Man, I'm flashing back to my visit to Detroit and the massive 'boulevard' that cuts the city in two. The car I was riding in had to get on to what was basically a highway, change lanes a half dozen times, and exit via ramp in order to get from one neighborhood to another. (In the span of a quarter mile).
It was eerie, but doable, because there weren't many other cars on the road. I can only imagine how difficult it would have been when there was actually traffic.