Bizarre Endings

[PHLBOS]

Not even an Expressway let alone an Interstate but the southern terminus of MA 99 in Charlestown/Boston vanishes in terms of markings/signage prior to the Charlestown Bridge.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

LA 22, 75, and 942 all arrive from opposite directions and end at the same three-way intersection in Darrow. At one time LA 22 crossed the Mississippi River via ferry to end in Donaldsonville, but the opening of the Sunshine Bridge meant an end to the ferry service and this odd triple ending is left.

[NE2]

US 360.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

I've always thought the I-189 ending was odd, but yet interesting.

[hotdogPi]

West end of freeway segment of MA 2. Freeway fades into surface road, with no definite ending.

North end of MA 128 with two rotaries. (Not quite the end, but close.)

[briantroutman]

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.

Sounds similar to the western terminus of I-76 near Lodi, OH. Up until recently, the interchange was a double trumpet with US 224 continuing westward to TA and Pilot truck stops at a signalized intersection. Why a double trumpet instead of something more direct–I don't know. It's much the same today, although around 2008, ODOT added separate, gentler ramps for the Columbus/Akron movements.

[NE2]

Up until recently, the interchange was a double trumpet with US 224 continuing westward to TA and Pilot truck stops at a signalized intersection. Why a double trumpet instead of something more direct–I don't know.

It was probably designed as part of the Conneaut-to-Cincinnati Turnpike, and the state saw no reason to change the plans.

[thenetwork]

Up until recently, the interchange was a double trumpet with US 224 continuing westward to TA and Pilot truck stops at a signalized intersection. Why a double trumpet instead of something more direct–I don't know.

It was probably designed as part of the Conneaut-to-Cincinnati Turnpike, and the state saw no reason to change the plans.

Doubtful, as there really wasn't any space made between the trumpets for a sizable toll plaza -- if I-71 was to have been tolled..

[NE2]

Up until recently, the interchange was a double trumpet with US 224 continuing westward to TA and Pilot truck stops at a signalized intersection. Why a double trumpet instead of something more direct–I don't know.

It was probably designed as part of the Conneaut-to-Cincinnati Turnpike, and the state saw no reason to change the plans.

Doubtful, as there really wasn't any space made between the trumpets for a sizable toll plaza -- if I-71 was to have been tolled..

Barely more space than the original double trumpet at the New Jersey Turnpike and US 206.

[PHLBOS]

North end of MA 128 with two rotaries. (Not quite the end, but close.)

Actually, MA 128 ends at the signalized intersection (aka Exit 9) w/MA 127A.

[exit322]

Up until recently, the interchange was a double trumpet with US 224 continuing westward to TA and Pilot truck stops at a signalized intersection. Why a double trumpet instead of something more direct—I don't know.

It was probably designed as part of the Conneaut-to-Cincinnati Turnpike, and the state saw no reason to change the plans.

That's always been my understanding.  They could have had original plans for the ramps to be a bit bigger, but could have cut them back whenever toll plans went away.

[SEWIGuy]

WI-106's western end isn't at it's intersection with WI-73...but is extended another mile west to cross I-39/90 to end at Albion Road in Albion.  Albion Road is a former routing of US-51.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=albion,+wi&ie=UTF-8&ei=UUfdUtj8EOKR2wXfhYD4Ag&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAg

[jp the roadgeek]

CT 2's west end is kind of confusing, if anything.  Many think it just merges into I-84 West as the mainline would suggest, and it was even supposed to connect to the cancelled I-284, but officially, it bends around and ends as the Founders' Bridge and disappears at a traffic light at the end of the bridge.

CT 9's north end.  The Farmington stack sat unused for 20 years, and is only partially used.  Would have continued as I-291. 

I-384's ending is abrupt, as it merges into the four lane divided US 6/44 just before they split off. And I-291 in MA ends at a traffic light at the Mass Pike interchange, but becomes a surface street (Burnett Rd) beyond.  I-391 also has a similar ending in Holyoke, but no Mass Pike connection.

[sandwalk]

Illinois Route 70 ends at the south end of the town square (actually the 'End' sign is a half-block south in front of a car dealership) in Durand.  At the north end of the square, Winnebago County Road 1 begins (which goes north to the WI border and turns into County T and eventually Wisconsin Highway 104 in Brodhead).  Not sure if this 15-mile stretch of county road was ever part of IL or WI state highway system....

http://goo.gl/maps/cuG1K

[Roadgeek Adam]

VT 38 would be interesting, given the fact that according to VTrans, it ends at the Northwest Correctional Facility in the town of St. Albans. The problem is the signage and length puts the terminus at what looks like it once was a former ramp to the facility. The current entrance is only 3.3 miles from US 7.

[roadman65]

Although I-49 in MO ends in Pineville, MO at a normal temporary freeway type of set up, its unusual rock formation is quite different scenery than most.  Plus nearby Business US 71 ends quite bizarre being a right in and right out.  Motorists heading SB on US 71 mainline have to go north a couple of miles and u turn at  Secondary Road H to go south.  It would not be so out of the ordinary if Missouri DOT placed a TO US 71 South shield at Secondary Road H in Downtown Pineville to avoid this double back.

[Sykotyk]

OH State Route 11 in East Liverpool heading south.

US 30 joins near Rogers north of town. Then after crossing OH-7, then US-30 exits across the bridge and OH-39 continues to east to Pennsylvania. Though OH-11 is listed as ending at the state line when US-30 crosses to WV, the signage doesn't really signify it. As US-30 by then became the dominant signed route after rounding the southside of East Liverpool.

[silverback1065]

i-790 is the most bizarre interstate I've ever seen

[mhh]

M-185 in Michigan doesn't have endings; it's a continuous loop. It also has no junctions with any other numbered highways. And it has no cars.

http://michiganhighways.org/listings/MichHwys180-199.html#M-185

[US71]

Although I-49 in MO ends in Pineville, MO at a normal temporary freeway type of set up, its unusual rock formation is quite different scenery than most.  Plus nearby Business US 71 ends quite bizarre being a right in and right out.  Motorists heading SB on US 71 mainline have to go north a couple of miles and u turn at  Secondary Road H to go south.  It would not be so out of the ordinary if Missouri DOT placed a TO US 71 South shield at Secondary Road H in Downtown Pineville to avoid this double back.

I believe there IS a "TO 71" sign at Route H.  The 71/Bus 71 Junction became Right Turn only maybe 6 months after that section of 71 opened. There were a couple fatality accidents there and locals demanded MoDOT improve the intersection. So it was converted to Right Turn Only.

But for those who know the area, there's another route: 71 Service Rd (old 71) south to Rains Rd (old MO 88) . Take Rains Rd to MO 90 at Jane or follwo it all the way back to 71

[apeman33]

K-38's east ending was bizarre when it existed since it ended in literally the middle of nowhere and became a dirt road.

Technically, this probably doesn't count but the closest I can think of in Kansas now would be the Woody Seat Freeway in Hutchinson, which was K-96 for many years. K-96 didn't end where the freeway did at the north end. But that end of the freeway was rather abrupt at Ave. A. I don't know the story behind it, but it appears to be one of those situations where some NIMBYs forced construction to stop at that point. To continue on K-96, you had to exit, then get into the left-turn lane quickly to turn north at the next intersection. Now the freeway has no number at all and Hutchinson and South Hutchinson are responsible for their portions of it.

Google Street View of the ramp K-96 traffic had to use: http://goo.gl/maps/uAfom

And this is how little distance you had to transition from the off-ramp to turn left on Adams so you could continue following K-96: http://goo.gl/maps/rkTi4

[bugo]

K-38's east ending was bizarre when it existed since it ended in literally the middle of nowhere and became a dirt road.

This happens all over Arkansas.

[silverback1065]

K-38's east ending was bizarre when it existed since it ended in literally the middle of nowhere and became a dirt road.

This happens all over Arkansas.

got any examples?

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

LA 1's end in Grand Isle is somewhat unusual. The road logically ends at the water's edge, but it just dies out in a random location in an industrial area - no marker, no intersecting roads, nothing. Not what you'd expect for such a major route. A better ending would be at the entrance to the state park which is not too far away, and where most traffic is headed to on that end of the island.

Of course it isn't all that unusual for Louisiana state routes, even major ones, to begin/end unceremoniously, but this route terminus comes off as more unusual than others.

[hotdogPi]

LA 1's end in Grand Isle is somewhat unusual. The road logically ends at the water's edge, but it just dies out in a random location in an industrial area - no marker, no intersecting roads, nothing. Not what you'd expect for such a major route. A better ending would be at the entrance to the state park which is not too far away, and where most traffic is headed to on that end of the island.

Of course it isn't all that unusual for Louisiana state routes, even major ones, to begin/end unceremoniously, but this route terminus comes off as more unusual than others.

ME 24 is similar.