US = Interstate, and other non-roadgeek mistakes

[txstateends]

I know this has probably been talked to death, but obviously we've not quite eradicated the road-related mistakes of those who don't follow roads and transportation like we do.

The latest I've seen comes from a local article in a TX paper reporting on the long-term effects of the interstate signage allowance changes recently made, especially along the I-69 corridor.

http://jacksonvilleprogress.com/local/x333946791/State-Rep-I-69-expansion-is-a-step-forward

State Rep.: I-69 expansion is a step forward

Progress staff reports
Jacksonville Daily Progress

JACKSONVILLE – The expansion of U.S. Highway 69 in Texas was approved and officials said it is something they have been waiting for.

The proposed I-69 will change the highway into a national interstate that will extend from Michigan to Texas. I-69 Texas will move people, freight and goods. Its development is essential to the state's job growth and economic development, a TxDOT press release stated.

Worse than a few of these and a boiling pot of ! ! !

This newspaper used to be VERY bad about US = state highways, state = US highways, and the like, but hadn't been too stupid lately.  Now, I'm wondering.  Especially since the eventual addition of I-69 in east TX will give the area TWO 69s (there will still be US 69), which will cross in the vicinity of Lufkin.  This paper (and likely other local area media) will have to get their S straight in the future about highway types and labels, otherwise the confusion will continue and probably make things worse for those among us who aren't into roads/transport.

Are there others still seeing wrong info or confusion in their media regarding highways?

[frank gifford]

A few years back, Time magazine had I-75 going through Dallas.  It's actually U.S. 75 A/K/A Central Expressway. 

Off the subject: I-69 is a radically scaled-down version of the defunct Trans-Texas Corridor, a 10-lane toll road (with separate car and truck lanes), six rail lines, pipelines, and high voltage lines.  One area would have been ground zero for an interchange with at least 14 traffic lanes. 

[Removed political tangent. -S.]
 

[US71]

I noticed on FourSquare  that US 67 at Beebe, Arkansas was listed as I-67

[Road Hog]

I noticed on FourSquare  that US 67 at Beebe, Arkansas was listed as I-67

Perhaps they meant I-57. 

[huskeroadgeek]

In my local paper when a road classification is misidentified, it usually is identifying a US highway as a state highway. Last summer when the US 136 and US 159 bridges(among others) over the Missouri River were closed due to flooding, I saw them identified several times in the paper as the "Nebraska 136" and "Nebraska 159" bridges. I've seen the reverse-identifying a state highway as a US highway a few times, but I don't recall seeing an interstate identified as a US highway or vice versa. It's pretty easy though to keep interstate highways straight in Nebraska since the vast majority of the time when one is referred to in the local media it will be I-80.

[Road Hog]

I saw a business sign on Texas Highway 6 driving back from College Station this weekend. Had a U.S. 6 shield on it.  Would've taken a picture of it if I'd had my camera.

[PHLBOS]

A few wall road maps (for Philly & vicinity) at the Independence Visitor's Center in Philadelphia have I-276 labeled as I-267.

[US71]

This was in a flyer for an SCA event I was at this weekend:

Take I-67 north to Exit 55 in Bald Knob, AR.

[bulldog1979]

I received a postcard in the mail once with a coupon to a specific business near the 44th St. interchange on I-196. The card had a map on it labeling the freeway as "96" in a circle. Many people in the Grand Rapids area call the Gerald R. Ford Freeway "I-96" if they use a number, and then this business downgraded the designation to M-96...

[kphoger]

My wife and I got married in Branson, Missouri.  We were living in the Chicago area, and at the same time moved to southern Illinois; immediately after the wedding, we flew out of Kansas City for our honeymoon.  That all took a lot of logistical planning.  Anyway, Carrie stayed in Branson for a few weeks before the wedding, getting things ready, while I stayed in the Chicago area to continue working.  We had already moved all our stuff to southern Illinois, so I was living out of a backpack.  Then, about a week before wedding day, we were to meet at our house in southern Illinois.  She drove from Branson with her little sister, and I hitchhiked down from Chicago.  My hitchhiking sign was a big piece of white cardboard with a red cutout of a fist with thumb upraised, the phrase "Getting Married", and a black-and-white outline of the I-57 shield.

When we were telling their grandparents about me hitchhiking down to Herrin, Carrie's little sister described my sign in detail, but called the shield "US Highway 57".  To us roadgeeks, that's an unthinkable error, but I give her big credit for pulling out the phrase "US Highway XX" at the age of nine.

[roadman65]

Many New Jereyians refer to the whole length of the NJ Turnpike as I-95 when in fact it is only that between Exit 6 and its northern terminus.

Some people refer to the I-78 local lanes between Springfield and Newark as NJ 24.  My friend would argue it with me about it and consider the express lanes only as I-78.

[Alps]

Many[/u] New Jereyians refer to the whole length of the NJ Turnpike as I-95 when in fact it is only that between Exit 6 and its northern terminus.

Who? Citation needed.

Some people refer to the I-78 local lanes between Springfield and Newark as NJ 24.  My friend would argue it with me about it and consider the express lanes only as I-78.

Some people = your friend. No one else does that anymore. The only one that still trips people up is NJ 495 = Route 3, because people are used to taking one number to the Tunnel.

[Stratuscaster]

On an episode of Top Gear where the hosts are in America and traveling from Las Vegas to Bonneville, they don't take the direct route and instead "take the I-50, the Loneliest Road in America".

Forgivable, perhaps, since in the UK it's "the A-3" and "the M-5" and whatnot.

[national highway 1]

On an episode of Top Gear where the hosts are in America and traveling from Las Vegas to Bonneville, they don't take the direct route and instead "take the I-50, the Loneliest Road in America".

Forgivable, perhaps, since in the UK it's "the A-3" and "the M-5" and whatnot.

I saw that episode , actually they were coming from Reno instead. 

[roadman]

This has been brought up on other threads, but it's relevant to this topic, so I'll mention it here as well.

Boston traffic reporters continue to refer to the section of Interstate 93 between Canton and Braintree as Route 128.  There's only one problem with this - the Route 128 designation was officially eliminated south (compass direction east) of Canton in 1989 (that's 23 years ago), and all existing '128' BGS panels and route markers were either removed or replaced with I-93 signs by 1991.

[PHLBOS]

This has been brought up on other threads, but it's relevant to this topic, so I'll mention it here as well.

Boston traffic reporters continue to refer to the section of Interstate 93 between Canton and Braintree as Route 128.  There's only one problem with this - the Route 128 designation was officially eliminated south (compass direction east) of Canton in 1989 (that's 23 years ago), and all existing '128' BGS panels and route markers were either removed or replaced with I-93 signs by 1991.

They're not the only ones still calling I-93, Route 128 in that area.  Many car dealerships and other businesses along that corridor also still call I-93, Route 128.

[deathtopumpkins]

As does pretty much everyone who lives here. 128 always has and always will begin at Route 3 in Braintree, regardless of what the signs say.

[national highway 1]

I received a postcard in the mail once with a coupon to a specific business near the 44th St. interchange on I-196. The card had a map on it labeling the freeway as "96" in a circle. Many people in the Grand Rapids area call the Gerald R. Ford Freeway "I-96" if they use a number, and then this business downgraded the designation to M-96...

It wouldn't actually be M-96, because Michigan shields are diamonds. Probably KY or IA 96.

[roadman]

As does pretty much everyone who lives here. 128 always has and always will begin at Route 3 in Braintree, regardless of what the signs say.

With respect, tell that to the GPS makers - The Globe did an article about how GPS units do not recognize the Route 128 designation south of Peabody about a year ago.

And, again with respect, "because it's always been that way", is not a legitimate reason for keeping an obsolete route designation that's been outdated for almost 40 years (Canton to Braintree I-95/128 overlap).  However, I am afraid that this issue won't be resolved until the State Police get a cell call about a serious crash on "Route 128 at Exit 22" that is cut off before the caller can identify the town, sends the response to Weston instead of Beverly (or visa-versa), and somebody dies as a result.

There are 49 other states in this country that seem to have no problem with re-designating Interstate, US, and state routes (like the NH 57 and NH 101 "swap" that (and businesses) adjust to the changes, and life goes on as usual.

Leave it to Massachusetts to be so contrary (even then-Governor Romney thwarted MassHighway's most-recent plan to completely remove the 128 designation south of Peabody in 2004).

[roadman]

This has been brought up on other threads, but it's relevant to this topic, so I'll mention it here as well.

Boston traffic reporters continue to refer to the section of Interstate 93 between Canton and Braintree as Route 128.  There's only one problem with this - the Route 128 designation was officially eliminated south (compass direction east) of Canton in 1989 (that's 23 years ago), and all existing '128' BGS panels and route markers were either removed or replaced with I-93 signs by 1991.

They're not the only ones still calling I-93, Route 128 in that area.  Many car dealerships and other businesses along that corridor also still call I-93, Route 128.

Until the mid-1980s, the local phone company was New England Telephone (now part of Verizon), and the largest supermarket chain in the Boston area was First National (long since out of business). I seriously doubt that any of those same people who insist on using an outdated route designation write checks to New England Telephone to pay their phone bill or say to their spouse "Need anything from the First National?"

As the saying goes, what's good for the goose (private business) is good for the gander (state DOT).

[NE2]

And yet people will keep calling it Route 128. Get over it.

[Revive 755]

I encountered someone today that though the Illinois tollways were maintained and managed by IDOT**

** Though IDOT does maintain any bridge on a state route that crosses over a tollway.

[bulldog1979]

I received a postcard in the mail once with a coupon to a specific business near the 44th St. interchange on I-196. The card had a map on it labeling the freeway as "96" in a circle. Many people in the Grand Rapids area call the Gerald R. Ford Freeway "I-96" if they use a number, and then this business downgraded the designation to M-96...

It wouldn't actually be M-96, because Michigan shields are diamonds. Probably KY or IA 96.

Yes, but the generic state highway marker on maps is the circle; even MDOT used circles on their maps until a few years ago. Other map makers still use circles for Michigan's state highways.

[deathtopumpkins]

As does pretty much everyone who lives here. 128 always has and always will begin at Route 3 in Braintree, regardless of what the signs say.

With respect, tell that to the GPS makers - The Globe did an article about how GPS units do not recognize the Route 128 designation south of Peabody about a year ago.

My GPS recognizes it down to I-95/93. "Continue on I-95 / Massachusetts 128 South".

And, again with respect, "because it's always been that way", is not a legitimate reason for keeping an obsolete route designation that's been outdated for almost 40 years (Canton to Braintree I-95/128 overlap).

In my opinion, yes it is. The point of signs and route numbers in the first place is to aid motorist navigation. If a number is still frequently used, and still forms a continuous route, it still has a useful purpose. 128 serves as a useful way to distinguish between the Boston beltway and other portions of I-95, for example. If you say "it's off 128" people will know it's off of the beltway, whereas if you say "it's off of 95" people will know (based on which part of the state you're in) that it's off 95 between Salisbury and Peabody or between Canton and Attleboro.
And 128 remains the through route in Peabody anyway. It's a continuous road from Gloucester to Braintree, while I-95 exits to the right at both splits.

There are 49 other states in this country that seem to have no problem with re-designating Interstate, US, and state routes (like the NH 57 and NH 101 "swap" that (and businesses) adjust to the changes, and life goes on as usual.

Note though that most of those roads are not nearly as ingrained in the local culture as 128 is, and that most of those transitions happened decades ago, much earlier on.

Leave it to Massachusetts to be so contrary (even then-Governor Romney thwarted MassHighway's most-recent plan to completely remove the 128 designation south of Peabody in 2004).

I don't think MassDOT currently has any plans to truncate 128 anymore, based on what I hear around the office and what I've seen on new signs going up in Wakefield (signs that show 95 and 128 shields next to each other, rather than a 128 trailblazer mounted on the ground, as had become the norm).

Until the mid-1980s, the local phone company was New England Telephone (now part of Verizon), and the largest supermarket chain in the Boston area was First National (long since out of business). I seriously doubt that any of those same people who insist on using an outdated route designation write checks to New England Telephone to pay their phone bill or say to their spouse "Need anything from the First National?"

While these specific examples are not true, people are slow to adopt to many name changes around here. The Loews becomes an AMC but is still called Loews. MassHighway becomes MassDOT but is still called MassHighway. The Garden's changed names several times but is still called the Garden, and I've even still heard FleetCenter tossed around recently. My bank recently changed names but no one uses the new name.

[PurdueBill]

Until the mid-1980s, the local phone company was New England Telephone (now part of Verizon), and the largest supermarket chain in the Boston area was First National (long since out of business). I seriously doubt that any of those same people who insist on using an outdated route designation write checks to New England Telephone to pay their phone bill or say to their spouse "Need anything from the First National?"

As the saying goes, what's good for the goose (private business) is good for the gander (state DOT).

NYNEX. Don't forget NYNEX. 

Verizon probably won't deposit or accept a check written to New England Telephone, NYNEX, or Bell Atlantic, but no one who's been around the area for a long time is going to get lost if someone calls the road in question 128. 

Living in NE Ohio for 10 years now, I recall Tops markets stocking certain Finast branded products until they left the area a few years ago.  That was a blast from the past.....

In my visits back to the area, I still hear people talking about going to DeMoulas despite the last supermarket carrying that name (vs. Market Basket) with its iconic neon sign finally closing to make way for a new Market Basket.  Any Market Basket will be called DeMoulas by a lot of people, probably forever--including ones off of 128--I mean 95--no, 128.