The US's most pathetic highways

[Equilibria 16]

Thanks for the testimonial on that, Doxxp29, its nice to get that first-hand from someone down there.

[Braxton 0]

Originally posted by: Ratieya455 The Twin Cities has another problematic commons, where I-35E and i-694 share a road for a few miles, but it doesn't back up anywhere near as much as the Crosstown Commons. They have just started construction to separate I-35E and I-694 and they should do the same for I-35W and MN 62, if they only had the spare room in that area.quote>

Don't you mean "if they had the money"?  They have the land that is needed for the project but they don't have the money.  Remember, MNDOT wanted the contractors to fork over $90 million of their OWN money upfront to fund the project saying they'd pay them back.  No contractor submitted a bid in what is the most embarassing moments for the State of Minnesota.

I think they should have pushed back the date for the 35E/694 project and instead use that money for the 35W/62 project, which is by far the worst bottleneck in the Twin Cities Metro.

Isn't there a website that has information on all the highways in the country?  Like US, Interestate, and State highways?

[Frankie_Grove 32]

I know, I-25 through Denver is so trafficed, they just upgraded it with the 'T-Rex' project. There is space for another 3 lanes, but they made it a shoulder??? Weird....I think Denver still needs some work

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: DOXXP29 I think the most pathetic highway is the 1.5 mile stretch of I-70 in Baltimore City. (It may have lost it's interstate designation) It's a sunken highway that never got completed to connect with the rest of I-70 due to the usual whiners preferring to have cars sitting on US40 polluting the air instead of driving thru at somewhat higher speeds and causing less congestion. quote>

1) It's part of US 40 now

2) That wasn't going to be part of I-70. That was to be the estern end of an I-170 which would have come off of I-70 east of where it currently ends. I-70 was to have ended on I-95 south of downtown, with I-170 acting as the downtown feeder tor traffic coming from the west.

More:

Link 1

Link 2

[Goldfish4209 9]

Ah yes, I- 630 and 430 here in little rock. Every morning, 30% or so of the people in the friggin city have to squeeze through a 1 lane cloverleaf ramp. And the cloverleaf's not even a friggin real cloverleaf. 2 of the right turn ramps acutally exit onto roads. And I-630 ends with a light signal. So, 24/7 there's always about 2 thousand feet of cars. Who thought of that? It's not that hard to build a bridge. Idiots.

By the way, those people have to commute into the sun every day on 630. The city planners rival the stupidity of SC4 advisors.

Did I mention what happens when people go south and try to get onto 30 from 430? Yes, parking lot

A few yers ago the section of 30 in front of the highway department office was the worst in the world. Not kidding. So then they wised up, built 2 redundant bridges, and made it a 4 lane.

The construction on arkansas's I-40 doesn't make going to memphis or dallas any better.

Ever heard the idiotic slogans? Here's a few:

"drunk driving. over the limit. under arrest."

"click it or ticket."

makes me want to hit them. It's so cheesy that the police are probably embarrased.

And state highway 10. Also known as Cantrell Rd. to the locals. The same people that deal with the friggin cloverleaf have to wait through the longest parking lot in the state of arkansas. 2 lanes of hell right up to my house when I get out soon enough. When there's an accident, don't go to work.

Arkansas: home to the most annoying commute.

[packerfan386 3]

I'm very happy I live in Wisconsin, as stated before most roads here range from good to excellent.(except in Buffalo and Dunn countys)

 It should also be noted that the new U.S. 53 by-pass around Eau Claire is now open, and the new U.S. 12 from Sauk City to Middleton was opened last november, both are multi-lane divided highways!

P.S. Are county highways lettered not numbered which makes it easy to tell the difference between county roads and state/U.S. highways.

[DOXXP29 5]

@Duke87: My '50s and early '60's maps had it as I-70N, connecting to I-83 around Guilford Street. Later '60's maps had it going to I-83 as I-170 with I-70 dropping down east of Leakin Park. Funny, I remember them digging it out (had a GF who lived a coupla blocks away), but I don't know exactly what they were gonna call it when the dig was going on. @Equilibria: My pleasure! If you ever have occasion to travel down here, AVOID it like the plague unless it's after 11 pm. (Even then, it's a crapshoot!)

[bakercity 270]

Oh sorry jglei701, I did not see it on your post there. Keep exploring the DOT site. It gives great info. I sometimes brose that site for the heck and to keep up to date.

[tchaos713 5]

Yeah, I don't know about anyone else, but I definitely prefer the Chicago Skyway (and its $2.50 toll) to the Dan Ryan - especially right now with all the construction. Actually, the best way to get into Chicago from the South and East right now is to take the Skyway/I-94 to Stony Island Ave. to Lake Shore Dr. I actually managed to get out (from Wrigleyville to I-65) in under an hour today.

My personal favorite worst roads are (in order):

Spaghetti Junction in Louisville, KY (I-64, I-65, I-71)

I-376 and I-279 (Parkways East and West) in Pittsburgh, PA - they were originally engineered at the end of the second World War, bad times, especially downtown.

I-93/Central Artery/Boston Tunnel System - let's spend $20 Billion to not fix the traffic problem...

I-66 inside of I-495 - at certain points around the Pentagon you're not even sure you're still on the highway

I-68 in Western Maryland - where they decided that it was more expedient simply to go over the mountains rather than engineer acceptable grades.

And last (expanding on someone else's complaint):

I-81 from Mile 12 in WV south to Bristol, TN - why this has not been expanded to three lanes yet is beyond me. This highway was horrible to drive fifteen years ago and it's only gotten worse. By the way, the three-lane section exists as part of the I-64 overlap. This also contains another signage disaster section. Around Wytheville, VA, it's possible to be going south on I-81 while going north on I-77... what on earth?

[BarbulaM1 38]

If the Denver area grows like it is projected, I-25 both North and South even with Trex will be obsoleat (and no room for makeing it wider). US-6/6th Avenue Freeway will just become more congested, as it already goes through built up neighborhoods with no clearance, I-70 will just be a mess, no on knows what to do with the viaduct, really CDOT has been studying that thing for years. US-36 (Denver-Boulder Turnpike) may be expanded, but little room once you exit Boulder County. I-225 well... there seems no need for that thing as it is . The 470s will eventualy be finished (the Denver Beltway), but due to it all being new construction I doubt it will be built up around it making it seem more urban... sadly . But who ever decided to build all thoes damn freeways and that weird intersection area in the north metro, needs some medical help.

[Fairlane500 8]

while not an Interstate, the Alaska way Viaduct is pretty much acknowledged as Seattle's waterfront horror. Not only is it in dire danger of collapse in an earthquake, but it is also the source of the biggest controversy in Seattle over how to replace it. for some reason, they want to try a problematic, expensive 'big dig" approach, because smehow, any replacement will ruin the skyline more than the current one does.

Another horror is the overtaxed SR 520 Evergreen Point Floating Bridge over Lake Washington, which is one of the main links between Seattle and the Eastside, and is still the same dtructure seen in this 1963 photo.

[nycsc4 5,250]

Interstate 64 is one of St. Louis' worst freeways.

luckly next year MODOT will tear out 12 miles of the worst part and replace it with a brand new freeway! more lanes, better intersections, and everything!

[ACEfanatic 7]

Originally posted by: tchaos713

And last (expanding on someone else's complaint):

I-81 from Mile 12 in WV south to Bristol, TN - why this has not been expanded to three lanes yet is beyond me. This highway was horrible to drive fifteen years ago and it's only gotten worse. By the way, the three-lane section exists as part of the I-64 overlap. This also contains another signage disaster section. Around Wytheville, VA, it's possible to be going south on I-81 while going north on I-77... what on earth?quote>

So I'm not the only one who thinks this... good.

There's a lot of debate right now of how to expand it - whether to add more lanes, integrate a freight rail line, whether or not to toll it....

VDOT just needs to get off its ass and build the damn thing.  Pay for it later.  Congestion from Roanoke to Winchester is simply insane unless you're out 3-5am on a Wednesday or something.

-ACE

[tchaos713 5]

Well, the expansion of I-81 to three (for one mile, four) lanes through Martinsburg, WV has helped immensely. It would also help if there were high-speed access to VA-37 in Winchester (Wincester Bypass) and the Woodrow Wilson Parkway in Staunton. Nonetheless, I-81 is the major route from eastern Canada to the gulf coast, Texas and Mexico... as it's currently engineered, the only section that is not grossly under capacity is in northern Pennsylvania!

[bakercity 270]

Pakerfan386, lettered county highways are alot easier than numbered.Some counties share the same letter highway so some people can't get lost or confused. I hate to see numbered county highways in Wisconsin. !!GO PACK GO!!

[jglei701 8]

Interestingly, though bakercity, is that a lot of counties DON'T use the same lettered names for county highways... I know if you're traveling North on I-39 (and then farther North on US 51) you cross three different instances of Highway K. I knew where I was going and so I turned off on the last one in Rhinelander... other people weren't so fortunate and turned off 20 and 30 miles too soon!

[bakercity 270]

You got me. Racine and Kenosha counties share a few highways that I know of. But yes, you are correct. You could get lost that way if you are not familliar with the area. I just only know the area around Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties. I rarely venture past that area.

[WowBackwards 0]

NYC's parkway/expressway system is terribly outdated, and there's nothing we can do about it.  Widenings, additions, and such things are non-options, people who drive through the city just have to get used to it, I suppose.  Since public transportation is the the favored mode of travel within city limits, it's the mode of travel that's going to get the most attention.  If there are service roads, you're better off taking them than the expressways themselves, haha, at least during the day.

[MrFingers 0]

I know it's not a highway, but the queensborough bridge across the east river in new york has been under one type of maintainance or another for as long as I can remember (that's atleast 15 years since I probably wouldn't remember under the age of 5).

[DOXXP29 5]

It's been under some kind of maintenance since as long as I can remember, and that's a loooooong time! Also, I don't think I've ever driven the LIE where there wasn't some kind of construction going on SOMEWHERE!

[lrfox 2]

As was pointed out on the first page, I-93 in Canton- Braintree, MA is confusing as hell. it's actually 3 highways in one (i-93, MA 128, and MA 1)... here's the problem... when you're on 93 south, it's also 128 north... and here's the kicker... you're actually heading east. so your map will tell you you're heading north and south at the same time but the true direction is east... the other direction would be the same except 93 south/ 128 north and you're heading west. confusing if you're not from the area. also... what was said on the first page about the road abruptly ending is true.

I also hate I-95 in Maine. Mainers (God Bless them) or Mainiacs as they like to call themselves tend to be oblivious to any other person on the road. This is understandable considering that the state is one of the more sparsely populated in the US and has no real urban areas (Portland is the largest city at 60,000, the next closest, Lewiston approaches 40,000). it's just annoying that 95 is the ONLY highway access to the state from any direction and you can count on someone sitting in the left lane with a Maine liscense plate cruising at 45-50mph (65mph speedlimit) and not even so much as glancing in the rearview mirror, nor making any effort to either pass or fall behind the person in the next lane so someone can pass them. Typical of Maine drivers. They even have signs along the median that say, "keep right except to pass," but mainers seem to be oblivious to that as well. It's also nice that you feel like a real jerk when you do get a little too close to someone going 10mph below the speedlimit and they give you the finger or a terrible look for wanting to go the speed limit.

I go to school in Maine and commute along this highway almost Bi-weekly. I have converted my two most recent girlfriends into fast/ aware motorists, but i think the rest of Maine goes to driver's-ed and they leave out rearview mirrors and accelerators.

[bakercity 270]

In southeast Wisconsin, and northern Illinios, we have Interstate 94which runs north and south when the signage reads east and west.This happened becayse of Lake Michigan. Only asurance that you are going north or south ( especially in SE Wisconsin ) is US Highway 41 which is signed north or south. It is with I 94 from Milwaukee to just south of the Illinios stateline. The old folks here go 5 to 10 below the posted speed limit and hogs all 3 lanes until the first toll booth a few miles beyond I 94 Us 41 split. Construction in the area makes it real madding.

[usad25 0]

I live in Michigan and I-94 is ok. There is always a ton of traffic going from detriot to chicago. and im an hour west of detriot and 4 hours east of chicago. Traffic is not that bad its always a constant flow of it though.

[MaybeMemories06 0]

I'm a big fan of CC-215/I-215 here in Las Vegas. Firstly, they completed the entire southside and most of the lower westside belt this year, with only i think 4 more interchanges to put in. Going southbound, you pass exits 21, 20, 20, 19, 19, and then the numbers make sense again. I haven't noticed going North, but I can't imagine they did much better. The state or city planned/paved the 215 to be 4 lanes +HOV each way, or 5 lanes w/o HOV depending on the plan you look at, but as they finished the southside, they only striped it for 2 lanes each way, stating that it would be better to come back later and restripe it. Then, when they did the Durango Road overpass, for whatever reason they destroyed the on/off ramps, so to get to Durango from the southside 215, you have to get off at Sunset and drive 25 MPH on *1mile* of frontage road. Someone dropped the ball there. Finally (And this is more of an annoyance than anything the government coulda really done) the southside is complete, even if they did mess up a couple parts. Then it turns into an expressway with stoplights on the west edge, then back to a freeway for a couple streets, then an expw. again, and for the entire northside it is simply a 4 lane avenue calling itself a freeway. (except for the mile they have paved and grade seperated that could actually be a freeway.) If you're gonna start a project, finish it. The 215 has been left partial! They do plan to finish it, but it woulda been cheaper and faster to just do it all at once. I mean, come on! It's been being constucted since the late 80's!

Edit: Oh, yeah. Then we have I-15, which is a parking lot most of the day, finally clearing up about 9 pm and starting again at like 4 AM. They have plans to widen it to 14 lanes theough the main part of town, but that won't be for another 8-10 years I think, and we need 16 right now. Vegas can't even catch up before they are behind again. The Spaghetti bowl (I-15 to U.S. 95/I-515 interchange) is always backed up all four directions even though they just finished construction on it to make it more efficient, and U.S. 95/I-515 is terrible at night, as the west bound lanes face RIGHT INTO the setting sun. Makes for a heck of a commute when you can barely see the front of your car! They have other big plans for the freeway system here, but I don't see it catching up to the rest of the world anytime soon. I mean, plans here are obsolete before the guy finishes drawing them!

[phattonez 1]

That's what great about LA Freeways. When most of them were built, eminent domain was something that was easy to use, and it was used a lot. The engineers here are some of the best in the world.

[iDavid 2]

There's a few bad highway's in Cincinnati. There's a freeway where a stoplight is needed to enter, because there's not enough ramps to get on. I75 in Cincinnati has a part that's split because someone thought it would be great to squeeze a freeway into the old miami-erie canal locks. But in the 70's they need to add lanes, so they built a separate north bound section. We've also got a bridge carrying twice as much traffic then it was built for.

[sc4portugal 10]

Look at Portugal.............

[adpbns777 0]

Everyone has been naming different portions of I-95, so I'm just going to say, that I hate the entire I-95 road from Boston to Richmond. If you drive on that highway, something will be kicked up from a truck and damage your car (except in Jersey where the trucks are actually separated from the rest of traffic).

[adpbns777 0]

Does this study factor in the commute times of public transit?  Because if it does, than it doesn't surprise me that NYC is number 2.  My brother commutes into the city from my house, and it consists of an hour train ride on the LIRR, than about another 20-30 minutes on the subway from Penn Station to the upper east side.  It would actually be much quicker to drive, but much more expensive.

New York City is actually not even on the rankings of most congested cities in America, so I am skeptical about this article saying it has the 2nd longest commute times if they are just talking about driving.

http://www.insurance.com/Article.aspx/10_Most_Congested_Cities/artid/154

http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/

[kurtvedder 4]

I-5 through Seattle, it's way too crowded.