Most acute intersection?

[elsmere241]

This one is about thirty degrees, in Newark, DE: http://goo.gl/maps/fvhps

Because it's where three developments meet, the school bus almost always has to make the 150-degree turn between the SW leg of Bent and the south leg of Briar.  (Ironically, Bent Lane is one of the straightest streets in the neighborhood.)

The northeast inside angle is parkland, but the southwest inside angle is tacked on to the adjoining residential lot.

[vtk]

Columbus Ave & Market St, Washington CH, Ohio:



Although the marked routes split directionally along Columbus & Market, all streets involved are still two-way.  Measurement tool in Google Earth indicates the angle is about 9.9°

[briantroutman]

At about 26.5°, this intersection of Market and Hepburn Streets (http://bit.ly/1dh1RYq) in Williamsport, Pennsylvania certainly isn't the most acute in this list, but its acuteness probably is among the more frustrating for a few reasons.

• Rather than being a simple four-way, this intersection joins six directions of travel on four separate two-way roads
• The intersection is completely non-channelized and non-signalized
• Northbound Market has no controls; other directions have a simple STOP, leading to perpetual game of chicken
• Trees and buildings cause very short sight distances for motorists stopped at northbound Hepburn Street
• Until the mid-"˜70s, motorists following US 220 southbound through Williamsport had to make the 153.5° U-turn from northbound Market to southbound Hepburn to remain on 220
  

[vdeane]

This one in Essex Junction, VT is interesting because of the resulting unique signage: http://goo.gl/maps/CPSZB

[cpzilliacus]

The intersection of U.S. 1 (Baltimore Avenue) and Rhode Island Avenue in Beltsville, Maryland was modified a few years ago to make it less acute, but you can still see the angle at which the streets used to cross. 

Rhode Island Avenue was once the trackbed for a streetcar line. 

[vtk]

The intersection of U.S. 1 (Baltimore Avenue) and Rhode Island Avenue in Beltsville, Maryland was modified a few years ago to make it less acute,

I think I'd have moved the southern intersection further southwest, merging it with the Montgomery Rd intersection.  But perhaps this idea goes in the Redesigning Intersections thread...

[empirestate]

Sunnyside Avenue and Lincoln Way/Highway 30 in Missouri Valley Iowa is a VERY tight angle, and makes for a VERY awkward intersection.

Nice one; I think that's my favorite so far!

McCoy Rd. & Island Ave. (PA-51) in McKees Rocks has a turn restriction, but is two 2-way roads.

http://goo.gl/maps/hfRiS

Can anyone get a measurement on that? It looks like a contender for "least obtuse" so far.

At about 26.5°, this intersection of Market and Hepburn Streets (http://bit.ly/1dh1RYq) in Williamsport, Pennsylvania certainly isn't the most acute in this list, but its acuteness probably is among the more frustrating for a few reasons.

Yep, I seem to remember that one from the Most Annoying Intersection thread.

The intersection of U.S. 1 (Baltimore Avenue) and Rhode Island Avenue in Beltsville, Maryland was modified a few years ago to make it less acute,

I think I'd have moved the southern intersection further southwest, merging it with the Montgomery Rd intersection.  But perhaps this idea goes in the Redesigning Intersections thread...

They were probably trying to avoid buying that office building.

[vtk]

The intersection of U.S. 1 (Baltimore Avenue) and Rhode Island Avenue in Beltsville, Maryland was modified a few years ago to make it less acute,

I think I'd have moved the southern intersection further southwest, merging it with the Montgomery Rd intersection.  But perhaps this idea goes in the Redesigning Intersections thread...

They were probably trying to avoid buying that office building.

They wouldn't have to; we have plenty of offset intersections in Columbus...

[Brandon]

There's a few of these in Northeast Illinois.

Clark and Ashland, north side of Chicago.

Elston, Milwaukee, and Melvina, northwest side of Chicago.

Chicago and Ottawa, Joliet.

Entrance and Third, Kankakee.  And yes, the name of the street is 'Entrance".

Dearborn and Euclid, Bradley.

[Jardine]

Sunnyside Avenue and Lincoln Way/Highway 30 in Missouri Valley Iowa is a VERY tight angle, and makes for a VERY awkward intersection.

Nice one; I think that's my favorite so far!

LOL, it actually is a fairly safe intersection as the locals avoid Sunnyside Avenue.  The long frontage to Highway 30 makes sorting out what is going on difficult and it makes people averse.    The motel, trailer park, and a fitness center also have driveways adjoining the intersection, and there is a Pizza Hut fairly close.

Not a fun intersection.  And Sunnyside follows the alignment of the current Highway 30 if you pull back a bit.  I'd say that was the original road, and the slight jog in Highway 30 allows it to connect to Erie Street further SW, and that is the main drag.  No one seems to remember the road ever being anywhere else than it is now however, so if it was changed, it was done long ago.


(could someone with WAY more computer skills than myself post the Google pic of it?  It's an interesting intersection, thanx!)

(if someone could figure out the angle too, that would be great)

[empirestate]

The intersection of U.S. 1 (Baltimore Avenue) and Rhode Island Avenue in Beltsville, Maryland was modified a few years ago to make it less acute,

I think I'd have moved the southern intersection further southwest, merging it with the Montgomery Rd intersection.  But perhaps this idea goes in the Redesigning Intersections thread...

They were probably trying to avoid buying that office building.

They wouldn't have to; we have plenty of offset intersections in Columbus...

With that building still standing, you could perhaps align with the gas station driveway and combine the two signal sets into one. But it almost seems you could accomplish the same without moving anything; just re-signal the two intersections into one without any new construction.

Entrance and Third, Kankakee.  And yes, the name of the street is 'Entrance".

Dearborn and Euclid, Bradley.

Here's one similar to those, in North Bellport, NY, that would have been a great candidate–if and when the streets were ever actually connected:
https://goo.gl/maps/IG6Tv

[JCinSummerfield]

The first one that came to my mind is Dexter Ave, Huron St & Jackson Ave (Business 94 is on the latter two streets.) in Ann Arbor

[pianocello]

Sunnyside Avenue and Lincoln Way/Highway 30 in Missouri Valley Iowa is a VERY tight angle, and makes for a VERY awkward intersection.

Nice one; I think that's my favorite so far!

(could someone with WAY more computer skills than myself post the Google pic of it?  It's an interesting intersection, thanx!)

(if someone could figure out the angle too, that would be great)

Google Maps; Street View.

This kinda reminds me of the intersection between Dubuque St and Ridge Rd in Iowa City. (Street View) The carriageways of Dubuque are split there, however, so it isn't as sharp of a turn between SB Dubuque and NB Ridge.

[sandwalk]

Hayes Avenue (SR 4) and North Depot Street in Sandusky, Ohio.  (Don't pay attention to Google maps).

http://goo.gl/maps/fd9WG

[vtk]

Sunnyside Avenue and Lincoln Way/Highway 30 in Missouri Valley Iowa is a VERY tight angle, and makes for a VERY awkward intersection.

(if someone could figure out the angle too, that would be great)

9.35°.  Darn, you beat mine.

[empirestate]

Hayes Avenue (SR 4) and North Depot Street in Sandusky, Ohio.  (Don't pay attention to Google maps).

http://goo.gl/maps/fd9WG

That seems like sort of a special case...the course of Depot St. is actually close to perpendicular to Hayes, and has just been modified at the intersection because of a steep grade. I'm not sure I'd count it, for the same reason I wouldn't count an acutely-angled cross street that had been modified to be less so. But I also recognize it's a gray area that would probably lead to discounting many examples in Appalachian terrain which are functionally similar, if less obviously so.

[Jardine]

Thanks for the help there.

Amazing how sharp the angle is.  I'm thinking in today's world no new intersection would ever be made like that.

IIRC, the daily traffic count on highway 30 thru Missouri Valley Iowa is in the 15-20,000 vehicles/day.

There is talk periodically of IaDOT building a 4 lane bypass around Missouri Valley, at least, and possibly extending to miss Logan Iowa too.  Cost is probably a big factor in the project never getting very far.  There would be a crossing of Willow Creek (big for a creek in this area, an overpass over Union Pacific double track RR, probably Illinois Central  single track, it would cross or block several country roads, an intersection with Loess Hills Trail (former US 75, former Iowa 183, and probably either a complex and/or expensive connection to the existing US30 at the I-29 interchange.

[citrus]

Market St and Clayton St in San Francisco is very acute, and you can see for yourself if I did the satellite view link correctly.

Bonus: a city bus makes the near-U turn maneuver as part of its regular route. There are dotted lines that roughly trace its path. No other vehicles are permitted to make such a maneuver, and the red light at the end of Clayton is very set back from the intersection so the bus has enough room.

The nearby intersection of Market and 18th is pretty acute, as well.

[empirestate]

Market St and Clayton St in San Francisco is very acute, and you can see for yourself if I did the satellite view link correctly.

Bonus: a city bus makes the near-U turn maneuver as part of its regular route. There are dotted lines that roughly trace its path.

Seeing as how that line is the pantagraph wires, I'd say they trace it pretty exactly!

[Alps]

Albany, NY: http://goo.gl/maps/LwzWg and a bonus one to the west

[Jardine]

Wow!!

Lookit this one!!


(sorry it took me so long to remember it)

138^thTrail is a county gravel, and Fulton is a frequently impassable dirt road. (does this count or do we discriminate against less fortunate roads?)

I tried the line feature on Google and estimate the angle is around 6 degrees.

41 degrees north, 48' 39.79"
95 degrees west, 59' 39.99"

[agentsteel53]

I don't know if that counts as a full intersection.  there are plenty of roads that meet at such angles where it is implied that one cannot make either the right or the left turn.

[Jardine]

138^th Trail is steep (rising as you head east) and Fulton is way steeper.  Scary turn off.

The slope and Fulton being a dirt road also leads to some scouring and erosion when it rains.  I have driven Fulton a few times, the rest of the road follows a scenic ridge for a mile or two, but the increasing tree growth (evident in the Google images) is really closing in the view.

One would not want to approach 138^th Trail on Fulton and want to make a right turn.  Cars and pickups could probably do it, but nothing longer.  IIRC, there is a stop sign facing Fulton.

Both roads are incised into the hill's slope.  The gap between the roads is not a ditch, it is more of two cliffs tapering towards the apex.  Dramatic, but extremely bad for visibility.

[J Route Z]

The two that came to my mind quickly are:
PA 42 and PA 118:  http://goo.gl/maps/fcpFY
PA 29 at Pickering Dam Rd (SR 1017):  http://goo.gl/maps/2fbP8

http://goo.gl/maps/Bg7M9 this sign needs to be replaced....

[Alps]

If we're looking at all movements being legal:
Clove/Upper Mtn., Montclair NJ - I have not been able to turn right from Clove SB to Upper Mtn./Long Hill NB without swinging into the opposing lane. I am not the only one making this turn.
Pine Brook/Peace Valley, Montville NJ - Street View for this one because the differing grades of the roads add to the issue of the acute angle. It's hard enough seeing traffic just making a left out of Peace Valley. But if making a right, you need to poke into the NB lane of Pine Brook just to check whether anyone's coming in the SB lane. Yes, another one where you have to swing out to make it through.