Bizarre Endings

[Brandon]

I was poking around the Albany, New York area today on Google Maps and noticed the very strange ending of I-787 at I-87 (NYS Thruway).  It appears that I-787 is connected via an exit to I-87 before I-787 ends at US-9W.

Map: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.633359,-73.777721&spn=0.009172,0.021136&t=h&z=16

There also appears to be some driveways backing onto I-787's tail end in streetview: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.635537,-73.777764&spn=0.009172,0.021136&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=42.63545,-73.777791&panoid=xjGikBURcoZd4SrUkGa3Pg&cbp=12,345.93,,0,15.17

Any other really odd freeway/interstate endings out there?  Other than I-587's traffic circle.

[NE2]

IIRC there was a proposed freeway that would parallel the Thruway from I-787 to the Northway.

I-229 SD used to become a dirt road if you continued past I-90.

[SD Mapman]

IIRC there was a proposed freeway that would parallel the Thruway from I-787 to the Northway.

I-229 SD used to become a dirt road if you continued past I-90.

It still does if you go enough north

[Brandon]

IIRC there was a proposed freeway that would parallel the Thruway from I-787 to the Northway.

That explains the strange ends of both of them then.  Some sort of Albany Beltway, I presume?

[bzakharin]

I always wonder why the NJ 55  Freeway goes to a single lane before ending at NJ 42 (also freeway). It couldn't be for symmetry's sake (NJ 55's other end at NJ 47 is similar due to the southern 20 miles of it being unbuilt). Other strangeness in NJ: I-195 ends at NJ 34 before reaching the Garden State Parkway. The freeway keeps going, though, as NJ 138 and even continues I-195's exit numbers until the Parkway. I-278 and I-78 don't connect in NJ (or anywhere) despite coming within a few miles of each other. Why not multiplex one of them with the Turnpike to bridge the gap? I know that there was supposed to be a connection that wasn't built, but this is just trivial. In fact, swap the two east of the Turnpike. Then I-78 would enter NYC in a meaningful way and all X78s would connect to their parent.

[Jardine]

(almost but not quite on topic)

I-680 east of the Missouri River at the I-29 interchange for Crescent, Iowa heads north along I-29 via a very conventional cloverleaf.

For drivers that aren't aware of I-680 heading north there, you have the 4 lanes of Interstate coming down off the overpass and immediately coming to a railroad crossing (Illinois Central/Canadian Northern) completely with planks, and blinky lights and a descending crossing arms for all 4 lanes.  The road then necks down into a county paved road that goes to

{drum roll}

Crescent, Iowa.

About once a year there is a vehicle mishap with a train there.

[TEG24601]

I always loved the southern terminus of I-43 at I-90/39.  A Clover Leaf, with WI-81 continuing Southwest as a surface street to the Pilot Truck Stop.


I-180 in Cheyenne works for me on both ends, since it starts at a Diamond Interchange, with traffic signals, and ends with traffic signals, with traffic signals in between.


I-70 ending at a Parking Lot on the outskirts of Baltimore is also very Bizarre.

[Alex4897]

I'd consider I-790 in Utica NY to be one big bizarre ending.

[vdeane]

Any end in particular?  I-790 is just plain odd.

[Alex4897]

The east end is abnormally odd but the fact that the west end is practically right there makes it stranger.

[empirestate]

I was poking around the Albany, New York area today on Google Maps and noticed the very strange ending of I-787 at I-87 (NYS Thruway).  It appears that I-787 is connected via an exit to I-87 before I-787 ends at US-9W.

It's another example in NYS of the difference between a route's public and non-public identities: Mileposts and reference markers follow this stub to US 9W, but internally, NYSDOT (agreeing with FHWA) says I-787 follows the ramps to end at I-90, and the stub to 9W is secret 912S.

There also appears to be some driveways backing onto I-787's tail end in streetview: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.635537,-73.777764&spn=0.009172,0.021136&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=42.63545,-73.777791&panoid=xjGikBURcoZd4SrUkGa3Pg&cbp=12,345.93,,0,15.17

At one time, this very last stretch of highway was a southerly portion of Hoffman Ave. When I-787 (or 912S) was built, the 90-degree bend here used to be even tighter than today; you can still make out its former alignment in the aerial image.

[vdeane]

Another thought: I-990.  Northbound it behaves like a stub.  Southbound it behaves as if the freeway was always meant to end at NY 263.

[xcellntbuy]

I was poking around the Albany, New York area today on Google Maps and noticed the very strange ending of I-787 at I-87 (NYS Thruway).  It appears that I-787 is connected via an exit to I-87 before I-787 ends at US-9W.

It's another example in NYS of the difference between a route's public and non-public identities: Mileposts and reference markers follow this stub to US 9W, but internally, NYSDOT (agreeing with FHWA) says I-787 follows the ramps to end at I-90, and the stub to 9W is secret 912S.

There also appears to be some driveways backing onto I-787's tail end in streetview: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.635537,-73.777764&spn=0.009172,0.021136&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=42.63545,-73.777791&panoid=xjGikBURcoZd4SrUkGa3Pg&cbp=12,345.93,,0,15.17

At one time, this very last stretch of highway was a southerly portion of Hoffman Ave. When I-787 (or 912S) was built, the 90-degree bend here used to be even tighter than today; you can still make out its former alignment in the aerial image.

It was a very sharp 90-degree left northbound on Interstate 787.  I believe the old suggested speed was just 20 mph.  Its been more than 20 years since I have travelled that route at that point.

Also, I noticed from the intersection with US 9W at the beginning of Interstate 787 (NY 912S) used to be two concrete lanes in each direction.  It has changed to just one lane northbound and three lanes southbound after the steel box-girder median ends to accommodate more left turning traffic for northbound US 9W.

[Alps]

I always wonder why the NJ 55  Freeway goes to a single lane before ending at NJ 42 (also freeway). It couldn't be for symmetry's sake (NJ 55's other end at NJ 47 is similar due to the southern 20 miles of it being unbuilt). Other strangeness in NJ: I-195 ends at NJ 34 before reaching the Garden State Parkway. The freeway keeps going, though, as NJ 138 and even continues I-195's exit numbers until the Parkway. I-278 and I-78 don't connect in NJ (or anywhere) despite coming within a few miles of each other. Why not multiplex one of them with the Turnpike to bridge the gap? I know that there was supposed to be a connection that wasn't built, but this is just trivial. In fact, swap the two east of the Turnpike. Then I-78 would enter NYC in a meaningful way and all X78s would connect to their parent.

NJ 55: they have plans to make it two lanes again in the future. I think it's related to traffic volumes on 42 vs. 55, and what to do with a widened 42 carrying 4 lanes into the merge. NJ has many 2+2=3 merges, but 4+2=5 may have given them pause.
I-195: NJ 34 goes through Armed Forces land, so it's on the primary whatever federal network you can end an Interstate at, but the GSP is not on that network.
I-278: Used to connect via I-478 until the West Side Highway was torn down south of 60th St.

For strange NJ endings, NJ 29 used to peter out in the Duck Island area before the I-195 connection was built. I-287 used to loop around at the north end and end at US 202. In PA, I-476 does loop around at the north end sharply (it was meant to follow the I-81 corridor to NY).

[NE2]

I-195: NJ 34 goes through Armed Forces land, so it's on the primary whatever federal network you can end an Interstate at, but the GSP is not on that network.

Not quite - I-195 ends at NJ 34 because that's where the existing NJ 38 began and hence where Interstate funding ended. Since this was a 90% federally funded Interstate, I don't think any of the terminus limitations applied (I don't know if there even were any back then pre-NHS, but now NJ 34 is not on the NHS but the GSP is). The STRAHNET corridor to Earle comes from the north on NJ 18 and ends on NJ 34 at the border.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/new_jersey/nj_newjersey.pdf

I-278: Used to connect via I-478 until the West Side Highway was torn down south of 60th St.

I don't think the WSH was ever officially I-478, being so far below standards that Interstate funding would have paid for a replacement. I-78 did once connect to I-278 at the Bruckner in the early 1970s.

[triplemultiplex]

The south end of (future) I-41.

[Scott5114]

Not a freeway, but OK-58 has several bizarre endings. The southern 58 heads north out of Hydro, winds through the southwestern corner of Blaine County, and then comes to a sudden end at the Blaine—Custer county line. You can continue along on a county road signed with an OK-54 shield; it is not OK-54 but it does lead you there. OK-58 picks up again to the north; the southern terminus here is uneventful, but the northern terminus is once again at a political boundary, this time the Kansas state line. However, Kansas has no state route here to continue on from OK-58. Instead, you get another county road, this one a dirt road that bans commercial traffic!

[bugo]

Not a freeway, but OK-58 has several bizarre endings. The southern 58 heads north out of Hydro, winds through the southwestern corner of Blaine County, and then comes to a sudden end at the Blaine—Custer county line. You can continue along on a county road signed with an OK-54 shield; it is not OK-54 but it does lead you there. OK-58 picks up again to the north; the southern terminus here is uneventful, but the northern terminus is once again at a political boundary, this time the Kansas state line. However, Kansas has no state route here to continue on from OK-58. Instead, you get another county road, this one a dirt road that bans commercial traffic!

OK 58 is signed along a gravel county road?

[signalman]

I-287 used to loop around at the north end and end at US 202.

I wouldn't really count this one since it was a temporary ending.  Granted, it took a very long time for I-287 to get completed to I-87.  However, there are countless examples of bizarre endings when only segments of interstates were open. 

[NE2]

I-110 MS ends with a bridge over the Gulf of Mexico.

[Scott5114]

Not a freeway, but OK-58 has several bizarre endings. The southern 58 heads north out of Hydro, winds through the southwestern corner of Blaine County, and then comes to a sudden end at the Blaine—Custer county line. You can continue along on a county road signed with an OK-54 shield; it is not OK-54 but it does lead you there. OK-58 picks up again to the north; the southern terminus here is uneventful, but the northern terminus is once again at a political boundary, this time the Kansas state line. However, Kansas has no state route here to continue on from OK-58. Instead, you get another county road, this one a dirt road that bans commercial traffic!

OK 58 is signed along a gravel county road?

No, it's fully paved. At the south section's northern terminus, it just ends at a random CR intersection (which is of course the county line road), and traffic defaults onto another paved county road. At the north section's northern terminus, the pavement stops abruptly at the state line.

[bassoon1986]

Not an interstate, but the south ending of US

Mexico?   

[agentsteel53]

we all know about I-710's middle two ends, but the south ends in Long Beach are pretty bizarre too.  as far as I know, the legislative definition includes three south branches, leading to three termini.  the longest one ends at the 47 freeway at a strange right-angled interchange.

[NE2]

as far as I know, the legislative definition includes three south branches, leading to three termini.

Again, no. Route 710 only takes the route to end at SR 47.

[bugo]

Not an interstate, but the south ending of US 169 is odd.  169 is duplexed with US 64 south of the BA, goes around a curve and merges with the Creek Turnpike.  US 64 hops off the freeway at Memorial Drive and 169 simply peters out.