In all of your opinions, what is the best interchange and worst interchange in the nation? Based on whatever criteria you want.
Worst is easy for me: I-55 and Crump Blvd in Memphis.
Best is more difficult. I'll go with I-635 and US-75 in Richardson TX. The Marquette Interchange is a close second.
For me, I'd consider the best interchange to be literally any free-flowing interchange that isn't a cloverleaf variant. They put so many of them in Chicago, and they always back up.
Here are some of my most strongly disliked interchanges:
- The cloverleaf at I-90 and I-290. They put a ton of money into I-90, only for it to be backed up by that interchange.
- The trumpet interchange where the I-290/Illinois 53 freeway ends abruptly at Lake Cook Road. It's what happens when NIMBY's run a town.
- Crump Boulevard is admittedly pretty terrible. Why did they make I-55 traffic work around a tight cloverleaf?
- The single laned double trumpet connecting I-80 from I-94 to the Indiana Toll Road. Why is it one lane for a significant coast to coast highway?
An honorable mention that's been on my mind recently is Cline Avenue and US-20 in Gary, Indiana. I've been driving through it every day for work. It's a normal cloverleaf, but the ramp from north Cline Avenue and east US-20 turns way more abruptly than I would like. It's like they ran out of frontage to make a gentle curve, which means I have to slow down to 25 on the freeway.
Quote from: thspfc on May 25, 2022, 08:21:22 AM
In all of your opinions, what is the best interchange and worst interchange in the nation? Based on whatever criteria you want.
I think we'd do better
with criteria, since that would give us something to argue about. :D
From a visual perspective, I really like
I-390/I-490 (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1573456,-77.6779485,1657m/data=!3m1!1e3), and I'm surprised that design isn't used more often around the country. It's basically a full diamond, but this one has wider medians and more forgiving ramp alignment than others I've seen. It's also been functionally modified (especially southbound) by several improvement projects over the past few years.
My most-disliked interchange would be pretty much any interchange where a freeway transitions to a surface street. Blech.
No contest IMHO. Hutch/Merritt at NY/CT-120A
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Merritt+Cir,+Edina,+MN+55436/@41.0366454,-73.6757586,610m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x87f6211076df37ad:0x80df60f44d02a628!8m2!3d44.9035565!4d-93.3681202
Quote from: DJ Particle on May 25, 2022, 11:38:05 PM
No contest IMHO. Hutch/Merritt at NY/CT-120A
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Merritt+Cir,+Edina,+MN+55436/@41.0366454,-73.6757586,610m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x87f6211076df37ad:0x80df60f44d02a628!8m2!3d44.9035565!4d-93.3681202
With all due respect, I believe that the Taconic at NY-301 (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4686032,-73.8198707,692m/data=!3m1!1e3) is far inferior.
Quote from: Hobart on May 25, 2022, 10:43:41 PM
For me, I'd consider the best interchange to be literally any free-flowing interchange that isn't a cloverleaf variant. They put so many of them in Chicago, and they always back up.
Here are some of my most strongly disliked interchanges:
- The cloverleaf at I-90 and I-290. They put a ton of money into I-90, only for it to be backed up by that interchange.
- The trumpet interchange where the I-290/Illinois 53 freeway ends abruptly at Lake Cook Road. It's what happens when NIMBY's run a town.
- Crump Boulevard is admittedly pretty terrible. Why did they make I-55 traffic work around a tight cloverleaf?
- The single laned double trumpet connecting I-80 from I-94 to the Indiana Toll Road. Why is it one lane for a significant coast to coast highway?
An honorable mention that's been on my mind recently is Cline Avenue and US-20 in Gary, Indiana. I've been driving through it every day for work. It's a normal cloverleaf, but the ramp from north Cline Avenue and east US-20 turns way more abruptly than I would like. It's like they ran out of frontage to make a gentle curve, which means I have to slow down to 25 on the freeway.
for 1 no funds for the free road (maybe with the bears)
for 4 there where plans for better (befor the IN toll road was leased out)
A very original choice here...
Worst: Breezewood
Quote from: thspfc on May 25, 2022, 08:21:22 AM
In all of your opinions, what is the best interchange and worst interchange in the nation? Based on whatever criteria you want.
Worst is easy for me: I-55 and Crump Blvd in Memphis.
Best is more difficult. I'll go with I-635 and US-75 in Richardson TX. The Marquette Interchange is a close second.
I second I-55 and Crump as the worst, although there's definitely some others that could give it a run for its money.
For the best, there really are so many contenders it's hard to decide, but I might go with the US 101/CA 110 interchange, an absolute classic and the first stack interchange to be built. I'd say give it a tie between that and I-635/US 75 (which you mentioned), which may be the magnum opus of all U.S. interchanges (thus far). :biggrin:
I also really like the FL 826/FL 836 interchange near Miami, which also looks incredible lighted up at night. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWZjuwJWwzo&t=860s)
Worst interchange in the Indy metro: I-465 at US 31 (Meridian Street)
Worst Michigan interchange: I-96 at US-31 outside of Muskegon. The drawbacks of a cloverleaf made worse.
https://goo.gl/maps/L5chKY2uPYaBAAcf6
I like the Rosedale interchange. I hate the Springfield Interchange.
Until it was rebuilt, the junction of I-79 north with I-70 in Washington, Pa. was the worst. The approach was on a long downgrade that ended in a tight spiral ramp that 25 mph was almost too fast to negotiate it (the high concrete barrier with all the scuff marks showed that). The ramp ended with an uphill climb to I-70 with one of the shortest acceleration lanes to be found.
I took the title literally and tried to find one horrible but awesome interchange.
How about the 1/9/21/22/78/95 complex in Newark: https://goo.gl/maps/S8vwNzsMqcJPbyav5
- 8 legs, plus express lanes, although not all 56+ possible movements are provided
- low vertical profile because of adjacent airport
- but it's uuuuugly
Love it! I have thought about this a lot recently. Purely astatically speaking, the western terminus of Interstate 20 defaulting onto Interstate 10 is one of my favorites. Its very plain yes, and even features a left-hand ramp that's a glorified Texas U-Turn in the median for movements from westbound Interstate 20 to eastbound Interstate 10, but there is something about it. It is rural so it has high speed in mind, the transitions are graceful and there is something about the desert mountain backdrop that makes me feel like the west has begun at that point. I-20 has now ended (like I-30 before it), and it gives you a bit of foreshadowing of what is to come on your westbound journey of how I-70 will die in two states and so will I-40, leaving I-10 as the loan cross-country survivor of the southern 4 zeros.
I love the Interstate 35E/Interstate 20 interchange south of Dallas (you can put the other interchanges with that exact design in this group all over Dallas). I know most people clown it, but I love something that symmetrical. I love interchanges that are symmetrical, and these are the most symmetrical.
I also love the Interstate 10/ SR-51 interchange in Phoenix. I love how it is for the most part a standard stack, yet keeps the continuity of Interstate 10 as it transitions through the stack from a north-south alignment to an east-west alignment. I am a sucker for interchanges like that.
My least favorite would be any interchange lacking movements, and specifically the Interstate 95/Interstate 87 interchange in New York. That is way to tight of an area for a major interstate to interstate intersection.
Also Interstate 99/Interstate 76 uses surface streets for all of it's movements.
Illinois is notorious for its freeway-to-freeway cloverleafs. I-39/80, I-74/80, I-57/74, and I-55/72 all suck the big one but none are as bad as I-55/80 near Joliet. It's not the worst interchange in the country, but it's certainly one of the dumbest and most underpowered.
I really love some of the newer Wisconsin interchanges. I-39/WI 29 south of Wausau connects with some wonderfully smooth ramps (at least did when it was new). I also like how Virginia rebuilt the Springfield Interchange, aka the Mixing Bowl, several years ago. It looks insane on a map but is surprisingly easy to navigate freeway-to-freeway though some of the entrance ramps (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7791257,-77.1844457,3a,60y,101.35h,90.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s01LlcByUsvyPGAPTzAXQBg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) can be confusing with the directional signs obscured by stoplights (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7784213,-77.1761849,3a,68.3y,269.14h,79.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGKGr-OEPSo5ui4PKWbS1tw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192).
Best:
I-84 Manchester/East Hartford C/D complex. Still going strong after almost 40 years.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7879665,-72.5600552,5284m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7879665,-72.5600552,5284m/data=!3m1!1e3)
I-91 @ CT 9. Very nice high-speed interchange.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6254545,-72.686191,2500m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6254545,-72.686191,2500m/data=!3m1!1e3)
I like how MassHighway built three identical hourglass interchanges on US 6:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7165273,-70.4137029,5605m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7165273,-70.4137029,5605m/data=!3m1!1e3)
Worst:
I-91 @ I-90, Holyoke, MA. Very round-about way to reach the Pike, but the design was necessary for the old closed-ticked toll system.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1585226,-72.6366744,1912m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1585226,-72.6366744,1912m/data=!3m1!1e3)
This monstrosity.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8476693,-73.9420651,1594m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8476693,-73.9420651,1594m/data=!3m1!1e3)
And this one.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.844387,-73.9239505,820m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.844387,-73.9239505,820m/data=!3m1!1e3)
I-91 @ US 5/CT 15, Exit 17. This may have worked in the late 60s but it doesn't now, and is home to many deadly accidents.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.844387,-73.9239505,820m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.844387,-73.9239505,820m/data=!3m1!1e3)
I love the new TX-288/Sam Houston Tollway stack on the south side of Houston:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.596022,-95.3851815,1866m/data=!3m1!1e3
It has a couple of left entrances and exits, but I feel that this interchange has some of the cleverest toll/HOV lane access of any interchange in the US. It is also geometrically pleasing and has a lot of traffic output.
I'm also impartial to this piece of artwork off of I-310 in LA:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.9487508,-90.3698023,1804m/data=!3m1!1e3
Quote from: CoreySamson on May 26, 2022, 06:24:26 PM
I'm also impartial to this piece of artwork off of I-310 in LA:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.9487508,-90.3698023,1804m/data=!3m1!1e3
Speaking of I-310, I have always loved it's intersection with I-10. A T-stack completely over a swamp.
I’ll nominate I-95/I-87 in New York City as being one of the worst traffic wise, but I-95’s interchange with the Henry Hudson Parkway/NY 9A is worse as it can be very confusing to navigate. One has to exit onto city streets to get to I-95.
Worst: The Lodge Freeway (M-10) at the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) in Detroit.
Quote from: wanderer2575 on May 26, 2022, 01:28:44 AM
Worst Michigan interchange: I-96 at US-31 outside of Muskegon. The drawbacks of a cloverleaf made worse.
https://goo.gl/maps/L5chKY2uPYaBAAcf6
I think the I-196/US-131 interchange is worse with all the left hand turns, crossovers, close exits nearby and incredibly high traffic volume.
https://www.google.com/maps/search/US-131+I-196+interchange/@42.9733169,-85.6776219,17z
Quote from: BlueOutback7 on May 26, 2022, 08:09:02 PM
I'll nominate I-95/I-87 in New York City as being one of the worst traffic wise, but I-95's interchange with the Henry Hudson Parkway/NY 9A is worse as it can be very confusing to navigate. One has to exit onto city streets to get to I-95.
I sat in one of the worst traffic jams of all time at that interchange once.
Best:
The Marquette Interchange (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0347722,-87.9243278,16.08z)
The NEW I-39/I-90/I-43/WI-81 interchange (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5288328,-88.985112,15.37z) (While it's not as nice for I-43 traffic looking to continue onto WI-81, the fact that they essentially built a trumpet interchange on top of a DDI is impressive)
Worst:
The Hillside Strangler (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.872376,-87.9203695,15.42z) (thankfully, being addressed)
I-294 and Willow Rd (Palatine Rd) (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1062707,-87.8687358,16.63z) (despite being a standard diamond, this one is made awful because of the piss-poor signal coordination/timings. It's almost impossible to get through this without stopping)
US-151 at US-14 on the west side of Madison (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0370865,-89.4512223,15.75z)
US-151 at US-20 in Dubuque (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4903522,-90.6642919,16.13z) (this one could be much worse, though with decent signal, timing it works out alright)
I-39 at US-20 and I-39 at I-90 (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2338501,-88.9923296,14.29z) (they're so close you can almost count them as one interchange. Woefully insufficient to handle I-39 plus US-20's traffic on 4-lanes. The left merge from I-90 west to I-39 south is also not great)
I tried to come up with more good interchanges, but I couldn't. A good interchange that works well just isn't as memorable as one that sucks!
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on May 26, 2022, 12:28:46 AM
For the best, there really are so many contenders it's hard to decide, but I might go with the US 101/CA 110 interchange, an absolute classic and the first stack interchange to be built. I'd say give it a tie between that and I-635/US 75 (which you mentioned), which may be the magnum opus of all U.S. interchanges (thus far). :biggrin:
Another impressive stack, but more modern than the classic US 101/CA 110, is I-8/I-805 in San Diego. Like 101/110, this is a four-level stack with I-805 on a long viaduct spanning Mission Valley, with the connecting ramps to/from I-8 in the middle levels of the interchange between the two freeways.
A messier interchange in San Diego is I-5/I-8. I heard about a sign posted by the construction company (I think R.E. Hazard) while it was under construction, saying something like "We don't know what this is either, we're only building it".
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on May 26, 2022, 03:32:21 PMI-91 @ US 5/CT 15, Exit 17. This may have worked in the late 60s but it doesn't now, and is home to many deadly accidents.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.844387,-73.9239505,820m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.844387,-73.9239505,820m/data=!3m1!1e3)
Wrong link. Try this: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5303617,-72.7660196,3145m/data=!3m1!1e3. I don't really see what's wrong with it, but if it's dangerous, it's dangerous.
Quote from: JoePCool14 on May 26, 2022, 11:32:16 PM
Worst:
The Hillside Strangler (https://www.google.com/maps/@41.872376,-87.9203695,15.42z) (thankfully, being addressed)
Ughh, yes.
Part of the challenge here is that a well-designed interchange may well go completely unnoticed.
Quote from: JoePCool14 on May 26, 2022, 11:32:16 PM
Worst:
US-151 at US-14 on the west side of Madison (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0370865,-89.4512223,15.75z)
US-151 at US-20 in Dubuque (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4903522,-90.6642919,16.13z) (this one could be much worse, though with decent signal, timing it works out alright)
I-39 at US-20 and I-39 at I-90 (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2338501,-88.9923296,14.29z) (they're so close you can almost count them as one interchange. Woefully insufficient to handle I-39 plus US-20's traffic on 4-lanes. The left merge from I-90 west to I-39 south is also not great)
I tried to come up with more good interchanges, but I couldn't. A good interchange that works well just isn't as memorable as one that sucks!
Disagree with Verona Rd and Beltline being one of the worst. It works quite well considering the available space and other circumstances. There are dozens of interchanges that cause far more congestion.
Calling the Dubuque one an interchange is a stretch.
I never thought the I-39/90 split was that bad, but I haven't driven I-39 south of there so I don't know the full story.
Both of them are on I-290:
Best--Circle Interchange
Worst--Hillside Strangler
ehhh.. I'm not crazy about the Circle either.
Quote from: kphoger on May 27, 2022, 12:47:24 PM
ehhh.. I'm not crazy about the Circle either.
Eh, maybe when it's done. Whenever that is.
Anyway, going purely by aesthetics, might I suggest exit 175 on I-70 in Kansas. It seems to me to have the perfect diamond shape.
(https://i.imgur.com/zQCewFp.png) (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8630118,-99.0211668,1227m/data=!3m1!1e3)
Quote from: JoePCool14 on May 26, 2022, 11:32:16 PM
Best:
The Marquette Interchange (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0347722,-87.9243278,16.08z)
The NEW I-39/I-90/I-43/WI-81 interchange (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5288328,-88.985112,15.37z) (While it's not as nice for I-43 traffic looking to continue onto WI-81, the fact that they essentially built a trumpet interchange on top of a DDI is impressive)
I had communications with the WisDOT local office in Madison when that one (The 'Beloit interchange') was being laid out. I was most impressed with it in that WisOOT restored local street connections that were severed since the early 1960s as the former WI 15 progressively evolved into today's I-43. I used WisDOT's own I-41/WI 29/WI 32/Shawano Ave 'Shawano' interchange in the Green Bay area as a model for my discussions of my thoughts at Beloit. IMHO, the Shawano Interchange is even more impressive than Beloit.
There is one local street connection at Beloit that was not addressed at the time, but it is relatively minor and can be taken up at some time in the future.
Mike
The I-93/I-95 junction in Reading/Stoneham, MA us really bad.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5006606,-71.116939,16.42z
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on May 27, 2022, 02:38:28 PM
The I-93/I-95 junction in Reading/Stoneham, MA us really bad.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5006606,-71.116939,16.42z
It's no different from any other cloverleaf, of which there are several in Massachusetts. The issue is the lane drop on I-95 northbound after the next exit (MA 28).
Quote from: 1 on May 27, 2022, 02:40:00 PM
Quote from: Ted$8roadFan on May 27, 2022, 02:38:28 PM
The I-93/I-95 junction in Reading/Stoneham, MA us really bad.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5006606,-71.116939,16.42z
It's no different from any other cloverleaf, of which there are several in Massachusetts. The issue is the lane drop on I-95 northbound after the next exit (MA 28).
I guess I was thinking in terms of traffic volumes on both 93 and 95. Most cloverleafs in Massachusetts have long outlived their usefulness.
Quote from: mgk920 on May 27, 2022, 02:15:44 PM
Quote from: JoePCool14 on May 26, 2022, 11:32:16 PM
Best:
The Marquette Interchange (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0347722,-87.9243278,16.08z)
The NEW I-39/I-90/I-43/WI-81 interchange (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.5288328,-88.985112,15.37z) (While it's not as nice for I-43 traffic looking to continue onto WI-81, the fact that they essentially built a trumpet interchange on top of a DDI is impressive)
I had communications with the WisDOT local office in Madison when that one (The 'Beloit interchange') was being laid out. I was most impressed with it in that WisOOT restored local street connections that were severed since the early 1960s as the former WI 15 progressively evolved into today's I-43. I used WisDOT's own I-41/WI 29/WI 32/Shawano Ave 'Shawano' interchange in the Green Bay area as a model for my discussions of my thoughts at Beloit. IMHO, the Shawano Interchange is even more impressive than Beloit.
There is one local street connection at Beloit that was not addressed at the time, but it is relatively minor and can be taken up at some time in the future.
Mike
I don't want to sound like Carhorn, but WISDOT really does build good interchanges. They've done the Marquette, Zoo, Mitchell, I-41/US-45 in Oshkosh, I-41/US-10, I-41/Shawano Ave, I-41/I-43 in Green Bay, US-51/WI-29/WI-52 in Wausau, and the Beloit interchange in the last 15 years. All 8 were successes (albeit expensive).
Someone has to say 101/405 in Sherman Oaks/Encino. So I'll be that person.
Just awful - the reasons why have been listed on this forum tons of times before.
Both aesthetically speaking and from personal experience, I hate the I-35 and Indian Hills Road interchange in Norman OK. Having a 2 way service road on both sides is already tricky but you essentially have two places where head on traffic is only stopped by a stop sign and yield sign and it's coupled with access points to an interstate. The road markings themselves are super limited too. I've seen quite a few near misses.
https://goo.gl/maps/P39ZvswtpAtzuef96
Thankfully, this is the location of a future turnpike and will be replaced by a supposed 5 level stack, but it's quite counterintuitive.
Worst one in Wisconsin. I-94 and Mitchell Blvd hands down.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 27, 2022, 12:55:06 PM
Anyway, going purely by aesthetics, might I suggest exit 175 on I-70 in Kansas. It seems to me to have the perfect diamond shape.
(https://i.imgur.com/zQCewFp.png) (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8630118,-99.0211668,1227m/data=!3m1!1e3)
I check (card term) with the most perfect cloverleaf I could find!
Call it the best of the worst I guess. It's at I-29 and I-90, in South Dakota. There's lots of room in the rural midwest to construct very good cloverleaves and diamonds.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/576638889838772234/979937459649523742/unknown.png?width=608&height=559)
Quote from: Hobart on May 27, 2022, 10:45:13 PM
I check (card term) with the most perfect cloverleaf I could find!
Call it the best of the worst I guess. It's at I-29 and I-90, in South Dakota. There's lots of room in the rural midwest to construct very good cloverleaves and diamonds.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/576638889838772234/979937459649523742/unknown.png?width=608&height=559)
That's a good one. I like the creek in the middle. I have to admit though that my favorite is (the no longer extant as such) I-57 at I-74 in Champaign, Illinois:
(https://i.imgur.com/cEZqiZm.png) (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.146184,-88.2838857,805m/data=!3m1!1e3)
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on May 28, 2022, 12:27:34 AM
Quote from: Hobart on May 27, 2022, 10:45:13 PM
I check (card term) with the most perfect cloverleaf I could find!
Call it the best of the worst I guess. It's at I-29 and I-90, in South Dakota. There's lots of room in the rural midwest to construct very good cloverleaves and diamonds.
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/576638889838772234/979937459649523742/unknown.png?width=608&height=559)
That's a good one. I like the creek in the middle. I have to admit though that my favorite is (the no longer extant as such) I-57 at I-74 in Champaign, Illinois:
(https://i.imgur.com/cEZqiZm.png) (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.146184,-88.2838857,805m/data=!3m1!1e3)
I-57 and 74 would be absolutely perfect for a cloverleaf if the diamond ramps ran diagonally. Everyone kept flinging themselves off of those because the ramps don't go straight when they should, which definitely brings it down to my bottom third.
I remember driving out of there with my family for concert band competitions at U of I, and there'd be a ton of signage because "hey, the ramp isn't straight, for the love of god don't be the twentieth person to have flipped their car on the ramp."
It's the same issue I have with the Cline Avenue cloverleaf with US-20, just with a worse situation with better signage.
Quote from: Hobart on May 28, 2022, 07:02:14 PM
I-57 and 74 would be absolutely perfect for a cloverleaf if the diamond ramps ran diagonally. Everyone kept flinging themselves off of those because the ramps don't go straight when they should, which definitely brings it down to my bottom third.
I remember driving out of there with my family for concert band competitions at U of I, and there'd be a ton of signage because "hey, the ramp isn't straight, for the love of god don't be the twentieth person to have flipped their car on the ramp."
It's the same issue I have with the Cline Avenue cloverleaf with US-20, just with a worse situation with better signage.
Huh. I used to take the I-74 E to I-57 N ramp on any number of occasions and never noticed any particular difficulty in negotiating the ramps. That said, they did add these little doodads in about 2015 (https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1439192,-88.280863,3a,75y,343.37h,87.26t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHjwceSrs1D274PuVGtKG3Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192), so there must have been something going on, at least with trucks.
(https://i.imgur.com/WejZyPl.png)
Worst:
I-35 / I-635 / US 69: https://goo.gl/maps/RTMC49iBHVC4XTCG9 (https://goo.gl/maps/RTMC49iBHVC4XTCG9)
I understand they were trying to get it all in south of the railroad tracks but they have a decent amount of space to work with and they could've done better than this.
Best:
I-980 / I-580 / CA 24: https://goo.gl/maps/AbSSNT4NGa9w1L2v8 (https://goo.gl/maps/AbSSNT4NGa9w1L2v8)
This is the best simply because they were able to build a decent, high capacity interchange in a dense urban area with a rail line down the median of one of the freeways. It's probably one of the best engineered stack interchanges in the state of California (certainly in the era it was built) with only potentially I-10 / I-15 beating it (that's the nicest stack in SoCal).
Quote from: Hobart on May 28, 2022, 07:02:14 PM
I-57 and 74 would be absolutely perfect for a cloverleaf if the diamond ramps ran diagonally. Everyone kept flinging themselves off of those because the ramps don't go straight when they should, which definitely brings it down to my bottom third.
I remember driving out of there with my family for concert band competitions at U of I, and there'd be a ton of signage because "hey, the ramp isn't straight, for the love of god don't be the twentieth person to have flipped their car on the ramp."
It's the same issue I have with the Cline Avenue cloverleaf with US-20, just with a worse situation with better signage.
More irritating to me are straight diagonal ramps where you still have to slow down to 30 mph at the merge point because of ridiculously sharp curves. Exhibit A is I-75 at US-10/M-25 in Bay City, MI:
(https://i.imgur.com/G1nOkbc.jpg)
https://goo.gl/maps/mLQiyZsDcJ3cNrMRA
Aesthetics aside, I think PA's twin cloverleaf interchanges on I-80 at I-180/PA 147 and US 15 should be in the running for "best" because of the lane separation between mainline and weaving movements, shown here (https://goo.gl/maps/L1xbur71HWC4gQrh7). It functions pretty much the same as it would with a C/D road, but without the expense of separate roadways. It makes a lot of sense and I'm not sure why it's not done more often.
I64/I 265 in Louisville KY.
Quote from: XamotCGC on May 30, 2022, 11:43:40 PM
I64/I 265 in Louisville KY.
For best, or worst? :hmmm:
I think this intersection is absolutely awful in just how obnoxious it is.
The Intersection of I-10, Clearview Parkway, and Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie, LA.
The intersection overall:
(https://i.imgur.com/hEg3GxU.png)
Close ups...
Veterans/Clearview:
(https://i.imgur.com/pvIqEt9.png)
Note, the orange/red parts of clearview are an elevated bridge over veterans.
I-10/Clearview:
(https://i.imgur.com/NapbJxq.png)
Openstreetmap link:
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/29.9992/-90.1543
Quote from: webny99 on May 31, 2022, 12:16:00 PM
Quote from: XamotCGC on May 30, 2022, 11:43:40 PM
I64/I 265 in Louisville KY.
For best, or worst? :hmmm:
Worst. Cloverleaf interchange with a lack of Collector and distributor lanes. They're supposed to be doing reconstruction work that corrects the problem.
Best is hard. What would be the best if it existed would be a four-level stack with url=https://goo.gl/maps/ruQKfnX6igWybw49A]these sexy curved-bottom bridges[/url]. Alas, the best we have has a pair of flyovers that don't almost bump each other like they're supposed to, plus one loop ramp and one underground ramp for the other movements. There's also this one nearby (https://goo.gl/maps/9NiDCxRrniuMMj2RA): the beam bottoms aren't as round, but it's more complete, and it has the bump.
Quote from: MoiraPrime on June 01, 2022, 01:51:26 PM
I think this intersection is absolutely awful in just how obnoxious it is.
The Intersection of I-10, Clearview Parkway, and Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie, LA.
The intersection overall:
(https://i.imgur.com/hEg3GxU.png)
Close ups...
Veterans/Clearview:
(https://i.imgur.com/pvIqEt9.png)
Note, the orange/red parts of clearview are an elevated bridge over veterans.
I-10/Clearview:
(https://i.imgur.com/NapbJxq.png)
Openstreetmap link:
https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/29.9992/-90.1543
Why the hate? I think it's a marvelous improvement on a cloverleaf with how it removes the weave on Veterans. I actually contemplated putting it as one of my favorites.
Quote from: skluth on May 26, 2022, 12:40:19 PM
Illinois is notorious for its freeway-to-freeway cloverleafs. I-39/80, I-74/80, I-57/74, and I-55/72 all suck the big one but none are as bad as I-55/80 near Joliet. It's not the worst interchange in the country, but it's certainly one of the dumbest and most underpowered.
You didn't mention the I-74/I-280/US 6 cloverleaf where mainline EB I-74 goes through a loop ramp.
Quote from: thspfcI never thought the I-39/90 split was that bad, but I haven't driven I-39 south of there so I don't know the full story.
The WB to SB ramp is low speed (https://goo.gl/maps/unxbJgvMD3b9r4HH7) and then enters SB I-39 on the left side. Getting to the Harrison Avenue exits can get interesting.
I nominate the East Los Angeles Interchange complex as the worst
For one of the worst, I nominate the I-380/IA 100 volleyball/3-level diamond interchange in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0283796,-91.6722101,692m/data=!3m1!1e3) for being a freeway-to-freeway interchange with no free-flowing ramps. In addition, some directions don't even have direct access to the interchange, so you have to drive on frontage roads to even get to or from it. As a result, the various movements through the interchange require going through anywhere from 1 to 5 stoplights.
(https://i.imgur.com/DkbBDKV.png)
For the best interchanges in terms of appearance from an aerial view, I really like symmetrical turbine interchanges like the I-27/US 87/I-40 interchange in Amarillo, Texas (https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1929402,-101.8371849,724m/data=!3m1!1e3).
(https://i.imgur.com/ZJRYtqV.png)
Another interchange that's satisfying to look at from an aerial view is the US 41/US 50/US 150 directional T interchange in Vincennes, Indiana (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6793943,-87.4882013,1888m/data=!3m1!1e3) with nearly perfect radial symmetry, which is unusual for a 3-way interchange.
(https://i.imgur.com/VuI05n6.png)
Quote from: kurumi on May 26, 2022, 11:04:28 AM
I took the title literally and tried to find one horrible but awesome interchange.
I like that!
My nomination for "best AND worst" would be I-490/I-590/NY 590, the
Can of Worms interchange (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_of_Worms_(interchange)). It works remarkably well given the complexities, including the railroad and NY 96 crossing through the interchange area, plus closely-spaced interchanges on all four approaches (Blossom Rd, Penfield Rd, Highland Ave, Winton Rd). And from a bird's-eye view, it
looks pretty good (http://www.empirestateroads.com/week/week1.html) too.
At the same time, the signage is by far the worst of any major junction in the region (it's aging/peeling in spots, lacks proper controls, uses diagrammatics instead of APL's, and doesn't provide enough advance warning), and it's still a major pain to pass through the interchange at rush hour - especially southbound in the AM and east/westbound in the PM. And you could certainly argue the ramps between north and east need two lanes each, but widening and/or realignment is extremely unlikely given the many complicating factors.
Quote from: IowaTraveler on June 05, 2022, 11:58:21 AM
For one of the worst, I nominate the I-380/IA 100 volleyball/3-level diamond interchange in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0283796,-91.6722101,692m/data=!3m1!1e3) for being a freeway-to-freeway interchange with no free-flowing ramps. In addition, some directions don't even have direct access to the interchange, so you have to drive on frontage roads to even get to or from it. As a result, the various movements through the interchange require going through anywhere from 1 to 5 stoplights.
(https://i.imgur.com/DkbBDKV.png)
To be fair, that's where IA-100's freeway portion ends. :-D Also, it wasn't a freeway to the west until just recently.