Miami no longer present on sign bridge at I-85/95 split?

[Zzonkmiles]

I was driving from DC back to the Carolinas a few days ago and noticed something different about the sign bridges for the I-85/95 split. The Durham/Atlanta sign was still there for I-85, but the I-95 signs only listed Rocky Mount NC. I know that Miami used to be on this sign and that it was one of the better known signs in the interstate world. But I thought that maybe because I was driving too fast or because there were some big trucks on the road that maybe I simply missed the Miami part.

So then I drove back up to DC and when I merged onto I-95 from 85, I looked in my rearview mirror and sure enough, Miami was not listed on the sign bridge anymore! I couldn't tell if it was a brand new sign or if it had been patched over. Either way, I was very disappointed by this and don't see why VDOT would remove Miami after all these years. I think it's very useful for long-distance travelers who might not be familiar with this stretch of road and I think it makes a great conversation piece for families in the SUV or minivan or something. Anybody know why Miami was removed, especially since Atlanta is still listed albeit on a separate sign?

[Pink Jazz]

Speaking of Atlanta, many Virginians choose to take the I-95/I-20 route instead of I-85, probably to avoid the rush hour traffic on I-85 through North Carolina's urban areas.  Is I-85 really the main route that most Virginians take to go to Atlanta?  I don't see why Atlanta would be included on I-85 signage but Miami wouldn't be included on I-95 signage.

[Thing 342]

Speaking of Atlanta, many Virginians choose to take the I-95/I-20 route instead of I-85, probably to avoid the rush hour traffic on I-85 through North Carolina's urban areas.  Is I-85 really the main route that most Virginians take to go to Atlanta?  I don't see why Atlanta would be included on I-85 signage but Miami wouldn't be included on I-95 signage.

From Hampton Roads, they're about the same. I personally prefer 85 because of the fact that much of it in NC and SC has been upgraded to 6+ lanes, plus the fact that most of I-20 east of Atlanta is quite boring. Rush hour traffic in the NC cities really isn't   a problem unless you leave particularly late. Traffic around Greenville can be a bit messy, however.

[Takumi]

Yep, the Miami signs have been replaced within the last month (the one near exit 52 was just last week) with new diagrammatic signs. The only Miami sign left is past I-85 at exit 50, while the only Atlanta sign is between exits 54 and 53.

[Henry]

I'd like to see a photo of these new signs! And I still think I-85 is the better route to Atlanta, despite it going through major cities along the way (Durham, Greensboro, Charlotte, Spartanburg and Greenville). This is true especially if you come from Washington and points north (Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, etc.).

Then again, you also have to go through other major cities along I-95 (Savannah, Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach) before ending up in Miami.

[Takumi]

I have a photo of the one at the split. I'll get around to uploading it soon, just been busy lately.

[Zzonkmiles]

Speaking of Atlanta, many Virginians choose to take the I-95/I-20 route instead of I-85, probably to avoid the rush hour traffic on I-85 through North Carolina's urban areas.  Is I-85 really the main route that most Virginians take to go to Atlanta?  I don't see why Atlanta would be included on I-85 signage but Miami wouldn't be included on I-95 signage.

I-85 traffic in North Carolina is generally not a problem. From the Virginia line to Durham, traffic is very light. Durham itself has at least 4 lanes in each direction. Then there's a very short segment between Durham and the I-40/85 concurrency that has 2 lanes each way, which is totally bearable. The concurrency itself is 4 lanes wide on both sides and traffic flows quite easily there. Then after the split, I-85 is 3 lanes each way for most of the route with a new 4-lane section towards Charlotte. This is where the road runs into problems though because you go from 4 lanes to 2 lanes for about 10 miles. Traffic here can be pretty bad. Once you pass Kannapolis and reach Concord, things open up again. Yeah, Charlotte's traffic can be annoying, but I-77 is much worse than I-85 in that city. Things tend to lighten up a bit going from Charlotte to the SC line. And I-85 through Greenville and Spartanburg is 4 lanes wide on each side.

The problem with I-95 in NC is that it's 2 lanes wide the whole way through the state even though the traffic counts warrant more than that. So it's an unpleasant drive if you get stuck behind a semi or a slow minivan or something and can't pass. The scenery is also much less interesting and there are no towns of significance to speak of.

I can understand taking I-95/20 to Columbia, but taking I-95/20 to Atlanta seems unnecessarily far out of the way. I-85 is a much more enjoyable drive though NC.

[formulanone]

Does anyone have a photo of this sign? I've heard about it before, but can't say I've seen it online.

[Zeffy]

Does anyone have a photo of this sign? I've heard about it before, but can't say I've seen it online.

From https://www.aaroads.com/guide.php?page=i0095sfva

[Zzonkmiles]

I think that's probably the single most popular or best known sign among all roadgeeks.

The new sign only says Rocky Mount NC and has some long directional arrows.

[Henry]

The new sign only says Rocky Mount NC and has some long directional arrows.

So that applies to I-95 only, or the whole sign (in which case there's nothing listed for I-85)?

[Zzonkmiles]

I have a picture of the new sign, but it's on my smartphone. I want to post it here, but am unsure how.

[KEVIN_224]

Occasionally, I've e-mailed a pic from my phone to myself. The phone e-mail was (I think) my 10-digit numbermms.att.net (example: 1234567890mms@att.net sent to my Yahoo! e-mail address). I didn't know how else to send it. I only have a NET-10 phone.

(_8(I) - D'oh!

[national highway 1]

I have a picture of the new sign, but it's on my smartphone. I want to post it here, but am unsure how.

You can insert a photo from your phone into the forum via the Tapatalk mobile app.

[Zzonkmiles]

Apologies for the picture quality, but it was drizzling. But here you go! And thanks for the Tapatalk suggestion!

[OracleUsr]

Is VDOT starting to use Clearview properly?  I saw series D gothic at the Woodbridge interchange (Exit 161 off I-95 Southbound)

And now this.  My hopes are up.

[OracleUsr]

Where's US 460 East?  Doesn't it still follow I-95 south from here?

[Pink Jazz]

Is VDOT starting to use Clearview properly?  I saw series D gothic at the Woodbridge interchange (Exit 161 off I-95 Southbound)

And now this.  My hopes are up.

Yep, late last year VDOT has updated its policy on its use of Clearview, enforcing its proper use only for mixed case legend, and not for all-caps or numerals.  The updated policy also forbids the use of the narrower Clearview variants as well as any of the negative contrast variants, allowing the use of only Clearview 5-W, or Clearview 5-W-R if sign width is limited.

[Mapmikey]

Where's US 460 East?  Doesn't it still follow I-95 south from here?

Yes...US 460 east posting from here to Wagner Rd is spotty at best.  If you are on I-85 North the BGSs do show 460 east following 95 south.

Mapmikey

[roadman65]

Where's US 460 East?  Doesn't it still follow I-95 south from here?

Yes...US 460 east posting from here to Wagner Rd is spotty at best.  If you are on I-85 North the BGSs do show 460 east following 95 south.

Mapmikey

Of course as that is US 460 proper it should very well be.  I guess they figure for I-95 S Bound that you would eventually come upon the actual exit sign where it diverges, so they do not even bother here.

[Takumi]

Where's US 460 East?  Doesn't it still follow I-95 south from here?

Yes...US 460 east posting from here to Wagner Rd is spotty at best.  If you are on I-85 North the BGSs do show 460 east following 95 south.

Mapmikey

Of course as that is US 460 proper it should very well be.  I guess they figure for I-95 S Bound that you would eventually come upon the actual exit sign where it diverges, so they do not even bother here.

In reality, not so much. Coming off I-85 north onto I-95 south, there's a fork that goes onto 460 Business to the left and 95/460 to the right, but the only mention of 460 from there to the Wagner exit is this vague overhead sign that says "TO" 460. There is no 460 signage whatsoever at the Wagner interchange itself on either direction on I-95, despite the signs being replaced with new Clearview a few years ago. The only 460 posting at that interchange is a single shield on westbound Wagner pointing onto I-95 north.

[US 41]

I can't believe Miami would even be on the sign since its so far away. If I had designed the sign I would have either put Savannah or Jacksonville in Miami's place. As for Rocky Point I would've replaced it with Fayetteville.

[Zeffy]

I can't believe Miami would even be on the sign since its so far away. If I had designed the sign I would have either put Savannah or Jacksonville in Miami's place. As for Rocky Point I would've replaced it with Fayetteville.

Rocky Mount isn't a bad choice. Miami's use was interesting - however, you can compare it to Maryland's insistent signing of New York (City) on I-95 from Baltimore!

Yep, late last year VDOT has updated its policy on its use of Clearview, enforcing its proper use only for mixed case legend, and not for all-caps or numerals.  The updated policy also forbids the use of the narrower Clearview variants as well as any of the negative contrast variants, allowing the use of only Clearview 5-W, or Clearview 5-W-R if sign width is limited.

Good for VDOT. Now all I can hope is that MDSHA and DelDOT do the same as well, and NJDOT's rogue contractor gets the fuck out of our state...

[RoadWarrior56]

The heck with Miami.  I am mad that Atlanta was removed from that sign.

[roadman65]

Miami was kind of interesting, as so was Atlanta to see on those signs.  Now I am not crying that those are now gone, but I am not exactly either complaining that they were there.

Rocky Mount replaced Emporia that was there years ago, and to me it is not that bad a destination to use.  It is much better than Benson used further south which only came to fame when I-40 was constructed in 1990 as it is a very small town.  Fayetteville should be used south of US 64, and Rocky Mount should be used from Fayetteville north to US 64 where Richmond could take over IMO.