Longest continuous stretch of brand-new interstate opening in one day

[theline]

There was speculation on the Ohio Valley board about the last time a new stretch of interstate opened that was as long as the new section of I-69 in Indiana that opened this week: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=4855.msg185013#msg185013. No one there provided an answer, so I'd like to pose the question to the whole membership.

This stretch of I-69 is 67 miles, opened on a single day. When was the last time such a long stretch opened at once? To qualify, it has be a new pavement, not one renamed or converted.

I'll bet it's been decades.

[Alps]

Would Autoroutes count? The recent opening of 50 and new 30 are some long segments of Interstate-equivalent freeway.

[theline]

I guess we could count the Autoroutes, though maybe with an asterisk. So how long are the segments opened in one day?

[mgk920]

I assume that this does not include cross-country tollways that predate the I-system.

What about a big chunk of I-80 across Wyoming?

Also, wasn't the San Rafael Swell section of I-70 a same-day opening?

Mike

[3467]

You could kind of guess looking at the old Rand McNallys....but even during the heydays  of teh 60s Illinois buildling 1-200 miles per year and opening every usable segment upon completion.
My best guess for the Midwest would be part of the I-88 Tollway just because of its rapid construction and large gaps between exits.

[NE2]

I don't know if the new lanes all opened at once, but according to Wikipedia the 78-mile (the 84 mile figure they give is bullshit; it ends at US 27) Alligator Alley was widened from two to four lanes in 1986-92.

[formulanone]

^ But if the road way essentially in use during all that time (as a combination of 2 and/or 4 lanes), I'm not sure how much of it was opened all at once. I took this photo in June of 1992, which states that I-75 had a temporary end. This endpoint was where several miles of two-lane, cone-divided highway existed.



I do recall that all four lanes were entirely operational by August of the same year.

[dfilpus]

I-40 from I-95 to Wilmington (92 miles) was opened June 29, 1990. This is considered to be the last major segment of the original Interstate System to be opened.

[mukade]

Was that part of I-40 really part of the original Interstate system? I thought it was a relatively recent add-on to extend it to Wilmington.

[roadman65]

Was that part of I-40 really part of the original Interstate system? I thought it was a relatively recent add-on to extend it to Wilmington.

I think you may be right.  Original maps, of Exxon in the 70's had it end at I-95 at Benson.

Just like I-75 south of Tampa was NOT part of the original interstate system either, but added to it later.

[cpzilliacus]

Obviously not Interstate, but within the past 10 years, Sweden opened two long segments of E4 motorway between the city of Uppsala and Mehedeby which totaled 78 km (about 48.5 miles). 

I think that set a Swedish record for the construction of one section of motorway in one contract, though the southern segment, 22.5 km (14 miles) opened to traffic first, followed by the north segment of about 55 km (34 miles).

[dfilpus]

In the original Interstate system, I 40 ended in Greensboro NC. In the 1960's, North Carolina petitioned to have it extended to the coast along the US 70 corridor to Morehead City. It was shown as a dotted line to Smithfield in the 1970's. By 1980, the corridor for I-40 to the coast was shifted to Wilimington.

Anyway, the last segment was one of the last long segments opened for any 0X0 or 0X5 Interstate.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

I wonder how the West Side Freeway in the Central Valley was opened as I-5. Was it opened in long sections? All I know is that, according to Wikipedia, the West Side Freeway has three phases.

[theline]

I-40 from I-95 to Wilmington (92 miles) was opened June 29, 1990. This is considered to be the last major segment of the original Interstate System to be opened.

If the 92 mile section of I-40 was all new terrain, I think we have a winner. I really thought some section out west of the original layout, probably from the 1970s, would have been the last time such a long section opened at once.

Alligator Alley didn't count according to my rules, since it wasn't new terrain, but an upgrade of a two-lane road.

I'm old enough to remember that most of the original interstates were opened in small sections, as usable parts became available.

In any case, it's been over 20 years since longer section of brand-new interstate opened than I-69 in Indiana this week.

Thanks to all for your input.

[dfilpus]

I-40 from I-95 to Wilmington (92 miles) was opened June 29, 1990. This is considered to be the last major segment of the original Interstate System to be opened.

If the 92 mile section of I-40 was all new terrain, I think we have a winner. I really thought some section out west of the original layout, probably from the 1970s, would have been the last time such a long section opened at once.

Alligator Alley didn't count according to my rules, since it wasn't new terrain, but an upgrade of a two-lane road.

I'm old enough to remember that most of the original interstates were opened in small sections, as usable parts became available.

In any case, it's been over 20 years since longer section of brand-new interstate opened than I-69 in Indiana this week.

Thanks to all for your input.

I-40 from I-95 to Wilmington (92 miles) was opened June 29, 1990. This is considered to be the last major segment of the original Interstate System to be opened.

If the 92 mile section of I-40 was all new terrain, I think we have a winner. I really thought some section out west of the original layout, probably from the 1970s, would have been the last time such a long section opened at once.

Alligator Alley didn't count according to my rules, since it wasn't new terrain, but an upgrade of a two-lane road.

I'm old enough to remember that most of the original interstates were opened in small sections, as usable parts became available.

In any case, it's been over 20 years since longer section of brand-new interstate opened than I-69 in Indiana this week.

Thanks to all for your input.

The I 40 opening was all new terrain. It split the difference between US 421 and US 117, the old roads to Wilmington.

[theline]

^ Is this a first for the board--a debate actually settled? Unless someone proposes one more recent, I-40 in NC is the last brand-new interstate of 60+ miles that opened in one day, until I-69 in Indiana. 

[apjung]

Wasn't there a 67 mile section of I-49 that opened in 1991 in Natchitoches Parish?

[Mapmikey]

I-40 from I-95 to Wilmington (92 miles) was opened June 29, 1990. This is considered to be the last major segment of the original Interstate System to be opened.

If the 92 mile section of I-40 was all new terrain, I think we have a winner. I really thought some section out west of the original layout, probably from the 1970s, would have been the last time such a long section opened at once.


Thanks to all for your input.

I-40 east of I-95 did not open all at once. 

The 1989 Official shows I-40 open from NC 41 to NC 132 (35 mi).
The 1990 Official shows I-40 open from US 117 Warsaw to NC 41 (16 mi)
The 1991 Official shows I-40 completely open with the I-95 to US 117 segment opened (41 mi)

Mapmikey

[mukade]

How long were any of these openings?
- I-39 in Illinois
- I-75 between I-4 and Alligator Alley
- I-26 extension

[hbelkins]

How long were any of these openings?
- I-26 extension

9 miles, from the state line to the US 19 exit.

[3467]

I cant give you exact numbers on 39 because IL maps are every other year but it was funded in at least 2 different cap bills over 10 years and it was opened exit to exit so the longest looks about 20 miles
I went back at the boom years of the 60s and the same pattern holds for almost all the interstatesand that pattern continues now where IL 255 did open exit by exit as it was done. There were 2 ribbon cuttings in a months time with the latest the day before Thanksgiving
The tollway seems to do it different all at once but they havnt had segments more than 20 miles since 88

[Dr Frankenstein]

To complete Steve's statement about autoroutes, the "brand new" section of A-30 that will open on the 15 of December is from km 9 to km 38. (29 km, 18 mi), plus 3 km (2 mi) of new A-530. I will not count the new carriageway of the dualized A-530 since it seems to have been opened this weekend.

kms 0 to 9 of A-30 can't be considered brand new as they were part of A-540. kms 47-60 were opened in sections in the past two years. kms 38-47 were an isolated section opened in the '90s.

[cpzilliacus]

Another fairly new (but non-Interstate) freeway-class road is the Relief Route (Delaware 1 toll road).

It was opened to traffic in stages in the 1990's and 2000's.  I don't know exactly what the opening sequence was, except that the segment on the east side of Dover opened to traffic long before the rest of it.

[theline]

Is this a first for the board--a debate actually settled? Unless someone proposes one more recent, I-40 in NC is the last brand-new interstate of 60+ miles that opened in one day, until I-69 in Indiana. 

I wrote too soon about the debate being settled.  It rages on, and the "winner" turned out not to even qualify.

I-40 east of I-95 did not open all at once. 

The 1989 Official shows I-40 open from NC 41 to NC 132 (35 mi).
The 1990 Official shows I-40 open from US 117 Warsaw to NC 41 (16 mi)
The 1991 Official shows I-40 completely open with the I-95 to US 117 segment opened (41 mi)

Mapmikey