Cancelled freeways

[TheHighwayMan3561]

A small sampling of MSP canned freeways:
-I-335
-Cedar Avenue north of present-day TH 62
-a southwest/western extension of TH 280 (extra bridges at I-94 reflecting this were removed in the 1980s)
-Ayd Mill Road in St. Paul (the "missing connection" between northbound I-35E and westbound I-94)
-TH 62 west of I-494 in Eden Prairie
-I believe there were plans for something along former TH 7 east of TH 100 to intersect I-94 roughly where the Lowry Hill Tunnel is in Minneapolis

And more. Some have observed capacity issues on existing freeways seem to exist because MDH/MnDOT was building them with the cancelled freeways in mind.

[mgk920]

A small sampling of MSP canned freeways:
-I-335
-Cedar Avenue north of present-day TH 62
-a southwest/western extension of TH 280 (extra bridges at I-94 reflecting this were removed in the 1980s)
-Ayd Mill Road in St. Paul (the "missing connection" between northbound I-35E and westbound I-94)
-TH 62 west of I-494 in Eden Prairie
-I believe there were plans for something along former TH 7 east of TH 100 to intersect I-94 roughly where the Lowry Hill Tunnel is in Minneapolis

And more. Some have observed capacity issues on existing freeways seem to exist because MDH/MnDOT was building them with the cancelled freeways in mind.

There was also a proposed MN 55 freeway to be an upgrade of Minnehaha Av between DT Minneapolis and MSP airport.

Mike

[Bruce]

A few of the absurd plans for the Pacific Northwest from decades past.

Seattle (1967):



Portland (1965):



Vancouver (1970):

[SEWIGuy]

FritzOwl, Sr. was in charge of the Pacific Northwest I see....

[Plutonic Panda]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

[Bruce]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

The forests that would be long gone due to added sprawl aided by suburban freeways?

Many of the proposals here (such as the RH Thomson in Seattle or Vancouver's downtown loop) would have displaced tens of thousands of people and created a much worse urban fabric all for very little benefit.

[sprjus4]

I think it is somewhat useful to distinguish between cities with "canceled freeways" which were essentially alternatives to freeways that were completed (especially as a result of building plans widely separated in time) versus cities with canceled freeways which did not have any meaningful alternatives built either.
The former is perhaps more indicative of say DFW while the latter is of course notorious in many places (such as DC for example).

I agree. One example that comes to mind for the former is I-70 in Baltimore. It is supplemented by I-695 and I-95 and provides an adequate route downtown.

[TheStranger]

I think it is somewhat useful to distinguish between cities with "canceled freeways" which were essentially alternatives to freeways that were completed (especially as a result of building plans widely separated in time) versus cities with canceled freeways which did not have any meaningful alternatives built either.
The former is perhaps more indicative of say DFW while the latter is of course notorious in many places (such as DC for example).

Since these two cities haven't been mentioned yet:

IIRC isn't Houston's only major cancellation basically SH 225 west of I-610?  Which is to some degree redundant to I-45 which was built.

For comparison, here is what San Francisco's cancellation list is:

partial:
Central Freeway/US 101 (between Turk Street and the unbuilt segment of I-480; segment from Market to Fell demolished ca. 2005 and replaced with Octavia Boulevard)
Junipero Serra Freeway/original I-280 alignment pre-1968 (the vast majority of the SF section, from Font Boulevard to Golden Gate Park/I-80)
Embarcadero Freeway/I-480 (between the Marina/Richardson split on US 101 and Broadway - eventually entire route would be demolished)
280 extension (originally 82 and 87) (segment from 3rd Street to I-80/I-480; portion between 5th and 3rd Street was demolished after 1998 and converted to local street)

Never built
Park Presidio Freeway (I-280 between Golden Gate Park and the Presidio)
Western Freeway (I-80 through the Panhandle from the Central Freeway west to Golden Gate Park, one of the most controversial proposals ever floated)
Hunters Point Freeway (now legislatively Route 230, originally planned as a Route 87 extension from San Jose)
Southern Crossing from Cesar Chavez (Army) east to Alameda and towards I-980
Angel Island bridge from the planned Central Freeway north end to Tiburon

Built out fully
San Francisco Skyway (I-80/originally US 40 and 50)
Bayshore (aka James Lick) Freeway (US 101/former Bypass US 101 from I-80 south - construction through Potrero Hill became the initial source of anti-highway rancor)
Southern Freeway (I-280/former US 101)
Route 1 (part of pre-1968 planned I-280) and US 101 (legislatively part of pre-1991 480) in the Presidio, both dating back to the late 1930s with 101 rebuilt as Presidio Parkway ca. 2015

[Plutonic Panda]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

The forests that would be long gone due to added sprawl aided by suburban freeways?

Many of the proposals here (such as the RH Thomson in Seattle or Vancouver's downtown loop) would have displaced tens of thousands of people and created a much worse urban fabric all for very little benefit.

Oh for crying out loud the forest would not "be gone."

[3467]

I did a review of the status of the Illinois Supplemental Freeway system in Downstate notes in Great Lakes. A significant portion was built.
Chicago less so . But it depends  what MPO plan to base it on.
Iowa Missouri Pennsylvania and Ohio has post Interstate rural freeway and expressway plans too.

[Revive 755]

There was never a stub at I-70/McKinley Bridge though there is a fair amount of empty land that was leveled when the plan was active.

There wasn't a stub at the McKinley Bridge intersection, but there was an underpass with a street resembling a future ramp between Dock Street and Buchanan Street that visible in the older imagery in Google Earth.

As for other cancellations in the St. Louis area:

• The southern half of I-170.
• A corridor roughly along Page Avenue that would have gone to at least MO 755 originally, but seems to have been later cut back to I-170.  IIRC MoDOT may finish the portion between I-270 and US 67 with adequate funding.
• An upgrade of IL 3 south of the PSB Complex that would have ultimately connected to I-57 at Marion.
• A connector from the PSB Complex to IL 15 near the IL 163 intersection (this one has stubs)
• US 50 running eastward from the cloverleaf with I-64 and IL 158.
• The Outerbelt/later Gateway Connector on the Illinois side running from the southern I-255/IL 3 interchange to the I-55/I-70/US 40 interchange at Troy
• Some of the earlier planning had a corridor between the North County area and I-70 in St. Louis City
• Possibly an upgraded MO 21 between Hillsboro and DeSoto
• The US 67 corridor in Illinois north of Godfrey[/url]
  
  • One of the planning documents for East St. Louis probably still linked elsewhere on the forum had a connector between I-64 and the IL 15 corridor west of I-255.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Does Las Vegas set the record for the largest city without any cancelled freeways?

To answer the original question, No.
That honor goes to Columbus, Ohio

[HighwayStar]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

Given how bad traffic has gotten there these were far from absurd, and had they been built it might actually be possible to get somewhere in a reasonable time frame.

[Plutonic Panda]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

Given how bad traffic has gotten there these were far from absurd, and had they been built it might actually be possible to get somewhere in a reasonable time frame.

That's exactly right. Same thing for LA. Would it have eliminated traffic congestion? Likely not. But it would've helped.

[Mileage Mike]

No. That would be Charlotte, NC.

If I recall NC never had any freeway revolts.

[Bruce]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

Given how bad traffic has gotten there these were far from absurd, and had they been built it might actually be possible to get somewhere in a reasonable time frame.

Even in the worst normal jams, it doesn't take that long to get around Seattle. Maybe if you stubbornly stick to a car, but the city has options. I can switch modes depending on the situation; an alternate version of Seattle where all these freeways were built would not have nearly the same mode diversity.

[HighwayStar]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

Given how bad traffic has gotten there these were far from absurd, and had they been built it might actually be possible to get somewhere in a reasonable time frame.

Even in the worst normal jams, it doesn't take that long to get around Seattle. Maybe if you stubbornly stick to a car, but the city has options. I can switch modes depending on the situation; an alternate version of Seattle where all these freeways were built would not have nearly the same mode diversity.

Being able to just get where I want to go without delay in my vehicle is superior to, and eliminates the value of, "mode diversity."
Being forced to get out of the car to get somewhere means the road network is a failure.
For as many people live in the region it takes too long to get places, and it has gotten steadily worse over time.

[Plutonic Panda]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

Given how bad traffic has gotten there these were far from absurd, and had they been built it might actually be possible to get somewhere in a reasonable time frame.

Even in the worst normal jams, it doesn't take that long to get around Seattle. Maybe if you stubbornly stick to a car, but the city has options. I can switch modes depending on the situation; an alternate version of Seattle where all these freeways were built would not have nearly the same mode diversity.

Good for you. I want the ease and comfort of my car.

[Some one]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

Given how bad traffic has gotten there these were far from absurd, and had they been built it might actually be possible to get somewhere in a reasonable time frame.

Even in the worst normal jams, it doesn't take that long to get around Seattle. Maybe if you stubbornly stick to a car, but the city has options. I can switch modes depending on the situation; an alternate version of Seattle where all these freeways were built would not have nearly the same mode diversity.

Good for you. I want the ease and comfort of my car.

Now apply that same(ish?) reasoning to the people who want to walk and take public transit around town.

[Plutonic Panda]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

Given how bad traffic has gotten there these were far from absurd, and had they been built it might actually be possible to get somewhere in a reasonable time frame.

Even in the worst normal jams, it doesn't take that long to get around Seattle. Maybe if you stubbornly stick to a car, but the city has options. I can switch modes depending on the situation; an alternate version of Seattle where all these freeways were built would not have nearly the same mode diversity.

Good for you. I want the ease and comfort of my car.

Now apply that same(ish?) reasoning to the people who want to walk and take public transit around town.

They can still do that. I do that over and under freeways on a near daily basis while taking the red line as well.

[hotdogPi]

That's not absurd at all. That would've been fucking awesome to drive. Not so much for walkers but so what. Just drive out into the forests outside of the city.

Given how bad traffic has gotten there these were far from absurd, and had they been built it might actually be possible to get somewhere in a reasonable time frame.

Even in the worst normal jams, it doesn't take that long to get around Seattle. Maybe if you stubbornly stick to a car, but the city has options. I can switch modes depending on the situation; an alternate version of Seattle where all these freeways were built would not have nearly the same mode diversity.

I'm not seeing any commuter rail in Seattle, unless somehow Apple Maps isn't showing it.

(That said, I just checked how to get to Valve's headquarters from Seattle, Renton, Everett, and the SeaTac airport, and the buses all seemed pretty direct, which looks like a success.)

Also, what about those passing through on I-5? Seattle's transit system won't help with that.

[Rothman]

My brother works for Microsoft in Redmond.  He carpools, but public transportation suburb-to-suburb is limited along the I-405 corridor.

[froggie]

A small sampling of MSP canned freeways:
-I-335
-Cedar Avenue north of present-day TH 62
-a southwest/western extension of TH 280 (extra bridges at I-94 reflecting this were removed in the 1980s)
-Ayd Mill Road in St. Paul (the "missing connection" between northbound I-35E and westbound I-94)
-TH 62 west of I-494 in Eden Prairie
-I believe there were plans for something along former TH 7 east of TH 100 to intersect I-94 roughly where the Lowry Hill Tunnel is in Minneapolis

And more. Some have observed capacity issues on existing freeways seem to exist because MDH/MnDOT was building them with the cancelled freeways in mind.

There was also a proposed MN 55 freeway to be an upgrade of Minnehaha Av between DT Minneapolis and MSP airport.

Mike

I can chalk up my own knowledge of the Twin Cities area into 3 maps:

• Minneapolis.  A map I created showing everything I'm aware of that was proposed within the Minneapolis city limits, with the notable exception of what eventually became I-94 as it was proposed in 1946 (generally following "P", Washington Ave through downtown, and "L" east of Hiawatha Ave/MN 55).
• 1963 freeway planning map of St. Paul.  Includes (amongst others and those already mentioned), MN 5 west of I-35E, Warner Rd, Snelling Ave north of Ayd Mill and I-94, and a US 61 connection just north of Larpentur Ave.
• 1964 Interim Thoroughfare Plan.  From the JOINT Program (a precursor to the Metropolitan Council).

[cwf1701]

here is a map of some of the proposed freeways in Detroit in the 1950s https://detroitography.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/detroit-planned-highways.jpg?w=637&h=457 . Among the canceled freeways was the Mound, Grand River, , Vernor, and Conner freeways (these freeways would be built near the roads named). To add, there is the canceled northern part of I-275 in Oakland County.

[mgk920]

A small sampling of MSP canned freeways:
-I-335
-Cedar Avenue north of present-day TH 62
-a southwest/western extension of TH 280 (extra bridges at I-94 reflecting this were removed in the 1980s)
-Ayd Mill Road in St. Paul (the "missing connection" between northbound I-35E and westbound I-94)
-TH 62 west of I-494 in Eden Prairie
-I believe there were plans for something along former TH 7 east of TH 100 to intersect I-94 roughly where the Lowry Hill Tunnel is in Minneapolis

And more. Some have observed capacity issues on existing freeways seem to exist because MDH/MnDOT was building them with the cancelled freeways in mind.

There was also a proposed MN 55 freeway to be an upgrade of Minnehaha Av between DT Minneapolis and MSP airport.

Mike

I can chalk up my own knowledge of the Twin Cities area into 3 maps:

• Minneapolis.  A map I created showing everything I'm aware of that was proposed within the Minneapolis city limits, with the notable exception of what eventually became I-94 as it was proposed in 1946 (generally following "P", Washington Ave through downtown, and "L" east of Hiawatha Ave/MN 55).
• 1963 freeway planning map of St. Paul.  Includes (amongst others and those already mentioned), MN 5 west of I-35E, Warner Rd, Snelling Ave north of Ayd Mill and I-94, and a US 61 connection just north of Larpentur Ave.
• 1964 Interim Thoroughfare Plan.  From the JOINT Program (a precursor to the Metropolitan Council).

Why did I say 'Minehaha Av' when I meant 'Hiawatha Av' (MN 55)?





Mike