Ghost ramp

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A ghost ramp (also known as a stub ramp, a ramp stub, or simply a stub) is an incomplete onramp or offramp which does not connect a freeway or expressway with another road.^[1] It is usually created in anticipation of additional construction but is often "stranded" when either the design of the proposed interchange is modified or the planned construction is cancelled.

Ghost ramps are a common sight in many urban areas in the United States, and are often visible signs of a successful freeway revolt. Most ghost ramps are short "stubs", but occasionally one finds lengthy "ramps to nowhere".

Contents 1 Examples 1.1 United States 1.1.1 Arkansas 1.1.2 California 1.1.3 Delaware 1.1.4 District of Columbia 1.1.5 Connecticut 1.1.6 Florida 1.1.7 Georgia 1.1.8 Illinois 1.1.9 Indiana 1.1.10 Kentucky 1.1.11 Louisiana 1.1.12 Maine 1.1.13 Maryland 1.1.14 Massachusetts 1.1.15 Minnesota 1.1.16 Missouri 1.1.17 New Jersey 1.1.18 New York 1.1.19 North Carolina 1.1.20 Ohio 1.1.21 Oregon 1.1.22 Pennsylvania 1.1.23 Rhode Island 1.1.24 South Carolina 1.1.25 Tennessee 1.1.26 Texas 1.1.27 Vermont 1.1.28 Virginia 1.1.29 Washington 1.1.30 West Virginia 1.2 Canada 1.2.1 Ontario 1.2.2 British Columbia 1.2.3 Québec 1.3 United Kingdom 1.4 Germany 2 References 3 External links

[edit] Examples

Examples of ghost ramps around the world:

[edit] United States

[edit] Arkansas

• At the northern terminus of Interstate 440 at US 67 in Jacksonville, there are stub ramps northward suggesting the highway was to/will continue. [1]

• On the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River, on approach to the Memphis-Arkansas Memorial Bridge, which carries Interstate 55 between West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee, a ghost ramp and roadway extends near the current roadway. Prior to the construction and opening of the Memphis-Arkansas Memorial Bridge, the Harahan Bridge, one of the railroad bridges that cross the Mississippi River at Memphis, Tennessee, also carried automobile and truck traffic on separate platforms from the rail traffic. One platform carried traffic eastbound into Memphis, Tennessee. The other platform carried traffic westbound into Arkansas. Each platform only carried one lane of traffic. [2]

[edit] California

• There is a ghost ramp on what used to be the connector between westbound Interstate 10 and southbound U.S. Highway 101 near the East Los Angeles Interchange before it was demolished in 1996. Caltrans wanted motorists to make the connection to the Santa Ana Freeway via Interstate 5. A stub ramp is all that remains.[3]

• In San Mateo County, Interstate 380 was originally planned to continue westward from its junction with Interstate 280 past Skyline Boulevard and over the coastal hills, terminating at Highway 1 near Rockaway Beach in Pacifica. This portion of I-380 was shelved due to budget, environmental, and engineering concerns (the freeway would have crossed directly over the San Andreas Fault). Today, travelers exiting southbound I-280 onto eastbound I-380 can see two ghost ramps which would have carried thru traffic on I-380. CalTrans remains hopeful that the freeway will eventually be built; the callbox and exit numbers along the entire completed length of I-380 (a little over three miles) are consistent with what they would have been had the freeway been finished as planned. [4]

• Just south of Pasadena on the continuation of what originally was proposed to be the northern terminus of the Long Beach Freeway (I-710), there is a noticeably widened median and then two slabs of pavement for what could be a future I-710 going through residential Pasadena. There has been debate between Caltrans and residents whether extending the freeway would clear up traffic between the Golden State Freeway (Interstate 5) and the San Gabriel River Freeway (Interstate 605) because there are no north-south running freeways in the heavily populated area. The drawback is that it could only end up displacing surface street traffic on to freeways, improving nothing in turn. [5] [6]

• There is an entire section of 101 that was taken down just a few years after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake right in downtown San Francisco just north of the I-80 split. The ramp is visible from above and if you look to the north, there are empty gaps where the original James Lick Skyway ran right through the city. The freeway now ends a few blocks south of its original ending. [7]

• Also in San Francisco at the same time the James Lick Skyway was being taken down, the city had also worked on eliminating a viaduct going through downtown that was heavily damaged in the same Loma Prieta earthquake. The Embarcadero which on different maps switched from being SR 480 to a spur of 80 itself being I-480. If you look just between the San Francisco Bay Bridge and the I-80 split off from US-101, there are still ghost ramps leading to where the original viaduct used to run. There are also remnants along where it used to run along the bay and terminated only 2 miles northwest of its original beginning at 80. [8]

• In San Mateo on the eastbound connector from CA-92 to the southbound US-101, there is a ghost ramp which was originally built to connect to northbound US-101 via a loop ramp but was never finished. [9]

• In Marin County, on the southbound 101 freeway, just north of the Rainbow Tunnels, there is a ghost ramp for the proposed (but never built) Rodeo Avenue subdivision of Sausalito. The ramp terminates in a dirt road which (if the gates are open) can be followed around to some private roads on the east side of the freeway. ^{[citation needed]}

• In Silver Lake, SR2 was to be extended, but instead the freeway ends at Glendale Blvd. A freeway wide overpass was bulit, but as of now, only one direction utilizes that overpass. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Delaware

• At the interchange of the Delaware Route 141 freeway with Delaware Route 2 near Newport, several unused ramps, when Delaware Route 141 would have been a high-speed western bypass around Wilmington can be seen, along with an unused section of freeway. As of 2006, the Delaware Department of Transportation is currently in the process of totally rebuilding a 2-mile section of Route 141 to eliminate this low-speed (35 m.p.h.) 4-lane road to a physically-divided road with a 45 m.p.h. speed limit (the lower limit due to the location of residences in the area) ^{[citation needed]}

• On the Delaware Route 1 Turnpike in Dover, two ghost ramps once existed at Delaware Route 8, but were finally rebuilt into a partial interchange in 1999. Another ghost ramp, from old U.S. 113 south to Route 1 north, is located at the highway's interchange with Bay Road at Dover Air Force Base. Another ghost ramp, seen as a widened stretch south of Route 8, would have possibly allowed two-lane off and on ramp to the Puncheon Run Corridor, but single-lane ramps were constructed instead. ^{[citation needed]}

• With the 2006 completion of the Delaware Route 58 bridge over the Delaware Turnpike (I-95) near the interchange with Delaware Route 1, the new 800-foot long bridge were delibertily built with "ghost spaces" between the new abutments and the existing shoulders in anticipation of the total rebuild of the Delaware Turnpike/Route 1 interchange from a cloverleaf to one with high-speed flyover ramps. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] District of Columbia

See also sections relating to the DC area in the sections on Maryland and Virginia

• A small ghost ramp on DC 295, which may have at one point provided a connection to I-295 or (the unsigned) I-695.[10]

• The unsigned Interstate 695 terminates abruptly southwest of RFK Stadium, just before the Pennsylvania Avenue overpass. An access road (not shown on current satellite imagery) now extends to RFK; this section of freeway is planned to be replaced.^[2][11]

[edit] Connecticut

In Farmington, Connecticut (west of Hartford, Connecticut), the junction of Interstate 84 and Route 9 is a four-level stack interchange only half of which is used. The interchange was originally built for Interstate 291, most of which was cancelled. The interchange stood wholly unused for over 20 years, until Route 9 was extended in 1992 to use the south-facing part of the interchange. Route 9 ends at I-84, so the north-facing and through ramps remain unused. Viewable at [12] ^[3]

• Interstate 84 also has several stubs at exits 45 and 46 in Hartford. Exit 43 has stubs at the intersection of Park Road in West Hartford as it was originally planned to head farther north. ^{[citation needed]}

• Route 11 has a ghost continuation at its southern end. It is still alive for continuation southward to Interstate 95 at Interstate 395. ^[4]

• U.S. Route 7 has two sets of ghost ramps. One set is north of Norwalk, Connecticut, where 7 was intended to continue as a freeway north toward Interstate 84. The other set is north of Danbury, Connecticut, where 7 exits onto U.S. Route 202. Exit numbering on the latter freeway is 11 and 12, reflecting the unbuilt freeway between Norwalk and Danbury. ^[5]

[edit] Florida

Jacksonville, Florida:

• A stub ramp exists along SR 9A southeast of Jacksonville, Florida. [13] This stub will lead to SR 9B (soon to be I-795). ^[6]

Kendall:

• Florida's Turnpike has a set of ghost ramps near its junction with the Don Shula Expressway (SR 874) near Kendall. Originally, SR 874 was supposed to continue southward toward Homestead on the current alignment of the turnpike, with the turnpike extending to the southwest, along a continuation of the current alignment of SR 874^[7][8]. Southbound SR 874 also has a remnant of a ghost ramp as the Don Shula Expressway crosses Snapper Creek just east of the turnpike. [14]

Miami

• A stub exists on an onramp from southbound SR 953 (LeJeune Road) to westbound SR 836. This was removed in the 1990s which eliminated the connection that encouraged weaving on the expressway. [15]

St. Petersburg:

• Southbound Interstate 275 has a ghost ramp in St. Petersburg just west of 31st Street South[16][17]. It was intended to be an onramp from a proposed Pinellas Beltway expressway that was killed in the 1970s. ^{[citation needed]}

• The interchange between Interstate 275 and Interstate 375 features a ghost ramp as it was originally intended to have a direct connection between the I-375 and 20th Street North (a planned extension of I-375 was killed prior to construction of the interchange)[18][19]. FDOT decided that an additional ramp to a nearby surface street was unnecessary and cancelled the rest of the construction. ^{[citation needed]}.

Sweetwater:

• The original western terminus of the Dolphin Expressway (SR 836) featured ghost ramps not only on the westbound mainline before drivers merge onto Florida's Turnpike near Doral and Sweetwater, but also on the cloverleaf-style onramp from the southbound turnpike to eastbound SR 836. Construction of a westward extension of SR 836 has now eliminated all but one of the ghost ramps[20]. A pre-construction (1999) aerial shot can be found here.

[edit] Georgia

Atlanta:

• At the eastern terminus of State Route 166, the highway ends immediately after its interchange with the downtown connector, with a stub in the mainline. A half diamond interchange links the freeway to Lakewood Avenue. The eastward extension of this freeway was killed in the Atlanta Freeway Revolt of the 1970s. It would have continued to the east and connected with the East Atlanta Tollway (unbuilt) and would have terminated at Interstate 20. This freeway, along with the existing Langford Parkway, was proposed to be a part of the unbuilt Interstate 420. [21]

• Near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, two ghost ramps exist at the Virginia Avenue overpass above Hartsfield Drive. Hartsfield Drive carried traffic into the Atlanta Municipal Airport Terminal before the construction of the present terminals. These ramps were part of four ramps leading to and from Virginia Avenue, which linked the terminal to Interstate 85 south and to the local communities. Originally, the four ramps consisted of a diamond ramp that linked northbound Hartsfield Drive to eastbound Virginia Avenue (still visible), a diamond ramp that linked eastbound Virginia Avenue to southbound Hartsfield Drive (still visible), a cloverleaf ramp that linked northbound Hartsfield Drive to westbound Virginia Avenue (destroyed), and a cloverleaf ramp that linked westbound Virginia Avenue to southbound Hartsfield Drive (destroyed).^[9][22]

• The western end of the freeway portion of State Route 14 Spur was relocated as part of the construction of the South Fulton Parkway. This realignment closed what had been the western end of the freeway. This alignment exists as ghost ramps from Roosevelt Highway at its intersection with Welcome All Road. The ramps depart the intersection to the north and curve toward the east but stop short of intersecting South Fulton Parkway at its Roosevelt Highway interchange. [23]

• The stub of an as-yet-unbuilt flyover ramp from Interstate 75 northbound to Interstate 285 westbound on the northwest side of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia. According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the ramp may eventually be used as part of a revamp of the interchange. [24]

Cherokee County:

• The freeway portion of State Route 372, where it inersects State Route 5 Business, ends in stub ramps on the mainline. A half diamond interchange links the freeway to Highway 5 Business. The freeway section consists of the western end of highway 372 and the freeway was constructed as a part of State Route 400 which was at one time proposed to connect with State Route 515.[25]

[edit] Illinois

Chicago:

• Downtown, the ramps onto I-90/I-94 from Washington Blvd have been closed, and parts of them have been removed, leaving a ghost ramp descending onto the expressway. ^{[citation needed]}.

Peoria:

• Along Interstate 474, the Farmington Road interchange was intended to be a freeway or expressway replacing Farmington Road. However, the only part finished is a short stretch connecting I-474 with Maxwell Road to the west. Space was allocated to accommodate ramps for traffic needing to go east into downtown Peoria. The freeway continues past the last completed ramp, but is closed and just dies in the grass. It has been long enough that if the freeway later connected with something east of I-474, the abandoned pavement would probably need replaced. [26]
• At the northern end of Illinois Route 6 (an extension of Interstate 474), there is an intersection in which all northbound traffic is diverted to Illinois Route 29. It was planned to extend Route 6 north to Chillicothe or even Interstate 80 and Interstate 180. However, funding has been lacking. Currently, the main traffic lanes extend north past the intersection. All ramps leading to and from the traffic lanes north of the intersection are present. However, all northbound traffic must exit. [27]
• There used to be a ramp taking west-bound traffic of the McCluggage bridge and deposit them onto North-bound Galena Road. (To the south of the bridge, Galena is called NW Adams Street.) This ramp was removed in the late 1990s, probably because the Galena Road end of the ramp was too close to an intersection on that side of Galena Road. However, the bridge still has part of the ramp attached. The old ramp simply extended the bridge straight while the road moved to the left (south). The ghost part of the ramp had to remain until the bridge is replaced. [28]

New Lenox:

• Interstate 80 has stub ramps on both sides of the roadway where the Interstate 355 southern extension is to connect. ^{[citation needed]}.

Bolingbrook:

• Interstate 55 has empty pillars where I-355 flyover ramps to I-55 are being built. ^{[citation needed]}.

Decatur:

• There is obvious grading in the median of Interstate 72 for a planned but never built flyover connection to northbound U.S. 51. [29]

[edit] Indiana

Jeffersonville:

• State Road 265, which is an extension of Interstate 265 east of Interstate 65, ends currently at State Road 62 northeast of Jeffersonville. There are signs proclaiming "No bridge to Kentucky." As part of the Ohio River Bridges Project, this interchange is slated for reconstruction as Interstate 265 is to run southeast into Kentucky via a bridge. [30]

Indianapolis:

• There is grading and stub ramps at the Interstate 70 and 65 interchange in downtown Indianapolis where Interstate 69 was supposed to have connected, but was cancelled due to community opposition. [31]

[edit] Kentucky

Hopkinsville:

• The Pennyrile Parkway was to extend from Interstate 24 near Oak Grove to Henderson. The southernmost seven miles were not constructed, however, and a stub was left in Hopkinsville. There are plans in the six-year plan to construct the remaining mileage. [32]

Louisville:

• Kentucky Route 841, which also carries the designation Interstate 265 between Interstate 71 and Interstate 65, had two stubs.
  • Northwest of Interstate 71, Interstate 265 becomes solely Kentucky Route 841 and narrows from four-lanes divided to two undivided as a super-two. The highway ends at a stub diamond interchange with U.S. Highway 41. As part of the Ohio River Bridges Project, this interchange is slated for redesign using a modified half-diamond interchange with Interstate 265 continuing northwestward to Indiana via a tunnel and bridge. [33]
  • Southwest of the city past Interstate 65, where Interstate 265 becomes Kentucky Route 841, the highway formerly dead-ended at U.S. Highway 31W and U.S. Highway 60. The interchange was completed as part of an extension of Kentucky Route 1934, otherwise known as the Greenbelt Highway. [34]

Newport:

• Along Interstate 471 near the Ohio River, a stub on-ramp would have connected Lexington Avenue and East Fourth Street to Interstate 471, providing relief for the Kentucky Route 8 interchange. [35]

Princeton:

• The Western Kentucky Parkway was a toll road extending from Princeton to Elizabethtown. The original western terminus was with U.S. Highway 62 from 1963 to 1968, when the parkway was extended westward to Interstate 24. [36]

[edit] Louisiana

Shreveport, Louisiana

• The eastern terminus of Interstate 220 (Louisiana) contains several stub ramps and the grading for the remainder of the interchange. This was planned to connect to today's LA 3132 south of the city. [37]

• The northern terminus of Interstate 49 contains numerous stub ramps that indicate a northern extension is planned from the Interstate 20 interchange. [38]

• Along the Clyde Fant Memorial Parkway, there are indications that the wide intersection near Champion Links Golf Course was to be a full diamond interchange. [39]

• At the eastern terminus of LA 3132, there is a half-complete diamond interchange. This was planned to connect to Interstate 220 (Louisiana) east of the city. [40]

New Orleans, Louisiana

• On Interstate 10, in the easternmost part of Orleans Parish, between exits 248 (Michoud Boulevard) and 251 (Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge), is an unused diamond interchange, complete with overpass, whose ramps were overgrown with vegetation and (at least before Hurricane Katrina) barricaded from use by travelers on the highway. [41]

[edit] Maine

• Interstate 195 has an interchange with the Maine Turnpike at its western terminus. As originally constructed, both ramps were clover ramps, but subsequently, the clover ramp handling traffic exiting the turnpike was replaced, turning the interchange into a trumpet.^{[citation needed]} The grade for the original clover ramp remains. Also, the eastbound ramp from the Turnpike crosses a bridge meant for two lanes, but only has one and shifts over to the left, as can be seen from the link. [42]

• Interstate 295 at it's northern terminus meets Interstate 95 at what appears to be the culmination of several ghost ramps, that have since been replaced with a far simpler diamond to half trumpet interchange, via ME 9 & ME 126. As can be seen from the google map aerial, there is an overpass bridge that seems to double as the toll plaza on I-295. This is both Exit 102 & 103. [43]

[edit] Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland staged numerous successful revolts; and has many ghost ramps to show for it.

• A stretch of U.S. Highway 40 west of downtown Baltimore contains a short below-grade freeway alignment, which was constructed as part of a planned routing of Interstate 170 into downtown. When the I-70 extension into Baltimore was killed, this small freeway segment was orphaned. Currently, US 40 runs east-west on a one-way couplet of surface streets, enters this segment for part of its length, and returns to the surface streets at the other end. A considerable portion of the freeway segment sits unused, as does a ramp leading to the segment. Viewable at [44]

• Also due to the killing of I-70 through Baltimore, are ghost ramps along Interstate 95 at the proposed eastern terminus of I-70. Viewable at [45]

• Ghost ramps are also located in I-95, just north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel, just south of Interstate Avenue [46] and just north of O'Donnell Street. This interchange would have marked the southern terminus of I-83, had it continued beyond downtown. [47]

Source: Interstate 83

• Ghost ramps, for the proposed Windlass Freeway, also exist at the interchange between Interstate 695 and Maryland Route 702. The freeway, if built, would have continued to the north. [48].

• Also, immediately south of this intersection, I-695 has a hairpin turn and two additional pairs of ghost ramps; the Windlass Freeway would have continued to the west from this turn. [49]

• At the western end of the proposed Windlass Freeway, are a set of ghost ramps at the interchange between I-95 and Moravia Road, which is where the Windlass Freeway would have connected. ^[10]. Viewable at [50]

Sources for ramps related to Interstate 70: Interstate 70 in Maryland

In College Park:

• Between Baltimore and Washington D.C., Interstate 95 merges on with the I-495 beltway that loops around DC to continue into Virginia. At the intersection of both freeways, you can see apparent ghost ramps at the south end. I-95 was originally supposed to continue through DC, but plans were scrapped after residents protested. I-95 now continues on the eastern side of the I-495, and the finished portion of the project is known as [I-395]. If the freeway were ever built, the intersection for all four directions is already complete. The stub ramps and a portion of the planned right-of-way were converted into a truck weigh station. (Viewable at [51])

Source I-95 Notes

In Silver Spring:

• On Connecticut Ave. between Veirs Mill Rd. and Aspen Hill Rd., several short ramp stubs may be seen as the road passes over a small river. These were built for the Montrose Parkway, a highway that was planned to connect the still-proposed but unbuilt Intercounty Connector to Montrose Road in Rockville. Although the westernmost stretch of Montrose Parkway is under construction as of 2006, it is no longer planned to extend east of Veirs Mill Rd. [52]

[edit] Massachusetts

A number of cloverleaf interchanges in the Boston, Massachusetts area have a missing arm and overly wide bridges, reflecting an unbuilt highway. Many of these were imposed as a result of the moratorium on highways inside Route 128 imposed after the Boston Transportation Planning Review.

• In Revere, at the junction of U.S. Route 1 and Route 60, Interstate 95 was originally planned to split from US 1. Ramps for the unbuilt portion of I-95 remain visible, and a graded embankment extends to the Saugus River. ^[11] [53]

• In Burlington, at the junction of Interstate 95 (Route 128) and U.S. Route 3, (originally the US 3/128 junction) US 3 south of the junction was cancelled. The cloverleaf has since been converted into a somewhat awkward trumpet interchange, but grading for the cloverleaf is still clearly visible.^[12]1965 MassDPW map [54]

• In Canton/Westwood, at the junction of Interstate 95 (Route 128) and Interstate 93, (originally the I-95/128 junction) I-95 north of the junction was cancelled. This cloverleaf has also been converted into a trumpet interchange, but grading for the cloverleaf and collector-distributor lane, plus an extra bridge for a flyover from I-95 south to Route 128 south, are still clearly visible. Portions of the roadway to the north, proposed as the Southwest Expressway are paved and somewhat overgrown and can be traversed by foot today. ^[13]1965 MassDPW map [55]

• In Charlestown, there were two stubs reflecting Y interchanges to be built. One was for the Inner Belt (Interstate 695), and two of those four stub ramps are now used for the Leverett Circle Connector. ^[14] 1965 MassDPW map The other was for U.S. Route 1 north of the Charles River crossing, created when 1 was tunnelled under the center of Charlestown. That set of ghost ramps disappeared when the Big Dig was completed and the old highway torn down. ^{[citation needed]}

• In Attleboro, at the junction of Interstate 95 and Interstate 295, Interstate 895, which would have travelled east from the junction, was cancelled. MassHighway plans someday to use the remainder of the interchange for a connector into Attleboro. ^[15] [56]

• In Marlborough, at the junction of Interstate 495 and Interstate 290, the bridges over I-495 are wider than needed for the two-lane freeway connector into Hudson, as there were once plans to extend I-290 all the way to Route 128. There is also grading for an abandoned cloverleaf loop from I-290 east to I-495 north. This was replaced by a flyover, due to a large number of truck rollovers on the ramp. ^[16] 1968 MassDPW map [57]

• In West Stockbridge, the western end of the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 90, has ghost ramps where it once curved at the border to end at Route 102. [58]

• In Somerville, the Sullivan Square overpass was recently dismantled, leaving a ghost approach on Route 99. ^[17]

• In Southwick, Route 57 ends abruptly at Route 187, with a ghost continuation in the median. This is planned for further extension as a Southwick bypass as traffic may warrant. ^[18] [59]

[edit] Minnesota

• Interstate 335, a spur of Interstate 35W, was proposed to connect I-35W with Interstate 94 just north of downtown Minneapolis. The project got as far as right-of-way acquisition and grading for exit ramps on I-35W at Johnson Street before it got cancelled due to local opposition. The northbound exit from I-35W to Johnson Street makes a rather long dogleg around a hill, while the southbound lanes of I-35W contain the vestiges of an entrance ramp near Hennepin Avenue. The ramps can be seen on this map.

Just to the north, a bus-only ramp follows the grade along which eastbound I-335 would have connected to northbound I-35W, just west of New Brighton Blvd. ^[19]

• In the late 1950s, what is now Minnesota Highway 5 was proposed to follow a more direct, part-freeway/part-arterial routing between downtown St Paul and the existing 4-lane segment along MN 5 east of Minnesota Highway 120. The northern MN 5/MN 120 junction includes some ramp grading for what was then planned as a folded diamond interchange, but cancelled along with the rest of the proposed highway sometime in the 1970s. What was to be the westbound off-ramp loop is now used as an access road to a Mn/DOT staging area, as can be seen in this aerial image.

[edit] Missouri

• A proposed Route 755 was to start at Interstate 55 at its intersection with Interstate 44 and connecting Interstate 64 with Interstate 70, which would have been the northern terminus. The freeway would have looped to the west of downtown Saint Louis, Missouri^[20]. Indications of the cancelled freeway can be seen in the current freeway signs, and I-755 followed Lafayette Street[60] (actually Lafayette Avenue) [61]. Ghost ramps can actually be seen to the north of Interstate 44 at its terminus[62] and to the north of Interstate 64 just east of Jefferson Avenue[63]. A sufficiently large right of way is also present at both locations.

[edit] New Jersey

• Route 15 has two partially built cloverleaf interchanges along the Sparta freeway bypass. One has obvious ghost ramps, the other has only the merge part of the ramp built. Both can be seen here. ^[21][64] [65]
• Route 18 ends suddenly at the interchange with Route 138 in Wall Township ^[22][66]
• Route 33 has several abandoned ramps and more. The first is a ramp that has since been eliminated by new construction along U.S. Route 9 & Route 79. Another ramp exists at Howell Road, where the NJDOT has kept a ramp from the newly completed bypass closed since 2003. The ramp was a concession with the Howell Road residents and as such, was found to have safety problems. The ramp is scheduled to be bulldozed. The last segment is the old alignment of the freeway, the current bypass was rerouted to avoid a turtle bog and left the originally laid pavement vacant. The NJDOT now uses the segment as a maintenance yard. [67]
• U.S. Route 202 & U.S. Route 206 with their multiplex in Bridgewater, NJ shows signs of an abandoned half diamond interchange north of U.S. Route 22, as can be seen here. [68]
• Interstate 78 has an abandoned clover ramp at the interchange with Interstate 287 in Bridgewater, NJ. The ramp has been replaced with a flyover ramp, and has been barricaded off. [69]
• Interstate 278 was originally planned to continue past U.S. Route 1, where there is currently a wide median (but no ghost ramps), to Interstate 78 at its interchange with Route 124, where there until recently were ghost ramps between Interstate 278 and Interstate 78 to the west. ^[23]
• Interstate 95 north of Trenton, NJ has two ghost ramps meant for the unbuilt Somerset Freeway. One would have been from I-95 southbound to I-295 southbound, and the other would have been from Route 31 northbound to I-295 southbound. Seen here [70]
• At Interstate 95, New Jersey Turnpike interchange 13 with Interstate 278, there are ghost ramps where originally Route 81 was planned to continue north. Instead, a new interchange 13A was constructed, leaving several ghost ramps and wide bridges and shoulders. ^{[citation needed]}
• Interstate 280 was meant to connect with a Newark freeway at Exit 13, Route 75. Route 75 was never built, leaving a six-lane ghost ramp out of the center of Interstate 280 straight into Newark. 280 still follows a pair of two-lane ramps to connect to the old Route 58 section. ^[24]
• New Jersey Turnpike (Interstate 95) originally ended at U.S. Route 46, interchange 68, in a trumpet interchange. The original 46 westbound to Turnpike southbound ramp was mostly demolished, but a ghost bridge exists over U.S. Route 46. ^{[citation needed]}
• Route 440 was meant to continue around the west side of Bayonne, New Jersey as a freeway. It originally exited itself in a trumpet interchange, or else traffic would then have to exit in a second trumpet interchange onto Route 169. When 169 was redesignated as part of Route 440, the second trumpet was reconfigured into a long curve, removing paved ghost ramps but leaving some ghost clearing and extra land in the Port of Bayonne. ^{[citation needed]}
• The Garden State Parkway used to come to U.S. Route 9 at the Beesley's Point Bridge. When the Parkway was completed, the ramps to 9 on the south side of the bridge were left as ghosts. [71]
• Eisenhower Parkway has a full ghost cloverleaf interchange with Route 24 in anticipation of a southern extension, which was built in 1974. The completed part of Eisenhower Parkway currently ends to the north at South Orange Avenue in Livingston. There are talks of opening this abandoned interchange as a new "Exit 6" to fill in a large exit gap along Route 24, but no official plans have been made yet. [72]

[edit] New York

Albany:

• The east end of the Dunn Memorial Bridge has several stubs and ghosts where the South Mall Expressway (U.S. Route 9 and U.S. Route 20) would have continued eastward to Interstate 90 then east to the end of Route 43 as an extension of Route 43. Until about 1995, there was a ghost cloverleaf interchange at Interstate 90 for this unbuilt Route 43 extension. Since then a modified shortened extension of Route 43 was built, ending at I-90, and the ghost cloverleaf has been rebuilt a trumpet interchange. The west end of the South Mall Expressway abruptly ends at the Empire State Plaza, where there is a ghost continuation of the freeway in the median, part of Albany's cancelled freeway system. It would have extended to an interchange under Washington Park with another cancelled freeway carrying US Route 9. There is a ghost stub of this freeway on US Route 9 just south of its interchange with I-90. Another set of ghost ramps on I-90 in Albany were built for cancelled Interstate 687. They have since been reused as an entrance for a business park. ^{[citation needed]}.

Niagara Falls:

• The Robert Moses Parkway has some abandoned sections of road, such as seen here.

Staten Island:

• Near the Todt Hill Road exit of the Staten Island Expressway is a fully built 3-way interchange which would have connected to the Richmond Parkway, had it been extended to that point. Viewable at [73]
• Where the Willowbrook Expressway ends at Victory Boulevard, stubs point south for a never built section of the road. ^[25][74]
• Where the Richmond Parkway ends on Arthur Kill Road, a stub of the highway crosses Arthur Kill Road and then Richmond Avenue before dead-ending. This would have continued to the above mentioned interchange with the Staten Island Express. [75]
• The West Shore Expressway ends on the Richmond Parkway, although the interchange is designed as a full 4-way interchange. This was too have connected to the never built Shore Front Drive. ^[26][76]

Long Island:

• At the eastern terminus of the Long Island Expressway in Riverhead, there are stub ramps for a continuation of the expressway northward, and even space for an Old Country Road-495 North cloverleaf ramp. ^[27][77]
• At the southern end of Route 135 stubs are visible that would have connected to the Wantagh Parkway. Also lots emptied in anticipation for the road are still visible. ^[28][78]
• The northern terminus of Route 135, there is an incomplete cloverleaf interchange with Route 25A. Route 135 was to continue north to Interstate 95 in Port Chester via a bridge over the Long Island Sound. ^[28][79]

New York City:

• On the ramp from Belt Parkway westbound to John F. Kennedy International Airport, there is a ghost ramp where there would have been a connection to the westbound Nassau Expressway, proposed Interstate 78. Only the eastbound side was built west of the airport access road (JFK Expressway), though, as Route 878 (secret Interstate 878). ^[29][80]
• The Clearview Expressway (I-295) abruptly ends right after the Grand Central Parkway at a traffic light with Hillside Avenue. Past plans called for the Clearview Expressway to go south to John F. Kennedy International Airport. ^[30][81]

[edit] North Carolina

• In Winston-Salem, there are stub ramps all around the interchange of US 311 (Future Interstate 74) and I-40. Viewable at [82]

• In Gastonia, ghost ramps mark what was once a temporary endpoint of I-85. The ramps shuttled I-85 traffic to and from US 29 and US 74, aka Franklin Boulevard. The bridge that carried the I-85 offramp is now an overpass for Aberdeen Boulevard, a connector street that runs between Franklin Boulevard and Cox Road. ^[31] Viewable at [83]

[edit] Ohio

• There is still a short connecting road at the western end of the Ohio Turnpike. This road functioned as a stub ramp to U.S. 20 for roughly a year, before the Indiana Toll Road was completed to the state line. [84]

• For two decades, State Route 7's partially-completed bypass around Chesapeake has a partial trumpet intersection, complete with ghost onramp.[85] Phase I of the Chesapeake Bypass was opened in the mid-1980s, with the Ohio Department of Transportation's announced intention for completion by 2000. The Chesapeake Bypass project is still alive, but well behind ODOT's original plans. A 1988 aerial shot can be seen here.

Columbus:

• At Interstate 270 and Alum Creek Drive southeast of the city, one ramp from Alum Creek Drive south to Interstate 270 west was never constructed. Grading and right-of-way are evident and may be constructed in the future if suburban growth continues to persist. [86]

• At the State Route 315 and Bethel Road interchange, the interchange has a missing loop ramp in the northwest quadrant, and the ramp from OH 315 southbound only curves to the right at the very end, as if a left turn movement should be available. Bethel Road ends at OH 315 although an extension east to Morse Road has been in the plans for decades. ^[32] However, there has been much opposition from local residents. [87]

• The Interstate 270 and State Route 315 interchange had a missing direct-right-turn ramp in the northwest quadrant for several decades. Traffic going from OH 315 southbound to Interstate 270 westbound had to turn left to the northeast quadrant loop. A direct right-turn ramp was completed in the 1990s. current interchange old interchange

• For decades, there was a missing section of Interstate 670 between west of SR 315. In the west, I-670 split off from Interstate 70 and ended at an unfinished parclo interchange at Grandview Ave. [88] In the late 1990s and early 2000s the missing section was completed and the entire I-670 freeway was reconstructed, including reconfiguration of the Spring-Sandusky interchange with SR 315. ^[33]

In and around Cincinnati:

• At the interchange of I-74 and Beekman Street. This was supposed to have been the interchange for the Colerain Expressway, which was never constructed. Stub ramps exist on both directions of Beekman and on the Westbound I-74 on-ramp. Grading for the Colerain Expressway is still visible. ^[34] [89]

• Downtown, there is a stub ramp on the eastward-facing I-71 Southbound to I-75 Southbound connector ramp. It points north, whereas the ramp turns south. [90]

• At the interchange of I-71 and the Ronald Reagan Cross-County Highway, which was intended to stretch across the length of Hamilton County. As of 2006, the Cross-County Highway's termini are at I-71 and I-275. ^{[citation needed]}.

Dayton:

• Where I-75 meets Riverside Dr., a semi-directional interchange to/from I-75 north used to exist. While the southwest quadrant cloverleaf is still in use, grading is still evident for the northwest cloverleaf and the southeast ramp. Evidence for the northeast ramp has been mostly if not completely removed. [91]

Toledo:

• Just north of where I-75 meets the Anthony Wayne Trail (State Route 25), a short ramp stub comes off of I-75 southbound. This was apparently planned to connect to a cancelled freeway that would have run from the current Anthony Wayne Trail terminus through downtown Toledo, along the banks of the Maumee River. Note that when the Trail ends just east of I-75, the northbound lanes curve sharply to the right of the planned alignment; it is not clear if grading still remains. [92]

Youngstown:

• There is a disconnected roadway along US-62 westbound/SR-7 southbound at the US-422 interchange. This was likely intended to be a C/D road, but is disused due to the US-62/SR-7 freeway not having been completed to the northeast. [93]

[edit] Oregon

Portland, Oregon and its surrounding areas has several examples:

• Just before the east end of the Marquam Bridge, for the cancelled Mt. Hood Freeway. Additional ghost ramps to this cancelled freeway were removed when Interstate 5 (which runs on the Marquam Bridge) was widened. This ramp is not viewable from above, as it is on the lower deck of a two-layer viaduct (and is completely concealed from aerial or satellite photography by the upper deck).^[35][36]
• On the Grand Avenue Viaduct (Oregon Highway 99E), also near the Mt. Hood Freeway. Viewable at [94]. A construction project is underway to replace this viaduct; this project will likely involve removal of any ghost ramps. ^[37]
• At the western end of the Hawthorne Bridge, which used to connect to the now-defunct Harbor Drive freeway. It is now used as a pedestrian and bike path connecting the bridge to Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Also visible is another ramp connecting the bridge to Naito Parkway that was abandoned as unsafe during a 1990s renovation. ^{[citation needed]}[95]

• On the Front Avenue overpass over I-405, which is much wider than it needs to be. Used to accommodate ramps which provided access to Harbor Drive. ^{[citation needed]}[96]

• On the west end of the Steel Bridge. [97]

• On the ramp from I-5 southbound to I-84 eastbound, and on the approach from I-84 west to I-5. These may have been intended to connect I-84 with the Steel Bridge. ^{[original research?]} [98]

• On the I-5 ramps to and from the northern end of I-405, for the proposed Rose City Freeway through northeast Portland. A half-built stack interchange was built, including a portion of freeway structure past I-5 from the Fremont Bridge. The freeway structure was eventually reconfigured to connect to N Kerby Avenue at the request of nearby Emanual Hospital. Ramps connecting the Kerby Avenue connector to I-5 were left incomplete. ^{[citation needed]}[99]

• The massive I-405/US 30 interchange at the west end of the Fremont Bridge was built for the cancelled I-505 project. Initially, this sat as a ghost ramp until a temporary connection to NW Vaughn Street was built. The Vaughn Street connection was reconfigured into a short stretch of freeway rerouting US 30 onto a new 4-lane undivided highway called Yeon Avenue. Two ghost ramps exist just short of Vaughn Street that may have provided the temporary connection. [100]

• Over the access road to the Sunset Transit Center in Beaverton, is an overpass whose only purpose is to link two fields, presumably left over from transit construction.^{[original research?]} The overpass itself is paved; however neither approach is. It can be viewed at [101]. (What appears to be a ghost ramp leaving U.S. Highway 26 westbound immediately south has since been completed, and is now part of the alignment for the recently-reconfigured onramp from Oregon State Route 217 northbound to US 26). ^{[citation needed]}

• Along I-205, between the interchange with I-84 and the Holgate Boulevard overpass, are a series of what appear to be ghost ramps (including a tunnel under the freeway). In reality, this is a right-of-way which was reserved for light rail, and will be the route of the planned MAX Green Line in the near future.^{[citation needed]} [102] [103]

• As an example of a recently-built ghost ramp; in 2000 the interchange between Oregon State Route 217 and Interstate 5 in Tigard was redesigned. The project was planned in two phases; only phase 1--construction of a flyover ramp from I-5 NB to 217 NB, redesign of the other ramps, and several other improvements--was completed. Phase 2 is currently unfunded, has no timetable for construction, and is unlikely to be completed in the foreseeable future due to lack of funding. A ghost ramp, located on the ramp from SB OR-217 to SB I-5, was included in phase 1. ^{[citation needed]}[104]

In Eugene, Oregon:

• From Interstate 105 eastbound (though heading north), just after the 1st Avenue overcrossing (and just before crossing the Willamette River), for a planned interchange with the now-cancelled Roosevelt Freeway^{[citation needed]} [105]

[edit] Pennsylvania

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and surrounding communities:

• A freeway section of Pennsylvania Route 63 near Bristol ends in a stub near an industrial area. [106]. This freeway was intended to connect Interstate 95 with the Pennsylvania Turnpike. ^[38]

• At the interchange of I-95 and the western approach to the Betsy Ross Bridge, there can be seen stubs that were intended to connect to the Roosevelt Expressway. They have since been rebuilt to connect local roads in the city's Port Richmond section. ^[39][107]

• South of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, a section of has signs of the cancelled Cobbs Creek Expressway (I-695) which would have connected I-95 at the Philadelphia International Airport with I-95 on the Delaware Waterfront, bypassing the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. ^{[citation needed]}

• Both ends of the Doylestown Bypass (US 202). The east end is half of an unfinished diamond interchange. [108], the west an unfinished cloverleaf at PA 611 [109]. Residents of Bucks County have been pushing PennDOT to extend the U.S. 202 expressway east of Doylestown to New Hope, and the building of a four-lane "Route 202 Parkway" to alleviate traffic on the mostly two-lane road.^[40].

• In Norristown, the abandoned reminants of the failed Pennsylvania Route 23 expressway can be seen, with some elements of an interchange linking this expressway with U.S. Route 202 South (at the Dannhouer Bridge) can be seen. ^{[citation needed]}

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

• A small ghost ramp, just north of Mellon Arena, at the interchange between Interstate 579 and Bigelow Boulevard. [110].

• North of Pittsburgh International Airport, at the interchange between Pennsylvania Route 60 and PA 60 Business. [111]

Swartzville, Pennsylvania

• The interchange along the Pennsylvania Turnpike with U.S. Route 222 was replaced with a new larger one to the southeast, leaving the old one abandoned. Part of the interchange is used as a local overpass, but the footprint of ramps is still visible. [112]

Morgantown, Pennsylvania

• Another abandoned trumpet interchange exists where the Pennsylvania Turnpike once exited for Morgantown. A new interchange was built to better connect with Interstate 176. Before the new interchange, traffic had to exit and traverse local streets to get to I-176. [113]

[edit] Rhode Island

• On J.T. Connell Highway in Newport, there is a stub ramp at the north end at RI 138 [114], and also at the highway's interchange with the Newport Bridge Access Road [115]. Along the stretch of highway in between, there is also an unused road surface on what would be the southbound side of the highway. ^[41]
• In Johnston, exit 6 the I-295 and US 6 interchange was meant for I-84. The ramp that was to go westbound (exit 6c) has been converted to a turnaround ramp (295 north to 295 south). [116]
• In East Providence, there are ghost ramps at either end [117] [118] of the Henderson Bridge, and even grading past the eastern end of the highway, suggesting the highway was planned to go to RI 114/1A (Pawtucket Avenue). ^{[citation needed]}
• In Providence, there is a ghost on-ramp to north I-95 where Exit 19 would be. The complete ramp to Allens Ave interfered with the hurricane barrier; the long tail of the ramp was used for Allens Avenue's southbound lanes. [119]

[edit] South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina:

• At the southern end of the I. DeQuincey Newman Freeway (SC 277)[120]. The freeway was originally planned to continue through downtown Columbia during the first phase of construction in the 1970s. Following it's completion as far as Sunset Drive and Bull St., construction was put on hold due to neighborhood opposition along its proposed routing. The extension was eventually cancelled in the 1980s, and the part of the right-of-way already acquired by SC DOT was returned to the City of Columbia in 2001. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee:

• At the southern end of the James White Parkway (TN 71). The parkway is planned^[42] to extend to connect to Chapman Highway (US 441) somewhere in the vicinity of Gov. John Sevier Highway, but construction has been stalled for several years now, and the parkway now terminates at Sevierville Pike. All traffic enters or leaves the parkway north of Sevierville Pike, but the bridge over the parkway has been completed, and the mainline extends under the bridge, terminating abruptly. [121]

Memphis, Tennessee:

• Interstate 40 Hernando DeSoto Bridge Exit 1 eastbound. A ghost ramp exists off the elevated ramp that approaches Riverfront Drive. The ramp may not be visible to drivers. However, the unfinished ramp is visible from ground level. Jersey barriers block the unfinished ramp to drivers. Ghost ramps once existed on Riverfront Drive when there was not an open eastbound on-ramp for Interstate 40 until The Pyramid's construction.[122]

• On Jackson Avenue to Westbound Interstate 40 on-ramp is a ghost ramp. [123] This, along with the above ghost ramp, was to connect to a proposed expressway that ran North from this interchange along Mud Island to the State Highway 300 and Thomas Street interchange, where there are also ghost ramps. This is the site where Future Interstate 69 will enter Memphis. [124]

• Interstate 40 was planned to go through the city's Overton Park but public opposition, combined with a court victory by opponents, forced abandonment of the plans. The eastern portion of the road had already been built inside the Interstate 240 loop and this non-interstate highway is now named Sam Cooper Boulevard while the northern portion of the I-240 loop was redesignated as I-40. [125]

[edit] Texas

Near Houston, Texas:

• East of Downtown Houston, there are two ghost ramps at the Interstate 10 and Interstate 610 interchange. One is on the ramp from Westbound I-10 to Southbound I-610 and the other is on the ramp from Northbound I-610 to Eastbound I-10.[126]

• Near Katy, most of the segment of the Grand Parkway between the Katy Freeway and U.S. 59 was constructed as a mix of main lanes and frontage roads, resulting in a string of split intersections. There are highway stubs at the transitions between main lanes and frontage roads. Although the road was constructed to make it relatively easy to upgrade to a freeway, there are no current plans to do so. ^[43]

• East of the University of Houston main campus, the Alvin Freeway (currently signed as Spur 5) ends in a freeway stub north of University Drive, with frontage roads continuing to an intersection with Old Spanish Trail. There are frontage road stubs on the south side of the intersection. The freeway has stubbed ramps for an interchange with Elgin St. Originally planned and funded in the 1960s, only an elevated section multiplexed with the Gulf Freeway and the Spur 5 section have been completed. The remainder of the corridor is under study.^[44] See [127] for an overhead view.

• The South Freeway (SH 288) was designed to have express lanes in what is currently a grass median strip.^[45] There is a freeway stub at the northern terminus at U.S. 59, with the design appearing to direct the unbuilt express lanes to Interstate 45 and the current lanes to U.S. 59. The express lanes would end at the interchange with the South Loop, with corresponding stubs on the existing ramps and bridges. A feasibility study of the entire SH 288 corridor has concluded, with a recommendation to add two managed lanes in each direction, but there are no active plans to develop this section of the median.^[46] The freeway also has stub ramps at Old Spanish Trail and Yellowstone Boulevard; had they been completed, the ramps would have provided separate access to both roads, where currently they are both served with a single set of ramps. Viewable at [128], and [129].

• State Highway 225 was originally planned to continue as a freeway from its current terminus just west of the Interstate 610 Loop into downtown. The roadway was to be known as the Harrisburg Freeway. Due to neighborhood opposition and lack of funding, it did not progress past the planning stages and was deleted from the city's master freeway plan in 1992. When the interchange between the Loop and the La Porte freeway (SH 225 to the east of the Loop) was constructed in 1974, the freeway section of SH 225 continued a short distance inside the loop, with frontage roads and a cleared right-of-way extending to Lawndale Street, in anticipation of the extension to downtown.^[47] Viewable at [130].

• On the south side of the city, along Beltway 8, there are numerous "future" exit ramps leading to the frontage road. Some have been constructed, such as "Future Kirby Drive," but there are no traffic lights installed at the intersection. Some haven't even been constructed at all, with the Beltway's overpass somewhat serving as a U-Turn. There isn't even evidence at one exit that anything is under construction, with scrubland bordering the frontage road. View it here: [131]

Near Irving, Texas

• At the southern end of Texas 161 at Texas 183 near DFW, there was a stub of mainline highway and ramps around the interchange. Texas 161 is now being constructed south of TX 183. [132]

[edit] Vermont

In Burlington, Vermont

• At the west end of Interstate 189 at U.S. Route 7, there are some ghost ramps and about a half mile of a ghost highway west of that interchange. There are plans for this to be part of a boulevard into downtown Burlington. ^[48][133]

In Bennington, Vermont

• There is a very unusual incomplete fused double trumpet interchange with U.S. Route 7 and Vermont Route 279. There are ghost ramps for a planned extension of Route 279 to Vermont Route 9 although the interchange will be reconfigured when it is built. [134]

West of Rutland, Vermont

• On U.S. Route 4 at the New York State line, there is ghost grading for a trumpet interchange with Vermont Route 4A. Because US 4 is a 2 lane road in New York, the freeway in Vermont ends there and Route 4A has an ordinary intersection with US 4. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Virginia

In Danville

• At the interchange of US 29 at State Route 41, SR 41 is only open to the east of the interchange, but with stub and ghost ramps leading to and from SR 41 to the west. ^{[citation needed]}

• North of town, at the interchange of US 29 and US 29 Business, the former US 29 North highway is still intact and out of use. The former US 29 South highway is in use as the US 29 Business south offramp. ^{[citation needed]}

• On the Danville Expressway (US 29/US 58) at the Holland Road overpass, there are four stub ramps around the overpass, suggesting a diamond interchange was intended. ^{[citation needed]}

Near Richmond

• At the northern end of the I-295 partial beltway in Short Pump, at the interchange with I-64, the roadway of I-295 continues beyond the cloverleaf ramps for a few hundred feet into the weeds. This was presumably built with the assumption that I-295 would someday be extended from there, perhaps to ultimately complete an entire loop around Richmond. But instead, State Route 288 would eventually be built to serve as the western arc around the city. [135]

[edit] Washington

In Seattle, Washington:

• There are ramps to and from Washington State Route 520 at the western end of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (in the Washington Park Arboretum) for the cancelled R. H. Thomson expressway. The route through the Arboretum was one of the major factors fueling opposition to the Thomson Expressway. Some of the ramps are now used for the Lake Washington Boulevard E. interchange. ^[49] [136]

• Short ghost ramps exist on the Alaskan Way Viaduct near Safeco Field, only a short distance west from the Interstate 5/Interstate 90 interchange. [137]

• To the side of the new Qwest Field running up 4th Avenue S., there still lies the original entrance to I-90 eastbound, but it has been demolished and moved a quarter mile south (made up from the newly constructed Edgar Martinez Way S. south of Safeco Field). The western terminus of I-90 still stands right next to the ghost ramp of the former eastbound onramp. ^[50]

In Tacoma, Washington:

• The freeway section of Washington State Route 7, just south of downtown, terminates rather abruptly, with a ramp configuration suggesting that the freeway was intended to run further south. This can be seen by viewing late 1960s maps, which show a Route 7 freeway continuing south to Spanaway. [138]

In Lakewood, Washington:

• Visible remnants of a converted cloverleaf interchange may be found at the interchange between Interstate 5 and Washington State Route 512. There is an abandoned SB-to-EB loop ramp that was supplanted by a three lane left-turn on the old SB-to-WB ramp. It is abandoned, but easily visible due to a large dirt mount where the road surface once was. [139]

In Bothell, Washington:

• A visible extension of Washington State Route 522 can be seen between the interchange with Interstate 405 and downtown Bothell. It was built when the highway was designed to cross the Sammamish River to the west and run parallel to the river, bypassing downtown Bothell. That plan was abandoned in the mid 1970s. The area is currently used by WSDOT for equipment and materials staging. It will almost certainly be removed when the University of Washington Bothell south entrance is built. [140]

[edit] West Virginia

Benwood, West Virginia:

• There is an unused interchange along the U.S. Highway 250/West Virginia Route 2 freeway just south of Wheeling, West Virginia. It formerly served the Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge, however, the Ohio River span was closed in 1991. [141]

Charleston, West Virginia:

• There are currently two stubs for a future second Kanawha River crossing on Interstate 64 between Dunbar and South Charleston. The stub along the north bank was constructed in 2004 and the stub along the south bank was constructed in 2006. When funding becomes available, a parallel river crossing for eastbound traffic will be constructed and the existing span will be converted into westbound traffic. [142]

Crum, West Virginia:

• There is a stub for Future Interstate 73/Future Interstate 74 that was completed in 2002. The four-lane highway, signed as a two and three-lane road, is currently unsigned in its entirely. [143]

• There is another stub for Future Interstate 73/Future Interstate 74 that was completed in 2002 on the opposite end of the short Crum bypass. [144]

Huntington, West Virginia

• The southern end of the East Huntington Bridge (West Virginia Route 106) has a stub between the bridge's entrance and exit ramps.[145] It was designed to accommodate a planned direct connection between the bridge and U.S. Route 60 to the south[146], bypassing nearby neighborhood streets.

Kenova, West Virginia:

• There is a stub along U.S. Highway 52/WV 75/Future Interstate 73/Future Interstate 74 just south of Interstate 64 that was completed in 2002. The ramps are at a 6% grade. The stubs indicate a future expansion south to Prichard. [147]

Prichard, West Virginia:

• There is the stub north of Prichard along U.S. Highway 52/Future Interstate 73/Future Interstate 74 that indicates a four-lane expansion north to Kenova. The segment from CR 20 (old U.S. 52) to its current end was completed in 2003. [148]

• There is a stub south of Prichard along U.S. Highway 52/Future Interstate 73/Future Interstate 74 that indicates a four-lane expansion south to Crum. [149]

Wheeling, West Virginia:

• There is a stub at the Interstate 70 and the U.S. Highway 250/West Virginia Route 2 interchange. WV 2 was planned for an extension northward in the 1960s, however, it was cancelled. This interchange lies just east of the Wheeling Tunnel. [150]

[edit] Canada

[edit] Ontario

In Windsor, Ontario:

• From Highway 401 to Provincial Road, there is an abandoned SB to EB loop ramp. it has now been supplanted by a left-turn lane to the NB-to-EB ramp. It is abandoned, but easily visible from both the road and freeway. [151]

In Hamilton, Ontario:

• From Plains Road East, heading Westbound, looping around in a cloverleaf ramp to Queen Elizabeth Way Eastbound/Southbound. [152]

In Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario:

• From Glendale Avenue, heading Eastbound, looping to an abandoned portion of former Highway 55. [153]

In Toronto, Ontario:

• From the Bloor Street-Don Valley Parkway connector to a now-abandoned alignment of Bayview Avenue. [154]

[edit] British Columbia

Many ghost ramps in BC are remains of ramps from older interchanges that have been reconfigured. Often these ghost ramps are minimally maintained and used as service roads for tow-trucks and emergency response vehicles. ^{[citation needed]}

Examples include:

• A few ghost ramps exist at Highway 1 at Exit 58, 200 St. When the interchange was reconfigured into a diamond-SPUI hybrid, the remaining ramps can be seen unclearly from the overpass on Highway 1. Even the remains of the old road to the now demolished old overpass can be seen clearly. A low-resolution overhead view of the interchange is at [155]

• Ghost ramps also exist at what used to be an interchange between Highway 99 and Railway Drive in Surrey; this is located between exits 10 and 16, at Highway 99's overpass over the Burlington Northern railway. It is very probable that this interchange was abandoned simply because this is a sparsely populated area and the nearby train station is no longer used.[156]

• Two ghost ramps exist at Exit 44-Cape Horn Interchange on Highway 1. Seen from the overpass, the ghost ramps show that this was a trumpet interchange- reconfigured due to weaving. ^{[citation needed]}

• On Highway 1, some ghost ramps exist at the Exit 37/Gaglardi Way Interchange. Seen from the overpass, and somewhat clearly from Highway 1, they give a sign that Gaglardi Way once had a plan to be extended. [157]

• A ghost ramp exist on the Sea Island Way and Highway 99 in Richmond. It was likely changed when the new ramp was built. [158]

[edit] Québec

• On Autoroute 50 in Mirabel, there is a trumpet interchange shape on Google Maps leading to Boulevard Henri-Fabre, however the map shows an interchange has been completed. ^{[citation needed]}
• There is also a stub ramp at the end of Commerce A-1 off Autoroute 50 at Mirabel, as well as a stub ramp off A-50 westbound just prior to the interchange. See it here. Note: Since the Mirabel Airport is being phased out, and its closure is planned, we are to expect major changes in highway planning in this area. Unfinished highways 13 and 50 lose part of their strategic importance.
• There are stub ramps on eastbound and westbound Autoroute 40 near Montréal just west of the interchange with Boulevard des Anciens-Combattants [159].
• There are ghost ramps at the northern terminus of Autoroute 13 at Autoroute 640 in Boisbriand. There are two extra overpasses (for a total of four), an unused cloverleaf loop, stub ramps where the final two cloverleafs would be constructed, and even the grading for a continuation of the freeway north of here. [160]
• Autoroute 440 (Autoroute Dufferin-Montmorency) has ghost ramps just above Rue St-Vallier Est (St. Vallier Road East) in downtown Quebec City, for a proposed completion of A-440 and link to A-973 (Autoroute Laurentienne)/Quebec route 175 via an under-city Tunnel (much like Autoroute 720 in Downtown Montreal) in the St-Roch and Limoilou neighbourhoods. The ramps would have connected to the tunnel, but it was never built, and the freeway remains in two sections to this day, separated by downtown. The western end of A-440 starts at the Autoroute 40/Autoroute 73 interchange, and currently ends its freeway segment at Avenue St-Sacrement, continuing as Boulevard Charest (Charest Boulevard). It resumes at the intersection of St. Vallier Road East, continuing along the river to Quebec route 138 in Boischatel. [161][162]
• Autoroute 15 in Brossard and La Prairie has ghost ramps for a proposed Autoroute-to-Autoroute interchange (Autoroute 6). The interchange was graded as a Y-interchange, but the carriageways for A-15 were built closer together, and the interchange has been cancelled. A-6 may have been routed towards the Farnham, Quebec area, possibly with the name Autoroute Haute-Richelieu (Upper Richelieu Autoroute). An interchange ramp was also graded for Boulevard Taschereau (Taschereau Boulevard, Quebec route 134), but has been cancelled as well. [163]
• Autoroute 40 and Autoroute 55 in Trois-Rivières. Autoroute 40 was planned to continue straight East from this interchange. What remain is a partial cloverleaf interchange, with a visible 'ramp from nowhere' merging onto 40 East on the western part of the interchange, and a discarded right lane made of large and ugly white stripes on the roadway. Quebec-Montreal travelling vehicles coming from A-55 North and going westbound on A-40 need to suffer the excessive weaving with traffic exiting A-40 East to A-55 North within the rather small distance separating the loops, which are more like a signature of an abandoned project rather than an optimal design for a 3-way interchange. [164]
• Autoroute 40 and Autoroute 73 in Quebec city. A 4-way interchange converted to a very huge and fast turning 3-way interchange, with at least 4 visible ghost ramps. [165]

[edit] United Kingdom

• In Manchester, the A57(M) motorway has an unfinished slip road that hangs 20 feet in the air. It is hidden from view from the road^[51].

• In London, the M11 motorway has two short ghost slips at Junction 4 (Charlie Brown's) which would have been a link for the M12 motorway to head East into Essex.

• Glasgow's M8 motorway has several ghost ramps built for the abandoned Inner Ring Road. The most famous examples are the West Street ramps at Junction 20 (Kingston), and another pair can be found at Junction 15 (Townhead). There are also ghost ramps on the westbound M8 between junctions 16 and 17, for an unbuilt motorway leading out to the north and west^[52].

• Newcastle has two ghost ramps on the northbound Central Motorway East (originally A1(M), now A167(M)), links from a proposed Central Motorway East By-pass. (A third northbound link was opened as the local access from Camden Street) Google Local (UK) overhead photo.

• In Surrey, the M23 begins with junction seven and has a ghost ramp that was intended to extend the M23 further into London^[53].

• On many early rural motorways, ghost ramps can be found at locations proposed for Motorway Service Areas. Sites for services were designated at regular intervals, about 12 or 13 miles apart, and the ghost ramps built as part of the original motorway construction. Land adjacent to the motorway was often obtained for the future services - usually a neat circular or hexagonal plot that is easily identified on aerial photos: e.g., M18 near Hatfield. While many of these original sites were opened as service areas, those remaining unused are now unlikely ever to be developed, either because the sites are too small and restricted, or because they're just in the wrong place: Doncaster North services recently opened less than 2 miles from the ghost ramps at Hatfield. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Germany

• Kreuz Dortmund-Nordwest (A2 / A45) - bridges and sliproads exist to carry the A45 north at this junction. ^{[citation needed]}

• Kreuz Castrop-Rauxel-Ost (A42 / A45) - bridges and sliproads exist to carry the A42 east at this junction. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Unsung Monuments in "The Monument City" - photographic essay of Baltimore area ghost ramps