Arizona/Utah roadtrip

[howlincoyote2k1]

Hi everyone!

So this last weekend some friends and I drove down to Arizona. There were a few things I noticed that I thought I'd bring up.

1. Is Arizona going back to FHWA font signs? Some of the Clearview signs on northbound I-17 at Cordes Junction got replaced with standard FHWA font signs. Is Arizona done and over with Clearview? I kind of like the Clearview signs.

2. It looks like the widening around Cameron is mostly done, but they dropped the speed limit to 45 on the approach from the south. Too low, IMO, and that makes it really hard to take advantage of the second lane to pass without risking a ticket.

3. Some select (seemingly random) stretches of road in Utah have installed reflectors on the road (recessed into the pavement so snowplows won't scrape them off). Is this a project Utah has to put these up all over the state? It would be nice because Utah's roads are generally good quality, but reflectors would really help a lot at night.

That's what I've noticed. Having done this trip a lot over the last ten years, they've made a lot of improvements to the road and the quality of the trip has gotten better. 

[coatimundi]

2. It looks like the widening around Cameron is mostly done, but they dropped the speed limit to 45 on the approach from the south. Too low, IMO, and that makes it really hard to take advantage of the second lane to pass without risking a ticket.

Maybe that's the idea. That's one of the most dangerous highways in the state, so maybe the idea is to weed out the aggressive and dangerous drivers.

[corco]

1. Is Arizona going back to FHWA font signs? Some of the Clearview signs on northbound I-17 at Cordes Junction got replaced with standard FHWA font signs. Is Arizona done and over with Clearview? I kind of like the Clearview signs.

Everybody is done with Clearview. FHWA is no longer permitting new installs.

[kdk]

2. It looks like the widening around Cameron is mostly done, but they dropped the speed limit to 45 on the approach from the south. Too low, IMO, and that makes it really hard to take advantage of the second lane to pass without risking a ticket.

I don't know if this is new, but I have been seeing ADOT keep the lower speed limits on state highways that are part of an incomplete construction project until the project is 100% done.  Another example is on the 101 near Scottsdale- there are about 3 miles left to finish, and the remainder of the recently widened stretch, about 12 miles or so is fully open and complete.  However, they still have the speed limit there at 55 vs 65 until the project is 100% done in all the areas that were part of the widening project.  I have been seeing it enforced too.  That seems like it may be the case there too until that part of the 89 widening is 100% done.

[JKRhodes]

2. It looks like the widening around Cameron is mostly done, but they dropped the speed limit to 45 on the approach from the south. Too low, IMO, and that makes it really hard to take advantage of the second lane to pass without risking a ticket.

I don't know if this is new, but I have been seeing ADOT keep the lower speed limits on state highways that are part of an incomplete construction project until the project is 100% done.  Another example is on the 101 near Scottsdale- there are about 3 miles left to finish, and the remainder of the recently widened stretch, about 12 miles or so is fully open and complete.  However, they still have the speed limit there at 55 vs 65 until the project is 100% done in all the areas that were part of the widening project.  I have been seeing it enforced too.  That seems like it may be the case there too until that part of the 89 widening is 100% done.

Resurrecting this old topic: The practice you mentioned has definitely been going on for a while. I remember in the early 2000's when all the work was being done on AZ 188 between Globe and Roosevelt Lake; the Wheatfields Bypass had a painfully slow speed limit of 45 until other work down the road was completed.