroads.com/week/week7.html

That said, the more I get to know the GWB/Henry Hudson interchange, the more fascinated I am by it. And for similar reasons to the Albany example, as well as for sheer engineering prowess, I am also intrigued by the Highbridge Interchange (I-87/I-95), but again, until the massive reconstruction project is complete there, my appreciation will remain strictly theoretical for that one!

[triplemultiplex]

The Marquette Interchange in downtown Milwaukee.  Nothing like a brand new, five-level stack cozied up against skyscrapers.
Plus it's Brewers' colors!

Honorable mention for the sprawling cloverleaf at the odd-angle meeting of US 53 and WI 29 in Lake Hallie.

[pianocello]

One (well, two) of my favorites are exits 160 and 161 on I-80 in IL (I-94/IL-394 and the SPUI at Torrence Ave)

[Bickendan]

The Ross Island Interchange (I-5, I-405, US 26, OR 43 and technically OR 10 and OR 99W)

I-35W, I-94, US 12, US 52, MN 55, MN 65 and CH 122 in Minneapolis.

I-5 and I-90 in Seattle.

[Interstate Trav]

I-5 CA-14 Interchane in Newhall Pass,

[Interstate Trav]

Also I have to add the I-10 I-15 Jct in Ontario.

[MrDisco99]

I've always been fascinated by the I-87/I-95 High Bridge interchange, too, it being one of the first examples I'd ever seen of a stack with all its twisting movements.  It's also pretty impressive from an engineering perspective, being built into the most unlikely site for a freeway interchange.

I also like Atlanta's Spaghetti Junction (I-85/I-285).  There's a particular movement that takes you way above the whole thing, but it's sort of an easter egg.  It's been a while, but I think you can only get to it from the southbound I-85 local access road.  I remember how thrilled I was when I finally figured that out.

[kphoger]

I have never driven this interchange, but I keep finding myself drawn to its geometry.....
Near Culiacán, Sinaloa:
http://g.co/maps/rp89v

[agentsteel53]

I have never driven this interchange, but I keep finding myself drawn to its geometry.....
Near Culiacán, Sinaloa:
http://g.co/maps/rp89v

I've never seen anything like it, with the mainline of one route being split wide open to accommodate ramps coming in.

[NE2]

There's one of those on SC 31 (future I-74)
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=33.739347,-78.950651&spn=0.015881,0.033023&t=k&z=16

[1995hoo]

I like the junction of FL-417 (the Central Florida Greeneway) and FL-528 (the Bee Line). The movement from southbound 417 to the eastbound Bee Line is a little bit odd, but otherwise it's a great interchange in terms of ramp layout (only one loop-around) because it has no weave areas and several of the movements are via decent flyovers that aren't sharply curved. I often think it seems a tad overbuilt for the amount of traffic changing directions there, but perhaps it was built with the intent of handling future demands. If so, good for the designers.

The Springfield Interchange in Virginia has been mentioned before. I drive through it several times a week and I like it a lot because I think it's a fine example of an interchange redesign working extremely well to solve the traffic and accident problems the redesign was intended to address. It does a good job of separating out local and thru traffic. The one downside is that it's absolutely imperative to pay heed to the signs directing you to the proper lane, but I suppose people who fail to do that are just guilty of sloppy driving.

I also like the interchange of I-75, I-595, and FL-869 near Sunrise, Florida. My brother-in-law lives a few miles to the south of there and we usually pass through it taking I-75 south/east from Fort Myers (nephew's family) to visit him. I think the flyovers have a rather graceful look to them, and I also like it because it's something visually interesting after what is, frankly, a rather visually monotonous drive across the Everglades. The first time I drove through there I felt like I was CRAWLING when I slowed down to 80 mph after bombing across the Everglades at 100. Can't get away with that nowadays.

Finally, this one may seem like an odd choice compared to the others, but I like Exit 13 off I-95 in Maryland (Ritchie—Marlboro Road). It's a diamond interchange that uses two roundabouts at the foot of the ramps instead of traffic lights or stop signs. I like roundabouts and I think they work quite well at this interchange and I'd like to see more interchanges modified to use roundabouts where possible because I always favor the idea of not imposing a rule that you always have to stop even when there's no other traffic.

[Alps]

I have never driven this interchange, but I keep finding myself drawn to its geometry.....
Near Culiacán, Sinaloa:
http://g.co/maps/rp89v

I've never seen anything like it, with the mainline of one route being split wide open to accommodate ramps coming in.

Detroit used to have one of those, I want to say I-94 at US 24. Going to check my old maps now...

Edit: Yup, I was right. I studied that city map (AAA 1992-93) very thoroughly and it inspired many of my interchange designs for years after.

[kurumi]

I have never driven this interchange, but I keep finding myself drawn to its geometry.....
Near Culiacán, Sinaloa:
http://g.co/maps/rp89v

Not a bad design for a low-cost full interchange.

Minuses: left exits for one highway

Pluses: no weaving; only 2 bridges; minimal elevation

[kphoger]

Agreed, agreed, yes.  But I'm a geek, and I want to know what it's called.  An inside modified cloverleaf??? 

[NE2]

Agreed, agreed, yes.  But I'm a geek, and I want to know what it's called.  An inside modified cloverleaf??? 

It's basically a pair of trumpets with a few ramps braided.