Highways we would've called implausible, impossible, or not needed

[TravelingBethelite]

I can't think of any off the top of my head, but these are routes that exist today AARoads or roadgeeks would've called unnecessary, impossible to build, not ever happening, etc before they where built.

[slorydn1]

Am I correct in assuming this is an "If the Internet existed back in....." exercise? So this would be routes that were built that we would have said not needed or they can't build that, it's too hard, right?

[hotdogPi]

I-10 as a freeway through western Texas. A surface road would have worked just fine.

[AlexandriaVA]

Physical feasability:

Interstates and US Highways in the mountain west.
Lake Potchatrain causeway
Long bridges in general (just use ferries!)


Political feasability:

I-68, and Appalachian Highways in general
Everglades freeway
Freeways into cities (versus limiting them to bypasses, beltways, etc)

[TravelingBethelite]

Am I correct in assuming this is an "If the Internet existed back in....." exercise? So this would be routes that were built that we would have said not needed or they can't build that, it's too hard, right?

Affirmative.

[nexus73]

US 189 as an expressway through Provo River Canyon always struck me as the most "impossible" road due to the lack of flat land to work with.  How UDOT shoehorned such a fine road into such a tiny space goes down as an engineering miracle!

Rick

[Jardine]

I have a farm road that was put up a cliff (essentially) (not rocky terrain however) over 80 years ago with whatever equipment they had back then and I concede since it exists it wasn't impossible, but it was damn close.  Even with a modern hydraulic bulldozer, I'd think most contemporary contractors would be loathe to attempt to duplicate it.

[jwolfer]

It seems that many new re road or bridge was called "a ___ to nowhere"

Considering the decades long timeframe for a single interchange between I-95 and PATP.  If the interstate were not built in the 1950sand 60s for the most part. Most of the current interstate would never get built today

[hbelkins]

I-68, and Appalachian Highways in general

Speak for yourself.

[Brandon]

Physical feasability:

Interstates and US Highways in the mountain west.

If you've driven there, you'd know many are actually busy enough to be needed.

Lake Pontchartrain causeway

Ever been there?  It's a quick way across the lake, especially useful for hurricane evacuations

Long bridges in general (just use ferries!)

Until you get stuck in a line that lasts all day and you have to camp in overnight.  That's exactly what helped bring about the Mackinac Bridge.

[kphoger]

Physical feasability:

Interstates and US Highways in the mountain west.

If you've driven there, you'd know many are actually busy enough to be needed.

Lake Pontchartrain causeway

Ever been there?  It's a quick way across the lake, especially useful for hurricane evacuations

Long bridges in general (just use ferries!)

Until you get stuck in a line that lasts all day and you have to camp in overnight.  That's exactly what helped bring about the Mackinac Bridge.

This topic is not just about "not needed".  In fact, you directly quoted the phrase "physical feasibility" and then discounted it based a different criterion (needed).

I'm sure a lot of us, back before I-70 was put through the Rockies, would have said it couldn't be done or wouldn't be worth it.  Except FirtzOwl.

[Max Rockatansky]

I-15 in the Virgin River Gorge or a large portion of I-70 west of Denver.

[Max Rockatansky]

Also the Overseas Highway on US 1.  The weird part is if it wasn't for crappy circumstances there might be a highway AND railroad down there.  It's unfathomable something like that would be built today.

[AlexandriaVA]

Physical feasability:

Interstates and US Highways in the mountain west.

If you've driven there, you'd know many are actually busy enough to be needed.

Lake Pontchartrain causeway

Ever been there?  It's a quick way across the lake, especially useful for hurricane evacuations

Long bridges in general (just use ferries!)

Until you get stuck in a line that lasts all day and you have to camp in overnight.  That's exactly what helped bring about the Mackinac Bridge.

Way to miss the point of the thread...

[Avalanchez71]

The four laning of I-70 in Utah west of Green River.

[cl94]

The four-laning of I-95 north of Bangor.

Also, if going 90 years ago, the Pennsylvania Turnpike for impossible. That road goes through rougher terrain than most limited-access highways and was built to amazingly high standards. 70 is certainly safe on almost the entire thing.

[kphoger]

The Interstate highway system in general.  We would have said there was no need for full divided freeways in much of the country, and too difficult to build in certain places especially.

[cl94]

The Interstate highway system in general.  We would have said there was no need for full divided freeways in much of the country, and too difficult to build in certain places especially.

This. If there were no limited-access highways, low-density suburbs probably wouldn't exist, either. Try telling someone 100 years ago that people working in a city would live 20-30+ miles away from it.

[Quillz]

US 189 as an expressway through Provo River Canyon always struck me as the most "impossible" road due to the lack of flat land to work with.  How UDOT shoehorned such a fine road into such a tiny space goes down as an engineering miracle!

Rick

I-70 through Utah qualifies, too. My understanding is it was built on entirely new roadway, whereas most interstates were upgrades of roads that were already in place.

[Quillz]

The Interstate highway system in general.  We would have said there was no need for full divided freeways in much of the country, and too difficult to build in certain places especially.

And by extension, the German autobahns. It was their existence that inspired Eisenhower to contemplate how long it would take America to mobilize for war without good quality highways. But the autobahns also faced similar "impossible" scenarios (pointless, no way it can cover the entire country, etc.)

[cpzilliacus]

This. If there were no limited-access highways, low-density suburbs probably wouldn't exist, either. Try telling someone 100 years ago that people working in a city would live 20-30+ miles away from it.

Railroad and streetcar suburbs existed in many  parts of the United States before 1916.

[Brandon]

This. If there were no limited-access highways, low-density suburbs probably wouldn't exist, either. Try telling someone 100 years ago that people working in a city would live 20-30+ miles away from it.

Railroad and streetcar suburbs existed in many  parts of the United States before 1916.

Yep.  And Riverside is one of the first, dating from 1869.

[Avalanchez71]

US 189 as an expressway through Provo River Canyon always struck me as the most "impossible" road due to the lack of flat land to work with.  How UDOT shoehorned such a fine road into such a tiny space goes down as an engineering miracle!

Rick

I-70 through Utah qualifies, too. My understanding is it was built on entirely new roadway, whereas most interstates were upgrades of roads that were already in place.

I-70 was more than adequate with the two lanes out there.

[7/8]

I'm sure people thought the 401 "north" of Toronto was unnecessary at the time, but look at how busy it is now When it was built, it was in the middle of the country, hard to imagine now. And from what I've read, it went from a 4 or 6 lane freeway to the massive freeway it is now all at once (certainly not gradual).

[jp the roadgeek]

I-93 north of I-89. Unless 93 would have gone due north and hit an Quebec Autoroute (proposed A-65) leading directly to Quebec City,  US 3 would have done and of course you still have the 2 lane through Franconia Notch.  And taking 89 to 91 to get to St. Johnsbury isn't that much longer.

Free 90 east of I-787.  I-90 could have been duplexed with 87 from 21A to 24.  If anything, a crosstown expressway (I-387) would do now.