Worst sections of freeways

[TravelingBethelite]

I am talking about road conditions, i.e. how smooth the road is, etc. BTW.  Personally, I've noted I-384 is bad. I've read here I-70 between Washington, PA and the Turnpike entrance is pretty bad, and I-83 in PA is not too good, either.

[iBallasticwolf2]

I-71 near MLK Drive has very bad pavement. Hopefully the MLK Drive project includes repaving of I-71. I-75 just north of the Brent Spence Bridge is crappy because it only has 2 through lanes. I seem to recall I-75 having rough pavement around the GE Plant. At least it has some nice button copy. 

[vtk]

Talking Cincinnati, I-71 from the curve on the east end of Fort Washington Way up through the US 42 interchange is full of perennial potholes.

[mariethefoxy]

I-278, the BQE, nuff said.

[jakeroot]

I-5 south of Seattle and I-90 east of Seattle is still largely the same concrete from when the freeway was built in the 60s and 70s. It's not too bumpy or anything like that, but it is very loud.

[The Nature Boy]

I don't recall if it's been redone but I remember I-95 from the NC/SC line to Florence being just terrible to drive on.

[myosh_tino]

I-580 east and westbound over the Altamont Pass east of Livermore, CA.

Pavement is probably original to when the freeway was constructed and has extremely rough pavement littered with potholes and ruts.

[Rothman]

BQE's a good one.  NY 85 from I-90 to the bridge over the Thruway was pretty bad, too, but at least that's starting to be rehabilitated now.

I-86 through SNI land was in the worst condition I've ever experienced (to the point where people would only travel in the left lane, which was only slightly better than the nearly impassable right lane, EB), but I'm told that's actually been repaired now.

[DJStephens]

remember being on southern tier expressway (NY 17) in 2008 and there were large areas of spalled concrete and heavy deterioation at the control joints on the PCC pavement.  Believe concrete pavement can be superior, in terms of durability and lifespan in a southern situation, but why it was used there (southern tier) is beyond me.   Due to the harsh climate and seasonal variations.  Seems flexible pavement, i.e. asphalt would have been preferable.  What ever happened to "super pave" by the way, have not heard the term in quite a while.   

[tribar]

43 around Port Washington.

[wriddle082]

What ever happened to "super pave" by the way, have not heard the term in quite a while.   

A lot of states have stopped using Superpave in favor of OGFC (open grade friction course, or something like that) because it's safer in wet conditions.  It's also cheaper.  But it lasts about half as long as Superpave.

SC has been using OGFC for at least as long as I've lived here (going on 5 years).  The newer sections are great, but the older sections could stand to be resurfaced.

TN I believe started using OGFC right after I moved away.  I think they're having good results from it, and since TN smartly prioritizes maintenance over new construction, they probably won't have too many problems.

I haven't seen a great deal of just plain old resurfacing projects in the areas of NC I frequently travel in for work, but I know they still have a lot of Superpave and concrete in use.

Bottom line, the base aggregate in the pavement is what makes the biggest difference in the pavement quality/durability.  Limestone (prevalent in parts of TN, most of KY, and the lower Midwest) tends to not be as durable as granite (prevalent in the Carolinas, GA, and New England), seashells (FL), or whatever they dredge out of the Tennessee or Mississippi Rivers, which they tend to use around Chattanooga, Northern AL, Northern MS, and nearly all of West TN, which results in the brown pavement.

[briantroutman]

I've read here I-70 between Washington, PA and the Turnpike entrance is pretty bad...

Last I drove that stretch (about 5 years ago, probably) I remember it having a few very rough segments, although it's probably more notable for its laughably antiquated ramp geometry, weave-inducing interchange layouts, and narrow right of way and bridges.

...and I-83 in PA is not too good, either.

I-83 in PA is not as bad as people would like you to believe. I should know because I fly home several times per year, usually to BWI, and so I cover the entire length from I-695 to I-81 on my drive north to Williamsport. Perhaps 83's most glaring deficiency is its narrow right of way, which, like in the case of I-70, frequently results in a lack of any inner shoulder. I would say that interchange geometry is decidedly "less bad"  than I-70 and improving every year with reconstructions–such as those in south York, Lemoyne/New Cumberland, Paxtang, and Colonial Park/Progress in the past decade. Pavement quality is at least acceptable if not good.

[cpzilliacus]

I-83 in PA is not as bad as people would like you to believe. I should know because I fly home several times per year, usually to BWI, and so I cover the entire length from I-695 to I-81 on my drive north to Williamsport. Perhaps 83's most glaring deficiency is its narrow right of way, which, like in the case of I-70, frequently results in a lack of any inner shoulder. I would say that interchange geometry is decidedly "less bad"  than I-70 and improving every year with reconstructions–such as those in south York, Lemoyne/New Cumberland, Paxtang, and Colonial Park/Progress in the past decade. Pavement quality is at least acceptable if not good.

The deficient interchanges on I-83 between the Maryland border and Pa. 581 north of the Turnpike are the biggest problem (and I agree, the ones on I-70 west of New Stanton are worse, though some of that is supposed to be corrected in the coming years).  The narrow I-83 right-of-way does not help either.

At least the Dead Man's Curve just north of I-83 Business (south interchange, Exit 15) is gone after a nearly infinite number of crashes over many decades.

But the worst and most inexcusable part of I-83 in Pennsylvania is that PennDOT and FHWA funded a total reconstruction of I-83 from I-83 Business (north interchange, Exit 22) to the Turnpike (Exit 39) in the 1990's, but left the deficient interchange ramps and other geometrics untouched.

[TEG24601]

I-5 south of Seattle and I-90 east of Seattle is still largely the same concrete from when the freeway was built in the 60s and 70s. It's not too bumpy or anything like that, but it is very loud.

I would argue that most of I-5 through most of Western Washington is VERY loud, especially on the bridges through Seattle, since close to 60% of the roadway is elevated (much to my chagrin).  Same for most of I-90.


However, the worst for me would be I-90 East of Snoqualmie Pass, the road had been in horrible shape since before I started driving, and the speed limits are far too high for the design.  However much of this is changing with major work being done on the roadway.


I would include most of Michigan's freeways in this, especially M-59 with used to scare the crap out of me with the huge chunks of roadway missing.


Finally, I have a major beef with I-84 East of Troutdale, OR which is asphalt, and looks to be the original roadway, with ruts that cause major hydroplaning when raining all the way to Hood River.

[jakeroot]

I would argue that most of I-5 through most of Western Washington is VERY loud, especially on the bridges through Seattle, since close to 60% of the roadway is elevated (much to my chagrin).  Same for most of I-90.

However, the worst for me would be I-90 East of Snoqualmie Pass, the road had been in horrible shape since before I started driving, and the speed limits are far too high for the design.  However much of this is changing with major work being done on the roadway.

Just in terms of loudness, I think the original Seattle Freeway stretch of I-5, which stretched from Tacoma to Everett, is probably the worst portion (at this moment). I just returned from a short trip to Centralia, and once I was past JBLM, is was very quiet. North of Seattle, however, now that I think about it, is not great either. North of Everett all the way the border might still be original, but I couldn't be certain. But the traffic is so bad in the Seattle area, I'll take I-5 north of Everett any day over I-5 through Lynnwood.

My least favorite part of I-90 is the entire length of I-90 between Ellensburg (around Exit 101) and Issaquah (just east of Exit 18). I think the speed limit is fine (I'd personally make it 75) but it is very loud. And if the work they are doing up there around Keechelus Lake is anything to go by, Snoqualmie Pass should be a quieter ride in the near future.

[peterj920]

43 around Port Washington.

I-43 is pretty rough in Ozaukee County.  WISDOT has overlaid all portions of that interstate with asphalt except that stretch, even though the concrete is older than newer sections that were overlaid with asphalt.  Between Denmark and Manitowoc, the road has already been resurfaced twice, and the rough stretch in Ozaukee County has been diamond ground once.  I looked at the DOT's plans, and it looks like they are going to diamond grid the pavement again in about 2 years.  They must really like the concrete pavement for some reason if that was chosen over resurfacing with asphalt. 

[rschen7754]

I-580 east and westbound over the Altamont Pass east of Livermore, CA.

Pavement is probably original to when the freeway was constructed and has extremely rough pavement littered with potholes and ruts.

I was going to say that too...

I-5 in Tacoma is pretty bad, as well as the Santa Ana Freeway part south of LA. They're redoing part of it, but probably not all the way up to East LA.

[cpzilliacus]

I-68 (National Freeway) has an old (and very substandard, 40 MPH) section through Cumberland, Maryland (Exits 42 to 44) that deserves mention on this list. 

To make matters more fun, it features a sharp curve at the bottom of a long descent (13+ miles) for eastbound traffic coming down from the Eastern Continental Divide.

[Rothman]

I-68 (National Freeway) has an old (and very substandard, 40 MPH) section through Cumberland, Maryland (Exits 42 to 44) that deserves mention on this list. 

To make matters more fun, it features a sharp curve at the bottom of a long descent (13+ miles) for eastbound traffic coming down from the Eastern Continental Divide.

Heh.  The section through Cumberland probably hasn't been really been updated layout-wise since it was US 48.  I know the signage has been updated through there in the past 30 years, but other than that, it's pretty much the same road.

I've traveled that stretch more times than I can count and most of those times were on my way to my grandparents' house.  Although I know the road twists its way through Cumberland and the on and off ramps are pretty terrible (e.g., way too short and tight), that drive through Cumberland is definitely nostalgia-inducing.

[OCGuy81]

1) I-5 in Portland is terrible.

- Loud
- Narrow.  There are two choke points where traffic is down to two lanes, right in the heart of a city, causing major headaches.  These choke points are the Marquam Bridge and the Rose Quarter, respectively.
- South out of town is a long uphill climb that trucks struggle to get up, not to mention the sub-standard Terwilliger Curves.
- Hydroplaning.  When it's wet, the grooves especially in the center lane can make lane changes feel pretty dangerous.

2) I-5 East LA interchange.  Narrow and just dated, but there's really not much that can be done here. I never take the 5 towards downtown or coming back.

[doorknob60]

I-84 from Franklin Blvd (exit 36) in Nampa to Franklin Rd (exit 29, US-20/26; and yes, the "Franklin" situation here is annoying) in Caldwell is in bad shape. The onramps mostly have no acceleration lanes, it is a big bottleneck (goes from 6-8 lanes with wide shoulders and good acceleration lanes down to 4 lanes in a hurry), and the pavement is in awful quality. Merging onto the freeway from Northside Blvd in heavy traffic is dangerous, because there is a lot of truck traffic going ~60, and people in the left lane trying to go 75, and you have very little room to merge. And did I mention the awful pavement? It's designed like a rural highway, but it functions as an urban/suburban one.

This picture sums it up well:



I really hope that after ITD finishes up I-84 through Meridian and the new Broadway and Gowen interchanges in Boise, they address the section from Nampa to Caldwell. It's much needed. Also, another interchange between the two cities would be nice, somewhere around Ustick Rd.

[noelbotevera]

I-76 between Johnstown and Breezewood - it's a roller coaster, just more rough and bumpy.

[Bruce]

Just in terms of loudness, I think the original Seattle Freeway stretch of I-5, which stretched from Tacoma to Everett, is probably the worst portion (at this moment). I just returned from a short trip to Centralia, and once I was past JBLM, is was very quiet. North of Seattle, however, now that I think about it, is not great either. North of Everett all the way the border might still be original, but I couldn't be certain. But the traffic is so bad in the Seattle area, I'll take I-5 north of Everett any day over I-5 through Lynnwood.

*I-5 north of Marysville. The stretch between Everett and Marysville, which has no exits, is constantly backed up during the evening commute/after Boeing shift changes.

[lepidopteran]

I-295 SB between the Delaware Memorial Bridge and where it disappears into I-95 SB.  For a mile or so before the interchange, there are some nasty potholes in that concrete.

[kkt]

I-70 elevated section through St. Louis was awful when I was there, about 1997.  I hope it's better by now.  Possibly the worst section of interstate I've been on.