Wrong-way concurrency
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A wrong-way concurrency is a road concurrency in which at least two numbered highway routes are signed in opposite, conflicting directions on the same stretch of physical roadway.
Although each route is logically consistent with itself, wrong-way concurrency signage may lead to confusion among motorists.
The road itself is likely to be actually pointed in a third direction. For example, a north-south wrong-way concurrency would typically occur on a stretch of road that physically runs east-west; and vice versa.
This oddity is not to be confused with situations where a north-south route shares an east-west route, which is a very common occurrence. Also, there are some cases where a route's posted direction is not the same for the entire route (thus need careful consideration of apparent wrong-way concurrency), with these examples:
- "Beltway" situation, such as I-695 around Baltimore and I-495 around Washington, DC.
- I-69, connecting Indianapolis and Port Huron, MI; south of Lansing, Michigan it is posted as north-south and east of Lansing it is posted as east-west.
- At least part of US 1 in Connecticut has been posted as east-west, although for the rest of its route (from Canada to Key West, Florida) it is posted north-south.
List of wrong-way concurrencies
United States
Alabama
- Interstate 359 and State Route 69 are wrong-way concurrent with U.S. Route 11 in Tuscaloosa. Southbound U.S. 11 is co-routed with northbound S.R. 69 between Skyland Boulevard and 15th Street. When U.S. 11 and S.R. 69 junction with I-359 at its interchange with Interstate 20/Interstate 59, northbound I-359 and S.R. 69 share the wrong-way concurrency with southbound U.S. 11.
- Northbound State Route 69 is co-routed with southbound State Route 5 through Jasper along the former route of U.S. Route 78. The roadway runs in a general east-west orientation.
- U.S. Route 80 and U.S. Route 280 are briefly wrong-way concurrent at Phenix City
- Northbound State Route 35 is routed with southbound U.S. Route 11 at Fort Payne. U.S. 11 is generally a northeast-southwest route, while State Route 35 is generally a northwest-southeast route.
- Southbound U.S. Route 29 and northbound State Route 55 as they approach downtown Andalusia from the east. The two routes share the same roadway as U.S. Route 84.
- Southbound U.S. 29 is co-routed with northbound State Route 41 as they approach downtown Brewton from the southeast.
California
- A section of the Eastshore Freeway in Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, and Oakland California is signed as I-80 and I-580 in opposite directions.
Georgia
- In Bartow County, U.S. Route 41 and U.S. Route 411 are wrong-way concurrent for a short distance where U.S. Route 411 abruptly changes from a north-south orientation to an east-west orientation (although the signage on the highway is still north-south). A proposed connection between the northern junction of the two routes and Interstate 75 will remove the concurrency if completed.
- In north Cobb County, Georgia, a wrong-way concurrency is made up of U.S. Route 41 North and Georgia S.R. 92 South.
Illinois
- Near Raymond, IL 48 goes north and IL 127 goes south in a wrong-way concurrency for about 8 miles.
- Illinois 72 runs concurrently with Illinois Route 47 and U.S. Highway 20 by Starks, an unincorporated village approximately 60 miles from Chicago. (This) is a Wrong-way concurrency, where one can be driving both west on Illinois 72 and east on U.S. 20 at the same time. (from the Illinois Route 72 article)
- in Harvard, US 14 and Illinois 173, for approximately 1 mile.
Iowa
- On the southwest side of Cedar Rapids, U.S. Route 151 and U.S. Route 218 run in opposite directions while also concurrent with U.S. Route 30.
- U.S. Route 65 and Iowa Highway 5, both north-south highways, are wrong-way concurrent for 3 miles between U.S. Route 69 and Carlisle.
- U.S. Route 30 and Iowa Highway 37 are wrong-way concurrent for 3 blocks in Dunlap.
Kansas
- South of Pittsburg, a north-south stretch of road is wrong-way concurrent with north-south U.S. Route 69, and east-west highways U.S. Route 160 and U.S. Route 400. If you are going to the north, you are going north on 69, west on 400 and east on 160.
Massachusetts
- In 1989, U.S. Route 1 was relocated to follow I-95 and I-93 into Boston. The I-95 portion of this concurrency proceeding east is marked as US 1 North, I-95 South and MA 128 South. Further north, in Burlington, the highway has yet another short wrong-way concurrency. U.S. Route 3 is a freeway north of Route 128. The originally planned freeway to the south was cancelled in 1970, so US 3 South takes a short jog on Route 128 and I-95 North (travelling east-northeast) to get back to its original alignment.
Nebraska
- From west of Long Pine to Bassett, southbound U.S. Route 183 and northbound Nebraska Highway 7 are concurrent. This is a segment of highway shared with U.S. Route 20.
New York
- I-890 and New York State Route 7 have a wrong-way concurrence between exits 7 and 9A in Rotterdam, south of Schenectady. In this portion of I-890, the highway is oriented North-South.
- New York State Route 59 and US Route 202 have a wrong-way concurrence for 0.05 miles in Suffern, New York.
New Jersey
- In Sussex County, New Jersey State Route 94 and Sussex County Route 517 feature a wrong-way north-south concurrency that runs right past Mountain Creek water park.
North Carolina
- In Greensboro, North Carolina, Interstate 40, Business 85, U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 70, U.S. Route 220, and U.S. Route 421 are all concurrent. US 421 is wrong-way, as can be seen to the right. The 2.5 mile stretch where these routes are concurrent is known as Death Valley.
Ohio
- From Aberdeen to Ripley along the Ohio River, US 52, US 62, and US 68 form a wrong-way concurrency for about 8 miles. US 68 enters Ohio duplexed with US 62 with both being bannered as east-west routes in Kentucky, but with US 68 a north-south route in Ohio. US 68 Northbound and US 62 Eastbound enter from Kentucky over a new bridge west of Aberdeen and join US 52 Westbound until leaving in Ripley. US 52 is also notable for changing directions from north-south to east-west in different states, and also is involved in a wrong-way concurrency in Virginia with US 11, I-77, and I-81. Sign Assembly near Aberdeen just after US 62/68 EB enter from Kentucky and become US 62 EB and US 68 NB and join US 52 WB
- The bypass around Fremont, Ohio carries four routes: US 6, US 20, State Route 19, and State Route 53. For a short distance a wrong-way concurrency occurs in which one can travel east on US 6, east on US 20, north on State Route 53, and south on State Route 19. In the other direction one will be traveling west on US 6, west on US 20, north on State Route 19, and south on State Route 53.
- Near Perrysburg, Ohio, southwest of Toledo, north-south I-75 and north-south U.S. Route 23 form a wrong-way concurrency for about one mile (1.6km) between the I-75/I-475 and I-75/U.S. Route 20/U.S. Route 23 interchanges.
- State Route 7 and State Route 60 briefly experience this phenomenon in Marietta.
Oklahoma
- In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, State Highway 3 is wrong-way concurrent with Interstate 44. Both roads are signed east-west.
Pennsylvania
- In Williamsport, Pennsylvania, a portion of US 15 is a wrong-way concurrency along with US 220. Both are north-south roads. The stretch of highway runs east to west, and the east-west I-180 also shares this stretch of road.
- The infamous section of US 30 in Breezewood, Pennsylvania that is also part of the main route of I-70 is wrong-way concurrent; eastbound I-70 traffic travels west on US 30 (and the map) through Breezewood, and vice versa. The entire section is unsigned.
- West of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a portion of U.S. Route 1 is wrong way concurrent with Pennsylvania Route 52. (This stretch is about a mile, and is just east of Longwood Gardens.)
South Carolina
- Between Gardens Corner, SC and Pocotaligo, SC a short stretch of US Route 21 and US Route 17 are wrong-way concurrent, with US 21 South and US 17 North sharing a stretch of road. This stretch is used by travelers headed to the Beaufort area from I-95.
Tennessee
- In Chattanooga, U.S. Route 11 and U.S. Route 41 are wrong-way concurrent for about five miles looping around the base of Lookout Mountain and a large bend in the Tennessee River via Cummings Highway and S. Broad Street. Adding to the confusion, construction signage on adjacent Interstate 24 approaching Chattanooga from the west lists truck restrictions on U.S. Route 41 East (even though it is a north-south route). U.S. Route 64 and U.S. Route 72 are concurrent along the same section.
- In Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a 7.3-mile (11.8-km) section of the Great Smoky Mountains Parkway is a wrong-way concurrency of U.S. Route 321 and U.S. Route 441. (Further confusing things, State Route 71 and State Route 73 are also concurrent along that section.)
- Also near the Smoky Mountains, U.S. Route 411 and U.S. Route 441 are wrong-way concurrent between Seymour and Sevierville. Although the routes are north-south, this segment travels close to due east-west. The similarity of the route numbers further confuses things.
- In the northeastern part of the state, a 2.7-mile (4.3-km) segment of the Lee Highway between Tate Springs and Bean Station includes a wrong-way north-south concurrency of U.S. Route 25E and U.S. Route 11W. This concurrency is especially unusual due to the opposing E (east) and W (west) designations of the two U.S. highways — thus, a motorist heading from Tate Springs to Bean Station (in a generally eastward direction) would be travelling north on 25E and, simultaneously, south on 11W. (photos) In addition, State Route 1 and State Route 32 are concurrent along this stretch.
Texas
- The 2.9 miles of road from Corley, Texas eastward to Maud are signed as northbound U.S. Route 67 and southbound State Highway 8.
- Traveling from Vernon to Oklaunion is designated northbound U.S. Route 183 and southbound U.S. Route 287.
- A short stretch west of Victoria, Texas is signed as northbound U.S. Route 59 and southbound U.S. Route 77.
Virginia
- Less famous but no less confusing is the I-77/I-81 wrong-way concurrency in southwestern Virginia (pictured above), which is simultaneously North 81 and South 77. In the 80s and early 90s, this section was particularly confusing due to poor (almost nonexistent) signage, but this problem was remedied around 1996. Additionally, U.S. Route 52 and U.S. Route 11 are also wrong-way concurrent, making the roadway doubly wrong-way concurrent. Making matters even more confusing for travelers, the exit number for 77 south is 81.
- Upon completion of Interstate 73 in Virginia, Interstate 81 will have its second wrong-way concurrency in the state. Interstate 73, coming north from North Carolina, will run south along I-81 from current Interstate 581 in Roanoke to U.S. Route 460 in Christiansburg, and head north to West Virginia.
- In Lynchburg, Virginia, concurrent north-south U.S. Route 29 and east-west U.S. Route 460 meet with north-south U.S. Route 501. US 29 and US 501 are wrong-way for approximately 2.5 miles (right).
Wisconsin
- A short stretch of the U.S. Route 10 freeway around Waupaca, Wisconsin contains a wrong-way concurrency of north-south Wisconsin state routes 22 and 49, as well as state route 54. There is one set of route markers in each direction; traveling west, the highway is marked as US 10 west, WI 22 south, WI 49 north and WI 54 west.
- In the Janesville area, as a result of a recently constructed bypass around Janesville, eastbound Wisconsin Highway 11 runs with westbound Interstate 90 and northbound Interstate 39 between exits 177 and 175 of I-90.
Canada
British Columbia
- A section of the Trans-Canada Highway within Kamloops is signed as BC 1 East, BC 97 South, and BC 5 North. It is the only wrong-way concurrency in the province of British Columbia.
Saskatchewan
- Near the town of Chamberlain, along Highway 11, there is a concurrency with Highway 2 such that 11 south is 2 north. Map
Quebec
- From St-Patrice-de-Sherrington to Napierville, Routes 219 and 221 run along the same physical road, but are signed in opposite directions. Map