For no reason, I started thinking about highways that, when they cross state lines, undergo a big change in their character -- for instance, from expressway to random road. The example that made me think of this is US 95 at the NV/CA border: In Nevada, it's a four-lane 75mph expressway (upgraded post-9/11 to be the Hoover Dam truck detour), but in California it's still basically the same dangerous narrow 1930s-era two-lane road with no paved shoulders, undulating up and over every tiny hill.
(https://i.imgur.com/SZpXBeA.png)
I can think of a couple others, but this seems like a good one to get started with.
Edit: And before anyone else uses it, yes, here's the old Kansas Turnpike: :)
(https://i.imgur.com/QuV5LZL.jpg)
Probably not great examples of what you're looking for but:
US202 at the PA-NJ border. While technically the NJ border is in the middle of a bridge, the highway goes from 4 lane limited access to a mess of a 2 lane arterial one it clears the toll booth area on the PA side. It is a slow crawl through Bucks County, PA https://www.google.com/maps/@40.3771445,-74.9622251,3a,75y,228.54h,95.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sReJ1aLHwpchHOqokgiHsGw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
US-1 on the PA-MD border. 4 lane expressway to 2 lane arterial. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7215626,-76.0310019,3a,52.1y,39.36h,92.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgkOKjORlSThLY0_DCfhFIA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Both are reasonably traveled and could be more effective bypasses of I-95 if they could handle the extra traffic on both sides. Neither of the above is a spontaneous change at the exact border though. (edit for wrong border on US-1)
US 23 downgrades from a freeway to an arterial entering Virginia from Tennessee.
WV 9 downgrades from a 4-lane divided expressway to a 2-lane road entering Virginia.
Quote from: Chris19001 on February 04, 2022, 12:19:03 PM
Probably not great examples of what you're looking for but:
US202 at the PA-NJ border. While technically the NJ border is in the middle of a bridge, the highway goes from 4 lane limited access to a mess of a 2 lane arterial one it clears the toll booth area on the PA side. It is a slow crawl through Bucks County, PA https://www.google.com/maps/@40.3771445,-74.9622251,3a,75y,228.54h,95.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sReJ1aLHwpchHOqokgiHsGw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
US-1 on the PA-MD border. 4 lane expressway to 2 lane arterial. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7215626,-76.0310019,3a,52.1y,39.36h,92.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgkOKjORlSThLY0_DCfhFIA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Both are reasonably traveled and could be more effective bypasses of I-95 if they could handle the extra traffic on both sides. Neither of the above is a spontaneous change at the exact border though.
FTFY, US 1 doesn’t enter Delaware.
US 4 is a two lane road on the New York side and immediately becomes a freeway upon entering Vermont.
Also CT 695 is a freeway on the Connecticut side and upon entering Rhode Island, becomes an arterial, though it is US 6 at that point.
CA 299 becoming the not so official NV 8A (dirt surface) at the Nevada Stateline. NV 8A is a relic of the pre-1976 Nevada numbering system and isn't part of the State Inventory.
CO318 becoming unpaved Browns Park Road in Utah
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 04, 2022, 12:49:53 PM
CO318 becoming unpaved Browns Park Road in Utah
I thought Browns Park Rd got paved within the past few years?
Also, while it's not exactly a major road, NC 60 goes from a 5-lane road (2+2 with center turn lane) to a narrow 2-lane road upon crossing the Georgia border and becoming GA 60 Spur (
link (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9883157,-84.1796164,456m/data=!3m1!1e3)). It's a really weird road to be five lanes, so I'm curious if the NC side was widened as some sort of Corridor K type plan that fell through at some point later on.
More from VA/WV: US 522 is four lanes in Virginia; two lanes in West Virginia.
US 340 is another hybrid. Four lanes in Virginia as you're going north, then becomes two lanes at the WV line. Has a four-lane stretch in the Charles Town/Harpers Ferry area, then becomes two lanes in WV and stays two lanes through another short run into Virginia, then becomes four lanes after it crosses into Maryland.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 04, 2022, 12:49:53 PM
CO318 becoming unpaved Browns Park Road in Utah
I-25 switching from pavement to washboard at the CO/NM state line... joking!
On a real note, you have the WY 430/CR 10N (WY/CO) pavement to gravel switch, the WY 10/CR 103 (WY/CO) pavement/gravel switch, SD 251 going to gravel when it hits NE... I think these are fairly common in western states where one state maintains a highway to the state line but the other side's just a county road because there's not as many paved county roads in this part of the country.
There's also US 385 going from 4-lane divided to 2-lane from SD to NE but that's not as stark.
Quote from: US 89 on February 04, 2022, 01:21:45 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on February 04, 2022, 12:49:53 PM
CO318 becoming unpaved Browns Park Road in Utah
I thought Browns Park Rd got paved within the past few years?
Not the whole thing. I was up there about a year and a half ago and it was maybe 60% paved? I honestly can't remember right at the border if it went to dirt. I might be misremembering.
Quote from: Chris19001 on February 04, 2022, 12:19:03 PM
Probably not great examples of what you're looking for but:
US202 at the PA-NJ border. While technically the NJ border is in the middle of a bridge, the highway goes from 4 lane limited access to a mess of a 2 lane arterial one it clears the toll booth area on the PA side. It is a slow crawl through Bucks County, PA https://www.google.com/maps/@40.3771445,-74.9622251,3a,75y,228.54h,95.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sReJ1aLHwpchHOqokgiHsGw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
US-1 on the PA-DE border. 4 lane expressway to 2 lane arterial. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7215626,-76.0310019,3a,52.1y,39.36h,92.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgkOKjORlSThLY0_DCfhFIA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Both are reasonably traveled and could be more effective bypasses of I-95 if they could handle the extra traffic on both sides. Neither of the above is a spontaneous change at the exact border though.
I think you mean US 1 at the PA/MD border.
Quote from: BlueOutback7 on February 04, 2022, 12:34:10 PM
FTFY, US 1 doesn't enter Delaware.
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on February 04, 2022, 01:34:43 PMI think you mean US 1 at the PA/MD border.
Correct to both. Anther brain blunder by yours truly. Thanks for the rescue there.
Another one from Virginia from this neck of the woods: US-501 is four lane headed down to the North Carolina border, then goes down to two lanes most of the way to Roxboro. I have yet to try out the new Ca-vel bypass north of Roxboro. Ca-vel is a small posted crossroads partially named after the old Collins and Aikman plant located there.
US 15 at the NY/PA line was pretty stark prior to the completion of I-99 on the NY side. A full freeway suddenly transitioned to a busy rural two-lane road with heavy truck traffic.
Some might disagree with whether it's a "big change," but the one that instantly comes to mind is I-95 crossing from Georgia to South Carolina (or vice versa). When I drive that route southbound, it feels liberating when the road widens out after crossing the state line there, whereas on the northbound trip it feels like the start of several hours of fighting other people for position (given the excessive amount of tailgating and other nonsense that goes on).
In terms of pavement condition, the portion of US-219 south of I-86 in New York State is a washboard compared to the road immediately over the state line in Pennsylvania.
Any road that becomes a Turnpike immediately upon crossing a state line, without a free exit after crossing.
Ex. I-44 MO→OK, US 301 MD→DE
US 12 changes from a 1960s-era fully interstate compatible rural freeway to a completely inadequate local street and two lane highway when it crosses from Wisconsin into Illinois.
The s due to IDOT (and/or ISTHA?) never building the planned interstate compatible highway on their side of the state line.
Mike
OK 58 becoming a dirt county road in Kansas.
Quote from: plain on February 04, 2022, 04:23:00 PM
Any road that becomes a Turnpike immediately upon crossing a state line, without a free exit after crossing.
Ex. I-44 MO→OK, US 301 MD→DE
I-44 MO→OK also changes in scenery pretty quickly after crossing the state line, from the hilly Ozark geography of southwest MO to the flatter topography of OK.
US 287 at the TX-OK border
Quote from: plain on February 04, 2022, 04:23:00 PM
Any road that becomes a Turnpike immediately upon crossing a state line, without a free exit after crossing.
Not quite that bad, but VA-168 (Battlefields Boulevard south) is a four lane limited access [expressway] before entering North Carolina as NC-168, an upgraded two-lane highway. But not that far north of the border, this turns into the Chesapeake Expressway (Toll VA-168), and there are only a handfull of escape points before then (including Bus VA-168, the old Battlefield Boulevard).
Quote from: webny99 on February 04, 2022, 03:47:33 PM
US 15 at the NY/PA line was pretty stark prior to the completion of I-99 on the NY side. A full freeway suddenly transitioned to a busy rural two-lane road with heavy truck traffic.
Only for a few years. The freeway in PA used to end at what is now exit 191. PA just happened to get their part in closing the gap from there to exit 6 in NY done first.
Quote from: vdeane on February 04, 2022, 07:59:30 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 04, 2022, 03:47:33 PM
US 15 at the NY/PA line was pretty stark prior to the completion of I-99 on the NY side. A full freeway suddenly transitioned to a busy rural two-lane road with heavy truck traffic.
Only for a few years. The freeway in PA used to end at what is now exit 191. PA just happened to get their part in closing the gap from there to exit 6 in NY done first.
When was that section completed? I definitely remember it being done on trips that way in the 2010-2011 timeframe, so I would guess sometime in the mid-late 2000's.
Quote from: webny99 on February 04, 2022, 08:34:22 PM
Quote from: vdeane on February 04, 2022, 07:59:30 PM
Quote from: webny99 on February 04, 2022, 03:47:33 PM
US 15 at the NY/PA line was pretty stark prior to the completion of I-99 on the NY side. A full freeway suddenly transitioned to a busy rural two-lane road with heavy truck traffic.
Only for a few years. The freeway in PA used to end at what is now exit 191. PA just happened to get their part in closing the gap from there to exit 6 in NY done first.
When was that section completed? I definitely remember it being done on trips that way in the 2010-2011 timeframe, so I would guess sometime in the mid-late 2000's.
Looking at Historic Aerials, I'm guessing 2008. Maybe 2009 depending on how long it took to finish the temporary end near Watson Creek Road.
Quote from: Kniwt on February 04, 2022, 12:04:31 PM
Edit: And before anyone else uses it, yes, here's the old Kansas Turnpike: :)
(https://i.imgur.com/QuV5LZL.jpg)
I first saw this photograph and the story behind it in a book I have "The Roads that Built America" about the Interstate system.
US 220 in Maryland is an improved widened two-lane road; almost but not quite a "super-2." Once upon entering Pennsylvania it becomes a narrow old-style traditional two-lane.
US 75 is a 4 lane expressway in Oklahoma but is just a regular 2 lane highway in Kansas.
Before the late 1990s, US 65 turned from a curvy 2-lane with occasional passing lanes in Arkansas to a flat, straight Super-2 in Missouri. The transition was jarring.
Quote from: bugo on February 05, 2022, 12:25:55 AM
US 75 is a 4 lane expressway in Oklahoma but is just a regular 2 lane highway in Kansas.
The bit right at the border was four-laned at some point, and now lasts at least to Caney.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on February 05, 2022, 05:57:39 PM
Quote from: bugo on February 05, 2022, 12:25:55 AM
US 75 is a 4 lane expressway in Oklahoma but is just a regular 2 lane highway in Kansas.
The bit right at the border was four-laned at some point, and now lasts at least to Caney.
That tells you how long it's been since I have been north of Frank Phillips Blvd in Bartlesville.
I remember this from somewhere else on this forum but I think it fits here.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.59731,-88.3724939,13.68z
At the Wisconsin-Illinois state line, US-12's limited access freeway in Wisconsin suddenly stops at an incomplete diamond interchange, and the route makes a hard left onto a two-lane road into Illinois. Like, the setup is there for Illinois to continue the freeway, but Illinois just... didn't.
WY 10 at the co/wy line. WY 10 is a 2-lane paved road. on the colorado side, it's dirt larimer co rd 103.
https://goo.gl/maps/eeQpGcH3M7Lxwb4u6 (https://goo.gl/maps/eeQpGcH3M7Lxwb4u6)
US 95 drops from a four lane expressway with 70 MPH speeds in Nevada to two lanes upon entering San Bernardino County California.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 07, 2022, 08:06:03 AM
US 95 drops from a four lane expressway with 70 MPH speeds in Nevada to two lanes upon entering San Bernardino County California.
This is literally the OP. :sombrero:
US 20 is mostly a freeway in Iowa but entirely 2 lane in Nebraska.
Quote from: mgk920 on February 04, 2022, 04:24:23 PM
US 12 changes from a 1960s-era fully interstate compatible rural freeway to a completely inadequate local street and two lane highway when it crosses from Wisconsin into Illinois.
The s due to IDOT (and/or ISTHA?) never building the planned interstate compatible highway on their side of the state line.
Mike
it comes to an half exit ramp there is now an traffic light there.
This is a bit different than what OP was going for, but I-90 at the Montana/Idaho state line drops from 75 MPH to 55 MPH speed limit, which is, in fact, a big change. Though the conditions of the highway itself are pretty similar on either side. There are more examples of similar situations on specifically the ID/MT border, including a 70 to 45 on US-93.
Quote from: doorknob60 on February 07, 2022, 05:36:17 PM
This is a bit different than what OP was going for, but I-90 at the Montana/Idaho state line drops from 75 MPH to 55 MPH speed limit, which is, in fact, a big change. Though the conditions of the highway itself are pretty similar on either side. There are more examples of similar situations on specifically the ID/MT border, including a 70 to 45 on US-93.
I-90 is only 70 on the Montana side
US 84 and US 98 and US 45 between Mississippi and Alabama are all like this.
All three are mostly divided 4 lane highways throughout Mississippi. The instant they cross into Alabama, 2 lane road.
US 82 also goes from a controlled access freeway in Mississippi to a normal divided highway in Alabama.
Quote from: dvferyance on February 07, 2022, 03:16:39 PM
US 20 is mostly a freeway in Iowa but entirely 2 lane in Nebraska.
At the border, US 20 overlaps I-129, so there is no change at the border. US 20 doesn't become a 2 lane road until west of US 77, which is where I-129 ends.
Does VA/NC 168 count? It is a freeway on the Virginia side, but becomes more of an expressway when you get to North Carolina. But there are stores right on the border, so I’m not sure.
Quote from: BlueOutback7 on February 08, 2022, 09:47:38 AM
Does VA/NC 168 count? It is a freeway on the Virginia side, but becomes more of an expressway when you get to North Carolina. But there are stores right on the border, so I'm not sure.
Most certainly. :nod:
There's a pretty noticeable change on US 460 at the West Virginia/Virginia state line between Princeton and Pearisburg. The West Virginia side has a 65 mph limit, a wide median, and used to be concrete pavement (it may have been resurfaced with asphalt now, I can't remember for sure. The speed limit drops to 45 mph at the state line, the Virginia side is definitely asphalt, and the road's footprint narrows considerably. The road definitely goes from an expressway feel to more of a four-lane arterial. You can't exactly call Glen Lyn, Va., "urban," but the road certainly doesn't have the rural feel it does in West Virginia.
https://goo.gl/maps/f5FPHKSkDpsGDtjj9
Quote from: MoiraPrime on February 07, 2022, 10:32:50 PM
US 84 and US 98 and US 45 between Mississippi and Alabama are all like this.
All three are mostly divided 4 lane highways throughout Mississippi. The instant they cross into Alabama, 2 lane road.
US 82 also goes from a controlled access freeway in Mississippi to a normal divided highway in Alabama.
On the other side of AL, I-20 is 6 lanes until just before the GA line where it drops to 4 lanes for the first 24 miles in GA.
Quote from: Dirt Roads on February 08, 2022, 10:08:55 AM
Quote from: BlueOutback7 on February 08, 2022, 09:47:38 AM
Does VA/NC 168 count? It is a freeway on the Virginia side, but becomes more of an expressway when you get to North Carolina. But there are stores right on the border, so I'm not sure.
Most certainly. :nod:
It actually isn't even an expressway in NC, it's a 4-lane undivided road with a center turn lane, and it stays that way clear down to its terminus at US 158. Pretty big downgrade.
Quote from: clong on February 08, 2022, 01:18:39 PM
On the other side of AL, I-20 is 6 lanes until just before the GA line where it drops to 4 lanes for the first 24 miles in GA.
Which is pathetic, because Georgia just finished a multi-year construction project on that segment of I-20 and didn't bother to do any sort of widening...
Quote from: clong on February 08, 2022, 01:18:39 PM
On the other side of AL, I-20 is 6 lanes until just before the GA line where it drops to 4 lanes for the first 24 miles in GA.
Sounds a bit like I-65 SB narrowing from 6 to 4 lanes crossing from KY to TN, then widening again not that far south when it goes closer to Nashville.
US 395 is a full fledged freeway north of Reno, but once it crosses into CA it starts having at-grade intersections. Still remains a divided highway up to CA 70.
Quote from: Kniwt on February 04, 2022, 12:04:31 PM
For no reason, I started thinking about highways that, when they cross state lines, undergo a big change in their character -- for instance, from expressway to random road. The example that made me think of this is US 95 at the NV/CA border: In Nevada, it's a four-lane 75mph expressway (upgraded post-9/11 to be the Hoover Dam truck detour), but in California it's still basically the same dangerous narrow 1930s-era two-lane road with no paved shoulders, undulating up and over every tiny hill.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 07, 2022, 08:06:03 AM
US 95 drops from a four lane expressway with 70 MPH speeds in Nevada to two lanes upon entering San Bernardino County California.
Although one could assume the culprit is California's lack of foresight and public policy to ensure that the highway stays consistent from Boulder City to I-40, this may just be more of a result of the fact that the turnoff for Laughlin from US 95 is right at the border and that the AADT for travel between Vegas and Laughlin justifies four lanes to that point but the AADT between I-40 and Vegas does not.
The only time I've driven on the East Coast is when I rented a car (actually a SmartCar Car2Go) and drove from Washington DC to Harpers Ferry. I drove on divided highways and interstates most of the way until I did nearly the final stretch on US 340 from Maryland to Virginia. Then it went from a divided highway to a narrow bridge with trucks coming at me. The bridge is so narrow that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy recommended hikers not use it when the usual bridge across the Potomac River was destroyed in a derailment. There does seem to be some walking space between the Jersey barrier and the bridge rails. https://goo.gl/maps/PpZ1g8HiHs5fSUVB9
Quote from: Occidental Tourist on February 09, 2022, 02:10:57 AM
Quote from: Kniwt on February 04, 2022, 12:04:31 PM
For no reason, I started thinking about highways that, when they cross state lines, undergo a big change in their character -- for instance, from expressway to random road. The example that made me think of this is US 95 at the NV/CA border: In Nevada, it's a four-lane 75mph expressway (upgraded post-9/11 to be the Hoover Dam truck detour), but in California it's still basically the same dangerous narrow 1930s-era two-lane road with no paved shoulders, undulating up and over every tiny hill.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 07, 2022, 08:06:03 AM
US 95 drops from a four lane expressway with 70 MPH speeds in Nevada to two lanes upon entering San Bernardino County California.
Although one could assume the culprit is California's lack of foresight and public policy to ensure that the highway stays consistent from Boulder City to I-40, this may just be more of a result of the fact that the turnoff for Laughlin from US 95 is right at the border and that the AADT for travel between Vegas and Laughlin justifies four lanes to that point but the AADT between I-40 and Vegas does not.
Yes, the cause was AZ 68 and NV 163 becoming the truck bypass off Hoover Dam post 9/11. There is surprisingly little traffic on US 95 north of I-40 until NV 163.
Quote from: ErmineNotyours on February 09, 2022, 06:56:43 AM
The only time I've driven on the East Coast is when I rented a car (actually a SmartCar Car2Go) and drove from Washington DC to Harpers Ferry. I drove on divided highways and interstates most of the way until I did nearly the final stretch on US 340 from Maryland to Virginia. Then it went from a divided highway to a narrow bridge with trucks coming at me. The bridge is so narrow that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy recommended hikers not use it when the usual bridge across the Potomac River was destroyed in a derailment. There does seem to be some walking space between the Jersey barrier and the bridge rails. https://goo.gl/maps/PpZ1g8HiHs5fSUVB9
Speaking of MD/VA Potomac crossings...US 15 is another one. On the MD side it is almost super-2 with full shoulders & limited intersections (and evidence of ROW existing for future widening near US 340 (https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3568224,-77.5048118,3a,75y,15h,92.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPyISgrZteoJ_raj8Zzjxzw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?hl=en)). Then after crossing the Point of Rocks Bridge into VA, you're immediately greeted by a sharp curve signed for 20 mph, followed by a shoulder-less country road with constant driveways & intersections on the way to Leesburg.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 09, 2022, 09:46:23 AM
There is surprisingly little traffic on US 95 north of I-40 until NV 163.
You must have far better luck than I do with that part of US 95. It seems to have become at least a minor-moderate trucking corridor, actually continuing all the way down US 95 through Needles to I-10 at Blythe, and/or CA 62. The trucks have to slow for the lumpy and curvy terrain, while hotshots in their cars and pickups try to do 70-80mph around them ... and sometimes pay dearly.
I don't think I've ever left that part of US 95 not feeling stressed out and grumpy.
Quote from: Kniwt on February 09, 2022, 01:08:39 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 09, 2022, 09:46:23 AM
There is surprisingly little traffic on US 95 north of I-40 until NV 163.
You must have far better luck than I do with that part of US 95. It seems to have become at least a minor-moderate trucking corridor, actually continuing all the way down US 95 through Needles to I-10 at Blythe, and/or CA 62. The trucks have to slow for the lumpy and curvy terrain, while hotshots in their cars and pickups try to do 70-80mph around them ... and sometimes pay dearly.
I don't think I've ever left that part of US 95 not feeling stressed out and grumpy.
I've found I-40 to I-10 to be far worse than I-40 than NV 163 on US 95. The dips, shit line of sight and 65 MPH speed limit on US 95 between I-40 and CA 62 can get pretty wild. That segment also gets a bunch of Laughlin gambling traffic. Usually I tried to avoid the area via Amboy Road when I was making my work commutes between Laughlin/Bullhead and Palm Springs.
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 04, 2022, 03:49:44 PM
In terms of pavement condition, the portion of US-219 south of I-86 in New York State is a washboard compared to the road immediately over the state line in Pennsylvania.
You'll be glad to know this is finally being addressed with
a pair (https://www.dot.ny.gov/portal/pls/portal/MEXIS_APP.DYN_PROJECT_DETAILS.show?p_arg_names=p_pin&p_arg_values=510193)
of resurfacing projects (https://www.dot.ny.gov/portal/pls/portal/MEXIS_APP.DYN_PROJECT_DETAILS.show?p_arg_names=p_pin&p_arg_values=510192).