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Signs with 3 control cities

Started by webny99, May 10, 2017, 04:17:24 PM

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webny99

Are there any BGS's in your area with 3 control cities?
Do you think having 3 control cities for an exit provides needed direction to drivers, or is it usually information overload?


MNHighwayMan

#1
There is, actually:



In this case I wouldn't say it's excessive, if only because it's the two mainline Interstates that branch off, so to speak.

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Jim

The ones I've found from the northeast that look like 3 control cities at first are listing a bridge or road name as a third entry, so I'm not counting those.

But here's a double triple from North Carolina.  Apologies for the poor focus.  November 12, 2010.



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Brandon

https://goo.gl/maps/nEJrKJrsetL2 Technically, "Champaign-Urbana" could be counted as one control, but they are two cities.
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plain

#5
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on May 10, 2017, 04:29:33 PM
There is, actually:



In this case I wouldn't say it's excessive, if only because it's the two mainline Interstates that branch off, so to speak.

I'm kinda surprised about the order those cities are listed under I-35/I-80. One would think Kansas City would be listed first


EDIT: Here's a BGS with 4 lines, though Downtown Newport News is one control city

https://goo.gl/maps/HyoAAD497dF2
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hbelkins

For control cities, I-275 has Cincinnati, Lexington and Louisville listed at the I-71/I-75 interchange.

For local destinations (which are not technically control cities), the I-40 exit for TN 66 lists Sevierville, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Force. The I-64 exit for US 231 lists Dale, Jasper and Huntingburg (and Owensboro on a supplemental sign).


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odditude


hbelkins

Quote from: odditude on May 11, 2017, 04:26:52 PM
several with 3 destinations on I-295 in NJ: Exit 34 A-B approach from SB, Exit 29 from SB

Those are local exit destinations, not control cities. Control cities can be found on the second picture you posted (for I-295).


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

odditude

Quote from: hbelkins on May 11, 2017, 04:37:58 PM
Quote from: odditude on May 11, 2017, 04:26:52 PM
several with 3 destinations on I-295 in NJ: Exit 34 A-B approach from SB, Exit 29 from SB

Those are local exit destinations, not control cities.

...as noted in my post. i (correctly) figured they were also relevant to the discussion.

paulthemapguy

Signs with 3 control cities are very rare in Illinois, but IDOT made an exception given that this road is a triplex:


IL-US150-I-55 by Paul Drives, on Flickr
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Ian

I-95/Maine Turnpike northbound at I-295 (exit 44) in Scarborough, ME.



I-95 northbound at ME 16 (exit 199) near Old Town, ME.

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pianocello

Exit 253 on I-65 in Indiana (US 30) has 4 different destination cities, but only 3 at a time:

Northbound: Merrillville / Hobart / Valparaiso

Southbound: Merrillville / Valparaiso / Schererville
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paulthemapguy

^The above comment reminded me about how Chicago's suburbs are laid out.  For the most part, there are a lot of small suburban towns--hundreds of them, mashed together into a vast expanse of suburbia.  Contrast this with places like Phoenix that have a small number of suburban towns, but each one tends to be large (100,000+ people).  Because Chicago is this way, a lot of the tollway exits have signs that list 2-4 suburban towns that can be accessed using the upcoming exit, and these signs are posted separately from the ones containing the actual road name.  Here's a great example of this:

https://goo.gl/maps/PYYmbnpf7FE2

I'm pretty sure these qualify for this thread.  They are signs with 3 or more control cities...it's just that there isn't any other content on them.  :)
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TheArkansasRoadgeek

AHTD uses at least two control cities on its guide signs.
Well, that's just like your opinion man...

jeffandnicole

It's stretching it, but the infamous 95/295 split in Delaware has 3 control points over 2 lines: https://goo.gl/maps/pgdTeXF2c4M2

It's gone now, but the NJ Turnpike Exit 5 Southbound's exit used to have FOUR destinations on it.  https://goo.gl/maps/vxYQ9mDMkqE2  Today, it has the standard 2 destinations.

1995hoo

I guess this ugly thing is in the spirit of three control cities, even though they're not cities.

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briantroutman

#17
Quote from: webny99 on May 10, 2017, 04:17:24 PM
Do you think having 3 control cities for an exit provides needed direction to drivers, or is it usually information overload?

Getting back to the question about information overload: The MUTCD advises that destinations should be limited to two per sign face–with a maximum total of three destinations if multiple signs are on the same assembly.

In reality, this guidance is routinely ignored by state DOTs across the country.

Quote from: MUTCD Section 2E.09Guidance:
No more than two destination names or street names should be shown on any Advance Guide sign or Exit Direction sign. A City name and street name on the same sign should be avoided. Where two or three signs are placed on the same supports, destinations or names should be limited to one per sign, or to a total of three in the display. Sign legends should not exceed three lines of copy.

odditude

Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 12, 2017, 03:34:12 PM
It's stretching it, but the infamous 95/295 split in Delaware has 3 control points over 2 lines: https://goo.gl/maps/pgdTeXF2c4M2

It's gone now, but the NJ Turnpike Exit 5 Southbound's exit used to have FOUR destinations on it.  https://goo.gl/maps/vxYQ9mDMkqE2  Today, it has the standard 2 destinations.
the funny thing about this particular example - it lost one destination with each successive sign. the 1mi advance sign omitted Westampton, and the exit sign itself only had Burlington and Mt Holly!

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The Nature Boy

Quote from: Ian on May 12, 2017, 10:53:29 AM
I-95/Maine Turnpike northbound at I-295 (exit 44) in Scarborough, ME.



An aside - Signing both Lewiston AND Auburn as a control city seems like a waste of space. I can't imagine that there's a road that goes to Lewiston and NOT Auburn. They're basically referred to as one entity colloquially anyway.

Here's one from I-95 in NC:



Wilson and Greenville are control cities for US 264, Goldsboro is reachable by continuing on I-795 after it splits with US 264.

Ian

Quote from: The Nature Boy on May 15, 2017, 01:48:58 PM
An aside - Signing both Lewiston AND Auburn as a control city seems like a waste of space. I can't imagine that there's a road that goes to Lewiston and NOT Auburn. They're basically referred to as one entity colloquially anyway.

I agree. Although the last time I drove the stretch of the turnpike between Falmouth and Gardiner, I noticed that all of the signs have been replaced. The new southbound pull-through signage at exit 103 (I-295 south) in Gardiner do not include Auburn, so I guess they have since taken that into account.
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michravera

Quote from: webny99 on May 10, 2017, 04:17:24 PM
Are there any BGS's in your area with 3 control cities (or destinations)?
Do you think having 3 control cities for an exit provides needed direction to drivers, or is it usually information overload?

In California, this practice would likely only take place on a freeway exit that exits to a "T" with the highway a the end of the exit and the highway, in one direction or another, has either a close destination and a more distance control city or the highway has a branch well before any important destinations or two principle destinations. I am thinking that this happens from Nortbbound I-5 at CASR-152 "Los Banos - Gilroy - San Jose" or  "Los Banos - San Juan Bautista - San Jose" if memory serves. Los Banos is East. San Juan Bautista is mostly west (on the CASR-156 branch). San Jose is northwest (on US-101). Gilroy is at CASR-152 and US-101, so it serves as a reasonable landmark.

I forget whether the general US-50/I-305 exit in Sacramento from Northbound I-5 has San Francicso, South Lake Tahoe, and some other city on it or not. The I-5 exit from Northbound CASR-51 in Sacramento should also have Redding, San Francisco, and LA.
   

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myosh_tino

Quote from: michravera on May 15, 2017, 02:14:19 PM
Quote from: webny99 on May 10, 2017, 04:17:24 PM
Are there any BGS's in your area with 3 control cities (or destinations)?
Do you think having 3 control cities for an exit provides needed direction to drivers, or is it usually information overload?

In California, this practice would likely only take place on a freeway exit that exits to a "T" with the highway a the end of the exit and the highway, in one direction or another, has either a close destination and a more distance control city or the highway has a branch well before any important destinations or two principle destinations. I am thinking that this happens from Nortbbound I-5 at CASR-152 "Los Banos - Gilroy - San Jose" or  "Los Banos - San Juan Bautista - San Jose" if memory serves. Los Banos is East. San Juan Bautista is mostly west (on the CASR-156 branch). San Jose is northwest (on US-101). Gilroy is at CASR-152 and US-101, so it serves as a reasonable landmark.

I believe you're referencing this sign for westbound CA-152 on north I-5...



All 3 control cities make sense.  152 goes directly to Gilroy.  156, which splits from 152 just west of Casa de Fruta goes directly to Hollister.  San Jose is your "major" control city and is reached via 152 and 101 north.
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