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. Most of these roads aren't tolled.
A somewhat related concept is a four-lane undivided freeway. This is much rarer; an example is some sections of U.S. Route 101 in northern California.
[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
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[edit] Australia
- In Melbourne, Victoria the Mornington Peninsula Freeway,
, is a two-lane freeway between the interchange with Jetty Road and the interchange with Boneo Road at 90km/h. - In Brisbane, Queensland the Cunningham Highway,
, 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. - In north-eastern Tasmania, the Bass Highway (Highway 1) is at 110km/h with freeway conditions, but with some sections having only two lanes.
- On the Sunshine Coast in Queensland the Sunshine Motorway,
, 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). - In Townsville, Queensland, the future Townsville Ring Road is planned to be the future route of Highway 1 through the city. The first stage of the project, the Douglas Arterial Road opened in April 2005, making it the first freeway north of the Sunshine Coast[citation needed]. Once all four stages are built, it will be designated as the M1.
- The suburb of Blue Haven (Near Doyalson) on the Central Coast in New South Wales, on the so-called "Motorway Link Road",
, between the Pacific Highway and the F3 Freeway, is also another example of a two-way freeway - that has a speed limit of 100km/h. See [1].
[edit] New Zealand
- Linking the cities of Napier and Hastings is the two-laned Napier - Hastings Motorway.
- Christchurch
- In the Southwestern part of the City is the two-Laned Christchurch Southern Arterial Motorway
- Linking Christchurch with Lyttelton is the Limited-Access Tunnel Road.
- Dunedin
- The main northern access road into Dunedin is the Dunedin Northern Motorway, which winds through rough and at times unstable terrain. Much of this road is two-laned, though passing lanes exist on many of the steeper uphill sections.
- The city's main southern access road, the Dunedin Southern Motorway, also has a short one-kilometre section which is only two-laned.
[edit] Europe
- In a few European countries (like Germany and 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.
- In Croatia, almost all older highways were built as two-lane freeways and later converted to four-lane toll highways. Newer highways are built as four-lane highways from scratch. The Istrian Y highway complex consists out of two-lane freeways, which are being upgraded to four-lanes. The complex is currently classified as consisting of expressways and as such has a speed limit of 110 km/h (68 mph)
[edit] United Kingdom
- The former A6144(M) in Manchester had one lane in each direction, although to Motorway standards. It has now been downgraded to an A road.
- The A601(M) road in Lancashire is a two lane freeway between its junction with the M6 and terminus at the B6254.
[edit] South Africa
Some sections of two lane freeway can be found on the N1 and the N2 highways.
[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.
- Some Quebec Autoroutes are also two-lane freeways for some of their length, including Autoroute 73 from Ste. Marie to St. Joseph, Autoroute 50 in Mirabel and Autoroute 20 in Rimouski.
- See List of Ontario expressways for two-lane freeways in Ontario.
- Some sections of the Trans Canada Highway in Newfoundland, in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia are two lane freeways.
[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.
- A Super-2 toll road, MEX-150D and MEX-190D(MEX-150D travels to Veracruz), also connects Mexico City and Oaxaca.
- 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.
- A Super-2 toll road (MEX-15D) connects most of the distance between Mazatlán and Tepic.
[edit] United States
[edit] Arkansas
- Highway 530, part of a future expansion of Interstate 530, opened as a two-lane freeway between US 278 in Wilmar and Highway 35 in June 2006.
- The US 167 bypass of El Dorado is a two-lane freeway with provisions to be upgraded to 4 lanes in the future.
[edit] Connecticut
- A 1-mile (1.6 km) portion of the Milford Connector from the Wilbur Cross Parkway to Wheelers Farms Road in Milford. This divided 2-lane extension of the original connector opened in 1993.
- Route 190 between Route 159 in Suffield and the Pearl Street underpass in Enfield is a two-lane undivided freeway. It was originally planned to be a 4-lane expressway across northern Connecticut.
[edit] Florida
- State Road 407, providing a connection between the Beach Line Expressway[2], 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.[3]
- 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] Kansas
US-400 bypasses Neodesha to the south and west. The western portion of this bypass is two-lanes, while the eastern section, multiplexed with US-75 is a conventional 4-lane freeway.
[edit] Kentucky
- The Hal Rogers Parkway (formerly Daniel Boone Parkway), connecting Hazard and London, is a two-lane freeway for virtually its entire length (approximately 65 miles), with occasional truck lanes on hills. The only four-lane section is the northern bypass of London at the road's western end. Originally, the road was tolled from the eastern end of the London bypass to Hazard. May be upgraded to four lanes in the future as part of a possible extension to Interstate 66.
- The Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, another road that was originally a toll road but has since ceased toll collection, 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 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.
- Plimoth Plantation Highway, a spur off Route 3 in Plymouth.
- US 44 from Route 105 in Middleborough to Route 58 in Carver.
[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 destabilize 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 1990s.
- 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] Ohio
- U.S. Route 33, from Athens to Darwin, and again between SR 7 and Ravenswood, West Virginia
[edit] Oklahoma
[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.
- Oregon Route 22 is a four-lane undivided freeway from Salem east to just north of Aumsville. It becomes a true freeway for about 5 miles through Stayton/Sublimity, then is a two-lane freeway for about another mile east. (The freeway section between Aumsville and Stayton was, until recently, a two-lane freeway itself.)
[edit] Pennsylvania
- U.S. Route 220, south of the Bedford Fairgrounds interchange to the intersection with Business Route 220.
[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.
- Route 138 was originally a 2-lane freeway between US-1 and the Jamestown Bridge, but was widened to 4 lanes following the opening of the Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge in 1992.
[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, however, it was later upgraded to a conventional divided highway.
- Loop 49 in Tyler is a two-lane tollway.
[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 originally planned.
- The Bennington Bypass will be a 2-lane bypass of Bennington when completed. One segment from US-7 to New York Route 7 is open and signed as Route 279. The remaining portions of the bypass, yet to be built, will be signed as US-7 when construction is completed.
[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 State Route 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.
- U.S. Route 301 in southern Virginia where it parallels Interstate 95. It was originally wider before the construction of I-95.
[edit] Washington
- U.S. Route 101 from the interchange with Washington State Route 3 to the northern city limits of Shelton (half-freeway with two-way traffic on northbound side and no plans for the southbound half being constructed), and a section between Sequim, Washington and Port Angeles, Washington (half-freeway with two-way traffic on the eastbound side, with some intersection segments upgraded to full freeway and plans for further improvements.)
[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] Wisconsin
- U.S. Highway 14, south of the interchange with County MM at Oregon, to Wisconsin 138. This section is slated to be expanded to four-lanes in the near future.
- Wisconsin 26 bypass of Fort Atkinson
- The U.S. Highway 151 bypasses of Beaver Dam and Waupun were originally built as Super-2s during the 1970s to accommodate future expansion; these have since been upgraded as part of the highway's ongoing conversion to a four-lane facility through the entire state.
- Portions of Interstate 39 / U.S. Highway 51, first near Westfield and later near Tomahawk, were built as a two-lane freeways; these were expanded in the late 1980s and 1990s respectively.
[edit] See also
- Autostrasse - the German equivalent of a two-lane freeway
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