Beginnings of Interstates/highways that are in the middle of nowhere

[ModernDayWarrior]

There are several Missouri state routes that end at random streets in downtown St. Louis:

MO-100 (ends at Chouteau Avenue)
MO-231 (ends at River City Casino Boulevard)
MO-267 (ends at River City Casino Boulevard)
MO-366 (ends at Broadway and Chippewa Street)

I think most if not all of them were cut off when the freeway system through downtown was constructed.

[Bruce]

I-90's west end is a bit west of I-5, not at an interchange.

I find it funny that both I-90 and US 2 begin at state highways (519 and 529, respectively) a little west of their interchanges with I-5.

[froggie]

I think we'll find that there are few Interstates that meet the OP's criteria of ending at an arbitrary point, and far fewer that do so in a remote or rural area, as most of the examples that do exist (i.e. I-195 ME, I-565 AL) are in cities or urban areas.  The only one I can think of offhand that doesn't is I-69 southwest of Memphis, TN.

[empirestate]

I think we'll find that there are few Interstates that meet the OP's criteria of ending at an arbitrary point, and far fewer that do so in a remote or rural area, as most of the examples that do exist (i.e. I-195 ME, I-565 AL) are in cities or urban areas.  The only one I can think of offhand that doesn't is I-69 southwest of Memphis, TN.

I don't think they have to be in remote or rural areas to qualify, just that they don't begin/end at an obvious location like an interchange or the physical end of the highway. I will grant, though, that most Interstates that do extend that little bit beyond their obvious interchange endpoints, like I-90 does in Seattle, then go on to end at some other pretty obvious points like a surface street intersection or, again, the physical end of the highway. There are certainly not many Interstates that just come into being as you happen to be tooling down some divided highway that wasn't previously an Interstate.

Maybe the west end of I-2 is like this? I haven't seen it, nor am I certain exactly where it begins.

[jemacedo9]

...right now, the I-99 and I-86 temporary ends in NY seem to qualify...?

[jp the roadgeek]

I-691 both ends, I-291 CT both ends, MA east end, I-391 south end, I-587 north end.

[formulanone]

US 167 has a southern terminus in Abbeville, near no other US routes. But then again, there isn't a whole lot of civilization south or west of it to connect with, except LA 82.

[Buffaboy]

In a way, Breezewood/I-70 is sort of like this: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9987915,-78.2390111,3a,75y,206.78h,78.4t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s7w0aBO7sYv0_KZvQLnCmBg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[mwb1848]

NM Highway 9 runs from NM Highway 80 near Rodeo to the Luna/Doña Ana County Line. The road continues eastward until its junction with NM Highway 136. When it crosses the county line, it's abruptly downgraded from a state highway to County Road A-003. The profile of the road (lane width, shoulders, etc.) continues unchanged. The mile markers continue counting up, and signs (not shields) at the eastern terminus refer to the road as Highway 9.

Your eastbound ride on Highway 9 abruptly ends here:


Here's the first eastbound County Road A-003 shield:


Interestingly, the shield which appears to be from 1993, indicates it's property of NMDOT:


Riding westbound, this is the beginning of NM Highway 9:


And your first westbound state highway shield:



Mile markers continues uninterrupted in both directions:


Here are signs from the intersection of NM Highway 136 and County Road A-003, a/k/a Highway 9:

[roadman65]

US 167 has a southern terminus in Abbeville, near no other US routes. But then again, there isn't a whole lot of civilization south or west of it to connect with, except LA 82.

I do not know why they just do not truncate it either to Opalouses or even Alexandria.  It would make most sense.

Then how about US 319 mysteriously ending at a point a few miles east of Apalachicola, FL instead of in that town itself.  It makes no sense in ending where it does while concurrent with US 98 on a narrow strip of land.  Heck make it go over the bridge and end where US 98 turns in Downtown Apalachicola.

[cl94]

I-90's west end is a bit west of I-5, not at an interchange.

I find it funny that both I-90 and US 2 begin at state highways (519 and 529, respectively) a little west of their interchanges with I-5.

Both ends of I-90 are at state highways (MA 1A on the east end) and neither is temporary. Does any other Interstate have that characteristic?

[roadman65]

US 222 has both MD 222 and PA 222 at both ends.

[OCGuy81]

A few come to mind.

The northern end of I-505.  Just a simple interchange near Dunnigan.

The eastern end of I-8 near Casa Grande, AZ.

The northern end of I-25 near Buffalo, WY.

The eastern end of the western I-76.

[roadman]

Sturbridge for I-84 isn't particularly big or populated, but there are begin/end signs on account of the Mass Pike toll booth complexes.

Good guess, but an inaccurate one.  In mid-2004, MassHighway placed begin and end markers, also "END 1 1/2 MILES" signs, along those Interstates and freeways with physical beginning and end points within Massachusetts.  This was done at the request of then-Governor Mitt Romney, largely in response to a Boston Sunday Globe article critical of the state's route signing.  AFAIK, most of these signs are still in place to this day.

[hbelkins]

There are all sorts of highways where state maintenance begins/ends at seemingly random points in Kentucky.

[theline]

As has been discussed elsewhere, Indiana is probably the most egregious offender in this department. Highways often end at county lines and city limits, because INDOT has ceded control of the road to one local government, but not to its neighbor. Motorists are left to fend for themselves.

An example near me is SR-933 which exists only in St. Joseph County. When it hits the Elkhart County line, it stops. This GSV makes it look like a really random end, though 933 actually ends at the stop light ahead.

[Pink Jazz]

The eastern end of I-8 near Casa Grande, AZ.

I wouldn't call Casa Grande in the middle of nowhere.  Casa Grande is a fast-growing city of over 50,000 people, and I expect that it may someday surpass Flagstaff (the northern terminus of I-17) in population.

[Duke87]

As has been discussed elsewhere, Indiana is probably the most egregious offender in this department. Highways often end at county lines and city limits, because INDOT has ceded control of the road to one local government, but not to its neighbor. Motorists are left to fend for themselves.

Oh please. Indiana has nothing on Maryland in this regard. Say hello to MD 94, MD 129, MD 169, MD 231, MD 367, MD 368...

New Jersey also has a fairly high incidence rate of state highways ending in oddball spots although it's not quite as bad as Maryland. But it does have two routes (NJ 152 and NJ 161) that are completely orphaned from the rest of the state highway system.

[empirestate]

The eastern end of I-8 near Casa Grande, AZ.

I wouldn't call Casa Grande in the middle of nowhere.  Casa Grande is a fast-growing city of over 50,000 people, and I expect that it may someday surpass Flagstaff (the northern terminus of I-17) in population.

And even if it where, the OP clarified that it isn't the remoteness of the terminus we're interested in, but its configuration. I-8 ends at I-10 in a very ordinary fashion, rather than beginning out of the "middle of nowhere", as it were.


iPhone

[mapman1071]

AZ 95 at I-40 Exit 9
AZ 95 at Colorado River Bridge
AZ 99 at National Forest Boundary

[kkt]

There ought to be a special prize for CA 299, which changes from good 2-lane highway to a dirt track marked "unmaintained" at the Nevada border.

[nexus73]

US 26 at the western end where it connects with US 101 is not part of any city.  Back in the day US 26 and US 101 were co-signed to Astoria and terminated where US 30 began in downtown.  Before the Astoria-Megler Bridge was completed it took a ferry to cross the Columbia.

US 199 and US 101 also have the same deal going on.  The half-interchange is three miles north of Crescent City in the middle of the woods.  US 199 used to be co-signed with US 101 into downtown Crescent City.

Rick

Rick

[DandyDan]

The majority of the spur highways in Nebraska, I would guess, end at the literal edge of town, with no intersection involved.

[SteveG1988]

Western end of NJ 72, a traffic circle in the pine barrens.

Interstate 68 at both ends feel like it is the middle of nowhere.

Debatable: I59 in GA.

[cl94]

There ought to be a special prize for CA 299, which changes from good 2-lane highway to a dirt track marked "unmaintained" at the Nevada border.

NY 421 deserves a similar prize. A little shorter than 6 miles, it leads nowhere and its western terminus is where it becomes a dirt road. At some point, I'm going to get up there. GSV doesn't even have imagery for it.