Wrong-way concurrency

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A wrong-way concurrency or wrong-way multiplex 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; part is posted as north-south and part 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.

Contents 1 List of wrong-way concurrencies 1.1 United States 1.1.1 Alabama 1.1.2 Arkansas 1.1.3 California 1.1.4 Florida 1.1.5 Georgia 1.1.6 Illinois 1.1.7 Iowa 1.1.8 Kansas 1.1.9 Kentucky 1.1.10 Maryland 1.1.11 Massachusetts 1.1.12 New Hampshire 1.1.13 New Jersey 1.1.14 New Mexico 1.1.15 New York 1.1.16 North Carolina 1.1.17 Ohio 1.1.18 Oklahoma 1.1.19 Pennsylvania 1.1.20 South Carolina 1.1.21 Tennessee 1.1.22 Texas 1.1.23 Virginia 1.1.24 Wisconsin 1.2 Canada 1.2.1 British Columbia 1.2.2 Saskatchewan 1.2.3 Quebec

[edit] List of wrong-way concurrencies

[edit] United States

[edit] 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.
• U.S. Route 280 and State Route 50 share a one mile wrong-way concurrency near Camp Hill in Tallapoosa County. U.S. 280 travels in a southeast-northwest trajectory, and S.R. 50 travels in a northeast-southwest arc.
• State Route 21 and State Route 77 share a two mile wrong-way concurrency in Talladega.

[edit] Arkansas

• A stretch of north-south highways Interstate 530 and U.S. Route 65 near Pine Bluff, Arkansas is wrong-way concurrent with north-south highways U.S. Route 63 and U.S. Route 79; this segment is east-west across the south side of Pine Bluff, but curves to near north-south (with U.S. 63/79 signage, but against I-530/U.S. 65 signage) near the east end of town.
• A predecessor of the above stretch runs along Pine Bluff's Martha Mitchell Expressway (U.S. 65B); the section from Blake Street to University Drive, which is signed north-south but runs east-west, is wrong-way concurrent with U.S. 79B. (U.S. 63 did not go thru Pine Bluff until after I-530 bypassed this section.) However, the Martha Mitchell Expressway is more infamous for being built to less than freeway standards, even though the U.S. 65 freeway from Little Rock (now part of I-530) once fed directly into it. Before the expressway was built, U.S. 65 and 79 were wrong-way concurrent along West Sixth Avenue (now Arkansas 190).
• A short stretch of the main road through Stuttgart, Arkansas previously contained a wrong-way concurrency of north-south highways U.S. Route 165 south and U.S. Route 79; however, a bypass around the northeast portion of the city rerouted 165 and, thus, the wrong-way concurrency disappeared into the annals of history.
• Directly east of State Line Avenue in Texarkana, U.S. Route 67 and U.S. Route 71 run in opposite directions for approximately half a mile on two one-way corridors, also shared by U.S. Route 82. Six and a half blocks of East 7th Street are signed as US 67 north, US 71 south, and US 82 east, while five blocks of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and one block of East 9th Street are signed as US 67 south, US 71 north, and US 82 west.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Florida

• In downtown Jacksonville, northbound U.S. 1 and U.S. 17 are signed on a one-block section of Ocean Street with westbound U.S. 90 and eastbound FL 228.

• In Belleview, northbound FL 35 and southbound FL 25 are concurrent from U.S. 27, U.S. 301, and U.S. 441 to a point, less than a mile to the east, where FL 35 turns north and FL 25 becomes Marion County Road 25 around the east side of Lake Weir.

[edit] Georgia

• In north Cobb County, Georgia, a wrong-way concurrency is made up of U.S. Route 41 North and Georgia S.R. 92 South.
• In Cartersville, U.S. Route 41 runs north while U.S. Route 411 runs south. However, U.S. Route 411 is scheduled to be re-routed onto a new alignment, which would eliminate the concurrency.

[edit] Illinois

• Near Raymond, IL 48 goes north and IL 127 goes south in a multiplex for about 8 miles.
• In Murphysboro, there is a multiplex of IL 13 East, IL 149 West, and IL 127 south for 3 miles.
• In Shiloh IL near Scott AFB, there is a multiplex of IL 158 West and IL 161 East. However, it is signed as IL 158 south, even though all other IDOT signs indicate IL 158 as an east-west highway.
• There used to be a multiplex of IL 157 North, IL 159 South, IL 143 East for 2 blocks in downtown Edwardsville. However, IL 159 was rerouted as of 2004 and this multiplex no longer exists.
• In Harvard, IL you can be travelling west on IL 173 and east on U.S 14.
• The unincorporated town of Starks, IL is home to a multiplex of three highways: US 20, IL 47, and IL 72. For a stretch of less than 1 mile, you can travel east on IL 72, west on US 20, and north on IL 47 all at the same time, or vice versa.

[edit] 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 30 and IA 37, both east-west routes, are wrong-way concurrent for three blocks in Dunlap.
• IA 141 and IA 175, both east-west routes, are wrong-way concurrent for half a mile in Mapleton.
• U.S. Route 30 and IA 141 are wrong-way concurrent for half a mile in Denison.

[edit] Kansas

• South of Pittsburg, Kansas, 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, east on 400 and west on 160.

• In Atchison, U.S. Route 59 and U.S. Route 73 run together on a stretch that turns slightly southwest-northeast. If you are going southwest, you are on north 73 and south 59.

[edit] Kentucky

• In Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S. Route 127 and U.S. Route 421 run in opposite north-south directions for about 1.3 miles of Wilkinson Boulevard and on the twin Yount Memorial Bridges that cross over the Kentucky River.

[edit] Maryland

• In Cecil County, southbound US 222 comes down from Pennsylvania and reaches US 1, and from that point, "regular" and truck routes for southbound Maryland 222 take off in opposite directions. Southbound MD 222 truck route takes northbound US 1 (in a wrong-way concurrency), then southbound MD 276 and southbound MD 275 until reaching "regular" MD 222 just before I-95. For the northbound MD 222 truck route, reverse the procedure.

[edit] Massachusetts

• A stretch of the Yankee Division Highway, a loop around Boston, Massachusetts. The southernmost portion of the loop proceeds east from the intersection of I-95 south (going to Providence, Rhode Island) to the intersection of I-93 north (proceeding into downtown Boston) and MA Route 3 from Plymouth, Massachusetts and Cape Cod. Because the route provides a connection from I-95 to the portion of I-93 that enters Boston, the route is signed I-93 North. At the same time, the entire loop was signed as MA Route 128, which proceeded to this point from its northern terminus in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Since travelers would reach this point in the loop primarily by driving south, the route continued to be signed Route 128 South. The result was a stretch of highway, proceeding east, marked as I-93 North and MA 128 South. In 1997, the Route 128 designation was removed from this portion of the highway, so this wrong-way concurrency no longer occurs (except among locals who still call the highway Route 128).
• Another, more recent, wrong-way concurrency on the same highway continues to exist immediately west of this stretch. 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 (though locals call freeways "expressways" in New England). 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.
• In Arlington, U.S. Route 3 is part of a wrong-way concurrency with Massachusetts Route 2A and Massachusetts Route 60. For a two block stretch, US 3 South is signed with MA 2A East and MA 60 West.
• In Cambridge, U.S. Route 3 is part of a wrong-way concurrency with Massachusetts Route 2 and Massachusetts Route 16. Between the Alewife Rotary and Huron Street, US 3 South is signed with MA 2 East and MA 16 West.

[edit] New Hampshire

• There is a wrong-way concurrency of NH 18 and NH 135 between Littleton and the Vermont state line.

[edit] New Jersey

• NJ 15 and NJ 94 have a wrong-way concurrency for approximately 2000 feet in Lafayette. South NJ 94 turns right onto North NJ 15 and then diverges left towards Newton, while NJ 15 continues north towards Branchville. The fact that NJ 94 runs North-South despite being even numbered adds to the confusion, and the intersection has been the cause of many accidents.

[edit] New Mexico

• US 70 and NM 90 have a wrong-way concurrency in Lordsburg, beginning at the junction of Main Street and Interstate 10, continuing North for approximately three miles.

[edit] New York

• US 202 and NY 59 have a block-long wrong-way concurrence in Suffern.
• NY 415 and NY 54 have a wrong-way concurrence for several blocks in Bath. Eastbound Washington Street is signed as NY 54 north and NY 415 south.
• 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.
• NY 167 and NY 169 have a short wrong-way concurrency in the city of Little Falls. That duplex is entirely contained in a triplex with NY 5. Further, NY 167 (north) and NY 169 (south) abut each other at a city intersection as one-way couplets. Neither route passes through the intersection; both routes make a turn there and all four directions, each one-way, are covered.

[edit] North Carolina

• On the Brunswick and New Hanover County Line in North Carolina, US 17 North/US 74/76 East shares a designation with U.S. Route 421 South as the road travels over the Cape Fear River.
• 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
• In downtown Lillington, Northbound US 401, Northbound NC 210, and southbound US 421 share the same route.

[edit] Ohio

• 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 between the I-75/I-475 and I-75/U.S. Route 20/U.S. Route 23 interchanges.

• 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

[edit] Oklahoma

• In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, State Highway 3 is wrong-way concurrent with Interstate 44. Both roads are signed east-west, but this section of road runs north-south.

[edit] Pennsylvania

• Near Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a portion of the Doylestown Bypass is a wrong-way concurrency cosigned with US 202 and PA 611 running in opposite directions.
• To the east of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, running east for about 1 mile from Longwood Gardens to Hamorton, northbound US 1 and southbound PA 52 form a wrong-way concurrency. (For the opposite direction, reverse the procedure.)
• 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.
• In Berwick, PA, US 11 and PA 93 run wrong-way concurrent. US 11 runs south along Second Street until merging onto Front Street, while PA 93 runs north along Second Street until following Orange Street north.
• 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) thru Breezewood, and vice versa.
• In Tionesta, US 62 and PA 36 form a wrong-way concurrency[1].
• Schaefferstown, PA: Going from west to east, there is a wrong-way concurrency of northbound PA 419 and southbound PA 897, with much of it also being southbound PA 501. (Reverse the procedure in the opposite direction.)
• Lancaster, PA: Westbound PA 23, coming in from Leola, enters the eastbound US 30 expressway, heading roughly southeast, and goes off at the next interchange after about 2/3 mile. (Reverse the procedure in the opposite direction.)
• Airville, PA (southern York County): There is a short wrong-way concurrency of PA 74 (which starts at the Maryland border near Delta) and PA 425 (which starts in Fawn Grove near the Maryland border). Both routes are signed north-south.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Texas

• A short stretch of the main road through Midlothian, Texas contains a wrong-way concurrency of north-south highways U.S. Route 287 south and the business route of U.S. Route 67; as expected, while concurrent the road travels east-west.
• 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.
• A short stretch west of Victoria, Texas are signed as northbound U.S. Route 59 and southbound U.S. Route 77.

[edit] 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 wrong-way concurrent.
• 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 Interstate 581 in Roanoke to U.S. Route 460 in Virginia, 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).

[edit] 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.

• A three mile stretch of US 41 in Fond du Lac, running southbound, concurs with northbound US 151. This situation is temporary, however, because US 151 will end up bypassing the city altogether in the next few years.

• A two-mile stretch of US 8/WIS 47 bypassing Rhinelander, running northbound concurs with southbound WIS 17 traveling southbound after the relocation of WIS 17 in 2002. an earlier instance of this occurred within the Rhinelander city limits prior to the 1991 construction of the bypass - this portion was about 2000 feet.

• A one-mile stretch of US 14/US 61 south of Viroqua runs westbound/northbound with northbound WIS 27 and eastbound WIS 82 from where they join the road until the intersection with WIS 56 in downtown Viroqua. A bypass around Viroqua will take the concurrency with it when constructed sometime after 2010

[edit] Canada

[edit] 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.

[edit] Saskatchewan

• Near the town of Chamberlain, along Highway 11, there is a concurrency with Highway 2 such that 11 south is 2 north. Map

[edit] 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

• Similarly, in St-Tite, Routes 153 and 159 are concurrent but are signed in opposite directions. Map

• Near Richmond, Routes 116, 143, and 243 run concurrently. However, Routes 143 and 243 are signed in opposite directions. Map