Traffic lights on an interstate

[Michael]

It's kind of funny that this thread was near the top because I-690 currently has a traffic light for the NY State Fair.  I actually rode the shuttle bus from the upper parking lot through the intersection a few years ago.  A state trooper has a control panel wired to the control box to change the light.  It would have been more interesting to be on I-690 though.

[newyorker478]

I-93 ending at Route 3A in Bow, NH
I-189 ending at US 7 in Burlington, VT
I-478 [Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel] ending at the West Side Highway/NY 9A in Manhattan
I-787 at NY 787/Tibbits Ave near Cohoes, NY

[thenetwork]

I-381 Bristol, VA (Yes, it ends at a traffic light)

If we are counting interstates that end at signals, then I've been to...
I-587 in Kingston, NY
I-395 in Baltimore, MD
I-83 in Baltimore, MD
I-395 in Washington, DC
I-78 in New York

Add for me I-83, I-490 in Cleveland, as well as I-8 in San Diego if we include those interstates.    
(Does I-27 in Corpus Christi, TX end at a light??)

[Ian]

I-93 ending at Route 3A in Bow, NH

I assume you mean I-89, and not I-93? 

[froggie]

I-189 ending at US 7 in Burlington, VT

Interchange, not a traffic signal.  Especially with VTrans proposals to finally use the unopened extension around as another way into downtown.

I-787 at NY 787/Tibbits Ave near Cohoes, NY

Not quite.  Officially, I-787 turns east and crosses the river with NY 7 and ends at the signal at 8th St/Hoosick St.

[mjb2002]

Back in the late 1990s (1998-2000) and early 2000s (2001-2004), the Bobby Jones Expressway (I-520) used to have traffic lights at its eastern terminus with the Laney Walker Blvd Ext in Augusta, Ga. Then, I-520 was extended into North Augusta. As a result, the traffic light that was there has since been taken down, never to appear again.

[hbelkins]

Not quite.  Officially, I-787 turns east and crosses the river with NY 7 and ends at the signal at 8th St/Hoosick St.

You're quite the fount of useful information tonight, there, Mr. Froehlig. I plan to clinch 787 if I get to attend the Watertown meet and would not have known that I needed to go east at NY 7; I would have headed west toward I-87.

[froggie]

Well it's not like I don't have a lot of experience with that particular bridge.  It's my main route north.

Plus it's fairly easy to look routings up these days...

[hbelkins]

I haven't done anything with the Clinched site. Maybe I should start....

[rickmastfan67]

I haven't done anything with the Clinched site. Maybe I should start....

Maybe you should. lol.

[Kacie Jane]

I-90 in Seattle ends at a traffic signal.  The catch is, I'm not sure which one anymore, since the area around the stadiums has been reconstructed in stages over the past decade.

It originally ended at 4th Avenue just south of Airport Way (and I've been through that traffic light many many times from all directions).  However, that ramp is now exit only, with the eastbound lanes (which actually left 4th Avenue pointed west) completely demolished.

Most likely the terminus is now the SPUI-like interchange at 4th Avenue & Atlantic St/Edgar Martinez Dr.  The catch being that the SPUI ramps are from/to 4th Avenue, with the lights on Atlantic Street/I-90.  (I've been through these lights only a handful of times.)

EDIT: I had most of the second paragraph backwards.

[Brian556]

This is halfway on topic. There was once a railroad crossing on I-35 in Austin Texas.  The reason for this setup was that at the time I-35 was built, the railroad had already made plans to abandon the track in the future. Because of this, TxDOT did not want to pay for a grade seperation, so they constructed the temporary railroad crossing. This setup lasted from the mid-50's to 1970.

[froggie]

Continuing said topic.....until 1968, old I-95 (now I-395) in Northern Virginia had an active at-grade rail crossing at the Washington & Old Dominion rail tracks just north of Four Mile Run, between the Shirlington and Glebe Rd exits.  This crossing dates back to the roads origin as the Shirley Highway (old VA 350) in 1950.  As with the TxDOT example, VDOT did not want to build a grade separation across a line that was in and out of proposals for abandonment as it was.

[1995hoo]

Continuing said topic.....until 1968, old I-95 (now I-395) in Northern Virginia had an active at-grade rail crossing at the Washington & Old Dominion rail tracks just north of Four Mile Run, between the Shirlington and Glebe Rd exits.  This crossing dates back to the roads origin as the Shirley Highway (old VA 350) in 1950.  As with the TxDOT example, VDOT did not want to build a grade separation across a line that was in and out of proposals for abandonment as it was.

Here you go. The buildings seen on the left are still there.

[Anthony_JK]

Continuing said topic.....until 1968, old I-95 (now I-395) in Northern Virginia had an active at-grade rail crossing at the Washington & Old Dominion rail tracks just north of Four Mile Run, between the Shirlington and Glebe Rd exits.  This crossing dates back to the roads origin as the Shirley Highway (old VA 350) in 1950.  As with the TxDOT example, VDOT did not want to build a grade separation across a line that was in and out of proposals for abandonment as it was.

Here you go. The buildings seen on the left are still there.

So what did happen with the line?? Was it ultimately abandoned and destroyed, or did they have to put in a grade separation??


Anthony

[NE2]

The W&OD became a trail, but there was no crossing of I-395 until May 2009, when they put it under the existing Four Mile Run bridge just to the south: http://www.trailvoice.com/washington-dc/parks-trails/four-mile-run-trail-s-shirlington-rd-to-mt-vernon-trail

[froggie]

So what did happen with the line?? Was it ultimately abandoned and destroyed, or did they have to put in a grade separation??

Some history...

The line was bought by the C&O in 1956 with the idea that they could rake in money with coal shipments to a then-proposed power plant in Loudoun County (now the site of Algonkian Regional Park...the power plant wound up getting built by PEPCO in Dickerson, MD).  After that fell through, they realized the line was worth more dead than alive with VDOT wanting to use some of it for I-66, but it took until 1968 before they were successful in abandoning it (with the at-grade crossing at today's I-395 remaining during that time).  The right-of-way that wasn't used for I-66 was sold to VEPCO (now Virginia Power) for its high transmission power lines.  The right-of-way was later sold to the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority for the W&OD trail, with an easement granted to VEPCO/Virginia Power so they could retain their power lines in the corridor.

In the 1969 Northern Virginia Major Thoroughfare Plan, the W&OD crossing of I-395 is where the proposed Four Mile Run Expressway would have crossed with a partial interchange.

[ethanman62187]

Froggie:  Well, ok for that, but however, still a few interstates still have traffic lights. Some have been upgraded to the current standards.

[golden eagle]

When I was about ten years old, I could've sworn I-94 between Chicago and Milwaukee had a traffic light. I seem to recall a construction project. I don't remember, either, if there was a detour or not. I could be wrong, but I do remember a construction project.

[ethanman62187]

I think the project's done.

[Scott5114]

I think the project's done.

No shit?

[Bickendan]

Not an interstate, but WA 433 does have what seems to be an active rail line crossing that freeway at grade. I imagine on a very bad day (in other words, never) traffic backing up onto I-5...

[OCGuy81]

I don't think I've ever been on an Interstate that had traffic lights on it. I have, however, had to stop several times on I-5 and I-15 when they do agricultural checkpoints.

The 5 north of San Diego has an immigration checkpoint near Camp Pendleton.  Last time I went through it was late, and everybody basically slowed to a crawl while feds waved people through.

Are there instances of these along other "border" highways like 19 in Arizona, or any of the US Highways in south Texas?

[Alex]

I don't think I've ever been on an Interstate that had traffic lights on it. I have, however, had to stop several times on I-5 and I-15 when they do agricultural checkpoints.

The 5 north of San Diego has an immigration checkpoint near Camp Pendleton.  Last time I went through it was late, and everybody basically slowed to a crawl while feds waved people through.

Are there instances of these along other "border" highways like 19 in Arizona, or any of the US Highways in south Texas?

Other states have instances of them (AZ, NM, TX). More discussion can be found here.

[realjd]

I don't think I've ever been on an Interstate that had traffic lights on it. I have, however, had to stop several times on I-5 and I-15 when they do agricultural checkpoints.

The 5 north of San Diego has an immigration checkpoint near Camp Pendleton.  Last time I went through it was late, and everybody basically slowed to a crawl while feds waved people through.

Are there instances of these along other "border" highways like 19 in Arizona, or any of the US Highways in south Texas?

While the feds wave white people through you mean. One of my friends out there is married to a hispanic woman and they always get stopped if she's in the car.