Two-lane freeway

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A two-lane freeway or two-lane expressway is a freeway or expressway with only one lane in each direction, and usually no median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may be intended for expansion once traffic volumes rise. The term super two is often used by roadgeeks for this type of road, but traffic engineers use that term for a high-quality surface road.

A somewhat related concept is a four-lane undivided freeway. This is much rarer.

Contents 1 Justification 2 List of two-lane freeways 2.1 Australia 2.2 Europe 2.3 North America 2.3.1 Canada 2.3.2 Mexico 2.3.3 United States 2.3.3.1 Connecticut 2.3.3.2 Florida 2.3.3.3 Kentucky 2.3.3.4 Maine 2.3.3.5 Maryland 2.3.3.6 Massachusetts 2.3.3.7 Michigan 2.3.3.8 Minnesota 2.3.3.9 New Hampshire 2.3.3.10 New Jersey 2.3.3.11 New York 2.3.3.12 North Carolina 2.3.3.13 Oregon 2.3.3.14 Rhode Island 2.3.3.15 Texas 2.3.3.16 Vermont 2.3.3.17 Virginia 2.3.3.18 Washington 2.3.3.19 West Virginia 3 See also

[edit] Justification

Two-lane freeways are usually built as a temporary solution due to lack of funds, as an environmental compromise or as a way to overcome problems constrained from highway reconstruction when there are four lanes or more. If the road is widened, the existing road is typically allocated to traffic going in one direction, and the lanes for the other direction are built as a whole new roadbed adjacent to the existing one. When upgraded in this manner, the road becomes a typical freeway. Many two-lane freeways are built so that when the road is upgraded to a proper divided freeway, the existing overpasses and ramps do not need reconstruction.

[edit] List of two-lane freeways

[edit] Australia

• In Melbourne, Victoria the Mornington Peninsula Freeway, Metro 11, is a two-lane freeway between the interchange with Jetty Road and the interchange with Boneo Road.
• In Brisbane, Queensland the Cunningham Highway, National 15, is a two-lane freeway between Warwick Road and Ripley Road, After Ripley Road the Cunningham Highway is grade separated until it meets the Ipswich Motorway, M2.
• On the Sunshine Coast, Queensland the Sunshine Motorway, State 70, is a two-lane freeway between the Bruce Highway and Nicklin Way, and again between Maroochydore Road and Emu Mountain Road (although it has a roundabout in this section).

[edit] Europe

• In a few European countries (like Switzerland), many rural highways have been converted into two-lane freeways. However, most of these have been built with low overpasses wide enough to accommodate only 2 lanes, which indicates that there is no intent to widen them into freeways in the foreseeable future. In German this type of road is called an Autostrasse.
• Sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness in the United Kingdom.
• The former A6144(M) in Manchester had one lane in each direction, although to Motorway standards. It has now been downgraded.

[edit] North America

[edit] Canada

• Many of the 100-series highways in Nova Scotia and arterial highways in New Brunswick are two-lane freeways, with diamond interchanges and grade separations with many intersecting roads.
• Several Quebec Autoroutes are also two-lane freeways for some of their length.
• See List of Ontario expressways for two-lane freeways in Ontario.

[edit] Mexico

• A new Super-2 bypass of Mexicali (MEX-2D) was completed in Summer 2006. It features 1 lane in each direction and is a toll road. Three interchanges exist--one at each end, and one in the middle, providing access to MEX-5 (north to Downtown Mexicali and south to San Felipe). The road has complete control of access. According to a toll collector, this Super-2 is scheduled for an upgrade to a full toll freeway (four lanes, two in each direction) by sometime in 2008. Eventually, this freeway may be constructed all the way to San Luis Rio Colorado, replacing the existing four lane undivided highway, MEX-2.

• Apparently, a Super-2 toll road also connects Mexico City and Oaxaca (route number unknown).

• A Super-2 bypass of Poza Rica, Veracruz, was finished in 2005. This two-lane toll highway connects MEX 131 north of Poza Rica to MEX 180 east of Papantla.

[edit] United States

[edit] Connecticut

Route 2A from I-395 to Route 2, serving as a bypass to the city of Norwich. There are plans to add a second carriageway, upgrading Route 2A to a 4-lane expressway, including the construction of a parallel span across the Thames River. The Mohegan Sun Casino is located adjacent to Route 2A.

[edit] Florida

• State Road 407, providing a connection between the Bee Line Expressway[1], Interstate 95, and State Road 405 for direct access into Kennedy Space Center, is a two-lane freeway for most of its distance. An at-grade intersection is near its eastern terminus.[2]
• State Road 570, Polk Parkway, is a two-lane freeway along its northernmost six miles. This is an example of a two-lane toll road.

[edit] Kentucky

• The Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway in Kentucky is a two-lane freeway from Exit 43 at Campton to the road's eastern terminus in Salyersville.

[edit] Maine

• Interstate 95 North of Bangor, Maine was originally constructed as a two-lane freeway. In 1981 the present divided highway was completed between Bangor and Houlton at the Canadian border.

[edit] Maryland

• Maryland Route 90 is mostly a two-lane freeway (it has 1 traffic light)
• Portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore) approach (Exit 42 to Exit 44) on the Baltimore Beltway were originally a two-lane freeway when the final section of the beltway opened in 1977.

[edit] Massachusetts

• US 6 on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from exit 9 (MA 134) in Dennis to the Orleans Rotary. This stretch of highway is known to locals as "Suicide Alley" due to the high number of fatalities from head-on collisions. Median construction has alleviated this problem somewhat.
• Route 2, from Millers Falls to the eastern US 202 interchange in Phillipston, with a small gap in Erving.
• US 7 from the Connecticut state line to Sheffield is a Super-2 expressway originally built in 1959 as part of a planned--but now cancelled--expressway in the US-7 corridor from Norwalk, Connecticut to Burlington, Vermont.

[edit] Michigan

• See List of expressways in Michigan for two-lane freeways in the state of Michigan.

[edit] Minnesota

• US 12 bypass around Long Lake, under construction, though funding constraints have reduced the length that will be considered freeway.

[edit] New Hampshire

• New Hampshire Route 101 from Milford to Amherst and again from Exit 13 (NH 27) in Hampton to Highland Ave. at Hampton Beach.
• In New Hampshire, Interstate 93 ("Franconia Notch Parkway") from Lincoln to Franconia due to fears that blasting out a 4-lane highway would de-stabilize the Old Man of the Mountain. This was constructed with a median divider. Subsequently, The Old Man of the Mountain collapsed of natural erosion in 2003.
• New Hampshire Spaulding Turnpike from Rochester to Milton
• U.S. Route 202 from Henniker to Hillsborough
• The Laconia Bypass (U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 11 around Laconia, New Hampshire

[edit] New Jersey

• The Freehold Bypass of Route 33 is a two-lane freeway between Halls Mill Road (CR 55)and Brickyard Road. There is a full cloverleaf at Halls Mill, a westbound entrance at Howell Road, and full access from Brickyard Road.

[edit] New York

• An example of a two-lane parkway is Bethpage State Parkway, on Long Island, NY. This was constructed by Robert Moses as a two-lane freeway in part due to aesthetics. Like most parkways (especially those created by Moses), the road was originally meant to deliver a pleasurable motoring experience, and as such incorporates natural scenery, as well as pedestrian and bicycle trails for those who choose not to drive.

[edit] North Carolina

• US 1 between Cary, North Carolina and Sanford, North Carolina (exits 70 and 98) was a two-lane freeway until its expansion to 4 divided lanes in the late 1980s.
• US 17 between exits 224 and 229 in the Edenton, North Carolina area was a two-lane freeway until the early 1990s.
• US 64 between exits 457 and 463 in the Nashville, North Carolina area was a two-lane freeway until mid 1980s.
• US 421 was originally constructed with three two-lane freeway segments - the first between Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Yadkinville, North Carolina, with the second sections as part of a bypass around the towns of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina and Wilkesboro, North Carolina. These sections were converted into 4-lane, divided freeways between the 1970s and 1990s.

[edit] Oregon

• U.S. Route 101, from the southern edge of Cannon Beach, Oregon north to the interchange with U.S. Highway 26 south of Seaside, Oregon.

[edit] Rhode Island

• Route 78, which starts about 200 yards (meters) inside Connecticut bypasses the city of Westerly to the north and east, and is a key route for traffic heading between I-95 and the Rhode Island beaches.

[edit] Texas

• A section of State Highway 19 east of Huntsville is a two-lane freeway.
• Most of Loop 322 in Abilene was once a two-lane freeway, but construction is underway that will expand the entire loop to a standard four-lane freeway.

[edit] Vermont

• US 7 just north of Bennington, Vermont to just north of Manchester, Vermont is a full expressway that turns into a two-lane freeway just after Exit 2 (VT 7A). There are two more exits on this section of Route 7. Exit 3 serves VT 7A in the Arlington area, and Exit 4 serves VT Routes 30 and 11 for Manchester.
• Route 289, which was once planned as Interstate 289, around Burlington. There are plans to extend the Super-2 both north and south, and current mile markers are based upon the entire length as originaly planned.

[edit] Virginia

• The Danville Bypass, (U.S. Highway 29) was originally constructed as a two-lane freeway.
• The Warrenton Bypass portion of U.S. Highway 29 was originally constructed as a two-lane freeway. It has since been upgraded to a divided highway.
• The Staunton Loop Road (Virginia Highway 262) is a two-lane freeway for most of its length. Grading already exists for this highway to be upgraded to a fully divided highway in the future.
• U.S. Highway 501 in Lynchburg.
• U.S. Highway 17 Where it bypasses Fredericksburg.

[edit] Washington

• From the interchange with SR 3 to the northern city limits of Shelton (half freeway with 2 way traffic on northbound side and no plans for the southbound half being constructed).
• Pieces near Port Angeles, Washington.

[edit] West Virginia

• The West Virginia Turnpike was a two-lane freeway from its opening in 1954 until it was expanded to four lanes in 1986.

[edit] See also

• Autostrasse - the German equivalent of a two-lane freeway