Overpowered Interchanges

[Janko Dialnice]

Does anyone have a list of overpowered interchanges? By this, I mean directional interchanges with flyovers, etc., which lead to non-freeway arterials or surface streets, where a simple trumpet or diamond would be more appropriate.

I have two examples locally, that I pass by on a regular basis, but I am sure there are others.

Atlantic Avenue/Commerce Way off I-93 (Exit 37C) in Woburn, MA.
D. W. Highway/Hudson off F. E. Everett Turnpike (Exit 2) in Nashua, NH.

[cwm1276]

I 180
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=hennepin+il&ll=41.262517,-89.39352&spn=0.050324,0.074072&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hnear=Hennepin,+Putnam,+Illinois&gl=us&t=h&z=14

Most Interstate to interstate interchanges around here are less powerful.

[Brandon]

I 180
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=hennepin+il&ll=41.262517,-89.39352&spn=0.050324,0.074072&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hnear=Hennepin,+Putnam,+Illinois&gl=us&t=h&z=14

Most Interstate to interstate interchanges around here are less powerful.

Tell me about it.  Finding an overpowered interchange around Chicagoland is difficult, but not impossible.

I-80 at Center Street (Exit 131).  A 3-level stack leading to a residential street on one side (Meadow Avenue) and an arterial on the other (Center Street).

Cermak/Chinatown exit on I-55 (Exit 293A).  A half-Circle interchange that leads to the outbound Ryan to the south (makes sense) and to a signal on the north.  Was originally meant to connect to Wacker Drive.

Exit 65 on I-94.  Leads to Stony Island Avenue, but originally meant to be for a connection to Lake Shore Drive as I-494.  There's actually a ghost ramp in the interchange for I-494.

[1995hoo]

To make sure I understand the question, you're asking for examples of interchanges that are overbuilt and provide more capacity than is reasonably necessary?

The reason I ask is that the word "overpowered" would suggest to me an interchange that is massively underbuilt and collapsing under the weight of more traffic than it can bear. You know, similar to Ed Hochuli's famous call:

[US 41]

I 180
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=hennepin+il&ll=41.262517,-89.39352&spn=0.050324,0.074072&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hnear=Hennepin,+Putnam,+Illinois&gl=us&t=h&z=14

Most Interstate to interstate interchanges around here are less powerful.

Why was I-180 built in the first place? Was it supposed to connect to SR 6 in Peoria?

[pianocello]

http://www.kurumi.com/roads/3di/i180.html

It was originally built in the late 60s to serve a now-defunct steel mill in Hennepin. The proposal to connect to Ill Rte 6 came later, in the early 90s.

[mgk920]

I would think that most of the interchanges in this list are grossly 'overpowered' because they were planned to connect other freeways that were never built.  A big example that I can think of offhand is I-696/Mound Rd in Warren (suburban Detroit), MI.

There are many such examples in the northeastern USA.

Mike

[Brandon]

I 180
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=hennepin+il&ll=41.262517,-89.39352&spn=0.050324,0.074072&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hnear=Hennepin,+Putnam,+Illinois&gl=us&t=h&z=14

Most Interstate to interstate interchanges around here are less powerful.

Why was I-180 built in the first place? Was it supposed to connect to SR 6 in Peoria?

I-180 was built for the steel mill in Hennepin, a defense contractor.  Ideally, it should've had a branch to cross the river, but continued down to Peoria.  Ah, missed opportunities.

[1995hoo]

While it does connect two Interstates, the I-70/I-695 interchange near Baltimore probably qualifies for this thread for the reason mgk920 notes–it was designed with the understanding that I-70 was supposed to connect to I-95, but when that segment was deleted it wound up being far more than was ever needed:

http://goo.gl/maps/r5vp5

[Janko Dialnice]

To make sure I understand the question, you're asking for examples of interchanges that are overbuilt and provide more capacity than is reasonably necessary?

The reason I ask is that the word "overpowered" would suggest to me an interchange that is massively underbuilt and collapsing under the weight of more traffic than it can bear. You know, similar to Ed Hochuli's famous call:

Your first assumption was correct. I am talking about interchanges that are overbuilt and provide more capacity than is reasonably necessary.

Another example I can think of is I-189 in Burlington, VT. (Yes, I know it's listed as an Interstate in its own right, but from what I have seen from maps and photos, it is just a ramp complex.)

[froggie]

Another example I can think of is I-189 in Burlington, VT. (Yes, I know it's listed as an Interstate in its own right, but from what I have seen from maps and photos, it is just a ramp complex.)

I-189 gets a decent amount of traffic, though...just over 40K AADT per VTrans (2nd busiest road stretch in the state behind I-89 thru Burlington).  I would not consider it an "overpowered interchange".

One could make an argument that the I-91/I-93 interchange near St. Johnsbury, VT is "overpowered".  But given the topography, a semi-directional stack made more sense than a trumpet.

[TheStranger]

I-280 at Cesar Chavez Street (Army Street) in San Francisco has a long flyover ramp with a stub, the only portion of the Southern Crossing project to ever be built.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=37.747881,-122.391579&spn=0.014286,0.019097&t=h&z=16

I-805 at 43rd Street in San Diego has a semi-directional Y interchange for South 43rd Street; this was to have been the eastern terminus of the cancelled Route 252 connector with I-5 and Route 15:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Beta+St+%26+S+43rd+St,+San+Diego,+CA&hl=en&ll=32.688961,-117.099173&spn=0.014429,0.019097&sll=32.689214,-117.097843&sspn=0.014429,0.019097&hnear=S+43rd+St+%26+Beta+St,+San+Diego,+San+Diego+County,+California+92113&t=h&z=16

Route 14 at Via Princessa in Santa Clarita, which was at one point considered as a possible eastern terminus for a Route 126 extension:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Via+Princessa+%26+Sierra+Hwy,+Santa+Clarita,+CA&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=34.404325,-118.4624&spn=0.028291,0.038195&sll=34.403511,-118.452873&sspn=0.028291,0.038195&t=h&hnear=Sierra+Hwy+%26+V%C3%ADa+Princessa,+Santa+Clarita,+Los+Angeles+County,+California+91321&z=15

Directional Y interchange between De La Cruz Boulevard and Coleman Avenue near San Jose International Airport:
https://maps.google.com/?ll=37.357835,-121.94056&spn=0.006814,0.009549&t=h&z=17

---

Here's one that no longer exists, but was around in the early 90s: a directional Y from I-15 to former US 66 & 91/current Business I-15, West Main Street.  This was the original planned terminus of a Route 58 realignment away from old US 466, before a trumpet was constructed further south of town (presumably to avoid having to build a large overpass crossing the rail yard near the now-removed junction). 
http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=4.84062793038482E-05&lat=34.8884833765449&lon=-117.058225274087&year=T1993

[vdeane]

Perhaps this thing: http://goo.gl/maps/zt9Uc

There's these two in Albany: http://goo.gl/maps/bKzld

Given traffic counts, anything on this section of Parkway: http://goo.gl/maps/nJCas (NYSDOT even closes a section in winter to save on maintenance!)

[froggie]

There's these two in Albany: http://goo.gl/maps/bKzld

To be fair, and in light of earlier comments, both of these were built for freeways that were subsequently cancelled.

[hotdogPi]

Another in Massachusetts:

Exit 44 on I-95 to a rotary with US 1 and MA 129

[BrianP]

While it does connect two Interstates, the I-70/I-695 interchange near Baltimore probably qualifies for this thread for the reason mgk920 notes–it was designed with the understanding that I-70 was supposed to connect to I-95, but when that segment was deleted it wound up being far more than was ever needed:

http://goo.gl/maps/r5vp5

That interchange is also underpowered due to the truncation of I-70.  The movement from I-70 east to I-695 north really needs to be two lanes. The I-695 north to I-70 west movement might be that way as well.   But I've never used that.  They should build new flyover ramp for at least the former if not both of those movements.  That would be cool to have ghost ramps in a stack interchange.  Are there any like that? (new thread?)

[Dr Frankenstein]

A-25 / Souligny Ave., Montréal, QC - Was supposed to be part of the Ville-Marie Expy. and A-20.

Hwy. 158 / A-31, Joliette, QC - Was supposed to be A-50.

[PHLBOS]

D. W. Highway/Hudson off F. E. Everett Turnpike (Exit 2) in Nashua, NH.

It's worth noting that connector was originally (as far back as the 1950s) intended to be the southern leg of a bypass freeway that never came to be.  Until the EPA put the kibosh on it in 1993; the Circumferential Highway (as it was called) almost had a chance to be revived.

Another in Massachusetts:
Exit 44 on I-95 to a rotary with US 1 and MA 129

Trust me, if one took away that rotary (aka Goodwin's Circle) connection, the traffic along MA 129 between there & where it interchanges w/US 1 would be absolutely unbearable.

Now, had I-95 been built inside of 128 as originally planned; that connection to Goodwin's Circle may not have been needed.

I believe (& I could be wrong) that the OP is asking for examples that are absolute overkill.  Reposted below with Bold emphasis added.

Does anyone have a list of overpowered interchanges? By this, I mean directional interchanges with flyovers, etc., which lead to non-freeway arterials or surface streets, where a simple trumpet or diamond would be more appropriate.

I'm not sure how one would do a trumpet or diamond interchange from I-95 to Goodwin's Circle (most of the connector's movements are actually in the opposite direction (from the circle to I-95 & US 1)); that would be more overkill IMHO than what's already there.

It's worth noting that the current I-95 (MA 128)/US 1 dual-trumpet interchange with the Goodwin's Circle connector was built in 1962 and replaced a much smaller & compact interchange between MA 128 & US 1 that was likely getting strangled by traffic volume or had high accident rates at the ramp merges even then.

[roadman]

The I-93 Commerce Way interchange (originally proposed as Exit 37.5 - no kidding here) was designed as a flyover because of the anticpated traffic volumes going to and from the Anderson RTC facility, which includes an MBTA commuter rail station, a Massport Logan Express bus pick-up/drop-off point, and a MassDOT Park and Ride lot.  Plus, constructing it as a traditional diamond interchange, with the ramps going under I-93, would have been more difficult and costly from an enviromental standpoint.  Given these considerations, I don't consider the current interchange to be "overpowered".

[TheStranger]

  That would be cool to have ghost ramps in a stack interchange.  Are there any like that? (new thread?)

I-84 at Route 9, west of Hartford. (part of a planned I-291 that was never completed in that area)

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Hartford&hl=en&ll=41.72527,-72.771549&spn=0.025592,0.038195&sll=37.269174,-119.306607&sspn=13.95558,19.555664&t=h&hnear=Hartford,+Connecticut&z=15

[Henry]

Exit 65 on I-94.  Leads to Stony Island Avenue, but originally meant to be for a connection to Lake Shore Drive as I-494.  There's actually a ghost ramp in the interchange for I-494.

IIRC, that same interchange was later to serve I-694, as I-494 was transferred to the also-unbuilt Crosstown Expressway.

[Occidental Tourist]

  That would be cool to have ghost ramps in a stack interchange.  Are there any like that? (new thread?)

I-380's western terminus in San Bruno.

[Occidental Tourist]

Two California ones:

The north and south ends of the unbuilt 710 Freeway in Pasadena and El Sereno.

The western terminus of the Marina Freeway.

[Laura]

The interchange between I-795 and Owings Mills Blvd (MD 940) is definitely overpowered because it has all of these awesome ramps to a dead mall and an underused metro station. There are plans to focus growth in this area of Baltimore County (and to demolish the mall and build a "towne centre"), so it may be more useful in the future, but the original wave of development that this interchange was designed for failed to flourish 30 years ago.

https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d7209!2d-76.7903752!3d39.4105485

[TheStranger]

  That would be cool to have ghost ramps in a stack interchange.  Are there any like that? (new thread?)

I-380's western terminus in San Bruno.

That interchange was actually planned to be a half-cloverleaf/half-directional Y hybrid:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/4483612224/in/photostream/