Intersections

Sadly, roadgeek information from Egypt is lacking.   So, I really have no almost no clue about the significance of these intersections in Cairo Egypt, but the array of major highways meeting, with the added complication of the presence of a rail line, just seemed too interesting to not merit a highlight:

It’s on to the Sooner State for this week’s highway feature:

Growing up, I used to love to doodle fictional highway systems and interchanges. (Yes, I’m weird. I’m a roadgeek and an actuary, which when combined gets you nominated to be pictured in Webster’s definition of “weird”.)

While doodling, I often entertained the idea of interchanges such as this one, to minimize right-of-way. True, such a construction violates the standard of “slow traffic keep right” and that exit ramps on modern specs are always supposed to be on the right-hand-side of the roadway…but the ability to have long, straight acceleration and deceleration ramps/lanes would seem to mitigate some of that problem.

Maryland offers us this fun intersection:

This is a half-continuous flow intersection, where the conflict between different sets of left-turning traffic is allegedly alleviated by having the northbound-to-westbound traffic crossing the path of the westbound-to-southbound traffic a short distance away from the intersection.

Presumably this is something that works in reality, but is simply difficult to describe in words.

Last week we looked at a Michigan Left. For this week, we’ll head to the Garden State.

Here we have a jughandle, a “favorite” way in New Jersey to avoid having left turns off a major arterial clog up traffic flow on the artierial.

At this intersection, southbound traffic from US1 seeking to head eastbound will use the loop ramp just past the intersection. Meanwhile northbound traffic seeking to head either east or west will take the ramp just before the intersection.

If you aren’t familiar with the concept, or in the variety of jughandles found around the state…that first encounter with an “ALL TURNS FROM RIGHT LANE” sign can be a bit of a surprise.

And now, for something a little different:

Outside of Ann Arbor Michigan, we can find an example of an intersection involving “Michigan lefts”. East or westbound traffic seeking to make a left turn onto Huron Parkway actually first has to turn right, and then make a u-turn at the median break provided.

Similarly, traffic seeking to make a left-turn off of Huron actually needs to use one of the u-turn ramps, and then make a right.

It’s a bit funky, but presumably traffic flows better in the absence of a couple of annoying left-turn phases in the traffic signal operations at the intersection

Chicago this week:

Here we have the intersection of two classic Chicago streets — Lake Shore Drive, which carries US 41 scenically along Lake Michigan past downtown Chicago; and Wacker Drive, the most famous of Chicago’s multi-level streets (single-decked at this intersection, but triple-decked just a few blocks to the west).

Wacker Drive gained infamy outside Chicagoland when it was featured in a chase scene in the movie, Blues Brothers.

Wikipedia has more information on both Lake Shore Drive and Wacker Drive.

Now, here’s a highway feature I’m glad I don’t have to encounter any time soon:

This rotary was featured in the Telegraph in January, and it serves as an example of how perhaps China’s infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the rise of an automobile culture in that country.

And now for something a little different:

The above map is centered in on the intersection of AK 2 (Richardson Highway) and North Santa Claus Lane, in North Pole, Alaska.

The intersection itself isn’t all that interesting from a roadgeek’s perspective, but I thought it was something cool to do to wish a Merry Christmas to those who observe the holiday.

For more information, see Oscar Voss’ page on North Pole.