Longest barreir separated express and reversible lanes (Non HOV)

[Revive 755]

1) Where is longest reversible express lane (Non HOV or HOT; barrier separated)?
2) Where is the longest express/local setup?  Both express and local must be freeway grade, and HOV or HOT lanes don't count.

My nominations for 1 (distances measured from Google Maps):
1) The I-90/94 reversible lanes north of the Chicago loop, 6.87 miles
2) I-70 in St. Louis, 5.46 miles

For 2:
1) ON 401 east of ON 409 north of Toronto, 26.74 miles
2) I-271 east of Cleveland, 14.10 miles
3) I-94/Dan Ryan in Chicago, 8.67 miles

Any others?

[Kacie Jane]

I'm on my cell phone, so I can't measure exact distances, but the reversible express lanes on I-5 in Seattle stretch from exit 164 to 173, about 9 miles.

[NE2]

The reversible roadway on I-95/395 in northern Virginia is pretty long, and is open to non-HOV traffic outside rush hours.

[Duke87]

Well, it isn't express versus local, but the New Jersey Turnpike has separate parallel roadways for 32.5 miles (and they're working on making it longer).

The Garden State Parkway has a legit local/express setup for about 22 miles from MP 103 to MP 125. I-78 in New Jersey has about 10 miles of express/local as well. And I-80 and I-95 combine for about 11 miles of express/local in New Jersey and New York.

[signalman]

For question 2 I'll nominate Interstates 80 and 95 in New Jersey approaching the George Washington Bridge.  The local/express setup begins about 10 miles before the bridge.

[signalman]

Oops, I forgot about the GSP.  I don't use that road much.

[Beltway]

The reversible roadway on I-95/395 in northern Virginia is pretty long, and is open to non-HOV traffic outside rush hours.

29 miles long

[SignBridge]

Did they extend the I-395/95 reversible lanes that far south? I remember when it ended south of Route 644 in the Springfield/Franconia area, which was about 12 miles from the Pentagon vicinity, where it began. 

[J N Winkler]

Yes, the reversible lanes have started around MP 155 (Springfield Interchange is around MP 170) since 1995 at least, when I first drove on my own to Washington via I-95 northbound.

[Beltway]

Yes, the reversible lanes have started around MP 155 (Springfield Interchange is around MP 170) since 1995 at least, when I first drove on my own to Washington via I-95 northbound.

The reversible roadway was extended to a mile south of VA-234, in a series of widening projects from 1990 to 1997.

[SignBridge]

I've always found that I-395/95 reversible lane set-up facinating! I believe the orignal 12 miles were built about 40 years ago, in a major rebuilding of that highway. What a project it must have been when it was designed! Variable message signs, entrance and exit ramps controlled by gates and lights! I've never seen anything quite like it anywhere else. BTW, where is that road controlled from? Must be a VDOT dispatch center somewhere in the area?

[Beltway]

I've always found that I-395/95 reversible lane set-up facinating! I believe the orignal 12 miles were built about 40 years ago, in a major rebuilding of that highway. What a project it must have been when it was designed! Variable message signs, entrance and exit ramps controlled by gates and lights! I've never seen anything quite like it anywhere else. BTW, where is that road controlled from? Must be a VDOT dispatch center somewhere in the area?

The rebuilding of the original Shirley Highway was 1965 to 1975.  So that 12 miles of 2-lane reversible roadway was completed in 1975.

The VDOT Smart Traffic Center is on Columbia Pike about 1/2 mile from the Pentagon.

[1995hoo]

I've always found that I-395/95 reversible lane set-up facinating! I believe the orignal 12 miles were built about 40 years ago, in a major rebuilding of that highway. What a project it must have been when it was designed! Variable message signs, entrance and exit ramps controlled by gates and lights! I've never seen anything quite like it anywhere else. BTW, where is that road controlled from? Must be a VDOT dispatch center somewhere in the area?

When it first opened, they didn't have variable message signs. Instead, the express lanes had signs that used a white-on-black color scheme to distinguish them from the white-on-green used in the local lanes. The signs were wordier than they are today because the term "HOV" wasn't in use. I grew up here in the DC area and the first time I remember the term "HOV" surfacing was in late 1982. I-66 inside the Beltway opened during the week before Christmas that year and bore an HOV-4 restriction for all lanes in the peak direction during rush hour (amended to HOV-3 within a year due to extremely low road usage, then further amended to HOV-2 in 1994 or 1995). The signs said "HOV-4" and other signs explained what that meant. At the time everyone had a "WTF is 'HOV'" reaction, but obviously the term became ubiquitous.

The photo below is of northbound I-395 just north of Edsall Road as you approach the Turkeycock ramp that gives access to the express lanes (nobody called them "HOV lanes" back then, obviously). I've always wondered why they said "Pool Cars" when everyone else says "carpools." Back then, the express lanes ALWAYS bore the HOV restriction in whichever direction the lanes were pointing at the time. That's since been changed such that the restriction applies only during rush hour, and the times at which they reverse the lanes have been tweaked over the years as well.




BTW, regarding extending the lanes south, there is a very big commuter parking facility at the Prince William Parkway interchange (Exit 158, I believe?) that is used primarily by people who line up to seek rides either to the Pentagon or into the city. Drivers who don't have three people in the car pull up and call out their destination and then people going there will hop in. It's known as "slugging." But while the HOV facility ends just south of VA-234 at Dumfries, slug lines exist as far south as Fredericksburg along VA-3 (Exit 130, which is 40 miles south of the Beltway). Actually the VA-3 slug line had a very serious problem a few years back because there was a lady who was known as the "B.O. Lady"....drivers hated her stink so much that they wouldn't approach the slug line to pick people up until they saw that some other poor sap had taken her.

[Beltway]

<<< I've always wondered why they said "Pool Cars" when everyone else says "carpools." >>>

I haven't seen that question before ... but it would appear that "car" refers a legally defined vehicle, while "carpool" does not.

"4 RIDER POOL CAR" is much more exact.  

If we want to quibble, what about cars with more than 4 riders? :-)  
What about vans?  Is the driver a "rider"?

How about --
"AUTOMOBILES AND VANS WITH 4 OR MORE OCCUPANTS"

However, due to size limitations, road signs have to be worded as succinctly as possible.

[MASTERNC]

What about I-270 in Maryland?

[mtantillo]

I've always found that I-395/95 reversible lane set-up facinating! I believe the orignal 12 miles were built about 40 years ago, in a major rebuilding of that highway. What a project it must have been when it was designed! Variable message signs, entrance and exit ramps controlled by gates and lights! I've never seen anything quite like it anywhere else. BTW, where is that road controlled from? Must be a VDOT dispatch center somewhere in the area?

The rebuilding of the original Shirley Highway was 1965 to 1975.  So that 12 miles of 2-lane reversible roadway was completed in 1975.

The VDOT Smart Traffic Center is on Columbia Pike about 1/2 mile from the Pentagon.

Actually the Smart Traffic Center has moved from Columbia Pike to Camp 30, which is somewhere near Fairfax City.