Comments on: What’s A ‘Double Trumpet’? A Field Guide To Freeway Interchanges, Part 2

By: Clorow

Clorow — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:21:59 +0000

Volleyballs aren’t named because of the stitching pattern. This explains it more:

http://www.kurumi.com/roads/interchanges/volleyball.html

Besides, it doesn’t even look like the stitching pattern.

By: Rich

Rich — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:55:13 +0000

A circle within a circle, near Asbury Park, NJ:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=asbury+park+NJ&sll=41.123784,-73.810176&sspn=0.005973,0.013937&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Asbury+Park,+Monmouth,+New+Jersey&ll=40.225786,-74.036999&spn=0.003027,0.006968&t=h&z=18

By: tim.othe.us

tim.othe.us — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:21:50 +0000

They’re building a diverging diamond in American Fork, UT: http://www.udot.utah.gov/pioneer/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core%3ADownloadItem&g2_itemId=240

By: Marley

Marley — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:46:02 +0000

There’s always my favorite, the Mixmaster in Waterbury, CT:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=waterbury+ct&sll=41.55076,-73.050842&sspn=0.011931,0.019248&g=plainville+ct&ie=UTF8&ll=41.552815,-73.049898&spn=0.011931,0.02738&t=k&z=16

By: edgertor

edgertor — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:34:38 +0000

looks like that single leaf serves 2 of 8–there’s a ramp at the top of the pic.

By: Jan-Maarten

Jan-Maarten — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:35:42 +0000

Highway Engineer Pranks:

http://xkcd.com/253/

By: jjm pe

jjm pe — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:20:41 +0000

My favorite whirlpool is in Albany, NY, down the hill from the state capital:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=12201&sll=42.638159,-73.961164&sspn=0.009771,0.011845&ie=UTF8&ll=42.644195,-73.750373&spn=0.004885,0.009989&t=k&z=17&iwloc=A

By: jjm pe

jjm pe — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:59:34 +0000

enf_kh1: There is a similar example in Poughkeepsie, where US 44 crosses US 9. When I worked in the Poughkeepsie NYSDOT office, we called it the “bowtie” or “bugseye.”

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=poughkeepsie&sll=42.638159,-73.961164&sspn=0.011144,0.018625&ie=UTF8&ll=41.702316,-73.937119&spn=0.005655,0.013379&t=k&z=17&iwloc=A

Here’s another odd one: left-hand entrance and exit ramps converge to a single intersection, rather than a conventional diamond:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=sprain+brook+pkwy&sll=42.708678,-73.783493&sspn=0.089054,0.149002&ie=UTF8&ll=41.123178,-73.81032&spn=0.002853,0.006689&t=k&z=18

By: ardecila

ardecila — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:31:44 +0000

A good example of a Volleyball is visible at Lee Highway and Fairfax County Parkway in Fairfax, VA.

By: Field Guide to Freeway Interchange Design « Mad To Be Saved

Field Guide to Freeway Interchange Design « Mad To Be Saved — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:56:19 +0000

[...] Field Guide to Freeway Interchanges Part 1, Part 2 Posted by mariaoran Filed in Highway Bits ·Tags: I-10/610, infrastructurist, interchange [...]

By: enf_kh1

enf_kh1 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:25:32 +0000

what kind of interchange would this be?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Springfield,+Massachusetts&sll=36.456636,-95.712891&sspn=47.698782,66.796875&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FVFvggIdUHCs-w&split=0&t=k&ll=42.136152,-72.626088&spn=0.00545,0.012231&z=17&iwloc=A

By: Highway Engineer Pranks » INFRASTRUCTURIST

Highway Engineer Pranks » INFRASTRUCTURIST — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:31:09 +0000

[...] here recently, becoming immersed in identifying satellite photos of double trumpets and whirlpool exchanges and so on. After seeing our features on the subject, tipster sent sent us these more whimsical [...]

By: field guides to highway interchanges - mammoth // building nothing out of something

Wed, 27 May 2009 15:30:21 +0000

[...] the beginning of last week, A Field Guide to Interchanges (part one // part two) on [...]

By: MercyTex

MercyTex — Sat, 23 May 2009 00:12:13 +0000

Try the High 5 Interchange in Dallas, Tx. For the driver it is easy to navigate. At the time it was the largest single highway construction project in the history of the state.

http://maps.google.ca/?ie=UTF8&ll=43.718761,-79.499903&spn=0.013709,0.022552&t=k&z=16

By: ZZMike

ZZMike — Fri, 22 May 2009 23:15:11 +0000

Of course the British “cloverleafs” are more complicated. They drive on the wrong side of the road.

By: How We Drive, the Blog of Tom Vanderbilt’s Traffic » Blog Archive » Traffic Reporting

Thu, 21 May 2009 15:13:10 +0000

[...] The beautiful and terrifying geography we have wrought in the highway [...]

By: Gurhan

Gurhan — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:13:40 +0000

@Dewi Morgan

I totally agree! And from that perspective, turbine and whirlpool look horrible (although they are said to be efficient).

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:03:35 +0000

This interchange in Toronto is known as The Basketweave.

By: James Bartlett

James Bartlett — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:44:42 +0000

I’ve always wondered about this sort of thing and envied the US and the clean and logical designs they go for, usually because they have the luxury of space and most things are new so they don’t have to consider many existing roads. Here in the UK, our interchanges can be crazy. I never got this one whenever I drove on it, it made no logical sense and the traffic backing up was a nightmare!
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Donnington+Park+Circuit,+Castle+Donington,+Isley+cum+Langley,+Leicestershire+DE74+2,+United+Kingdom&sll=52.713835,-2.426605&sspn=0.300329,0.889893&ie=UTF8&cd=2&geocode=FbQVJgMd8_7q_w&split=0&ll=52.855048,-1.297417&spn=0.009666,0.027809&t=k&z=16

By: Q80thug

Q80thug — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:34:16 +0000

*goes to install Transport Tycoon Deluxe

By: Bob S

Bob S — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:23:55 +0000

@Dewi Morgan

I’d like to punch the person who put road signage so low that it can be blocked by trucks. I ended up on a strange road on the way from Lyon to Clermont-Ferrand in France because all of the signs for the road I should have taken were hidden by a long line of trucks in the right lane.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:03:40 +0000

This doesn’t seem to fit any of your categories. Might I suggest - chaos.

By: Hep

Hep — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:42:06 +0000

don’t forget to dig up a diverging diamond. I believe there is one somewhere in France.

By: maureen

maureen — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:27:59 +0000

the circle in chicago is so painful to drive. always, ALWAYS backed up.

By: TranspoEngineer

TranspoEngineer — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:12:40 +0000

“Dumbbell” Interchange–like a diamond, but with one roundabout at each intersection instead of stop signs or traffic signals. There is one in Vail, Colorado (Google Maps takes you straight to it by typing in “Vail, CO”)

By: Dewi Morgan

Dewi Morgan — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:03:13 +0000

There is only one thing that matters, to a driver, about an interchange: can I turn around?

If you’re a driver, you’ve been there: you missed your turn because you couldn’t get in the right lane, the signage was crappy, or you were distracted at just the wrong moment.

So, you are now driving along a strange section of highway, as yet uncharted by you. You drive to the next junction, and go off there, hoping that it’s not one of the total bastard ones that don’t let you turn back on yourself. By the time the junction itself is in sight, you’re already committed to the turn.

And if you’re unlucky, you find yourself forced onto a completely unknown road, driving to the next junction on THAT one, in the hope that you can turn around there.

And if you’re unlucky, you end up on a third road, by now hopelessly lost…

So, fair warning: any highway planner I meet, if I find they have ever in their life planned such a junction, I will punch them in the face.

By: david

david — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:11:57 +0000

In starkville, MS, we used to have a single leaf junction EXActly like that one pictured.
They’ve updated it a smidge, but see for yourself:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=starkville,+mS&sll=35.976805,-78.906843&sspn=0.821272,1.41037&ie=UTF8&ll=33.472815,-88.761442&spn=0.006614,0.011019&t=k&z=17

By: Davsot

Davsot — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:01:56 +0000

Thanks for both part 1 and part 2

By: Chris S

Chris S — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:57:19 +0000

Single Leaf … is not.

That particular example seems to serve *two* possibilities. Isn’t that a plain exit serving the “opposite flow” of the cloverleaf? It’s the “opposite corner” from the leaf. It appears to have’s own mini-collector lane (although I’m not clear on why a single exit only would need a collector).

Any chance of a Google Maps link so we can see the context?

By: The Dude

The Dude — Tue, 19 May 2009 07:26:36 +0000

I’m with Anonymous!

By: dp

dp — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:56:17 +0000

Hey,

are you sure that the Double Trumpet is in Belgium?

AFAIK Belgium doesn’t have toll stations except one at the Liefkenshoektunnel near Antwerp. May that Interchange possibly be in France or Spain?

Other than that, great collection of pictures!

Kind regards from Germany,

-dp

By: ResourceShelf » Blog Archive » A Field Guide to Freeway Interchanges

ResourceShelf » Blog Archive » A Field Guide to Freeway Interchanges — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:29:42 +0000

[...] + Part 1 + Part 2 [...]

By: What’s A ‘Spooey’? A Field Guide To Freeway Interchanges, Part 1 » INFRASTRUCTURIST

Mon, 18 May 2009 17:27:47 +0000

[...] The Daily Dig What’s A ‘Double Trumpet’? A Field Guide To Freeway Interchanges, Part 2 [...]

By: anonymous

anonymous — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:46:19 +0000

I can’t take no more!