You may live in the same town you grew up in, or like me, you've lived all over.
When you go home, what're some of the biggest changes in the highway system there?
I've spent most of my life on the west coast, but originally from SE Wisconsin. Whenever I go home the biggest changes I've seen since I left in the late 80s.
- Re designed Zoo, Marquette, and Mitchell interchanges, much nicer than they were in the 80s.
- 41 used to have at grade intersections between the Milwaukee area an Fox River Valley. Now its a full freeway to Green Bay and even has an Interstate designation.
- Pretty sure I-43 between Milwaukee and Beloit was WI-15 when I left.
- I-39 was WI-78 and became US-51 after Portage. 39 existed only in Illinois.
Easy one. Grand Rapids: M-6
Depends what you consider my "home town". The one I lived in from birth through fourth grade, or the one I lived in from fifth grade through high school?
As for the latter (Atwood, KS), nothing has changed from a highway perspective. It's a small rural town, and the population is in decline.
As for the former (New Lenox, IL), I'm guessing the biggest change has been that the North-South Tollway was extended down to I-80. Growth since I lived there has also meant that a bunch of formerly gravel county roads are now paved, but I'm sure all of that together pales in comparison to the North-South Tollway extension.
MA 9 has had additional lanes added in the vicinity of my hometown in western MA.
A big one for me is MO 364 Phase 3. I moved out of the St Louis area a few months after Phase 2 was completed, so I didn't get to see the Phase 3 construction at all.
Another one is the Stan Musial Bridge, and the I-70 reroute onto it.
This one is smaller in scale compared to the 2 above, but the I-70 and 5th St interchange got reconstructed from some sort of hybrid parclo interchange with loop ramps on the WB to SB and SB to EB movements (not sure with the name) to a DDI. This one actually surprised me when I revisited St Charles County after some years, unlike the first two, which I knew were coming. Also, an interchange got added between I-70 and the St Charles Convention Center as part of this project.
Alpena, Michigan: M-32 was relocated on its eastern end from Washington Avenue onto a one-way pair of 2nd and 3rd Avenues, which moved its terminus at US 23. There are one way streets downtown which were two way in the 1960's. Not much else roadwise has changed in this small town.
Madison hasn't changed a whole lot. The Verona Road project is about it.
Except for a couple of short spells, I've lived in the same town my whole life. What I've seen:
The renumbering of CT 66 to an extended CT 322
The completion of I-691 to I-84 and the re-construction of that interchange.
The attempted closure of an exit ramp and a successful effort to save it.
A full interstate bridge replacement in one weekend.
Explosive traffic congestion on two corridors due to major development, with some necessary, (but not adequate improvements) made to each by extending dual lanes and adding turn lanes.
Rochester's road network has functioned pretty well for decades, so it hasn't seen any new freeway construction or major overhauls of existing freeways in my lifetime, but there's been steady change, mostly for the better.
Top five would be:
1. Inner Loop removal
2. I-490 reconstruction west of downtown, aka the Western Gateway Project
3. I-490/I-390/NY 390 interchange (active project)
4. I-390 Exit 16 reconstruction
5. Sea Breeze Drive reconstruction
I'll do all 5 cities I lived in:
1. Cottage Grove, MN: Not a whole lot within Cottage Grove itself. The Jamaica Avenue exit is a roundabout. I do know that 70th Street and the east end of 80th Street were rerouted. Further afield, US 61 has been converted into a freeway through Newport and has a redesigned exit for St. Paul Park. I-494 has the new Wakota Bridge and a redesigned interchange with US 61. And they closed that toll bridge. Hastings has a modern bridge there, too.
2. St. Charles, IL: There are 2 bridges over the Fox River which didn't exist there when I lived there. Kirk Road is no longer four-lane undivided and presumably not "Killer Kirk". The bridge for IL 64 downtown was redone. I can't say what else for sure.
3. Dekalb, IL: Some roads have been extended. There seem to be more randomly places 4 way stops than there used to be. Sadly, they demolished the dorm I lived in the first year I went to NIU (Douglas Hall) and extended Lucinda Avenue through where it was.
4. Papillion, NE: In the 4+ years since I moved away, they have more traffic lights. 60th Street and NE 370 has been redone where you must turn right on 370 regardless of which direction you are going. Some roads have been paved and others have had their speed limit reduced.
5. Mason City, IA: Since I moved, they repaved IA 122, with eastbound IA 122 getting the one curve straightened out. US 65 north of downtown is now one lane each direction and 1 of the traffic lights on it was removed. There is a plan in the works to redo US 65 south of IA 122. Two railroad crossings were removed and all of them on the UP line have a barrier of some kind upon approaching the crossing. Further afield, they have plans to build an interchange in Floyd which should have been done when they built the Avenue.
La Porte-
New bridge deck over the railroad tracks and a nice bridge painting job!
Reconstruction of Monroe Street (SR 4) with the addition of a stoplight at Boyd Boulevard
NewPorte Landing (new developmental site over a former plant that closed down in the '80s)
A new roundabout interchange at SR 2/US 20 in Rolling Prairie
Quote from: thspfc on February 15, 2021, 02:21:15 PM
Madison hasn't changed a whole lot. The Verona Road project is about it.
That's because cause you are young. When I was growing up there in the late 70s / early 80s...
**The west Beltline (US-12/14) was a two lane highway with driveways between Mineral Point Road and US-14.
**Of course the east Beltline ran along what is now County BW (Broadway) between what is now South Towne Drive to US-51. (South Towne was only built in the early 80s.
**US-151 was a divided highway with surface intersections between Madison and Sun Prairie, and a two lane road north of SP. US-18/151 was a two lane road after McKee and there were no bypasses of Verona or Mount Horeb.
**Fish Hatchery Road (County D) was largely rural and took a different path than it does today. (It followed what is now Glacier Valley Road.)
For a small town (population 1,000) a whole lot has changed in my lifetime, particularly since the 1970s.
A bypass of Main Street, running along the river, was built. It opened in the fall of 1979.
That same year, construction was announced to begin on a new section of KY 11 to replace a steep hill that had been the scene of a fatal gasoline tanker accident two years prior. The truck lost its brakes coming down the hill, went through an at-grade railroad crossing (that didn't have a train on it at the time, which was odd, considering how much coal was being hauled along that old L&N line at the time), and crashed into a block of buildings. A river of flaming gasoline ran down the street and several buildings were destroyed.
Finally, a new alignment of KY 52 was built and opened about 11 years ago to bypass a flood-prone, narrow, height-restricted railroad underpass at the west end of downtown.
So, in short, in the 45 years since I started high school, the highway landscape has been altered drastically.
I grew up in Davenport, IA, but haven't lived there full-time since 2013. Since then:
- IL 5 (John Deere Rd) has been expanded to 6 lanes east of I-74 in Moline
- A new E-W thoroughfare has been built across the north side of Davenport and Bettendorf, improving connectivity and relief from the retail-heavy 53rd Street corridor
- The I-74 bridge project is in progress. I think it was still in the design/ROW acquisition phase when I was in high school.
I'd say that's pretty significant, for only having been gone 8 years.
My hometown of Saint Cloud, Minnesota grew considerably in the 1990s and early 2000s so as a result the past two decades have been more or less a game of catch-up with improvements to local roadways. Here are some of the major highlights:
New river crossings:
-9th Avenue North "Sauk Rapids" bridge (2007)
-Granite City Crossing (MN-23) (2009)
-CSAH 134 Pine Cone Road extension Sauk River bridge (2011)
New Interchanges:
-I-94/ Opportunity Drive (Saint Cloud Industrial Park) (2004)
-MN-15/ CSAH 120 DDI (2013; often touted as the first DDI in Minnesota despite actually opening a couple weeks after its "twin" on US-52 near Rochester)
-MN-15/ 33rd Street South (2014)
Major Capacity Improvements:
-University Drive expansion to four lanes from the Mississippi River to Cooper Avenue (2001) and the construction and expansion of a four lane Cooper Avenue from 3rd Street North to CSAH 75 (2006)
-East Saint Germain Street expansion to four lanes from the Mississippi to US-10 (2006; this was VERY controversial as it eliminated on-street parking to preserve the existing ROW)
-MN-23 complete rebuild from Cooper Avenue to Wilson Drive (2009, done in tandem with the Granite City crossing bridge project, probably the biggest reconstruction project the Saint Cloud area has ever seen both in terms of disruption to traffic and $$$)
-Veterans Drive/CSAH 4 expansion and reconstruction to six lanes from Rolling Ridge Road to Anderson Avenue (2012, done in tandem with the Pinecone Road bridge project)
-33rd Street South from CSAH 75 to MN-15 expansion to four lanes... S L O W L Y (2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
Other trends over the past 20 years, which more or less seem to follow national trends:
Loads of new roundabouts, loads of new FYAs, more dual-left and even some dual-right turn lanes, more decorative elements (fancy lighting, benches, stone, landscaping, etc.), more emphasis on bike lanes and pedestrian safety.
- My suburban hometown, South San Francisco. New ramps at the Oyster Point Boulevard interchange over the last 20 years, starting with a significant realignment ca. 1993 which removed the old overpass crossing US 101 to Butler Avenue, and shifted it towards Sister Cities Boulevard instead. Removal of the old SB onramp from Airport Boulevard near Linden Avenue, replaced with a SB flyover from Dubuque Avenue on the east side of the freeway. Addition of a new southbound onramp in the last decade from Airport Boulevard north of Sister Cities Boulevard. Addition of a new flyover from SB US 101 to EB Oyster Point. New sign installation project along US 101 in late 2020-early 2021, in progress.
Proposal (but no construction started yet) out there too for a complete reconfiguration of the South Airport Boulevard/US 101 interchange.
- San Francisco, where I've worked for about 7 years:
Removal of Central Freeway north of Market Street in 2005, realignment of I-280 to feed into King Street/Embarcadero ca. 2000 as part of the Giants' stadium project. Reconstruction of US 101 in the Presidio to modern Interstate standards as the Presidio Parkway in 2015-2016. East span Bay Bridge. Tabling of mid-2010s proposal to demolish 280 north of Cesar Chavez (Army) Street. Planned carpool lane eventually from Redwood City on US 101 north to the 280 extension. Recent seismic work on the Alemany Maze (101/280 junction). Addition of movable concrete barrier on Golden Gate Bridge in 2015.
- Sacramento, where I lived and worked 2007-2014:
Introduction of new highway signage with exit numbers in 2009. Decommissioning of Business 80 west of Oak Park in 2016. Reconfiguration of Watt Avenue/US 50 cloverleaf into a parclo ca. 2011. Widening of I-80 through Natomas (north beltline). Completion of conversion of Route 275/former US 40 and US 99W in West Sacramento from freeway to short boulevard. Cosumnes River Boulevard being built between Route 160/I-5 in Freeport and Franklin Boulevard. Capital Southeast Corridor currently being proposed.
- Davis, where I lived 2003-2007:
Addition of exit numbers in the mid-2000s. Improved signing of Route 113 along its concurrency with I-80.
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Other areas I have been to extensively:
Louisville, Kentucky
- East End Bridge. Second bridge for I-65 and the changes to the Kennedy Interchange.
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
- Completion of Skyway Stage 3 from Buendia Avenue to Paco, Manila (2019) and then to Libis Baesa, Caloocan via Quezon City (2020). Addition of southbound offramp and northbound onramp from Buendia. Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge under construction. Reconfiguration of South Avenue to one-way street northbound towards Ayala Malls Circuit Makati (between 2018 and 2019). Pasig River Expressway east segment proposed to include an interchange at Circuit Makati.
Paranaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
- Commencement of construction of C-5 South Link Expressway. Completion of NAIAX between the Skyway and CAVITEX.
Tarlac, Philippines
- Near-completion of Central Luzon Link Expressway (opening May 15th between Tarlac and Aliaga, Nueva Ecija).
I agree with thspfc. Not much has changed in Madison within my lifetime. Now that the Verona Road project is completed, there are two future projects within the city I am greatly interested in. The first one is the US 51 Stoughton Road Corridor Study: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/51/default.aspx. The other one is the Beltline Corridor study: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/projects/by-region/sw/madisonbeltline/default.aspx. However, it will probably be some time before any final decisions on what to do with both corridors.
Well, in my home town of Berkeley IL, I-294 keeps getting widened, and so they keep taking houses to get room. Oddly enough, these houses (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8863628,-87.9183781,3a,75y,356.33h,90.65t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sEic85eF3jZhxkLLvZJub2Q!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DEic85eF3jZhxkLLvZJub2Q%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D352.75278%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192) will still remain after the upcoming widening project, presumably because there is space to the west.
State College has had about a million new roads recently. I-99's been built (a game-changer), the US-322 bypass was done in the eighties, US-322 was twinned for a few miles out of Port Matilda, the US-322 freeway to Harrisburg is now nearly done, and money's aside to finish that soon too.
When I was about 10 years old, NJ 55 was built through my town. The intersecting road had an interchange, and was widened as well. In my 46 years of living, other than a few traffic lights added and a few turn lanes being built, no additional widening has happened in the 16 square mile town whatsoever.
Heh, apparently I forgot to hit submit. Here's what's happened in my lifetime in MSP: it was getting lengthy so I might forget some stuff I had in it. Seems like a lot has happened in 30 years.
-I-394 designated
-I-494 widened to six lanes on its entire route including rebuild/widens of all but about three miles of the N/S sections since 2006
-New US 212 in Chaska and Chanhassen
-MN 100 full freeway conversion; I do still remember some of the signalized intersections and RIROs between MN 55 and Brooklyn Blvd
-US 169 Shakopee bypass
-MN 610 completed
-US 12/52 moved off University Ave onto I-94
-New MN 36 St. Croix River crossing
-US 10 realigned in Shoreview and Arden Hills
-MN 55 removed from downtown Minneapolis
-MnPass lanes on I-394, I-35E, and I-35W, with more being built on 35W and future plans for I-494
-Major rebuilds of Crosstown Commons, 35E/694, and 694/US 10/Snelling Ave
-MN 95 rerouted away from the St. Croix River in Afton
-MN 110 eliminated and replaced with MN 62 extension
-MN 5 eliminated east of Century Avenue
-MN 120 eliminated south of I-94
-MN 65 eliminated between Washington Ave and the freeway stub
-I-35W major rebuild (ongoing) between Crosstown and 94
-I-94 major rebuild/widen in the northwest metro (ongoing)
-I-694 rebuild/widens between 494 and Brooklyn Blvd as well as between US 10 and 35E
-I-35E opened between West 7th and I-94
-MN 101 (mostly) freeway conversion from Rogers to Elk River
-MN 101 steadily eliminated in Carver County
-I-35E rebuild/widen between 94 and 694
Duluth
-I-35 tunnels completed
-MN 23, MN 61 turned back to termini with I-35
-MN 194 rerouted off 6th Ave East onto Mesaba Ave south of the mall
-US 53 widened to 4 lanes between I-35 and MN 194 (Central Entrance/Miller Trunk Highway). Believe it or not this was still largely two lanes north of 21st Ave West until the late 2000s despite being the primary route between the mall and the city core.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394-I-494 widened to six lanes on its entire route including rebuild/widens of all but about three miles of the N/S sections since 2006
The ~3mi section in question was redone in the early '90s when the CSAH 6 interchange was added. You could argue the short section between 394 and Carlson was redone when they did the 6-laning south of 394....at one point, they were considering NOT 6-laning that as part of the project, which would have been very foolish.
In Garrisonville, Virginia...SR 610 went from a 2-lane road to a 6-lane divided arterial with tons of traffic lights, and the road is at least 4 lanes divided for much of its length within Stafford County. Traffic has skyrocketed along the road over the past 30 years, and honestly it needs to be (re-)upgraded to a primary route (it was once VA 213). Traffic counts on the segment of SR 610 that has seen the most commercial development actually exceed those of US 1 in the area.
The I-95 Exit 143 interchange became more complex with the extension of the I-95 HOT Lanes down there. It was originally a diamond, became a cloverleaf in the early 1990s when SR 610 was widened, and additional ramp movements were added later.
For you Madison 'kids', if you're at least 20, a lot has changed.
Middleton bypass and expansion of US 12 to four lanes. (2005)
Conversion of US 151 to freeway between The Interstate and Sun Prairie. (2005)
Collector/distributor lanes added to the interstate at US 151 plus the High Crossing Blvd interchange being added (2000)
US 51 freeway in DeForest. (2014)
Yes, Verona Road project.
But also the western Verona business route interchange was made into a full access interchange as Epic's HQ started going up. (2004)
The Beltline interchanges with Park St and Fish Hatchery Rd have been reconfigured. (2011 & 2012, respectively)
Lacy Road interchange on US 14 in Fitchburg (2012)
This city has like 50,000 more people than it did in 2000 (including me. :P )
I compare that to my home town up north which still has the same singular state highway and four county highways it did when I moved there as wee child. That state highway still has the same asphalt on it that was laid down in 1996. About the only real change highway-wise was when they added the left turn lanes at two junctions on the north side of town in the mid 90's.
Oh and for a while, there was a right turn lane painted in front of the grocery story, but when it faded, they never restriped it.
For the South Bend area:
1991-92: Bypass extension from South Bend/US 31 to Elkhart/CR 17 completed. US 20 was rerouted onto the freeway, US 33 was truncated to the US 20 interchange, and IN 933 took over the St Joseph County portions of the former US 33.
2012: The new section of Elkhart CR 17 between CR 28 and CR 38 completed.
2014: The new US 31 freeway section between South Bend/US 20 and Plymouth/US 30 is completed.
Being the same age as the Interstate Highway System (both of us "born" in 1956), I've seen a lot of changes not only in my hometown, but other places I've lived.
As a kid, I remember every summer when we'd vacation, there would be new sections of Interstate to explore. Sometimes, I was able to convince my Dad to take a new road even if it was not the most direct way to go, just so I could see it. I was the family navigator from age 9 on, so sometimes he didn't realize what I was doing :-D
Locally, the construction of I-75, I-71 and their interchange at the north end of the Brent Spence Bridge devastated acres and acres of urban neighborhoods. I'm sure that's true in many older cities.
I currently live in Aberdeen, Maryland. A long time ago, MD 22 and US 40 met at-grade at Bel Air Avenue and Post Road. MD 22 went through downtown Aberdeen and had a grade crossing of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. In the early 1930s US 40 was shifted to Philadelphia Boulevard a few blocks to the north, and Post Road from Bel Air Avenue out to Pulaski Highway (also US 40) eventually became an extension of MD 22.
I-95 opened in 1963, and in 1969 the Aberdeen Thruway opened between I-95 and just north of the Aberdeen Proving Ground gate. MD 22 was moved there, Bel Air Avenue from I-95 to Post Road and Post Road from Bel Air Avenue to US 40 became MD 132, and the rest of Bel Air Avenue to the APG gate was transferred to municipal and county maintenance. MD 22 and US 40 now meet at an interchange between their current alignments.
Bel Air Avenue was split in half in 1982 by the removal of the grade crossing at the Northeast Corridor to make way for a pedestrian bridge. Just to the south (of both the pedestrian bridge and Aberdeen station), a road bridge was built to carry APG Road over the train tracks. MD 132 reaches just south of the end of that bridge. The other portion of MD 132, officially MD 132B, begins at present-day MD 22, as Post Road between Bel Air Avenue and that intersection is now maintained by the city of Aberdeen.
During the second half of the 2010s, the Aberdeen Thruway was expanded to accommodate increasing traffic. One through lane was added in each direction between I-95 and MD 462, and between US 40 and Post Road. Sound barriers were added at MD 462 and between US 40 and Post Road, the entire highway was repaved, and concrete replaced the grass on some portions of the median.
The obvious change for Bloomington, Indiana is the construction of I-69. Next most significant would be the SR 45/46 bypass being expanded to four lanes and the SR 46 portion being extended to Ellettsville. Previously to travel to Ellettsville on SR 46 you needed to briefly head north on SR 37 and then take a left onto Arlington Rd (incidentally, a friend of mine had his car totaled while making that turn).
Green Bay
That they expanded US 41, now I-41
Roundabouts are now rampant, most of them near 41, including at exit ramps.
For Saginaw and Flint nothing really has changed a whole lot.
I-69 being completed to Port Huron happened in my lifetime. It use to be M-21 that took you from Port Huron to Grand Rapids but now since I-69 has been completed east of Flint M-21 now ends in Flint. Another stretch use to be M-78 between Flint and Lansing and on the other side of Lansing as well.
I-75 being widened to eight lanes between Flint and Saginaw and the new Zilwaukee Bridge now 33 years old has been completed. The old drawbridge use to cause some of the longest traffic jams on the Interstate system which is one of the reason's that I-675 was built to bypass it and another reason for I-675 was to allow easier access to downtown Saginaw.
I remember between Bay City and Detroit it use to be I-75/US-10/US-23 then I-75/US-10 then just I-75 until US-10 was scaled back to end in Bay City. Detroit use to have US-10 signs (they really were suppose to be M-10 signs) into the 2000's. They also removed the freeway names from the BGS signs in Detroit, such as one for I-94 would include Ford Frwy or one for I-96 would include Jeffries Frwy.
All the highway talk in Detroit people at least use to know the highways by their freeway names rather than the number. Like I-75 is the Chrysler Freeway north of downtown, Fisher Freeway south of downtown; I-94 is the Ford Freeway; I-96 is the Jeffries Freeway; M-10 is the Lodge Freeway; M-39 is the Southfield Freeway; I-696 is the Ruether Freeway and so on. Same thing with the main streets you'd call M-1 just Woodward, US-24 just Telegraph and stuff like that.
My original home town, Glendale, CA, saw most of its actual changes during my school years there (1954-67) and for a while afterward when I was away at college. First, the original section of the Golden State Freeway (then US 6/99) from Riverside Drive in Griffith Park (site of today's I-5/CA 134 interchange) north to Alameda Ave. in Burbank was opened in early 1957, followed a few month afterward by the section south alongside the park's east side to Glendale Blvd, where it terminated for the following 4 years. That section included the "Colorado St. Extension", the 4-lane freeway "stub" that was to take CA 134 east to its Colorado St. alignment in downtown Glendale. When that section of freeway opened, US 6 & 99 were rerouted over it and the main freeway alignment north of there, segueing onto Alameda Ave. west for a couple of blocks before shifting north onto Victory Blvd. into Burbank, and then north onto Victory Place, which merged with the original San Fernando Road alignment in northwest Burbank near (then) Lockheed Field. The reroute was necessary because further freeway construction through central Burbank subsumed the original US 99/6 Front Street alignment. That lasted a couple of years until the freeway was extended through Burbank in the fall of 1959.
The next major thing to happen in Glendale was the deployment of the CA 134 freeway; it had reached I-5 from the west by early 1963, but its path across Glendale had been the subject of much debate over the previous several years. The "north" route, slicing across downtown at the north side of the town's major commercial area was the one favored by both DOH engineers and folks living in Eagle Rock, just to the east of town. The "south" alternative stayed south of the existing SSR 134 Colorado Street alignment, taking fewer commercial properties in Glendale but quite a few in Eagle Rock; it also skirted Occidental College in the latter community (part of L.A. City). In late 1959, after several rancorous public meetings in Glendale, Pasadena, and right at Occidental College, the DOH selected the northern route, which hugged the hillside above Eagle Rock with minimal property acquisition. The entreaties by the college swayed the selection committee (while the Glendale Chamber of Commerce was absolutely livid!). Nevertheless, property acquisition (including the home of one of my great-aunts) commenced in 1962 and the path was cleared by early 1967, when excavation for the trench crossing downtown started. The stub-end east of I-5 and extending to San Fernando Road had opened in the summer of '67; the remainder of the freeway to Harvey Drive on the Glendale/Eagle Rock line was opened in July 1969, with the extension to Pasadena coming two years later. The initial phase of the CA 134/CA 2 freeway interchange, which was just west of the Harvey Drive temporary terminus, was part of the original construction (flyovers came later).
From 1972 to 1976 the final pieces of the Glendale-sited freeway network came into place with the completion of I-210 through La Crescenta in 1973-74 and the CA 2/Glendale Freeway in 1976; that was also the year that I-210 was completed through downtown Pasadena as well, which drastically increased the traffic on CA 134 through Glendale. Since then nothing really significant has changed, road-wise -- but the area of north-downtown Glendale centered on the CA 134 interchange has seen massive levels of corporate development, including several HQ's. When I was a kid growing up there in the '50's, it was considered to be something of a sleepy "bedroom community"; in the six decades since, it not only doubled in population but became something of a regional corporate center -- likely because of freeway access on three sides of downtown!
Well we grew a beltway...I'm originally from Charlotte. We had a less than 10 mi strip of I 485 when I was born to a full fledged 67 mile beltway. We've had Express lanes, a never ending amount of construction on 85, 77, 74, you name it. I remember projects from little circumferential roads, extensions for more suburbia, and new lanes and flyovers (521->485 Inner comes to mind)
The city was an interesting place to grow up in, growing a ton before I graduated HS and left.
I was born in Oshkosh but moved to the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago when I was 4. So I will post the changes in my 40 years in this area from when I was a kid/teen.
Bolingbrook & Far West & Southwest Suburbs Area:
I-55: Widened first to Naperville Rd (Veterans Pkwy) then again to I-80. Weigh Station moved from east of IL 53 to near Veterans Pkwy. New interchange at Weber Rd. Interchange with I-355 & Joliet Rd completely redone for the extension of 355.
I-88: It was IL 5. Orchard Rd, Eola Rd, & Winfield Rd were new interchanges.
I-355: Came into existence. Boughton Rd becomes a full interchange. Extended again down to I-80.
US 30: Interchange with US 34 is removed and becomes a stoplight. Widened from Hennepin Dr in Joliet to Larkin Ave. Rerouted off Lockport St in Plainfield to 135th St and Route 59.
US 66: Decommissioned.
IL 59: Widened from a 2 lane country road between Plainfield and 75th St in Naperville.
IL 53: Widened from Boughton Rd in Bolingbrook to Maple Ave in Lisle.
Weber Rd: Was called Williams Rd and was a one lane gravel road. Renamed Weber Rd and a bridge over 55 is paved for 4 lanes with no interchange. Weber is 4 lanes from Naperville Rd to US 30 in Crest Hill. Interchange comes a few years later. Weber and Naperville Rd are reconfigured in Bolingbrook to make Weber the through road.
Boughton Rd: Widened to 4 lanes from Schmidt Rd to Kings Rd/95th St.
75th St: Widened to 4 & 6 lanes from US 34 Ogden Ave to Route 83. Only Washington St to Naper Blvd was divided highway when we moved here.
83rd St: Truncated east of Book Rd to Naperville/Plainfield Rd for the Dragon Lake Forest Preserve.
95th St: New bridge over the DuPage River and extended to Boughton Rd & Kings Rd.
Kings Rd: Long awaited finally built from Boughton Rd to passed Rodeo Rd (119th).
107th St: Renamed Lily Cache Ln. Extended west and south to 111th St. Widened to 4 lanes between Route 53 and Raider Ln. Stoplights go from just 1 at Route 53 to 7 plus a crosswalk signal for Jane Addams Middle School.
111th St (1): Gravel road becomes a paved mostly 4 lane road from Weber Rd to Route 59. Renamed Hastert Blvd.
111th St (2): Renamed Remington Blvd between Route 53 and Schmidt Rd. Widened and extended from Schmidt Rd to Veterans Pkwy.
115th St: Renamed Claar Blvd (this year).
119th St: Becomes another extension of Remington Blvd east of Weber Rd. Renamed Rodeo Dr west of Weber Rd.
Naperville Rd (Will Co): First widened to 4 lanes undivided from Washington St & Naper Blvd in Naperville to Weber Rd/Grady Ln. Rerouted along with Weber Rd to make Weber Rd the through road. South of Weber Rd intersection, widened as a divided highway and renamed Veterans Pkwy. into Romeoville. At Schmidt Rd, the road was rerouted. It had been on then Luther Dr (now Dalhart Ave).
Naperville Rd (DuPage Co): Widened to 4 lanes from US 34 Ogden Ave to IL 38 Roosevelt Rd.
127th St: Renamed Reagan Blvd and rerouted to meet Weber Rd as a part of Remington Blvd.
Briarcliffe Rd: Extended west passed the ComEd Lines to Jennifer Ln.
Crossroads Pkwy: A new divided 2 lane road between Joliet Rd and Weber Rd via Normantown Rd south of I-55.
Naper Blvd: Gravel road south of Bailey is paved. Extended south to meet Washington St just north of Royce Rd and widened to 4 lanes as an East Bypass of Downtown Naperville.
Naperville/Plainfield Rd: Widened to 4 lanes from 75th St to 111th St.
Washington St: Widened to 4 lanes from Naper Blvd to Aurora Ave in Naperville.
New York St (WB) & Galena Blvd (EB) in Aurora: Both had been one way streets. Now there is 2 way traffic between Smith St and IL 25 Broadway.
Quote from: Big John on February 16, 2021, 03:58:45 PM
Green Bay
That they expanded US 41, now I-41
Roundabouts are now rampant, most of them near 41, including at exit ramps.
I noticed last time I was back there that Wisconsin is becoming enamored with roundabouts
Quote from: hobsini2 on February 16, 2021, 07:08:49 PM
Naperville Rd (DuPage Co): Widened to 4 lanes from US 34 Ogden Ave to IL 38 Roosevelt Rd.
Naper Blvd: Gravel road south of Bailey is paved. Extended south to meet Washington St just north of Royce Rd and widened to 4 lanes as an East Bypass of Downtown Naperville.
Wowwwwww......
I moved to the area in 2000. It's hard to imagine Naperville Road with fewer than four lanes. But, then again, without Danada Square's existence, I suppose it wasn't much different than Butterfield Road, which I remember having two-lane sections when I was there.
And my now-wife was a live-in nanny southwest of 75th and Bailey. It's REALLY hard to imagine that as a gravel road!
Then again, I have early childhood memories of a gravel Laraway Road, so...
Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 16, 2021, 07:13:21 PM
Quote from: Big John on February 16, 2021, 03:58:45 PM
Green Bay
That they expanded US 41, now I-41
Roundabouts are now rampant, most of them near 41, including at exit ramps.
I noticed last time I was back there that Wisconsin is becoming enamored with roundabouts
WISDOT is putting roundabouts at almost every new interchange they build. Which is fine with me.
Since 2003:
-addition of flyover ramps at both the US-60/65 and 65/I-44 interchange
-Several railroad grade separations with major roads, including the dangerous crossing near the 60/65 interchange
-Upgrades to some highways leading out of the city, upgrading US 60 and 65 as well as MO 13 to four-line expressways.
-lots of roundabouts and Diverging Diamonds
-six-laning US 65 as well as auxiliary lanes on James River Freeway
Quote from: thspfc on February 16, 2021, 07:53:34 PM
Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 16, 2021, 07:13:21 PM
Quote from: Big John on February 16, 2021, 03:58:45 PM
Green Bay
That they expanded US 41, now I-41
Roundabouts are now rampant, most of them near 41, including at exit ramps.
I noticed last time I was back there that Wisconsin is becoming enamored with roundabouts
WISDOT is putting roundabouts at almost every new interchange they build. Which is fine with me.
When I moved up to Green Bay a few years ago, roundabouts annoyed me. Now I love them. Much better than traffic lights.
Quote from: Big John on February 16, 2021, 03:58:45 PM
Green Bay
That they expanded US 41, now I-41
Roundabouts are now rampant, most of them near 41, including at exit ramps.
There has also been the freeway conversion of WI 29 heading west out of town and the WI 54/57 duplex northeast of I-43.
WI 32 was moved from Lombardi Ave to Mason Street about 20 years ago.
The Northeast District of WisDOT went all-in on roundabouts before other areas of the state. Pretty good strategy to carpet bomb the region with a whole pile of them and force people to adapt. For all the crumudgeoning and harumphing this created, I think most people have begrudgingly warmed up to roundabouts as a result.
I know a lot of it has been mentioned about my hometown of Chicago, but this is worth repeating:
The conversion of IL 5 to I-88
The addition of I-355
The decommissioning of US 66
All various street and highway widenings and intersection reconfigurations
I will add the following to the list:
IL 390, Elgin-O'Hare eastern section
Future I-490, O'Hare Western Bypass
I-41, even though it stops just a few hundred feet south of the state line
Athens GA in the past 30 years:
* SR 316 was completed to US 78/SR 10, with US 29 being rerouted onto 316, in the early 90s. Then in 1995 the final section of 316, from US 78 to SR 10 Loop (Athens Perimeter), was completed. Which resulted in rerouting 78 from SR 10 to that short segment of 316, and also, rerouting US 29 from the north side of 10 Loop to the south side (as that is the shorter route with 316 being complete).
* In the mid-late 90s, reconstruction of the 10 Loop and US 129 north interchange, to improve capacity as well as eliminating a complicated 5-leg intersection (moving the eastbound ramps to a different intersection)
* In the late 90s, SR 72 was widened from 2 to 4 lanes (as one of Georgia's "GRIP" corridors).
* Also in the late 90s, the Epps Bridge Parkway widening, between the 316/10 Loop interchange and US 78 Business/SR 10.
* In 1999, SR 10 Loop got exit numbers for the first time. MUTCD-compliant mile-based numbers starting at the 316 interchange and increasing clockwise.
* In 2000, US 441 on the north side of Athens was converted from 4 lane undivided, to an asymmetric road of 2 NB, 1 SB, and 1 two-way turn lane.
* In 2000, US 129/441 was widened between Athens and Watkinsville, and a new alignment was built in order to build a full interchange with 10 Loop (The previous interchange only had access to and from the west, with traffic having to proceed about 1 mile to the east to access 10 Loop in that direction)
* In 2004, 10 Loop signage was completely replaced and exits were renumbered to increase counterclockwise instead of clockwise. Many non-local roadgeeks have their ideas about why the exits were changed, but as a local I'm pretty sure it's because the dominant visiting traffic flow on 10 Loop is from 316 to the UGA campus, and having a continuous exit number range for that traffic is more useful than strictly complying with the MUTCD. (Specifically, traffic from 316 to UGA enters at exit 1 and passes by exits 4, 6, and exits at 7. With MUTCD-compliant numbering they would still enter at 1, but pass by exit 17 and 15 before exiting at 14.)
* In 2008-2009, widening of US 441 north of Athens to I-85 from 2 lane to 4 lane (with the segment further north, I-85 to US 23, having already been widened), again as a "GRIP" corridor. For whatever reason, the previously mentioned section with 2 NB and 1 SB lane, remains in that configuration. US 129 north of Athens to I-85 also widened from 2 lane to 4 lane.
* In the mid-2010s, the last at-grade intersection on SR 10 Loop was upgraded to an interchange, making SR 10 Loop a full freeway.
Quote from: triplemultiplex on February 17, 2021, 09:26:56 AM
Quote from: Big John on February 16, 2021, 03:58:45 PM
Green Bay
That they expanded US 41, now I-41
Roundabouts are now rampant, most of them near 41, including at exit ramps.
There has also been the freeway conversion of WI 29 heading west out of town and the WI 54/57 duplex northeast of I-43.
WI 32 was moved from Lombardi Ave to Mason Street about 20 years ago.
The Northeast District of WisDOT went all-in on roundabouts before other areas of the state. Pretty good strategy to carpet bomb the region with a whole pile of them and force people to adapt. For all the crumudgeoning and harumphing this created, I think most people have begrudgingly warmed up to roundabouts as a result.
So WI-32 used to follow Ashland, Lombardi, Military and Shawano to WI-29 out of town. Now it follows Ashland, Mason and US-41 to WI-29.
That saved about 2.25 miles for the state highway system!
Indiana is even better. They purposely made IN 26 discontinuous by removing the section in Lafayette and West Lafayette between US 52 and I-65 to shave off 6.4 miles.
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 17, 2021, 12:41:34 PM
Indiana is even better. They purposely made IN 26 discontinuous by removing the section in Lafayette and West Lafayette between US 52 and I-65 to shave off 6.4 miles.
The point of Indiana decommissioning highways in cities isn't about the total number of highway miles. It's that they want to focus their resources on improving intercity routes and leaving maintenance within cities to the cities.
Quote from: cabiness42 on February 17, 2021, 01:09:28 PM
Quote from: SkyPesos on February 17, 2021, 12:41:34 PM
Indiana is even better. They purposely made IN 26 discontinuous by removing the section in Lafayette and West Lafayette between US 52 and I-65 to shave off 6.4 miles.
The point of Indiana decommissioning highways in cities isn't about the total number of highway miles. It's that they want to focus their resources on improving intercity routes and leaving maintenance within cities to the cities.
...thus lessening the strain on the state budget and having municalities assume it.
Indiana has a cap of 12,000 miles for INDOT but they are well under that. The business routes in Indiana are locally maintained not by INDOT as well.
If I expand my scope to nearby then there's also the move of US 50 from Mitchell Road in Bedford to follow the Indiana 37 bypass and then take 16th Street (former Indiana 450) into Bedford instead. This seems pretty clearly motivated by shedding responsibility for maintenance as the "Business 50" routing along Mitchell Road is more logical for intercity traffic.
Another change in the area was extending the divided segment of SR 37 down to Mitchell. Previously it had narrowed to a two lane road just south of where US 50 splits off to the west. I wound up learning a lot about former alignments of SR 37 and US 50 as well as their predecessors in the area due to curiosity about the abandoned piers visible to the south of the current White River East Fork crossing but as those changes generally occurred well before I was born, they're outside the scope of this topic.
Some small changes in Manistee since I was born:
- Red Apple Rd was extended from Maple Rd to US-31
- The western portion of Stronach Rd was built from US-31 to the PCA plant; as of now, that road is temporary M-55!
- Memorial Bridge (US-31 over the Manistee River) was heavily redone
- The M-55 bridge over the Manistee River is in the middle of being completely replaced
They built a new exit with Kendrick street.
I'm going to use Williston, ND. It isn't my hometown, as we moved around a lot and really don't have a town that I consider a hometown. It is, however, the town I've lived in that has had the most highway changes.
Originally US 2 and 85 came into the town from the west, turned north in downtown, made a little two-block jog to go around a city park, and exited to the north. https://goo.gl/maps/v4tAmWnKTDHyTeev5 (https://goo.gl/maps/v4tAmWnKTDHyTeev5)
In the 80's, a 4-lane bypass was built in the NW side of town due to increased oil traffic, also as part of ND's ongoing 4-lane upgrade of US 2. https://goo.gl/maps/7gk6TFpAsDFwFRTH6 (https://goo.gl/maps/7gk6TFpAsDFwFRTH6)
Finally, during the Bakken Boom of the 2000's, US 85 was moved to a new 4-lane bypass much further to the NW. https://goo.gl/maps/sVWT66V88tvcqRod9 (https://goo.gl/maps/sVWT66V88tvcqRod9)
Also, a US 85B was established on the east side of town from the new junction of US 2 and 85 north of town to ND 1804 on the east. https://goo.gl/maps/22wheU5D5jPNyTnZ6 (https://goo.gl/maps/22wheU5D5jPNyTnZ6)
Dexter, MI:
Our exit off I-94 (#167, Baker Rd) is at a point where I-94 is 6 lanes, used to be 4. Now if they could continue westward with that trend.
I guess I can do the Denver metro. I moved here (the first time) in 1993, so I'll go from then.
I-25 widened during the T-Rex project
I-25 express lanes added
I-25 exit 191 (No Name) closed and exit 192 (RidgeGate Parkway) built
I-70 (currently) being widened between I-25 and I-225
I-76 completed between I-70 and I-25
I-225 exit changed from I-25 to a right exit instead of left
I-225 to I-25 lanes rerouted so that the Yosemite/DTC Blvd exits stay separate from I-225 to go directly to I-25 North
I-225 had an additional exit at 17th Place added
US36 express lanes added
CO470 extended north of I-70 to US6
E-470 completed from Parker Road (its terminus when I moved here) all the way to I-25
Northwest Parkway built
Peña Boulevard built
CO32 decommisioned
CO33 decommisioned
CO51 decommisioned
I'm sure I'm missing a bunch, but a lot has gone on in the past 28 years.
Chris
For Boston as a whole, the main one was the completion of the big dig, which happened when I was very little.
Quote from: TheStranger on February 15, 2021, 09:40:30 PM
- My suburban hometown, South San Francisco. New ramps at the Oyster Point Boulevard interchange over the last 20 years, starting with a significant realignment ca. 1993 which removed the old overpass crossing US 101 to Butler Avenue, and shifted it towards Sister Cities Boulevard instead. Removal of the old SB onramp from Airport Boulevard near Linden Avenue, replaced with a SB flyover from Dubuque Avenue on the east side of the freeway. Addition of a new southbound onramp in the last decade from Airport Boulevard north of Sister Cities Boulevard. Addition of a new flyover from SB US 101 to EB Oyster Point. New sign installation project along US 101 in late 2020-early 2021, in progress.
Proposal (but no construction started yet) out there too for a complete reconfiguration of the South Airport Boulevard/US 101 interchange.
- San Francisco, where I've worked for about 7 years:
Removal of Central Freeway north of Market Street in 2005, realignment of I-280 to feed into King Street/Embarcadero ca. 2000 as part of the Giants' stadium project. Reconstruction of US 101 in the Presidio to modern Interstate standards as the Presidio Parkway in 2015-2016. East span Bay Bridge. Tabling of mid-2010s proposal to demolish 280 north of Cesar Chavez (Army) Street. Planned carpool lane eventually from Redwood City on US 101 north to the 280 extension. Recent seismic work on the Alemany Maze (101/280 junction). Addition of movable concrete barrier on Golden Gate Bridge in 2015.
- Sacramento, where I lived and worked 2007-2014:
Introduction of new highway signage with exit numbers in 2009. Decommissioning of Business 80 west of Oak Park in 2016. Reconfiguration of Watt Avenue/US 50 cloverleaf into a parclo ca. 2011. Widening of I-80 through Natomas (north beltline). Completion of conversion of Route 275/former US 40 and US 99W in West Sacramento from freeway to short boulevard. Cosumnes River Boulevard being built between Route 160/I-5 in Freeport and Franklin Boulevard. Capital Southeast Corridor currently being proposed.
- Davis, where I lived 2003-2007:
Addition of exit numbers in the mid-2000s. Improved signing of Route 113 along its concurrency with I-80.
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Other areas I have been to extensively:
Louisville, Kentucky
- East End Bridge. Second bridge for I-65 and the changes to the Kennedy Interchange.
Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
- Completion of Skyway Stage 3 from Buendia Avenue to Paco, Manila (2019) and then to Libis Baesa, Caloocan via Quezon City (2020). Addition of southbound offramp and northbound onramp from Buendia. Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge under construction. Reconfiguration of South Avenue to one-way street northbound towards Ayala Malls Circuit Makati (between 2018 and 2019). Pasig River Expressway east segment proposed to include an interchange at Circuit Makati.
Paranaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
- Commencement of construction of C-5 South Link Expressway. Completion of NAIAX between the Skyway and CAVITEX.
Tarlac, Philippines
- Near-completion of Central Luzon Link Expressway (opening May 15th between Tarlac and Aliaga, Nueva Ecija).
Lived in Sacramento and Bay area at various points and I agree with the changes. For Fairfield, CA in recent years i-80 is repaved in Asphalt, widened into 10 lanes, Added carpool lanes and renovated the cordelia interchange to deal with both Bay Area and Sacramento commuter traffic in the past decade.