I-278 Brooklyn Queens Expwy.--- The Worst Interstate in America
Ty Rogers
highway in the whole country. It is a series of different roads thrown
together. Many entrance ramps have no acceleration lane at all and have
"STOP" signs where they join the expressway. Many parts have posted
speed limits of 45 mph. One of the worst offenses is the portion of
I-278 that runs over the Grand Central Pkwy. After crossing the Triboro
Br from the Bronx, one encounters a sign saying "31st Ave- All Commercial
Traffic". There is a small roadside sign that says "TRUCK I-278 (next
right)". (It would appear that requiring trucks to get off the
expressway onto city streets even for a short stretch would violate
Interstate highway standards) The overhead sign for through traffic says
"Grand Central Pkwy- NY Airports". Forgetting about the truck
detour, there is nothing even indicating that "car" I-278 is straight
ahead. A half mile later, there is a sign saying "Exit 4- I-278 BQE
etc." To continue on I-278, one has to exit onto a single lane ramp.
All this when I-278 should be the mainline and the Grand Central Pkwy
should be an exit of I-278. I know that there are many other examples
around the country of having to exit in order to continue on the
"mainline" but all of these problems, IMHO, collectively put I-278 in the
hall of shame.
Grant Cooper
airport shuttle, thank God), I saw enough to agree with your assertion that:
(In article <4qv4iu$3...@news.ios.com>, tyro...@chelsea.ios.com says...)
>I-278 in New York City has got to be the worst excuse for an interstate
>highway in the whole country.
{..snip..}
>I know that there are many other examples around the country of having to
>exit in order to continue on the "mainline" but all of these problems, IMHO,
>collectively put I-278 in the hall of shame.
After reading the article, I tended to agree with you, but I feel you missed a
few problems with "I"-278 (if it really should be an interstate).
* Enormous potholes: Anything less than a Hummer would have its suspension
completely tweaked by these crater size monstrosities. I hear Jimmy Hoffa was
put in one of them. Of course it was never found, as the road crews haven't
been around to maintain the road.
* About the most horrible traffic I've ever seen. I'm from Southern
California, traffic capital of the world. Not even the I-110 (Harbor Fwy) can
compete with this . . . this . . . thing.
* Far too few lanes. It seemed just about all the traffic in NYC went on this
freeway AT ONE TIME. Then again, I can see why the NY Dept. of Trans. gave up.
Not even a 20 lane state of the art Interstate Freeway could accomodate it
all. So why bother widening it, or wasting money on any form of improvements
for that matter.
* Poorly engineered curves, etc. I used to think the Pasedena Fwy was
horrible. At least on that, one could go 55 around the turns. I-278 has even
worse turns and narrower lanes. But much of that has been alluded to in the
previous posting.
That's my $0.10 worth. How something like that could exist defies explaination
(much in the same way as OJ hosting an anti-violence fundraiser). Be afraid.
Be very afraid.
Grant Cooper
gco...@cts.com
Jim Matthews
>* Poorly engineered curves, etc. I used to think the Pasedena Fwy was
>horrible. At least on that, one could go 55 around the turns. I-278 has even
>worse turns and narrower lanes. But much of that has been alluded to in the
>previous posting.
>
Woodside has always been one of my favorite stretches of highway,
especially when you're heading towards Brooklyn. I would much rather
deal with a challenging road with its twists and turns, with no shoulder
and a giant jersey barrier right next to the inside lane than a flat,
straight highway (like the tollways in Chicago) where drivers apparently
have no constraints to drive sanely or safely. Yes, I know all about the
reputation of NY drivers, but after commuting in Chicago on and off for
the past few years, I have got to say they are far, far worse in
Chi-town.