Interchanges: Good, Bad, and Crazy

[Some_Person]

There are tons of different types of highway interchanges, so I made a thread for everyone to display the good, the bad, and the straight up crazy. Here are some that came to mind for me:

Cloverleaf,
Good: http://goo.gl/maps/1H7Ff
Bad: http://goo.gl/maps/wamnC

Toll road interchange:
Good: http://goo.gl/maps/UmL1m
Crazy: http://goo.gl/maps/DI7g0

T-Interchange:
Good: http://goo.gl/maps/EjUQQ
Crazy: http://goo.gl/maps/2u1TJ <-basically two of them in one interchange

[myosh_tino]

Bad Cloverleaf...
http://www.google.com/maps?ll=37.364495,-121.902001&spn=0.009397,0.013797&t=m&z=16

Wouldn't be so bad if it was in a rural area but this is right in the heart of Silicon Valley and involves two of the busiest freeways in the region. 

[1995hoo]

Modified cloverleaf:

Good– http://binged.it/UA4LAp
Good– http://binged.it/UAa03d (this interchange can be a pain in the arse, but they did a good job of solving the problem of plopping it down next to the St. Lawrence Seaway)
Bad– http://binged.it/UA4VrE (it's bad due to the lack of a C/D lane on the southbound side, which slows traffic down big-time)
Crazy– http://binged.it/UA56mL (OK, originally there was just a standard cloverleaf. The SPUI to the west was built in the early 1980s and the other interchange to the east was added a few years later, and it was at that latter time that the tangle of ramps was created and the cloverleaf was modified to depart from the standard design. While it's a crazy design, it works pretty well in my experience and the backups in the area are due to other things.)
Crazy– http://binged.it/UA77iL


Trumpet:

Good– http://binged.it/UA6BkS (because it gives you room to sort yourself out between the tollbooth and the ramps splitting)
Bad– http://binged.it/Q98leE (three lanes on the exit ramp and there's not enough space for the large amount of traffic to sort out into the correct lanes, plus poor visibility when you're trying to change lanes left or right coming off the Interstate)
Crazy– http://binged.it/Q99umv (functionally, this thing is essentially a trumpet, but it sure doesn't look like one)


Miscellaneous:

Good– http://binged.it/Q9c6Rj (the Springfield Interchange–it may look like two tangled messes, but it's been extremely effective at eliminating a chronic bottleneck)
Bad– http://binged.it/Q9br2c (the Hanger Lane Gyratory–it is indeed a sort of interchange, as the A40 passes underneath the southern portion of the Gyratory via a subway. You have to know where you're going before entering this one.)
Crazy– http://binged.it/UA97HG

[TheStranger]

Wouldn't be so bad if it was in a rural area but this is right in the heart of Silicon Valley and involves two of the busiest freeways in the region. 

Here's another nasty-shaped cloverleaf (albeit intentionally, to lower travel speeds) in San Jose:

https://www.google.com/maps?q=Hillsdale+Ave+%26+Newberry+Drive,+San+Jose&hl=en&ll=37.273985,-121.878741&spn=0.006804,0.008572&sll=37.274761,-121.879975&sspn=0.006804,0.008572&hnear=Newberry+Dr+%26+Hillsdale+Ave,+San+Jose,+Santa+Clara,+California+95118&t=h&z=17

[Ian]

Cloverleaf
Good: I-95 at PA 420 (exit 9A-B) in Essington, PA
Bad: US 1 at PA 352 in Media, PA
Bad: MA 9 at MA 27 in Natick, MA

Trumpet
Good: I-87/New York Thruway at NY 299 (exit 18) in New Paltz, NY. No complaints here, just a simple run of the mill trumpet interchange with a small toll plaza.
Bad/Crazy: I-90/Massachusetts Turnpike at I-290, I-395, US 20, MA 12 in Auburn, MA. May not look like much, but traffic can get horrendous exiting the Mass Pike just past the tollbooth, especially during the summer. Traffic also tends to back up going westbound on the Pike just beyond the interchange.

Miscellaneous
Good/Intricate: I-787 at US 9/20/South Mall Arterial (exit 3A-B/4) in Albany, NY. Gotta love that perfect circular design!
So-so: The Bruckner Interchange in the Bronx. While the traffic completely sucks at this interchange, I do love the design and looks of it.
So-so: The Turcot Interchange in Montreal. Like the Bruckner Interchange, the design of the interchange is really cool, especially since the carriageways for A-20 cross over each other to the west of the interchange. However, the traffic is horrible here, and the overpasses and flyovers are falling apart.
Bad: A-40 at A-520 in Montreal. Traffic is just terrible at this interchange during rush hour, and part of that also has to do with the interchange at A-15 right near here. During my trip up there this past August, it took my about 20 minutes to get between A-520 just before the interchange to A-15 southbound. The traffic signals here also don't help any matters.

[pianocello]

Toll Road Interchanges:
Good: Not hard to find. This example happens to be US-131 at I-80/90 in N Indiana.
Bad: Borman and Indiana Toll Rd in Lake Station. http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.588229,-87.229643&spn=0.010994,0.026157&t=h&z=16
Ugly: Link speaks for itself. http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.61845,-87.68609&spn=0.005494,0.013078&t=h&z=17

4-way Interchanges: the obvious ones
Good: http://goo.gl/maps/n0kpy
Bad: http://goo.gl/maps/IQtfj
Once good, now horrendous: http://goo.gl/maps/5bYVk

[colinstu]

Once good, now horrendous: http://goo.gl/maps/5bYVk

?? How was it "once good" ? Google earth is only showing me imagery back to 1995 but even then, it's the same design... Unless you're hinting at the fact it's out of date and can't handle current traffic...

Turn it into some kind of parclo?

[theline]

Toll Road Interchanges:

Bad: Borman and Indiana Toll Rd in Lake Station. http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.588229,-87.229643&spn=0.010994,0.026157&t=h&z=16

This one is horrendous--the result of tacking the I-94 interchange onto the existing ITR-SR51 interchange. Going north and south in the picture, virtual all traffic has to weave in a rather small area where the toll booth used to be. The ramp coming off east-bound ITR must be replaced or abandoned soon. See this topic: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=5127. The whole thing should be replaced, though that's not a discussion for this topic.

[kphoger]

Bad: http://goo.gl/maps/wamnC

Spotlight.

[dfilpus]

Bad: http://goo.gl/maps/wamnC

Spotlight.

My inlaws lived about a mile north of this monstrosity. I hated using the ramps in any direction. You basically had to come to a stop and wait for a break in traffic. There is no merging lane anywhere.

[kphoger]

Some Mexican examples

I've posted this one before elsewhere, but...  Toll road interchange (good but also crazy)
Toll road interchange (good but also crazy)

T interchange (bad)
T ineterchange (good)

Parclo (bad)

[empirestate]

Good/Intricate: I-787 at US 9/20/South Mall Arterial (exit 3A-B/4) in Albany, NY. Gotta love that perfect circular design!

My favorite, of course!

So-so: The Bruckner Interchange in the Bronx. While the traffic completely sucks at this interchange, I do love the design and looks of it.

I never have much trouble with the traffic here, or on the Cross Bronx generally, and I live nearby. Then again, I also intentionally avoid driving through the borough at certain times, so maybe that's working. I do also seem to have a history of not experiencing terrible traffic that everyone says exists.

However, in the same vein I'll offer this: http://goo.gl/maps/kEUel

Although the design is neat, the fact that it has been under construction since I can remember, combined with nearby work on the GWB, earns it a straight-up BAD in my book. Traffic there really is always terrible because of the road work, but there are other problems too. The ramps are anti-directional–right is left and left is right–so there's a lot of cutting over at the last second. Also, there are local drivers in that traffic, so there's a lot of cutting over at the last second.

And if you're going south to west, all of the trucks have to move two lanes over once they get on I-95, because they're required to use the upper deck of the GWB; meanwhile, auto traffic either needs to exit at the Henry Hudson Parkway, or else thinks it has a better plan than you do about avoiding the congestion, so there's a lot of cutting over at the last second.

[Bigmikelakers]

Bad Cloverleaf
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=I-15+S&daddr=AB-509+S&hl=en&ll=34.071227,-118.1222&spn=0.005919,0.011362&sll=49.725367,-113.039703&sspn=0.629422,1.454315&geocode=FaJgbgId2FJU-Q%3BFdY49wIdih1E-Q&oq=den&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=10&t=h&z=17

I wish they would redesign this and the other cloverleaf on and on ramps for I-10 in this section but with homes right up on the interchanges that is very unlikely

[Brandon]

Toll Road Interchanges:
Ugly: Link speaks for itself. http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.61845,-87.68609&spn=0.005494,0.013078&t=h&z=17

Note the construction in the image.  That's because ISTHA and IDOT are building the interchange there.

[SteveG1988]

Good: I-195/295/NJ29 outside trenton NJ, http://binged.it/PZchgE

Bad: NJ29 and I-95 north of trenton http://binged.it/VRTGdg

And the Tiny: http://binged.it/T6XJwk a small cloverleaf on NJ29 for the calhoun st bridge.

[colinstu]

Bad: NJ29 and I-95 north of trenton http://binged.it/VRTGdg

heard you like "at-grade" xD ...ugh.

[pianocello]

Once good, now horrendous: http://goo.gl/maps/5bYVk

?? How was it "once good" ? Google earth is only showing me imagery back to 1995 but even then, it's the same design... Unless you're hinting at the fact it's out of date and can't handle current traffic...

Bingo. It worked just fine when it was built in the 60s or 70s, but it should have been rebuilt years ago.

Toll Road Interchanges:
Ugly: Link speaks for itself. http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.61845,-87.68609&spn=0.005494,0.013078&t=h&z=17

Note the construction in the image.  That's because ISTHA and IDOT are building the interchange there.

Thank the Lord. I didn't know that had already started.

[colinstu]

Once good, now horrendous: http://goo.gl/maps/5bYVk

?? How was it "once good" ? Google earth is only showing me imagery back to 1995 but even then, it's the same design... Unless you're hinting at the fact it's out of date and can't handle current traffic...

Bingo. It worked just fine when it was built in the 60s or 70s, but it should have been rebuilt years ago.

Toll Road Interchanges:
Ugly: Link speaks for itself. http://maps.google.com/?ll=41.61845,-87.68609&spn=0.005494,0.013078&t=h&z=17

Note the construction in the image.  That's because ISTHA and IDOT are building the interchange there.

Thank the Lord. I didn't know that had already started.

*googles* http://www.dot.il.gov/I57-294/default.html yay