Where does I-95 go in Philadelphia?

[DevalDragon]

This may be the dumbest question ever - but where does I-95 go north of Philadelphia?

I have driven the NJ turnpike to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, but have never seen an interchange for I-95 on the north side of Philly. Obviously I-295 and I-95 split in Wilmington DE, but I cannot figure out where they reconnect on the NJ side, though maps show that I-95 goes to downtown Philadelphia.

[jeffandnicole]

Use Google Maps or nearly any paper map from PA or NJ and you'll see 95's routing.  95 goes thru Philly, up the PA side of the river.  It crosses into NJ northwest of Trenton.  95 and 295 meet, for all intent and purpose, at US 1 northeast of Trenton.

[NE2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_95_in_New_Jersey#The_I-95_gap

[dgolub]

Going north, I-95 turns into I-295 south at the interchange with US 1 just north of Trenton.  Going south, I-95 follows the New Jersey Turnpike to the turnpike extension that becomes the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276).  It is (for now) unsigned along the turnpike extension and turns into I-276 at the Pennsylvania border.  This will all get cleaned up once they complete the I-95/I-276 interchange north of Philadelphia.

[vdeane]

but I cannot figure out where they reconnect on the NJ side

They don't.

[Perfxion]

Only all highway connection from Philly to NYC is 95 north to 295 south to 195 east to 95 north(NJT) at exit 7a.

[NE2]

Only all highway connection from Philly to NYC is 95 north to 295 south to 195 east to 95 north(NJT) at exit 7a.

All 'highway'
PS: 76-295-195-95 is shorter.

[roadman65]

but I cannot figure out where they reconnect on the NJ side

They don't.

NJ has two southern terminuses for I-95.  The Penn Turnpike DE River Bridge (midway at the PA Line) and on the Scudders Falls Bridge (also at the PA Line).  Right now it is awkward until the PTC finishes that interchange between the PA Turnpike and I-95 in which I-74 in NC will beat that deadline (with that being centuries away) at the rate they are going at it.

Think of it this way, I-95 is in two segments right now, and they both do not line up.

[Henry]

Use Google Maps or nearly any paper map from PA or NJ and you'll see 95's routing.  95 goes thru Philly, up the PA side of the river.  It crosses into NJ northwest of Trenton.  95 and 295 meet, for all intent and purpose, at US 1 northeast of Trenton.

And the Somerset Freeway was to branch off somewhere west of there, right?

[NJRoadfan]

http://raymondcmartinjr.com/njfreeways/Interstate_95_Gap.html

[roadman65]

Just north of Exit 5 for NJ 31 the median widens which was where the Somerset Freeway would have connected.  From NJ 31 to US 1 was to be originally I-295 and was even signed up until the late 80's.  The exit numbers were even changed as they had all upper 60 numbers up until the proposed interchange site which was marked with end signs for both routes.

[Zeffy]

Use Google Maps or nearly any paper map from PA or NJ and you'll see 95's routing.  95 goes thru Philly, up the PA side of the river.  It crosses into NJ northwest of Trenton.  95 and 295 meet, for all intent and purpose, at US 1 northeast of Trenton.

And the Somerset Freeway was to branch off somewhere west of there, right?

Take a look here: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?gl=us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110931979218146476547.000464dcac0441ca9e76b

[NJRoadfan]

http://raymondcmartinjr.com/njfreeways/Interstate_95_Gap_Map5.html

This is from the DEIS. Note that part of the US-206 Hillsborough bypass actually uses right-of-way through the Bell Meade area that I-95 was planned to use.

[dgolub]

Only all highway connection from Philly to NYC is 95 north to 295 south to 195 east to 95 north(NJT) at exit 7a.

All 'highway'
PS: 76-295-195-95 is shorter.

Depending on where in Philadelphia you're coming from, you could also do I-676 to I-76 to I-295.

[bzakharin]

One good thing about this mess: intercity bus service in southern NJ. There is a rail link between Philadelphia and NYC, so South Jersey is left out in the cold as far as trains are concerned. I wonder if Mount Laurel Greyhound and Cherry Hill Megabus stops will be eliminated once the I-95 interchange is complete. I suppose service from NYC and points north to Wilmington and points south will continue to bypass PA, but will they bother getting off the Turnpike to make Mount Laurel and get back on again? The Cherry Hill one is probably toast, though, since it only exists on the Philly to NYC route.

[jeffandnicole]

One good thing about this mess: intercity bus service in southern NJ. There is a rail link between Philadelphia and NYC, so South Jersey is left out in the cold as far as trains are concerned. I wonder if Mount Laurel Greyhound and Cherry Hill Megabus stops will be eliminated once the I-95 interchange is complete. I suppose service from NYC and points north to Wilmington and points south will continue to bypass PA, but will they bother getting off the Turnpike to make Mount Laurel and get back on again? The Cherry Hill one is probably toast, though, since it only exists on the Philly to NYC route.

Well, again, an all-highway route already exists.

Megabus and Grayhound are private companies, and as such are in the business to make money.  If they Cherry Hill stop is profitable to them, they'll continue to stop there.

[bzakharin]

One good thing about this mess: intercity bus service in southern NJ. There is a rail link between Philadelphia and NYC, so South Jersey is left out in the cold as far as trains are concerned. I wonder if Mount Laurel Greyhound and Cherry Hill Megabus stops will be eliminated once the I-95 interchange is complete. I suppose service from NYC and points north to Wilmington and points south will continue to bypass PA, but will they bother getting off the Turnpike to make Mount Laurel and get back on again? The Cherry Hill one is probably toast, though, since it only exists on the Philly to NYC route.

Well, again, an all-highway route already exists.

Megabus and Grayhound are private companies, and as such are in the business to make money.  If they Cherry Hill stop is profitable to them, they'll continue to stop there.

It exists, but is not the fastest route. I imagine the profitability of a stop depends on how much it adds to the overall travel time. If the bus is already on NJ 38, in case of Cherry Hill, or exiting the turnpike at exit 4 in case of Mount Laurel, it only adds the time needed to pull over and load/unload the passengers. If the faster route from Philadelphia would otherwise be north on I-95, the time spent detouring through southern NJ needs to be figured into the calculation.

[Duke87]

http://raymondcmartinjr.com/njfreeways/Interstate_95_Gap_Map5.html

This is from the DEIS. Note that part of the US-206 Hillsborough bypass actually uses right-of-way through the Bell Meade area that I-95 was planned to use.

And yet I don't think it was ever explicitly reserved for such a purpose. That map shows I-95 being built through nothing but farm fields. A glance at a modern maps shows that all sorts of suburban subdivisions have since been built in what would have been the highway's path.

The gap in I-95 can easily be fixed by building an interchange with the PA Tpk, if the PTC ever gets off their ass to do that.
The real loss is that without the Somerset Freeway, traffic (especially truck traffic) from SE PA, Baltimore, and DC to New England and eastern NY is largely forced to travel through NYC. A freeway roughly along the US 206 corridor between Trenton and Bridgewater would give such traffic better options to bypass NYC.

[NE2]

The real loss is that without the Somerset Freeway, traffic (especially truck traffic) from SE PA, Baltimore, and DC to New England and eastern NY is largely forced to travel through NYC. A freeway roughly along the US 206 corridor between Trenton and Bridgewater would give such traffic better options to bypass NYC.

Coming from Philly, that would save about 15 miles over NJ 18. Coming from Baltimore, the difference is only ten miles. On a several-hundred-mile trip, that's not much.

[Duke87]

The real loss is that without the Somerset Freeway, traffic (especially truck traffic) from SE PA, Baltimore, and DC to New England and eastern NY is largely forced to travel through NYC. A freeway roughly along the US 206 corridor between Trenton and Bridgewater would give such traffic better options to bypass NYC.

Coming from Philly, that would save about 15 miles over NJ 18. Coming from Baltimore, the difference is only ten miles. On a several-hundred-mile trip, that's not much.

15 miles is 15 more minutes of traffic delay you have to avoid in order to break even. This may not be terribly significant for the individual traveler but it is potentially significant for congestion on the Cross Bronx, especially if you can divert trucks.

Also, consider that while the Somerset Freeway route may save only 15 miles over NJTP/NJ 18, if you are already on the Turnpike you save 35 miles between New Brunswick and Connecticut by staying on I-95 versus taking I-287 around. Heading to I-84? Staying on the turnpike saves you 36 miles if you're a truck and 42 miles if you're a car. These are the comparisons people are going to make and they definitely encourage traffic to go through NYC. Don't believe me? Just look at how many long haul trucks are on the Cross Bronx. If it made more sense for them to go another way, they would!

[NE2]

I was calculating the difference between using a hypothetical Somerset Freeway and taking I-95 to NJ 18 to I-287. Coming from Baltimore, even a Somerset Freeway would add 24 miles over the Cross Bronx to New Haven or Boston (28 to Boston if you can't use the Saw Mill). If someone's not going to add 35 miles to bypass the Cross Bronx, there's a good chance they won't add 25 miles either.

PS: bypassing Philly adds another 8 miles if you're Somerset Freeway-bound.

[Perfxion]

I still don't get why PTC has to fix a New Jersey problem. Didn't they build their 95?

[dgolub]

One good thing about this mess: intercity bus service in southern NJ. There is a rail link between Philadelphia and NYC, so South Jersey is left out in the cold as far as trains are concerned. I wonder if Mount Laurel Greyhound and Cherry Hill Megabus stops will be eliminated once the I-95 interchange is complete. I suppose service from NYC and points north to Wilmington and points south will continue to bypass PA, but will they bother getting off the Turnpike to make Mount Laurel and get back on again? The Cherry Hill one is probably toast, though, since it only exists on the Philly to NYC route.

Is that new?  I took Megabus from NYC to Philadelphia last year and there was no stop in Cherry Hill.

[bzakharin]

One good thing about this mess: intercity bus service in southern NJ. There is a rail link between Philadelphia and NYC, so South Jersey is left out in the cold as far as trains are concerned. I wonder if Mount Laurel Greyhound and Cherry Hill Megabus stops will be eliminated once the I-95 interchange is complete. I suppose service from NYC and points north to Wilmington and points south will continue to bypass PA, but will they bother getting off the Turnpike to make Mount Laurel and get back on again? The Cherry Hill one is probably toast, though, since it only exists on the Philly to NYC route.

Is that new?  I took Megabus from NYC to Philadelphia last year and there was no stop in Cherry Hill.

My apologies. It's Bolt that stops in Cherry Hill (it's a secondary stop that most, but not all, buses make). Megabus has a secondary stop in center city Philadelphia instead (In addition to the main stop at 30th street station). Always confuse those two.

[jeffandnicole]

The real loss is that without the Somerset Freeway, traffic (especially truck traffic) from SE PA, Baltimore, and DC to New England and eastern NY is largely forced to travel through NYC. A freeway roughly along the US 206 corridor between Trenton and Bridgewater would give such traffic better options to bypass NYC.

Coming from Philly, that would save about 15 miles over NJ 18. Coming from Baltimore, the difference is only ten miles. On a several-hundred-mile trip, that's not much.

15 miles is 15 more minutes of traffic delay you have to avoid in order to break even. This may not be terribly significant for the individual traveler but it is potentially significant for congestion on the Cross Bronx, especially if you can divert trucks.

Also, consider that while the Somerset Freeway route may save only 15 miles over NJTP/NJ 18, if you are already on the Turnpike you save 35 miles between New Brunswick and Connecticut by staying on I-95 versus taking I-287 around. Heading to I-84? Staying on the turnpike saves you 36 miles if you're a truck and 42 miles if you're a car. These are the comparisons people are going to make and they definitely encourage traffic to go through NYC. Don't believe me? Just look at how many long haul trucks are on the Cross Bronx. If it made more sense for them to go another way, they would!

But also consider the cronic congestion issues on 95 in Chester & Philly (whcih are going to get worse when the direct connect with 95 & the PA Turnpike is finished). 

And consider the speed limits (if the truck goes the legal speed limit).  It's only 55 mph thru all of PA, whereas it's 65 mph on the NJ Turnpike thru the same distance.  At about 60 miles or so, that's 10 miles further one can get by using the NJ Turnpike vs. PA's I-95.  Even if a truck used 295 to 195 to avoid the tolls, the speed limit is 65 mph thruout much of that stretch.