Widest or Biggest - roads or interchanges

[Saab]

datilguy, try google earth if you have it

I think the M7/M4 stack in Sydney or the M1/Eastlink spaghetti in Melbourne might be the largest in the southern hemisphere. Don't know for sure though.

interchange U/C in MElbourne

[Jue]

Originally Posted by Saab

awesome they come in fun size aswell!

Haha. Shanghai interchanges aren't that big, and neither are their highways themselves. No wonder they are jammed half the day.

[909]

The El Toro Y in greater Los Angeles could be the worlds largest interchange:

El Toro Y

The El Toro "Y" is a freeway interchange in southern Orange County, California where the Santa Ana Freeway, Interstate 5, and the San Diego Freeway, Interstate 405 merge. South of that point, it retains the name "San Diego Freeway" but the highway designation "Interstate 5." The junction, located in southeastern Irvine, is named for the El Toro region, itself named after the nearby Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. (The base closed in 1999 and much of the area incorporated as the City of Lake Forest).

The "Y" is one of the busiest interchanges in the world; from 1975 to 2002, daily traffic surged from 102,000 to 356,000 vehicles a day.[1] By the early 1990s it had also become one of the most congested, its severe overcrowding fed by a housing boom in southern Orange County.

In November 1990, Orange County voters approved Measure M, a half-cent increase in the county sales tax to finance transportation improvements. In 1993, the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) began a massive expansion project, adding a new interchange at Bake Parkway, new collector/distributor lanes, and new carpool lanes and connectors. The $166-million project also vastly increased regular traffic lanes. After the project was completed in 1997, the El Toro Y stood as the widest roads in the world, at 26 traffic lanes wide.

The traffic delays at the interchange sparked the construction of several parallel bypass toll roads. The San Joaquin Hills Toll Road, designated California State Highway 73, opened in November 1996 and connects San Juan Capistrano and Costa Mesa. An extension to California State Highway 241, the Foothill Toll Road, is under development. It would bypass the El Toro Y to the east and connect to I-5 in northern San Diego County.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Toro_'Y'

Pictures of El Toro Y, taken with Google Earth:











Yes, it's very massive...

[Jimmy James]

God I wish they had more of these in Australia - we don't even have that many cloverleafs.

[Saab]

cloverleafs are outdated so it's good that we don't have many of them. Some countries are even replacing them with diamonds!!! Mellbourne has a modified cloverleaf and I think Brisbane has a couple.

[909]

Not as massive but almost as busy as El Toro Y is Europe's busiest interchange: the Frankfurter Kreuz.

But there is one thing i don't understand. Why do Americans need a 26 lane expressway to handle 356,000 vehicles a day while an Autobahn with less lanes can handle relatively more cars?

Frankfurter Kreuz

The Frankfurter Kreuz is an Autobahn interchange in the city of Frankfurt in Hesse, Germany where the autobahns A3 and A5 meet. The interchange was originally to be built from 1931 to 1933, but due to World War II construction was not finished until 1957. It underwent massive remodeling in the 1990s, as it had been frequently overloaded due to excess traffic. Today, both autobahns have ten lanes.

Two tunnels of the Cologne - Frankfurt high-speed railway line have been put below the Kreuz. The Kreuz is situated at the northeastern corner of Frankfurt International Airport.

Along with the airport and the airport's railway station, the Frankfurter Kreuz is commonly seen as a symbol of Frankfurt's good connections to the world.

With 300,000 cars daily it is the most heavily used interchange in Europe, followed by the Kamener Kreuz.

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

[D'Transporter]

Probably the speed limit that is being imposed and millions of sunday drivers

[Bertez]

Great pics all around

[great prairie]

[j4893k]

Originally Posted by Saab

nah, I'm pretty sure the Dallas high5 is larger

Well I was actually talking about ugliness but sure... Dallas high5 is larger.

[rise_against]

Kind of an old pic now...but fun to look at none the less. This is a pic of the toronto airport.

[LEAFS FANATIC]

Having driven there, I can say it is simply amazing....

[DGM]

The Golden Glades Interchange in the very car dominated Miami.

EDIT- Just realised that someone already posted it. I'll leave it up anyways.

[Paddington]

Originally Posted by ChicagoSkyline

LOL, I guess every states have different tastes on their interchange ambition!
For LA, they like them stacks, here in Chicago, we love follow thru with mini stack!

Stack interchanges are problematic in any place that tends to get weather below freezing, because bridges always ice up so quickly, compared to roads at are part of the ground. That's why there are very few in the northern U.S. (although Cleveland conspicuously has 3 of them). Even Atlanta doesn't have any full 4 level stack interchanges, if I'm not mistaken. It's just not practical for most of the country.

That said, what Northern interchanges lack in height they make up in horizontal size. Ohio is building a lot of interchanges like the new one under construction at I-70 I-75 in Dayton, which has 3 flyovers and one loop, eliminating weaving, and allowing traffic to move through more quickly than a 4 level stack (where the speed limits on ramps are something like 40mph).

[Æsahættr]

Minneapolis needs a stack interchange, we don't even have ONE.

[ChicagoSkyline]

Originally Posted by Paddington

Stack interchanges are problematic in any place that tends to get weather below freezing, because bridges always ice up so quickly, compared to roads at are part of the ground. That's why there are very few in the northern U.S. (although Cleveland conspicuously has 3 of them). Even Atlanta doesn't have any full 4 level stack interchanges, if I'm not mistaken. It's just not practical for most of the country.

That said, what Northern interchanges lack in height they make up in horizontal size. Ohio is building a lot of interchanges like the new one under construction at I-70 I-75 in Dayton, which has 3 flyovers and one loop, eliminating weaving, and allowing traffic to move through more quickly than a 4 level stack (where the speed limits on ramps are something like 40mph).

Good stuff, and very true!

[DrJoe]

Montreal and Toronto have numerous 4 level stacks and the cold weather never seems to cause problems.

[3Ironhead3]

I've got a good shot of the High Five in Dallas on my desktop.Trying to figure out how to post it here.I don't see an attach option.Any suggestions?

[ChicagoSkyline]

I would say this one in Miami gotta be the king or queen?

Originally Posted by ChicagoSkyline

How about this one in Miami beach, FL?
I-95, Florida's Turnpike, US 441, FL 9, and FL 826

[Jue]

Originally Posted by 909

Not as massive but almost as busy as El Toro Y is Europe's busiest interchange: the Frankfurter Kreuz.

But there is one thing i don't understand. Why do Americans need a 26 lane expressway to handle 356,000 vehicles a day while an Autobahn with less lanes can handle relatively more cars?

Americans are significantly worse drivers. Given the same number of lanes, an American expressway will become congested with fewer vehicles. Even with a surplus of lanes, traffic jams may still occur due to driver stupidity.