A wide variety of signs are used throughout the U.S. for the signing of routes, travel lane or road restrictions, wayfinding and real time traffic info.
On mileage signs and overhead guide signs, the destination city is the next city of consequence listed.
A destination on guide signage that is not a town or city. A control point can be a landmark, geographical area, park or other recreational facility, or even an entire state. An examples is the use of Delaware Water Gap for Interstate 80 west in New Jersey.
The control city is the city listed on guide signs as the control point. For Interstate Highways, the Federal Highway Administration maintains a list of control cities to be used on freeway signs. The control city may or may not be the next destination of consequence (see destination city).
Construction signage is usually colored orange with black lettering to identify areas of road construction or changed road conditions as a result of an ongoing construction project. Fluorescent pink signs are also used for incident management, survey crews, and other more short term road work or traffic pattern changes.
Signs listing a series of exits for suburban or rural communities served by two or three interchanges. Exits are listed to the nearest quarter mile, with the community name displayed on the top line. Additional information on their use can be found on page 225 of the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
Caution signage is usually colored yellow with black lettering to warn motorists of specific roadway hazards, including curves in the road, sharp upgrades or downgrades, truck escape ramps, speed advisories, etc.
Button copy signs are guide signs that have reflective buttons within each letter on the sign. Before 3M and other sign companies patented the current sign sheathing in use, button copy was generally the preferred medium for all guide signage. Ohio and Arizona were the last two states to install button copy signage on their highways. These signs are, for the most part, phased out in favor of reflective signage [...]
A banner is a rectangular sign above a route shield that varies in appearance depending on use. On reassurance markers, the banner indicates the direction of the route (north, south, east, or west). On trailblazer markers, the banner indicates the word "TO." On auxiliary routes, the banner would indicate if the route is an alternate, business, bypass or truck route.
Guide signs posted for an interchange or intersection displaying secondary points of interest or towns/cities that are beyond the main control point of the particular highway junction.
Formally referred to as an Overhead Arrow Per Lane (OAPL) sign, these signs were added to the 2009 MUTCD for use on multi lane highways where an optional exit lane is present. The signs are not new to highway systems worldwide, as European Motorways have incorporated them for years prior.