As the title
Yes
Local streets.
Depends on the traffic. In Detroit the service drive is going to have traffic too plus traffic lights.
Yes, especially along I-8 between Gila Bend and Dateland.
I'll also say 'yes' on I-41 between Kaukauna and De Pere, WI.
Mike
Yes
Its a very case-specific call. However, here are some important considerations.
- Does the frontage road go through completely to the next exit(s) so you can return to the freeway? This isn't always the case.
- Is the frontage road one or two way?
- Are exits full service further down, or do they only allow access to one direction of travel?
- How long has this backup been in place? Often frontage roads will end up congested as well (an unfortunate consequence of Google telling people that don't know any better to take those roads)
- What are the relative speed limits on each? In Montana, the frontage road might well be posted 70 vs the interstate of 80. But in the northeast the interstate might be 65-70 versus only 25-35 for a frontage road. Obviously if traffic is totally stopped on the main road anything is faster than zero, but slow rolling might be as fast as you can drive on the frontage road anyway
I'm probabally missing a few, but others will fill in the gaps
Here's a related thread I started about how the frontage ramps should be configured: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=32818.0
This can obviously affect traffic conditions on the frontage road and the choice of whether to stay on or exit.
For me, it would depend on traffic lights and speed limits. And how jammed the highway is.
If you're dealing with normal rush hour congestion, the average speed is probably faster than you realize. My experiences are that you're still going about 25 or 30 mph in congestion, between the slowing/stopping and the brief periods of speeding up before slowing down again. A red light, or a few red lights, on the frontage road will easily cause you to lose time.
If there's a crash ahead that's taking out a lane (or especially a few lanes), then you may do better switching to frontage roads.
I've done it twice. Along I-35 in Austin and along I-95 near Ridgeland, SC. Both have adequate service roads and managed to bypass jam ups along both interstates.
Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 20, 2023, 12:02:07 AM
For me, it would depend on traffic lights and speed limits. And how jammed the highway is.
If you're dealing with normal rush hour congestion, the average speed is probably faster than you realize. My experiences are that you're still going about 25 or 30 mph in congestion, between the slowing/stopping and the brief periods of speeding up before slowing down again. A red light, or a few red lights, on the frontage road will easily cause you to lose time.
If there's a crash ahead that's taking out a lane (or especially a few lanes), then you may do better switching to frontage roads.
I agree that traffic on the freeway, especially if it's well-designed, has to be pretty bad before the parallel alternatives are actually faster. Recurring/regular congestion doesn't normally meet that threshold unless there's a particular problem ramp or merge you can easily avoid via the frontage road.
The answer also depends on what the configuration of the roads in the area are. Obviously, in Texas, frontage roads are an option, and many cities there are set up as a grid, so you can keep hopping a mile over until you find a road that is free flowing. In remote Western areas, and Eastern cities that don't have a grid system, there may be only one viable bypass route. That often ends up getting just as jammed by people bailing on the freeway.
It's very situational... in Northwest Indiana, when I-80/94 gets stopped by an accident, I always hopped on side streets and drove through Hammond. The frontage roads were discontinuous, and often bent around the highway ramps, so I used arterial roads a few blocks in either direction so I don't have to worry about the added mileage.
It's definitely a gamble... sometimes it's a stopped car, and you get by it in five minutes, but sometimes its an overturned semi, and you end up sitting in traffic for three hours (actually happened once, it sucked). If it's the former, and freeway entrances are far apart, you're best off sticking around, but if it's the latter, you're definitely best off making a beeline for the exit, even if you have to improperly use a few lanes to do so.
If you have a passenger who has his navigation App turned on, he or she can direct you on the alternatives. The green flowing are a great sign that no one else has thought of them.
Quote from: Hobart on February 20, 2023, 10:48:21 AM
It's definitely a gamble... sometimes it's a stopped car, and you get by it in five minutes, but sometimes its an overturned semi, and you end up sitting in traffic for three hours (actually happened once, it sucked). If it's the former, and freeway entrances are far apart, you're best off sticking around, but if it's the latter, you're definitely best off making a beeline for the exit, even if you have to improperly use a few lanes to do so.
You know it's really bad when the shoulder becomes a de-facto travel lane a mile plus from an upcoming exit. That can be dangerous with people flying by and others trying to pull out to do the same thing.
Examples that come to mind near me:
I-80/I-580 (Eastshore Freeway) vs. the frontage road between Albany and Emeryville: frontage road usually wins at rush hour
US 101 vs. Airport Boulevard in South San Francisco: only if 101 is slowed due to an accident
I-280 vs. Junipero Serra Boulevard: maybe just the segment between Westborough and Hickey at rush hour in South San Francisco. (Junipero Serra has a high speed limit of 50 MPH between Avalon and Hickey, then 40 with no intersections from Hickey to Serramonte in Colma.)
When I lived in Sacramento, Folsom Boulevard's stoplights usually negated any advantage that it might have over the modern US 50 freeway.
When you come to the fork in the road, take it.
I feel in places like Texas, the frontage roads might be a decent alternative to main lanes, especially in metro areas with one-way frontage roads. Sure, they have signals, but depending on how bad traffic is on the main lanes, the *could* be moving a bit better.
Quote from: Flint1979 on February 21, 2023, 07:26:37 PM
When you come to the fork in the road, take it.
Remember, wherever you go, there you are.
Quote from: Rothman on April 03, 2023, 02:19:08 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on February 21, 2023, 07:26:37 PM
When you come to the fork in the road, take it.
Remember, wherever you go, there you are.
Nobody takes the freeways anymore, they're too crowded.
I'd be tempted to go on the frontage road.
Harrison Street and Bataan Drive between 17th and 1st Avenues are popular I-290 bypasses in west suburban Maywood IL, since they are served by slip ramps that make "expressway" entrance and exit fairly easy, and you can usually see up top if the traffic is moving better than on the mainline. Sometimes people stretch it to 25th Avenue which takes more twists and turns and no visual cues as to what's better.
It depends on the specifics of the traffic situation and the configuration of the frontage roads. If they're Texas-style one-way dependable frontage roads and the issue is a lane blockage ahead on the freeway, then the frontage road might well be better (or it may be jammed which is why'll you'll need to determine this on the fly). OTOH, frontage roads as they have in Wisconsin are two-way and actually take the form of "backage" roads sometimes. These are almost never a time saver and should only be used as an alternate when the freeway is basically closed off. Even then, you're better off seeking an alternative route.
Quote from: roadman65 on February 20, 2023, 12:06:15 AM
I've done it twice. Along I-35 in Austin and along I-95 near Ridgeland, SC. Both have adequate service roads and managed to bypass jam ups along both interstates.
Ridgeland is one place where I'd be wary of using a frontage road or any alternative within town limits. The town has a bad reputation as a speedtrap (I've seen it in operation on I-95 with as many as six town police cars parked on either shoulder at a single time), so I have no doubt that when long-distance traffic starts bailing out they'll set up on the alternate routes.
if its Long Island, the service road is your best bet if the expressway is backed up.
When I-94 was under construction in Kenosha and Racine Counties, the West Frontage Rd was a good alternate and usually saved me a few minutes if I was in a hurry.
I might use frontage roads if California had many of them. I don't know if I save much, if any, time when I take side roads when traffic sucks here. But I find it a lot less exasperating and I often discover little hidden gems (restaurants, unusual architecture, parks) that I might not have ever known.
Quote from: skluth on April 09, 2023, 10:51:55 AM
I might use frontage roads if California had many of them. I don't know if I save much, if any, time when I take side roads when traffic sucks here. But I find it a lot less exasperating and I often discover little hidden gems (restaurants, unusual architecture, parks) that I might not have ever known.
The best of that is Golden State Boulevard (Old US 99) in Fresno County. Lots of random taco trucks can be found between Selma and Fresno in the industrial areas.