AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Traffic Control => Topic started by: CovalenceSTU on December 02, 2025, 01:46:49 AM

Title: Roads with extremely wide lanes
Post by: CovalenceSTU on December 02, 2025, 01:46:49 AM
Most lanes are limited to around 12ft in width (with some municipalities using 13 or 14ft in specific cases). But what about ones that are continuously extremely wide, reaching 2 (normal) lanes or more?

What inspired me to start the thread: this center turn lane on Sepulveda Blvd (https://maps.app.goo.gl/oDR2HQ8e934UTY7V7) which is around 44ft (or 4 "normal" thru lanes) wide.
(https://i.imgur.com/GtYUWL4.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GwWoXwQ.png)
Title: Re: Roads with extremely wide lanes
Post by: pderocco on December 02, 2025, 02:14:01 PM
I see random places where otherwise normal roads become really wide for no comprehensible reason. Here's one near my home:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/PQpAYALmMK9dsERQ6 (https://maps.app.goo.gl/PQpAYALmMK9dsERQ6)

It looks like the normal northbound side is 1/4 of the roadbed, the southbound side is the other 3/4, and they are both divided into a car lane, a bike lane, and a buffer lane between them. But all three southbound lanes are larger than the northbound. Why did they waste all that money on all that asphalt (and ROW)?

Not that far away, there's a super-wide buffer lane:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/U69gWEK2gTPLcCSy9 (https://maps.app.goo.gl/U69gWEK2gTPLcCSy9)

which seems like a lot of wasted pavement too, but at least all the slack is in the buffer lane, and the travel lanes are the normal size.
Title: Re: Roads with extremely wide lanes
Post by: 1995hoo on December 02, 2025, 02:36:47 PM
I immediately thought of the time Kramer adopted a highway.

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WPOAQHpkz7I/sddefault.jpg)
Title: Re: Roads with extremely wide lanes
Post by: Max Rockatansky on December 02, 2025, 02:49:12 PM
Mile 114 of the Arthur Burghardt Expressway in New York City.  I hear the wide lanes are very luxurious:



Title: Re: Roads with extremely wide lanes
Post by: SeriesE on February 14, 2026, 03:45:40 AM
Quote from: CovalenceSTU on December 02, 2025, 01:46:49 AMMost lanes are limited to around 12ft in width (with some municipalities using 13 or 14ft in specific cases). But what about ones that are continuously extremely wide, reaching 2 (normal) lanes or more?

What inspired me to start the thread: this center turn lane on Sepulveda Blvd (https://maps.app.goo.gl/oDR2HQ8e934UTY7V7) which is around 44ft (or 4 "normal" thru lanes) wide.
(https://i.imgur.com/GtYUWL4.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GwWoXwQ.png)

A rail line used to run through the center, hence the wide median