The term can also refer to a ramp which at one point handled traffic, but was abandoned for some reason (and never demolished). The term does not refer to inactive or partially-built ramps which are intended to connect to a roadway which is actively planned or under construction; it only refers to ramps which have been abandoned for some reason.
Examples of ghost ramps around the world:
- There is a ghost ramp on the Johansen Expressway in Fairbanks for the planned Illinois Street ramp. It is unlikely that this ramp will be built due to the discovery of contaminated soil along the proposed route, leading to a steep increase in cost. {Link without Title}
- On the George Parks Highway in Fairbanks, there is the remnant of a ramp coming off the highway eastbound at Airport Way. That ramp was demolished after the cloverleaf was constructed. {Link without Title}
- A small ghost ramp on DC 295 , which may have at one point provided a connection to I-295 or (the unsigned) I-695. {Link without Title}
In Farmington, Connecticut (west of Hartford, Connecticut ), the junction of Interstate 84 and Connecticut State Highway 9 is a four-level Stack Interchange only half of which is used. The interchange was originally built for Interstate 291 , most of which was cancelled. The interchange stood wholly unused for over 20 years, until Route 9 was extended in 1992 to use the south-facing part of the interchange. Route 9 ends at I-84, so the north-facing and through ramps remain unused. Viewable at {Link without Title}
Atlanta :
Shreveport, Louisiana
Baltimore, Maryland staged numerous successful revolts; and has many ghost ramps to show for it.
- A stretch of U.S. Highway 40 west of downtown Baltimore contains a short below-grade freeway alignment, which was constructed as part of a planned routing of Interstate 170 into downtown. When the I-70 extension into Baltimore was killed, this small freeway segment was orphaned. Currently, US 40 runs east-west on a one-way couplet of surface streets, enters this segment for part of its length, and returns to the surface streets at the other end. A considerable portion of the freeway segment sits unused, as does a ramp leading to the segment. Viewable at {Link without Title}
- Ghost ramps are also located in I-95, just north of the , had it continued beyond downtown. {Link without Title}
- Also, immediately south of this intersection, I-695 has a Hairpin Turn and two additional pairs of ghost ramps; the Windlass Freeway would have continued to the west from this turn. {Link without Title}
- At the western end of the proposed Windlass Freeway, are a set of ghost ramps at the interchange between I-95 and Moravia Road, which is where the Windlass Freeway would have connected. [http://www.mdroads.com/routes/140-159.html]. Viewable at [http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=39.306052~-76.530572&style=h&lvl=16&scene=3659388]
A number of cloverleaf interchanges in the Boston, Massachusetts area have a missing arm and overly wide bridges, reflecting an unbuilt highway:
- In Burlington , at the junction of Interstate 95 ( Route 128 ) and U.S. Route 3 , (originally the US 3/128 junction) US 3 south of the junction was cancelled. The cloverleaf has since been converted into a somewhat awkward trumpet interchange, but grading for the cloverleaf is still clearly visible. {Link without Title}
- In Canton , at the junction of Interstate 95 ( Route 128 ) and Interstate 93 , (originally the I-95/128 junction) I-95 north of the junction was cancelled. This cloverleaf has also been converted into a trumpet interchange, but grading for the cloverleaf and collector-distributor lane, plus an extra bridge for a flyover from I-95 south to Route 128 south, are still clearly visible. {Link without Title}
- In Marlborough , at the junction of Interstate 495 and Interstate 290 , the bridges over I-495 are wider than needed for the Two-lane Freeway connector into Hudson , as there were once plans to extend I-290 all the way to Route 128. There is also grading for an abandoned cloverleaf loop from I-290 east to I-495 north. This was replaced by a flyover, due to a large number of truck rollovers on the ramp. {Link without Title}
- Interstate 335 , a spur of Interstate 35W , was proposed to connect I-35W with Interstate 94 just north of downtown Minneapolis. The project got as far as right-of-way acquisition and grading for exit ramps on I-35W at Johnson Street before it got cancelled due to local opposition. The northbound exit from I-35W to Johnson Street makes a rather long dogleg around a hill, while the southbound lanes of I-35W contain the vestiges of an entrance ramp near Hennepin Avenue. The ramps can be seen on this map. ( Reference )
Staten Island :
Long Island :
In Cleveland, Ohio :
In and around Cincinnati, Ohio :
Portland, Oregon and its surrounding areas has several examples:
- Just before the east end of the Marquam Bridge , for the cancelled Mt. Hood Freeway . Additional ghost ramps to this cancelled freeway were removed when Interstate 5 (which runs on the Marquam Bridge) was widened. This ramp is not viewable from above, as it is on the lower deck of a two-layer viaduct (and is completely concealed by the upper deck).
- On the Front Avenue overpass over I-405, which is much wider than it needs to be. Used to accommodate ramps which provided access to Harbor Drive . {Link without Title}
- On the ramp from I-5 southbound to I-84 eastbound, and on the approach from I-84 west to I-5. These may have been intended to connect I-84 with the Steel Bridge . {Link without Title}
- On the I-5 ramps to and from the northern end of I-405 , for the proposed Rose City Freeway through northeast Portland. A half-built stack interchange was built, including a portion of freeway structure past I-5 from the Fremont Bridge . The freeway structure was eventually reconfigured to connect to N Kerby Avenue at the request of nearby Emanual Hospital. Ramps connecting the Kerby Avenue connector to I-5 were left incomplete. {Link without Title}
- The massive I-405/US 30 interchange at the west end of the Fremont Bridge was built for the cancelled I-505 project. Initially, this sat as a ghost ramp until a temporary connection to NW Vaughn Street was built. The Vaughn Street connection was reconfigured into a short stretch of freeway rerouting US 30 onto a new 4-lane undivided highway called Yeon Avenue. Two ghost ramps exist just short of Vaughn Street that may have provided the temporary connection. {Link without Title}
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