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Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I'm glad they didn't build a freeway on the San Francisco waterfront. That would have killed the waterfront. The highway on Seattle's waterfront is hideous.
Parts of it were almost built as the Embarcadero Freeway in the early 60s; it was a double decker freeway that ran from the 80 north for about a 1/2 mile to a mile along the waterfront. It was signed as Interstate 480; by around 1968 or 1970 it was clearly apparent that none of the other freeways would be built due to a city injunction and a massive number of lawsuits. The red and light green freeways plus the Constructed section of Embarcadero Frwy Doyle Dr, portions of CA 1, and the black freeway would have a would have been all been I-480. The southern parts that were actually build were incorporated into 280, which just dead ended where it now normally ends. The double decker section of what was now CA480 was torn down after the World Series quake and 480 was officially decommissioned as a state highway.
Portland OR - I505 in the western part of the city, cancelled in the late 70s
There were a few cancelled proposals in Tuscon in the 1970s
Denver - I-480, the free southwestern beltway. Eventually built as part of a greatly expanded beltway/tollway project a couple decades after it was inititially cancelled.
Chicago - Several, including I 494, which would run from the N end of 55 down the lakeshore into Gary, connecting with 94 somewhere along the state line. There were several other renumberings around Chicago.
St Louis - an Inner beltway (I-644?) which would have run N from the I 44/55 interchange, crossing what is now I64 1/4 mile north of there, and curving NE to end at I 70 about 1/2 mile from there.
There were a few cancellations in Louisiana, including an x10 that would have run into the French Quarter, and an I420 that would have been built as a super-two around the northern 1/2 of Monroe, LA.
Memphis - I 40 through tow was cancelled in the mid 1990s and re-routed around the northern hald of the beltway.
Columbia SC - I277 (later SC277) would have left what is now I77 in the NE extremity of the city, run into downtown, parallelled the river to a point SW of USCs campus, and then run through flat industrial terrain to reconnect with I77 (the southernmost leg was then proposed as I326, dead ending at the entrance to Fort Jackson).
Atlanta - I485, proposed in the early 60s, parts were built in the late 90s as the non-freeway Jimmy Carter Blvd. What was built as I 675 would have continued north, crossing I420 and then I20, ending at I485 in a 4-way-stack interchange - west to I85 - east to connect to the Stone Mtn Freeway - south as I675, north as I485 to I85, then continuing north as the eventually build Buckhead Freeway/Tollway.
I 420, meanwhile would run from the Perimeter east through Southern Atlanta, crossing I85 just north of the Airport, continuing east as an extended Lakewood Freeway just into Dekalb before curving northeast into I20. The section for Lakewood amphiteahter west over 85 to 285 in SW Atlanta was built but never signed as it was never really built to interstate standards. The eastern third was cancelled by 1990.
Cleveland, Baltimore, Tampa, Greensboro, Hartford were the scenes of freeway revolts of various severity in the 60s and 70s. In Tampa, I175 and I375 were originally to also run west, and were to be much longer. I 480 in Cleveland was to run miles farther to the east, ending at I271/I290. A northern spur from what is now the afterthought I73 was to run N into downtown Greensboro. Hartford was to have a full beltway(294? 291?), along with a very short downtown freeway/tunned (494) connecting I91 and I94. 3/4 of the full beltway had been cancelled by 1980. The tunnel (which would have run below the capital) was cancelled, the approach ramps from I91 had already been signed as I494 before the project was cancelled (1980 again) and the signs were removed a6 months or a year later.
An I175, connecting Albany GA to I75 at Cordele GA was proposed in 1971, and was cancelled at the height of the gas crisis in 1979. It was later built as a non-freeway expressway.
Boston was supposed to build its "inner belt" but it would have destroyed neighborhoods in Cambridge, Roxbury and beyond. Thank God we had a forward thinking governor who stopped all high way construction inside the 95 belt and direct the money to mass transit. I just moved into one of the neighborhoods that would have been destroyed and thank the local residents, for fighting back.
Last edited by JMT; 06-14-2011 at 08:50 PM..
Reason: No political commentary, please.
In the 1960s they were going to build a freeway in Minneapolis from downtown SE along Hiawatha Avenue. They destroyed hundreds of houses and businesses in the corridor before it was stopped. It stayed that way until the 1990s when Hiawatha Avenue was widened. About 8-10 years later they put the LRT in the corridor alongside the road.
Syracuse is regretting(at least somewhat) that they destroyed the 15th Ward neighborhood so I-81 could go through the middle of the city. Now, they are studies to see if they want to tear it down and put in a boulevard or just replace the highway with a new highway.
Cool thread, and cool maps. I'm glad none of these cities went quite as crazy with the freeways as they could have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by caphillsea77
I'm glad they didn't build a freeway on the San Francisco waterfront. That would have killed the waterfront. The highway on Seattle's waterfront is hideous.
They did build some of it, but had it end early, near Chinatown/North beach/Telegraph Hill. The waterfront right by downtown SF was definitely not as nice as it is now:
All sizes | San Francisco Embarcadero Freeway | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/v63/228932719/sizes/z/in/photostream/ - broken link)
Syracuse is regretting(at least somewhat) that they destroyed the 15th Ward neighborhood so I-81 could go through the middle of the city. Now, they are studies to see if they want to tear it down and put in a boulevard or just replace the highway with a new highway.
CK, How can you replace a section of an major Interstate, that goes from Canada and down to Pennsylvania and beyond, with a boulevard? I mean, will the Federal Government even allow that?
I am glad they didn't build many of those highways. However still the destruction was immense, thank goodness they didn't take it all the way. If NYC for example had all those highways built like Robert Moses wanted (thank goodness for Jane Jacobs) then it would be a city that isn't as good as it is today.
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