Freeways with businesses in the median

[roadman65]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/23052703531/in/dateposted-public/
In this, taken on NJ Route 3 in Secaucus, NJ, shows a hotel, a storage yard for construction matierials, etc. in the center of the highway.

In most cases, especially with highways in NJ whether freeway or not, the original road was widened and instead of taking away immediate property, another parallel alignment behind the businesses was built.  In most situations the land is still zoned as public parcels like with Route 3 in Secaucus.  The EB lanes was the original 2-2 freeway and then to widen it NJ Department of Highways then, decided to build another alignment and make it a split freeway of what it is now near the Hackensack River crossing.

How many other places did this outside of New Jersey?

[cpzilliacus]

How many other places did this outside of New Jersey?

Not freeways, but Maryland has businesses (and even some residences) in the median of Crain Highway (U.S. 301/Md. 3) in Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties. 

Delaware has some businesses in the median of U.S. 40 (Pulaski Highway). 

[cl94]

A notable example is I-75 in Cincinnati. When it was widened in the 60s, a new alignment was built along a creek in Arlington Heights for NB traffic.

Of course, there is also I-670 at I-71 in Columbus, with a factory and former military installation (now a school and other businesses) between the EB and WB carriageways. Here, the northern leg of the interchange was built in a former railroad yard when I-670 was completed east of I-71.

[SD Mapman]

The McDonald's (along with some other stuff) in Bemidji, MN is in the middle of MN 197 (not a freeway, but still).
Linky

[hbelkins]

Isn't there a fireworks store between the carriageways of I-24 west of Chattanooga?

[jp the roadgeek]

How many other places did this outside of New Jersey?

Not freeways, but Maryland has businesses (and even some residences) in the median of Crain Highway (U.S. 301/Md. 3) in Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties. 

Delaware has some businesses in the median of U.S. 40 (Pulaski Highway).

And there's a Taco Bell in the middle of US 202 (Concord Pike) as well (had the old school bell sign until a few years ago).  There's also a KMart plaza in the middle of US 222 in Willow Street, PA.

[cl94]

Isn't there a fireworks store between the carriageways of I-24 west of Chattanooga?

Yes.

[mgk920]

There is a freeway in Wichita Falls, TX that is elevated over two paralleling streets one block apart (I-44?).  I believe that there are several blocks of businesses between them.

I-75 in the north Cincinnati suburbs.

I-93 near South Station in Boston.

Are there any non-farm businesses in the median of I-90 where it climbs out of the Mississippi River valley in Minnesota?

Ditto in the 'wrong way' section of I-5 in the Grapevine climb?

Mike

[JoePCool14]

US-20 west of Galina, IL has some houses in the median.

The old Mcdonald's on the Chicago Skyway (I-90). Unfortunately, it's gone now.

[national highway 1]

The Nimitz Hwy (HI 92) near downtown Honolulu has businesses in the median.

[PHLBOS]

I-93 near South Station in Boston.

I'm not sure I-93 would necessarily count for such since it's a tunneled system in that area.  For those unfamiliar with the area, the I-93 southbound tunnel follows the original (pre-Big Dig) South Station/Dewey Square Tunnel alignment whereas the I-93 northbound tunnel is a newer, separate alignment.

[hubcity]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/23052703531/in/dateposted-public/
In this, taken on NJ Route 3 in Secaucus, NJ, shows a hotel, a storage yard for construction matierials, etc. in the center of the highway.

In most cases, especially with highways in NJ whether freeway or not, the original road was widened and instead of taking away immediate property, another parallel alignment behind the businesses was built.  In most situations the land is still zoned as public parcels like with Route 3 in Secaucus.  The EB lanes was the original 2-2 freeway and then to widen it NJ Department of Highways then, decided to build another alignment and make it a split freeway of what it is now near the Hackensack River crossing.

How many other places did this outside of New Jersey?

Remaining in New Jersey for a second...

In this appreciation of US Route 22, Jean Shepherd (A Christmas Story) pauses to reflect on (among many other things) The Flagship, which occupies the road's median with left entrances/exits from both carriageways.

[catch22]

US-6 in Huron, Ohio has a few businesses in the median.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.3910166,-82.5577222,300m/data=!3m1!1e3

[Milliontown]

I-5 in Castaic California has some business in the "median."  This is the site of the "French" or "English" switch, constructed during the conversion of US 99 to interstate standards in the late 60s/early 70s.  To make the grade more favorable to descending traffic, a new alignment was constructed that switched sides, leaving the businesses in the middle.

[CapeCodder]

Not a freeway, but MO 115 (Natural Bridge Road) has several businesses in the median past I-170. https://www.google.com/maps/@38.723531,-90.336066,3a,75y,276.48h,85.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWMF57zxw34nnfQ8OE0O1JA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Brian556]

quote from hbelkins:

Isn't there a fireworks store between the carriageways of I-24 west of Chattanooga?

I have several family members that live between the carriageways west of the fireworks store.

[Pete from Boston]

Bookstore in the median of the Palisades Parkway.

Not a freeway, but US 30 has a restaurant/lounge in the median near Ligonier. 

Not outside NJ and not a freeway is NJ 23, which is like this in West Milford.

[wanderer2575]

Used to be a small subdivision of houses in the 1-96 median west of US-23 near Brighton, although that's gone now with construction of new thru carriageways that opened this year.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.524749,-83.7573883,410m/data=!3m1!1e3

[Ian]

I just passed this one today. In the median of I-95/MA 128 near Needham, MA, is the Norfolk County Sheriff's Office and Correctional Center (Google Maps view). Not every day you see a jail in the median of an interstate highway...

[vtk]

Of course, there is also I-670 at I-71 in Columbus, with a factory and former military installation (now a school and other businesses) between the EB and WB carriageways. Here, the northern leg of the interchange was built in a former railroad yard when I-670 was completed east of I-71.

While that is in the median of I-670 in the sense that it's between that route's eastbound and westbound halves, I wouldn't say it's in the median of a freeway. Rather, it's between two freeways (the North Innerbelt and the Northeast Freeway), each carrying one direction of I-670. But that bakery there on Cleveland Ave between those freeways really makes the area smell nice. (That's Kroger's Columbus bakery, not Wonder Bread, which has a more prominent sign but that factory isn't actually a factory anymore.)



In Cincinnati, in the interchange at the north end of the Brent Spence Bridge, there's a business called DunnHumby located between the northbound and southbound ways of I-71 – arguably in the median of Fort Washington Way.  It's also between the eastbound and westbound ways of US 50.



Doesn't Illinois State Toll Highway Authority have at least one McDonald's at-grade in the median of one of its highways?

[theline]

^^ As JoePCool14 noted earlier in this thread, there was a McDonald's smack in the middle of the Chicago Skyway and accessible only from the freeway for a very long time. Apparently it has been closed. Illinois has multiple businesses in their Oases built over the freeways, but none at grade, to the best of my knowledge. One of our Chicagolanders will speak up if I've missed one.

[Big John]

^^The DeKalb Oasis on I-88 is at-grade and off to the side.

[theline]

Thanks for that addition, Big John. This original question was about businesses in the median. I was responding to vtk's question about a McDonald's in the median. I was aware that some of the Oases are off to the side. He wanted to know about any built in the median, and I didn't think there were any. I remain correct on that issue.