Unbuilt Evidence

[Alex]

Noted a ramp stub along Delaware 1 northbound ahead of the Bay Road (former U.S. 113) underpass. Appears to be slated for a direct ramp from Bay Road south onto DE-1 north.

http://binged.it/OEQ1Ny

Instead of an on-ramp from Bay Road south motorists are directed via a U-turn at Lafferty Lane onto the northbound on-ramp.



Photo from June 18th.

[Jordanah1]

along US41 on the north side of the fox cities, WI, there is ROW preserved for diamond interchanges at CTY A, Meade st, and Rose Hill Dr.
im not quite sure about this, but it looks like there was suposed to be a rest stop or something here on I94. its just south of CTY B in Jackson county WI. im not sure if the map was copied correctly. https://maps.google.com/

[on_wisconsin]

Im not quite sure about this, but it looks like there was suposed to be a rest stop or something here on I94. its just south of CTY B in Jackson county WI. im not sure if the map was copied correctly. https://maps.google.com/

It was a rest stop until the very early 2000's when WisDOT tore down a couple of them along I-94.  Correct Link: http://goo.gl/maps/X6DB   
EDIT, Here is the ghost rest stop for the westbound side: http://goo.gl/maps/CCko

[mgk920]

along US41 on the north side of the fox cities, WI, there is ROW preserved for diamond interchanges at CTY A, Meade st, and Rose Hill Dr.
im not quite sure about this, but it looks like there was suposed to be a rest stop or something here on I94. its just south of CTY B in Jackson county WI. im not sure if the map was copied correctly. https://maps.google.com/

The one at County 'A' might still be built someday.  WisDOT won't do it, though, until the WI 47/County 'A' split near Black Creek is re-engineered as the STOP sign on County 'A' there would otherwise be overwhelmed by the traffic that it would reroute.  PIMs on that were held about ten years or so ago.

WisDOT reconfigured many major highway rest areas about that time, too.

Mike

[vtk]

Someone's already brought up the missing interchange along I-71 in Cincinnati, right?  The shortest-possible ramp stubs are visible for four ramps... and not far from there, plainly visible to NB traffic, is the mouth of a tunnel that I believe was to be part of the city's canceled subway system.

[NE2]

Someone's already brought up the missing interchange along I-71 in Cincinnati, right?  The shortest-possible ramp stubs are visible for four ramps... and not far from there, plainly visible to NB traffic, is the mouth of a tunnel that I believe was to be part of the city's canceled subway system.

This tunnel? http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/cln.htm

[Truvelo]

There's also the Goat Path Expressway northeast of Lancaster, PA, once planned to be a freeway extension of PA 23 to Norristown. It's now an overgrown right-of-way with bridges, but no roadways:

http://goo.gl/maps/nCal

As the most intensive work is already done why not just lay the pavement?

[NE2]

There's also the Goat Path Expressway northeast of Lancaster, PA, once planned to be a freeway extension of PA 23 to Norristown. It's now an overgrown right-of-way with bridges, but no roadways:

http://goo.gl/maps/nCal

As the most intensive work is already done why not just lay the pavement?

Because it would be pointless?

[vdeane]

I wouldn't say pointless... it may not go where it was planned, but it would at least bypass some residential areas.

[Alps]

I wouldn't say pointless... it may not go where it was planned, but it would at least bypass some residential areas.

It would be nice as a four-lane parkway. I agree, they have a place to put it, just put it there.

[froggie]

As the most intensive work is already done why not just lay the pavement?

2 reasons. First, unless you're okay with just a stub to PA 772, you'd have to extend the east end to something worthwhile.  That'll require some construction.

Second and moreso, the grading stops about 1/2 mile short of US 30, so you'd still have some grading and a bridge over Milcross Rd to build.

It's a lot more than just "laying the pavement".

[Roadsguy]

As the most intensive work is already done why not just lay the pavement?

2 reasons. First, unless you're okay with just a stub to PA 772, you'd have to extend the east end to something worthwhile.  That'll require some construction.

Second and moreso, the grading stops about 1/2 mile short of US 30, so you'd still have some grading and a bridge over Milcross Rd to build.

It's a lot more than just "laying the pavement".

And you'd also need a freeway-to-freeway connection, of course.

[mgk920]

As the most intensive work is already done why not just lay the pavement?

2 reasons. First, unless you're okay with just a stub to PA 772, you'd have to extend the east end to something worthwhile.  That'll require some construction.

Second and moreso, the grading stops about 1/2 mile short of US 30, so you'd still have some grading and a bridge over Milcross Rd to build.

It's a lot more than just "laying the pavement".

And you'd also need a freeway-to-freeway connection, of course.

IIRC, its design for when it was under construction was to extend off of the current interchange.

Mike

[Roadsguy]

Still, a freeway-to-freeway connection would be nice.

[vdeane]

Big difference between "of course" and "would be nice".

[BiggieJohn]

Austin, TX has a few good examples of their poor urban planning -

this little disaster at 183 and the old airport blvd
https://maps.google.com/?ll=30.249642,-97.691481&spn=0.007377,0.01369&t=h&z=17

zooming in, you can see some of the abandoned bridge work.  The center bridge is only one way today
https://maps.google.com/?ll=30.24546,-97.690977&spn=0.005217,0.006845&t=h&z=18


at I-35 and SH45, you can see the stubs of ramps to connect to I-35 towards the south someday, who knows if it will ever be build
https://maps.google.com/?ll=30.480224,-97.67417&spn=0.005204,0.006845&t=h&z=18

West end of the north portion of the 45 tollway
https://maps.google.com/?ll=30.467215,-97.800368&spn=0.005205,0.006845&t=h&z=18

almost the entire length of Capitol of Texas Highway (TX360) has very wide medians, originally intended for an upper deck to be built, but now that the area is the very affluent west hills, it will probably never happen
https://maps.google.com/?ll=30.295929,-97.827818&spn=0.003687,0.006845&t=h&z=18


unfinished junction of Loop 1 and SH 45, SH45 might someday continue east to meet the other section at I-35, but land rights issues have stopped it so far
https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.173703,-97.887974&spn=0.005221,0.006845&t=h&z=18

small section of SH45 west that was build, barely used
https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.185125,-97.905822&spn=0.029529,0.05476&t=h&z=15

large ovebuilt tollway overpass - seems there is a city water reservoir in the way
https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.459959,-97.700314&spn=0.002603,0.003422&t=h&z=19

not unbuilt, but now unused Merrilltown plaza on loop 1 -
only the outer booths are used since most of the tollways in Austin switched to automated tolling a few years ago
https://maps.google.com/?ll=30.45308,-97.696368&spn=0.002603,0.003422&t=h&z=19

[vtk]

who knows if it will ever be build

...

small section of SH45 west that was build, barely used

be built, was built

I don't know where this kind of error came from, but I've seen it in a lot of places.  The past preterite of "build" is "built", just like the ordinary past tense, and I have no idea why anyone thinks otherwise.  Maybe we should just accept it, and amend the dictionaries.  regardless of the heighth of the foilage, the relator couldn't excape the strenth of the nucular blast.

[PurdueBill]

The wide bridges and grading for the I-71 ramps to Denison Ave are remainders of the Parma Freeway which would have gone north from there to the Shoreway.  There are wide spots on the shoulders of I-71 as well.  The unbuilt road would have also gone south to I-480 and beyond.  CSU Library has a neat document  with the details.

[LA_MetroMan]

A good place to post evidence of highways that never quite made it.

City of Moorpark, California.  Both the 23 needs extending north to Fillmore and the 118 needs extending west to the coast.

[JREwing78]

In Michigan:
https://maps.google.com/?ll=43.597425,-84.140253&spn=0.017995,0.027595&t=k&z=15
(US 10/M-47, Midland, MI)
Where was M-47 planned to continue to northward from here?

Mike

That's an excellent question, and short of theorizing a connection back to I-75/US-23 north of Bay City, I don't have a good answer for you. This is as close as I've got: http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/MichHwys40-49.html#M-047

[Michael]

I have a 2001-02 edition (the map data is © 2000) AAA map (Map Works with AAA branding) laying around, which shows the proposed path for a southern extension of NY 631/Baldwinsville Bypass.  I was looking around on Google Maps' satellite view of the area, and saw what looked like a graded roadbed with rock lined drainage channels.  I noticed that the sides of the roadbed looked like they were sloped, and thought maybe it was an approach for a bridge over the railroad just to the south.  After looking at Bing's Bird's Eye View, I'm 95% sure that it is indeed an approach for a bridge.

To see the current end of the bypass, pan to the northeast a little bit.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

Here's a stub just south of Gilroy that would've kept 101's wide median in the south Santa Clara Valley.

[Revive 755]

The wide bridges and grading for the I-71 ramps to Denison Ave are remainders of the Parma Freeway which would have gone north from there to the Shoreway.  There are wide spots on the shoulders of I-71 as well.  The unbuilt road would have also gone south to I-480 and beyond.  CSU Library has a neat document  with the details.

Looks like more of those studies are available online:
http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOBOX1=Route%20Location%20Study&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOOP2=exact&CISOBOX2=&CISOFIELD2=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOOP3=any&CISOBOX3=&CISOFIELD3=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOOP4=none&CISOBOX4=&CISOFIELD4=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=all&t=a

From one of the other studies, it appears that I-480 has a wide median west of OH 14 where the Lee Freeway was supposed to tie in.  It also appears the trumpet interchange just east of OH 14 was to be the terminus of the unbuilt Bedford Freeway.

http://images.ulib.csuohio.edu/u?/urbanohio,2109

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=5600+Denison+Avenue,+Cleveland,+OH&hl=en&ll=41.424322,-81.57825&spn=0.027191,0.066047&sll=41.456813,-81.728056&sspn=0.006457,0.009645&oq=5600+denis&t=k&hnear=5600+Denison+Ave,+Cleveland,+Ohio+44102&z=15

[Sonic99]

In Phoenix, as you go from the SR51 South to the SR202 East, there is a third bridge pier that seems to suggest that the flyover ramp would have been two lanes instead of the constructed one lane bridge. I wish they HAD done the two lane flyover, as during evening rush hour, this ramp is ALWAYS at a dead stop and heavily congested (although this could very well be the busiest interchange in the entire Phoenix Metro area, so it sees a TON of traffic).

https://maps.google.com/?ll=33.463672,-112.038683&spn=0.001223,0.001206&t=h&z=20

EDITED TO ADD ANOTHER INSTEAD OF DOUBLE POSTING:

Just a couple miles south of the massive I-10/SR51/SR202 interchange (believe it or not, called the MINI-Stack in Phoenix. The I-17/I-10 full interchange just west of Downtown Phoenix is called "The Stack"), the Buckeye Road overpass has curved ends to the southern end, suggesting a possible cloverleaf configuration that would have given full access to Buckeye Road.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=33.436502,-112.037599&spn=0.001223,0.001206&t=h&z=20

Courtesy of Arizonaroads.com, here is a good photo of the ends of the bridge, also where the reference to the potential cloverleaf ramps comes from.