Arterials Designed With Freeway ROW, But Were Never Planned Freeways

[CoreySamson]

This is kind of hard to explain, but I'll give it a go. This thread focuses around this section of FM 2004 near Richwood, TX I was driving earlier this week:

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.0643907,-95.4307001,3a,27.4y,263.82h,89.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sY8PkjcD_YE20eq4iWz9v5A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It looks like the road was designed with a potential freeway expansion in mind all the way to SH 288 (i.e, the large median and ROW), but as far as I know, there has never been a freeway planned here nor does any potential freeway make sense for this area. Are there any roads near you that look like they were designed with a future freeway expansion in mind, but as far as you know there has never been any plans to make it a freeway? Or is this just a one-off fluke?

[SkyPesos]

US 67 in St. Louis between I-64 and I-270 was the first example that came to my mind. It has freeway sections, but doesn’t need to be a full freeway with I-270 3 miles to the west and I-170 3 miles to the east.

[kphoger]

This is kind of hard to explain, but I'll give it a go. This thread focuses around this section of FM 2004 near Richwood, TX I was driving earlier this week:

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.0643907,-95.4307001,3a,27.4y,263.82h,89.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sY8PkjcD_YE20eq4iWz9v5A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It looks like the road was designed with a potential freeway expansion in mind all the way to SH 288 (i.e, the large median and ROW), but as far as I know, there has never been a freeway planned here nor does any potential freeway make sense for this area.

A wide median doesn't necessarily mean a planned freeway expansion.  It could just mean it was planned to accommodate heavy left-turning traffic.

[Brandon]

This is kind of hard to explain, but I'll give it a go. This thread focuses around this section of FM 2004 near Richwood, TX I was driving earlier this week:

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.0643907,-95.4307001,3a,27.4y,263.82h,89.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sY8PkjcD_YE20eq4iWz9v5A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It looks like the road was designed with a potential freeway expansion in mind all the way to SH 288 (i.e, the large median and ROW), but as far as I know, there has never been a freeway planned here nor does any potential freeway make sense for this area.

A wide median doesn't necessarily mean a planned freeway expansion.  It could just mean it was planned to accommodate heavy left-turning traffic.

Or median left turns (aka Michigan Lefts).

[Revive 755]

US 67 in St. Louis between I-64 and I-270 was the first example that came to my mind. It has freeway sections, but doesn't need to be a full freeway with I-270 3 miles to the west and I-170 3 miles to the east.

Doesn't look like there's much extra ROW along most of US 67.

[TheStranger]

Much of Route 83 (Euclid Avenue) in the Inland Empire has a large median in the middle but I don't think was ever planned to be anything other than a wide boulevard.

[Occidental Tourist]

Much of Route 83 (Euclid Avenue) in the Inland Empire has a large median in the middle but I don't think was ever planned to be anything other than a wide boulevard.

Per Streets & Highways Code section 253.1, Route 83 was intended to be part of the freeway and expressway system.