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Historic Footage of Virginia Signage

Started by Mapmikey, April 29, 2016, 06:31:33 PM

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Mapmikey

I was alerted by Nate Rathjen of an archive of news footage from a Roanoke TV station from 1951-71 that was donated to UVa.  There are thousands of clips which cover a lot of sports and stuff from the Civil Rights movement.  But it also had stories that involved roads directly or stories where roads were shown in some way.  After looking through the titles I saved the links to about 75 of them.


In this post I present links they had related to highway signage.  Most are silent but anchor scripts are available for most of them underneath the video windows...


In these first three links, here is proof that there was a US 220 ALT routing in Downtown Roanoke.  After seeing this I tried to research this and found that there was an April 1954 CTB item that gave US 220 a split routing, with SB using Salem Av then 1st St south to Franklin down to Maple.  It was considered non-payment primary routing in Roanoke.  The City posted this as 220 ALT and video shows it leaving US 220 and then leaving US 11.  i presume it went away when US 220 was moved onto I-581 and US 220 Business was signed through downtown.

http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2267339
http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2249050
http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2278582

Text signage of the US 11-220 split in Troutdale 1958 (best view is at 0:10) - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2218585

US 29-460 split (now Oakley Ave at Fort Ave), clearest view at 0:30 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2218617

Virginia reference markers.  These existed starting in 1947 (per Va Hwy Bulletin) and apparently lasted to at least 1959 when this clip was shot on US 15 at Farmville's SCL.  Reference markers were for accounting purposes (per VHB) and the second number was the route number - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2221986

Completed US 58-220 interchange, including route signage (text and shields), from 1959 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2220378

Aug 1959 Sine salad at 0:35 of the US 11-11 ALT-220-460 and VA 116 jct northeast of downtown Roanoke.  Note that the banner above the 460 shields says EAST WEST. - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2220785

VA 42 cutout at very end of this clip at what is now the VA 42-269 jct - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2254895

Salem cutouts at very beginning and also at 0:28 seconds at the Main/College intersection in the first clip.  The 4 cutouts that are not quite clear are US 11, US 460, VA 117, and VA 311.  The second video shows those 4 cutouts much clearer in the opening shot.  Note that VA 117 was truncated to the then-west end of Peters Creek in 1947 but was still posted in downtown Salem until at least 1965.

http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2254773
http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2285555

First 3 seconds of this one shows the US 11 ALT-460 and VA 116 split from US 11-220 SB in July 1960 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2248820
In this one the intersection is shown from US 460 EB with a sine salad at 2:13 inJune 1966 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2239455

Virginia raises its speed limit on divided highways to 60 mph in 1960 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2270966

VA 117 reconstruction is completed.  Clip opens with the original overhead signage at US 11-220 followed by a driving tour of parts of 117 in Nov 1962 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2251820

At the very end of this clip are 4 cutouts which are not super visible but do clearly show US 460, VA 43, VA 122, and VA 297 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2216985

At the beginning of this there's a VA 40 cutout in Rocky Mount and at the very end the clip shows both cutouts at this turn - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2238357

From a Mar 1963 snowstorm at 0:18 there is the US 11-460 split in Christiansburg from 460 EB and at 0:38 is something from 11 SB - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2244370

At 0:15 there is a VA 24 cutout and at 1:01 there are 5 cutouts at this intersection (S Jefferson NB at Franklin).  The lone cutout by itself is VA 116 and the cluster has US 220, US 221, VA 24 and a US route I cannot discern heading straight (could be TO 11 or TO 460 or remote possibility it is a 221 shield - a story for a different time) - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2217377
At 0:48 in this one is a VA 24 cutout alone - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2237450

This is a drive along US 220 SB - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2354990

US 460-VA 122 split east of Bedford from several angles.  This is now where US 221, VA 122 and VA 122 Business meet - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2217275

Christiansburg from several angles but the only route signage visible from the front is near the end at the US 460-VA 111 jct - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2243679

Early in this clip is the original VA 177 BGS on I-81 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2376480

At 0:51 there is a To US 460 cutout in downtown Roanoke, can't quite figure out where this one is - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2239327

After an Oct 1961 snowstorm they filmed on VA 311 on Potts Mtn and the Wayside.  There is an awesome cutout at 0:22 in addition to showing the wayside itself - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2249300

The first part shows VA 99 signage at the Nov 1961 dedication of the newly constructed alignment - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2251984

Good Marion cutouts within the first 0:40 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2303212

The original BGSs on Williamson Rd approaching Orange at the beginning of this one (earlier than the ones you've seen from Summa) - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2221266

Original BGSs at VA 419 north at US 460 at beginning, then VA 116-419 shields just before I-81.  Note that by the time this clip was filmed in Dec 1968, VA 116 had already been officially decommissioned north of VA 101 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2214775
There may not have been VA 419 cutouts but the opening of this is as close as we'll get - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2376312
Near the end of this one ar VA 419 and US 221 shields that are NOT white border - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2355368

No shields in this one but a neat color view of multiple directions of ehat is the US 11/VA 118/VA 101 junction - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2220811

Early in this one is I-581 NB at SR 625 before it became VA 101 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2255181
At 0:45 in this one (about interstate travel) there is an original I-581/US 220 assembly but I yet to be able to pause it where the shields are very clear.  Maybe a movie-maker program could do it.  At 1:00 you reach the I-81 interchange and see the original BGSs at Exit 1N-1S signs - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2267189

Nice cutout at beginning and 3 nice ones at the very end - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2274615

Signage in and around I-581 at VA 24 from Nov 1969 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2355223

Opens with US 460/VA 297 Bus BGSs from unopened Bedford Bypass and near the end is a shield assembly (without arrows) for US 460, VA 297 Business, and VA 297.  Note that the 460 and 297 shields at the end of this Dec 1969 clip are NOT the white border variety - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2355238

New highway signs at the first part then at the end is a drive up I-95 to the Beltway that includes a famous BGS sign - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2303161

Nice SR 660 rectangle with best view at 0:52 - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2216435

Awesome VA 117 rectangle at beginning.  SR 1452 is now within the City of Roanoke...it was not-quite-across from what is now the VA 101-117 jct - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2217165

At 0:37 there is a US 11A shield; at 0:52 there is the original overhead signage at the US 460 WB-US 460 ALT split approaching Salem before VA 419 existed at all - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2278454

Shields and temp detour signage throughout but some nice 221 cutouts nearer the end - http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2376568

I hope you enjoy...










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