"We also have exit ramps off the left side of the free way. I had assumed that was the norm for the nation. Perhaps I was mistaken." That's one of the worst engineering designs ever created. Not sure if it's the norm, but I've seen it enough. Not so bad when it's a FWY split, horrible if it's an exit to a surface street and traffic backs up trying to get off.
One dangerous maneuver is changing lanes. Some freeways, including the new construction going through Boise, forces you to change. Approaching an exit, the right lane becomes a turn only lane so everyone not turning has to move left. At the next exit, they all have to move left again, and again. Meanwhile, since the right lane disappears at the exit, they create a new left lane so everyone on the freeway has to change lanes to the left to keep it even. Apparently the engineers never considered creating a new turn lane so only those turning have to change lanes instead of every car on the road.
