Long-Dormant Freeway Projects That Were Completed

[froggie]

^ As I understand it, most of that unused pavement will get tore up as the current CSVT proposal has a slightly different alignment immediately north of the bridge over existing US 11/15.

[briantroutman]

^ When PennDOT was evaluating various alternatives about ten years ago, some of them would have crossed the existing surface US 11-15 at a slightly different angle, requiring the replacement of the overpass, relocation of existing ramps, and realignment of the through lanes.

The alternative that was eventually selected is the closest to the original 1977 routing (at least in the interchange vicinity), and from what I can tell on the publicly available project map, it appears to utilize the same alignment of the pavement at least up and including the overpass as well as the original ramp alignments. It appears that roughly 500' from the north end of the overpass, the alignments begin to diverge, however, so that by the time the unused pavement ends about 1,500' further north, the future southbound carriageway will be roughly where the existing northbound pavement is today.

But still, it appears roughly as much (~1,500') currently unused northbound pavement, including the unused overpass bridge, could be re-used.

[Roadrunner75]

NJ Route 55 was the first thing to come to mind.  For many years it was a just a freeway bypass of the Vineland / Millville area until they finally completed the northern extension to Route 42, providing a continuous freeway from the Philadelphia area to southern Cumberland County.  Growing up, I used to look over my Franklin Maps of Gloucester County with the multiple dashed proposed routings of 55 (which one will it be?) and later got to watch the construction progress.   Yes, it's still not technically "complete", but I doubt I'll live to see any further extension to the south.

Similar to NJ 18. Parts completed in the 1960s and a missing link completed in the 1990s and like 55 an incomplete beginning, that will most likely never be complete.

Has NJ completed anything as originally planned? I say this facetiously but NJ has so many partial complete freeways, stubs, missing links and highways to nowhere.. Even 195 which seems complete is the compromise of plans for route 37 and 38 freeways

Yes - 18 is very similar.  Part of the unused right-of-way at the southern end is now a nice little meandering bike path through the woods.  Since that extension is never gonna happen, they really need to widen NJ 35 to four lanes between 34 and 138, much of which is a parking lot throughout the day.  I'm surprised there's not more of a push to get this done, especially with NJ 70's widening immediately to the south (essentially the same corridor) a few years ago.

Also, sometimes when NJ 'completes' a freeway project they completely bungle it, as with the long awaited completion of the NJ 33 Freehold bypass which was built as a divided Super 2.  I can't stand two lane freeways to begin with, but at least give me the ability to pass (regardless of whether traffic will ever allow it).

[froggie]

^^ With that angle, the bridges can be reused, but not the unused pavement north of them. 

[briantroutman]

^^ With that angle, the bridges can be reused, but not the unused pavement north of them.

Right–I was referring to the roughly 1500' of northbound pavement that's south of the overpass.

[roadfro]

I-580 in Nevada.

Overall planning began in the 1950s, AASHTO approval came in 1978 for open sections in Reno and 1984 for the eventual extension down to Carson City. The last link between existing freeway segments in south Reno and Washoe Valley was finally completed in 2012.

[DTComposer]

California examples:

The Route 99 full freeway conversion north of Fresno to Merced, proposed in the 1950s as part of the original I-5 plan, but constructed 2013-2015.

Route 210 (former Route 30) between San Dimas and San Bernardino, proposed in the 1950s/1960s, constructed early 2000s.

Route 15 through Mid-City San Diego, proposed since the late 1960s as an extension of the city-constructed Wabash Boulevard freeway, competed early 2000s.

The High Desert Corridor proposal in the Antelope Valley that just finished the environmental review process is parallel to the long-planned Route 138/18 freeway concept connecting the Palmdale area with Interstate 15.

Route 4's alignment from Antioch southeast to Brentwood had been proposed since the 1960s but did not open until ca. 2012-2013.

Route 125 between Route 94 and Route 905 through Chula Vista had been proposed since at least 1963, with the segment from Route 54 to Route 905 opening in 2007.

Also in California: SR-85, on planning maps from at least 1952; the northern part (Mountain View to Cupertino) opened in the mid-1960s, but the southern part (Cupertino to South San Jose) did not open until 1994 (amazingly enough, they kept the right-of-way almost completely clear during that time.

[noelbotevera]

The upgrade of the US 322 freeway from Harrisburg to State College. Two gaps exist: a 1 mile gap from US 11/15 to the Clarks Ferry Bridge, and a 17 mile gap Milroy to PA 45.

This originally started in 1953 whenever portions of US 322 became divided highway. In 1958, the freeway bypass of Lewistown was in the works, and completed in 1961. Throughout the 1960s, more sections of freeway opened, replacing the old four lane divided highway sections, and changing US 322 to bypass Lewistown. In 1971 the other portion of the freeway, the State College Bypass was being constructed and it wasn't until 1991, 20 years later, that this section was complete. However, there was the most dangerous gap to complete the original plan: the Lewistown Narrows. This was not complete until 2008, after a whopping 50 years of construction.

However, there are plans now to fill the Potters Mills gap. The gap at US 11/15 will probably not be filled in because of the businesses.

[bing101]

The Eastern Half of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge it took 24 years to complete from the planning stages during the Loma Prieta Quake era to its 2013 completion.

[lepidopteran]

In Dayton, OH, the 4-level stack interchange at I-75 and US-35 (the only such stack in the state?) had a stub-end going west for years; the exit just make an abrupt right turn to a surface street.  When the first section of the new westward US-35 opened in 1991 IIRC, at the ribbon-cutting they had 30 cars drive it first, one from each model-year since '61, to symbolize the 30 years it took to get it built.  The rest of the highway was eventually built, but with several at-grade intersections as opposed to the full freeway it was apparently originally planned as.

Also, in Beaverdam, OH, there was a ghost ramp at US-30 and I-75 for a long time.  But when US-30 was upgraded to the east of there, I think a slightly different alignment was taken.

And in Brownsville, PA, a ghost ramp for a highway heading east was in place for, what, 40 years?  A toll road going east was eventually built, but on a new alignment to the south.  As such, the half-interchange was converted to a 4-way at-grade intersection.

[triplemultiplex]

In Dayton, OH, the 4-level stack interchange at I-75 and US-35 (the only such stack in the state?)

Nope: http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=41.48023,-81.66202&z=15&t=M
But speaking of stub ends....