Access Control Failures

[Revive 755]

Alternative thread title:  List of roads that would be full freeways except for one or two driveways/minor side streets, preferably those where alternative access is available.

Missouri
* MO 10's bypass of Richmond:  One driveway on an otherwise Super-2 section (and the inspiration for this thread).

Illinois
* IL 56 between IL 47/US 30 and I-88:  One side street and one driveway on an otherwise all-freeway stretch.  From Historic Aerials is does appear the side street was included with the original construction.

* IL 83:  NB is a full freeway between the signal at 63rd Street and the signal at 22nd Street.  SB has one side street between US 34/Ogden and 31st Street (which appears to have been added in the 1980's), and two driveways between 63rd Street and 55th Street:P  The northern driveway is for an apartment complex, while the southern driveway is for commercial access.  With a gap in years with imagery I can't tell whether the apartment access came before or after the interchange at 55th Street, but were other access points that have been removed.

* In case someone brings it up:  For the intent of this thread, the Palatine Road/Wheeling Road intersection does not qualify, with Wheeling Road being a more major street.

[hotdogPi]

MA 2 just west of Leominster
Cemetery on MA 128
"Exit 21.1" on MA 128

[kphoger]

Post countdown till I-10...

[Brandon]

Alternative thread title:  List of roads that would be full freeways except for one or two driveways/minor side streets, preferably those where alternative access is available.

Illinois
* IL 56 between IL 47/US 30 and I-88:  One side street and one driveway on an otherwise all-freeway stretch.  From Historic Aerials is does appear the side street was included with the original construction.

* IL 83:  NB is a full freeway between the signal at 63rd Street and the signal at 22nd Street.  SB has one side street between US 34/Ogden and 31st Street (which appears to have been added in the 1980's), and two driveways between 63rd Street and 55th Street:P  The northern driveway is for an apartment complex, while the southern driveway is for commercial access.  With a gap in years with imagery I can't tell whether the apartment access came before or after the interchange at 55th Street, but were other access points that have been removed.

* In case someone brings it up:  For the intent of this thread, the Palatine Road/Wheeling Road intersection does not qualify, with Wheeling Road being a more major street.

That's a RIRO on IL-56, and it has no access to/from the eastbound lanes.  As for the driveway, that seems to be maintenance storage area, mostly used by construction crews and IDOT.

As for IL-83, the first two are RIROs, little different than interchanges like this: https://goo.gl/maps/MaF1yW9XkZtEsKA29
The third is a driveway (also a RIRO) after the south end of the freeway section (which actually ends before 63rd Street).

[doorknob60]

There is only one traffic signal remaining on the Bend Parkway (US-97), at Powers Rd. There used to be 3. Pinebrook was turned into RIRO, with the addition of nearby extension and overpass of Murphy Rd. The interchange on the south with business 97/3rd St. was grade separated. https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0287254,-121.315629,598m/data=!3m1!1e3

There are still a couple signals on the north end of the city, but if the Powers signal was eliminated, it would be free-flowing 4 lane expressway (still some RIROs and a couple unrestricted intersections such as the High Desert Museum; also a few fucking crosswalks of all things) from US-20 at the North end of Bend down to Sunriver, and no lights until La Pine.

[ozarkman417]

There's a forest road that has a two one sided at-grade entrances on I-40 a bit south of the TN-NC border. While the traffic may not have to cross I-40 (it goes under), it lacks actual ramps or turn lanes so I would consider it to be an at-grade access.

There is a single at-grade junction between Mtn. Grove and Cabool, MO on US-60.

[jdbx]

Eastbound CA-4 between the Franklin Canyon Golf Course and Cummings Skyway.  The eastbound carriageway used to carry both directions of CA-4. When they went to 4-lane the highway during the late 1990's, they built the westbound carriageway to freeway standards, complete with proper shoulders and entrances/exits, but when the original roadway was converted to serve 2 lanes of eastbound traffic, they simply converted existing driveways to LILO and RIRO.

LILO:  https://www.google.com/maps/@38.0104058,-122.228439,495m/data=!3m1!1e3

A couple more LILO's for businesses that ended up in the median between carriageways:  https://www.google.com/maps/@38.0081962,-122.2224447,495m/data=!3m1!1e3

RIRO:  https://www.google.com/maps/@38.0068545,-122.2155968,495m/data=!3m1!1e3

Another RIRO with a narrow railroad undercrossing for good measure:  https://www.google.com/maps/@38.0076592,-122.2108213,3a,75y,85.92h,80.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1syxeVREDqyORysd1zoY9K8w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[EpicRoadways]

Not any kind of major traffic bottleneck or anything too crazy, but the MN-23 bypass of Paynesville, MN is entirely limited access except for these two intersections. Traffic levels don't warrant a full freeway here, though it seems like neither of those access points are super necessary as they don't seem to provide a direct route into town and could be served just fine by the frontage road on the north side of the highway. Again, though, unlike some of the other examples these intersections aren't a major traffic issue.

(One other interesting thing: Both intersections are considered "exits" in addition to the three actual interchanges on some of the advance signage for the bypass.)

[Ned Weasel]

There was a similar topic about "freeways that don't go all the way," or something to that effect, but I can't remember the exact topic title.

I'm reminded of two examples of state highways that become a freeway for a significant distance, but have a couple of at-grade intersections at or near the point of a major Interstate connection.

Of course, I'm talking about Route 18 and Route 18.

https://goo.gl/maps/bbPPesUcbRTNLKnz9

https://goo.gl/maps/grcxUX2AJsniZALj7

Frankly, though, I wouldn't call either of these "access control failures."  I imagine both had different intents.  In the New Jersey example, there was probably no feasible way of proving grade-separated access to the big office/hotel complex.

In the Kansas example, I'm guessing they didn't feel traffic volumes warranted making a free-flowing freeway connection that would be expensive to build, and traffic volumes on Boller Road probably didn't warrant access management at that point.  However, that location looks like prime real estate for highway-oriented commercial development: gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and maybe a truck stop or two.  And when that happens, do they:  (A) Convert the diamond to a diverging diamond and put up a three-to-four-phase signal at Boller Road?  (B) Convert the diamond to a parclo and put up a two-to-three-phase signal at Boller Road with jughandles (the latter of which would be a first for Kansas but not for neighboring Missouri and Nebraska)?  Or (C) overhaul the whole thing to a full freeway-to-freeway connection?

[dvferyance]

US 51 has an at grade intersection at Lincoln Dr just north of Merrill WI. Yes there are some other at grade intersections farther north but that is really the only thing preventing it from being a freeway a good several miles farther.

[hbelkins]

US 321 at I-85 in North Carolina, if I remember correctly. The situation is similar to the northern end of I-99 at I-80, in that it's not a full freeway-to-freeway interchange. Ditto with WV 43 and I-68.

[Mapmikey]

VA 37 at I-81 south of Winchester
WV 9 has 2 at-grade intersections in close proximity along 12 miles of otherwise freeway
VA 7 between Leesburg and VA 286 (11 miles) is getting close to qualifying for this

[CtrlAltDel]

When I saw the phrase "access control failures," I didn't really think of roads that were more or less expressways, but rather something like this:
.

[jakeroot]

WA 16 through Gig Harbor.

The entire 27 mile route is a freeway, apart from two RIROs. These two remain only because they are the only points of access to the businesses.

Weirdest thing about them to me is how badly designed they are. Visibility for turns is fine, but there is no merge area, nor is there even a right turn lane. Unless traffic wants to use the shoulder to turn (as everyone does but technically not legal), traffic must slow down in the right lane of the freeway (60 to 70 mph traffic) and then make a right turn. Just a ridiculous design. That could actually be improved.

You can see how there's no right turn lane in this image:

[webny99]

NY 104, the Irondequoit-Wayne County Expressway, is almost entirely freeway between its namesakes. But there's just one annoying stoplight before the Wayne County line. Give me a break; even a half-diamond interchange would have sufficed. And at one of the biggest truck junctions on the entire corridor, too.

[Brandon]

When I saw the phrase "access control failures," I didn't really think of roads that were more or less expressways, but rather something like this:
.

Ah yes, the Texas "make your own damn ramp".

[wxfree]

When I saw the phrase "access control failures," I didn't really think of roads that were more or less expressways, but rather something like this:
.

I forget where it is, but somewhere in rural Texas I saw where a frontage road runs beside an Interstate and dead ends after a considerable distance at a private drive.  There are "keep off median" signs, and they put up a cable barrier along that whole length to prevent illegal access.  And that cable barrier ends just far enough before the end of the road and the guardrail that blocks it, so that traffic can get onto and off the freeway at that point, and that access is clearly used.

[jmd41280]

On the (mostly) freeway segment of US 119 between New Stanton, PA (PA Turnpike 66) and Scottdale, PA (PA 819), there is one at-grade intersection.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1412489,-79.5589058,3a,75y,357.44h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPMraKI_qZKsea_QMlai_GQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[wxfree]

Post countdown till I-10...

Let's include I-40, too.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=15507.0

[Verlanka]

When I saw the phrase "access control failures," I didn't really think of roads that were more or less expressways, but rather something like this:
.

Never seen an unpaved exit ramp before. Still, nice find!

[kphoger]

I forget where it is, but somewhere in rural Texas I saw where a frontage road runs beside an Interstate and dead ends after a considerable distance at a private drive.  There are "keep off median" signs, and they put up a cable barrier along that whole length to prevent illegal access.  And that cable barrier ends just far enough before the end of the road and the guardrail that blocks it, so that traffic can get onto and off the freeway at that point, and that access is clearly used.

Not all that uncommon in Texas.

The examples below are all from I-35 between Laredo and San Antonio:
Medina County
Frio County
La Salle County
La Salle county
La Salle County
Webb County

[Ned Weasel]

I forget where it is, but somewhere in rural Texas I saw where a frontage road runs beside an Interstate and dead ends after a considerable distance at a private drive.  There are "keep off median" signs, and they put up a cable barrier along that whole length to prevent illegal access.  And that cable barrier ends just far enough before the end of the road and the guardrail that blocks it, so that traffic can get onto and off the freeway at that point, and that access is clearly used.

Not all that uncommon in Texas.

The examples below are all from I-35 between Laredo and San Antonio:
Medina County
Frio County
La Salle County
La Salle county
La Salle County
Webb County

Some of those, especially the first and last ones having gravel, look like they're implicitly allowed but just not advertised.

[wxfree]

I forget where it is, but somewhere in rural Texas I saw where a frontage road runs beside an Interstate and dead ends after a considerable distance at a private drive.  There are "keep off median" signs, and they put up a cable barrier along that whole length to prevent illegal access.  And that cable barrier ends just far enough before the end of the road and the guardrail that blocks it, so that traffic can get onto and off the freeway at that point, and that access is clearly used.

Not all that uncommon in Texas.

The examples below are all from I-35 between Laredo and San Antonio:
Medina County
Frio County
La Salle County
La Salle county
La Salle County
Webb County

In my example, they ran a cable barrier for about a mile down the frontage road to prevent access, and then didn't keep it going for the last 30 feet, rendering the whole thing worthless.  I laughed when I saw it; it's like a joke.

Back in the 90s, TxDOT put up a cable barrier on wooden posts for the full length of an island to prevent crossing.  A business on the side of the road used it to make left turns onto the highway because the alternative was to drive a half-mile and go around the block.  The owner of that business cut up one post, and the slack in the cable was sufficient that it could be lowered to the ground and driven over.  My friend thought that was funny.  I didn't get it at the time, but when I saw the early ending on the Interstate, it struck me as funny.

[hobsini2]

Alternative thread title:  List of roads that would be full freeways except for one or two driveways/minor side streets, preferably those where alternative access is available.

Missouri
* MO 10's bypass of Richmond:  One driveway on an otherwise Super-2 section (and the inspiration for this thread).

Illinois
* IL 56 between IL 47/US 30 and I-88:  One side street and one driveway on an otherwise all-freeway stretch.  From Historic Aerials is does appear the side street was included with the original construction.

* IL 83:  NB is a full freeway between the signal at 63rd Street and the signal at 22nd Street.  SB has one side street between US 34/Ogden and 31st Street (which appears to have been added in the 1980's), and two driveways between 63rd Street and 55th Street:P  The northern driveway is for an apartment complex, while the southern driveway is for commercial access.  With a gap in years with imagery I can't tell whether the apartment access came before or after the interchange at 55th Street, but were other access points that have been removed.

* In case someone brings it up:  For the intent of this thread, the Palatine Road/Wheeling Road intersection does not qualify, with Wheeling Road being a more major street.

That piece of property on Route 56 just before the tollway is vacant and has been for some time. I believe the state bought it. They just didn't bother to dig out the old driveway. As for the side street Golfview Dr, it is a RI-RO intersection. I wish they would put in a SWB off/NEB on ramp at Hankes Rd. Then Golfview could be used for emergency vehicles only.

[sprjus4]

North Carolina has a few of these.

What looks like traditional freeway segments with overpasses and interchanges that were built as relocations in the 1960s also have private driveways that have been built on them due to no access controls. They remain as 60 mph divided highways, but are not freeways anymore.

US-421 Goldston Bypass
US-220 from Madison to Virginia state line