Worst Interstate/Toll Road/Freeway Transitions

[jp the roadgeek]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the I-90/I-91 interchange in West Springfield, MA.  The interchanges are not truly direct, as they are separated by a connector road that feeds from 91 down to US 5. Basically, two trumpet interchanges that meet perpendicularly.  Another terrible one is I-95/I-395 in CT.  The moves from I-395 South to I-95 North and I-95 South to I-395 North involve using CT 85, or a SUV through the woods.

[roadman65]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the I-90/I-91 interchange in West Springfield, MA.  The interchanges are not truly direct, as they are separated by a connector road that feeds from 91 down to US 5. Basically, two trumpet interchanges that meet perpendicularly.  Another terrible one is I-95/I-395 in CT.  The moves from I-395 South to I-95 North and I-95 South to I-395 North involve using CT 85, or a SUV through the woods.

I think the I-95/ I-395 thing is waiting for CT to complete CT 2 as it would tie into that interchange if or when it gets done. 

The big issue is not really that as much as the weaving issue for SB I-95 to exit at US 1 afterward as you have to compete with I-395 motorists merging in.  Hopefully if and when CT 2 is completed, that they will address that issue as well.

[english si]

How about US 23 to the Ohio Turnpike? Forcing traffic leaving out of the non-Detroit parts of Michigan to use surface streets in Maumee seems a bit weird, especially US 23 crosses the Turnpike at some point.

While slightly longer and more complicated navigation, wouldn't traffic from the east use I-280 and I-475?

And most traffic from the west can use I-94 or I-69 to get to most of Michigan.

[CapeCodder]

I-55 to I-55/44 in St Louis. Having to use a narrow ramp to go down from the Poplar Street Bridge.

Yeah. The PSB is brutal. Those ramps are scary enough, but throw in a good rainstorm.

Here are two that have since been fixed:

I-170 at I-64. Before 64 was rebuilt, this intersection was bad. That tight ramp to 64 east caused some spectacular traffic.

MA-3 to US 6 at Sagamore Bridge. When the rotary was there, it was pretty nasty. The flyover has helped, but not by much.

[robbones]

I-55 to I-55/44 in St Louis. Having to use a narrow ramp to go down from the Poplar Street Bridge.

Yeah. The PSB is brutal. Those ramps are scary enough, but throw in a good rainstorm.

Here are two that have since been fixed:

I-170 at I-64. Before 64 was rebuilt, this intersection was bad. That tight ramp to 64 east caused some spectacular traffic.

MA-3 to US 6 at Sagamore Bridge. When the rotary was there, it was pretty nasty. The flyover has helped, but not by much.

They are in the process of rebuilding the I 55 ramps. Estimated completion is mid year

[SectorZ]

I-90 and I-291 in Chicopee MA. Yeah, it's a direct connect, you just need to sit thru a traffic signal to take the left turn on I-291 after the toll booths. I seem to always hit the worst of traffic the few times I've ever had the pleasure of going through it.

[vtk]

I-75 and US 30.  Some excessively long (and slow if you're behind a truck) movements for admittedly relatively few drivers.

I-76 and I-80 bump. For multiple reasons.

[thenetwork]

IMHO, one of the worst is/was coming out of Youngstown, OH from I-680 South onto the turnpikes east.  If you do not have an EZ Pass, you stop to pick up a ticket as you enter the Ohio Turnpike East.  Drive about 5 minutes or so, then surrender the ticket and toll at the east end of the Ohio Turnpike.  Drive again not even 5 minutes and now you pay the entrance toll for the PA Turnpike Barrier. 

Not as big of an issue now if you do have the EZ Pass, as there is no reaching for tickets or cash anymore.

[Gnutella]

The I-26/I-240/U.S. 19/U.S. 23 junction in Asheville, NC is shitty. I drove I-26 (south)eastbound through Asheville and damn near ran off the highway after exiting onto the I-26/I-240 multiplex and crossing the French Broad River. I didn't realize that I-26 exited itself again immediately on the other side of the river. NCDOT needs to do something about that entire arrangement, Asheville hippies be damned.

And though I've never driven them, two interchanges between highways in Ohio look pretty goofy: I-71/U.S. 35, and I-75/U.S. 30.

[hbelkins]

And though I've never driven them, two interchanges between highways in Ohio look pretty goofy: I-71/U.S. 35, and I-75/U.S. 30.

In the case of the former, they just used the existing interchange with the old alignment of US 35 instead of building a new one so close to the old one.

[Gnutella]

I-75 and US 30.  Some excessively long (and slow if you're behind a truck) movements for admittedly relatively few drivers.

I-76 and I-80 bump. For multiple reasons.

I've always hated seeing I-80 and I-76 bouncing off each other near Youngstown on a map. In fact, I'm about to take a screenshot of the satellite image of that interchange and attempt to modify it. I'll post it on the "fictional highways" board when I get around to it.

For that matter, the way I-76, I-77 and I-277 all interact with each other in Akron is a clusterfuck too. I-76 has a trumpet interchange with itself on the west side of the city.

[cl94]

I-75 and US 30.  Some excessively long (and slow if you're behind a truck) movements for admittedly relatively few drivers.

I-76 and I-80 bump. For multiple reasons.

I've always hated seeing I-80 and I-76 bouncing off each other near Youngstown on a map. In fact, I'm about to take a screenshot of the satellite image of that interchange and attempt to modify it. I'll post it on the "fictional highways" board when I get around to it.

For that matter, the way I-76, I-77 and I-277 all interact with each other in Akron is a clusterfuck too. I-76 has a trumpet interchange with itself on the west side of the city.

The plan for I-80 was for it to use current I-76 east of I-77 and I-77 between Akron and US (now SR) 21. From there, it would have gone due west, eventually meeting up with the current alignment (hence the stubs at this interchange). I-76 was assigned much later and the current routing was not intended to carry a single designation. US 224 was the only designation for what is now I-277 and I-76 west of I-277.

[TEG24601]

I-5 / SR 520 in Seattle is pretty bad. The left-handed exit/entrance for southbound I-5 creates a bad weave that forces drivers to cross 5 lanes of traffic to exit at Mercer Street, which regularly backs up I-5 traffic to Northgate and beyond.

And it's getting an "improvement" in the form of a new ramp to the reversible express lanes, but nothing to solve the left-handed exit.

If they were smart, they would simply use that ramp to connect to the SB Express Lanes Mercer exit, and use the NB Express for NB and SB Express to Mercer transition, or simply use a barrier to prevent people from going over to Mercer Street from 520, there a half-dozen other exits to the North and South which are usually more useful to access downtown than Mercer ever was.  The only other solution would be a direct ramp from 520 to Mercer, as a right exit would introduce huge weaving issues, and everyone in the area would fight it tooth and nail.

Prior to 1993, I would have said that the SR 526 to I-5 interchange was bad, where you had to go through traffic signals for two movements.

The I-90/I-43 interchange is bad, as well as the I-39/I-90 Tri-State Interchange, at least, the last time I drove through it, which was 2008.

Then there is alway I-180 in Cheyenne.  Enough said.

I-680/I-29 with CR-988.  That is a strange thing to say the least.


At least they are finally fixing I-80/I-29.

[Bickendan]

OR 22 at I-5.
OR 217 at I-5.
I suspect OR 213/224 at I-205 will be a candidate once the Sunrise Freeway is built (interchange currently under construction). In short: A freeway-freeway interchange should not have lights.

[vtk]

I-75 and US 30.  Some excessively long (and slow if you're behind a truck) movements for admittedly relatively few drivers.

I-76 and I-80 bump. For multiple reasons.

I've always hated seeing I-80 and I-76 bouncing off each other near Youngstown on a map. In fact, I'm about to take a screenshot of the satellite image of that interchange and attempt to modify it. I'll post it on the "fictional highways" board when I get around to it.

[NE2]

That's pretty cool. Now I have to poo. Coincidence?

[vtk]

Probably.

[ZLoth]

I'll nominate the I-880/US 101 interchange in San Jose (http://goo.gl/maps/V58FF).

Both are major freeways but the interchange is a cloverleaf... ...and, alas, there are NO planned improvements. 

About as bad as the I-580/I-680 Interchange in Pleasanton, CA that I hate so much.

[lordsutch]

I'd nominate I-240 south to I-240 east in Memphis. Having two lanes is fine in theory, but the geometrics are a mess and you have heavy traffic merging from I-55 north to I-240 east that has virtually no space to merge, and which then needs to merge left again to stay on I-240 a few hundred yards later.

The Texan speciality of requiring freeway-to-freeway movements via the frontage roads is always fun too.

[roadman65]

Speaking of Texas, does not the I-410 Loop have a strange transition at the NE Junction of I-35?

[OCGuy81]

I always found the interchange between I-84 and I-205 in Oregon to be, well, bizzare. 

Wouldn't it have made more sense for 205 and 84 to briefly merge, before 84 banks east and 205 continues north into Washington? 

[NE2]

I always found the interchange between I-84 and I-205 in Oregon to be, well, bizzare. 

Wouldn't it have made more sense for 205 and 84 to briefly merge, before 84 banks east and 205 continues north into Washington? 

Why would weaving make more sense?