Which highway in your state faced the hardest obstacles--political, financial, geographical, etc--but still got built regardless?
I'd say Utah's is almost certainly the Legacy Parkway. The initial goal was to start construction in the late 1990s and have it open for the 2002 Winter Olympics, but a series of lawsuits brought by environmentalists delayed the project several times. Construction finally started in 2001, but then stopped completely due to further lawsuits and court action. The state and environmentalists finally signed a compromise in 2005, and construction started again the next spring. The road was finally opened in September 2008, almost seven years behind schedule.
That doesn't mean I like Legacy the way it is. Trucks are banned on it (except when there is major congestion on I-15), and there is a 55 mph speed limit. But still, the fact that it exists is a tremendous accomplishment for UDOT.
Considering it almost took 20 years to build Highway 1 in Big Sur due to geographic obstacles and Mud Slides I'd rank it ahead of the freeway funding debacles California is known for. Granted CA 132 getting any upgrades after this much time in the planning stages is a miracle.
With Arizona it's an easy answer with I-10 in downtown Phoenix.
The 9.6 mile segment of I-66 between I-495 and Rosslyn.
The original eight-lane I-66 proposal inside the Beltway was blocked due to citizen opposition and a decision by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. I-66 was downscaled by VDH&T to four lanes (2 each way), with HOV-4 rush hour restrictions (meaning that a vehicle must have at least 4 persons onboard to legally use the highway) in the peak direction (years later reduced to HOV-3, and then to HOV-2), and with no large trucks allowed at any time. This was authorized by a new decision of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Construction spanned from 1977 to 1982.
For Massachusetts, it was certainly I-93 through downtown Boston. The big dig is estimated to cost over 20 Billion dollars, filled with numerous cost overruns and tunnel leakage problems. It needed to be built regardless of costs and geological difficulties, it's a critical corridor for the Boston area.
In the process of construction but probably the US-301 expressway in Delaware. Pretty sure the reasons they finally constructed it were because (1) Middletown exploded in population (from my "reverse commuting" days I could see miles long backups on DE-896/US-301/DE-71 heading from I-95 to Middletown) and (2) they could toll it because nearly everybody in Middletown is rich.
In Connecticut I'd probably say I-291 or I-384 and the US-6 bypass in Willimantic, but I'm biased since I grew up around those highways and knew the most about them. They were never completed and likely never will be, but there were small segments built (that I mentioned).
Quote from: theroadwayone on September 01, 2018, 02:14:51 PM
Which highway in your state faced the hardest obstacles--political, financial, geographical, etc--but still got built regardless?
In IL:
The I-355 South Extension from I-55 to I-80 faced environmental and political issues, but did eventually get built, about a decade after it was pretty much ready to go
Those Flyover Ramp supports sat at the I-55 and I-355 interchange median for years, unused. But now, they carry the ramps and the additional I-355 mainline over I-55 in Bolingbrook
The leg of the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway/Now IL 390 Tollway from I-290 to the O'Hare Western Boundry finally got built. Who knows if the leg to Elgin, west of Lake Street is ever built...
I-35E in St. Paul between MN 5 and I-94, held up by neighborhood opposition, eventually a court settlement banned trucks and set a 45 MPH limit. Finally opened about 1991.
Also I-35 in Duluth took decades to finish because of disagreements about design, location, and also opposition. The original plan was an elevated freeway to protect the route from Lake Superior's unpredictability, but there was concern about cutting the waterfront off from downtown. There was also disagreement about whether the I-35 extension should stop at 10th Ave E, 26th Ave E, or 60th Ave E (26th was the one picked). Cut and cover tunnels were eventually selected which protected the route from Superior, but maintained the city's connectivity with the lake. Completed 1992.
In Indiana, probably the I-69 corridor from Evansville to Indianapolis...
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 01, 2018, 06:55:45 PM
Considering it almost took 20 years to build Highway 1 in Big Sur due to geographic obstacles and Mud Slides I'd rank it ahead of the freeway funding debacles California is known for. Granted CA 132 getting any upgrades after this much time in the planning stages is a miracle.
With Arizona it's an easy answer with I-10 in downtown Phoenix.
For a "conventional" highway (which in reality is anything but!), CA 1 from Cambria to Carmel is, hands-down, the clear "winner(?)" of the difficulty "award". But when it comes to a section of freeway, that would have to be the last segment of I-5 to be constructed from Shasta Lake to Castle Crags in the Sacramento River canyon. It had everything going against it: opposition from the Sierra Club (what else is new!), the worst topography in the canyon stretch (including river/canyon "oxbows" and the proximity of the rail line), and the problem of constructing a new facility while maintaining substantial amounts of Interstate traffic on the existing expressway. But once let, the project took only 6 years from the intial foray (building a "cutoff" across the oxbows) to opening (in the winter of 1992). I had the good fortune to drive on it a week after it opened; compared with the previous nail-biting experience on the previous expressway stretch (featuring "double-double painted median lines as the only directional separation -- very much like US 101 through the Humboldt redwood areas) -- the new freeway was a godsend.
In Kentucky, either the new East End Bridge in Louisville, or the widened Paris Pike (US 27/68) in Fayette and Bourbon counties.
West Virginia has to be Corridor H.
In CT, it's a tie among all highways :). Seriously though, it would be finishing I-291 to Manchester. For almost 40 years, CT 291 sat as a short expressway from CT 159 in Windsor to US 5 in South Windsor; there wasn't even a direct freeway to freeway connection with its de facto (now actual) parent. It took till 1994 to complete the I-91 interchange and the portion east of US 5 to the I-84/I-384 interchange in Manchester.
There are at least three such highways in MD:
- MD 200, the Intercounty Connector. cpzillacus and Beltway could each post novel-length treatises about the political and financial mayhem that preceded the eventual start of construction of the ICC, and the environmental compromises which increased the financial difficulties and reduced the utility of the corridor.
- I-68 through Sideling Hill. It was the very last segment of the then-US 48 freeway to be completed and required enormous earthworks to minimize the gradients of the old US 40 route over the hil.
- I-70in Frederick, MD. It took the SHA over 30 years to rebuild, reconstruct and expand the old Frederick Freeway alignment from the old I-70S partial interchange at Exit 53 to the old eastern end of the freeway at Exit 59. The final result is an excellent, high-speed facility that provides far more capacity and utility to local and long-distance traffic in eastern Frederick.
In Iowa, it's the diagonal freeways/expressways of I-380 north of Cedar Rapids, IA 330, and I-35 north of US 20. Turns out it's pretty hard to build a diagonal corridor across a square grid without making a lot of landowners angry.
In Hawaii, easily Interstate H-3. Intensely controversial, took an Act of Congress to override a Federal appellate court ruling blocking a key part of the freeway. It was conceived during the Vietnam War to address problems moving troops among the island's military bases, but the war was long over by the time the highway opened in 1997.
Either AR 23 aka The Pig Trail (Ozark to Huntsville), AR 7 from Russellville to Harrison or AR 21 Clarksville to Kingston
I'm not sure if there was one road/highway/corridor in TX that would be the overall winner.
One contender could be Loop 9 around Dallas. It was proposed ~50 years ago, left for dead, later revived in different ways, mainly as a toll road. Part of it was held up in Grand Prairie by a court decision that stood for many years. The part between I-30 and I-20 in Garland, Sunnyvale, and Mesquite is still being planned, although Sunnyvale residents have fought it because it would mess up their quality of life and view of Lake Ray Hubbard. The part from US 67 south of Dallas around to I-20 in Mesquite is actually the only part that would use the Loop 9 designation, and may be the last part completed, if so.
As for longest one road/highway took to build in TX, I'm not sure. I-10 took quite a while, because of length, remoteness, and various geologic barriers. I-45 took some time, mainly due to lawsuits holding up much of the Dallas end of the route. At the rate it's going, I-69 may need to be added to the list.
I-10 through the Atchafalaya Flood Basin couldn't have been a cake walk...19 miles of bridge through a swamp. I-49 is still being built, being started in the early 80s. It has survived oil market busts, tax money shortages & who knows what else. It is almost finished.
For Michigan I'm going to go with I-696.
In Michigan, I would say the Mackinac Bridge, considering the 5-mile crossing, several wars, and legal wrangling it took to build it.
The new Gordie Howe bridge, and the US-31 connection to I-94 near Benton Harbor might be in the running once they're actually built.
Quote from: JREwing78 on September 02, 2018, 11:51:55 PM
In Michigan, I would say the Mackinac Bridge, considering the 5-mile crossing, several wars, and legal wrangling it took to build it.
The new Gordie Howe bridge, and the US-31 connection to I-94 near Benton Harbor might be in the running once they're actually built.
I wouldn't consider the Mackinac Bridge a highway though. It's part of I-75 but only for 5 miles of the 396 miles of I-75 in Michigan.
Interstate 90 between Seattle and Bellevue.
It took 50 years, several lawsuits, and a sunken floating bridge to complete the "last link" in I-90. And construction on the corridor is still not done, as light rail is being put in its median.
Politically, I-205 through Portland itself, as it was targetted to be cancelled by activists after they managed to shut down the Mt Hood Freeway (and this is after I-205 got pushed east two times during its planned existance as the Laurelhurst Freeway -- 39th Ave, then 52nd Ave -- winding up as 95th Ave). ODOT wanted 205 really badly, and Fred Meyer and the city of Vancouver threatened to sue if it didn't get built. The activists relented, demanding that ODOT build the Division/Powell exit as is... by drawing it on a napkin.
Geographically, US 20 Eddyville Bypass.
Interesting thread, because discussion so often focuses on the opposite - highways that didn't get built.
I will avoid making myself look like a fool and let those with more knowledge of the history speak up for my home state of NY.
Hands down the Blue Route (Mid-County Expressway/I-476) in Pennsylvania. It was planned from the 1960s, but didn't get completed until 1992 after many legal battles and design compromises (such as only building it to four lanes south of PA 3).
Quote from: Beltway on September 01, 2018, 07:16:45 PM
The 9.6 mile segment of I-66 between I-495 and Rosslyn.
The original eight-lane I-66 proposal inside the Beltway was blocked due to citizen opposition and a decision by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. I-66 was downscaled by VDH&T to four lanes (2 each way), with HOV-4 rush hour restrictions (meaning that a vehicle must have at least 4 persons onboard to legally use the highway) in the peak direction (years later reduced to HOV-3, and then to HOV-2), and with no large trucks allowed at any time. This was authorized by a new decision of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Construction spanned from 1977 to 1982.
I'm not entirely sure anything in Virginia comes close to I-66 in terms of the number of hoops that had to be jumped through in order to get it built.
I-78 in NJ was delayed and rerouted due to both environmental considerations and local opposition, which in turn caused delays due to mountainous terrain. It was, however, eventually built (more or less). It was planned in 1958 as part of the original Interstate system, but opened only in 1989. Similarly I-287, planned around the same time, only opened in 1993, due to community opposition and having to be rerouted due to costs of the original routing.
Of course, I-95 is the longest delayed, but doesn't really count as its "completion" in NJ consists entirely of redesignating existing routes. The roads themselves were actually built pretty quickly.
Quote from: Roadsguy on September 04, 2018, 09:09:15 AM
Hands down the Blue Route (Mid-County Expressway/I-476) in Pennsylvania. It was planned from the 1960s, but didn't get completed until 1992 after many legal battles and design compromises (such as only building it to four lanes south of PA 3).
The I-676 Vine Street Expressway is in close competition for that slot.
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on September 04, 2018, 10:11:00 AM
I'm not entirely sure anything in Virginia comes close to I-66 in terms of the number of hoops that had to be jumped through in order to get it built.
Probably the next closest competitor to this would be I-664 which was approved in 1968 but there were numerous hoops surrounding whether to de-certify I-64 over HRBT in conjunction; I-664 mileage running out in the middle of the James River; VDOT eventually deciding to fund the balance themselves; finding a way to get FHWA to fund the rest after all; then the actual construction which ran from the late 70s until the final segment opened in 1992.
Looking at the question slightly differently, a contender could be the US 17 York River bridge, first authorized in 1932 but not built until 1952. A bridge between Scotland-Jamestown was also authorized in 1932...still waiting on that one...
Quote from: theroadwayone on September 01, 2018, 02:14:51 PM
Which highway in your state faced the hardest obstacles--political, financial, geographical, etc--but still got built regardless?
Rereading the OP, I'd have to say I-49 Alma to Fayetteville. It was proposed as far back as 1969, though on a different alignment, but it wasn't until the 1990's that it got built. The original contractor went bankrupt and there were also set backs building the tunnel, plus the overall rugged terrain.
Quote from: Mapmikey on September 04, 2018, 12:52:42 PM
Probably the next closest competitor to this would be I-664 which was approved in 1968 but there were numerous hoops surrounding whether to de-certify I-64 over HRBT in conjunction; I-664 mileage running out in the middle of the James River; VDOT eventually deciding to fund the balance themselves; finding a way to get FHWA to fund the rest after all; then the actual construction which ran from the late 70s until the final segment opened in 1992.
No opposition, though, and as expensive as it was it all got funding under 90/10 FHWA/state funding.
The Downtown Expressway would be #2 in Virginia, as it was challenged in federal courts by opposition groups, due to high levels of business and residential relocations, impact to canal artifacts, NEPA issues as that had just been enacted, and after the main expressway was cleared for construction, the two southerly elevated ramps with I-95 were held up for a time by opponents thru the permitting process where the U.S. Coast Guard needed to issue a permit to allow RMA to build 5 bridge piers in the channel of the truncated end of the old city canal, unused by marine traffic for over 30 years and largely silted in, with or without standing water based on the amount of recent rainfall, but still considered a navigable waterway by the Coast Guard.
I know this will be debatable for OH, but the one that was the hardest to get.done was the completion of the link for the Jennings Freeway (SR-176) in Cleveland. The freeway was only built in the 60s from I-71 to Denison Avenue. It could've been connected to I-77
In the 70s via the I-480 "stub" or to I-480 when it was finally finished in 1987. But it took until 1998-99 until the missing link was done, despite the ROW being acquired and mostly cleared since the 70s.
For Colorado, I would say the westernmost stretch of I-76 in Denver (West of I-25). Prior to that nearly all the traffic from the east and north had to go through the I-70/I-25 "Mousetrap" to reach points west along I-70.
Sadly, the missing link of I-76 was underbuilt and badly needs a 3rd lane in each direction, along with I-270, as the I-70 viaduct replacement nightmare has started.
Quote from: TheOneKEA on September 02, 2018, 07:35:20 AM
There are at least three such highways in MD:
- MD 200, the Intercounty Connector. cpzillacus and Beltway could each post novel-length treatises about the political and financial mayhem that preceded the eventual start of construction of the ICC, and the environmental compromises which increased the financial difficulties and reduced the utility of the corridor.
You left one out in the same county as above - I-495 on the north edge of Chevy Chase between the I-270/MD-355 (Rockville Pike) interchange (Exits 34 and 35) and and MD-97 (Georgia Avenue) (Exit 31).
This was planned starting not long after the Interstate Act was signed in 1956 (and there had been planning work as far back as the 1940's), and may have been the first section of the Capital Beltway open to traffic by 1959 or 1960, between Exits 34 and 35 and present-day MD-185 Connecticut Avenue (Exit 33). It was originally built to parkway standards but follows the same alignment that's there today. It closed after being open for a year or two and was reconstructed into a 6 lane freeway.
There was no National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), no Section 4(F) (limits construction of federal-aid transportation projects in parklands) and no Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (limits wetland impacts) then.
Had Section 4(F) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act been in effect when this was being designed, it might have had to follow a very different path through neighborhoods with much more community impact than it did in Montgomery County (most of it runs on land that was part of Maryland's section of Rock Creek Park).
All of these provisions in federal law were used to object to MD-200 (ICC) decades later.
But the solid citizens of Chevy Chase had another weapon - Congress. Several members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate lived near the proposed routing of the Circumferential Highway as it was called then (and did not represent Maryland), but still did the bidding of the many wealthy persons in Chevy Chase that were opposed to its construction.
Then, as now, the opponents had one obstacle that they could not overcome - Gov. J. Millard Tawes (D), probably the governor that opened more freeway-class roads in the state than any other governor. In general, projects that a Maryland governor wants are likely to get approved and built, even when there is loud and frantic opposition.
Quote from: WR of USA on September 01, 2018, 08:51:04 PM
For Massachusetts, it was certainly I-93 through downtown Boston. The big dig is estimated to cost over 20 Billion dollars, filled with numerous cost overruns and tunnel leakage problems. It needed to be built regardless of costs and geological difficulties, it’s a critical corridor for the Boston area.
With respect, rebuilding the existing elevated highway - minus certain exit and entrance ramps - would have accomplished the same purpose for far less money and fewer daily operational and maintenance requirements. With the exception of the Ted Williams Tunnel, which could and should have been constructed on its own merits, the Big Dig was a glorified urban beautification project disguised as a highway improvement. And for those who don't agree with me, consider this: Old elevated Central Artery: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound. New underground O'Neill Tunnel: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound. Plus worse visibility due to constraints of tunnel ceiling.
The Central Artery was an eyesore to say the least. Be happy that thing is gone.
Quote from: roadman on September 05, 2018, 11:28:41 AM
Quote from: WR of USA on September 01, 2018, 08:51:04 PM
For Massachusetts, it was certainly I-93 through downtown Boston. The big dig is estimated to cost over 20 Billion dollars, filled with numerous cost overruns and tunnel leakage problems. It needed to be built regardless of costs and geological difficulties, it’s a critical corridor for the Boston area.
With respect, rebuilding the existing elevated highway - minus certain exit and entrance ramps - would have accomplished the same purpose for far less money and fewer daily operational and maintenance requirements. With the exception of the Ted Williams Tunnel, which could and should have been constructed on its own merits, the Big Dig was a glorified urban beautification project disguised as a highway improvement. And for those who don't agree with me, consider this: Old elevated Central Artery: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound. New underground O'Neill Tunnel: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound. Plus worse visibility due to constraints of tunnel ceiling.
I disagree. Traffic flows better through the Big Dig than it ever did on the Artery. Replacing the Artery would have been idiotic, for those of us that remember it.
That said, signage in the tunnel needs drastic visibility improvements.
Quote from: Rothman on September 05, 2018, 01:40:17 PM
Quote from: roadman on September 05, 2018, 11:28:41 AM
Quote from: WR of USA on September 01, 2018, 08:51:04 PM
For Massachusetts, it was certainly I-93 through downtown Boston. The big dig is estimated to cost over 20 Billion dollars, filled with numerous cost overruns and tunnel leakage problems. It needed to be built regardless of costs and geological difficulties, it's a critical corridor for the Boston area.
With respect, rebuilding the existing elevated highway - minus certain exit and entrance ramps - would have accomplished the same purpose for far less money and fewer daily operational and maintenance requirements. With the exception of the Ted Williams Tunnel, which could and should have been constructed on its own merits, the Big Dig was a glorified urban beautification project disguised as a highway improvement. And for those who don't agree with me, consider this: Old elevated Central Artery: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound. New underground O'Neill Tunnel: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound. Plus worse visibility due to constraints of tunnel ceiling.
I disagree. Traffic flows better through the Big Dig than it ever did on the Artery. Replacing the Artery would have been idiotic, for those of us that remember it.
That said, signage in the tunnel needs drastic visibility improvements.
The Artery was so obsolete by the time it was replaced. I can't imagine anyone wanting that highway rebuilt and it traveled right through downtown Boston making it look like Boston's second Green Monster.
Quote from: Rothman on September 05, 2018, 01:40:17 PM
That said, signage in the tunnel needs drastic visibility improvements.
Unfortunately, that is not practical. The overall panel heights are limited by the tunnel ceiling (unless you think the clearance should be reduced to accommodate larger signs - which means that most trucks could no longer use it). In fact, as panels are replaced due to damage from bouncing trucks, the heights have been reduced by half a foot to minimize the potential for similar damage in the future. So many of the current signs are less legible than the signs that were in place when the tunnel was first opened to traffic.
For SD it'd probably be US 16A on the Iron Mountain Road section (S of Keystone). That's not the greatest terrain, and it doesn't really serve any point.
Quote from: roadman on September 05, 2018, 11:28:41 AM
Old elevated Central Artery: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound. New underground O'Neill Tunnel: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound.
The tunnel has utility accel/decel lanes. The old artery did not. That makes a lot of difference.
Another one in MN was the rerouting of MN-55 between Hennepin CSAH 46 and MN-62. The bridge over Lake Street was built and sat unused for about 2 years while they waited for clearance to build the expressway down south. Local Native groups protested saying it disturbed ancient burial grounds, and there was a wetlands scare surrounding the interchange area near Fort Snelling (and the fact that water pooled...DEEP... under the bridge during construction didn't help).
Some years earlier, the last (at the time) quarter mile of MN-62 from 46th Ave to MN-55 used to reduce to a 2-lane road, and take 2 sharp turns before ending at a signal with MN-55. This was because environmentalists hoped to protect what they thought was "untouched prairie"...later they were reminded that it can't be "untouched" because the Fort had been on that property for over 100 years! Needless to say, they straightened and double-barreled that stretch soon after.
Let's see... states I've lived in...
MARYLAND: Without question, MD-200, the Intercounty Connector (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Route_200). Pretty sure they were fighting about building that one since the early 1970s. The road serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever as built. I think it would be far more useful/used if it were, as originally intended -- connected to a to-be-built additional Potomac River crossing and connected to the Fairfax County Parkway (VA-286, née VA-7100).
VIRGINIA: I don't know. The Lexus Lanes on I-495? But that happened after I moved to Maryland.
MASSACHUSETTS:Probably much of the originally-planned freeway network around Boston (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_95_in_Massachusetts#History), OR The Big Dig (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig).
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Not sure if this was statewide, but when I lived in Nashua in 2001-02, a lot of local folks cursed and swore when I asked about why the Nashua Circumferential Highway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumferential_Highway_(Nashua)) exists as nothing more than a bridge from Nashua to the Hudson Wal-Mart (seriously), and when I posited that the exit number sequence skip from 8 to 10 on the Everett Turnpike (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everett_Turnpike) was for the connection on the other end of the semicircle (to be exit 9). Back then my roadgeek tendencies would only occasionally emerge in public. ;)
NEW YORK:At least in the area where I grew up, the connection from the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Route_135) to the never-built Bayville to Rye Bridge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island_Sound_link#Oyster_Bay_to_Rye_Bridge). Said bridge would have been constructed right over a large portion of the school district where I went to elementary school and high school.
Quote from: DJ ParticleSome years earlier, the last (at the time) quarter mile of MN-62 from 46th Ave to MN-55 used to reduce to a 2-lane road, and take 2 sharp turns before ending at a signal with MN-55. This was because environmentalists hoped to protect what they thought was "untouched prairie"...later they were reminded that it can't be "untouched" because the Fort had been on that property for over 100 years! Needless to say, they straightened and double-barreled that stretch soon after.
The stretch of prairie grass in question was outside the Fort grounds. It was, and still is, just north of where the on-ramp from 55/Minnehaha merges onto westbound 62. It's behind the fenced off area there, though a few trees have grown on the grounds in the meantime.
Quote from: ilpt4u on September 01, 2018, 09:08:16 PM
Quote from: theroadwayone on September 01, 2018, 02:14:51 PM
Which highway in your state faced the hardest obstacles--political, financial, geographical, etc--but still got built regardless?
In IL:
The I-355 South Extension from I-55 to I-80 faced environmental and political issues, but did eventually get built, about a decade after it was pretty much ready to go
Those Flyover Ramp supports sat at the I-55 and I-355 interchange median for years, unused. But now, they carry the ramps and the additional I-355 mainline over I-55 in Bolingbrook
The leg of the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway/Now IL 390 Tollway from I-290 to the O'Hare Western Boundry finally got built. Who knows if the leg to Elgin, west of Lake Street is ever built...
I-355 got struck down by a judge (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-01-17/news/9701170197_1_toll-agency-toll-authority-new-tollway) in 1997.
New York has to have the Cross-Bronx somewhere high on the list. While it didn't have the political opposition as many others, its engineering was none-the-less impressive and all but impossible to imagine being done today.
Quote from: Beltway on September 04, 2018, 06:35:03 PM
Quote from: Mapmikey on September 04, 2018, 12:52:42 PM
Probably the next closest competitor to this would be I-664 which was approved in 1968 but there were numerous hoops surrounding whether to de-certify I-64 over HRBT in conjunction; I-664 mileage running out in the middle of the James River; VDOT eventually deciding to fund the balance themselves; finding a way to get FHWA to fund the rest after all; then the actual construction which ran from the late 70s until the final segment opened in 1992.
No opposition, though, and as expensive as it was it all got funding under 90/10 FHWA/state funding.
The Downtown Expressway would be #2 in Virginia, as it was challenged in federal courts by opposition groups, due to high levels of business and residential relocations, impact to canal artifacts, NEPA issues as that had just been enacted, and after the main expressway was cleared for construction, the two southerly elevated ramps with I-95 were held up for a time by opponents thru the permitting process where the U.S. Coast Guard needed to issue a permit to allow RMA to build 5 bridge piers in the channel of the truncated end of the old city canal, unused by marine traffic for over 30 years and largely silted in, with or without standing water based on the amount of recent rainfall, but still considered a navigable waterway by the Coast Guard.
I lived in Portsmouth for a few years. I'd put the second tube of the Midtown Tunnel into this discussion. It had been debated for years before I got there in 2003 and only finally was competed in 2016.
I've lived over 50 of my 62 years in either Wisconsin (until I was 31 with some gaps) or Missouri (1987 to early 2018 except 2003-07).
Wisconsin - I/WI-794, the Harbor Bridge and Lake Parkway.
Missouri - MO-364, Page Avenue extension. Though if either ever gets built, the Bella Vista bypass (fairly likely) or making US-71 through KC fully limited access (very unlikely).
Quote from: skluth on September 06, 2018, 12:58:09 PM
I lived in Portsmouth for a few years. I'd put the second tube of the Midtown Tunnel into this discussion. It had been debated for years before I got there in 2003 and only finally was competed in 2016.
The eventual need for a parallel Midtown Tunnel had been recognized since about 1980. Expanding the Midtown Tunnel was a second priority to expanding the Downtown Tunnel, though, and that was completed for the tunnel in 1987 and for the Berkley Bridge and approaches in 1991.
An EIS/location study was completed and approved by FHWA in 1996, and it included the Pinners Point Interchange (Port Norfolk Connector) and the Parallel Midtown Tunnel.
A project was ready to go for the parallel Midtown Tunnel and MLK Freeway Extension in 2000, but the cost and toll opposition prevented it from moving forward. The cost was about $600 million back then and by the time that the current project was started in 2012 it was $1.4 billion for construction, and was completed in 2016, and both tunnels were tolled to help pay for the project.
Quote from: DJ Particle on September 06, 2018, 07:31:27 AM
Quote from: roadman on September 05, 2018, 11:28:41 AM
Old elevated Central Artery: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound. New underground O'Neill Tunnel: 3 through lanes northbound, 3 through lanes southbound.
The tunnel has utility accel/decel lanes. The old artery did not. That makes a lot of difference.
I also was thinking that the tunnel had far fewer exits and entrances than the Central Artery (granted, I didn't live during the Artery days, but I've seen videos of it). Just look at I-84 in Hartford for a still-standing example of why too many exits and entrances are a bad idea. I can recall many times where I dreaded entering I-84 from Sigourney Street. I have no idea how my father managed to do it every day.
Quote from: Beltway on September 06, 2018, 01:25:01 PM
Quote from: skluth on September 06, 2018, 12:58:09 PM
I lived in Portsmouth for a few years. I'd put the second tube of the Midtown Tunnel into this discussion. It had been debated for years before I got there in 2003 and only finally was competed in 2016.
The eventual need for a parallel Midtown Tunnel had been recognized since about 1980. Expanding the Midtown Tunnel was a second priority to expanding the Downtown Tunnel, though, and that was completed for the tunnel in 1987 and for the Berkley Bridge and approaches in 1991.
An EIS/location study was completed and approved by FHWA in 1996, and it included the Pinners Point Interchange (Port Norfolk Connector) and the Parallel Midtown Tunnel.
A project was ready to go for the parallel Midtown Tunnel and MLK Freeway Extension in 2000, but the cost and toll opposition prevented it from moving forward. The cost was about $600 million back then and by the time that the current project was started in 2012 it was $1.4 billion for construction, and was completed in 2016, and both tunnels were tolled to help pay for the project.
Thanks for the background. I know my neighbors in Shea Terrace had given up on the second tube ever being built and were steadfastly opposed to a toll. Pinners Point was completed while I was there and thought to be something to help people getting to the Navy bases quicker at the expense of views for Point Norfolk residents. (Though they were also happy all those cars were no longer whizzing down Mt Vernon.) Personally, I would have been fine with tolls even though I had a back access to the tunnel through the east end of Point Norfolk which made my morning commute relatively simple. I'm glad the tunnel was finally built along with completing the MLK Freeway.
As for most difficult non-urban highway, I think State Route 20 (specifically, the North Cascades Highway) takes the cake for Washington.
A northerly crossing of the Cascades was the first state highway ever legislated, way back in 1895 (a mere 6 years after statehood), but was not opened to traffic until 1972. Between that time, the state had to relocate their planned alignment further north, route it around new hydroelectric dams built by Seattle, and exercise delicate care in handling a brand-new national park.
Quote from: sparker on September 02, 2018, 12:33:15 AM
..............that would have to be the last segment of I-5 to be constructed from Shasta Lake to Castle Crags in the Sacramento River canyon. .
Ironically, this last section to be built is the one that is now shut down because of the huge "Delta" wildfire north of Redding; as of the last news report (an hour ago) it's burning on both sides of the freeway with flames reaching 200' height and has resulted in several abandoned (and now burned) big rigs being left in lanes. The parallel UP main line to Oregon has also been shut down north of Redding; there is
0% containment at this time. Although Caltrans has gone on the record and stated that they'll try to have I-5 reopened by tomorrow afternoon, it doesn't look good tonight!
Quote from: skluth on September 07, 2018, 12:59:01 AM
Thanks for the background. I know my neighbors in Shea Terrace had given up on the second tube ever being built and were steadfastly opposed to a toll. Pinners Point was completed while I was there and thought to be something to help people getting to the Navy bases quicker at the expense of views for Point Norfolk residents. (Though they were also happy all those cars were no longer whizzing down Mt Vernon.) Personally, I would have been fine with tolls even though I had a back access to the tunnel through the east end of Point Norfolk which made my morning commute relatively simple. I'm glad the tunnel was finally built along with completing the MLK Freeway.
Retolling the tunnels was a bitter pill to swallow for many people. There were economic studies back in the 1970s showing the regional benefits from detolling the major bridges and tunnels, and that was used to help obtain 90% FHWA Interstate funding so that this could occur while expanding and building new tunnels.
What I don't understand is why no federal funding was used on the ERT Tunnels project. Given the direct correlation between the need for those being tunnels in the first place, and the massive Navy and military presence in the area, they should have been offered at least a billion dollars in special federal funding above and beyond normal highway allocations, to fund that project.
For New York, I could make an argument for the then-NY 17 expressway (you can see from my avatar that I'm a bit biased). Due to safety issues on the old road that predated the Eisenhower Interstate Program, and multiple successful attempts by the Thruway Authority to thwart the route's inclusion once the program started, the expressway had to be built without interstate funding, and was paid for primarily by the state. As a result, while construction started in 1947, the expressway was not complete until 1997. Along the way, the state faced a number of issues:
- steep grades and extensive mountain carving in the Catskills (admittedly nothing nearly as spectacular as projects such as I-70 in CO or I-68 in MD)
- narrow passages along the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Allegheny Rivers, resulting in creative construction solutions (e.g., the elevated expressway over old Route 17 near Exit 92) and some full closures for repairs
- legislative coordination with Pennsylvania on the section that dips into South Waverly, PA, so that PA could acquire properties and easements while NY could construct and maintain the portion of the expressway, and so that the NY and PA state police forces would be able to coordinate responses to incidents on that stretch of the highway
- off-ramps for Exits 59A and 61 that are also in PA
- decades of disputes with the Seneca Nation, including the state using the controversial construction of the Kinzua Dam in part to acquire land for the new highway along a route that would destroy the Seneca village of Red House, a 1976 agreement that governed land acquisitions through the Allegany Reservation and tax exemptions for Native American tribes (and which affects state relations with the Seneca to this day), a rift between members of the Seneca Nation over the agreement that led to a 1985 protest where the protestors set up a camp on the highway itself, and another protest and 30-mile blockage in 1992 where the Seneca Nation threatened to take back the land on which the expressway was built (lingering issues continue to lead to years of delay for the rehabilitation of the road in the area)
- multiple lawsuits with local groups and disputes with the USDOT on the environmental impact of routing the expressway over Lake Chautauqua to serve Erie vs. along the east shore of the lake to serve Mayville and Westfield, which delayed the construction and opening of the bridge until 1982
- the Corning Bypass, a tight bypass hugging the northern city border to minimize property damage while working around very hilly territory, where the geography and planning delayed opening until 1995
Quote from: thenetwork on September 04, 2018, 08:46:48 PM
I know this will be debatable for OH, but the one that was the hardest to get.done was the completion of the link for the Jennings Freeway (SR-176) in Cleveland. The freeway was only built in the 60s from I-71 to Denison Avenue. It could've been connected to I-77
In the 70s via the I-480 "stub" or to I-480 when it was finally finished in 1987. But it took until 1998-99 until the missing link was done, despite the ROW being acquired and mostly cleared since the 70s.
First one that popped into my head for Ohio was I-670. It sat unconnected at Grandview Ave for 30-odd years. And if I remember correctly, Columbus basically had to beg to get the airport section completed in the "˜80s. They were told it wasn't a particularly important piece of highway, or something. Seems funny now that it's the stretch getting flex lanes and variable speed limits, etc. Honestly, though, I don't know that much about the history of freeways in the Cleveland area to say how that stack up to your suggestion.
Quote from: tckma on September 06, 2018, 08:07:39 AM
Let's see... states I've lived in...
....
VIRGINIA: I don't know. The Lexus Lanes on I-495? But that happened after I moved to Maryland.
....
I assume by that you mean the HO/T lanes. Nowhere anywhere remotely close, not even a fraction of anything close, to the opposition/controversy over I-66 inside the Beltway. Most of the "opposition" to the HO/T lanes is uneducated whiners who got dinged for a toll violation and media trolls who want to invent a scandal.
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 09, 2018, 08:42:18 PM
Quote from: tckma on September 06, 2018, 08:07:39 AM
VIRGINIA: I don't know. The Lexus Lanes on I-495? But that happened after I moved to Maryland.
I assume by that you mean the HO/T lanes. Nowhere anywhere remotely close, not even a fraction of anything close, to the opposition/controversy over I-66 inside the Beltway. Most of the "opposition" to the HO/T lanes is uneducated whiners who got dinged for a toll violation and media trolls who want to invent a scandal.
No significant opposition to the I-495 HOT Lanes Project. They already had enough right-of-way to where widening to 6 lanes each way had rather minimal impacts to residential areas and parklands, and extensive use of sound barriers helped to mitigate noise impacts.
The very nice upgrade to the I-66/I-495 interchange also required very little new right-of-way.
One of the studied alternates was a dual-divided design with 4-2-2-4 lane/roadway configuration. The outer separators would have increased the cross-section width to where large impacts to residential areas and parklands would have occurred.
For Southern California, I'd argue that it's Interstate 105. It took 30 years to build, faced a ton of lawsuits, and lost some mileage on both ends. Even after it opened, it faced issues like the threat of portions sinking for being too close to saturated ground underneath.
Quote from: Occidental Tourist on September 10, 2018, 02:07:10 AM
For Southern California, I'd argue that it's Interstate 105. It took 30 years to build, faced a ton of lawsuits, and lost some mileage on both ends. Even after it opened, it faced issues like the threat of portions sinking for being too close to saturated ground underneath.
I'd wager in a historical context getting a viable direct route from Los Angeles to Bakersfield was a much more difficult venture. The El Camino Viejo and Stockton-Los Angeles Road were far less direct than the Ridge Route was. Commuter access to/from San Joaquin Valley is easy now because it literally took well over 100 years to get a true direct route built.
the i-65/70 north split interchange reconstruction, the north split is going to be reconstructed in 5 yrs. NIMBYS want this insane at grade blvd to replace it, this is one of the busiest interchanges in the state. I think INDOT will win this one, it needs 0 r/w to be done. The improvements will consist of changing all the exits from the left to exits to the right, an aux lane for each direction, and a reconfig of the split diamond interchange, as well as a slight mod to the west split at MLK st.
For Nevada, the current I-15 Project Neon is probably the most difficult highway project from a pure construction logistics perspective, but has overall gone rather smoothly in terms of design and construction.
I think the project that has given NDOT the most difficulty in getting designed and constructed would be the I-580 extension between south Reno and Washoe Valley. It faced a lot of challenges:
- Figuring out the alignment: NIMBY activity resulted in the hillside alignment chosen, as opposed to potential alignments closer to old US 395.
- Terrain: Given the hillside/mountain alignment chosen, it partially runs through a geothermal area. The Galena Creek crossing was also a big obstacle.
- Construction challenges: Construction began in 2003, but NDOT and the original contractor terminated their contract in 2006 over issues/disputes on the proposed construction method of the Galena Creek Bridge. This resulted in a stop down lasting well over a year and legal issues with the original contractor. The project was eventually re-bid to another contractor, and a new construction method used to build the bridge–temporarily filling in the creek so as to have a base on which to set falsework, which resulted in a significant material fill 140 feet tall at the greatest depth and 385 feet wide along the creek bed (with a 40-foot diameter culvert underneath the fill to allow creek flows to continue). This posed additional environmental challenges in that the hillside and creekbed vegetation had to be restored upon project completion.
- Timeline: Due to the contractor issue, changing construction methods, and a few change orders, the project was delayed by about 2-1/2 years. I believe original completion was expected in late 2009-early 2010, but it wasn't finished until summer 2012.
- Cost: At the time of completion it was the most expensive NDOT project ever ($550 million, if memory serves), due to the legal issues, changes, and a few cost overruns. (The most expensive project title now belongs to Project Neon.)
Florida: Tamiami Trail from Naples to Miami. Building a road through 90 miles of virtually uninhabited swampland with 1920s technology...
Quote from: formulanone on September 16, 2018, 08:04:20 PM
Florida: Tamiami Trail from Naples to Miami. Building a road through 90 miles of virtually uninhabited swampland with 1920s technology...
Even more fascinating that it ultimately yielded two roads when you consider the Everglades Loop Road. Essentially Monroe County wanted the Tamiami Trail to dip into Mainland Monroe but they ultimately didn't really get their wish. The Loop Road actually had a couple communities on it; most notably Pinecrest of Al Capone fame.
Agreed with I-66 for Virginia with VA 195 in a distant 2nd.
If there were to be a "3rd place", I'd say I-64 west of downtown Richmond.
Quote from: 6a on September 09, 2018, 04:34:27 PM
Quote from: thenetwork on September 04, 2018, 08:46:48 PM
I know this will be debatable for OH, but the one that was the hardest to get.done was the completion of the link for the Jennings Freeway (SR-176) in Cleveland. The freeway was only built in the 60s from I-71 to Denison Avenue. It could've been connected to I-77
In the 70s via the I-480 "stub" or to I-480 when it was finally finished in 1987. But it took until 1998-99 until the missing link was done, despite the ROW being acquired and mostly cleared since the 70s.
First one that popped into my head for Ohio was I-670. It sat unconnected at Grandview Ave for 30-odd years. And if I remember correctly, Columbus basically had to beg to get the airport section completed in the "˜80s. They were told it wasn't a particularly important piece of highway, or something. Seems funny now that it's the stretch getting flex lanes and variable speed limits, etc. Honestly, though, I don't know that much about the history of freeways in the Cleveland area to say how that stack up to your suggestion.
If we broke it down to individual cities in Ohio, the hardest freeways to complete were:
- Akron -- The I-76/77 connector to the SR-59 Innerbelt.
- Cincinnati -- The Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway
- Cleveland -- The SR-176 Jennings Freeway
- Columbus -- I-670
- Toledo -- The direct I-80/90 Ohio Turnpike connection to I-75/SR-795
- Youngstown -- SR-711 between I-80 and Downtown.
For California, terrain-wise, CA 1 between Carmel and Cambria, hands down. Opposition-wise, US 101 through San Francisco. The fact that the routing from the Bayshore to the Golden Gate Bridge has changed so many times because of SF's anti-freeway stance make this one pretty difficult.
Quote from: thenetwork on September 17, 2018, 10:03:02 AM
Quote from: 6a on September 09, 2018, 04:34:27 PM
Quote from: thenetwork on September 04, 2018, 08:46:48 PM
I know this will be debatable for OH, but the one that was the hardest to get.done was the completion of the link for the Jennings Freeway (SR-176) in Cleveland. The freeway was only built in the 60s from I-71 to Denison Avenue. It could've been connected to I-77
In the 70s via the I-480 "stub" or to I-480 when it was finally finished in 1987. But it took until 1998-99 until the missing link was done, despite the ROW being acquired and mostly cleared since the 70s.
First one that popped into my head for Ohio was I-670. It sat unconnected at Grandview Ave for 30-odd years. And if I remember correctly, Columbus basically had to beg to get the airport section completed in the "˜80s. They were told it wasn't a particularly important piece of highway, or something. Seems funny now that it's the stretch getting flex lanes and variable speed limits, etc. Honestly, though, I don't know that much about the history of freeways in the Cleveland area to say how that stack up to your suggestion.
If we broke it down to individual cities in Ohio, the hardest freeways to complete were:
- Akron -- The I-76/77 connector to the SR-59 Innerbelt.
- Cincinnati -- The Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway
- Cleveland -- The SR-176 Jennings Freeway
- Columbus -- I-670
- Toledo -- The direct I-80/90 Ohio Turnpike connection to I-75/SR-795
- Youngstown -- SR-711 between I-80 and Downtown.
- Dayton - I-675 - On hold from 1973 to 1982 with only a short section running from I-70 to North Fairfield Road
I wasnt sure if it would've been the I-675 bypass or US-35 going through Dayton.