Local–express lanes
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2010) |
The local–express lane system is an arrangement of carriageways within a major highway where long distance traffic can use lanes with fewer interchanges compared to local traffic which use 'local' or 'collector' lanes that have access to all interchanges. This can also be called a collector–distributor lane within a single interchange. One of the longest examples is Highway 401 in Toronto. Where highway ramps between express and local/collector lanes cross over one another this is commonly known as braided ramps.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Given the considerable overall width of this design, new suburban freeways are often designed with interchanges spaced far enough apart to avoid the need for parallel roadways.
This concept is different from express toll lanes.
Examples
 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with North America and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (January 2019) |
The following examples include both local–express lanes and collector–distributor lanes.
Canada
| Province | Highway | City | Location | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta |  Highway 63 |
Fort McMurray | 4 km (2.5 mi) | northbound only | |
| Alberta |  Highway 2 |
Edmonton | Whitemud Drive - Between 170 St and 178 St | 1.2 km (0.75 mi) | |
| British Columbia |  Highway 1 |
Coquitlam and Surrey | Cape Horn Interchange – 152nd Street | 5.4 km (3.4 mi) | |
| Nova Scotia |  Hwy 118 |
Dartmouth | Exit 12 | 2.2 km (1.4 mi) | southbound only |
| Ontario |  Highway 400 |
York Region | Highway 7 interchange – south of Langstaff Road[7] | 3.0 km (1.9 mi) | signed as Exit 29 to Highway 7 rather than collector–express |
| Ontario |  Highway 401 |
Toronto and Durham Region | east of Kipling Avenue (Highway 409 interchange) – Brock Road, Pickering[8] | 44 km (27 mi) | Primary system first completed from Islington to Markham Road in 1972, Brock Road in 2000. |
| Ontario | Highway 401 |
Peel Region | Hurontario Street – Highway 427[9] | 9.6 km (6.0 mi) | newest section extended from Highway 410 up to Mississauga Road in 2014. |
| Ontario |  Highway 403 |
Peel Region | Highway 401 / Highway 410 interchange – Cawthra Road | 3.4 km (2.1 mi) | Completed 1994 |
| Ontario |  Highway 404 |
Toronto | Highway 401 – just north of Sheppard Avenue East | 1.8 km (1.1 mi) | southbound, and from eastbound 401 to northbound 404 |
| Ontario |  Highway 410 |
Peel Region | Highway 401 / Highway 403 interchange – Courtneypark Drive | 1.8 km (1.1 mi) | northbound only, access to the express from the 403 only |
| Ontario |  Highway 427 |
Toronto | Queen Elizabeth Way / Gardiner Expressway – Highway 401 | 6.8 km (4.2 mi) | |
| Ontario | Conestoga Parkway | Kitchener | Lancaster Street – Krug Street | 2.3 km (1.4 mi) | |
| Ontario |  Gardiner Expressway (formerly QEW) |
Toronto | Wickman Road (west of Kipling Avenue) – Royal York Road | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) | |
| Quebec |  A-40 |
Repentigny | Larochelle Boulevard – Industrial Boulevard | 4.3 km (2.7 mi) | Exit 98 and Exit 100, with a single transfer in between |
| Quebec | A-40 |
Repentigny | Route 341 – Route 343 | 4.2 km (2.6 mi) | eastbound only |
United States
| State | Highway | City | Location | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California |  I-5 |
Irvine | Lake Forest Drive – Irvine Center Drive | 2.2 miles (3.5 km) | El Toro Y |
| California | I-5 |
Sorrento Valley, San Diego | I-805 – SR 56 | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| California |  I-10 |
Los Angeles | I-110 / SR 110 – Arlington Avenue | 2.4 miles (3.9 km) | |
| California |  I-805 |
Chula Vista | H Street – E Street / Bonita Road | 0.9 miles (1.4 km) | northbound only |
| California |  US 101 |
San Mateo County | near San Francisco International Airport | 1.7 miles (2.7 km) | |
| California |  SR 87 (Guadalupe Parkway) |
I-280 – Julian Street along Downtown San Jose | 1.2 miles (1.9 km) | northbound | |
| California | SR 87 (Guadalupe Parkway) |
I-280 – Alma Avenue | 0.7 miles (1.1 km) | southbound | |
| California |  SR 180 |
Fresno | SR 41 / SR 168 interchanges | 1.1 miles (1.8 km) | This interchange is unusual because it also allows traffic to flow directly between SR 41 and SR 168 bypassing SR 180, making it in effect a double braided ramp. www.dot.ca.gov Google Maps |
| Florida |  I-295
|
Jacksonville | Between Collins Road and Roosevelt Boulevard/US-17 | 3.4 miles (5.47 km) | |
| Georgia |  I-85 |
Gwinnett County | Exit 104 – Exit 109 | 5.4 miles (8.7 km) | collector distributor system |
| Illinois |   I-90 / I-94 (Kennedy Expressway) |
Chicago | Ohio Street – Edens Expressway | 7.0 miles (11.3 km) | reversible express lane |
| Illinois | I-90 / I-94 (Dan Ryan Expressway) |
Chicago | 71st Street – I-55 | 5.5 miles (8.9 km) | signed local–express lane system; no trucks are allowed in the express lanes |
| Illinois |  IL 53 |
Rolling Meadows | I-290 – Kirchhoff Road | 2.1 miles (3.4 km) | local–express format |
| Iowa |   I-29 / I-80 |
Council Bluffs | I-80 Exit 1 to Exit 4 | 3.12 miles (5.02 km) | Dual-divided freeway format |
| Kansas |  K-10 |
Lenexa | K-10 Exit to Interstate 435 East, Lackman Road & Interstate 35 | 2.18 miles (3.51 km) | Dual-divided freeway format |
| Maryland |  I-95 (Express toll lanes) |
Baltimore County | White Marsh – Baltimore | 7.6 miles (12.2 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| Maryland |  I-270 (northbound) |
Montgomery County | Montrose Road – Montgomery Village Avenue | 8.3 miles (13.4 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| Maryland | I-270 (southbound) |
Montgomery County | Montrose Road – I-370 | 5.6 miles (9.0 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| Michigan |  I-96 |
Detroit | Outer Drive – Davison Avenue | 5.8 miles (9.3 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| Nebraska |  US 6 (West Dodge Road/West Dodge Expressway) |
Omaha | 93rd Street – 120th Street | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | Elevated West Dodge Freeway bypasses 114th and 120th Street intersections; West Dodge Road is technically a frontage road due to multiple at-grade intersections |
| New Jersey |  I-78 |
I-95 / N.J. Turnpike – Route 24 | 10.2 miles (16.4 km) | signed local–express lane system | |
| New Jersey | I-80 |
I-95 / G.S. Parkway – I-280 / I-287 | 6.2 miles (10.0 km) | signed local–express lane system | |
| New Jersey |  I-95 / N.J. Turnpike |
Ridgefield Park | just north of US 46 – George Washington Bridge | 4.4 miles (7.1 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| New Jersey |  I-287 |
I-78 – US 202 / US 206 | 3.0 miles (4.8 km) | signed local–express lane system | |
| New Jersey |  US 1/9 |
Route 81 – US 1/9 Truck | 5.9 miles (9.5 km) | ||
| New Jersey |  Route 3 |
N.J. Turnpike western spur – Route 495 | 1.2 miles (1.9 km) | ||
| New Jersey |  G.S. Parkway |
Middlesex & Monmouth counties | Raritan tolls – Asbury Park tolls | 21.8 miles (35.1 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| New York |  I-495 |
Elmhurst | Exit 19 | 1.4 miles (2.3 km) | |
| New York | Westchester Avenue | Harrison | I-287 (Exits 9S / 9N) | 2.8 miles (4.5 km) | |
| Ohio | I-270 |
Columbus | SR 161 – McCutcheon Road (just north of I-670) | 3.3 miles (5.3 km) | |
| Ohio |  I-271 |
Greater Cleveland | I-480 (North Randall) – I-90 (Willoughby Hills) | 13.9 miles (22.4 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| Pennsylvania |  I-79 |
Cranberry Township | PA 228 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | southbound only |
| Pennsylvania |  US 1 (Roosevelt Boulevard) |
Northeast Philadelphia | 11.9 miles (19.2 km) | surface roadway with express and local lanes | |
| Texas |  I-10 |
San Antonio | Exit 567 – Exit 570 | 2.0 miles (3.2 km) | |
| Texas |  I-10 / I-35 |
San Antonio | Exit 155A (Spur 536) –Exit 154A (Loop 353) | 0.7 miles (1.1 km) | |
| Texas | I-35 |
San Antonio | Exit 156 (I-10) – Exit 158 (I-37) | 1.8 miles (2.9 km) | |
| Texas |  I-635 (Express toll lanes) |
northern Dallas | Exit 19 – Exit 27C (I-35E) | 9.9 miles (15.9 km) | |
| Texas |  US 54 (Patriot Freeway) |
El Paso | I-10 – Pershing Drive (Fort Bliss entrance) | 1.8 miles (2.9 km) | |
| Virginia | Dulles Toll Road | Fairfax County |  SR 123 (Chain Bridge Road) – Washington Dulles International Airport |
13.0 miles (20.9 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| Washington D.C./Virginia/Maryland | I-495 (Capital Beltway) |
Washington metropolitan area | Telegraph Road (Alexandria, Virginia) – SR 210 (Oxon Hill, Maryland) | 6.6 miles (10.6 km) | signed local–express lane system |
| Washington |  I-5 |
Seattle | Yesler Way – NE Northgate Way | 7.3 miles (11.7 km) | reversible express lanes |
| Washington | I-5 |
Seattle | Holgate Street – 8th Avenue tunnel | 1.7 miles (2.7 km) | |
| Wisconsin |  I-41 / I-94 |
Milwaukee | College Avenue – I-41 / I-43 | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) |
Other countries
Gallery
-
North Access freeway over National Route 9 (Argentina). The express lanes (left, all vehicles) and local lanes (right, cars and buses only) seen in the view towards the north. -
A view of North Access's Freeway at Buenos Aires, Argentina from the bridge on Pres H.Yrigoyen street at Florida, Buenos Aires, Argentina. -
-
Local and express lanes can be connected using a basketweave. -
Basketweave on Highway 401 in Toronto -
'The Transfer' on Highway 401 near Toronto Pearson Airport (top of image). 43°38′54″N 79°38′14″W / 43.648373°N 79.637085°W -
Express to collector transfer on Highway 401 -
Collector–express roadway configuration on Highway 401 -
-
Express and local lanes of Leningradsky Avenue in Moscow -
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Local–express lanes on Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, Maryland -
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Example of cloverleaf interchanges
A cloverleaf interchange may have collector–distributor lanes on a freeway or expressway to handle entering and exiting traffic. Usually, this lane will begin as an entrance-only ramp initially, but it will sometimes become a main lane or possibly an exit-only lane. The purpose of this lane is to facilitate traffic to the freeway exits and from the freeway entrances.
See also
References
- ^ VDOT: Braided Ramp Demo. YouTube (2009-02-26). Retrieved on 2013-07-16.
- ^ I-5 196th Braided Ramp animation. YouTube (2010-12-02). Retrieved on 2013-07-16.
- ^ WSDOT - Project - I-405 – NE 8th St to SR 520 Braided Ramps – Interchange Improvements - Complete May 2012 Archived 2010-07-10 at the Wayback Machine. Wsdot.wa.gov. Retrieved on 2013-07-16.
- ^ ftp://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/rti/psr/5105.pdf
- ^ TxDOT IH-10 Section 3. PGAL. Retrieved on 2013-07-16.
- ^ State Route 180 Braided Ramps Project. Dot.ca.gov. Retrieved on 2013-07-16.
- ^ Tele Atlas. "Driving directions to Unknown road". Google Maps. Mountain View, U.S.A.: Google Maps. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
- ^ Tele Atlas. "Driving directions to King's Hwy 401/MacDonald-Cartier Fwy/Hwy of Heroes". Google Maps. Mountain View, U.S.A.: Google Maps. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- ^ Tele Atlas. "Driving directions to King's Hwy 401/MacDonald-Cartier Fwy". Google Maps. Mountain View, U.S.A.: Google Maps. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
External links
Media related to Local-express lanes at Wikimedia Commons
