Dead & Dying Toll Road Interchanges...

[thenetwork]

Sort of in the same vein adls the Dead Malls thread:

When the majority of Toll Roads and Turnpikes were first built, many were the first regional interstates/limited access highways of significant distances.  Not only were these Toll Roads viewed as tourist destinations themselves (Service Plazas with sit down restaurants and gift shops) but most original interchanges were like mini-cities (like Breezewood) with several sit-down family restaurants, full-service gas stations and either mom and pop motels and/ or a full sized Holiday Inn or Howard Johnson's minutes from the Toll Plazas.

What are the more notable Toll Road interchanges that were once "destination stops" that are now shells of what they once were, and why?

Many fell victim to nearby new freeways and exits that bypassed the old route to the big cities, while others died off due to changing traveling trends (drivers stay on the mainline and do quick stops at Service Plazas, the extinction of mom and pop services due to newer, "safer" lodging and fuel options, etc...)

Here's a couple of examples to start along the Ohio Turnpike:

Exit 180/SR-8:  Originally was the unofficial eastbound routing of I-90 before I-90 was completed on the west side of Cleveland.  Services at the Old Exit 12 started dying when I-90 was finished.  Most recently, fell into more oblivion when SR-8 was fully converted into a limited access freeway from I-271 to Akron.

Exit 152/Old SR-10:  Pretty much died when the I-480 freeway interchange (within the shadow of Old SR-10 exit) was completed in the  80's.  Prior to that and before I-71 was finished, Old Exit 9 was the direct route into the west side of Cleveland.

Others? 

[LilianaUwU]

It would be wrong not to mention Breezewood.

[ElishaGOtis]

FL Turnpike Yeehaw Junction. Still gets some attention with truck stops, but not nearly as much as it used to.

[formulanone]

Curious to know how busy Ohio Turnpike's exit 52 is for the Toledo Express Airport, which has one or two daily commercial flights.

Seems like a white elephant.

FL Turnpike Yeehaw Junction. Still gets some attention with truck stops, but not nearly as much as it used to.

Honestly, I never saw it as all that busy for decades. Just the only exit for 40+ miles in any direction.

There's just fewer reasons to stop there, but at least one new gas station opened up recently.

[thenetwork]

One exit on the Ohio Turnpike that has withstood the test of time is Exit 187 -- I-480/SR-14 in Streetsboro.

Originally, Old Exit 13 was just a 2-laned highway.  When I-480 was built, everything  immediately north of the Turnpike was bulldozed and converted to interstate standards and widened into a 5-lane road south of the Pike to Streetsboro.

This was a main exit for travelers headed to Sea World and Six Flags/Geauga Lake.  Yet despite the demise of those amusement parks, there is still a lot of lodging, restaurants and fuel services mixed in with some newer big box retail that serves the Streetsboro area.  It's still the main exit for nearby Kent State University and SR-14 connects the I-480 traffic to I-76, Salem and points southeast.  This Turnpike  exit shows no sign of becoming a ghost town any day soon.

[pderocco]

I'm not sure I understand the topic. Is this about business areas within the toll perimeter of a turnpike, like service plazas right on the pike, or is it about business areas outside the toll perimiter, like Breezewood?

I would think that on toll roads, service plazas would have an advantage over off-pike businesses because of the premium charged for getting off and back on again, not to mention possible waiting in line at the tollbooth twice. (This may no longer be true with ORT.) But overall, service plazas limit the number of businesses, perhaps even corruptly, while a much larger variety of businesses can spring up at interchanges off the pike, or along regular freeways. In the long run, I would think that off-pike businesses would be the bigger market, but they'd be spread out with a few at each exit, not concentrated at occasional big service areas.

[thenetwork]

I'm not sure I understand the topic. Is this about business areas within the toll perimeter of a turnpike, like service plazas right on the pike, or is it about business areas outside the toll perimiter, like Breezewood?

I would think that on toll roads, service plazas would have an advantage over off-pike businesses because of the premium charged for getting off and back on again, not to mention possible waiting in line at the tollbooth twice. (This may no longer be true with ORT.) But overall, service plazas limit the number of businesses, perhaps even corruptly, while a much larger variety of businesses can spring up at interchanges off the pike, or along regular freeways. In the long run, I would think that off-pike businesses would be the bigger market, but they'd be spread out with a few at each exit, not concentrated at occasional big service areas.

I'm referring to businesses for travelers that are/were located within 1-2 miles off a Turnpike exit.  Breezewood is a great example of a "service town" that moreso caters to the non-locals who stop overnight, have a sit-down meal and/or tend to the needs of their vehicles.

In the early days of Toll Roads, you could usually find a healthy roster of traveler services.  Nowadays, all of those exits remain, but the stable of travel-specific businesses has greatly decreased or changed.

[kphoger]

... most original interchanges were like mini-cities (like Breezewood) with several sit-down family restaurants, full-service gas stations and either mom and pop motels and/ or a full sized Holiday Inn or Howard Johnson's minutes from the Toll Plazas.

It would be wrong not to mention Breezewood.

It's a good thing he did, then.

[pderocco]

I'm not sure I understand the topic. Is this about business areas within the toll perimeter of a turnpike, like service plazas right on the pike, or is it about business areas outside the toll perimiter, like Breezewood?

I would think that on toll roads, service plazas would have an advantage over off-pike businesses because of the premium charged for getting off and back on again, not to mention possible waiting in line at the tollbooth twice. (This may no longer be true with ORT.) But overall, service plazas limit the number of businesses, perhaps even corruptly, while a much larger variety of businesses can spring up at interchanges off the pike, or along regular freeways. In the long run, I would think that off-pike businesses would be the bigger market, but they'd be spread out with a few at each exit, not concentrated at occasional big service areas.

I'm referring to businesses for travelers that are/were located within 1-2 miles off a Turnpike exit.  Breezewood is a great example of a "service town" that moreso caters to the non-locals who stop overnight, have a sit-down meal and/or tend to the needs of their vehicles.

In the early days of Toll Roads, you could usually find a healthy roster of traveler services.  Nowadays, all of those exits remain, but the stable of travel-specific businesses has greatly decreased or changed.

Maybe they're just spread out more, distributed more evenly over the available exits. It's possible that travelers also need somewhat fewer services nowadays, as driving speeds are somewhat higher so driving time is shorter, and cars are less likely to break down, and fast food restaurants get people in and out more quickly, especially with mobile ordering.

When I'm on a trip, I often drive for many hours without stopping. Maybe in the days of crappier cars with noisier engines, less comfortable seats, no A/C, and no cruise control, people stopped more often, just for the break.

[jeffandnicole]

I'm not sure I understand the topic. Is this about business areas within the toll perimeter of a turnpike, like service plazas right on the pike, or is it about business areas outside the toll perimiter, like Breezewood?

I would think that on toll roads, service plazas would have an advantage over off-pike businesses because of the premium charged for getting off and back on again, not to mention possible waiting in line at the tollbooth twice. (This may no longer be true with ORT.) But overall, service plazas limit the number of businesses, perhaps even corruptly, while a much larger variety of businesses can spring up at interchanges off the pike, or along regular freeways. In the long run, I would think that off-pike businesses would be the bigger market, but they'd be spread out with a few at each exit, not concentrated at occasional big service areas.

I'm referring to businesses for travelers that are/were located within 1-2 miles off a Turnpike exit.  Breezewood is a great example of a "service town" that moreso caters to the non-locals who stop overnight, have a sit-down meal and/or tend to the needs of their vehicles.

In the early days of Toll Roads, you could usually find a healthy roster of traveler services.  Nowadays, all of those exits remain, but the stable of travel-specific businesses has greatly decreased or changed.

Maybe they're just spread out more, distributed more evenly over the available exits. It's possible that travelers also need somewhat fewer services nowadays, as driving speeds are somewhat higher so driving time is shorter, and cars are less likely to break down, and fast food restaurants get people in and out more quickly, especially with mobile ordering.

When I'm on a trip, I often drive for many hours without stopping. Maybe in the days of crappier cars with noisier engines, less comfortable seats, no A/C, and no cruise control, people stopped more often, just for the break.

Services still tend to be more numerous around certain interchanges, because you also have to figure they need to be around interchanges where people live.

One of my thoughts of Breezewood dying includes that the population density just doesn't exist in that general area to service all that many businesses.

[thenetwork]

An interesting Ohio Turnpike interchange is the US-20/Reynolds Road Exit 59 in Toledo.

Old Exit 4 straddles the border of Toledo and Maumee.  In the early days, pretty much most of the off Turnpike services were north of the exit in Toledo and Maumee was a more-rural area.  When I-475 was built, Exit 4 became a Breezewood as you had to go south on US-20 to US-24 or north to SR-2 to access I-475 and US-23.

In the late 80s, a quicker access was built to I-475/US-23 (Salisbury/Dussell) and the Maumee side was starting to catch up on lodging and restaurant options.

Today, the area North of the Turnpike in Toledo is more of the "ghost town" with the demise of Southwyck Mall and much of the surrounding businesses, while Maumee sputh of the Pike pretty much owns the gas/food/lodging crown.

[Road Hog]

So far, no such critter exists in North Texas on toll roads. The Collin Creek Mall off US 75 is no more, but that is a free road.

Here's a list of Texas malls that I know is erroneous. Midway Mall in Sherman is on life support but not dead yet.

https://mix931fm.com/25-dead-texas-malls/

[dantheman]

I'm referring to businesses for travelers that are/were located within 1-2 miles off a Turnpike exit.  Breezewood is a great example of a "service town" that moreso caters to the non-locals who stop overnight, have a sit-down meal and/or tend to the needs of their vehicles.

In the early days of Toll Roads, you could usually find a healthy roster of traveler services.  Nowadays, all of those exits remain, but the stable of travel-specific businesses has greatly decreased or changed.

Maybe they're just spread out more, distributed more evenly over the available exits. It's possible that travelers also need somewhat fewer services nowadays, as driving speeds are somewhat higher so driving time is shorter, and cars are less likely to break down, and fast food restaurants get people in and out more quickly, especially with mobile ordering.

When I'm on a trip, I often drive for many hours without stopping. Maybe in the days of crappier cars with noisier engines, less comfortable seats, no A/C, and no cruise control, people stopped more often, just for the break.

Services still tend to be more numerous around certain interchanges, because you also have to figure they need to be around interchanges where people live.

One of my thoughts of Breezewood dying includes that the population density just doesn't exist in that general area to service all that many businesses.

Could another reason be that in the smartphone/Google era, drivers are more able to plan ahead and pick exits with specific stores/food/hotels they're looking for? 50 years ago, drivers might have been more likely to drive until they were hungry/tired and hope for the best, sustaining mom & pop diners/motels/etc. that nobody today would get off the highway for.

As for examples, exit 29 (NY 5S/NY 10) on the I-90 section of the NYS Thruway feels pretty ghost town-ish, although that has as much to do with manufacturing abandoning Canajoharie as it does with any Thruway-adjacent businesses. Exit B3 (NY 22) on I-90 was similar for a while, with just a small gas station and a pretty beat-up looking motel. Recently, a Love's has opened there and revived the exit a bit.

[lepidopteran]

Curious to know how busy Ohio Turnpike's exit 52 is for the Toledo Express Airport, which has one or two daily commercial flights.

The exit does help with access to the village of Swanton, but admittedly not much else.  State Route 2 might be a free alternate route from Toledo, as it was improved somewhat as "Airport Hwy" before the exit was built, but the route is probably not as fast as it used to be with suburbanization and added traffic signals, etc.

FL Turnpike Yeehaw Junction. Still gets some attention with truck stops, but not nearly as much as it used to.

There used to be a Holiday Inn that abutted the turnpike off-ramp and the (now-removed) toll booth.  A Tourist Info sign was present at the remaining structure before it was all demolished.  There was also a gas station (outparcel?) right at the ramp's corner with Route 60.

And according to GSV, the BP next door used to have a Stuckey's! Still has the signature architecture.

[Ned Weasel]

Kansas Turnpike Exit 177 used to have a lot more going on. I'd bet the hotels used to be nicer, and if I remember correctly, there were more food options. And of course, White Lakes Mall used to exist. Hell, even nearby West Ridge Mall is already dying. At least the Exit 177 Walmart is still there. What's funny is, removing the third trumpet from the former triple-trumpet interchange and thus freeing up land for development, didn't really help breathe more life into the area.