Freeways by coincidence

[roadman65]

I was wondering where all the freeways are that are not built to be one, but because of the lack of development on either side of a four lane divided highway for a mile at least could create freeway conditions.

I know US 192 in Disney World, Florida is one cause Disney does not have anything built on 192 other than the Wide World of Sports and the Wide World of Sports complex is accessible its back side via Osceola Parkway.

Fort Lauderdale, FL has US 1 near the Airport having nothing but the complicated interchange ramps from I-595 to the terminals lasting for almost a mile creating a freeway type environment cause no driveways can be built there.

Newark, NJ has US 22 through Weekquake Park having no driveways and the distance on US 22 to be almost a mile with the long viaduct over NJ 27, some local streets and the Amtrak Corridor to make a free flowing corridor.  It is also divided, and like NJ highways to be, there are no median breaks.

I do not know if US 441 through Paynes Prairre near Gainsville, FL counts as it goes through two miles of it with no breaks in its median and NO side roads.  Most of all it is a normal at grade highway south of it, and an arterial north of it.

Any more out there?

[agentsteel53]

lots of segments of US-395 in California have no side roads for miles.

[corco]

In the last few days I've seen US-62/83 on the Texas panhandle, US-62 east of Altus Oklahoma,  US-62/180 west of Hobbs NM, US-90 has long stretches without intersection between Houston and Beaumont,  US-167 north of Dry Prong, Louisiana.
 

[vdeane]

NY 441 from the eastern junction with Linden Ave to Penfield Rd; even has an exit.

[NE2]

I do not know if US 441 through Paynes Prairre near Gainsville, FL counts as it goes through two miles of it with no breaks in its median and NO side roads.  Most of all it is a normal at grade highway south of it, and an arterial north of it.

If this counts, so does my driveway.

[Scott5114]

Your freeway is a divided highway with a 70 MPH speed limit? Impressive...

[berberry]

I'm not sure if the total distance without grade-level obstructions runs a full mile, but Airline Highway in Baton Rouge has a segment that at least comes close:  travelling north, one encounters a cloverleaf interchange at Plank Road, a stack interchange at I-110, then another interchange at Scenic Highway.  If I remember it right, the three interchanges come in rapid sequence with nothing accessible between them.

[NE2]

Your freeway is a divided highway with a 70 MPH speed limit? Impressive...

US 441 is 65 across the middle of a swamp with no interchanges. About midway, it has a pulloff for a short boardwalk to view gators, complete with a median break to turn left into it. It's a nice drive, but certainly not a freeway by any reasonable definition.

[J N Winkler]

. . . US-62/180 west of Hobbs NM . . .

Really?  It is full of turnoffs for abandoned potash mines.

[Dr Frankenstein]

QC-148 between Aylmer and Hull.
http://maps.google.com/?ll=45.426528,-75.779915&spn=0.034757,0.077505&z=14

Just try to drive the posted 90 km/h (55 mph) on this one... It's like your brain thinks it's a freeway.

[agentsteel53]

Really?  It is full of turnoffs for abandoned potash mines.

how well are the turnoffs signed?  plenty of freeways (especially in West Texas) have completely unsigned turnoffs for ranches which may or may not be abandoned.  (or, at least, the entrance got moved)

most people just think of I-10 and I-20 as being "the freeways with at-grade entrances" but if you start looking, then you start seeing ranch entrances, forest service access roads, and whatnot turning up everywhere. 

[J N Winkler]

Really?  It is full of turnoffs for abandoned potash mines.

how well are the turnoffs signed?  plenty of freeways (especially in West Texas) have completely unsigned turnoffs for ranches which may or may not be abandoned.  (or, at least, the entrance got moved)

most people just think of I-10 and I-20 as being "the freeways with at-grade entrances" but if you start looking, then you start seeing ranch entrances, forest service access roads, and whatnot turning up everywhere.

The turnoffs include a lot of county roads and are signed much like other intersections on rural primary state highways--sometimes a white-on-green guide sign, sometimes a street blade with the county road designation, sometimes route markers, etc.  While US 62-180 west of Hobbs passes through thinly populated country, it is really not comparable to any of the "freeways with at-grade entrances" because the intersecting roads are not private driveways or special-purpose roads.

[agentsteel53]

The turnoffs include a lot of county roads and are signed much like other intersections on rural primary state highways--sometimes a white-on-green guide sign, sometimes a street blade with the county road designation, sometimes route markers, etc. 

in that case, it is comparable to the delineating at-grade elements which separate the segments of US-395 "freeway" which I had mentioned before.  US-395 can go several miles between any sort of signage for an at-grade crossing - and without any sort of planned leeway for a left turn.  If you want to turn left, you've gotta drive through some brush.

[Alps]

US 70 through White Sands, or US 54 heading south from it. If there are median breaks, they're extraordinarily infrequent and not meant for general traffic.

[mgk920]

US 2/41 between Gladstone, MI and their split a bit to the north has nearly all of the attributes of an interstate, but is not officially a freeway and has a couple of at-grade accesses.

Mike

[ftballfan]

M-45 between GVSU and 24th Ave in Ottawa County, only a couple of at-grade accesses, a few median turnarounds, and no driveways AFAIK.

[myosh_tino]

How about CA-152 from CA-156 to CA-99? 

The highway is 4-lane divided and is posted with a 65 MPH speed limit except for the segment that runs through Los Banos (although Caltrans is studying a potential freeway/expressway bypass around the town).

There are 7 interchanges (CA-156, Casa de Fruta Pkwy, I-5, CA-33 North, CA-33 South, CA-59, CA-233 and CA-99) which makes it feel like a freeway in certain parts but there are no "Begin Freeway"/"End Freeway" signs posted along the highway and there are a ton of at-grade intersections..  According to the Caltrans' website, none of these exits will be numbered.

[TheStranger]

How about CA-152 from CA-156 to CA-99? 

The highway is 4-lane divided and is posted with a 65 MPH speed limit except for the segment that runs through Los Banos (although Caltrans is studying a potential freeway/expressway bypass around the town).

There are 7 interchanges (CA-156, Casa de Fruta Pkwy, I-5, CA-33 North, CA-33 South, CA-59, CA-233 and CA-99) which makes it feel like a freeway in certain parts but there are no "Begin Freeway"/"End Freeway" signs posted along the highway and there are a ton of at-grade intersections..  According to the Caltrans' website, none of these exits will be numbered.

Don't forget that the section of 152 between 156 and 101 is slated for an expressway/freeway bypass some time in the future, extending the stretch of uninterrupted limited-access road a bit westward...

[AZDude]

US 70 through White Sands, or US 54 heading south from it. If there are median breaks, they're extraordinarily infrequent and not meant for general traffic.

That and U.S. 70 through there has a 75 mph speed limit!

[AZDude]

How about that 17 mile portion of U.S. 30 in Wyoming that is divided and has neither at grade intersections or interchanges?  I believe that this is officially a freeway though.

[myosh_tino]

How about CA-152 from CA-156 to CA-99? 

The highway is 4-lane divided and is posted with a 65 MPH speed limit except for the segment that runs through Los Banos (although Caltrans is studying a potential freeway/expressway bypass around the town).

There are 7 interchanges (CA-156, Casa de Fruta Pkwy, I-5, CA-33 North, CA-33 South, CA-59, CA-233 and CA-99) which makes it feel like a freeway in certain parts but there are no "Begin Freeway"/"End Freeway" signs posted along the highway and there are a ton of at-grade intersections..  According to the Caltrans' website, none of these exits will be numbered.

Don't forget that the section of 152 between 156 and 101 is slated for an expressway/freeway bypass some time in the future, extending the stretch of uninterrupted limited-access road a bit westward...

Yeah, I forgot about that.  I think the latest I've heard in the local paper is building a toll road starting near the current 101-25 interchange south of Gilroy to the 152-156 interchange.

[Stephane Dumas]

QC-148 between Aylmer and Hull.
http://maps.google.com/?ll=45.426528,-75.779915&spn=0.034757,0.077505&z=14

Just try to drive the posted 90 km/h (55 mph) on this one... It's like your brain thinks it's a freeway.

Part of the gap was once originally planned for a cancelled A-50 extension westward.

[Michael]

• NY 481 between Fulton and Oswego is a full expressway, except for four at-grade intersections on the divided part, and a non-divided part closer to each city.
• Bear Road in North Syracuse between US 11 and South Bay Road.

I can also think of some non-divided roads that are (or remind me of) a Super-2:

• NY 13 between NY 17/I-86 and NY 223
• Most of what's left of the at-grade portion of US 15
• NY 31 between the Seneca River and NY 89, locally known as the Montezuma or Savannah Flats.  This area is commonly used by people to speed.
• NY 38 north of Port Byron feels sort of like a Super-2 to me
• NY 104 between the Monroe County line to Oswego.  This was designed as a Super-2 to be upgraded to a freeway.  There is a partial interchange at NY 89.
• NY 318 is hard for me to do just 55 on
• NY 414 between NY 318 and NY 5/US 20 is another hard one for me to do just 55 on (especially after getting off of the Thruway!)

[ftballfan]

M-115 between US-131 and US-10 is not a freeway, but traffic often approaches freeway speeds. It doesn't help that there are multiple long passing lanes in both directions.

Speaking of New York, NY 14 looks like it could be a Super 2 between Lyons and Geneva (cloverleaf at NY 96).

[vtk]

US 33 in Columbus, from Twin Rivers Drive across the Olentangy River to the start of the Spring/Long one-way pair...

In the original Spring-Sandusky Interchange design, this section was built to (1950s) freeway quality.  Since the 1993—2003 reconstruction of that interchange, it now has some at-grade intersections with ramps to/from I-670 and OH 315, plus Souder Street.  I suppose the short section could still qualify as expressway.  A few maps here and there still draw US 33 as a freeway for this short stretch.