What was it like While they were building the Interstates? And signs?

[tman]

The level of detail on some of these responses is mind-boggling, and interesting. Curious if the OP expected this kind of response, or whether he's just sitting back going "wow"...

The second option

Anybody have or know of any good pictures that depict some of this??? Thanks.

[wanderer2575]

I vaguely remember a TEMP END I-90 sign on a stretch of I-90 somewhere out west in the mid- to late 70s.

[slorydn1]

The first time I came to New Bern from Chicago when my aunt moved here in 1983 I can remember being forced off of I-40 somewhere west of Raleigh, my mom seems to feel it was Wade Ave (?). We were then on many surface streets until we picked up US-70 (now US-70 Business off of Exit 306). I can definitely remember an "All Traffic Must Exit" sign just prior to us leaving the interstate.

I have similar memories of  a "Must Exit" sign on  I-196 in Michigan from the early 70's. It was complete from I-96 down to M-21 (now M-121) Chicago Drive in Grandville/Jenison and all traffic was forced to exit at M-21 (through traffic was westbound towards Jenison, with a separate ramp to go eastbound towards Grandville and Wyoming). I was very young (maybe 3 or 4) when they finally did the full interchange with bridges for I-196 carriageways over Chicago Drive and then about 5 years old when the rest of the freeway opened from M-21 to I-94

[Jardine]

For several years, I-29 stopped at Hwy 30 at Missouri Valley, IA and didn't resume again until 175 at Onawa.  I spent much time wondering how they were going to route it in between, how they could get past some obstacles (2, and then 3 railroad tracks) and some rivers, and the disruption to the farms in between too.

As it turned out, I had a relative loose some farm land to it, and it messed up his irrigation set up.  Crossing the C&NW mainline just north of Hwy 30 was accomplished with an ENORMOUS amount of dirt, and they had the foresight then to build the overpass with sufficient room for an eventual double track, which finally happened in '98 or 2000.

There was great anticipation as the various segments were built, and opening ceremonies were big deals, old time cars, local and state dignitaries, TV and newspaper coverage, it was just fun!!

As I've noted here a few times, a segment of I-29 just north of Sioux City, IA was only open a few months when the NB bridge over the Big Sioux River collapsed.  As I recall, the interstate was only open a few miles further to the next exit, so the bridge failure wasn't the calamity then it would be now.

[US71]

I vaguely recall a sign near St Louis saying something like "I-44 Ends. Continue on US 66"

In Illinois,  I-55 was posted along the complete sections, US 66 on the non-complete.

[Henry]

According to this Wikipedia article, the last of the TEMP Interstates (I-77 around Columbia, SC) was removed in 1996. It was one of three (I-15 and I-69 are the others) to still be signed as such in 1990.

[hbelkins]

Heading east was more complex, because the interstate did not really end.  The two lane turnpike was there, and eventually the four lane modern one was there, which connects seamlessly.  So here is a motorist driving down the interstate and never forced off it, but suddenly on I-77 alone, not I-64.

So it was like this.  There was a sign in Dunbar that simply read "I-64 ENDS - 8 MILES AHEAD - USE US 60".  Then at what is today the Belle exit (which was once the end of the Turnpike) the exit signage read "END I-64 - USE US 60 - Lewisburg" and the non-exit side "I-77 - Beckley - Toll Road - WV Turnpike" (earlier version added a "TO" above the I-77) .  There were a few "TO I-64" signs on the very first few miles of US 60 east of there, but it was the same deal, you just had to know US 60 took you to Lewisburg.

South (theoretically east) of that point on the WV Turnpike, as it was completed to interstate standards, all of the signage has just I-77 shields, which were off-center, because there was a space for the I-64 shield to be put up.  The day the road opened, the Turnpike had 100s of 64 shields ready and multiple crews that went up the whole 50 miles and put the 64 shields in their proper place.  Had it done in a day.

That was what I was wondering about. Most maps of that vintage showed both I-77 and I-64 on the turnpike between Charleston and Beckley, and the proposed routing of I-64 east of Beckley to tie in to the Sam Black Church/Lewisburg segment. Of course, there's really no good route east of Beckley to connect to Lewisburg, so I wondered how 64 was signed, if at all, south of the Yeager Bridge.

[WashuOtaku]

According to this Wikipedia article, the last of the TEMP Interstates (I-77 around Columbia, SC) was removed in 1996. It was one of three (I-15 and I-69 are the others) to still be signed as such in 1990.

It's true:  http://route.transportation.org/Documents/1995-USRN_Cmte.pdf

[roadman]

I have similar memories of  a "Must Exit" sign on  I-196 in Michigan from the early 70's.

The Northeast Expressway, which was supposed to be part of I-95, originally had warning signs indicating "Barricade 2000 Feet" and "Barricade 1000 Feet" prior to the roadway's end in Revere where all traffic was forced to re-join Route C-1.  The bridges that were supposed to carry the continuation of I-95 onto the fill across the Rumney Marsh had MassDPW standard large wooden barricades with flashing arrows blocking them.

The signs remained in place until the 1974 resurfacing and bridge deck replacement project between Chelsea and Revere, at which time they were removed and replaced with standard Curve signs.

[cpzilliacus]

The "Between the Beltways" part of I-95 in Maryland was finished well after the section north (east) of Baltimore, the JFK Highway was open, as well as I-495 around Washington, D.C.  in both Maryland and Virginia.

The de-facto temporary I-95 between I-495 in the south (at Greenbelt, Maryland) and (what is now signed as) I-895, the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway, was the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.  It had TO I-95 assemblies, pretty obviously installed by state forces, even on the part maintained by the National Park Service (I-495 and Md. 175 at Odenton as well as inside I-495 - between U.S. 50 and I-495). The signs on the Parkway were always NPS-spec, and the Parkway worked reasonably well, as it was (and always has been) a road with full access control.

Of course, trucks were not allowed on that federally-maintained section of the Parkway - they were expected to use U.S. 1 instead, and some may have used U.S. 29, though for most trips not as direct as U.S. 1.

When the "between the Beltways" section of I-95 opened in the early 1970's, traffic still had to use  a different route through or around Baltimore.  The state of Maryland has signs encouraging the use of I-695 to I-895, or for trucks that did not fit through the tunnels or were carrying placarded HAZMAT loads, they were directed to use I-695 north of Baltimore, and after the F.S. Key Bridge opened in 1977, to that

[PHLBOS]

Along the Central Artery itself (again, such was considered to be part of I-95 though not yet signed as such); there were a couple of white TO SOUTH 95 unisigns posted in the southbound direction.  I don't believe there was any northbound trailblazer signage for I-95 along the Artery prior to the erection of the early-70s vintage BGS at the old I-93 split that originally read 95 NORTH Charlestown Revere.

For a brief time in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the elevated Central Artery had actual I-95 confirmatory markers, without any disclaimers like 'TO' or 'TEMP'.  The signs on the Lower Deck (now I-93, originally part of the cancelled I-695) for the Tobin Bridge exit ramp (demolished in 1988) originally read "JCT 95" as well.

IIRC & as previously stated, most of the signs that had I-95 confirmatory signs in that area were BGS' that were erected in the early 1970s.  The only BGS older than those that had a 95 SOUTH listing (which interestingly remained untouched until 1989-90 (a 93 North & South sign replaced it)) at the southbound old pre-CANA Charlestown interchange ramp. 

Beyond that, I don't recall seeing any confirmatory I-95 signs along the Central Artery itself south of the old I-93 (original I-695) split.  Granted, I was a grade-schooler at the time; but I was observing road signs even then as a passenger in either my parents' cars or school bus (for field trips). 

Update: Roadman recently shared a 1972-vintage photo recently surfaced showing a reassurance SOUTH 95 assembly along the Central Artery in another thread


Needless to say, these markers were very short lived and were taken down several years prior to the I-95 rerouting.

Edited to add: on the approach ramp from Storrow Drive to the northbound artery, there were a couple of NORTH 93 - 95 trailblazer setups mounted on the left posts of the original overhead BGS gantries (that originally read CHARLESTOWN - MYSTIC BRIDGE) that existed during the early 70s.  Once I-95 was rerouted to go around Boston rather than through it; the I-95 shields were replaced with US 1 shields.

[Mapmikey]

The de-facto temporary I-95 between I-495 in the south (at Greenbelt, Maryland) and (what is now signed as) I-895, the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway, was the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.  It had TO I-95 assemblies, pretty obviously installed by state forces, even on the part maintained by the National Park Service (I-495 and Md. 175 at Odenton as well as inside I-495 - between U.S. 50 and I-495). The signs on the Parkway were always NPS-spec, and the Parkway worked reasonably well, as it was (and always has been) a road with full access control.

A couple pics related to this:





Mike

[RoadWarrior56]

I am 59 years old, and since I was born the year the Interstate System was funded, most of the system was being constructed into my early adulthood.  My family traveled a lot by car during the 1960's and early 1970's, primarily in the south and in the midwest.  I had a photographic memory for highways and maps as a kid, which is one reason I ended up becoming a Civil Engineer.  During the early years of interstate construction, the completed sections of Interstate were relatively few and far between.  As I recall, there were not many trailblazers in those days.  You would see a trailblazer assembly or two near the interchanges along the completed sections.  Most of the trailblazers at the end of the completed sections were directing travelers to the parallel roadway (usually a US Route).  There were few if any trailblazers to the interstate along the US Highways between the completed sections, since until the mid to late 60's, the US Routes were still considered the primary roadways, and the traffic along them was still moderate in most cases.

By the late 60's into the 70's that began to change as the Interstate segments were longer and had more traffic, and they became the primary routes for drivers.  The parallel US routes became the exception as the remaining Interstate gaps had elaborate Interstate trailblazer sinage at may locations reassuring drivers that the Interstates would "come back soon".  The most prominent example that I recall was along US 41 north of  Marietta which a large number of I-75 trailblazer signs, and various special signs that reassured motorists that the gap was only 25 miles at the longest and to warn of at grade intersections along the roadway, etc.  That section of US 41 was four-lanes but very congested.  The final 25-mile gap of I-64 in Indiana in '75-'76 had old US 460 co-signed with I-64 reassurance shields (not trailblazers), even though the old route was a bad two-lane road through rough terrain.

[roadman65]

Is the gap between Belle Vista, AR and Pineville, MO signed along US 71?

[Bruce]

For about 25 years, the I-5/I-90 interchange in Seattle looked like this:



The Ramps to Nowhere (not the other ones near the Arboretum on State Route 520) were finally opened in 1991 after the completion of a new floating bridge across Lake Washington (though, the old one sank and had to be rebuilt by 1993).

[thenetwork]

Some "incomplete" freeways that I lived near were:

I-77 in Cleveland (early-mid 70's) -- coming from the south, I-77 ended at SR-82/Royalton Road, then was extended to Pleasant Valley Road, then one exit further to Rockside Road -- all 3 roads used TO I-77 NORTH trailblazers connecting I-77's temporary endings to then US-21/Brecksville Road (now SR-21) which would head north and rejoin I-77 north of Granger Road/SR-17.  Heading southbound, I-77 would end at Brecksville Road and trailblazers for TO I-77 SOUTH would lead to the next road which would connect back to I-77.  Many of those TO-I-77 SOUTH trailblazers remained in place at the intersections of the aforementioned "connector roads" between US/SR-21 and I-77 well into the 80s before they were removed permanently. 

I-480 in Cleveland (early 90s) -- before the missing link was completed between W. 139th and Brooklyn Heights/Tuxedo Avenue, There were ground-mounted BGS which said something to effect of "TO I-480 EAST (or WEST), FOLLOW SR-17 / BROOKPARK ROAD with a left arrow -- since both ramps required a left turn to traverse the temporary ends.  I don't recall any "TO I-480" trailblazers along Brookpark Road. 

And in the late 70's when a section of I-480 was only open between I-77 and Brooklyn Hts., I-480 was only signed as "TO I-77" from Brookpark Road and "TO SR-17/Brookpark Road" from I-77.  There was no mention of how to connect with the next open sections of I-480 at that time.

I-96 in Livonia, MI (late 70s) -- when I-275 was completed in the late 70s west of Detroit, there was a short section of the Jeffries Freeway (I-96) which was opened between I-275 and the Levan/Newburgh Roads exit.  Based on my fuzzy memory, there was no mention of (TO) I-96 on that short stretch of the Jeffries, or the temporary M-2 designation used for the Schoolcraft Road "Service Drives" which connected I-275 with I-96 east of Telegraph Road/US-24.  I don't even think that I-96 was signed as a multiplex yet with I-275 until the Jeffries was fully opened.

I-275 in Monroe, MI (mid 70s) I-275 had a short segment opened from I-75 to US-24/Telegraph Road north of Monroe, MI.  Before I-275 was completed, the freeway was only signed as "TO US-24/Telegraph Road" from I-75 and there was no I-275 trailblazers at the US-24 exit, as there was only one other stretch of future I-275 open at the time which I believe was between US-12/Michigan Avenue and M-153/Ford Road.

[MarkF]

I remember coming into Phoenix from the west in '77.  I-10 ended at what is now AZ 85, and you had to take Buckeye Rd (US 80 at the time) into Phoenix.  It was signed as TO I-10/US 80, and "TO I-10" proceeded on southbound I-17 until you got past the 24th St exit (actually a short freeway stub along the current routing of I-10), where the "TO" signs went away.  A couple of years later, I-10 made it east to Dysart Rd. By that time, US 80 was gone, and Buckeye Rd was AZ 85, the current exit for AZ 85 from I-10 was "TO I-8".

In 1977, Van Buren in central Phoenix was signed as US 60, US 80, AZ 93, and (I think) Business I-10.

[briantroutman]

Is the picture below perhaps an example of signing for an incomplete Interstate? I saw this photo in a late '60s congressional record of testimony regarding collisions with signage, barriers, and other fixtures in the right of way, and this scene appears to be on the southbound lanes of I-465 at the interchange with I-74. Today, the control city is signed as Peoria. Was it signed here as the small city of Crawfordsville because that was as far as I-74 was completed at the time?

[RoadWarrior56]

I lived in Indianapolis off and on between the mid 70's and early 80's.  I-74 used Crawfordsville as a control city until around 1978, when it was switched to Peoria.  That was more than a decade after I-74 was completed through Indiana and through Illinois, for that matter.

[roadman65]

Until the segment of I-78 between Watchung and Springfield opened in 1986 the gap in I-78 was like this:


In New Jersey upon exiting Exit 14 of the NJ Turnpike, NJDOT (or NJTA) had a sign beyond the toll booths saying "I-78 West USE US 22" with a follow up on US 1 & 9 S Bound at the US 22 Exit. There were no I-78 trailblazers at all along US 22.  There was a WEST I-78 shield at Bonnie Burn Road in Scotch Plains without an arrow for the exit, but with truck restrictions as only trucks were allowed WB during certain hours between its segment end at present day Exit 41 in Watchung and I-287 in Bedminster.  Then the next shield was at the NB I-287 exit either ground mounted at first, and then on the current overheads that were installed there sometime in late 1980's. 

Going EB, being that I-78 only existed in 8 miles of the Newark Bay Extension and for several years from Springfield to the NJ Turnpike was not connected to the rest of that interstate west of Watchung, no signs at I-287 in Bedminster or at Exit 41 in Watchung had any other "TO I-78" shields present.   At I-287 the pull through for I-78 E Bound had this:  LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY- NO TRUCKS" and had a ground mount sign saying "TO Garden State Parkway and NJ Turnpike (both in shields) NEWARK- NEW YORK to use 287 South" to get people to both large cities.

On I-287 up until 1986, NJDOT did not sign EB I-78 from the freeway, but instead signed it as Mount Bethel and Local Traffic only.  No I-78 shields for EB were ever mentioned either.

The section of I-78 from Newark to Springfield was not signed WB at any of the ramps including from the Newark Airport and NJT.  Signs all said "TO NJ 24 WEST" with white on blue directions and lettering allowing the NJ 24 shield to eventually be swapped out at a later time for I-78 shields with the "TO" placecard to be removed.  Going EB I-78 was signed though, however most locals erroneously thought that I-78 there was Route 24 and even in traffic reports was referred to it as Route 24.


On another note, about I-95 where it replaced US 301, even south of Santee, SC where it runs along US 15, it still effected US 301 from Santee to Florida.  So during the building of I-95 in the Carolinas it was probably not needed to sign the missing gaps as most of that interstate did act as a new alignment of US 301.  The part from Santee to Walterboro in SC, might of being that US 301 and the planned I-95 corridor at the time were several miles apart, there might of been signs at Exit 97 and its long arterial ramp for I-95 south to use US 15.

South of Point South, SC the interstate actually took away traffic from two US routes there as the current US 17 from Hampton Roads, VA to there now use I-95 from SC Exit 33 into Florida as well as the former US 301 motorists from Callahan, FL to Santee, SC.

I-75 in Florida back in 1986, did have signs between the I-4 and I-275 junction on SB I-275 for I-75 south followed up at the US 301 south exit near the State Fairgrounds and on NB US 301 at the I-4 west ramp along with follow ups at I-275 North from I-4 West.  This was when the section of I-75 was incomplete between Wesley Chapel and Riverview.  The signs still stood at the I-4 & I-275 interchange long after and were finally removed when FDOT reconfigured the I-4 & I-275 interchange back in the early 2000's.

[Rothman]

Bringing up I-78 reminds me of before it was completed around Allentown and Easton and you had to take the US 22 bridge across the Delaware.  Traffic was absolutely miserable the couple of times I had to take that bridge in that era.

[roadman65]

Bringing up I-78 reminds me of before it was completed around Allentown and Easton and you had to take the US 22 bridge across the Delaware.  Traffic was absolutely miserable the couple of times I had to take that bridge in that era.

Yes I remember that.  However PennDOT did have TO I-78 shields with the mileage signs after each ramp.  NJDOT did not except at the NJ 57 exit going EB to inform you to stay right on US 22 EB.

Going back to traffic, yes it was a nightmare.

[roadman]

Is the picture below perhaps an example of signing for an incomplete Interstate? I saw this photo in a late ’60s congressional record of testimony regarding collisions with signage, barriers, and other fixtures in the right of way, and this scene appears to be on the southbound lanes of I-465 at the interchange with I-74. Today, the control city is signed as Peoria. Was it signed here as the small city of Crawfordsville because that was as far as I-74 was completed at the time?

At the time this sign was installed, there were no official 'control cities' to be used on Interstate signing.  Rather, destinations were chosen by the individual states.  While it's possible that Crawfordville represented the end of completed I-74 at the time, it doesn't necessarily mean that was the reason for using the destination.

[Kacie Jane]

The Ramps to Nowhere (not the other ones near the Arboretum on State Route 520) were finally opened in 1991 after the completion of a new floating bridge across Lake Washington (though, the old one sank and had to be rebuilt by 1993).

Thanks so much for this, I've been looking forever for a date for this, but for some reason I've never been able to find one.  (So that does put it two months after Wallace, Idaho....)

However, you're somewhat mistaken.  The original Lacey V. Murrow Bridge (eastbound lanes) opened in 1940, and the Homer M. Hadley Bridge (westbound and reversible lanes) opened in 1989.  Then the old Murrow Bridge sank in 1990 (while it was already closed for renovation) and didn't reopen until 1993.   The opening of the ramps to nowhere (which falls in between those last two openings) had nothing to do with a new bridge, and everything to do with the completion of the last mile of I-90 from I-5 to Rainier Avenue around Beacon Hill.

[thenetwork]

One more from the Cleveland area:

I-90 (late 70s) -- The final missing section of I-90 ran roughly between Westlake (Crocker - Bassett Road) and I-71,  The section of future I-90, between Elyria/SR-57/Ohio Turnpike and Westlake was (and still is) used by SR-2.   When the freeway was extended to West 117th St., the future I-90 was (and still is) signed as SR-2 until Detroit Road in Rocky River.  From Detroit Road to W. 117th there was no route designation -- the overhead BGS at the interchanges just said FRWY EAST or FRWY WEST on green patches over the I-90 shields.  Once the last section of the freeway was finished to I-71 did I-90 get signed on the freeway, multiplexed with SR-2 where applicable.

Signing I-90 around the missing links was interesting.  From the west, on the Ohio Turnpike, I-90 East was co-signed to Elyria, then there was a BGS past the old Exit 8 which said TO I-90 EAST/NEW YORK THRUWAY USE EXIT 12, which was listed as SR-8/TO I-90 and bypassed Cleveland altogether.  The turnpike most likely wanted to keep people on the Toll Road as long as possible, even if it meant some people had to backtrack many miles once they realized that they finally connected to I-90 beyond where they needed to go.

Guide signs were set up on the Turnpike advising people to use I-71 (Exit 10) to access Downtown Cleveland, Cleveland Hopkins Airport and SW Cleveland suburbs.  There were occasional TO I-90 trailblazers along SR-8 North to I-271.  From I-271 North to I-90 there were only occasional TO I-90 shields on overhead BGSs beside the I-271 NORTH shields. The overhead TO I-90 signs still exist, but are now mostly found on overhead signage for the I-271 EXPRESS lanes.

From the East I-90 was signed in both directions from I-271 to I-71 near downtown as that section was completed.  Once on I-71, the only appearance of TO I-90 shields was on occasional overhead BGSs until the Ohio Turnpike.  Once at the Ohio Turnpike, all BGSs were signed as I-80/I-90 WEST/TOLEDO, and all "TO" designations were omitted.  Once I-90 was completed, all I-90 shields were removed off of signs on I-71 as well as on the Turnpike east of Elyria.