At grade railroad crossing on interstate

[RTroy]

I think that at the rate the US 17 to I86 upgrade is going it will take another 30 to 50 years.  But there are some nice stretches to it.

[bing&kathy]

   I-35 in Austin, TX has an upper and lower I-35. Minneapolis and St. Paul each have their own I-35 designated as E & W. So you can go North or South on East or West, but you cannot go East or West, got that? Duluth, MN has a traffic light on I-35 at the (infamous) can of worms. Only one traffic death has been recorded there. A lot of rerouting of tracks were required to "fit" in the interstate. I-35 was to have continued through Duluth to Two Harbors, MN which was set up with a grade level crossing of the DM&IR. This was down graded to an expressway and the grade crossing never was built.

[Causus Omnium Danorum]

Thanks DSchmitt for looking up the plans to connect the two I-95s in NJ/Penn...originally there was to be a 'missing link' of I-95, built between the north side of the Trenton beltway northeastward to I-287 in New Brunswick (parallel to US 1).  In fact, there still is the proverbial "wide spot in the road" on the Trenton Beltway where the I-95 North interchange was to be built.  So up until recently, I-95 officially ended at the top of the Trenton beltway and officially began again on the NJ Tpk at the I-287 interchange (regardless of what some maps say) and ran from there along the NJ Tpk to the GW Bridge, so there weren't two I-95s, rather it was one, with a gap in the middle.

My favorite at grade rail crossing was on what is now I-395, inside the Washington DC beltway, near Alexandria, where the Washington & Old Dominion RR crossed on its way to Potomac Yard.  I-395 was originally built as a freeway, but it was only two lanes in each direction and it was originally VA Rte. 350.  In those much-lower-traffic-days, it was nonetheless a freeway, subject to rush hour, and occasionally freights would cross at rush hour, screwing the whole thing up royally.  Sadly, the W&OD bit the dust in the late 60s, the grade crossing was removed, and shortly thereafter the freeway was upgraded to its current vast size, and no trace of the crossing remains. 

[DSchmitt]

Into the 1970's there was an at grade railroad crossing  of the ramps on the north side of the I-80  freeway at Abernathy Rd west of Fairfield, CA.   The track, but not the ramps, is shown on the 1967 USGS map. The 1980 map shows the ramps, but no track.  Later when the Hwy 12 interchange was built, Anernathy Rd lost its direct conection to the freeway. 

I personally saw the track crossing the ramps in the mid 1970's.  I think the track was not in service at the time I saw it. I lived in Fairfield 1973-1980.

[LNER4472]

I can't offer any actual Interstate crossings of my knowledge.  I do remember a report released in 1970 comparing the then-new Interstate 80 to its former non-limited-access highways for a transcontinental crossing, and it showed that instead of hundreds of railroad crossings, I-80 had one.  I never found out where that alleged crossing was; I suspect it may have been a crossing on an exit ramp or the like.

In NON-Interstate limited-access highways, I can offer the crossing of US 322 by the Middletown & Hummelstown on the south side of Hummelstown, Pa.  US 322 was upgraded top near-Interstate standards in the area in the 1970s, as I recall.  The crossing was marked "EXEMPT" almost as soon as it was installed, and even the tourist-and-freight "Milk & Honey" seldom uses it.

[shanson2]

steamertex

There has been an instance of a crossing at grade on an interstate.  Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas crossed the TNO (SP) tracks in north Austin.  This was in place for several years before an overpass was constructed.

Charles

 

There was a "dodge" of sorts in this area regarding the naming and numbering.  The local name was "Inter-regional Highway" partly because of the Austin crossing (originally Austin & Northwestern) and two in Temple (Santa Fe).  It was numbered US 81, and I seem to recall the signs changing once the overpasses were built.

[Colorado_Mac]

The strangest "interstate highway" I have ever driven is I-180 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-180_wy.html

It also has a great feature between the northbound  and southbound lanes:

[steamertex]

There has been an instance of a crossing at grade on an interstate.  Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas crossed the TNO (SP) tracks in north Austin.  This was in place for several years before an overpass was constructed.

Charles

[BruceGKoprucki]

I recall I-94 in Michigan having several grade crossings at one time, into the 1960's.  There was one off the C&O ex-Pere Marquette between Sawyer and Bridgman MI serving a sand-mining operation on the north edge of Warren Dunes State Park.  There were two others at Kalamazoo, one serving a military base bordering 1-94 on the north side.  There were signals as shown in the photo, plus overhead traffic signals as on highways, but no gates.  I never saw trains use these crossings.  I wasn't aware of I-94 being a gradual upgrade so that's interesting history.

[doctrq]

I personally recall seeing that railroad line crossing I-94 at grade in Michigan a number of times, though I never saw a train on it.  As I recall, it was a light traffic branch line, or possibly part of a siding serving an industry.  I imagine that those who installed it knew that the rail line had a short life expectantcy, and that it was not worth building a grade separated right of way under those circumstances.  I. E. Quastler 

[BroadwayLion]

Connecticut wanted to improve Route 8 to interstate standards.

Massachusetts wanted to improve Route 7 to interstate standards.

Connecticut thumbed their nose at Massachusetts and Washington, and improved Route 8 with their own money. It is simply "Route 8" and ends at Winsted CT, just a few miles short of the MA border.

Winsted used to have passenger service on the NH railroad to NYC.

ROAR

[Deggesty]

Nice picture. You will find similar signage a little bit east of Wytheville (If you wonder how to pronouce it, remember that George Wythe pronounced his last name  "with."), Virginia, where I77 and I81 run together. As you go south on I81, you also go north on I77, and as you go south on I77, you also go north on I81. I have been there, and my daughter noticed it last month when she drove from Bristol, Va., to Charlotte, N.C., and back. US11 and US21 used to be the same for a short distance through Wytheville. And, for three miles west of Bean Station, Tenn., you will find the same situation with US25E and US11W running together.

If you want to see the signs in the picture, drive north of Sierraville.

[DSchmitt]

John WR

I imagine that the two I-95's will be connected and the confusion resolved some day.  And I suppose we will all have pie in the sky bye and bye.  

 

[John WR]

I imagine that the two I-95's will be connected and the confusion resolved some day.  And I suppose we will all have pie in the sky bye and bye.  

[DSchmitt]

doghouse

Maps are screwy and not easy to follow...I'm looking at the Rand McNally atlas and you can't define how 95 crosses to PA except to go via 295 north at some point and at some point 295 becomes 95.  In effect,  it doesn't make sense except to surmise that I95 is to shadow US Route 1 all the way from Key West FL to Houlton, ME.

This is what I think is happening based on the informantion I have found on the Net and 30 years experience with the Calif Dept of Transportation (CALTRANS) most of which was in various  jobs where I needed to use and understand  the route  number and signing designations and the records.

.I 95 has not been completed through the area.. Currently traffic is routed through on highways with other designations. When it is completed I 95 will be one continous Highway with no breaks and no  parallel sections. 

 The proposed route of I 95 has been revised at at some point in time . It appears the old route was to cross the Delaware River west of Ewing Township connecting  to New Jersey I 95M  ( see the map from the State web site that I posted earlier) which is currently signed I 95. The "final" route will cross the Delaware River south of Levittown.  The I 95M designation would have been created for Highway Dept record purposes at the time the revised  I95 route was adopted.  The Highway  signing was not changed on I 95M but will be changed ( perhaps to I 295)  when the adopted I 95 route is completed. There  will also be route signing changes in Pennsylvania

[doghouse]

henry6

John WR

I wish it were as simple as you describe, Henry.  

If you drive on the New Jersey Turnpike you will see those blue shield interstate signs that say I-95.  

I-295 is a completely different "interstate" highway.  It is completely in New Jersey.  In south Jersey it runs parallel to I-95 (the New Jersey Turnpike).  I-295 has no tolls so many people prefer it, especially today because there have been multiple toll increases in recent years.  In Hamilton, NJ I-295 turns west and, in Ewing, becomes I-95, crosses the Delaware River at Scudders Falls and turns south following the west bank of the Delaware.  

I-195 is an east west "interstate" completely within the state of New Jersey too.  It runs off I-295 in Hamilton and goes to the shore at Belmar.

John

Maps are screwy and not easy to follow...I'm looking at the Rand McNally atlas and you can't define how 95 crosses to PA except to go via 295 north at some point and at some point 295 becomes 95.  In effect,  it doesn't make sense except to surmise that I95 is to shadow US Route 1 all the way from Key West FL to Houlton, ME. But the "I" designation does bring in more Federal money for its upkeep.  I95 also is the Maine Turnpike, the NH Turnpike, and several other pikes and roads in various states in addition to the NJ Tpk to the G. Washington Bridge.  I87 works south to north as the NYS Thruway to Albany then the toll free Northway to Rouses Point and the Canadian border.  The NYS Thruway west of Albany as a handoff from the Mass. Turnpike.  Etc.  Crazy but some politician probably understands it in dollars and sense.

 

 

Actually, it's all the way to Fort Kent, Maine.  I-95 ends about 2 miles east of Houlton.

[Kevin C. Smith]

CSSHEGEWISCH

Randy Stahl

Used to be a bunch of crossings on I41 between Fond Du Lac and Green Bay

Perhaps you mean US 41, not a designated Interstate.  I-43 roughly follows the Shoreland route between Milwaukee and Green Bay.

I-43 is, indeed, east of US Hwy 41. And I-39 is west of it. The state of Wisconsin has been upgrading US 41 to Interstate standards for some years now. The Interstate highway route number designation will have to be an odd number, since it is a north-south highway. The numbers to choose from would be higher than 39 (since Interstate highways are numbered west to east) and lower than 43...which just leaves the designation Interstate 41 for the Milwaukee-Green Bay segment of US 41 (which will continue north to Hancock, Michigan and south to Miami, Florida). Afraid of the confusion that this might cause, the leading idea is to designate the route to be an extension of I-55 from Saint Louis to Chicago (and thence to Milwaukee and Green Bay).

I'd leave the designation I-41. With the common confusion of Interstate and US highways, especially when both are already freeways (or, "four lanes"), I really don't see a problem occuring.

[MidlandMike]

Michigan had another RR x'ing on limited access US 23 near Petersburg, South of Ann Arbor.  It was a PC branchline to Ida.  It was pulled out about 1980.  Michigan also had a drawbridge on I-75 across the Saginaw River at Zilwaukee.  After one too many freighters caused the bridge to be raised on a holiday weekend, they decided to build a high level bridge.  A construction mishap caused a pier to settle, and "The Bridge that made Zilwaukee famous" took some extra years to build.  It was completed in the 80's.

[John WR]

DSchmitt

This is a portion of the highway map from the state of New Jersey web  site:

If you turn to your map you will see a green north-south road which is designated as I-95.  Just below the blue shield is an east-west red road with no number on the map.  That is I-195.  If you follow it going west it comes to I-295 and ends (actually continues as state route 129).  Turning north on I 295 and following it around west it crosses state route 31, and exit is used for about 12 years when I lived there.  And a short way beyond the blue shield shows [I-] 95M.  If you actually drive the road you will see a blue shield say saying I-95 but there is no indication of the "M" and I don't know what the "M" means as you never see it on the actual highway.  You are in Ewing, New Jersey a short way from the Pennsylvania border.  And, once again, you are on I-95.   

Can the same number be unique twice?

[usmc1401]

Although not a Interstate California 99 had a grade crossing of a freeway. This was located in Stockton CA on the Southern Pacific Oakdale branch. Originally a standard state highway that was upgraded to a freeway.  Never saw a train cross but have heard it was a daily operation up until the proposed SP ATSF merger. Most of the Oakdale branch was abandoned in favor of trackage rights over ATSF. The branch was removed but as we know the merger failed.

[tdmidget]

desertdog

While I would not stake my life on everything I find in Wikipedia, this paragraph from "Interstate 10 in Texas" backs up my earlier post:

"Due to I-10 crossing some of the most rural and sparsely inhabited parts of the United States, notably the Trans-Pecos Region it has several unique features that differentiate it from other Interstate Highways. I-10 is one of the very few Interstates that has at-grade intersections (roads that intersect it at a 90 degree angle, as opposed to an overpass or underpass with on and off ramps). These are private access roads (mostly from large ranches) which occur over a limited stretch in western Texas."

John Timm

I travel this area fairly frequently and this is true. In addition this area has a speed limit of 80 mph and most traffic is at 85-90 mph. The traffic is sparse enough that this is no problem.,

There was at one time a grade crossing on I 20 in Louisiana. I can't remember exactly where it was but when I encountered it in the mid '80s I was amazed to come upon signals with barricades on an interstate highway. I had occasion to go that way a year ago and there were sign of it's existence still there.

[DSchmitt]

John WR

Thank you for the map.  Unfortunately, it does not match the terrain.  

In New Jersey the New Jersey Turnpike is I-95.  If you are driving south you will come to I-195 in Hamilton.  Leaving I-95 you turn west on I-195 which leads you to I-295 and, continuing west, you come to Ewing, New Jersey and the signs say I-95 again.  The highway goes across the Scudders Falls Bridge and down the west side of the Delaware River.  A second I-95.  

Perhaps some day whoever has authority over our Interstate and Defense Highway System will adopt a unique numbering system.  But so far that has not been done.  

 

There is a unique consistant numbering system.

This is a portion of the highway map from the state of New Jersey web  site:

 

http://www.nj.gov/nj/trans/maps/

The confusion is the Highway 95 is not completed in New Jersey and is not signed as indicated on this map.  According to Wikipedia the Highway is scheduled to be completed in 2018 . Imterstate 95 in Pennsylvania will be rerouted to meet the  alignment shown on this map.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_95

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_95_in_Pennsylvania

[John WR]

Thank you for the map.  Unfortunately, it does not match the terrain.  

In New Jersey the New Jersey Turnpike is I-95.  If you are driving south you will come to I-195 in Hamilton.  Leaving I-95 you turn west on I-195 which leads you to I-295 and, continuing west, you come to Ewing, New Jersey and the signs say I-95 again.  The highway goes across the Scudders Falls Bridge and down the west side of the Delaware River.  A second I-95.  

Perhaps some day whoever has authority over our Interstate and Defense Highway System will adopt a unique numbering system.  But so far that has not been done.  

[DSchmitt]

John WR

DSchmitt

Each route in the State Highway System is given a unique number for identification

Except when they are not.  Like the two I-95's, one in New Jersey and one in Pennsylvania.  Although it would be a good idea to give each interstate highway a unique number.  Perhaps some day we'll adopt the idea.  

 

They are not rwo separate Highways.

From Wikipedia:

"Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States,^[2] running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean seaboard serving areas between Florida and New England inclusive."

 Interstate Highway map:

http://www.onlineatlas.us/interstate-highways.htm

[John WR]

DSchmitt

Each route in the State Highway System is given a unique number for identification

Except when they are not.  Like the two I-95's, one in New Jersey and one in Pennsylvania.  Although it would be a good idea to give each interstate highway a unique number.  Perhaps some day we'll adopt the idea.  

[DSchmitt]

While there are minimum standards for Interstate Highways, there is some flexibility.  There are procedures to approve exceptions to the standards. For instance California I 80 in the mountains there are longitudinal utilities both in and out of the right of way where the only access is from the  highway.  This violates freeway standards, but to provide other access would be tremendously expensive, and probably not even possible in many areas.  There are also some  gated access points to private property for the same reason.

 Highways that do not meet the standards may included in the system.  They are supposed to be upgraded to the standards, but upgrades can take many years.

Off topic but may be of interest:

 Explanation of Highway route numbering  from Caltrans Highway Design.  Probably other States are similar:

 

21.2 Sign Route Numbers

Each route in the State Highway System is given a unique number for identification and signed with distinctive numbered Interstate, U.S. or California State route shields to guide public travel. Route numbers used on one system are not duplicated on another system. Odd numbered routes are generally south to north and and even numbered routes are generally west to east.

"(1) Interstate and Defense Highways (Interstate System). The Interstate System is a network of freeways of national importance, created by Congress and constructed with Federal-aid Interstate System funds. Routes in the system are signed with the Interstate route shields (See Index 42.2 and Figure 21.1) and the general numbering convention is as follows: routes with one or two-digit numbers are north-south or east-west through routes, routes with three-digit numbers, the first of which is odd, are interstate spur routes. For example, I-110 is a spur route off of I-10. Routes in three-digit numbers, the first of which is even, are loops through or belt routes around cities. I-805 in San Diego is an example of a loop off of I-5. The numbering of Interstate routes was developed by AASHTO with concurrence by the states."

(2) United States Numbered Routes. United States Numbered Routes are a network of State highways of statewide and national importance. These highways can be conventional roadways or freeways.

The establishment of a U.S. number as a guide for interstate travel over certain roads has no connection with Federal control, any Federal-aid System, or Federal construction financing. The Executive Committee of AASHTO, with the concurrence of the states, has full authority for numbering U.S. routes.

The Transportation System Information Program is responsible for processing requests for numbering U.S. routes to AASHTO for their consideration.

(3) State Sign Routes.

State Sign Routes are State highways within the State, other than the above signed routes, which are distinctively signed to serve intrastate and interstate travel.

(4) Business Routes.

A Business Route generally is a local street or road in a city or urban area, designated by the same route number as the through Interstate, U.S., or State highway to which it is connected, with the words "Business Route" attached to the identifying route shields. The Business Route designation provides guidance for the traveling public to leave the main highway at one end of a city or urban area, patronize local businesses, and continue on to rejoin the main route at the opposite end of the city or urban area.

 The Transportation System Information Program is responsible for approval of Business Route designations. Applications for Business Route designation and signing must be made by written request from the local government agency to the Chief of the Transportation System Information Program. U.S. and Interstate Business Routes require approval by the AASHTO Executive Committee.

[John WR]

The I-280 bridge crosses the Passaic River in Harrison, NJ.

[desertdog]

While I would not stake my life on everything I find in Wikipedia, this paragraph from "Interstate 10 in Texas" backs up my earlier post:

"Due to I-10 crossing some of the most rural and sparsely inhabited parts of the United States, notably the Trans-Pecos Region it has several unique features that differentiate it from other Interstate Highways. I-10 is one of the very few Interstates that has at-grade intersections (roads that intersect it at a 90 degree angle, as opposed to an overpass or underpass with on and off ramps). These are private access roads (mostly from large ranches) which occur over a limited stretch in western Texas."

John Timm

[narig01]

I am doing this from memory. I-172 near Quincy had a patch of road many years ago (tip 1995 or 1996) that had had a grade crossing. The tracks were paved over and were disconnected past the shoulder. The warning signs said "Abandoned".
Draw bridges on the interstate. Three I remember. 1. The Pearl River crossing between Mississippi and Louisiana on I 10. 2. The Woodrow Wilson bridge in Washington DC on I 95(this has been built into the new bridge). 3. I forget the river on I 280 in Newark NJ.
By the way I 86 gets used by lots of truckers avoiding the NY State Thruway and NY 17 long before that. I 95 has a break in it around Trenton were it "connects" across the Delaware River. South of Trenton the NJ Turnpike is not an Interstate highway just a toll road.
Rgds IGN