How are they in your area? Specifically I want to know about how you actually get onto the airport property.
In DC we have a bit of contrast. All routine traffic to IAD must use the Dulles Access Road, even if just going from VA-28 to the airport grounds. There is a "back door" entrance via Old Ox Rd, but that is for authorized personnel only.
National Airport (DCA) has off-ramps from the GW Parkway (highway access) and a local road access from Crystal City (apt named "Airport Access Road). The airport is within walking distance from the Crystal City neigborhood via Airport Access Road and the Mt Vernon Trail (which parallels the GW Parkway).
BWI has direct highway access, as well as local road access (used in part to get to satellite parking lots), but is not in as much of an urbanized area as DCA is.
Probably the most accessible airport I have used to local city roads was Taiwan's Songshan airport, which has no direct freeway access and is entirely access via local roads (https://www.google.com/maps/@25.0651145,121.5504682,1381m/data=!3m1!1e3)
In my area, Bradley (Hartford) and TF Green (Providence) both have direct access from the main interstate via highway. In the case of Bradley, the most common way is to take I-91 to CT 20 to the end of the connector (CT 20 exits from the highway about 3/4 of a mile before. You're then dumped onto Schoepolster Rd (SSR 401), and must use a jughandle if you want to access the main road through the airport, which is split into two levels with the upper level for departures and lower level for arrivals. Alternatively, one could access the airport from the other direction on Schoepolster Rd. from CT 75. In the case of TF Green, the main entrance is from the connector from I-95, which ends right at the main entrance and dumps you right into the same setup as Bradley. There is also alternate access from Post Rd (US 1).
I think that direct freeway access does the least for spinoff businesses (hotels, restaurants) and that for a rural/exurban setting, you can maybe survive with some sort of "airport boulevard" which leads from a freeway to the airport (Jacksonville comes to mind).
For urban airports like DCA, a direct local road network connection is key.
Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby have no direct freeway access. After all, they were built 100 and 90 years ago, respectively. Love Field seems like it takes forever just to get to one of the I-35s. La Guardia appears to be missing access, but it's conveniently close to Grand Central Parkway so it doesn't matter. I don't remember Oakland having direct freeway access, but that was 10 years ago; I recall a lot of stair-stepping to get back to OAK. Midway is also connection-free due to its age. LAX isn't so stellar, unless you're coming off Sepulveda. San Diego has zero direct access to I-5.
The more "modern" airports have the elegant dedicated highway/roadway systems attached to them. So Kansas City, Denver, Detroit, Greensboro, and (yes, my very own) Huntsville are a bit overbuilt for their size. Denver's is a special "Walt Disney World" sort of seclusion from the rest of humanity (Peña Boulevard).
Austin is just about right, but the connection to SH 71 is terrible...they can build toll flyovers for the surrounding areas, but a bunch of underpass traffic lights for one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation? Come on. Milwaukee, O'Hare, Sea-Tac, Pittsburgh get it right. Some, like Atlanta and Newark are a bewildering bunch.
Admittedly, the longer ones lend themselves to a certain type of last-minute rental-car hoonage. The giant 180-degree 4-lane banked loop approaching Fort Lauderdale could have it's own spot on the NASCAR calendar, for example. JFK is another with a tremendous set-up, although I'd imagine it could get backed up in the nation's largest city. Palm Beach has a pretty good one, though you feel like you're going in circles to get to the rental car center (it seems to have been tacked on).
Baltimore-Washington International Airport has the Aviation Loop around it, formed from parts of Maryland routes 162, 170 and 176. Interstate 195 also leads directly onto BWI's property.
Stewart Airport in NY has the strangest and worst access, despite various improvements made over the years.
Airport access roads, in some cases, are the highlights of an area's freeway system. I'm talking stuff like San Francisco, Miami, and especially Newark (probably the classic example). It seems like freeway access isn't necessary nor sufficient to prevent traffic backups, and in major cities the lack of freeway access is usually seen in secondary airports (Dallas/Houston/etc.). The roads, while nice, seem sorta overrated; it's in many cases a lot easier getting into the central city via the secondary airport (LaGuardia comes to mind). But that's probably because the lion's share is shuttled to the major airport. Still very nice though.
Lets see...ORD is serviced by the West End of the Kennedy Expressway, numbered I-190 at this point. I-190 is easily accessible from the Kennedy/I-90 from Downtown, the Jane Addams Tollway/I-90 from the Northwest suburbs, and I-294/Tri-State Tollway from the North, West, and South Suburbs.
And with the EOE/now EOT/IL 390 being built actually to the ORD Western edge, and the O'Hare Western Bypass road/future IL? Interstate? 490 to be built as well, should the Western Access Terminal ever be built, it will have good freeway connections as well
Basically, once the new IL/I-490 is built, ORD will be bound by Tollroads on all sides -- Jane Addams on the North, Tri State on the East and Southeast, and future 490 on the West and Southwest
MDW, I-55 gets you decently close, but IL 50/Cicero Ave must be used to reach the actual airport. The canceled Crosstown Expressway/I-494 would have ran pretty close to MDW, but it was canceled. MDW is similar to HOU and DAL in being the older airports that predates the interstate/expressway system
Quote from: formulanone on August 07, 2017, 08:22:21 PM
LAX isn't so stellar, unless you're coming off Sepulveda.
It should be noted that references to LAX as a control on I-105 (mainly from the I-405 interchange), which would send you to Sepulveda, were replaced by El Segundo, and traffic on I-405 was reinforced to use Century Blvd. to get to LAX. I can only imagine that this was driven by business interests along Century; there's no time savings using either route.
San Jose's (SJC) access is great from CA-87 (it's 500 feet from the exit ramp to the main airport road) and decent from I-880 (along Coleman Avenue - and they recently reconfigured the onramps from Coleman to I-880 south to avoid any signals). Side note: the thing that makes SJC such a convenient airport (three miles from downtown) is also the what keeps San Jose's skyline stunted (downtown is directly under the approach path, so no buildings can exceed about 275 feet in height).
Buffalo Airport is served by NY-33, which dumps traffic from the expressway terminus onto the property at an intersection with Genesee St.
From what I understand they are planning to build an access bridge over Genesee St to allow for a seamless connection.
Mineta International (SJO/San Jose) is laid out as a long, thin facility flanked by a freeway (CA 87) on the east, one across the narrow south end (I-880), and a major street combination (Coleman Ave. and De La Cruz Blvd.) on the west; US 101 lies just north of the runway end, crossing at an angle. Access to the main airport is reached from CA 87 in a simple manner: get off the freeway, turn right (SB) or left (NB), and you're on the elongated oval access road through the terminal (parking structures in the middle of the oval). Additional access is from Brokaw Road, which is the access point to an from SB 101; it's a "spur" off the north end of the terminal oval. Access to I-880 SB was recently enhanced; originally a 2-lane road ran around the east and south side of the airport property south of the oval, terminating at Coleman Ave.; one used the I-880 interchange there to get to the freeway. About 2 years ago a "flyunder" box-tunnel was built from this road -- as it passed under the south runway approach -- to SB I-880; ironically, it's underutilized and sees mostly airport-shuttle traffic (although designed for general purpose access). Overall, it's one of the better laid out terminal access systems out there -- although there are a couple of blind merges to and from the international terminal.
SLC airport is serviced by a direct freeway interchange to I-80, Bangerter Highway, and North Temple. Basically, Bangerter becomes the airport access roads north of 80, so the 80-Bangerter system interchange is also the airport interchange.
When you leave the airport, you are presented with 3 options. One is for 80 west, one is for 154 south, and one is for 80 east to 215 and 15. That last ramp also offers a direct exit to North Temple (old US-40 into town) before it merges onto I-80.
There is also a dedicated ramp to the airport (really more of a C/D to I-80) from I-215, which is what North Temple merges into.
The funny thing is that the airport hotels are not on North Temple, they are one exit west on I-80, on Wright Brothers Dr.
It's one of the best airport access setups I've seen, IMO. (The ridiculously low speed limits and enforcement of those limits on airport property, though...)
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on August 07, 2017, 08:14:54 PM
I think that direct freeway access does the least for spinoff businesses (hotels, restaurants) and that for a rural/exurban setting, you can maybe survive with some sort of "airport boulevard" which leads from a freeway to the airport (Jacksonville comes to mind).
In BDL's case, there is a decent blend of the "direct freeway access" and "airport boulevard" phenomenon.
The Bradley Connector provides the direct freeway access, while there is a decent commercial strip (restaurants, hotels, parking facilities, gas stations) on CT 75, providing access to "the back way in" / supported by airport area workers and traffic to/from the rental car and parking facilities.
CT 20 also helps support traffic flow to/from the light industrial / distribution center district to the west of BDL...although there's still an annoying level of truck traffic on the residential arterial just to the south of the connector (i.e., my street).
Halifax YHZ......and that's YH Zed not Zee!
......About 37 km north of the city on the NS102 Freeway and accessed by Bell Boulevard which loops through the terminal area then back out to the 102.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ivnlfGIgBIg/UAHq9JkH2qI/AAAAAAAAIxY/bTwdI7vjxw4/s800/IMG_0762.JPG)
https://goo.gl/maps/kS2hQE1u1sG2
https://goo.gl/maps/9H3odxmGanT2
The US flag below indicates the "Pre-Clearance" departures area for flights going direct to the US. Passengers go through US CBP (Customs and Immigration) in Halifax before boarding and just arrive as a domestic flight in the States.....no further formalities.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0eroCdp6q6A/UAHr1YV69LI/AAAAAAAAIxo/6ZGkmQQ4EkM/s800/IMG_0781.JPG)
Note the bi-lingual signs on airport property but once back on the provincial highway.....English only.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kXw52CIlfqY/UAHrzG_4dwI/AAAAAAAAIxg/oeJ7hnEqlxc/s800/IMG_0775.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_9zFIzGW540/UAHr9m6p2yI/AAAAAAAAIx0/-Tbhmr34RW0/s800/IMG_0787.JPG)
PHL is directly served by I-95 without any traffic lights.
Taking 95 South, there's a single lane exit off of 95 (I would prefer that this be a 2 lane exit, which is easily doable), and you do have a to merge over again on the ramp to get to the ramps for the arrival and departure roadways.
Going North, you can take Exit 12 which loops you back south into the ramps from 95 South. You can also easily take Exit 10 (PA 291, Cargo City) which takes you thru a single intersection, but otherwise is actually 1 1/4 miles shorter and provides access to the entire airport.
You can reach the airport in full via Rt. 291 as well without needing to travel 95.
Leaving the airport, they have some less-friendly driving conditions (especially going towards 95 North), with non-existent merges or very short merge zones. The pavement is there to stripe for longer accel lanes; I don't know why they chose a more hazardous approach to this.
Recirculation within the airport is actually very easy also, especially as they re-routed PA 291 away from the airport. They use the former 291 South to get you back to the arrival/departure terminals. Former 291 North, where the pavement still exists, is used in a Southbound direction for both the Cell Phone waiting lot and the Uber/Lyft dispatch lot.
Quote from: ilpt4u on August 07, 2017, 11:42:58 PM
Lets see...ORD is serviced by the West End of the Kennedy Expressway, numbered I-190 at this point. I-190 is easily accessible from the Kennedy/I-90 from Downtown, the Jane Addams Tollway/I-90 from the Northwest suburbs, and I-294/Tri-State Tollway from the North, West, and South Suburbs.
And with the EOE/now EOT/IL 390 being built actually to the ORD Western edge, and the O'Hare Western Bypass road/future IL? Interstate? 490 to be built as well, should the Western Access Terminal ever be built, it will have good freeway connections as well
Basically, once the new IL/I-490 is built, ORD will be bound by Tollroads on all sides -- Jane Addams on the North, Tri State on the East and Southeast, and future 490 on the West and Southwest
MDW, I-55 gets you decently close, but IL 50/Cicero Ave must be used to reach the actual airport. The canceled Crosstown Expressway/I-494 would have ran pretty close to MDW, but it was canceled. MDW is similar to HOU and DAL in being the older airports that predates the interstate/expressway system
ORD is rather easy to get to, and I-190 (basically a stub of the Kennedy Expressway) goes directly to the terminals. However, there is only one controlled access route that is toll-free to/from ORD, and that's the Kennedy Expressway (I-90). You can also get to ORD using Mannheim Road (US-12/45) to its interchange with I-190. At this point, who knows if the western access will ever be completed. https://goo.gl/maps/YN2WBZzXjHM2
As for MDW, there are exit ramps from Cicero Avenue (IL-50), and a traffic signal controlling the movement exiting from the airport for the terminal itself. Long term parking is a short distance away along 55th Street (other than the garage adjacent to the terminal). https://goo.gl/maps/yEdwAZAMxaP2
Both also are accessible via the L. Blue Line for ORD and Orange Line for MDW.
Quote from: formulanone on August 07, 2017, 08:22:21 PM
Some, like Atlanta and Newark are a bewildering bunch.
I haven't actually driven to ATL in several years (I see little point in spending $12/day or whatever to park when a round trip on MARTA costs me all of $4.25), but yeah, I'd say that's accurate.
There's direct-ish access to the domestic terminal from I-85 southbound (exit 72, also serving Camp Creek Pkwy/poorly-signed GA 6) and northbound (exit 71, also serving GA 139/Riverdale Rd). There's no direct freeway access to the international terminal, though; the closest you can get is via I-75's exit 239. I-85 southbound exit 74 will get you to the loop road, a surface route that you'll have to take for 2+ miles around the outside of the airport to get to the international terminal. Northbound, that requires exit 73A (Virginia Ave) followed by a couple of extra turns to reach the loop road.
I-285 drivers probably have the most complicated (and greatest variety of) ways in, though. From the outer loop, the signed route to the domestic terminal is via exit 61 onto I-85 northbound, from which you would then take the aforementioned Riverdale Rd exit; you could alternatively take exit 62 toward GA 279/Old National Hwy and into the labyrinth of C/D roads into which the I-85 northbound access ultimately feeds. Or if you really want, you can proceed to Riverdale Rd at exit 60, but that would be the long way in. From the inner loop, exit 61 into the C/D roads for I-85 northbound is your freeway-based route, with Riverdale Rd as an alternate ground-based option. International-terminal-bound drivers on the outer loop have exit 59 to the surface airport loop road, about 1.5 miles from the final terminal access point. Those on the inner loop will use exit 58, from which they have three options: the shortest overall distance on US 19/41 north to C.W. Grant Pkwy, which feeds directly into the international terminal; I-75 north to exit 239, which has the advantage of being a right turn onto C.W. Grant instead of a left; or you could continue directly to the loop road, which requires an extra left turn and quite a bit of backtracking.
And that's all just for getting into the airport, never mind getting out.
Quote from: Brandon on August 08, 2017, 10:14:33 AM
Quote from: ilpt4u on August 07, 2017, 11:42:58 PM
Lets see...ORD is serviced by the West End of the Kennedy Expressway, numbered I-190 at this point. I-190 is easily accessible from the Kennedy/I-90 from Downtown, the Jane Addams Tollway/I-90 from the Northwest suburbs, and I-294/Tri-State Tollway from the North, West, and South Suburbs.
And with the EOE/now EOT/IL 390 being built actually to the ORD Western edge, and the O'Hare Western Bypass road/future IL? Interstate? 490 to be built as well, should the Western Access Terminal ever be built, it will have good freeway connections as well
Basically, once the new IL/I-490 is built, ORD will be bound by Tollroads on all sides -- Jane Addams on the North, Tri State on the East and Southeast, and future 490 on the West and Southwest
MDW, I-55 gets you decently close, but IL 50/Cicero Ave must be used to reach the actual airport. The canceled Crosstown Expressway/I-494 would have ran pretty close to MDW, but it was canceled. MDW is similar to HOU and DAL in being the older airports that predates the interstate/expressway system
ORD is rather easy to get to, and I-190 (basically a stub of the Kennedy Expressway) goes directly to the terminals. However, there is only one controlled access route that is toll-free to/from ORD, and that's the Kennedy Expressway (I-90). You can also get to ORD using Mannheim Road (US-12/45) to its interchange with I-190. At this point, who knows if the western access will ever be completed. https://goo.gl/maps/YN2WBZzXjHM2
As for MDW, there are exit ramps from Cicero Avenue (IL-50), and a traffic signal controlling the movement exiting from the airport for the terminal itself. Long term parking is a short distance away along 55th Street (other than the garage adjacent to the terminal). https://goo.gl/maps/yEdwAZAMxaP2
Both also are accessible via the L. Blue Line for ORD and Orange Line for MDW.
I always thought at the very least they should make Cicero a full freeway from I-55 to MDW. Too many businesses along the route for that to be feasible, however.
Quote from: inkyatari on August 08, 2017, 10:39:19 AM
Quote from: Brandon on August 08, 2017, 10:14:33 AM
Quote from: ilpt4u on August 07, 2017, 11:42:58 PM
Lets see...ORD is serviced by the West End of the Kennedy Expressway, numbered I-190 at this point. I-190 is easily accessible from the Kennedy/I-90 from Downtown, the Jane Addams Tollway/I-90 from the Northwest suburbs, and I-294/Tri-State Tollway from the North, West, and South Suburbs.
And with the EOE/now EOT/IL 390 being built actually to the ORD Western edge, and the O'Hare Western Bypass road/future IL? Interstate? 490 to be built as well, should the Western Access Terminal ever be built, it will have good freeway connections as well
Basically, once the new IL/I-490 is built, ORD will be bound by Tollroads on all sides -- Jane Addams on the North, Tri State on the East and Southeast, and future 490 on the West and Southwest
MDW, I-55 gets you decently close, but IL 50/Cicero Ave must be used to reach the actual airport. The canceled Crosstown Expressway/I-494 would have ran pretty close to MDW, but it was canceled. MDW is similar to HOU and DAL in being the older airports that predates the interstate/expressway system
ORD is rather easy to get to, and I-190 (basically a stub of the Kennedy Expressway) goes directly to the terminals. However, there is only one controlled access route that is toll-free to/from ORD, and that's the Kennedy Expressway (I-90). You can also get to ORD using Mannheim Road (US-12/45) to its interchange with I-190. At this point, who knows if the western access will ever be completed. https://goo.gl/maps/YN2WBZzXjHM2
As for MDW, there are exit ramps from Cicero Avenue (IL-50), and a traffic signal controlling the movement exiting from the airport for the terminal itself. Long term parking is a short distance away along 55th Street (other than the garage adjacent to the terminal). https://goo.gl/maps/yEdwAZAMxaP2
Both also are accessible via the L. Blue Line for ORD and Orange Line for MDW.
I always thought at the very least they should make Cicero a full freeway from I-55 to MDW. Too many businesses along the route for that to be feasible, however.
Plus, it would deprive Chicago of red light camera revenue. There's at least three along that stretch (including at I-55).
CLE/Cleveland Hopkins Airport is served by SR-237, a limited access freeway. The only "true" interstate connections to/from the airport is I-71 north of the airport and I-480 east of the airport. Access to the south and west is via a series of surface streets.
A "pipe dream", now that a lot of the old neighboring Ford Motor Facility in Brook Park has been taken down, would be to make a direct freeway or access road connection to I-71 connecting the current airport roadways to I-71 and create a new interchange incorporating the new road with the current Snow Road/Engle Road interchanges. That would give all interstate traffic on I-71 and I-480 direct freeway connections to the airport without the use of surface streets.
Unfortunately, with all of the downsizing and closing of their newest terminal in the last several years, CLE will probably rely on SR-237 to get people in and out of there for the next several decades without even considering a new "main entrance/gateway" to the airport.
Quote from: ilpt4u on August 07, 2017, 11:42:58 PM
Lets see...ORD is serviced by the West End of the Kennedy Expressway, numbered I-190 at this point. I-190 is easily accessible from the Kennedy/I-90 from Downtown, the Jane Addams Tollway/I-90 from the Northwest suburbs, and I-294/Tri-State Tollway from the North, West, and South Suburbs.
And with the EOE/now EOT/IL 390 being built actually to the ORD Western edge, and the O'Hare Western Bypass road/future IL? Interstate? 490 to be built as well, should the Western Access Terminal ever be built, it will have good freeway connections as well
Basically, once the new IL/I-490 is built, ORD will be bound by Tollroads on all sides -- Jane Addams on the North, Tri State on the East and Southeast, and future 490 on the West and Southwest
MDW, I-55 gets you decently close, but IL 50/Cicero Ave must be used to reach the actual airport. The canceled Crosstown Expressway/I-494 would have ran pretty close to MDW, but it was canceled. MDW is similar to HOU and DAL in being the older airports that predates the interstate/expressway system
Will the western terminal be linked the to toll roads (seen in some plans) or just york rd to a small parking / waiting area (seen in other plans)?
and it may be dead http://www.chicagonow.com/dennis-byrnes-barbershop/2017/02/in-a-betrayal-of-chicago-promise-to-suburbs-western-terminal-disappears-from-ohare-expansion-plans/
Quote from: Rothman on August 07, 2017, 10:43:33 PM
Stewart Airport in NY has the strangest and worst access, despite various improvements made over the years.
But it does have the cleverly numbered NY 747.
MSP has two terminals accessed by road at different locations.
Lindbergh (Terminal 1): Access is off the MN 5 freeway a mile NE of I-494 and a mile SW of MN 55. The freeway is never congested. The EB exit to the airport is a two-lane ramp. Airport re-access is a flyover loop ramp.
Humphrey (Terminal 2): The smaller one. Access is by surface road 34th Ave. Getting in and out of Humphrey is a breeze.
Quote from: Joe The Dragon on August 08, 2017, 12:02:06 PM
Will the western terminal be linked the to toll roads (seen in some plans) or just york rd to a small parking / waiting area (seen in other plans)?
and it may be dead http://www.chicagonow.com/dennis-byrnes-barbershop/2017/02/in-a-betrayal-of-chicago-promise-to-suburbs-western-terminal-disappears-from-ohare-expansion-plans/
The Western Access Terminal may never happen, but if it does, the future 390/490 junction is supposed to be engineered in a way that allows 390 to continue as a through road to be the Western Access Road to ORD
Boston's Logan Airport (BOS) is very near the eastern terminus of I-90. Other access is via MA Route 1A.
T.F. Green Airport is actually south of Providence, mostly in the city of Warwick. The access road from I-95 is RI Route 37.
I've sometimes seen Bradley (BDL) in Windsor Locks, CT get labeled as Hartford/Springfield. As mentioned earlier, it's Exit 40 from I-91 on the Windsor/Windsor Locks town line. When I was taking flights 7 years ago, the Bradley Flyer city bus from CT Transit went up some of I-91. However, it would take (the combined) Exit 39/41 to Kennedy Road, then eventually get to CT Route 75 and Shoephester Road.
The Portland Jetport (PWM) is reached from Exit 46 of I-95/Maine Turnpike. I want to say it's Jetport Boulevard? I do know that ME Route 9 goes around the west side of the airport, just north of the Maine Mall area.
Quote from: ilpt4u on August 08, 2017, 08:06:53 PM
Quote from: Joe The Dragon on August 08, 2017, 12:02:06 PM
Will the western terminal be linked the to toll roads (seen in some plans) or just york rd to a small parking / waiting area (seen in other plans)?
and it may be dead http://www.chicagonow.com/dennis-byrnes-barbershop/2017/02/in-a-betrayal-of-chicago-promise-to-suburbs-western-terminal-disappears-from-ohare-expansion-plans/
The Western Access Terminal may never happen, but if it does, the future 390/490 junction is supposed to be engineered in a way that allows 390 to continue as a through road to be the Western Access Road to ORD
the tollway web site still has Constructing a new ramp providing western access into O'Hare via York Road listed but will that be done if it is dead?
Is this finale to add the ramps later one some may be very loopy And Is the I-294 part up to date? only show 4 lanes each after the I-490 ramps come off without much room to add lanes later one. I-490 may lessen the need for widening that part giveing them time to run down the leases on the o'hare oasis. May have to wait for the finale tri state planes to come out.
https://www.illinoistollway.com/documents/20184/239152/4_EOWA_ConceptPlan_WesternAccess_I-294/66b561cc-8d23-43cd-8756-80d3334d646d?version=1.0
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on August 07, 2017, 07:41:45 PM
In DC we have a bit of contrast. All routine traffic to IAD must use the Dulles Access Road, even if just going from VA-28 to the airport grounds. There is a "back door" entrance via Old Ox Rd, but that is for authorized personnel only.
I believe that is incorrect. It's perfectly legal for anyone
with airport business to enter from VA-606 (Old Ox Road) via VA-950 (Ariane Way) even though there's no signing on VA-606 showing it as an entry point to the airport, and there are signs (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9780673,-77.4444571,3a,30y,249.43h,87.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spEHXa_2ZlQCtuqXVtV_pEQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en) informing drivers that the road is not state-maintained and that it is not legal to use the road for "other uses." What is
not legal is for drivers to use that route to shunpike (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.979361,-77.4438837/38.961608,-77.4183963/@38.9672099,-77.4517122,14z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0?hl=en) the tolls on VA-267 (Dulles Toll Road) by using the "free" Dulles Airport Airport Access Road. Note that a stop at the Sunoco station on the airport property on Rudder Road makes such a trip legal.
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on August 07, 2017, 07:41:45 PM
National Airport (DCA) has off-ramps from the GW Parkway (highway access) and a local road access from Crystal City (apt named "Airport Access Road). The airport is within walking distance from the Crystal City neigborhood via Airport Access Road and the Mt Vernon Trail (which parallels the GW Parkway).
The road from the Crystal City area of Arlington County (VA-233, one of the shorter Virginia primary system highways) is the only route into and out of DCA for truck traffic, which may not use the George Washington Parkway. The Mount Vernon Trail also has a spur that leads directly into Crystal City for biker riders and pedestrians.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 09, 2017, 11:29:50 AM
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on August 07, 2017, 07:41:45 PM
In DC we have a bit of contrast. All routine traffic to IAD must use the Dulles Access Road, even if just going from VA-28 to the airport grounds. There is a "back door" entrance via Old Ox Rd, but that is for authorized personnel only.
I believe that is incorrect. It's perfectly legal for anyone with airport business to enter from VA-606 (Old Ox Road) via VA-950 (Ariane Way) even though there's no signing on VA-606 showing it as an entry point to the airport, and there are signs (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9780673,-77.4444571,3a,30y,249.43h,87.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1spEHXa_2ZlQCtuqXVtV_pEQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en) informing drivers that the road is not state-maintained and that it is not legal to use the road for "other uses." What is not legal is for drivers to use that route to shunpike (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/38.979361,-77.4438837/38.961608,-77.4183963/@38.9672099,-77.4517122,14z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0?hl=en) the tolls on VA-267 (Dulles Toll Road) by using the "free" Dulles Airport Airport Access Road. Note that a stop at the Sunoco station on the airport property on Rudder Road makes such a trip legal.
I stand corrected...if you make a right turn on Materials Dr, a left on Autopilot Dr, and then a left on Rudder Rd, the general public can access the airport road system. However I doubt many do.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 09, 2017, 11:29:50 AM
What is not legal is for drivers to use that route to shunpike the tolls on VA-267 (Dulles Toll Road) by using the "free" Dulles Airport Airport Access Road. Note that a stop at the Sunoco station on the airport property on Rudder Road makes such a trip legal.
My understanding is that before the Dulles Toll Road was built, commuters would routinely stop at the airport hotel and get a newspaper. That constitutes "airport business", does it not? (The signs say "Airport Passengers And Business Only") I once saw a portable VMS promising a fine and points to "backtrackers", I think it said. And then there were the infamous Burma Shave-style signs that went something like:
"This road here... is for airport users... don't risk a ticket... from our police cruisers"
You know that discussion about the (likely cancelled) western terminal at Chicago O'Hare? According to a long, long-term master plan I once looked at, there was once such a plan for Dulles as well. The second terminal would be at the south end, probably with access from US-50 (this was in the days before the Udvar-Hazy center, though I'm not sure where it was relative to that). The existing underground peoplemover would make a complete circle to get there, and there would be at least one more midfield concourse in addition to the 2 they have now. I doubt we'll ever see that. The only airport I know of, at least in the USA, to manage to add a second terminal at the opposite end of the field is Atlanta.
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Has Semi Direct Freeway access at both ends:
West end: In from I-10 EB Out to I-10 WB
(Access to EB/From WB I-10 Is via Buckeye Rd/24th Street/Copperhead Drive)
Sky Harbor Blvd is a hybrid Expressway with Flyovers, Ramps and U-turn Access for Terminals 3 & 4 as well as a interchange at 41nd St/42nd St to access American and Southwest Operation Centers/Hangars. Access to Terminal 2 is via a one way Access road WB from I-10 (Right Turn) & Buckeye Rd (Direct Access), EB access via U-turn road.
East End:
Strange 3/4 Interchange/Intersection with 44th Street (Former AZ 153 - Sky Harbor Expressway)
2nd Strange 3/4 Interchange with AZ 143 - Hohokam Expressway (With Access to I-10 E/W and AZ Loop 202 West)
1/2 Trumpet & Butterfly Diamond To Loop 202 EB/From Loop 202 WB and Priest Drive N/S and Center Parkway NB only.
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) has a major interchange with I-95 (which included stub/ghost ramps for the long-since-cancelled I-695/Cobbs Creek Expressway). From I-95 South, ramps for both the Departures & Arrivals roadways were part of the interchange since it opened circa 1985. The airport's also accessible from PA 291.
Prior to late 2000/early 2001, access to PHL from I-95 North required one to use Exit 10 & get on PA 291 eastbound, where there would be ramps to the Arrivals/Departures roadways roughly a mile away. Prior to reaching airport property, one encountered a couple of traffic lights along the way.
After late 2000/early 2001, a new ramp (Exit 12) from I-95 northbound was constructed to provide non-stop access (no traffic lights) to the airport.
However, many Delaware County taxi-cab companies will still recommend/utilize Exit 10 because the total distance traveled is shorter than the new ramp (which crosses over I-95 twice). One cabbie referred (circa 2004) to the new ramp as the $5 ramp meaning the fare would be $5 higher than using Exit 10.
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on August 07, 2017, 07:41:45 PM
How are they in your area? Specifically I want to know about how you actually get onto the airport property.
Richmond International Airport (RIC) has Airport Drive, a 4-lane high-speed arterial that is 6 miles long and serves businesses and residences along its route between VA-895 Pocahontas Parkway and I-295, and it also connects with I-64 and US-60 Williamsburg Road.
Airport Drive connects with the arrival and departure roads that connect to the airport terminal, and with airport parking garages and parking lots, and rental car lots, and air cargo terminals. The terminal is 2 miles south of I-64 and 3 miles north of VA-895, and access is easy and with little or no congestion.
There is an air national guard facility on the east side of the airport property, that is accessed by a local road, Beulah Road.
There are airport personnel access points from Portugee Road, Charles City Road, Beulah Road and US-60 Williamsburg Road.
Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) has the Airport Connector (SR 3032) that is a 55-mph freeway with 2 exits connecting to PA 283. PA 283 is a 65-mph freeway that connects to I-283 and I-76/PA Tpk at its western end and the US 30 freeway in Lancaster at its eastern end.
Local traffic can access from PA 230 either by using the interchange with the Airport Connector, or using Airport Drive from PA 441 Truck.
The Airport Connector is one of my favorite PA freeways, because it still has text based BGSs in some places. Also, going southbound, one gets a straight on look at Three Mile Island.
Nexus 6P
Shreveport Airport pales in comparison to the sizes of the ones mentioned above. Maybe that's why access is much easier. It is right off of I-20 (exit 13-Monkhouse Drive), south 2 blocks. That's it...you're in.
Monroe is almost just as easy. Off I-20, north on Garrett Rd. to the end; left on Millhaven Rd., then the very next right on Kansas Ln. Airport will be a little ways down on the right.
Dayton International Airport in Ohio has a relatively short freeway-grade access road from I-70.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8819758,-84.2089475,5702m/data=!3m1!1e3
What I found more interesting were the various aircraft designs in the overpass supports just east of there at the I-70/I-75 interchange.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 09, 2017, 11:29:50 AM
What is not legal is for drivers to use that route to shunpike the tolls on VA-267 (Dulles Toll Road) by using the "free" Dulles Airport Airport Access Road. Note that a stop at the Sunoco station on the airport property on Rudder Road makes such a trip legal.
How likely are you to get caught shunpiking the Dulles Toll Road if you don't make a token effort to perform some "airport business"? Do they monitor traffic in some way, or do they pretty much rely on the honor system?
Orlando Airport just finished a new connector freeway from FL 417 that previously used Boggy Creek Road with a couple of signals. However, once the new south terminal is completed two fully operational signals are going to be inside the terminal complex with one already there that has been at the south remote parking and cell lot for some time already.
The north access road does connect to State Road 528 with a free flowing connection to Orlando's freeway system. 528 connects to the Florida Turnpike and I-4 and FL 417 and several miles east to I-95 at Cocoa.
Sanford Airport has a surface route connection to FL 417 but not that hectic though.
Some airports in Ohio.
Toledo Express Airport (TOL)
The only "access road" here is an at-grade intersection with SR-2, a.k.a. "Airport Highway". The traffic count doesn't really call for much more than that.
What is worth asking, though, is: how does one access the airport from the city of Toledo? At first, the closest freeway access was the SR-2 exit from I-475/US-23. Much of the 6 miles from there to the airport entrance was upgraded to near-freeway standards, but there were lots of at-grade intersections. East of the interchange, SR-2/Airport Highway was just another 4-lane arterial. As such, to get from downtown to the airport, you had to take I-475, a roundabout routing in either direction. I got the feeling the city was trying to fortify Airport Highway as an express route in minimal ways. I also seem to recall a news report that said it would take all of 13 years to build a freeway between downtown and the airport. Eventually, sometime in the '80s I think, better access was attained by building two new exits off the Ohio Turnpike/I-80/I-90 -- one with I-75, not far from downtown, and one literally across the street from the airport (yes the turnpike was always there, it just never had an exit there for some strange reason). Previously, the two local exits (or "gates" as they called their entrances), 4 and 5, at US-20 and not-interstate-grade-till-the-80s I-280, were inconveniently located at best, at least for most of the city.
Dayton International Airport (DAY)
The airport's main access is by a 4-lane divided highway, with at least one at-grade intersection for cargo and other aviation business. The road ended at a signalized T-intersection with US-40, until a freeway-grade access road was built between I-70 and the airport in the early 1980s. The Airport Access Road (known only as that in traffic reports; it has no route number whatsoever AFAIK) includes a diamond interchange with US-40, and has a trumpet interchange with I-70 that favors travelling to/from the east, as it's only about a mile from the I-75 interchange.. I did once see a plan that suggested a loop ramp would be added for one of the US-40 movements. That same plan suggested some sort of interchange with the cargo access road, but that's just an at-grade now. Rumor has it the diamond with US-40 might have to be moved if one of the runways is lengthened.
The access road caused some confusion in its earlier days, since the signs leading to I-70 listed only Columbus and Indianapolis as control cities, leading some out-of-town visitors to wonder where Dayton was (got on the wrong plane?) I think some small signs pointing to Dayton were added to lampposts and such.
John Glenn Columbus (formerly Port Columbus) International Airport (CMH)
The main access road is called "International Gateway". It's 4-lane divided, but has multiple at-grade intersections serving various parking lots and side businesses. Originally, International Gateway ended at a signalized T-intersection with Stelzer Rd. There was a diamond interchange between Stelzer and a short US-62 freeway spur leading to I-270, but the signs on EB I-70 said to take James Rd. (which turns into Stelzer, sort of) several busy blocks and multiple signalized intersections north.
That all started to change in 1984, when ground was broken on an eastern extension of I-670 to get to the airport (I-670 itself has quite a history of its own, but beyond the scope of this post). I-670 was extended from I-71 downtown to meet the US-62 freeway, taking it over all the way to I-270, with at least one improvement to the (underpowered?) 62-270 interchange. The Stelzer Rd. exit was eliminated altogether. Also included of course was a freeway spur leading to the end of International Gateway -- the interchange here is surprisingly complicated, given its sharp angle and the also-included ramps to Cassady Ave. and 17th Ave., not to mention a surface road cutting through everything. So by about 1992, you could take a freeway from downtown to International Gateway... with a signalized at-grade intersection at Stelzer Rd.? Whaaa? But don't worry, some 20 years later the Gateway would largely be rebuilt, with an enhanced diamond interchange worked into the design.
Since the big ones are taken:
Atlantic City (ACY)
Despite being close to the Garden State Parkway and very close to the Atlantic City Expressway, the only access route is Amelia Earhart Blvd, a 4-lane road, whose southern end is one of NJ's famous traffic-lit traffic circle with one road cutting through, and whose northern end is the FAA facility just beyond the airport entrance. From the circle, depending on which way you're going there is at most one other light before Atlantic City Expressway access, which sets you back an extra 75 cents vs other exits in the area. Freeway access is supposedly planned, though I haven't heard much about that for awhile.
Trenton-Mercer (TTN)
This one is on a grid of local streets accessible from the north, south, and west. It's also accessible from I-95 (soon to be 295) without a traffic light and only a single left turn.
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
The access road to TPA is one of my personal favorites. The interchange which ties into SR-60 (limited access expressway) and Spruce St (surface arterial) was rebuilt between 2006 and 2009. The outbound sign for the direct connection to I-275 SB has a warning plaque of "NEXT EXIT 10 MILES" due to the Howard Frankland Bridge. I also appreciate the reuse of infrastructure elements like the roadways that that pass under the in-bound carriageway. The one connecting Economy Parking Rd to the outbound roadway used to be outbound too, but was converted to inbound for access to the economy parking structures, cell-phone waiting lot, and the future CONRAC from SR-60 NB. Likewise, the connection from Airport Service Rd to the outbound roadway was converted to 2-way with a traffic signal, and although the inbound bridges appear to have been re-decked, the original structures seem to have been retained. I give this roadway bonus points because it leads to the most convenient short term parking structure that I know of which is located directly above the airport terminal.
Fort Myers (RSW)
The Midfield Terminal had a good connection system to I-75 at Daniels Pkwy and Alico Rd via Treeline Ave, but recently also received a direct connection with I-75 utilizing C/D roads with the Alico Rd exit.
Miami International Airport (MIA)
The ramps to SR-112 alongside S Le Jeune Rd are reversed carriageways with oncoming traffic on your right.
Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
This airport appears to have a good access road layout (from aerial imagery experience only) which separates traffic to the two terminal buildings but has a common exit flow from both of them. Traffic to T2 crosses over the outbound roadway to flow clockwise around the terminal building.
for SFO in South San Francisco, CA to get to the airport you had to enter and Exit via US-101 or I-380.
Quote from: ChezeHed81 on August 25, 2017, 08:25:08 PM
Tampa International Airport (TPA)
The access road to TPA is one of my personal favorites. The interchange which ties into SR-60 (limited access expressway) and Spruce St (surface arterial) was rebuilt between 2006 and 2009. The outbound sign for the direct connection to I-275 SB has a warning plaque of "NEXT EXIT 10 MILES" due to the Howard Frankland Bridge. I also appreciate the reuse of infrastructure elements like the roadways that that pass under the in-bound carriageway. The one connecting Economy Parking Rd to the outbound roadway used to be outbound too, but was converted to inbound for access to the economy parking structures, cell-phone waiting lot, and the future CONRAC from SR-60 NB. Likewise, the connection from Airport Service Rd to the outbound roadway was converted to 2-way with a traffic signal, and although the inbound bridges appear to have been re-decked, the original structures seem to have been retained. I give this roadway bonus points because it leads to the most convenient short term parking structure that I know of which is located directly above the airport terminal.
This is, it's worth noting, part of a rather complex interchange system (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Northwest+Tampa,+Tampa,+FL/@27.9636514,-82.5348755,15z/data=!4m6!1m3!3m2!1s0x88c2b782b3b9d1e1:0xa75f1389af96b463!2sTampa,+FL!3m1!1s0x88c2c221f43851c3:0xebe5426acea20f28?force=lite) involving I-275, TOLL-589, FL-60, and FL-616.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCWgI18_Y5w&t=615s
Trans Canada phil has this
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)This airport is unique in that it has TWO freeway-grade access roads.
- The Van Wyck Expressway (I-678). The southern end of this highway leads into the airport core. It also has an interchange with the Belt Parkway, but with access primarily to and from the west. As such, most passengers from New York City use this route.
- The (aptly-named) JFK Expressway. Originally a surface street leading to the Rockaway Turnpike (148th Street?), this was upgraded to a freeway sometime in the 80s, I think. There's a directional interchange with the Belt Parkway to and from the east, so this route is mostly used by those originating from eastern Queens and Long Island. At the on-ramp from the Belt Pkwy is a rather unusual BGS, reading "Passenger terminals 2.5 miles ahead". Have you ever seen a BGS use decimals for mileage, rather than fractions?
For those not familiar, JFK Airport consists of a loop of separate terminal buildings; there were once as many as 9 (not counting the former Tower Air terminal, outside of the loop in the cargo area), but now there are "only" 6. Originally, there was a divided, mostly at-grade "loop road" serving the terminals, with 2 or 3 direct-access ramps to the Van Wyck. Today, with two access roads entering coupled with haphazard improvement of loading zone curbs (in particular, several of the original terminals did not have the traditional 2-level separation for arriving and departing passengers; today they all do), the core is a confusing labyrinth of roadways and parking structures. While these roads mostly make use of grade-separated ramps, there are also a handful of traffic signals present; unlike the standard NYC guy-based mast-arm, these are held by those "ribbed" cantilevers similar to what you find in most of NJ. Other signals are atop simple stanchion poles.
One unique feature of the access roads is the "color code" found on the signs. With so many terminals, each building was assigned a number from 1 through 9 (*), along with a color to help motorists navigate. Originally, back when NYC's BGS's were actually black text on an off-white background, the directional signs for each terminal had the text/number and the sign outline in that color, probably with button copy. The appearance of several of these signs, side-by-side on of the overpasses looked, shall we say, unique. Later on they tried to make these standardized with a traditional green background, with the color relegated to a small square around the number (if there was a color at all). More recently, though, the colors returned -- as the whole sign background. But now they seem to assign color only by sector, rather than by individual terminal.
https://goo.gl/maps/phy5jVheMoz (https://goo.gl/maps/phy5jVheMoz)
In early 2017, a new grandiose plan for JFK airport (https://ny.curbed.com/2017/1/4/14169084/jfk-airport-transformation-announced) was unveiled by Governor Cuomo. Looking at the renderings, this would reduce the number of terminals to only 3, through consolidation and reconstruction. But it also looks like they plan to eliminate the JFK Expressway access road. The plan is to convert the interior roadways back to a simple ring road, and to widen the Van Wyck access road (and presumably, improve the Belt Parkway interchange to better handle traffic from both directions).
(*) When Tower Air had their terminal, its "number" was "T". Additionally, there used to be both a "1a" and "1b" sign. I think these referred to the East Wing and West Wing of the old International Arrivals Building. When the terminals were renumbered, I believe it became "4e" and "4w". The IAB has since been demolished and rebuilt, and is now known as Terminal 4.
A few California ones, which have been mentioned before but with some more detail:
- San Francisco: While the current set of ramps to the International terminal date to the 1990s, the main direct-to-freeway airport loop connection to US 101 (and I-380) has existed since the 1950s, based on a HistoricAerials search (a 1946 overhead - around the time construction for the Bayshore Freeway began - shows almost nothing in that area, in comparison).
- Oakland: Airport Drive/98th Avenue provides a connection to 880/Nimitz Freeway, however 98th has four intersections from 880 west to Airport Access Road before reaching the limited-access routing to the terminal loop.
- San Diego: Though today's setup involves using the surface arterial Harbor Drive to get to the terminals, the pre-1975 configuration had much more direct access from the old US 101 freeway stub Pacific Highway (which connects to today's I-5) which abuts the north perimeter of Lindbergh Field.
- LAX: A bit of a hybrid, using the 105 west to 1 north (Sepulveda) route through the airport tunnel does allow one to access the airport without reaching a stoplight.
CVG (Cincinnati) has a loop around the airport property but access to and from I-275 is through a partial cloverleaf, with some signals. There is also an intermediate exit that leads to rental car lots and airport services.
I like Houston's Airport where the access roads pass beneath the terminal and when you are a passenger crossing from the main facility to the airside gates you use a skybridge (already screened so its all sterile above the outside world) and one of them even has a food court where you look down on cars heading in and out of the drop off and pick up roads.
The new Midway in Chicago also has the terminal now across the street from the airport itself using bridges carrying the passengers across Cicero Avenue, You enter the airport terminal on the east side of the street. Go up one level to the second floor to then cross Cicero to the gate area on the west side of the street. The access roads are short as the distance from the terminal to the street is very short and has no long drives.
NOLA uses a road paralleling US 61, the main road the airport is on, to access I-10. It then connects to the interstate connector that doubles as a local road between both the US highway and interstate. Then this road runs parallel to the easternmost N-S Runway until as has a partial directional interchange with I-10 only with access to and from the east. To and from the west, Veterans Blvd must be used and a series of turns to complete it all.
I have a mild obsession with 3 digit interstates that serve airport terminals. I like it. I go out of my way in my fictional mapping to add them to airports where it seems practical. Because of their inter-modal connectivity, I try and put as many airport spurs on the I-system as I can. As long as they have at least one interchange between the parent interstate and the terminal or are of a certain length, I 'upgrade' them.
It's one of my 'things' to have all beltways and all airport spurs be 3di's. Details are best saved for the fictional section, though.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on August 20, 2017, 04:02:00 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on August 09, 2017, 11:29:50 AM
What is not legal is for drivers to use that route to shunpike the tolls on VA-267 (Dulles Toll Road) by using the "free" Dulles Airport Airport Access Road. Note that a stop at the Sunoco station on the airport property on Rudder Road makes such a trip legal.
How likely are you to get caught shunpiking the Dulles Toll Road if you don't make a token effort to perform some "airport business"? Do they monitor traffic in some way, or do they pretty much rely on the honor system?
MWAA airport police will monitor the appropriate entrances to the airport and follow possible suspect vehicles through the airport to the other side, and stop them if they do not engage in "airport business." They do this at least in part because shunpiking costs MWAA a lot of lost toll revenue, so it is in their economic interest to identify and stop such violators.
Well, all the SD airports are tiny, so access is all local roads. RAP is on a two-lane road, FSD is almost in downtown Sioux Falls, ABR is off of US 12 on the east side of town, ATY (Watertown) is off of SD 20 on the northwest side of town, and PIR is off a two-lane road with no shoulder (I've run on it).
I can't really add anything special about STL -- the Airport Access Road for Lambert Field is multiple exits on I-70 -- the Airfield itself is situated between I-70, I-270, and I-170. US 67 tunnels under one of the Runways.
The Access Road itself is signalized, so not a free-flowing roadway. It basically just parallels I-70 north of the Interstate, with your standard turn-offs for the 2 Terminals, Parking, Rental Cars, and Interstate entrances/exits. The STL MetroLink train runs Elevated right by the Access Road. One could really call the Airport Access Road a Frontage Road for I-70 that serves the Airport
Direct Access is from I-70 mainly, but local roads, mainly Natural Bridge Road and Lindbergh Blvd, do provide non-Freeway access to the Airport and Access Road
IND Airport was redone not too long ago, moving the Terminal and Access to directly from I-70, and the Access Road is now a Freeflow road. I believe non-Freeway access is possible via Perimeter Rd, which can be reached from US 40 and the Reagan Pkwy. There is (almost) a Tollway-style Service Plaza on the Airport Access Road between I-70 and the Terminal -- don't know if it is Privately owned or functions more like Airport Property for Lease -- Google Maps shows the Shell and Subway Plaza is on Airport property. It is even signed on the Airport BBS as "Service Plaza"
No love here yet for LAS -- come on, we all love when the Cabbie Long-Hauls to the Strip by taking the Tunnel out to the 215 then the 15, instead of the much shorter trip North on Paradise Rd! Paradise Rd pretty much is the Airport Access Road, and as mentioned, has access to I-215 and nearby I-15, and also Local Arterial access North via Paradise Rd
Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) is only directly served by Meridian Avenue, which kind of cul-de-sacs at the airport. You can connect to Meridian via a freeway spur off of I-44 called Airport Road. Originally, this was an unnumbered route, but about 10 years ago SH-152 was realigned onto it.
Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI-GSO Airport) is now served by I-73; Exit 109 (which was recently extended on the former Bryan Blvd from the Loop northwards to US 220 just north of Summerfield.) and it also includes the access to Old Oak Ridge Rd (local road).
The ramps to PTI Airport will take you to the original Bryan Blvd (former Airport Parkway; now renamed Ted Johnson Parkway) before it was first relocated to make a room for the runaway. (I-73 is the second relocation or Bryan).
I have no photos of my own, but one of my favorite access roads is to the Victoria International Airport (YYJ) on Vancouver Island (in Sidney), BC. Hwy 17 runs north-south east of the airport, with a basic two-lane connector road (Willingdon Road & Canora Road) between the highway/freeway and the airport
Up until 2009-2010, the intersection with Hwy 17 was a signal. Hwy 17 wasn't much of a freeway at that point. Still isn't today, but at least feels like it through the new interchange they built for the airport...
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm8.staticflickr.com%2F7162%2F6400777223_05df9d724c_b.jpg&hash=81a5ad8207a42708d788e141ab5693cb9f7c9b6f)
This new interchange allows much quicker movement between Hwy 17 and the airport's connecting road. The roundabouts even have these airport symbols painted on the ground to help guide drivers through the roundabouts:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm8.staticflickr.com%2F6233%2F6377789351_4b9426e521_b.jpg&hash=5ac178dd3b85b18116dbb820f0728e522fee6b37)
Along with the construction of this relatively large dumbell interchange, several roundabouts were added near the airport, including the only proper turbo roundabout that I've seen in North America:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FQb71CJl.png&hash=8bcadeca94e516d947d2420cb6c89eea3c4f36cc)
LAX and Phoenix Sky Harbor having been mentioned, about all I have to add about airports I'm familiar with is Honolulu. Their airport access road is off the H-1 Freeway Viaduct.
Kauai has a much smaller airport, with as far as I know, just the two-lane Ahukini Road Hawaii 570 (at least it was two-lane in 1986). Leaving the airport, shortly afterward there is an intersection with Kapule Hwy (Hawaii 51). A left turn takes you toward the harbor and Kauai Marriott Resort, a right turn allows you to bypass Hanamaulu and join Kuhio Highway (Hawaii 56) just north of there, and staying on Ahukini Road another mile then turning left onto Kuhio takes you into "downtown" Lihue.
Quote from: lepidopteran on August 29, 2017, 10:30:20 PM
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
This airport is unique in that it has TWO freeway-grade access roads.
- The Van Wyck Expressway (I-678). The southern end of this highway leads into the airport core. It also has an interchange with the Belt Parkway, but with access primarily to and from the west. As such, most passengers from New York City use this route.
- The (aptly-named) JFK Expressway. Originally a surface street leading to the Rockaway Turnpike (148th Street?), this was upgraded to a freeway sometime in the 80s, I think. There's a directional interchange with the Belt Parkway to and from the east, so this route is mostly used by those originating from eastern Queens and Long Island. At the on-ramp from the Belt Pkwy is a rather unusual BGS, reading "Passenger terminals 2.5 miles ahead". Have you ever seen a BGS use decimals for mileage, rather than fractions?
When that was built, it gave me hope that this would also lead to the completion of the Clearview Expressway (I-295). Sadly it didn't.
There's also the Nassau Expressway, which after years of stalling by environmental and civics groups finally was partially built near the airport in the 1980's. The problem is, only the eastbound lanes were built there, and the portion in the vicinity of the Rockaways is not a limited-access highway!!
:banghead:
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City
This airport doesn't really have much of an access road, since it sits only a hundred yards or two from the Grand Central Parkway, unsigned section. Different parts of the airport have separate exits off the GCP, and there is/was signage on the Parkway telling which airlines are where.
The oldest part of the airport is Terminal A, or the Marine Air Terminal, dating back to the days of commercial seaplanes (e.g., beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark). This is accessed by ordinary surface streets and Marine Terminal Rd., and is apparently shutting down soon.
The "main" terminal (B), and the Delta terminal (connected C and D) have their own interchange ramps, some of which are rather tight loops. But they are also connected via overpass directly to 94th St. and 102nd St. in Queens. Incidentally, Terminal C started out as a mini shuttle-flight terminal built by Eastern Airlines. For a time after that, DT bought it and called it the "Trump Shuttle", signing it as such on the Parkway. Would this be the only time a President's name was on a freeway BGS before he took office? Terminal C was eventually built out by US Airways before being taken over by Delta.
All this is about to change. The much-maligned Terminal B (liked to a third-world country by some) is being replaced by a new pair of concourses, and a headhouse that will be even closer to the Parkway than it is now! As such, the access road will essentially be a service road to the GCP. This is all being built as we speak. C and D will also be rebuilt, but the roads will be a little further away. Provisions are even being made for a rail connection -- something LGA never, ever had, for as much as New York relies on the subway.
Quote from: lepidopteran on October 10, 2017, 11:52:23 PM
The oldest part of the airport is Terminal A, or the Marine Air Terminal, dating back to the days of commercial seaplanes (e.g., beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark). This is accessed by ordinary surface streets and Marine Terminal Rd., and is apparently shutting down soon.
Well, that sucks. That terminal is on the National Register of Historic Places, and should be preserved because of that status. Anyway, I thought the Airport Access roads at LaGuardia, were already the collection of service roads along the Grand Central.
The access road at Fresno-Yosemite I believe is unnamed and meets Clinton Avenue. Really it would be notable at all if it didn't have US 99 mistakenly posted on a guide sign.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4432/36923148266_e22bb2c098_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/YfLMAA)0 (https://flic.kr/p/YfLMAA) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
Quote from: Brandon on August 08, 2017, 10:14:33 AM
Quote from: ilpt4u on August 07, 2017, 11:42:58 PM
Lets see...ORD is serviced by the West End of the Kennedy Expressway, numbered I-190 at this point. I-190 is easily accessible from the Kennedy/I-90 from Downtown, the Jane Addams Tollway/I-90 from the Northwest suburbs, and I-294/Tri-State Tollway from the North, West, and South Suburbs.
And with the EOE/now EOT/IL 390 being built actually to the ORD Western edge, and the O'Hare Western Bypass road/future IL? Interstate? 490 to be built as well, should the Western Access Terminal ever be built, it will have good freeway connections as well
Basically, once the new IL/I-490 is built, ORD will be bound by Tollroads on all sides -- Jane Addams on the North, Tri State on the East and Southeast, and future 490 on the West and Southwest
MDW, I-55 gets you decently close, but IL 50/Cicero Ave must be used to reach the actual airport. The canceled Crosstown Expressway/I-494 would have ran pretty close to MDW, but it was canceled. MDW is similar to HOU and DAL in being the older airports that predates the interstate/expressway system
ORD is rather easy to get to, and I-190 (basically a stub of the Kennedy Expressway) goes directly to the terminals. However, there is only one controlled access route that is toll-free to/from ORD, and that's the Kennedy Expressway (I-90). You can also get to ORD using Mannheim Road (US-12/45) to its interchange with I-190. At this point, who knows if the western access will ever be completed. https://goo.gl/maps/YN2WBZzXjHM2
As for MDW, there are exit ramps from Cicero Avenue (IL-50), and a traffic signal controlling the movement exiting from the airport for the terminal itself. Long term parking is a short distance away along 55th Street (other than the garage adjacent to the terminal). https://goo.gl/maps/yEdwAZAMxaP2
Both also are accessible via the L. Blue Line for ORD and Orange Line for MDW.
Update for Midway, some of the ramps might be re-done with the new upgrades coming to the Airport through 2019.
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/groundbreaking-ceremony-held-for-midway-airport-security--449800303.html (http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/groundbreaking-ceremony-held-for-midway-airport-security--449800303.html)
Quote from: ET21 on October 12, 2017, 12:41:13 PMUpdate for Midway, some of the ramps might be re-done with the new upgrades coming to the Airport through 2019.
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/groundbreaking-ceremony-held-for-midway-airport-security--449800303.html (http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/groundbreaking-ceremony-held-for-midway-airport-security--449800303.html)
Goodness. First they get rid of Potbelly Subs. Now they plan to make a mess inside. I'm going to start disliking connecting at MDW. :/
Quote from: D-Dey65 on October 12, 2017, 10:21:29 AM
Quote from: lepidopteran on October 10, 2017, 11:52:23 PM
The oldest part of the airport is Terminal A, or the Marine Air Terminal, dating back to the days of commercial seaplanes (e.g., beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark). This is accessed by ordinary surface streets and Marine Terminal Rd., and is apparently shutting down soon.
Well, that sucks. That terminal is on the National Register of Historic Places, and should be preserved because of that status. Anyway, I thought the Airport Access roads at LaGuardia, were already the collection of service roads along the Grand Central.
Looks like I was incorrect. It's only the Delta Shuttle that's moving to Terminals C and D. Other airlines should be taking it's place at A. (For the uninitiated, "shuttle" refers to flights between New York and Boston and DC, and I think some points in between.)
They did, however, recently demolish one of the landmark hangars at LGA. They also did away with that unique control tower, the one with those ship-like portholes.
PDX has a straightforward yet very effective setup withthe expressway configuration with Airport Way from I-205. The only weak point, as it were, is the intersection with OR 213 and the Red Line MAX light rail, and airport traffic trying to get onto the Jackson Bridge into Washington.
Quote from: Bickendan on October 20, 2017, 09:44:49 PM
PDX has a straightforward yet very effective setup withthe expressway configuration with Airport Way from I-205. The only weak point, as it were, is the intersection with OR 213 and the Red Line MAX light rail, and airport traffic trying to get onto the Jackson Bridge into Washington.
Whenever I'm at PDX, by car or by light rail, I'm always wishing I didn't have to go so far east from the airport before heading downtown.
Quote from: thenetwork on August 08, 2017, 11:38:29 AM
CLE/Cleveland Hopkins Airport is served by SR-237, a limited access freeway. The only "true" interstate connections to/from the airport is I-71 north of the airport and I-480 east of the airport. Access to the south and west is via a series of surface streets.
A "pipe dream", now that a lot of the old neighboring Ford Motor Facility in Brook Park has been taken down, would be to make a direct freeway or access road connection to I-71 connecting the current airport roadways to I-71 and create a new interchange incorporating the new road with the current Snow Road/Engle Road interchanges. That would give all interstate traffic on I-71 and I-480 direct freeway connections to the airport without the use of surface streets.
Unfortunately, with all of the downsizing and closing of their newest terminal in the last several years, CLE will probably rely on SR-237 to get people in and out of there for the next several decades without even considering a new "main entrance/gateway" to the airport.
Yeah, access to and from the west is a bit of a pain in the ass. Especially getting from the Airport to I-480 west.
Quote from: TheStranger on August 31, 2017, 05:26:15 PM
A few California ones, which have been mentioned before but with some more detail:
- San Francisco: While the current set of ramps to the International terminal date to the 1990s, the main direct-to-freeway airport loop connection to US 101 (and I-380) has existed since the 1950s, based on a HistoricAerials search (a 1946 overhead - around the time construction for the Bayshore Freeway began - shows almost nothing in that area, in comparison).
- Oakland: Airport Drive/98th Avenue provides a connection to 880/Nimitz Freeway, however 98th has four intersections from 880 west to Airport Access Road before reaching the limited-access routing to the terminal loop.
- San Diego: Though today's setup involves using the surface arterial Harbor Drive to get to the terminals, the pre-1975 configuration had much more direct access from the old US 101 freeway stub Pacific Highway (which connects to today's I-5) which abuts the north perimeter of Lindbergh Field.
- LAX: A bit of a hybrid, using the 105 west to 1 north (Sepulveda) route through the airport tunnel does allow one to access the airport without reaching a stoplight.
There is absolutley a stoplight at the exit from 105 to Sepulveda.
The orientation of LAX, the way it was designed since the 1961 expansion (when they opened the terminals that are west of Sepulveda, the original airport terminals from 1946-1961 were east of Sepulveda, the area is now for cargo only) was to open directly onto Century Blvd. If you can see the orientation of the loop roads, on both levels, most lanes direct to Century Blvd and side ramps (modified cloverleaf) lead to Sepulveda. (You can't even exit to Sepulveda northbound from the upper level.)
It's obvious that they had intended for some type of airport access freeway to be built parallel to Century that would make use of these ramps so that the main access from the airport would head directly east. If the western 105 (west of 405) were built along the Centrury corridor, instead of along the Imperial Hwy corridor, it would have used these ramps and all lanes of the freeway would feed into the airport. Unfortunately, this road was never built. I-105 freeway lanes lead to Imeprial Highway which ends at a relatively uncrowded beach. The airport access is provided by a 2 lane exit to Sepulveda north that ends in a stoplight.* This exit is perennially jammed and causes backups on the 105 freeway.
Coming from the north, those in the know, try to make use of little known 96th street as an access to the airport. It avoids the terrible traffic signal at the Sepulveda 105 exit and the super congested Century Blvd corridor. 96th has a bridge over Sepulveda and can access Airport Blvd which leads toward La Tijera and La Cienega.
So the 105 extension west did not provide direct freeway access to LAX. It is still accessed by surface streets.
* Leaving the airport, you don't encounter traffic signals. Take a ramp to Sepulveda south and you merge onto Sepulveda and then head into a tunnel under the runways. The first exit after the tunnel is the onramp to 105 east. By the airport's design, it is not the main exit, but it is likely the fastest way to get to most of the LA area.
Quote from: citrus on October 21, 2017, 12:09:46 PM
Quote from: Bickendan on October 20, 2017, 09:44:49 PM
PDX has a straightforward yet very effective setup withthe expressway configuration with Airport Way from I-205. The only weak point, as it were, is the intersection with OR 213 and the Red Line MAX light rail, and airport traffic trying to get onto the Jackson Bridge into Washington.
Whenever I'm at PDX, by car or by light rail, I'm always wishing I didn't have to go so far east from the airport before heading downtown.
That's actually never been an issue for me, because of the necessity of pushing I-205 further east than it is now for the eastbound motion to be minimized.
To put it in perspective: Original alignments for I-205 had it along 52nd Ave (as the Laurelhurst Freeway). That would have pushed the freeway and Columbia River crossing WEST of where PDX is now. Community pushback from both Lake Oswego and Laurelhurst pushed I-205 south and east, initially to 111th Ave, then to 95th Ave where it is now.
Yellowbook drafts: From about where OR 217 meets I-5, with a crossing near Oak Grove Blvd on the eastside (sorely needed as is, IMO) in downtown Lake Oswego, a northesterly arc to SE 52nd Ave, a NW arc toward 47th with the Mt Hood Frwy between Powell and Division, then slowly arcing toward NE 33rd with then I-80N before crossing into Washington.
Alternatives were with the so-called Johnson Creek Freeway -- an extension of the Multnomah Expressway (from the west of I-5 west of the Terwilliger Curves), going east down the ravine that Taylor's Ferry Rd goes down to Macadam, crossing just north of the Sellwood Bridge, and following Tacoma St/Johnson Creek Blvd then suddenly turning north at 52nd.
As I stated on another post, PHX Sky Harbor road system is unique in that one drives on the "wrong side" though the airport.