Bizarre Endings

[WNYroadgeek]

The northern end of NY 14 is a cul-de-sac: http://goo.gl/maps/pE9Ln

[Rupertus]

Since no one has mentioned it yet, US 41 also ends at a cul-de-sac, near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. http://goo.gl/maps/hiYIb Note that there is a seasonal road that continues on into the woods. Curiously, when I was there last May, the wooden sign that commemorates the highway's route south to Miami was missing, although the frame was still present.

[empirestate]

The northern end of NY 14 is a cul-de-sac: http://goo.gl/maps/pE9Ln

True, but then so is the eastern end of NY 27.

[dgolub]

I was poking around the Albany, New York area today on Google Maps and noticed the very strange ending of I-787 at I-87 (NYS Thruway).  It appears that I-787 is connected via an exit to I-87 before I-787 ends at US-9W.

Map: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.633359,-73.777721&spn=0.009172,0.021136&t=h&z=16

There also appears to be some driveways backing onto I-787's tail end in streetview: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.635537,-73.777764&spn=0.009172,0.021136&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=42.63545,-73.777791&panoid=xjGikBURcoZd4SrUkGa3Pg&cbp=12,345.93,,0,15.17

Any other really odd freeway/interstate endings out there?  Other than I-587's traffic circle.

If we're on the topic of Albany, then how about the southern end of the Northway, where you have to get off an exit to stay on I-87?  Same for I-90 when going east.

[amroad17]

You have to love the END US 169 sign on the Creek Turnpike. 

[thenetwork]

SR-291/Engle Road in suburban Cleveland is a nice example of a bizarre ending"

It's northern terminus is at the intersection of SR-17/Brookpark Road (nothing wrong with that).

However, it's southern terminus ends at a county-maintained road (Fowles Road).

Why ODOT never routed SR-291 along Fowles Road east just a 1/2 mile more to meet with US-42/Pearl Road remains a mystery.  BTW, SR-291 is one of the rare state routes in Ohio that not only does not end at another signed route on one end, but it does does not even cross any other signed routes along it's alignment.

[bugo]

K-38's east ending was bizarre when it existed since it ended in literally the middle of nowhere and became a dirt road.

This happens all over Arkansas.

got any examples?

AR 375 south of Mena.  AR 369 north of Langley.  AR 240 west of Hopper.  AR 370 east of Board Camp.  AR 84 west of US 71.  AR 379 between Mount Ida and Pencil Bluff (two separate sections with a dirt road connecting the two), AR 248 east of Waldron, AR 295 south of Crosses...they're all over the mountainous areas of the state.

[silverback1065]

SR-291/Engle Road in suburban Cleveland is a nice example of a bizarre ending"

It's northern terminus is at the intersection of SR-17/Brookpark Road (nothing wrong with that).

However, it's southern terminus ends at a county-maintained road (Fowles Road).

Why ODOT never routed SR-291 along Fowles Road east just a 1/2 mile more to meet with US-42/Pearl Road remains a mystery.  BTW, SR-291 is one of the rare state routes in Ohio that not only does not end at another signed route on one end, but it does does not even cross any other signed routes along it's alignment.

So this route is just an island? (291)

[hotdogPi]

SR-291/Engle Road in suburban Cleveland is a nice example of a bizarre ending"

It's northern terminus is at the intersection of SR-17/Brookpark Road (nothing wrong with that).

However, it's southern terminus ends at a county-maintained road (Fowles Road).

Why ODOT never routed SR-291 along Fowles Road east just a 1/2 mile more to meet with US-42/Pearl Road remains a mystery.  BTW, SR-291 is one of the rare state routes in Ohio that not only does not end at another signed route on one end, but it does does not even cross any other signed routes along it's alignment.

If Google Maps is correct, ME 123 and ME 190 are similar.

[roadman65]

TX 100 on South Padre Island ends into blown over sand.  If you follow it into the Seashore Park north of the commercial area on the island at one point the road gets covered with sand and the pavement disappears. 

[Mr. Matté]

So this route is just an island? (291)

No, it's just a really long spur route that doesn't connect to anything:


As I'm finishing up creating Wikipedia maps for all the Ohio routes, one of my biggest gripes about Ohio is that they like to put routes that are about to end onto concurrencies with other state routes. One pretty egregious example is SR 113 whose easternmost third of the route is concurrent with other routes (SR 57 and US 20). Why they can't just stick an end sign up at SR 57 in Elyria instead of co-signing it with US 20 to Rocky River (which isn't even the end point per ODOT's SLDs) is beyond me.

[thenetwork]

There are several meaningless multiplexes in Northeast Ohio:

US-422/SR-8:  There was a brief time in the 80s in which ODOT had tried to truncate SR-8 (at least sign-wise) at the mess known as the Northfield/Warrensville Center/Van Aken/Chagrin Blvd. intersection, but by the mid to late 90s, ODOT started to add SR-8 shields along US-422 all the way downtown.  Sadly, that was about the same time that ODOT took down some of the last US/SR cutout shields that were in the Cleveland area -- mostly along Woodland Avenue.

SR-14/SR-43:  On paper, this multiplex exists, but when I was last living in Cleveland, SR-43 shields were only present from the point in which SR-43 was on it's own as Miles Avenue.

SR-87: At times, SR-87 shares the road with US-422, SR-175 and SR-8.  SR-87 should be truncated back to I-271, and let US-422 follow the old SR-87 alignment.  That way SR-8 would be a more meaningful route into downtown as it would lose most of it's multiplex with US-422.

One multiplex I cannot get rid of, however, is the US-42/SR-3 duplex in Cleveland.  For over 40 years, ODOT labeled SR-3's end at US-42 in Parma, though on paper, it ran all the way up to just west of downtown along US-42/W.25th St. A few years ago, I asked about the signing error in The Plain Dealer's Road Rant column, and that got ODOT to correct the 40+ year old mistake and place SR-3 signs along the official multiplex with US-42, albeit the SR-3 signs were not added to BGSs along I-71, I-480 or I-90 as far as I know. 

[SSOWorld]

AZ 210 (https://goo.gl/maps/Snqyg) is an island highway



N Broadway to Golf Links road in Tucson.

WIS 107 ends at CTH S south of Tomahawk - which was US-51 before the super-2 (now freeway) to route around Tomahawk was built

WIS 155 (https://goo.gl/maps/NRf3S) ends at CTH N in Sayner

[NE2]

Florida: SR 61, SR 575, and SR 607 end at county lines. Presumably the county didn't want to accept maintenance.

US 319 ends in the middle of an overlap with US 98, but it's probably because of historic inertia, as US 319 was there first.

[vdeane]

NY 171 doesn't intersect any state, US, or interstate highways.  One end is old 5S though, and it does have an overpass over current NY 5S (no interchange).

[Alps]

NY 171 doesn't intersect any state, US, or interstate highways.  One end is old 5S though, and it does have an overpass over current NY 5S (no interchange).

NJ 161 doesn't intersect any state, US, or interstate highways. The western/southern end was intended to be Spur 3 (now NJ 3), until that route became a quasi-freeway instead of just a divided highway, and Allwood Rd. was left out. The northern end was always intended to be in Passaic and not at another SR.

[hbelkins]

There are a few state highways in Kentucky that are "islands" and require travel on non-state routes just to get to them for maintenance, snow removal, etc. Never really understood why that's the case. Just give them to the county and accept some route that intersects the state system in return.

[bassoon1986]

There are quite a few in Louisiana I'd say that end bizarrely. Here are few of mine:


LA 5: It travels east past a logical terminus at LA 175 to stop a mile away at a railroad crossing
LA 118 - it should end at LA 117 instead of traipsing into the forest and turning to gravel
LA 524 - the northern end goes just past LA 123 and turns to gravel, but now the mid portion is discontinuous from a bridge closure as well
LA 1080- a spur traveling north and south of LA 40 and not connecting to any other state routes

There are many many others that simply end in a swamp and would be just fine serving as a local road instead of a state highway.

[D-Dey65]

I was poking around the Albany, New York area today on Google Maps and noticed the very strange ending of I-787 at I-87 (NYS Thruway).  It appears that I-787 is connected via an exit to I-87 before I-787 ends at US-9W.

Map: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.633359,-73.777721&spn=0.009172,0.021136&t=h&z=16

There also appears to be some driveways backing onto I-787's tail end in streetview: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.635537,-73.777764&spn=0.009172,0.021136&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=42.63545,-73.777791&panoid=xjGikBURcoZd4SrUkGa3Pg&cbp=12,345.93,,0,15.17

Any other really odd freeway/interstate endings out there?  Other than I-587's traffic circle.

If we're on the topic of Albany, then how about the southern end of the Northway, where you have to get off an exit to stay on I-87?  Same for I-90 when going east.

That's because the two roadways were supposed to be connected via the Southern Albany Expressway, but I'm sure that was the reason David brought up the south end of the Northway.

Florida: SR 61, SR 575, and SR 607 end at county lines. Presumably the county didn't want to accept maintenance.

SR 575 between US 301 and the Pasco-Hernando County Line was an upgrade that was supposed to help Lacoochee's economic situation, and didn't. Either way, I still think the state designation should be extended north to SR 50, and west to US 98 in Trilby.

[NE2]

SR 575 between US 301 and the Pasco-Hernando County Line was an upgrade that was supposed to help Lacoochee's economic situation

[citation needed]

[D-Dey65]

SR 575 between US 301 and the Pasco-Hernando County Line was an upgrade that was supposed to help Lacoochee's economic situation

[citation needed]

There was an old St. Pete Times article about it, but I don't remember the date.

[NE2]

That doesn't make sense. Assuming somehow making it a state road has that effect, why end it at the county line rather than Lacoochee itself (or SR 50)? And when was it downgraded? It was a primary state road in 1953, and was not given to the county when the part west of US 301 was.

[iBallasticwolf2]

Here is a pointless multiplex, US 25 in Northern Kentucky, in downtown Florence US 25 multiplexes US 42 and US 127 which would be a logical terminus, instead it continues northward multiplexed with US 42 and US 127, it continues this way until it reaches the Ohio state line and just ends, now I know that US 25 USED to continue past Cincinnati and continue farther northward, but it is pointless continuing it northward past downtown Florence

[tribar]

I 78 in Manhattan. 

[Bickendan]

as far as I know, the legislative definition includes three south branches, leading to three termini.

Again, no. Route 710 only takes the route to end at SR 47.

cahighways.org never gave me a conclusive answer on that, but did 710 originally take one of the other two spurs? The Thomas Guide had it marked on the Shoreline Drive alignment in downtown Long Beach for quite a long time.