Weird signs in Parsippany, NJ

[artmalk]

There are weird old signs on Parsippany Road in Parsippany at the junction with I-287.  The little green signs on both entrance tamps read "287 North Boonton Singac."  The signs have been there as along as I can remember and definitely were there long before 287 was completed to the New York State Line.  Boonton of course was the control city for 287 North before being replaced by Mahwah.  However Singac is a tiny unincorporated place within Little Falls, NJ and is nowhere near the current route of 287.  Perhaps 287 would have gone through Singac had another alignment been chosen, but still Singac would have been too insignificant to warrant a sign.  I can only conclude that whoever put up that sign jumped the gun, since 287's alignment was not yet chosen.  Furthermore, those signs are the only ones I ever saw that had Singac as a control city for 287!  Weird!

SM-G960U

[NJRoadfan]

Best I can tell its a vague reference to US-46 East since that led to the former Singac Circle (where 46, 3, and 23 meet today) and that happens to be where the lane from that on-ramp directly feeds you if you don't switch lanes.

[Roadgeek Adam]

Singac has been there for a long time on signage, dating well past 1965.

Singac had an old stop on the former Greenwood Lake Railroad (modern day Montclair-Boonton Line) that was on the Wayne side of the Passaic (where CR 703/Old Turnpike Rd & Hobson Rd meet).

It definitely has lived on a bit past the hamlet. Most people just use Wayne and Little Falls.

[Alps]

I never even thought of that sign, all the times I pass it. Following 202 from the end of 287 would lead to Lincoln Park, so that's not it. 287 was never supposed to go anywhere near Singac. So here's my thought:
When 287 was originally built, it went from 10 to 46 at the Smith Road intersection. That's why it's so complicated. The original signs at Parsippany Road may have pointed to Singac, because you're already in Parsippany, 46 bypasses any interesting parts of Montville and Fairfield, so your next point that you hit square on is Singac. That's the only thread I can grasp at.

[artmalk]

Here is the sign.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.8489116,-74.425391,3a,75y,189.02h,83.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2n8gIBwOCk6GS_kTb1z1wQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[roadman65]

Yeah that sign I remember very well as my relatives lived nearby.  I used to always wonder about it and even on I-287 itself had one in the gore  going NB at the exit ramp for Parsippany Road before the normal freeway signs were placed on the interstate there.

Old maps show that what Alps said that it went from 10 to 46, and I believe both ends were at grade too so it was not much a freeway as much as a connector road at the time it was built.

Yes, Singac is a weird choice, but even NJDOT ditched it on NJ 23 for Little Falls on the signs there before all three circles were eliminated as SB used to be "Singac- Newark" before it was changed to "Little Falls- Newark." 

Wonder how long NJDOT will keep Singac on this particular assembly?

[storm2k]

Wonder how long NJDOT will keep Singac on this particular assembly?

Probably forever, or at least until an engineer pays enough attention to do anything about it. It's probably survived 50+ years of in kind replacements with nary a thought given to it. Given that NJDOT is on a tear with replacing LGS's across the state and putting in proper case names and shields, they may actually take a look at this and just change it to be 287 North Mahwah to match up with what the rest of the road's been signed for over the last 22 years or so.

[artmalk]

What is odd is that if everyone's theory is correct (that where 287 ended you would get to to Singac via 46), that would mean that 287 was not even complete to Boonton when the sign went up.

SM-G960U

[storm2k]

What is odd is that if everyone's theory is correct (that where 287 ended you would get to to Singac via 46), that would mean that 287 was not even complete to Boonton when the sign went up.

That sign is a more recent vintage. It was probably done as an in-kind replacement at some point years ago and kept the old destination that no longer makes sense.

[roadman65]

The one going NB at the 287 entrance going NB on Parsippany Road did get removed though.  So somewhere along the line some attention was paid.  However NJ was never big on ramp control cities for interstates.  Mostly used on state and US freeways or expressways as interstate ramps are usually shield only.