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Why are Texas interchanges so tall?

[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] This is the Dallas High Five, one of the tallest highway interchanges in the world. It gets its name from the fact that there are five different levels of roadways crossing each other in this one spot. In some ways, it’s kind of

But we move the exit for the left-hand turn off the main highway to avoid the weaving problem, and fly them over the middle of the intersection where they meet up with the opposite directional ramp. And so, I admit that my ideal city has a lot fewer of these towering interchanges that kind of stand as a testament to a transportation network that doesn’t necessarily reflect our highest values and aspirations. But, I still find them pretty impressive in their own right, and whenever I’m in a new city, I try to plan my driving to hit those tallest ramps at the top of the stack to get a bigger, if momentary, perspective on the built environment.

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