If Houston Had a Name for each Freeway Interchange

[DaTrain]

I got the idea from this HAIF thread about ugly interchanges and having cleaver names some posters put up. That and major cities elsewhere having interchange names such as the MacArthur Maze in Oakland, Orange Crush in Orange County, Pratt Interchange in San Antonio, Spaghetti Junction in Atlanta, Mousetrap in Denver and Malfunction Juntion in Birmingham.

So I'll brainstorm first for fun: if Houston's interchanges had names, they would be as follows:

*I-45/I-10/downtown interchanges - The Downtown Shuffle. Looking at a map, they both look like converging freeways that shuffle for 1/3 mile before splitting again, such as I-10WB and I-45 SB shuffled in between the I-10EB and I-45NB lanes.

*I-45/Allen Pkwy/Memorial/Houston Avenue - Suicide Alley (for Allen Pkwy on ramps) and the Bayou Blackout (Houston Av split and I-45 crossing Buffalo Bayou three times as it meanders).

*I-610/I-10/US 290 - The Motor Weavefest. You'd have to cross several lanes depending on what end of the interchange you come from.

*South Loop/I-45S - Malfunction Junction. This name will fit well due to disconnected ramps, like exiting South Loop and turning north on SH 35 to get to 45 N.

*I-610/US 59 near Galleria - The Rebuilt Snarler. Ramps were rebuilt to accomodate the WPTW underpass fron Post Oak in the exact same crappy condition due to backups on West Loop.

*I-610/Post Oak Road - The Post Oak WYE. The only three way interchange, this one looks like a railroad junction "wye."

*288/59/45 - The Cluster.

*all the rest of the interchanges are generically "Spaghetti Junctions" anyway.

This seems crazy to do this but the interchanges are too plain without names.

[MidtownCoog]

That's just too Dallas IMHO.

Didn't Dallas have a contest to name one of their interchanges?

[CDeb]

*I-610/I-10/US 290 - The Motor Weavefest.

I've always called this The Megaweave.

When 290 is rebuilt, this will be alleviated as there will be entrance/exit ramps directly to/from I-10 on 290.

[desirous]

288/45/59: Constipation Station

[JLWM8609]

I-610/I-10E: "Ole' Grimy"

Memorial Drive/Waugh: "Curve n' Swere"

US 290/Sam Houston Tollway: "Big Bertha"

[CDeb]

Memorial Drive/Waugh: "Curve n' Swere"

Or how 'bout, "We don't need no stinkin' signs!"

Edited May 9, 2007 by CDeb

[DaTrain]

^^^ :lol:

I like that interchange because this is the only place in the city you will ever see a Cloverleaf. Not for today's traffic standards I'll admit, but it is unique.

[musicman]

i don't think this would help the confusion. it still surprises me that many don't know 45 crosses 610 twice (likewise i10 and 59)

[JLWM8609]

i don't think this would help the confusion. it still surprises me that many don't know 45 crosses 610 twice (likewise i10 and 59)

LOL. Yep. With the exceptions of the Hardy Tollway, US290, SH288, SH225, and Westpark Tollway, all the arterial highways and freeways in Houston cross 610 twice. There are even some people who used to get on 610, and get surprised when they pass the Astrodome again 38 miles later!

[Rio Grande Valley]

In the event of an emergency don't follow 610.

[Captain Impossible]

*288/59/45 - The Cluster.

i just call it death.

Didn't Dallas have a contest to name one of their interchanges?

yes they did.

[Vertigo58]

225 and Beltway 8 near Pasadener & Deerpark chould be called either...

Toxic Highway

EPA Neglect Interchange

Fumigation Freeway

Icantbreathe Loop

[GovernorAggie]

I think you'd be fine by just naming some of them based on where they are or some nearby attractor. In fact, I'll throw out some names, and maybe you all can guess which ones I'm talking about:

Northline Interchange

Gulfgate Interchange

Greenspoint Interchange

Westchase (or Memorial City) Interchange

Otherwise you could go to actual people's names. The Spaghetti Junction in Atlanta is technically the "Tom Moreland Interchange" for example. Georgia has quite a few interchanges named after people (even some small diamond interchanges) including highway patrol officers.

[DaTrain]

^^^California does the same thing as well; they even name street interchanges after people. Example: there is a freeway interchange in Santa Clarita named for a CHP officer who died in the Northridge Earthquake. And this is the same interchange that collapsed twice, 1994 being second.

Speaking of names from your idea^^^, we might as well call one interchange the Astrostack.

Edited May 9, 2007 by DaTrain

[Justin]

I'm sure I'll get crucified for having a Plastic-like idea, but how about selling the naming rights to companies?

Just think about it. You keep hearing how TxDOT is so short on money and something like this would help pad the bottom line. And, unlike naming rights for stadiums, the money would actually have some benefit to the public.

Edited May 10, 2007 by Justin

[KatieDidIt]

Hardy Toll South dumping onto 610- We're All Gonna Die Interchange

[JLWM8609]

Just think about it. You keep hearing how TxDOT is so short on money and something like this would help pad the bottom line. And, unlike naming rights for stadiums, the money would actually have some benefit to the public.

That would make interesting traffic reports.

Well, looks like there's an accident at the Campbell's Chunky Soup interchange, backing traffic all the way up to the DaimlerChrysler and Johnson & Johnson interchanges. Though everything looks clear over at the Toshiba interchange, and reminder tonight, the Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits interchange will be closed this weekend while workers demolish old ramps and transfer traffic to the new ramps. Officials strongly encourage travelers to exit at the Southwest Airlines interchange and use feeder roads to avoid delays. Now back to you.

[editor]

If there's an interchange where no matter what way you intend to go you end up going an entirely different direction, then I think it should be called the HAIF Thread Tangle.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Is the Juan Seguin Memorial Interchange (SH 225 @ 610) the only named interchange in the Houston area?

[nx99]

If there's an interchange where no matter what way you intend to go you end up going an entirely different direction, then I think it should be called the HAIF Thread Tangle.

I'm partial to the Rotary Supercollider.

http://xkcd.com/c253.html