markmano33 t1_irw6l63 wrote on October 11, 2022 at 2:31 PM

Interstate 170 and a stock photo of I-83. Is this site legit?

loudnate0701 t1_irwvbwd wrote on October 11, 2022 at 5:16 PM

That portion of the “highway to nowhere” if completed would have been called I-170. I’m not sure exactly where it was supposed to connect I-70.

mlorusso4 t1_irx2qzo wrote on October 11, 2022 at 6:04 PM

I’m pretty sure it was either supposed to come straight down and connect to 40 by the high school or go through Gwynn’s falls park and connect by the cemetery. 70 actually goes a little past 695 and ends at the park and ride. That’s where 170 would have connected

needleinacamelseye t1_irx4hw6 wrote on October 11, 2022 at 6:15 PM

Not quite - the original plan was for I-70 to run more-or-less directly on top of the Gwynns Falls through Leakin Park down to meet with I-95 between the Caton Ave and Washington Boulevard exits.

I-170 would have split off I-70 near where Hilton Pkwy meets Edmondson Avenue and run to MLK through West Baltimore. It would have largely served the same purpose as I-395 - getting commuters from downtown to the freeways further out. I-170 got built before the route of I-70 was finalized, and when I-70 got canceled in Baltimore City they got rid of the I-170 name (which actually did appear on signs for a while) and replaced it with US 40.

Here's a link to a map of what it would have looked like. Note the planned extension of I-83 through Fells and Canton to I-95 that also never got built.

Fun fact: the stubs for the on/off ramps from I-95 to the proposed I-70 near the Caton Avenue exit were built and you can see them on Google Maps.

edit: clarity & adding links

markmano33 t1_irzi6jl wrote on October 12, 2022 at 5:01 AM

Interesting, thanks! Driven past those stubs on 95 many times and always wondered why they’re there.

xNetrunner t1_is3sajb wrote on October 13, 2022 at 2:13 AM

Glad they didn't make a highway go through fells and canton. Although Boston St might as well be a highway.

Baltimore needs to do more to prevent assholes with loud exhausts, going 70mph in a 30, and having no stop signs or street lights or speed bumps.

I don't care where these people have to be. This is a city full of people.

People should be able to walk places and not hear loud shit flying by them. Simple. If you're in a car you can go the speed limit and stop for pedestrians, it won't kill you. They shouldn't be playing frogger.

Bring speed cameras. Bring crosswalks. Bring speed bumps. Let people bike and walk.

ohamza t1_irxwg7z wrote on October 11, 2022 at 9:14 PM

It would be great if they got rid of I 170/US 40. Pretty sure people use it to speed in their junky loud altimas. Also I’d be happy if they moved 83/JFX further back so it didn’t cut through the city the way it does. It’s also so curvy and it’s too common to see accidents there, especially when it’s wet.

NationalMyth t1_iryhvh6 wrote on October 11, 2022 at 11:53 PM

I've seen at least 7 accidents happen 2 or 3 lengths ahead of me on the curves above and below the Penn station section. And when I commuted to Harbor East and then Canton, traffic from accidents felt like a weekly occurrence.

[deleted] t1_is0536a wrote on October 12, 2022 at 10:17 AM

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ohamza t1_is19fw9 wrote on October 12, 2022 at 3:55 PM

Same here. Cover it up and make it a downtown street with some mixed use commercial, give folks in the neighborhood the ability to connect with others and be more enterprising.

[deleted] t1_is1bw0t wrote on October 12, 2022 at 4:12 PM

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ohamza t1_is293se wrote on October 12, 2022 at 7:47 PM

Yeah that area is a desert. A bigger grocery store with produce would be great, and maybe a market and some restaurants. So much potential there.

Honestly wouldn’t be a bad idea to try and put some kind of mass transit there as well considering it’s already dug out.

Strange-Effort1305 t1_irwyzji wrote on October 11, 2022 at 5:39 PM

Need the feds to help us take down these vacants.

S-Kunst t1_iry2zuh wrote on October 11, 2022 at 9:59 PM

Yes, it is an ugly and painful gash, and was part of a last gasp by small minded politicians, who could not see that uglifying the city was not a way to attract people. And it only pandered to those who lived outside the city, but earn their wages in the city. Meaning they took their tax dollars and spending dollars out of the city. That being said, there are many more important places the money could be spent than trying to erase the gash, at least spent before the gash is smoothed over. Mayor Schmoke used precious dollars to have some of the "Highway to no-ware removed. That being a part of I-95 which was to be the on ramp just east of the Wilkens Ave Exit. Correcting the problemd of the city cannot be wiped away by short term stunts. We have see this with goofy lighit posts placed on Howard St & North Ave.

Baltimore Seeks Federal Highway Removal Grant

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