It’s gone, baby! According to a story in today’s Patriot News, at least part of the colossal screwup of an interchange at Routes 15 and 581 is being shut down for good. All I can say is that this is long, long, long overdue. In fact, having at least a passing familiarity with Pennsylvania’s traffic levels due to my research on the abandoned Turnpike segment, I can’t imagine at what point in our post-1940s history that giving motorists approximately three feet of ramp in which to accelerate and merge (the end of which is helpfully marked by a concrete bridge support) was a good idea. In fact, if I recall correctly, cloverleafs in general were despised by the late 1950s, and most new highway interchanges were being built as flyovers starting in the early 1980s.
Good riddance!
I can’t say I ever understood the logic in having a shared on/off ramp about 30 yards long that runs straight into cement. And for someone who drives this conundrum everyday to work I can only say GOOOOOD RIDDANCE !