Modernizing Toll Road Interchanges

[OCGuy81]

Has their been much discussion about modernizing parts of the interstate system that are toll roads?  I'm specifically curious about their interchanges with other highways, especially other interstates.

A lot of the eastern states have small trumpet interchanges that act as a freeway-to-freeway connection, as when these roads were initially constructed, the space between was where the toll booths would go.

With electronic tolling basically eliminating the need for physical booths, has there been any push to modify these interchanges to direct connector ramps?  I feel this would improve traffic flow, and maybe even get more traffic onto the tolled interstates to, you know, get more toll revenue. 

[I-55]

PTC has been doing this to an extent during widening packages, granted not all trumpets can be converted to diamonds due to R/W constraints. The widening between exits 312-320 improved the geometrics of the trumpet interchange at Exit 312 and the Beaver River bridge replacement is resulting in a partial folded diamond iirc at exit 13.

[pderocco]

Has their been much discussion about modernizing parts of the interstate system that are toll roads?  I'm specifically curious about their interchanges with other highways, especially other interstates.

A lot of the eastern states have small trumpet interchanges that act as a freeway-to-freeway connection, as when these roads were initially constructed, the space between was where the toll booths would go.

With electronic tolling basically eliminating the need for physical booths, has there been any push to modify these interchanges to direct connector ramps?  I feel this would improve traffic flow, and maybe even get more traffic onto the tolled interstates to, you know, get more toll revenue. 

They're doing I-90/I-495 in Massachusetts right now. They're also doing I-90/I-95, although it's still a forkful of noodles.

[Bobby5280]

In the past the trumpet interchanges were necessary, even between super highway to super highway interchanges, to hold toll booths manned by human employees. Now that most toll roads have gone to electronic-only tolling any new interchange designs don't involve trumpets.

It's easy enough to use standard diamond interchanges and have toll tag/license plate readers installed on the on/off ramps. In Oklahoma, I think it's kind of interesting what OTA has done to remodel some of its old turnpike interchanges.

Check out the I-44 interchange with US-277/OK-5 near Walters, OK. It's a sort of cloverleaf design with the on/off traffic separated by C/D ramps. The previous interchange had a manned toll booth under the bridge going over the turnpike. The crappy hourglass shaped ramps were replaced with new ramps with better geometry and design speeds. The on/off ramps themselves don't have any toll tag readers. Instead, two overhead toll gantries are installed over the I-44 main lanes both North and South of the interchange. A couple of other re-built interchanges on other Oklahoma turnpikes are designed the same way. The Cimarron Turnpike (US-412) interchange with OK-99 is another example.

[dantheman]

Has their been much discussion about modernizing parts of the interstate system that are toll roads?  I'm specifically curious about their interchanges with other highways, especially other interstates.

A lot of the eastern states have small trumpet interchanges that act as a freeway-to-freeway connection, as when these roads were initially constructed, the space between was where the toll booths would go.

With electronic tolling basically eliminating the need for physical booths, has there been any push to modify these interchanges to direct connector ramps?  I feel this would improve traffic flow, and maybe even get more traffic onto the tolled interstates to, you know, get more toll revenue. 

They're doing I-90/I-495 in Massachusetts right now. They're also doing I-90/I-95, although it's still a forkful of noodles.

90/95 is a bit of a disappointment to me, as it's still keeping virtually all of the traffic funneled through the northwest quadrant of the interchange as it has always been. The changes a couple of years ago when the I-90 mainline toll booth was removed helped (moving the WB onramp much further west to increase the weaving distance on the 90 -> 95 ramp) but it's still not great.

Someday when I have some time to kill, I'd like to put together a thread in Fictional with redesigns of each Mass Pike interchange. There are some that wouldn't be too hard to massively improve now that they don't need to be trumpets with a single toll booth each.

Maine has taken some steps towards un-trumpet-ing their turnpike interchanges - see the new SB onramp at Exit 102 (ME 126) and the folded diamond at Exit 63 (US 202/ME 26), as well as the new interchange at Exit 35 (ME 112). For some of these, I wonder if the strategy is "leave well enough alone" until it comes time to replace the trumpet's bridge over the highway, and then it's easier/cheaper to add a new ramp or two than two replace the bridge. I suspect that's what happened at both 102 and 63.

But don't ask about Maine Turnpike Exit 45's new design... one place where a trumpet made perfect sense and it was rebuilt as a diamond anyway! I think the idea was to prep for an extended highway west towards Gorham, although I believe that proposal is now officially dead.

[mgk920]

Even though it was engineered, but not built, nearly three decades ago, it is past time to get rid of the I-80/90/94 'double trumpet' in Indiana.

Mike

[OCGuy81]

Even though it was engineered, but not built, nearly three decades ago, it is past time to get rid of the I-80/90/94 'double trumpet' in Indiana.

Mike

Yes!! That thing is rough!  It's kind of insane that Interstate 80, a major transcontinental artery, is reduced to a one lane, sharp curve to join with I-90.

[PColumbus73]

Even though it was engineered, but not built, nearly three decades ago, it is past time to get rid of the I-80/90/94 'double trumpet' in Indiana.

Mike

Yes!! That thing is rough!  It's kind of insane that Interstate 80, a major transcontinental artery, is reduced to a one lane, sharp curve to join with I-90.

Could be more efficient if they moved that interchange to a reconstructed interchange with I-65/80/90/94

[Bobby5280]

A few interchanges in that immediate area need to be completely rebuilt.

The double-trumpet interchange with I-80/90 and I-94 does suck pretty bad. It could be replaced with a four level directional stack where the two interstates cross each other. The JT McCutcheon Travel Plaza would probably have to be relocated to make room for ramps.

The I-65/I-90 interchange is also pretty terrible.

The I-65/I-94 parclo interchange seems more fitting if I-65 was a busy surface street. They need to replace those tight clover ramps with directional flyovers.

[NWI_Irish96]

A few interchanges in that immediate area need to be completely rebuilt.

The double-trumpet interchange with I-80/90 and I-94 does suck pretty bad. It could be replaced with a four level directional stack where the two interstates cross each other. The JT McCutcheon Travel Plaza would probably have to be relocated to make room for ramps.

The I-65/I-90 interchange is also pretty terrible.

The I-65/I-94 seems more fitting if I-65 was a busy surface street. They need to replace those tight clover ramps with directional flyovers.

Yeah the I-94/ITR interchange is dreadful. Since almost all of the traffic is either EB->EB or WB->WB, everybody has to weave to get to the right ramp.

I'll add the eastern ITR/Cline interchange as one that needs a complete overhaul. Build ramps to bypass the stop sign and stop light at street level.

[Stephane Dumas]

A few interchanges in that immediate area need to be completely rebuilt.

The double-trumpet interchange with I-80/90 and I-94 does suck pretty bad. It could be replaced with a four level directional stack where the two interstates cross each other. The JT McCutcheon Travel Plaza would probably have to be relocated to make room for ramps.

The I-65/I-90 interchange is also pretty terrible.

The I-65/I-94 seems more fitting if I-65 was a busy surface street. They need to replace those tight clover ramps with directional flyovers.

I saw at a former page about NW Indiana highways, there was once some proposed plans for a reconfigurated interchange of I-80/I-94/I-90 along with some other proposals.
https://web.archive.org/web/20011220014108/http://www.nwindianahwys.homestead.com/proposed.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20021220081218/http://nwindianahwys.homestead.com/i80909451newint.html

[hbelkins]

Breezewood has entered the chat.

[ran4sh]

One thing I would like to see is completing interchanges by building the missing ramps of partial interchanges, now that tolls are all/mostly AET now. In particular, toll roads in Illinois have many partial interchanges which IMO should be completed.

[Bobby5280]

Breezewood has entered the chat.

At least there are some plans in the works to do something about that interchange.

While they're at it they'll need to go a short distance over to Bedford and solve the same problem with the I-70/76 and I-99 interchange.

Come to think of it, the I-76/I-81 interchange is another one of these Breezewood style situations.

[mgk920]

Breezewood has entered the chat.

At least there are some plans in the works to do something about that interchange.

While they're at it they'll need to go a short distance over to Bedford and solve the same problem with the I-70/76 and I-99 interchange.

Come to think of it, the I-76/I-81 interchange is another one of these Breezewood style situation.

Also, the Breezewood, PA area commercial district is a fast-dying 20th century relic and this fact alone will make engineering related things go far, far easier there.

Mike

[I-55]

One thing I would like to see is completing interchanges by building the missing ramps of partial interchanges, now that tolls are all/mostly AET now. In particular, toll roads in Illinois have many partial interchanges which IMO should be completed.

Yeah 294 has 6 non-system interchanges in a row that are missing movements between I-88 and Des Plaines. Considering that area's where most of my friends live, it would be a significant quality of life change.

Just for fun, I looked at the tollway's revenue and traffic data for 2024 to see what impact switching to a toll point system would have versus the current barrier system from a revenue standpoint. Building full interchanges would require new ramp toll plazas to be constructed when tolling the mainline by segment would be simpler.

The current system takes advantage of the ability to take mainline tolls for entire tolling "blocks" on the busiest sections of those "blocks." As a result, many drivers pay the full toll without driving the full mileage. If you drive each tollway end to end, the average toll rate for passenger cars is $0.07/mi with transponder, and $0.45/mi for trucks. Entering and exiting the system in between can result in higher rates (for instance, NB I-294 between exits 27 and 42 results in $1.70 in mainline passenger tolls with transponder, for $0.11/mi). Partial interchanges help the tollway influence how vehicles navigate this system.

Passenger cars make up 80% of miles traveled, while trucks make up the other 20%. If you toll on a uniform per mile basis while maintaining the current end-to-end rates, passenger cars would pay $545.5 million in tolls, and trucks would pay $757.2 million (assuming an even distribution of small/medium/large trucks, with all trucks paying daytime rates). The net revenue under this system would be $1.3 billion, or $300 million short of their current revenue. To make up or this, ILTOLL would have to raise tolls 18% to match revenue. Of note, they plan to increase toll rates by 60% next year anyway.