Incomplete Routes Deserving Completion

[jp the roadgeek]

I heard Delaware don't want no East-West Freeway which could at least make I-70 go to Reehoboth and then if you really want it to go further build a bridge across the Delaware Bay and have it end at the Garden State Parkway in Lower Township, NJ.  This would be via I-97, US 50/301 and MD/DE 404 from Baltimore.

Or you can have it follow US 50 all the way to Ocean City.

Speaking of Delaware, complete the Delmarva interstate between Norfolk and Churchmans Crossing.

[theroadwayone]

How about I-2 crossing the Gulf of Mexico into Fort Myers, FL and then going across the peninsula to West Palm Beach.  Heck why not go further and build it to end in the Bahamas.

Hey why not too extend US 1 into Havana from Key West.

How do you intend to do that?

[roadman65]

How about I-2 crossing the Gulf of Mexico into Fort Myers, FL and then going across the peninsula to West Palm Beach.  Heck why not go further and build it to end in the Bahamas.

Hey why not too extend US 1 into Havana from Key West.

How do you intend to do that?

I was being funny.  I do not think that even the smartest engineer in the world could bridge that gap.  Maybe a floating bridge but why would we really want to have a highway go there really go over the sea anyway.

[jeffandnicole]

How about I-2 crossing the Gulf of Mexico into Fort Myers, FL and then going across the peninsula to West Palm Beach.  Heck why not go further and build it to end in the Bahamas.

Hey why not too extend US 1 into Havana from Key West.

How do you intend to do that?

A bridge, of course.

[Roadgeekteen]

PA 43

[cwf1701]

I-275 in Michigan. All of what would have been I-275 north of I-696 that got built was as M-5.

[hbelkins]

The Bluegrass Parkway in Kentucky from its existing terminus at US 60 to I-64.

Also, I-99 from Cumberland, Md. to Bedford, Pa., and also from I-80 northeast to Williamsport.

I-73 in VA from Roanoke to Martinsville.

What's wrong with existing US 220? It's a four-lane road and traffic moves pretty well on it.

[theroadwayone]

How about I-2 crossing the Gulf of Mexico into Fort Myers, FL and then going across the peninsula to West Palm Beach.  Heck why not go further and build it to end in the Bahamas.

Hey why not too extend US 1 into Havana from Key West.

How do you intend to do that?

A bridge, of course.

U.S. 10 is run along a ferry across Lake Michigan; I was thinking something similar could be done across the Gulf to Florida. It would obviously be slow and expensive, but doable. (Maybe also run I-2 as a southern route south of I-10.)

[ilpt4u]

I-24 across Southern IL to directly reach St Louis...

And to really go off the deep end to Fictional-land...change I-24 to an Odd 2DI and connect this new STL leg to the Avenue of the Saints, upgrade the Ave to Interstate standard, and commission a new 2DI from the Twin Cities, MN to Chattanooga, TN. I would nominate for either I-51 or I-53 (diagonal routes are fun to number; and yes, this I-51/53/24/whatever would cross US 51 near Carbondale, IL and US 24 near Hannibal, MO)

Going Odd, I realize this would result in a wrong-way concurrency with I-69 in KY. So be it

[davewiecking]

In the original 1947 Interstate System plans, I-70 was intended to dead-end in Denver. The FHWA Rambler column has a detailed entry on how 70 was extended westward and why it ends in Cove Fort.

(Both links above go to the same map. If you get a moment, would you please edit the second link so it points to the FHWA Rambler column??)

[dgolub]

How about the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135)?  It would be great to have a way to enter and exit Long Island without going through New York City.

[Henry]

I-605 around Seattle, for sure!

[briantroutman]

In the original 1947 Interstate System plans, I-70 was intended to dead-end in Denver. The has a detailed entry on how 70 was extended westward and why it ends in Cove Fort.

(Both links above go to the same map. If you get a moment, would you please edit the second link so it points to the FHWA Rambler column??)

Sorry–here's the correct link: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/covefort.cfm

(Earlier post has been corrected, too.)

[bzakharin]

NJ 55 south of Mile 20. It would *really* help to have a second freeway from Philly to the "shore points".

[jeffandnicole]

NJ 55 south of Mile 20. It would *really* help to have a second freeway from Philly to the "shore points".

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=21180.msg2261625#msg2261625

[dvferyance]

I-39 to US 8.

[sparker]

From a quick map search, it appears that a "direct"  route on the US 50 corridor saves only about 25 miles vs the existing I-80/I-25 route between SF and Denver. And once you pass the Lake Tahoe/Carson City area, there's practically nothing between there and the existing end of I-70.

Nothing except a series of N-S mountain ranges, most topping out at a 10K+foot elevation that would have to be surmounted along US 50 in NV (quite an undertaking for little potential traffic!).  Practically, it would likely have to merge with I-80 near Fernley (joining the projected I-11 in the region); dragging an Interstate alignment around Lake Tahoe and over the US 50 Echo Summit isn't likely something that would be either practicable or even politically feasible!  I've heard Carson Pass and CA 88 down to the Stockton area bandied about as an alternative -- but that would involve even more environmental problems with the watershed west of the pass.  In the long-term analysis, extending I-70 westward would, plain & simple, be more trouble than it's worth! 

[silverback1065]

why not have it shoot straight up to salt lake city?

[21stCenturyRoad]

I-70 deserves to go to California, where it could replace US 50 to SAC.
I-15 also needs to be signed along CA 15

[D-Dey65]

I-70, to serve both the San Francisco Bay Area and the Delmarva Peninsula/Jersey Shore, take your pick.

I'd be happy if they just revived the proposal to bring it to I-95 in Baltimore.

[paulthemapguy]

HOW ABOUT COMPLETING INTERSTATE 95 LOL

[sparker]

why not have it shoot straight up to salt lake city?

Check the links in reply #37 above; that'll provide the rationale used to reroute I-70 (originally it was going to intersect I-15 at Spanish Fork, south of Provo) away from the Wasatch Valley down to Salina and Cove Fort.  That being said, US 6 between I-70 near Green River and I-15 at Spanish Fork (essentially the pre-reroute I-70 pathway) is a high-priority corridor (#53); unfortunately the terrain around Soldier Summit is such that reconstructing the corridor to even divided expressway standards would be extremely costly (the 1983 landslide realignment near Thistle and the US 89 junction would also be troublesome to rebuild).  It may have been fiscally possible in terms of 1957 dollars -- but at today's cost structure it would probably be prohibitive.  "Spot" improvements to US 6 have been done over the years (including the Price bypass); it's likely that this type of project will prevail for the near term.   

[theroadwayone]

HOW ABOUT COMPLETING INTERSTATE 95 LOL

I think that's going on right now.

[jwolfer]

HOW ABOUT COMPLETING INTERSTATE 95 LOL

I think that's going on right now.

To me even when 95 is open on the new PA Turnpike connection, it will still be incomplete. Somerset freeway made more sense. Now roads like US1 and 206 as well as NJ 31 are even more stressed because the cancellation of the freeway didn't stop development

Z981

[PHLBOS]

HOW ABOUT COMPLETING INTERSTATE 95 LOL

I think that's going on right now.

To me even when 95 is open on the new PA Turnpike connection, it will still be incomplete. Somerset freeway made more sense. Now roads like US1 and 206 as well as NJ 31 are even more stressed because the cancellation of the freeway didn't stop development

A similar argument can be made about the cancelled segments of I-95 inside of MA 128 and the MD/DC segment inside the Capital Beltway (I-495).