I'm not sure what the biggest interchange in Oregon is, maybe where 405 meets 5 in Portland (the south junction) but it's far from the best designed. Left exit for 405 from 5 SB, a ramp to OR 43 that's narrow and comes up quick.
Best designed one I might have seen in this state is I-5 at OR-569 near Eugene. Nice flyovers and seems to manage flow well.
I-71/75 in Cincinnati for Ohio, and no, it's not well designed. There's a reason why this interchange made top 10 for worst truck bottlenecks for the past few years. It will most likely get rebuilt if the Brent Spence Bridge gets replaced
:hmmm: Maybe the north split in indiana? (65/70) it's being rebuilt this year though.
For Utah the answer is by far the Spaghetti Bowl (I-15/I-80/SR 201/various local streets). Nothing else comes close.
It was entirely rebuilt in 2001 for the Olympics the next year, so it flows pretty well. I only have a couple minor issues with it:
1) It lacks a direct connection from the SR 201 freeway to 2100 South - that movement involves detouring through the 900 West interchange on 201.
2) It lacks a ramp from 2100 South to I-80 east, instead requiring travelers to spend an extra mile on surface streets to reach the I-80 interchange on State Street (US 89).
For Michigan, there is 2 large ones within a few miles:
(1) the I-96/I-275/I-696/M-5 interchange. This interchange was more ad hock over the years.
(2) The I-696/M-10/US-24 interchange.
There are 2 big interchanges by Milwaukee -- Marquette (I-43/94/794) and Zoo (I-41/94/894, US 45). The Marquette was reconstructed 10 years ago and the Zoo is in its reconstruction, s they are good to ride on.
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 11, 2021, 06:34:28 PM
I-71/75 in Cincinnati for Ohio, and no, it's not well designed. There's a reason why this interchange made top 10 for worst truck bottlenecks for the past few years. It will most likely get rebuilt if the Brent Spence Bridge gets replaced
I recall reading once that the I-70 / I-77 interchange near Cambridge in southeastern Ohio was the largest in the state, as far as total acreage consumed by the interchange footprint. It's a relatively simple and symmetrical layout with two loop ramps from I-70 and two offsetting left exit ramps from I-77:
https://goo.gl/maps/CYhf7y8iXKGWEggW9
The biggest in terms of ramps is the Marquette. The biggest in terms of traffic volume is the Zoo (supposedly; either way it's very close). WISDOT loves big interchanges. The vast majority of them have been built within the last decade, including several along the I-41 corridor: Zoo in Milwaukee, US-45 in Oshkosh, US-10/WI-441 in Appleton, WI-29/Shawano Ave in Green Bay, and I-41/I-43 in Green Bay. As for best designed, both the Zoo and Marquette are very impressive, but I have to give it to the Marquette because of the space constraints, with it being in downtown while the Zoo is further out. Hopefully the Stadium Interchange (I-94 and Miller Park Way) gets a makeover soon.
Quote from: silverback1065 on February 11, 2021, 06:42:47 PM
:hmmm: Maybe the north split in indiana? (65/70) it's being rebuilt this year though.
I think it's one of the I-70/I-465 interchanges.
Minnesota's is probably 35W/94/MN 55 which involves a winding mess of ramps between the three highways plus on-ramps and off-ramps to and from city streets. Other than there's no SB 35W-EB 94 direct movement (that's handled by Washington Ave and Cedar Ave), I've never found anything wrong with it.
Quote from: Big John on February 11, 2021, 08:46:03 PM
There are 2 big interchanges by Milwaukee -- Marquette (I-43/94/794) and Zoo (I-41/94/894, US 45). The Marquette was reconstructed 10 years ago and the Zoo is in its reconstruction, s they are good to ride on.
Have you been down to Milwaukee recently? Zoo has been finished for about 3 years now. It's really nice. One of the best in the country for sure.
Quote from: thspfc on February 11, 2021, 09:19:27 PM
Quote from: silverback1065 on February 11, 2021, 06:42:47 PM
:hmmm: Maybe the north split in indiana? (65/70) it's being rebuilt this year though.
I think it's one of the I-70/I-465 interchanges.
The eastside one perhaps. They're both about the same size. Actually the current construction plans for the North Split might make it a tad smaller. One of the ideas of its redesign is to make it a little more simpler and efficient. It's large size was partially due to uneeded ramps that were never utilized. I would also wager that the upcoming redesign of the northeast side I-465/I-69 interchange might be among the biggest when completed.
One further note, I wonder how the I-65/Borman Expressway (80/94) interchange is size wise?
Quote from: coldshoulder on February 11, 2021, 09:17:17 PM
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 11, 2021, 06:34:28 PM
I-71/75 in Cincinnati for Ohio, and no, it's not well designed. There's a reason why this interchange made top 10 for worst truck bottlenecks for the past few years. It will most likely get rebuilt if the Brent Spence Bridge gets replaced
I recall reading once that the I-70 / I-77 interchange near Cambridge in southeastern Ohio was the largest in the state, as far as total acreage consumed by the interchange footprint. It's a relatively simple and symmetrical layout with two loop ramps from I-70 and two offsetting left exit ramps from I-77:
https://goo.gl/maps/CYhf7y8iXKGWEggW9
Totally skipped over that one because of its simplicity. I was debating between I-71/75 and I-71/670, eventually went with 71/75. But I like the design of that interchange.
Quote from: thspfc on February 11, 2021, 09:22:42 PM
Quote from: Big John on February 11, 2021, 08:46:03 PM
There are 2 big interchanges by Milwaukee -- Marquette (I-43/94/794) and Zoo (I-41/94/894, US 45). The Marquette was reconstructed 10 years ago and the Zoo is in its reconstruction, s they are good to ride on.
Have you been down to Milwaukee recently? Zoo has been finished for about 3 years now. It's really nice. One of the best in the country for sure.
Sorry about that. i have its schedule mixed up. :ded:
Maryland: Once fully built out it'll be the northeast I-95/I-695 interchange (currently a 4-level stack, with direct flyovers to/from the I-95 ETL's to be added later), but for the moment it might be a close contest between the aforementioned interchange, I-70/I-695, I-270/I-370, I-95/I-495 College Park, I-95/I-495/I-595/US 50, & I-95/I-495/I-295/Nat'l Harbor. If I-270/I-495 was one interchange instead of 3 partial interchanges spread out from each other, it would probably be in the running too. Also worth noting is the 3 closely-spaced interchanges in Frederick where I-70, I-270, US 15, US 40, & US 340 all meet - none of them are too large on their own, but when viewed as one big interchange system I think it's rather impressive.
All are fairly well designed, with a couple exceptions:
-The ramp from I-495 EB to I-95 NB in College Park has a fairly sharp curve, and the last half-mile on I-495 leading up to the ramp has quite a bit of weaving as everyone tries to squeeze over for the exit.
-The I-70/I-695 stack was well-designed for its intended use had I-70 been completed to I-95, but we all know what happened there and now the ramps leading to/from the west are heavily utilized (none more so than I-70 EB to I-695 NB) while to/from the east is underutilized.
-I-70 WB thru the Frederick interchanges has an unusual lane configuration that likely contributes to the recurring congestion there - enters with 3 lanes + an aux lane from exit 54; this aux lane + the right 2 lanes gradually depart at exits 53 & 52 while 2 lanes add on the left from I-270, the left of which ends. Which leaves 70 with 2 lanes leaving Frederick. Got all that? :spin:
1995hoo, any thoughts on what the biggest interchange might be across the Potomac in your state? :bigass:
Quote from: thspfc on February 11, 2021, 09:22:42 PM
Quote from: Big John on February 11, 2021, 08:46:03 PM
There are 2 big interchanges by Milwaukee -- Marquette (I-43/94/794) and Zoo (I-41/94/894, US 45). The Marquette was reconstructed 10 years ago and the Zoo is in its reconstruction, s they are good to ride on.
Have you been down to Milwaukee recently? Zoo has been finished for about 3 years now. It's really nice. One of the best in the country for sure.
Speaking of the Zoo, I saw that this just happened the other day - the driver survived, fortunately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsUw5UZEJ4g
Quote from: tdindy88 on February 11, 2021, 09:28:00 PM
Quote from: thspfc on February 11, 2021, 09:19:27 PM
Quote from: silverback1065 on February 11, 2021, 06:42:47 PM
:hmmm: Maybe the north split in indiana? (65/70) it's being rebuilt this year though.
I think it's one of the I-70/I-465 interchanges.
The eastside one perhaps. They're both about the same size. Actually the current construction plans for the North Split might make it a tad smaller. One of the ideas of its redesign is to make it a little more simpler and efficient. It's large size was partially due to uneeded ramps that were never utilized. I would also wager that the upcoming redesign of the northeast side I-465/I-69 interchange might be among the biggest when completed.
One further note, I wonder how the I-65/Borman Expressway (80/94) interchange is size wise?
The I-65/Borman interchange is pretty expansive as the NB->WB and EB->SB ramps are a good 1/2 mile or so away from the rest of the interchange.
Largest here is obviously the I-25/I-70 interchange (the Mousetrap). It's fine, but EB 70 -> SB I-25 always clogs up pretty well on the weekends with people coming back from the mountains.
Chris
I don't even know where to begin in Texas. All the big interchanges are interchangeable stacks. I can say that they are well designed.
For MO, I'd say KC's Alphabet loop. Not really a single interchange, but lots of them contained therein. And no, it's not particularly well designed.
Crazy irregular interchanges in NJ:
- US 1-9/Newark Airport/NJ 81 (indirectly), US 1-9/US 22/NJ 21/I-78/Newark Airport Connector, US 1-9/I-78, and I-78/I-95 (Newark Airport spaghetti bowl)
- I-95/US 46 (Ridgefield)
- I-95/US 1-9/US 46/NJ 4/NJ 67 (indirectly)/PIP (indirectly) (Fort Lee)
- I-76/I-676/US 130 (indirectly)/NJ 168 (indirectly) (Camden)
- US 30/US 130/NJ 38/NJ 70 (indirectly) (Pennsauken)
Quote from: coldshoulder on February 11, 2021, 09:17:17 PM
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 11, 2021, 06:34:28 PM
I-71/75 in Cincinnati for Ohio, and no, it's not well designed. There's a reason why this interchange made top 10 for worst truck bottlenecks for the past few years. It will most likely get rebuilt if the Brent Spence Bridge gets replaced
I recall reading once that the I-70 / I-77 interchange near Cambridge in southeastern Ohio was the largest in the state, as far as total acreage consumed by the interchange footprint. It's a relatively simple and symmetrical layout with two loop ramps from I-70 and two offsetting left exit ramps from I-77:
https://goo.gl/maps/CYhf7y8iXKGWEggW9
I remember it being touted as largest in the country. It was featured on an Ohio State Highway map cover, probably sometime in the 1970s. I don't know if it still is, but looking at the Google map, I would guess it has been surpassed.
Quote from: jayhawkco on February 12, 2021, 11:07:58 AM
Largest here is obviously the I-25/I-70 interchange (the Mousetrap). It's fine, but EB 70 -> SB I-25 always clogs up pretty well on the weekends with people coming back from the mountains.
Chris
With the EB 70 to SB 25 movement, is the US 6 freeway also used as an alternative to that movement? I would be surprised if everyone relied on that one ramp movement, but not a lot of people use US 6 to get from EB 70 to SB 25.
The East Los Angeles Interchange, both in volume and sheer size.
Looking at it and the San Bernardino Split just north of there, part of me wonders if the simplest thing would have been to have the Golden State Freeway end right at the San Bernardino Split, and have a simpler interchange for the Pomona/Santa Monica with the Santa Ana instead. A rail yard north of the Split (and west of I-5/Golden State Freeway) is what possibly precluded this.
In many ways the eventual East Los Angeles configuration + the current route designation choices in the area were adaptive towards existing roads (Santa Ana Freeway, San Bernardino Freeway) rather than the most logical, particularly I-10's jog from the Santa Monica to the Golden State and then San Bernardino Freeways.
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 12, 2021, 04:07:43 PM
Quote from: jayhawkco on February 12, 2021, 11:07:58 AM
Largest here is obviously the I-25/I-70 interchange (the Mousetrap). It's fine, but EB 70 -> SB I-25 always clogs up pretty well on the weekends with people coming back from the mountains.
Chris
With the EB 70 to SB 25 movement, is the US 6 freeway also used as an alternative to that movement? I would be surprised if everyone relied on that one ramp movement, but not a lot of people use US 6 to get from EB 70 to SB 25.
I always take US6 myself, but I'm sure there is a good segment of the populace that isn't using Google Maps that just know that I-70 and I-25 connect and they need to get onto I-25 south. (The US6 WB->I-25 SB traffic also sucks on the weekends.)
I've always been amazed by the amount of people who don't know what "shape" the highways take in their city. I'm sure my wife has no idea
why we take US6 west when we're going to the mountains instead of I-70.
Chris
How are we defining "biggest" interchange?
There's a lot of different ways I can think of, from the one that covers the most land area, to the one with the most road miles, to the one with the highest overall traffic volumes.
Quote from: webny99 on February 12, 2021, 04:43:16 PM
How are we defining "biggest" interchange?
There's a lot of different ways I can think of, from the one that covers the most land area, to the one with the most road miles, to the one with the highest overall traffic volumes.
It seems like either way can work with what is in the thread already. Like for Ohio, I-70/77 is largest for land area, but I chose one of the busiest by traffic volumes.
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 12, 2021, 05:09:27 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 12, 2021, 04:43:16 PM
How are we defining "biggest" interchange?
There's a lot of different ways I can think of, from the one that covers the most land area, to the one with the most road miles, to the one with the highest overall traffic volumes.
It seems like either way can work with what is in the thread already. Like for Ohio, I-70/77 is largest for land area, but I chose one of the busiest by traffic volumes.
I realize it's kind of a tough definition. Let's go with traffic volume.
Quote from: TheStranger on February 12, 2021, 04:19:33 PM
The East Los Angeles Interchange, both in volume and sheer size.
Looking at it and the San Bernardino Split just north of there, part of me wonders if the simplest thing would have been to have the Golden State Freeway end right at the San Bernardino Split, and have a simpler interchange for the Pomona/Santa Monica with the Santa Ana instead. A rail yard north of the Split (and west of I-5/Golden State Freeway) is what possibly precluded this.
In many ways the eventual East Los Angeles configuration + the current route designation choices in the area were adaptive towards existing roads (Santa Ana Freeway, San Bernardino Freeway) rather than the most logical, particularly I-10's jog from the Santa Monica to the Golden State and then San Bernardino Freeways.
Quite correct as to the former SP railyard east of the L.A. River and north of the "San Bernardino Split", which was SP's major regional TOFC (trailers-on-flat-cars, or "piggyback") facility until the mid-'70's, a decade and a half after I-5 was built through Lincoln Heights and Boyle Heights. Bridging that yard and reconstructing the "split" would have required expanding both the Santa Ana and San Bernardino freeways as part of any project; the latter happened in the late '70's and early '80's while the "split" and the approaches to it haven't been significantly altered since the early '60's, except for the removal of the old single-lane flyover from the WB I-10 spur to SB US 101. But also the DOH had their "master plan" for an Interstate arc around downtown L.A. consisting of the Golden State/I-5 freeway on the east and the Santa Monica/I-10 freeway on the south, all looping around downtown. They reasoned that a separate through set of Interstate facilities, not superimposed on the existing "spoke" system emanating from the 4-Level Interchange located downtown, would be optimal to parse out through traffic from that with an origin or destination downtown, which was anticipated to continue using the older/extant freeway facilities. Of course, the "arc" would be close enough to the city core to also be a partial server (particularly I-10 between current I-110 and the ELA interchange), but the principal aim was to divert, as much as possible, through and interregional traffic from that of downtown. The basic layout of the "arc" was set in stone when it was decided to extend I-10 west to Santa Monica, with a short segment of the arc hosting both the N-S I-5 and the E-W I-10 through routes.
All that being said, while the ELA interchange likely occupies more acreage than any other in or near central L.A., it would be interesting to compare its total lane-miles with the I-105/I-110 interchange in South Central; with the duplicative ramps for the HOV lanes along with the general-traffic "stack", and the long approaches to the flyovers, it may come pretty close in terms of those sheer lane-miles.
In respect to "design", it could be safely said that the ELA interchange wasn't really "designed" as much as fit as well as possible into the topology of the immediate area, including the bluffs on the east side of the L.A. River. As far as actual architecture goes, the aforementioned I-105/110 interchange is something of a "work of art" (except for that one straggler NB 110>WB 105 loop); fit into the neighborhood (and that during the controversy over displacement stemming from I-105 development) without massive additional loss of local housing. Upshot -- while 105/110 looks like a well-designed stack, ELA has always reminded me of an overturned bowl of spaghetti.
It'll be interesting to see how the in-process I-80/680/CA 12 interchange near Cordelia compares to the L.A. examples.
I-85/I-285/GA 14 Conn/GA 279 near Hartfield Airport is Georgia's biggest interchange, and the most impressive as far as its layout. However, the short weave on westbound 285 between GA 139 and the offramps to I-85 and the GA 14C-GA 279 CD road is getting to be a serious problem that'll be difficult to fix.
Here in VA the Springfield complex is a mess, but it works decently. It takes 95/495/395, both regular lanes as well as express lanes, plus a connection to 644/Franconia Rd, in all kinds of ways. It's a weird intersection. Some of it feels weird. At times, it seems you do way more road miles than necessary, especially when using the Express.
Quote from: Tom958 on February 12, 2021, 10:00:17 PM
I-85/I-285/GA 14 Conn/GA 279 near Hartfield Airport is Georgia's biggest interchange, and the most impressive as far as its layout. However, the short weave on westbound 285 between GA 139 and the offramps to I-85 and the GA 14C-GA 279 CD road is getting to be a serious problem that'll be difficult to fix.
That onramp from 139 to I-285 could just be closed and traffic could be directed to enter via the I-85 interchange nearby
Quote from: ran4sh on February 12, 2021, 11:10:32 PM
That onramp from 139 to I-285 could just be closed and traffic could be directed to enter via the I-85 interchange nearby
Yeah, but that would suck. :clap:
Arizona's is I-10 / AZ 51 / Loop 202 aka the "mini stack" . It flows okay except for the fact that traffic going straight (unless HOV) has to exit. Lots of delays occur on the Loop 202W to I-10W segment as well as AZ 51S toI-10 E where large volumes of traffic lose lanes in the primary directions.
The best designed interchange is the I-10 / I-17 "stack" interchange which is overbuilt in some movements but allows traffic to move through it fairly efficiently..
Quote from: Big John on February 11, 2021, 08:46:03 PM
There are 2 big interchanges by Milwaukee -- Marquette (I-43/94/794) and Zoo (I-41/94/894, US 45). The Marquette was reconstructed 10 years ago and the Zoo is in its reconstruction, s they are good to ride on.
The Badger Interchange (I-39/90/94/WI 30) in Madison likely covers much more land area than either.
For best designed, I'd have to go with the Zoo Interchange.
Mike
Best designed interchange in California would have to be the the 5/14/210 interchange in Sylmar. It reconfigured and incorporated the existing highway into the new design in a beneficial way as well as addressed the grade issues.
Quote from: mgk920 on February 13, 2021, 11:09:07 PM
Quote from: Big John on February 11, 2021, 08:46:03 PM
There are 2 big interchanges by Milwaukee -- Marquette (I-43/94/794) and Zoo (I-41/94/894, US 45). The Marquette was reconstructed 10 years ago and the Zoo is in its reconstruction, s they are good to ride on.
The Badger Interchange (I-39/90/94/WI 30) in Madison likely covers much more land area than either.
For best designed, I'd have to go with the Zoo Interchange.
Mike
The Badger is a 1970s mess of left exits. WisDOT is lucky that it's in a fairly rural area (so space wasn't a concern) and doesn't serve as much traffic as some other interchanges in its vicinity. But I'm not in the camp that wants it torn down and rebuilt. Spend that $$$ on the Beltline, please.
Quote from: jmacswimmer on February 12, 2021, 09:31:34 AM
....
1995hoo, any thoughts on what the biggest interchange might be across the Potomac in your state? :bigass:
....
Only just now looking at this thread. I think it may be the diamond interchange of VA-79 and I-66 in Linden.
:bigass:
Quote from: ahj2000 on February 12, 2021, 10:09:02 PM
Here in VA the Springfield complex is a mess, but it works decently. It takes 95/495/395, both regular lanes as well as express lanes, plus a connection to 644/Franconia Rd, in all kinds of ways. It's a weird intersection. Some of it feels weird. At times, it seems you do way more road miles than necessary, especially when using the Express.
That interchange is obviously the answer for Virginia. I wouldn't say it's a "mess." Complicated, yes, no question. Unforgiving to someone who makes a mistake, definitely. But a "mess," no, because I'd say it was a complete mess 25 years ago before it was rebuilt into what it is now. The interchange is designed to eliminate big problems with weaving and merging that were inherent in the old design. It segregates local traffic heading to Springfield from long-distance traffic passing through the area, and it does an excellent job of that and it has eliminated some very long backups that occurred on a daily basis (for example, during the afternoon rush hour it used to be that you could forget about getting onto the Beltway's Inner Loop from Van Dorn Street because the backup caused by the weave area on I-95 in Springfield extended more than three miles (thus, past Van Dorn). That's no longer a problem.
If you're not familiar with it, you do have to read and obey all the BGSs telling you which lane to use, and that can cause problems because so many people seem to be used to the idea that it's not a big deal to be in the wrong lane.
Quote from: cwf1701 on February 11, 2021, 06:53:54 PM
(1) the I-96/I-275/I-696/M-5 interchange. This interchange was more ad hock over the years.
Pretty good design considering it was bolted onto over the years. A five-way interchange with direct connections to all other routes within the interchange. Only glaring omission is a C/D lane for the two loop ramps on the ramp from wb I-696 to sb I-275.
Quote from: cwf1701 on February 11, 2021, 06:53:54 PM
(2) The I-696/M-10/US-24 interchange.
This interchange flat-out sucks in design. Tight, low-speed left-hand entrances to M-10, and from sb US-24 to wb I-696 because of an inexplicable curve north on I-696. Pre-COVID, the loop ramp from sbd M-10 to nbd US-24 backed up considerably during morning rush hours, affecting the ramp from ebd I-696 to sbd M-10. MDOT recently corrected a similar situation of the latter at I-96/I-196/M-37 in Grand Rapids with a braided ramp, and I wish to blazes they would do the same here.
https://goo.gl/maps/nXrr3GYgZMo8J5hGA
I second the 1995hoo post above - the Springfield Interchange is WAY better than it was when I started using it daily in 1998.
The 95 NB to I-495 WB ramp used to be a tight clover where a lane ended in the middle of the loop!
Although construction of the interchange contributed to this, it was actually faster to use Braddock/Backlick in the afternoon rush hour than 495 EB to 95 SB. Oddly, during another phase it was faster to use 495 EB/395 NB to Edsall then loop around to 395 SB.
It is definitely true that if you do not end up on the ramp you need to, it is not simple to get back to where you were trying to get to. But I assume that of all huge urban interchanges nationwide. This is one reason when I know I'm going somewhere large I am not familiar with, I street view the complicated interchanges so that I know in advance which side of the freeway I need to be on to navigate through them so I don't become a hazard.
Quote from: thspfc on February 14, 2021, 08:41:50 AM
Quote from: mgk920 on February 13, 2021, 11:09:07 PM
Quote from: Big John on February 11, 2021, 08:46:03 PM
There are 2 big interchanges by Milwaukee -- Marquette (I-43/94/794) and Zoo (I-41/94/894, US 45). The Marquette was reconstructed 10 years ago and the Zoo is in its reconstruction, s they are good to ride on.
The Badger Interchange (I-39/90/94/WI 30) in Madison likely covers much more land area than either.
For best designed, I'd have to go with the Zoo Interchange.
Mike
The Badger is a 1970s mess of left exits. WisDOT is lucky that it's in a fairly rural area (so space wasn't a concern) and doesn't serve as much traffic as some other interchanges in its vicinity. But I'm not in the camp that wants it torn down and rebuilt. Spend that $$$ on the Beltline, please.
A few more in Wisconsin where I like their designs are the I-39/US 51/WI 29 Rothschild Interchange, the rebuilt I-41/I-43/US 41/141 Howard Interchange, the combined I-41/WI 32 Shawano Interchange/WI 29 Shawano Ave interchange in the Green Bay area, the I-90/94 Tomah Interchange and the currently under construction I-39/90/I-43/WI 81 Beloit Interchange. Most of the others I am fairly ambivalent towards, although my 'Hall of Shame' includes the I-39/90/94/WI 78 Cascade interchange (overly complicated left exit and entrance and local access disconnect situations), the I-94/US 53 Altoona Interchange (decades obsolete cloverleaf and local disconnects) and the US 41/141 Abrams Interchange (badly laid out southbound lane drop merges).
Mike
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 14, 2021, 09:07:44 AM
Quote from: ahj2000 on February 12, 2021, 10:09:02 PM
Here in VA the Springfield complex is a mess, but it works decently. It takes 95/495/395, both regular lanes as well as express lanes, plus a connection to 644/Franconia Rd, in all kinds of ways. It's a weird intersection. Some of it feels weird. At times, it seems you do way more road miles than necessary, especially when using the Express.
That interchange is obviously the answer for Virginia. I wouldn't say it's a "mess." Complicated, yes, no question. Unforgiving to someone who makes a mistake, definitely. But a "mess," no, because I'd say it was a complete mess 25 years ago before it was rebuilt into what it is now. The interchange is designed to eliminate big problems with weaving and merging that were inherent in the old design. It segregates local traffic heading to Springfield from long-distance traffic passing through the area, and it does an excellent job of that and it has eliminated some very long backups that occurred on a daily basis (for example, during the afternoon rush hour it used to be that you could forget about getting onto the Beltway's Inner Loop from Van Dorn Street because the backup caused by the weave area on I-95 in Springfield extended more than three miles (thus, past Van Dorn). That's no longer a problem.
If you're not familiar with it, you do have to read and obey all the BGSs telling you which lane to use, and that can cause problems because so many people seem to be used to the idea that it's not a big deal to be in the wrong lane.
You definitely have to read the BGSs there. Not long after the redesigned Springfield Mixing Bowl finished, some friends and I drove from Norfolk to DC Six Flags in two cars. The other car's driver was leading and I was following. My friend kept to his GPS because he was so enamored with his new toy (it was 2007). I was following the signs and tried signaling to get him to switch lanes but he didn't pay attention. So we got stuck on I-395 and he then exited at Edsall rather than just continuing through DC on I-395, etc because of the same stupid GPS. I tried to convince him to let me lead, but he wanted to use his toy. (He had gotten our Six Flags tix free through a promo, so that made him in charge in everyone else's eyes.) We did get there eventually, but I learned that day that GPS is not the miracle advertised.
Quote from: mgk920 on February 14, 2021, 03:53:53 PM
Quote from: thspfc on February 14, 2021, 08:41:50 AM
Quote from: mgk920 on February 13, 2021, 11:09:07 PM
Quote from: Big John on February 11, 2021, 08:46:03 PM
There are 2 big interchanges by Milwaukee -- Marquette (I-43/94/794) and Zoo (I-41/94/894, US 45). The Marquette was reconstructed 10 years ago and the Zoo is in its reconstruction, s they are good to ride on.
The Badger Interchange (I-39/90/94/WI 30) in Madison likely covers much more land area than either.
For best designed, I'd have to go with the Zoo Interchange.
Mike
The Badger is a 1970s mess of left exits. WisDOT is lucky that it's in a fairly rural area (so space wasn't a concern) and doesn't serve as much traffic as some other interchanges in its vicinity. But I'm not in the camp that wants it torn down and rebuilt. Spend that $$$ on the Beltline, please.
A few more in Wisconsin where I like their designs are the I-39/US 51/WI 29 Rothschild Interchange, the rebuilt I-41/I-43/US 41/141 Howard Interchange, the combined I-41/WI 32 Shawano Interchange/WI 29 Shawano Ave interchange in the Green Bay area, the I-90/94 Tomah Interchange and the currently under construction I-39/90/I-43/WI 81 Beloit Interchange. Most of the others I am fairly ambivalent towards, although my 'Hall of Shame' includes the I-39/90/94/WI 78 Cascade interchange (overly complicated left exit and entrance and local access disconnect situations), the I-94/US 53 Altoona Interchange (decades obsolete cloverleaf and local disconnects) and the US 41/141 Abrams Interchange (badly laid out southbound lane drop merges).
Mike
My "very good" tier is the Marquette, Zoo, Mitchell, northern US-51/WI-29 interchange (the one in Wausau just south of WI-52), I-41/I-43, I-41/Shawano Ave, and I-41/US-45 in Oshkosh.
About the Cascade Interchange - it's unique because there are only four important, high-volume movements (both directions of I-90/94 and both directions of I-39).
My "please fix this" tier is the Stadium Interchange, the Beltline/Park Street interchange, and the I-39/90/94/US-151 cloverleaf. The Stadium Interchange needs a major rebuild, similar to that of the Zoo and Marquette but maybe not quite as large. The Park Street interchange could work as a SPUI. The cloverleaf just needs two flyovers for the US-151 to I-39/90/94 movements that are currently loops.
Quote from: skluth on February 14, 2021, 07:42:41 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 14, 2021, 09:07:44 AM
Quote from: ahj2000 on February 12, 2021, 10:09:02 PM
Here in VA the Springfield complex is a mess, but it works decently. It takes 95/495/395, both regular lanes as well as express lanes, plus a connection to 644/Franconia Rd, in all kinds of ways. It's a weird intersection. Some of it feels weird. At times, it seems you do way more road miles than necessary, especially when using the Express.
That interchange is obviously the answer for Virginia. I wouldn't say it's a "mess." Complicated, yes, no question. Unforgiving to someone who makes a mistake, definitely. But a "mess," no, because I'd say it was a complete mess 25 years ago before it was rebuilt into what it is now. The interchange is designed to eliminate big problems with weaving and merging that were inherent in the old design. It segregates local traffic heading to Springfield from long-distance traffic passing through the area, and it does an excellent job of that and it has eliminated some very long backups that occurred on a daily basis (for example, during the afternoon rush hour it used to be that you could forget about getting onto the Beltway's Inner Loop from Van Dorn Street because the backup caused by the weave area on I-95 in Springfield extended more than three miles (thus, past Van Dorn). That's no longer a problem.
If you're not familiar with it, you do have to read and obey all the BGSs telling you which lane to use, and that can cause problems because so many people seem to be used to the idea that it's not a big deal to be in the wrong lane.
You definitely have to read the BGSs there. Not long after the redesigned Springfield Mixing Bowl finished, some friends and I drove from Norfolk to DC Six Flags in two cars. The other car's driver was leading and I was following. My friend kept to his GPS because he was so enamored with his new toy (it was 2007). I was following the signs and tried signaling to get him to switch lanes but he didn't pay attention. So we got stuck on I-395 and he then exited at Edsall rather than just continuing through DC on I-395, etc because of the same stupid GPS. I tried to convince him to let me lead, but he wanted to use his toy. (He had gotten our Six Flags tix free through a promo, so that made him in charge in everyone else's eyes.) We did get there eventually, but I learned that day that GPS is not the miracle advertised.
My experiences dealing with other people is the opposite lol. I get a lot of "I can handle this I know a shortcut" from friends who haven't lived in Nova and then we're on a toll lane to Tysons when we were trying to get to Reagan.
Quote from: jayhawkco on February 12, 2021, 04:19:50 PM
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 12, 2021, 04:07:43 PM
Quote from: jayhawkco on February 12, 2021, 11:07:58 AM
Largest here is obviously the I-25/I-70 interchange (the Mousetrap). It's fine, but EB 70 -> SB I-25 always clogs up pretty well on the weekends with people coming back from the mountains.
Chris
With the EB 70 to SB 25 movement, is the US 6 freeway also used as an alternative to that movement? I would be surprised if everyone relied on that one ramp movement, but not a lot of people use US 6 to get from EB 70 to SB 25.
I always take US6 myself, but I'm sure there is a good segment of the populace that isn't using Google Maps that just know that I-70 and I-25 connect and they need to get onto I-25 south. (The US6 WB->I-25 SB traffic also sucks on the weekends.)
I've always been amazed by the amount of people who don't know what "shape" the highways take in their city. I'm sure my wife has no idea why we take US6 west when we're going to the mountains instead of I-70.
Chris
coming back from the mountains one day, i was trying to go from 76 eb to 25 nb. rest of the highway was fine, but spent about 45 minutes going what... half a mile? to merge onto 25. it might not be the 'biggest' interchange (mousetrap wins imho) but the 76/36/25/270 thing just seems like a hot mess to me.
Quote from: tdindy88 on February 11, 2021, 09:28:00 PM
Quote from: thspfc on February 11, 2021, 09:19:27 PM
Quote from: silverback1065 on February 11, 2021, 06:42:47 PM
:hmmm: Maybe the north split in indiana? (65/70) it's being rebuilt this year though.
I think it's one of the I-70/I-465 interchanges.
The eastside one perhaps. They're both about the same size. Actually the current construction plans for the North Split might make it a tad smaller. One of the ideas of its redesign is to make it a little more simpler and efficient. It's large size was partially due to uneeded ramps that were never utilized. I would also wager that the upcoming redesign of the northeast side I-465/I-69 interchange might be among the biggest when completed.
One further note, I wonder how the I-65/Borman Expressway (80/94) interchange is size wise?
Simply going off Google Maps I-65/I-90/I-94/US 12/US 20 looks bigger but you should include 15th Street and US 12-US 20. The ramps that go direct from I-65 to the Indiana Toll Road were added sometime after the 1990's, before that it was a small Breezewood. You had to use US 20 to go under the Toll Road to the stoplight for I-65. I rode through it on Greyhound a half dozen times coming from Chicago and it was confusing, even being a passenger. Using the new toll plazas for each direction off the Toll Road was a really neat solution although the turns are a bit tight.
Jim
Quote from: Occidental Tourist on February 14, 2021, 01:52:40 AM
Best designed interchange in California would have to be the the 5/14/210 interchange in Sylmar. It reconfigured and incorporated the existing highway into the new design in a beneficial way as well as addressed the grade issues.
Maybe not the absolute "best", but one that addressed the needs of several routes converging on one "stem" (I-5) and periodically improving them over the years to minimize weaving and lane shifts to get where one needs to go. The use of the old 1956 4-lane Golden State Freeway as a set of separate truck lanes was something of a stroke of genius considering the NB grade encountered on I-5 starting just below the CA 14 split. It's just unfortunate that the whole thing sits atop a very active local fault line; parts of the complex have collapsed in each of the major earthquakes that have hit the region since the facility was initially completed in 1970 (Sylmar '71 and Northridge '94). As long as the freeways use that canyon complex to exit the San Fernando Valley, earthquakes are always going to be a recurring issue; all that can be done is to rebuild using more resistant methods.
Quote from: jmacswimmer on February 12, 2021, 09:31:34 AM
Maryland: Once fully built out it'll be the northeast I-95/I-695 interchange (currently a 4-level stack, with direct flyovers to/from the I-95 ETL's to be added later), but for the moment it might be a close contest between the aforementioned interchange, I-70/I-695, I-270/I-370, I-95/I-495 College Park, I-95/I-495/I-595/US 50, & I-95/I-495/I-295/Nat'l Harbor. If I-270/I-495 was one interchange instead of 3 partial interchanges spread out from each other, it would probably be in the running too. Also worth noting is the 3 closely-spaced interchanges in Frederick where I-70, I-270, US 15, US 40, & US 340 all meet - none of them are too large on their own, but when viewed as one big interchange system I think it's rather impressive.
All are fairly well designed, with a couple exceptions:
-The ramp from I-495 EB to I-95 NB in College Park has a fairly sharp curve, and the last half-mile on I-495 leading up to the ramp has quite a bit of weaving as everyone tries to squeeze over for the exit.
-The I-70/I-695 stack was well-designed for its intended use had I-70 been completed to I-95, but we all know what happened there and now the ramps leading to/from the west are heavily utilized (none more so than I-70 EB to I-695 NB) while to/from the east is underutilized.
-I-70 WB thru the Frederick interchanges has an unusual lane configuration that likely contributes to the recurring congestion there - enters with 3 lanes + an aux lane from exit 54; this aux lane + the right 2 lanes gradually depart at exits 53 & 52 while 2 lanes add on the left from I-270, the left of which ends. Which leaves 70 with 2 lanes leaving Frederick. Got all that? :spin:
1995hoo, any thoughts on what the biggest interchange might be across the Potomac in your state? :bigass:
Quote from: thspfc on February 11, 2021, 09:22:42 PM
Quote from: Big John on February 11, 2021, 08:46:03 PM
There are 2 big interchanges by Milwaukee -- Marquette (I-43/94/794) and Zoo (I-41/94/894, US 45). The Marquette was reconstructed 10 years ago and the Zoo is in its reconstruction, s they are good to ride on.
Have you been down to Milwaukee recently? Zoo has been finished for about 3 years now. It's really nice. One of the best in the country for sure.
Speaking of the Zoo, I saw that this just happened the other day - the driver survived, fortunately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsUw5UZEJ4g
I can't believe how massive the National Harbor interchange is. It and exit 3 for MD 210 are practically one super-interchange.
I-70/I-695 is nicely designed, but underused due to the cancellation of I-70 within Baltimore.
Quote from: mgk920 on February 13, 2021, 11:09:07 PM
The Badger Interchange (I-39/90/94/WI 30) in Madison likely covers much more land area than either.
If we're talking land area, that big WB->SB loop ramp in Lake Hallie puts that interchange in the running.
Quote from: ahj2000 on February 14, 2021, 08:08:18 PM
Quote from: skluth on February 14, 2021, 07:42:41 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 14, 2021, 09:07:44 AM
Quote from: ahj2000 on February 12, 2021, 10:09:02 PM
Here in VA the Springfield complex is a mess, but it works decently. It takes 95/495/395, both regular lanes as well as express lanes, plus a connection to 644/Franconia Rd, in all kinds of ways. It's a weird intersection. Some of it feels weird. At times, it seems you do way more road miles than necessary, especially when using the Express.
That interchange is obviously the answer for Virginia. I wouldn't say it's a "mess." Complicated, yes, no question. Unforgiving to someone who makes a mistake, definitely. But a "mess," no, because I'd say it was a complete mess 25 years ago before it was rebuilt into what it is now. The interchange is designed to eliminate big problems with weaving and merging that were inherent in the old design. It segregates local traffic heading to Springfield from long-distance traffic passing through the area, and it does an excellent job of that and it has eliminated some very long backups that occurred on a daily basis (for example, during the afternoon rush hour it used to be that you could forget about getting onto the Beltway's Inner Loop from Van Dorn Street because the backup caused by the weave area on I-95 in Springfield extended more than three miles (thus, past Van Dorn). That's no longer a problem.
If you're not familiar with it, you do have to read and obey all the BGSs telling you which lane to use, and that can cause problems because so many people seem to be used to the idea that it's not a big deal to be in the wrong lane.
You definitely have to read the BGSs there. Not long after the redesigned Springfield Mixing Bowl finished, some friends and I drove from Norfolk to DC Six Flags in two cars. The other car's driver was leading and I was following. My friend kept to his GPS because he was so enamored with his new toy (it was 2007). I was following the signs and tried signaling to get him to switch lanes but he didn't pay attention. So we got stuck on I-395 and he then exited at Edsall rather than just continuing through DC on I-395, etc because of the same stupid GPS. I tried to convince him to let me lead, but he wanted to use his toy. (He had gotten our Six Flags tix free through a promo, so that made him in charge in everyone else's eyes.) We did get there eventually, but I learned that day that GPS is not the miracle advertised.
My experiences dealing with other people is the opposite lol. I get a lot of "I can handle this I know a shortcut" from friends who haven't lived in Nova and then we're on a toll lane to Tysons when we were trying to get to Reagan.
To this day, visiting NoVa is like my own personal "Back to the Future" sequel. Dude, I still remember (well) when I-66 ended at the beltway, I-95 continued into DC and was called the Shirley Highway, when the Dulles Access Highway was a free one-way trip from the beltway to the airport (no exits, only entrances) and when I-66 ended somewhere near Manassas. I visit now and it's a wild scene! But I still don't get lost - just read the signs.
I know Colorado was mentioned earlier, however I have to disagree. I think the biggest interchange is definitely the US-36/I-270/I-76/I-25 interchange. It may not have as much traffic as I-70/I-25(I'm betting not by much), but it definitely takes up more space. No question.
With all respect to Indianapolis, I gotta go with the I-65/80/94 interchange, which covers a wide swath.
The interchange includes the "Northwest Connector," carrying the largest volume of traffic and separate from the rest of the interchange because of a nearby railroad (for those unfamiliar, this connector carries traffic from I-65 north to I-80/94 west, and I-80/94 east to I-65 south).
Also of note are the recent integrations of Ridge Road, Central Avenue, and (to a lesser extent, with auxiliary lanes) Broadway, with the use of collector-distributor ramps. What was once a triangle of separate, rapid-fire interchanges is now a large area of continuously flowing movements. Through traffic on either freeway will have traversed nearly three miles from end to end when all is said and done.
The nearby Toll Road/15th Avenue/I-65/US 12/20 ramp system is up there too, even more so after the 2003 enhancements.
In Connecticut, I-84/384/291 with US 6/44 and Buckland Street (late 1980s) is the largest interchange complex. The design has held up well IMO; good capacity with minimal weaving. It does take up a lot of land, and some movements to and from US 6/44 are missing.
As for single interchanges, what's the biggest? I compared the likely candidates at the same scale and the winner appears to be I-91 and CT 9 in Cromwell.
(https://i.imgur.com/f3mzqiy.png)
Is it best designed? No; it was built in two stages, 20 years apart, and the later design was a more modern take on the original.
The original design was a (spiderweb? cat's cradle?) 4-way directional, with 4 left exits, two long and two short. It would have been symmetrical. Half of that was built in 1969 for Route 9 south (to the southeast). Twenty years later, for Route 9 north (to the west), engineers were like "yeah, no" to the other 2 left exits, and replaced them with a semidirectional flyover and loop.
Well I live in Texas which is apparently the stack interchange capital of America. The biggest is probably the high five in Dallas. US 75 and IH 635—there are 43 bridges, and some ranks are as high as a 12 story building. Look at a video online of someone driving through it. It's a serious wow factor especially now that those express lanes have been built along 635 (watch a clip of eBay that's like to drive through.)
But there's also usually a four or five level stack at almost all major freeway-freeway junctions.
The biggest here in Houston, depending on how one defines big is probably the newly redesigned IH69/US59 at IH 610 interchange in southwest Houston. Though interstate 10 at IH 610 just a few miles north of it is impressive too. As is the exit on the east side where IH 10, IH 610 and US 90 meet.
Most of the others all kind of look the same.
And generally these are all well designed I would say. Unless it's rush hour or there's a wreck, flood, or construction.
Oh and apparently El Paso is about to have a really neat one on US 54 from the airport all the way to the already impressive exit with IH10.
Come to think of it IH 35/US 87/IH 10/US 90 in San Antonio is really cool, with the ramps and then the two interstates running concurrently double decked for a couple of miles.
I-5 at I-90 in Seattle has all the requisite ramps, but is poorly suited to modern needs. The turns for some ramps are too tight, the I-5 SB to I-90 EB connection dumps into the wrong side (forcing a very short three-lane merge to reach Rainier Ave), and the lanes need to be rebalanced. At least the views are nice.
Quote from: Bruce on February 18, 2021, 04:16:40 PM
I-5 at I-90 in Seattle has all the requisite ramps, but is poorly suited to modern needs. The turns for some ramps are too tight, the I-5 SB to I-90 WB connection dumps into the wrong side (forcing a very short three-lane merge to reach Rainier Ave), and the lanes need to be rebalanced. At least the views are nice.
Did you mean: the I-5 SB to I-90
EB connection?
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on February 18, 2021, 06:34:23 PM
Quote from: Bruce on February 18, 2021, 04:16:40 PM
I-5 at I-90 in Seattle has all the requisite ramps, but is poorly suited to modern needs. The turns for some ramps are too tight, the I-5 SB to I-90 WB connection dumps into the wrong side (forcing a very short three-lane merge to reach Rainier Ave), and the lanes need to be rebalanced. At least the views are nice.
Did you mean: the I-5 SB to I-90 EB connection?
Whoops. Fixed in my post, but the WB connection is also a bit lacking in terms of signage.
This insanity: https://imgur.com/a/26ZiU6W. Though you can say it is several interchanges intersecting 4 highways in close proximity instead of directly. I'm told the Hillside strangler used to be worse; I've only lived in Chicagoland for a dozen years.
In the Toronto area, there's 3 large ones by land area, I think they're similar in size. These images were are not to the same scale.
1) Hwy 401/427/27 Interchange in Etobicoke, Ontario. This massive interchange was supposed to also connect to the un-built Richview Expressway, which was supposed to be where Eglinton Avenue is right now on the east side.
(https://i.imgur.com/iyapjx4.png)
2) Highway 401/403/410 Interchange in Mississauga, Ontario. This massive interchange was actually an incomplete interchange until 2018, when they added a ramp for Eastbound 401 -> 403 and a ramp for 403 -> Westbound 401.
(https://i.imgur.com/GrJBEvt.png)
3) Highway 407 ETR/Highway 400 Interchange in Vaughan, Ontario. It is the only proper 4-level stack interchange in the whole country. Due to the 407 ETR being a privately-owned toll freeway, traffic numbers are relatively lower than non-tolled freeways, so this interchange is never at full capacity.
(https://i.imgur.com/062pvab.png)