The AARoads Blog

This is a new sign gantry for eastbound I-384 exit 2. I’m not quite sure why Conn DOT elected to replace the old one seeing as it was not damaged and completely functional. The other part about this seemingly preemptive replacement is that there are other signs throughout the state that could be updated first. Here’s what the old one looked like:

Another example of this new sign gantry is one for exit 3 on westbound I-384:

Like the previously mentioned sign, the change was not really necessary:

Last but not least, the last new sign gantry that I found was warranted because it replaced a substandard sign. Here’s the new one:

Now for the old one:

Clearly, this old sign was small compared to the rest of the signs that appear along I-384. A few more signs like this one appear on various interstates in Connecticut, but they are uncommon. What is interesting to note is that Conn DOT has not jumped onto the Clearview font bandwagon which seems to be the norm in states that have a bit more road construction activity. The other change that Conn DOT has been working on for several years now, is that when a U.S. route or Connecticut state route shield is replaced on an overhead sign, it’s with one that is with black numbering and filled in white. Older signs are easy to spot because they have white borders, and the numbers are in white.

The beginning of a week plus trip that took us northward from Delaware/Philadelphia to Boston for several days and from there to Lake Champlain in Vermont for a 5-day vacation…

We started our journey just south of the Pennsylvania state line, beginning first with a visit to the Pennsylvania Welcome Center to obtain the latest copy of the Pennsylvania State Highway Map. Construction is present along all of Interstate 95 in Delaware County between the state line and junction Interstate 476. PennDOT is in the process of again resurfacing the highway with asphalt. At the time, the previous coat of asphalt was milled down to the original concrete roadway. This project would hamper us a over a week later with a 30-minute back-up at 11 pm on a Saturday night…

Continuing east into New Jersey, we entered the New Jersey Turnpike by way of New Jersey 168, the only connection between the toll road and parallel Interstate 295 close enough to act as the junction between the Turnpike and Interstate 76/New Jersey 42 (North South Freeway). New Jersey 168 offers two lanes laden with traffic lights on the short drive between the respective interchanges. There are no plans to provide a direct connection between the two pivotal roads in South Jersey…

Northward, Turnpike travelers heading southbound this day (Friday July 27) were greeted with what seemed to be a 15-20 mile back-up between the Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension and New Brunswick. It was unclear as to what caused the congestion, but the Turnpike does reduce from a four-carriageway configuration into a six-lane freeway on this stretch.

Garden State Parkway northbound at the Metrowest trumpet interchange (Exit 131B) near Iselin. The Parkway is untolled between the New Jersey Turnpike and a point just south of junction Interstate 78. Several button copy signs remain in use along this stretch of freeway.

Eastward, we opted for the Holland Tunnel into Lower Manhattan and Canal Street southeast to the Manhattan Bridge. The Manhattan Bridge is historical in nature as far as Interstates are concerned as it was one time planned to be a part of Interstate 478 between the unconstructed Lower Manhattan Expressway (Interstate 78) and Interstate 278 (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway). As it exists, the Manhattan Bridge carries seven lanes of traffic and four Metro tracks; vehicles partition between separate two lane upper carriageways on the outside of the suspension bridge span and a three-lane lower carriageway on the inside of the bridge. Since Interstate 78 was never built east of the Holland Tunnel, Interstate 478 was removed from the Manhattan Bridge and reapplied on the nearby Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in an unsigned fashion. The Manhattan Bridge along with the Brooklyn and Queensboro Bridges are the only three untolled spans across the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn/Queens.

Southbound on the upper carriageway or the Manhattan Bridge. Like other Manhattan area bridges, no shoulders or break-down lanes are provided. The span ends at Tillary Street in Brooklyn on the south side with connections provided to Interstate 278 (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) via surface streets (Jay Street north / Sand Street east).

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Over the last few weeks I’ve taken time to fill in some of the gaps and otherwise expand our coverage of Interstate 95 from Savannah, Georgia north to the Virginia State line, and from New Haven, Connecticut to the Rhode Island state line as part over an overall effort to cover the freeway on AARoads. Carter documented much of Interstate 95 in the Carolinas during Summer of 2005 and his efforts are now online covering South Carolina north from Walterboro to Interstate 26 and from Florence, SC to the Virginia state line. Our Connecticut coverage extends the coverage northward including every northbound exit along the 111.57-mile route.

• South Carolina
• North Carolina
• Connecticut

Coverage to be added later includes portions of the freeway in the Boston area, New Hampshire, and Maine. Gaps to fill include sections in Florida, New Jersey, and updates to the Virginia guides.