Access Control Failures

[cpzilliacus]

Arnold, Maryland (suburb of Annapolis) - Westbound U.S. 50 / Southbound U.S. 301 at MD-648 (Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard). The only intersection at-grade between the WPL (Chesapeake Bay) Bridge and MD-2.

GSV looking west approaching this intersection here and southbound MD-648 approaching here.

The other half of this intersection, where U.S. 50 eastbound / U.S. 301 northbound once met MD-648, was blocked-off long ago.

[zachary_amaryllis]

us 287 nw of fort collins

its (i think) a super-2, with climbing lanes.. i wonder how much money cdot saved by not making it 4 lanes, since there's only a couple of miles that don't have a climb lane in one diretion or the other..

this intersection needs to go.. away.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6460777,-105.1375945,3a,75y,158.41h,80.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxU6OA4RxqzuoanSLPB9Dew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

turning highway-north onto 287 from the side street (a left), you immediately jump out into the passing lane, which people around here tend to default to since the right lane is pounded all to hell. turning highway-south onto 287, there's just one lane of 65mph traffic.. you have to have complete confidence in your car to use this entry. i avoid entering the highway at all costs at this intersection.

[mgk920]

Also in Illinois, there is a RIRO on the NB US 41 Edens Expressway/Skokie Highway just north of Clavey Rd in Highland Park, IL that is the only automobile access for an apartment complex.  There are pathways in other directions from it that do allow legal non-motorized vehicle access.

https://goo.gl/maps/jiGvCC8s1zWVasr86

Streetview:

https://goo.gl/maps/CfYmDaAAEQnNQtkE6

The last time that I was by there, there was a BGS for it that said 'Chantilly'.  I also have no idea of what IDOT would or could do about it should they have plans for any further upgrades to the expressway there.

Mike

[noelbotevera]

Arnold, Maryland (suburb of Annapolis) - Westbound U.S. 50 / Southbound U.S. 301 at MD-648 (Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard). The only intersection at-grade between the WPL (Chesapeake Bay) Bridge and MD-2.

GSV looking west approaching this intersection here and southbound MD-648 approaching here.

The other half of this intersection, where U.S. 50 eastbound / U.S. 301 northbound once met MD-648, was blocked-off long ago.

Any reason why US 50/301 is substandard through Annapolis? West of I-97, the freeway is perfectly standard (thanks to I-595), but all of a sudden it downgrades to several RIROs and legitimate intersections. It's the same deal on the Eastern Shore; I'm guessing US 50/301 was upgraded from a 4 lane arterial on the spot, or...?

[Mr_Northside]

Arnold, Maryland (suburb of Annapolis) - Westbound U.S. 50 / Southbound U.S. 301 at MD-648 (Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard). The only intersection at-grade between the WPL (Chesapeake Bay) Bridge and MD-2.

GSV looking west approaching this intersection here and southbound MD-648 approaching here.

The other half of this intersection, where U.S. 50 eastbound / U.S. 301 northbound once met MD-648, was blocked-off long ago.

Any reason why US 50/301 is substandard through Annapolis? West of I-97, the freeway is perfectly standard (thanks to I-595), but all of a sudden it downgrades to several RIROs and legitimate intersections. It's the same deal on the Eastern Shore; I'm guessing US 50/301 was upgraded from a 4 lane arterial on the spot, or...?

Pretty much.  I can still vaguely remember trips to the beach when there were still signals between MD-2 (which we used in conjunction with the Baltimore Beltway, cause there was no I-97) and the US 50-301 split (and the old drawbridge @ Kent Narrows). 
I don't know that I'd phrase it as being substandard thru Annapolis.  It doesn't "downgrade" until you hit the Severn River bridge just east of there.
For what it's worth, the way it is now between the Severn and the US 50/301 split seems to work fine to me (not counting actual Bay Bridge traffic jams).  If you're not looking you might miss the one WB at-grade mentioned above, especially since it's proximity to the MD-2 exit - and those more RIRO-style junctions usually have decent accel/decel lanes leading up to them (or just an auxiliary lane between exits at times).

[CtrlAltDel]

Does a RIRO count as a break in access control? It's definitely not optimal, but it seems that the general requirements of access control are maintained.

[sprjus4]

Any reason why US 50/301 is substandard through Annapolis? West of I-97, the freeway is perfectly standard (thanks to I-595), but all of a sudden it downgrades to several RIROs and legitimate intersections. It's the same deal on the Eastern Shore; I'm guessing US 50/301 was upgraded from a 4 lane arterial on the spot, or...?

US-50 / US-301 was upgraded from arterial to freeway on existing alignment. The RIROs aside, it's still an effective freeway on the Eastern Shore with long acceleration / deceleration lanes, shoulders, etc.

US-50 west of I-97 was upgraded from a 4 lane freeway built in the 1950s and 1960s to modern 6 lane interstate standards in anticipation for I-595 which ultimately was never signed.

See this map for more information - https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1wD0XEdn2ljaL-nW6vzvlSKP_wVIMGn_c&ll=39.0221992093889%2C-76.55469631759284&z=11

[jakeroot]

Also in Illinois, there is a RIRO on the NB US 41 Edens Expressway/Skokie Highway just north of Clavey Rd in Highland Park, IL that is the only automobile access for an apartment complex.  There are pathways in other directions from it that do allow legal non-motorized vehicle access.

https://goo.gl/maps/jiGvCC8s1zWVasr86

Streetview:

https://goo.gl/maps/CfYmDaAAEQnNQtkE6

The last time that I was by there, there was a BGS for it that said 'Chantilly'.  I also have no idea of what IDOT would or could do about it should they have plans for any further upgrades to the expressway there.

Mike

I was intrigued by the 90-degree angle in the vegetation, so I did some reverse searching of the coordinates.

Looks like, up until the late 80s or early 90s, that was a regular T-intersection with a central merge/turn lane. Seems like the RIRO was implemented when the Skokie Hwy / Clavey Rd interchange was built (to the south) within the same time frame.

[noelbotevera]

Does a RIRO count as a break in access control? It's definitely not optimal, but it seems that the general requirements of access control are maintained.

I guess it'd be a case by case basis, but if we're being technical a RIRO would be a failure of some sort - as you haven't really constructed an interchange with ramps and whatnot. In my opinion, it'd depend on the RIRO - proper accel/decel lanes I'd accept as freeway grade (as if it's another exit), but roads like the Arroyo Seco Parkway are riddled with lack of access control due to substandard RIROs (poor accel/decel lanes mostly). In modern times I'd consider older freeways like those to be more like expressways, or using NY's terminology, a parkway.

[kphoger]

In my opinion, it'd depend on the RIRO - proper accel/decel lanes I'd accept as freeway grade (as if it's another exit),

I think a lack of accel/decl lanes for RIRO could disqualify a road from being called a "freeway", but it should not disqualify it from being "access-controlled".  Access to/from the highway is equally controlled either way.

[JayhawkCO]

US395 between Spokane and the Tri-Cities.  I tried to count when I last drove this, but I'm pretty sure in the 130 or so miles, there were only 5-6 at grade intersections, and none seemed like it couldn't have been averted.

Chris

[MikieTimT]

I-630 in LR west of University had a RO ramp from a neighborhood my brother's ex-fiance lived in that I used to use regularly.  Only served west-bound and had to exit University in-bound to her house, but was a handy little ramp nonetheless since it served pretty much only that neighborhood.  Looks like it's in the process of being dismantled/reutilized from satellite view now.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.7456206,-92.3479427,234m/data=!3m1!1e3

[keithvh]

us 287 nw of fort collins

its (i think) a super-2, with climbing lanes.. i wonder how much money cdot saved by not making it 4 lanes, since there's only a couple of miles that don't have a climb lane in one diretion or the other..

this intersection needs to go.. away.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6460777,-105.1375945,3a,75y,158.41h,80.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxU6OA4RxqzuoanSLPB9Dew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

turning highway-north onto 287 from the side street (a left), you immediately jump out into the passing lane, which people around here tend to default to since the right lane is pounded all to hell. turning highway-south onto 287, there's just one lane of 65mph traffic.. you have to have complete confidence in your car to use this entry. i avoid entering the highway at all costs at this intersection.

Yep.  Absolutely HORRIBLE intersection.  Overland Trail is a fairly major road (access to both Laporte and west Fort Collins).  It's time for, at the least, a traffic light.

[zachary_amaryllis]

us 287 nw of fort collins

its (i think) a super-2, with climbing lanes.. i wonder how much money cdot saved by not making it 4 lanes, since there's only a couple of miles that don't have a climb lane in one diretion or the other..

this intersection needs to go.. away.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6460777,-105.1375945,3a,75y,158.41h,80.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxU6OA4RxqzuoanSLPB9Dew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

turning highway-north onto 287 from the side street (a left), you immediately jump out into the passing lane, which people around here tend to default to since the right lane is pounded all to hell. turning highway-south onto 287, there's just one lane of 65mph traffic.. you have to have complete confidence in your car to use this entry. i avoid entering the highway at all costs at this intersection.

Yep.  Absolutely HORRIBLE intersection.  Overland Trail is a fairly major road (access to both Laporte and west Fort Collins).  It's time for, at the least, a traffic light.

i go through there a few times a week, and there's a lot of times its either a) blocked by some horrific accident, or b) have to stand on the brakes because someone's trying to shoot the gap and can't accelerate. they've re-jiggered it several times, as they have the intersection with cr 54g to the north/west. at least the northern 54g intersection has an accel lane.

i could see a light, tho since one can get to overland via the northern 54g intersection, just eliminate it - bridge it over or whatever, or make it like an actual interchange.. tho cdot is pretty notorious for not doing whats needed.

[CoreySamson]

TX-288 would be a full freeway in between Freeport and Angleton if not for this:

https://www.google.com/maps/@29.0846232,-95.4521182,1284m/data=!3m1!1e3

It's an access point to a private property, but it's mostly only used by cops to trap speeders.