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National Boards => General Highway Talk => Traffic Control => Topic started by: Henry on May 22, 2013, 10:36:28 AM

Title: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: Henry on May 22, 2013, 10:36:28 AM
For many years, the term Expressway has been abbreviated Expwy, but recently, an alternative abbreviation, Expy, has come into use. That being said, which one do you prefer? (Mine is Expy, due to the many years of seeing it on Chicago signs.)
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: Brandon on May 22, 2013, 10:51:46 AM
I prefer "Expy" over "Expwy".  "Expwy" just looks weird after seeing "Expy" for decades around Chicago.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: 1995hoo on May 22, 2013, 10:57:32 AM
I've seen signs in Florida that use "Exwy," which just struck me as utterly weird.

Everywhere else I've always seen "Expwy" when I've seen it used at all (usually in the New York area with their insistence on using names instead of numbers). Therefore, that looks natural to me.

Yeah, I know that seems to be the opposite of what I said in the "'Ave' versus 'Av'" thread, but it's more a situation that I don't ever recall seeing "Expy" on any signs so I'd never considered it a possibility, whereas I've seen both "Ave" and "Av" many times.


Edited to add: Here's a sample from the Tampa area on I-275 showing "Exwy": http://goo.gl/maps/BgTeW
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: kphoger on May 22, 2013, 11:21:59 AM
Like Brandon, I prefer Expy; but, as with Brandon, that might be due to seeing it in Chicagoland for years.  Five letters does seem over the top for an abbreviation of a trisyllablic word.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: 1995hoo on May 22, 2013, 11:27:46 AM
Quote from: kphoger on May 22, 2013, 11:21:59 AM
Like Brandon, I prefer Expy; but, as with Brandon, that might be due to seeing it in Chicagoland for years.  Five letters does seem over the top for an abbreviation of a trisyllablic word.

Heh. How about five letters for a bisyllabic word? See Street View from Annandale, Virginia: http://goo.gl/maps/slbMS
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: deathtopumpkins on May 22, 2013, 11:52:13 AM
The DCR abbreviates it "Exp'way".

http://goo.gl/maps/AqvKR

Shudder.




I've also unofficially seen "X-way". I kinda like that.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: PHLBOS on May 22, 2013, 11:57:06 AM
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on May 22, 2013, 11:52:13 AMI've also unofficially seen "X-way". I kinda like that.
What do you mean by unofficially?

Pre-Big-Dig, there were a few late 70s/early 80s vintage BGS' for I-93 South before and after the Sumner Tunnel that had X-Way South listed as a control destination.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: deathtopumpkins on May 22, 2013, 11:58:44 AM
Quote from: PHLBOS on May 22, 2013, 11:57:06 AM
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on May 22, 2013, 11:52:13 AMI've also unofficially seen "X-way". I kinda like that.
What do you mean by unofficially?

Pre-Big-Dig; there were a few late 70s/early 80s vintage BGS' for I-93 South before and after the Sumner Tunnel that had X-Way South listed as a control destination.

I wasn't around here pre-Big Dig, so I wouldn't have seen those, and I've never seen an official sign with that abbreviation, but plenty of businesses refer to 93 as the "X-way". For example, a Shell station on the corner of Mass Ave and Columbus Ave proclaims itself the "Last gas before X-way".
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: myosh_tino on May 22, 2013, 12:21:51 PM
I prefer "Expwy" probably because that's the abbreviation used by Caltrans on guide signs in the San Jose area.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: agentsteel53 on May 22, 2013, 12:23:22 PM
I can't remember where, but sometime on my travels I saw "Ew."

Ew indeed.

Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: PHLBOS on May 22, 2013, 01:53:47 PM
Quote from: deathtopumpkins on May 22, 2013, 11:58:44 AM
FYI, the old I-93/Artery BGS' containing the word X-Way (or X-way) read:

90-93-3 SOUTH
X-Way South
Downtown Boston


The BGS closest to the Central Artery itself had an elongated right-turn arrow underneath the message was erected in the late 70s and faced traffic exiting the Sumner Tunnel. 

Side Bar: This BGS replaced an older BGS that read:

SOUTH
3 EXPRESSWAY SOUTH
DOWNTOWN BOSTON


Note: the SOUTH 3 signs were placed on the upper-left corner of the BGS and were similar to the trailblazer/assurance type signs.  These two signs were likely placed on the main BGS board in the early 70s (when the DPW re-aligned MA 3 onto the Artery & Southeast Expressway.

2 other overhead-mounted BGS displaying identical messages were added in the early 1980s.  One gantry was placed just before the Sumner Tunnel entrance, the other just outside of it.  All the shields on these 2 BGS' featured the older-style MassDPW fonts and button-copy lettering.

About a year or two after those BGS' were erected, the MTA or DPW revised the messages on the BGS panels directing would-be I-93 southbound traffic to read:

93-3 SOUTH
X-Way South
Dtwn Boston
___________
90 Mass Pike

IIRC, the original downward arrow was replaced w/a slightly smaller arrow to allow more room for the above-messages.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any old pictures on-line that showed these BGS'.

Quote from: deathtopumpkins on May 22, 2013, 11:58:44 AMbut plenty of businesses refer to 93 as the "X-way". For example, a Shell station on the corner of Mass Ave and Columbus Ave proclaims itself the "Last gas before X-way".
That designer of that sign likely copied the abbrev. term from the fore-mentioned BGS'.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: roadman65 on May 22, 2013, 02:18:40 PM
Expwy makes more sense than Exwy.  We have one sign on I-4 that reads Exwy at one of the few locations that still refer to FL 408 as the East West Expressway.  Just east of Kaley Street it has it all in upper case which is also unusual for FDOT, but it seems so odd to see it.

However, I have seen Exp. used as abbreviations like on some maps, and one or two places around. Do not know if its Florida or some other city, but I know it exists.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: AsphaltPlanet on May 22, 2013, 02:35:45 PM
Expwy for me:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asphaltplanet.ca%2FON%2Fhwy_410-427_images%2F427_dv_1-5_south_E_Mar12.jpg&hash=a33f1bcb79ceef691574cfb862f797622e6203f1)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asphaltplanet.ca%2FON%2Fhwy_2_images%2FECROW_sign.jpg&hash=df2384011c484e8f6de184c1043ff98298d770bd)
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: jeffandnicole on May 22, 2013, 03:19:02 PM
I'm pretty sure I've seen Atlantic City Exp. for the Expressway.

The way-more abbreviated form for that road is ACX.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: Dr Frankenstein on May 22, 2013, 03:48:02 PM
Expy, which is also the abbreviation recommended by both the USPS and Canada Post.

Plus, that's what Montreal uses. :)
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: M3019C LPS20 on May 22, 2013, 06:37:38 PM
"Expy" is an odd abbreviation in my opinion, since I used to see "Expwy" on various highway signs in New York City.

So, with that said, I prefer "Expwy."
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: signalman on May 22, 2013, 06:56:51 PM
I'm voting for Expwy too.  That's the abbreviation I'm used to seeing.  Expy makes me think that a letter fell off the sign, but it doesn't read "Exp y " 
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: agentsteel53 on May 22, 2013, 07:22:35 PM
"Expy" sounds like an award given out in Hollywood, or the name of the mascot of a certain Windows version.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: NE2 on May 22, 2013, 08:01:26 PM
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Expy
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: Duke87 on May 22, 2013, 08:31:38 PM
"Expwy" is acceptable and normal, if perhaps a bit cumbersome. "Expy" looks wrong for the same reason as "Pky" - having the Y there without the W just doesn't say "way" to me.

When I am drawing maps, I will usually just use "EXP".
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: PurdueBill on May 23, 2013, 06:41:43 PM
Quote from: PHLBOS on May 22, 2013, 01:53:47 PM
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any old pictures on-line that showed these BGS'.

Amazingly, somehow I found this on an old backup...not sure where I saved it from now but I am glad I did.  Just uploaded to share...
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.uakron.edu%2Fgenchem%2Fs93-1-2.jpg&hash=82a2c37cf83f8259c77556f8a2177ecce3e39b0c)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.uakron.edu%2Fgenchem%2Fs93-1-2-cu.jpg&hash=d7f17e5f9a9c6147a940e7ceb6d896afa28a52f8)

Louisville, Kentucky also has at least one X-Way sign that I finally roughly recalled the location of (http://goo.gl/maps/VikGH) and was able to scout out.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: NE2 on May 23, 2013, 06:45:37 PM
I think those are my photos :)

Older button copy says Expwy: http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ma/i-93/2.html
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: Molandfreak on May 24, 2013, 12:37:55 AM
Expy for no other reason than not forcing people to pronounce an extra three syllables if they don't know what it stands for, or if they otherwise choose to say each individual letter.

But I like X-way a lot better than that! :colorful:
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: Roadsguy on May 24, 2013, 08:36:37 AM
"X-way" must be what NIMBYs use because they even hate to say the word "expressway."
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: jeffandnicole on May 24, 2013, 08:42:08 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 22, 2013, 03:19:02 PM
I'm pretty sure I've seen Atlantic City Exp. for the Expressway.

The way-more abbreviated form for that road is ACX.

Here's one example, on an older BGS for the NJ Turnpike Interchange 3: http://goo.gl/maps/4KUel

New signs have since replaced these.  The Walt Whitman Bridge control 'city' is gone, but the 'Atlantic City Exp' remains, and actually has been added to a few other BGS for the exit.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: texaskdog on May 24, 2013, 08:52:45 AM
I read "Exwy" somewhere and that is what our company uses
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: ET21 on May 29, 2013, 02:09:19 PM
Expy, but I've seen X-way in random rural locations
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: kphoger on May 29, 2013, 05:02:17 PM
Branson calls the road "Shepherd of the Hills Expwy" on signs, yet Google Maps labels it "Shepherd of the Hills Expy".
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: machias on May 31, 2013, 01:02:26 PM
I prefer "Expwy" just because it seems natural to me. I've seen Exprwy, I think somewhere in Pennsylvania if I'm remembering correctly, and that seemed cumbersome. If I had to shorten it, I'd go with Exwy.
Title: Re: Abbreviation for Expressway: Expwy or Expy?
Post by: roadfro on June 01, 2013, 03:07:20 PM
I prefer "Expwy" also because it seems like a more natural abbreviation form. "Expressway" doesn't really appear on signs in Nevada all that often since we don't use that term much, so I don't have a baseline of familiarity.

FWIW: I just looked up the MUTCD standard abbreviation. It's "Expwy".