The Most Hated Freeway in Each City

[Terry Shea]

^

could it be that the first two examples are listed because their segments through their respective cities never got a chance to be built?

I do not want to revive the whole festering issue here, but 

But how can I-70 in Baltimore be hated if it was never built?

Sounds like one of those tree in the forest questions.

I mean, the park & ride is surrounded by trees in the forest 

True, I guess the park and ride is what I hate most, it reeks of mediocrity and unfulfilled dreams.

That doesn't have to do with if the residents hate it or not.

Not sure that the original post required residency status, but rest assured if I lived in Baltimore that would be my most hated freeway (or lack thereof). I have lived in both Philly and DC at one time or another so I can claim residency on those if required.

Just hate all the Baltimore freeways (or lack thereof).  Works for me!

[Flint1979]

^

could it be that the first two examples are listed because their segments through their respective cities never got a chance to be built?

I do not want to revive the whole festering issue here, but 

But how can I-70 in Baltimore be hated if it was never built?

Sounds like one of those tree in the forest questions.

I mean, the park & ride is surrounded by trees in the forest 

True, I guess the park and ride is what I hate most, it reeks of mediocrity and unfulfilled dreams.

A park and ride isn't going to make people hate a freeway. What a stupid reason to hate a freeway. I-83 is probably more hated in Baltimore.

[HighwayStar]

^

could it be that the first two examples are listed because their segments through their respective cities never got a chance to be built?

I do not want to revive the whole festering issue here, but 

But how can I-70 in Baltimore be hated if it was never built?

Sounds like one of those tree in the forest questions.

I mean, the park & ride is surrounded by trees in the forest 

True, I guess the park and ride is what I hate most, it reeks of mediocrity and unfulfilled dreams.

A park and ride isn't going to make people hate a freeway. What a stupid reason to hate a freeway. I-83 is probably more hated in Baltimore.

When that park and ride is the sorry excuse substitute for the freeway, and you have to park your nice Town Car at it every day and ride into town on a bus with someone on your left on their cell phone, someone on your right clipping their nails, and the guy across from you with such potent BO that your eyes water you will be hating that park and ride and the lack of a freeway which prevented you from driving in the comfort and peace of your own vehicle.

[sprjus4]

^ You ever heard of I-695 and I-95? It only adds about 1 more mile than a completed I-70 would've taken. It takes just around the same time a completed I-70 would've taken. There's even a high speed flyover on the I-695 to I-95 movement to keep you moving at speed. Signs for Baltimore are signed on I-70 west of the Beltway telling you to use I-695 to I-95. You should try it.

[jmacswimmer]

That's what cracks me up about this whole argument...sure, I wish I-70 was fully completed to I-95 like every other roadgeek, but I-695/I-95 at least get the job done in I-70's absence. HighwayStar acts like every single commuter from Frederick and the overall I-70 corridor drive right up to the park & ride and either wait for a bus (and FWIW, the closest stop is over on Cooks Lane) or pound their fists angrily and turn around unsuccessful. Golly, maybe tomorrow I-70 will be magically completed and I can finally get to work! 

[HighwayStar]

That's what cracks me up about this whole argument...sure, I wish I-70 was fully completed to I-95 like every other roadgeek, but I-695/I-95 at least get the job done in I-70's absence. HighwayStar acts like every single commuter from Frederick and the overall I-70 corridor drive right up to the park & ride and either wait for a bus (and FWIW, the closest stop is over on Cooks Lane) or pound their fists angrily and turn around unsuccessful. Golly, maybe tomorrow I-70 will be magically completed and I can finally get to work! 

"but I-695/I-95 at least get the job done in I-70's absence" that is false. If that were the case, then I-70 never would have been designed to go to Baltimore in the first place. But as anyone who drives there knows, I-695 is a mess, and hardly a real fix for the problem.

"maybe tomorrow I-70 will be magically completed and I can finally get to work!"
Nothing magic about it my friend, it will take time, lobbying, coalition building, and someone that can shrewdly manipulate the system to do his bidding.

[jmacswimmer]

"but I-695/I-95 at least get the job done in I-70's absence" that is false. If that were the case, then I-70 never would have been designed to go to Baltimore in the first place. But as anyone who drives there knows, I-695 is a mess, and hardly a real fix for the problem.

I never said it was the intended solution, I said it at least gets the job done. As someone who does drives there & does know, yes I-695 is indeed a mess. But combined with I-95, it does still serve as a way to downtown in the absence of I-70....without I-695, the problem would be far worse and Frederick commuters would actually have to use back roads beyond the park & ride like you seem to be insinuating.

"maybe tomorrow I-70 will be magically completed and I can finally get to work!"
Nothing magic about it my friend, it will take time, lobbying, coalition building, and someone that can shrewdly manipulate the system to do his bidding.

You did realize I was being sarcastic, right? I'm aware of how road projects work...and in the case of this one, I don't believe it will ever happen (which does sadden the roadgeek in me, yes, but the realist in me knows to be the most likely outcome).

Finally, the no-response towards the main point of that post is dully noted.

[crispy93]

Poughkeepsie, NY: US 9 because of the "bowtie" interchange between US 9 and US 44/NY 55 at the Mid-Hudson Bridge:
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.7027062,-73.9365622,18.25z

I once asked for the accident rate from NYSDOT it was something like 10.xx

As for NYC, I'd say the BQE. It's always backed up and it doesn't even remotely meet interstate standards so it can be nerve-wracking.

[Flint1979]

Detroit: The Lodge and The Southfield.

Hardly.  In Detroit, the OP's definition of "a freeway built 70 years ago that carries twice or 3 times as much traffic as it was designed for and lacks shoulders or auxiliary lanes making it notorious for accidents" is synonymous with "I-94 Ford Freeway."

Nobody likes commuting on the Lodge, it was by far the most hated freeway when I lived in the area.

I don't know why.  Other than the long southbound backup (which hasn't existed for the past year) because of the stupid left entrance at the Davison Freeway, it's not at all a bad ride, especially since the 2008/2009 reconstruction of its northern 10 miles.  It's no comparison to the narrow, horrendous pavement, no acceleration lanes, permanently littered, "is that wrapped-in-plywood-to-catch-crumbling-concrete bridge going to collapse while I'm stopped underneath it?" experience of the Ford.

I was surprised at how improved the Lodge really was when I drove it again in 2019.  When I left the area your description of the Edsel Ford also applied equally to the Lodge Freeway if not more so.  There seems to be a lot of people that have negative memories of the Lodge that will probably always hate it.  The Lodge even now certainly is not a handsome freeway.

Detroit's population has shrunk considerably over the years.

That is only somewhat true. They city may have shrunk but the metro population has stayed about the same. That has nothing to do with the condition of the Lodge Freeway though. MDOT is responsible for that as it's a state highway part of M-10 and it has nothing to do with the population of Detroit.

[Flint1979]

Speaking of the Lodge Freeway, I blew 100 mph down it on Friday afternoon during rush hour. I was getting annoyed by the people left lane camping just before the Davison exit so I found an opening in the middle lane and punched it and got up to 103 mph before I let off the gas. Then I bragged about it to one of my friends and I was like yeah it was pretty damn dangerous to do that but I had no choice these idiots in Detroit don't know how to drive on a freeway.

[sprjus4]

Isn't the Lodge like one of the only few freeways up in the Detroit suburbs that only has a 55 mph limit vs. a 70 mph speed limit?

[Henry]

That's what cracks me up about this whole argument...sure, I wish I-70 was fully completed to I-95 like every other roadgeek, but I-695/I-95 at least get the job done in I-70's absence. HighwayStar acts like every single commuter from Frederick and the overall I-70 corridor drive right up to the park & ride and either wait for a bus (and FWIW, the closest stop is over on Cooks Lane) or pound their fists angrily and turn around unsuccessful. Golly, maybe tomorrow I-70 will be magically completed and I can finally get to work! 

"but I-695/I-95 at least get the job done in I-70's absence" that is false. If that were the case, then I-70 never would have been designed to go to Baltimore in the first place. But as anyone who drives there knows, I-695 is a mess, and hardly a real fix for the problem.

"maybe tomorrow I-70 will be magically completed and I can finally get to work!"
Nothing magic about it my friend, it will take time, lobbying, coalition building, and someone that can shrewdly manipulate the system to do his bidding.

Perhaps the same sentiment would also apply to I-95 through Washington, since the part of it north of downtown was never built, so they rerouted it on the east side of the Capital Beltway. Even when that part was just I-495, it had lots of awful traffic, and the fact that it has to share the road with a long-distance route is no help either. I think someone familiar with the College Park area (where I-95's Park & Ride is) would answer the question, but what's the closest bus stop to there? (Probably University Blvd., but that's just a guess; plus, they'd most likely rather go to the nearby Metro stop and ride the train into town.)

[HighwayStar]

That's what cracks me up about this whole argument...sure, I wish I-70 was fully completed to I-95 like every other roadgeek, but I-695/I-95 at least get the job done in I-70's absence. HighwayStar acts like every single commuter from Frederick and the overall I-70 corridor drive right up to the park & ride and either wait for a bus (and FWIW, the closest stop is over on Cooks Lane) or pound their fists angrily and turn around unsuccessful. Golly, maybe tomorrow I-70 will be magically completed and I can finally get to work! 

"but I-695/I-95 at least get the job done in I-70's absence" that is false. If that were the case, then I-70 never would have been designed to go to Baltimore in the first place. But as anyone who drives there knows, I-695 is a mess, and hardly a real fix for the problem.

"maybe tomorrow I-70 will be magically completed and I can finally get to work!"
Nothing magic about it my friend, it will take time, lobbying, coalition building, and someone that can shrewdly manipulate the system to do his bidding.

Perhaps the same sentiment would also apply to I-95 through Washington, since the part of it north of downtown was never built, so they rerouted it on the east side of the Capital Beltway. Even when that part was just I-495, it had lots of awful traffic, and the fact that it has to share the road with a long-distance route is no help either. I think someone familiar with the College Park area (where I-95's Park & Ride is) would answer the question, but what's the closest bus stop to there? (Probably University Blvd., but that's just a guess; plus, they'd most likely rather go to the nearby Metro stop and ride the train into town.)

Yes, and I used that as my DC example, as it was my most hated freeway when I was there.

[Flint1979]

Isn't the Lodge like one of the only few freeways up in the Detroit suburbs that only has a 55 mph limit vs. a 70 mph speed limit?

Well it stops being a freeway and turns into a divided highway but I do believe it has a 55 mph speed limit throughout. It's an urban depressed freeway for the most part and goes through an urban part of Southfield before becoming the divided highway. I don't think the Davison ever has a 70 mph speed limit either but I'm not on that one too often so I don't remember off the top of my head. also the Southfield might only be 55 as well but neither of these really go into the suburbs other than the inner ring suburbs.

[ftballfan]

Isn't the Lodge like one of the only few freeways up in the Detroit suburbs that only has a 55 mph limit vs. a 70 mph speed limit?

Well it stops being a freeway and turns into a divided highway but I do believe it has a 55 mph speed limit throughout. It's an urban depressed freeway for the most part and goes through an urban part of Southfield before becoming the divided highway. I don't think the Davison ever has a 70 mph speed limit either but I'm not on that one too often so I don't remember off the top of my head. also the Southfield might only be 55 as well but neither of these really go into the suburbs other than the inner ring suburbs.

The Lodge is 70 between I-696 and around Southfield Rd

[Flint1979]

Isn't the Lodge like one of the only few freeways up in the Detroit suburbs that only has a 55 mph limit vs. a 70 mph speed limit?

Well it stops being a freeway and turns into a divided highway but I do believe it has a 55 mph speed limit throughout. It's an urban depressed freeway for the most part and goes through an urban part of Southfield before becoming the divided highway. I don't think the Davison ever has a 70 mph speed limit either but I'm not on that one too often so I don't remember off the top of my head. also the Southfield might only be 55 as well but neither of these really go into the suburbs other than the inner ring suburbs.

The Lodge is 70 between I-696 and around Southfield Rd

I usually don't pay attention to the speed limits just go with the flow of traffic but I know I-75 is 70 until I-94 then drops down to 55 for the rest of the way through the city pretty much and I-94 is 55 in the city too. I haven't ever paid attention to the speed limit on the Lodge out that far too much. But it makes sense for it to be 70 in that area and I figured it was and I know it drops down at the Reuther. But that urban depressed setting is probably why it stays at 55 mph as well as all the on ramps and curves.

[zachary_amaryllis]

i nominate denver's i-270.
i have sort of a love/hate relationship with this road. it's handy, since a lot of my denver friends live on the east/northeast side of town and its handy to get to them via that road...

that being said.. it's beat to all hell, frequently congested, and just a hot mess. like, it gets no respect for being what it is.

While I definitely think I-270 is the worst highway around, I'd say for the Denver metro area in general, people probably hate I-25 the most on weekdays and I-70 on weekends (and the I-70 part is Colorado as a whole, not necessarily the stretch through the Denver area).  Not enough people drive I-270 in the metro area comparatively to make it most hated.   

Chris

and come to think of it.. at least during the construction .. i-25 north out of denver isn't really too much fun either.

i always felt i-70 to be fun in traffic, as long as said traffic is moving.. we recently drove back from glenwood via i-70, and its sort of a twisty roller coaster... with trucks! but thats a personal thing, i enjoy the laser-focused driving one has to do on that road.

[kernals12]

DC: I-95 outside the beltway probably.

Phoenix: Definitely the Papago. It's the only Freeway in Phoenix that sometimes isn't green on Google traffic

[HighwayStar]

DC: I-95 outside the beltway probably.

Phoenix: Definitely the Papago. It's the only Freeway in Phoenix that sometimes isn't green on Google traffic

Because they could not be bothered to build the actual road I-95 is sort of always outside depending on how you think about it.

[sprjus4]

DC: I-95 outside the beltway probably.

Phoenix: Definitely the Papago. It's the only Freeway in Phoenix that sometimes isn't green on Google traffic

Because they could not be bothered to build the actual road I-95 is sort of always outside depending on how you think about it.

I believe he's mainly referring to the interstate south of I-495 in Virginia.

[HighwayStar]

DC: I-95 outside the beltway probably.

Phoenix: Definitely the Papago. It's the only Freeway in Phoenix that sometimes isn't green on Google traffic

Because they could not be bothered to build the actual road I-95 is sort of always outside depending on how you think about it.

I believe he's mainly referring to the interstate south of I-495 in Virginia.

I assume that, but on some level none of I-95 is "outside" the beltway, since it is the beltway.

I-95: I AM THE BELTWAY 

[Bickendan]

Portland: Ooh, that's a tossup between the Baldock and the Banfield.

[mukade]

Indianapolis: Easy, I-465!

No, the winner is I-465 with three lanes closed. I-465 by itself isn't terrible.

I-69 during concerts at Ruoff Music Center can back up in both directions for miles, but I-465 from Keystone to I-69 is bad every day.

Northwest Indiana has the infamous Borman Expressway (I-80/94) which is provides an awful driving experience.

[SkyPesos]

Indianapolis: Easy, I-465!

No, the winner is I-465 with three lanes closed. I-465 by itself isn't terrible.

I-69 during concerts at Ruoff Music Center can back up in both directions for miles, but I-465 from Keystone to I-69 is bad every day.

Northwest Indiana has the infamous Borman Expressway (I-80/94) which is provides an awful driving experience.

At this rate, the Skyway will become the lexus lanes for the Borman, with no freebies to carpoolers.

[Flint1979]

I hate, hate, hate the Borman with a passion. Just a clusterfuck of trucks and massive amounts of traffic all over the place. I always suck it up and take the SKyway when I'm going into Chicago just to bypass the Borman and bypassing the Bishop Ford is a good idea too.