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Plain green “Wisconsin” signs at the border

Started by peterj920, August 28, 2023, 07:21:58 PM

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peterj920

At more "minor" crossings, there were blue "Welcome to Wisconsin" signs with the shape of the state. Now it's just a plain green sign that says "Wisconsin" when entering on a highway such as US 14, US 45, Wis 67, and Wis 80 to name a few places where there's just the green sign. Entering other states there's always a more elaborate sign. Are you ok with the plain sign with the big wooden Wisconsin Welcomes You at busier crossings or are better signs needed at the other border crossings?


SEWIGuy



jt4

I assume it's because in general the US routes are now used by local drivers instead of tourists, so there's no need to have much fanfare when driving over the line.

Big John

I read that the Feds said the blue sign with the state cutout was noncompliant.

formulanone

#5
Yeah, they're kind of disappointing; it looks as if the posts supported a larger sign at some point. Although this is on US 51 in Beloit, maybe it's because of the driveway along side of it?



Not all of the crossings get elegant signs...



...but there's the wooden one a little up the road:



Bitmapped

Virginia has been doing the same on surface routes in the last couple years. US 33, US 48, and US 250 have had their fancier welcome signs replaced with simple green-on-white "Virginia" signs in the last couple years. Here's US 33, where you can see past designs by looking back through time: https://goo.gl/maps/BBTwkdQ5dZZgLzf5A

Just having the state name with nothing else is underwhelming. At least put a "Welcome to State" or something so it stands out.

WisJohn


CtrlAltDel

Quote from: formulanone on August 28, 2023, 08:37:26 PM
Yeah, they're kind of disappointing; it looks as if the posts supported a larger sign at some point. Although this is on US 51 in Beloit, maybe it's because of the driveway along side of it?



Street View shows this:

I-290   I-294   I-55   (I-74)   (I-72)   I-40   I-30   US-59   US-190   TX-30   TX-6

jzn110


jzn110

Quote from: formulanone on August 28, 2023, 08:37:26 PM
Yeah, they're kind of disappointing; it looks as if the posts supported a larger sign at some point. Although this is on US 51 in Beloit, maybe it's because of the driveway along side of it?



Not all of the crossings get elegant signs...



...but there's the wooden one a little up the road:



On that last example, the wooden sign is about 6 miles in from the border.

CtrlAltDel

Quote from: jzn110 on August 29, 2023, 10:59:39 AM
Quote from: formulanone on August 28, 2023, 08:37:26 PM
...but there's the wooden one a little up the road:



On that last example, the wooden sign is about 6 miles in from the border.

It is farther than I thought it was, but it's only about 3 miles.
I-290   I-294   I-55   (I-74)   (I-72)   I-40   I-30   US-59   US-190   TX-30   TX-6

triplemultiplex

Quote from: CtrlAltDel on August 29, 2023, 10:45:34 AM
Street View shows this:



Fireworks stand immediately over the border.  Classic Wisconsin.
"That's just like... your opinion, man."

mgk920

I agree, put the fancier signs a bit 'in' from the actual line at the major crossings and the "KISS" ones directly at the line and at the more local crossings.  Maybe there should be a standard 'semi-fancy' state line sign in the MUTCD on the lines of the 'EU' standard style Schengen zone international border crossing signs.

Mike

hbelkins

Quote from: Bitmapped on August 28, 2023, 08:50:50 PM
Virginia has been doing the same on surface routes in the last couple years. US 33, US 48, and US 250 have had their fancier welcome signs replaced with simple green-on-white "Virginia" signs in the last couple years. Here's US 33, where you can see past designs by looking back through time: https://goo.gl/maps/BBTwkdQ5dZZgLzf5A

Just having the state name with nothing else is underwhelming. At least put a "Welcome to State" or something so it stands out.

On a number of secondary roads (and even some primary roads) Virginia will have something iike "Enter Lee County, Va., Leave Claiborne County, Tenn." on small green signs.

Tennessee just puts a "Tennessee State Line" sign on non-interstate routes.

Of course you're not really in Virginia until you're greeted by the "Radar Detectors Illegal" or "Speed Checked by Aircraft" white-on-black signs.
Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

The Ghostbuster

Does anyone have any more photos of Welcome to Wisconsin signs along other border crossings from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, or Michigan?

formulanone

Quote from: mgk920 on August 29, 2023, 01:03:53 PM
I agree, put the fancier signs a bit 'in' from the actual line at the major crossings and the "KISS" ones directly at the line and at the more local crossings.  Maybe there should be a standard 'semi-fancy' state line sign in the MUTCD on the lines of the 'EU' standard style Schengen zone international border crossing signs.

Mike

Fifty white stars in a circle with the two-letter abbreviation in the center?

Take that, EU!

Sincerely,

Estados Unidos

JREwing78

The plain green signs seem to be a newer deployment; the blue "Welcome to Wisconsin" signs with the state in green have been around quite a while.

wriddle082

Quote from: Big John on August 28, 2023, 08:14:49 PM
I read that the Feds said the blue sign with the state cutout was noncompliant.

What is non-compliant about it?  Is it because of the shade of blue?  Because many other states have welcome signs in various shades of blue.  Is it because the state shape protrudes out from the rectangle?  Again, not the first sign to be like that.  I don't get it.  Anything has to be better than a plain BGS with nothing but "Wisconsin"  on it.  State pride is on the line here!


Big John

^^ I think it was the state cutout.  I agree that the Wisconsin sign is just plain boring.

J N Winkler

I think the state cutout might have been a compliance issue with NCHRP 350 rather than the MUTCD--the northern coastline is jagged and the Door County outline is potentially a nasty dagger.

In any event, WisDOT still uses a welcome sign that features the state outline in green with text legend in white on blue.  From the Sign Plate Manual:

*  I2-1 (approval date of January 24, 2002):



*  I2-1B (approval date of November 16, 2020):

"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

kphoger

Quote from: peterj920 on August 28, 2023, 07:21:58 PM
At more "minor"  crossings, there were blue "Welcome to Wisconsin"  signs with the shape of the state. Now it's just a plain green sign that says "Wisconsin"  when entering on a highway such as US 14, US 45, Wis 67, and Wis 80 to name a few places where there's just the green sign.

Quote from: J N Winkler on August 30, 2023, 04:44:12 PM
I think the state cutout might have been a compliance issue with NCHRP 350 rather than the MUTCD--the northern coastline is jagged and the Door County outline is potentially a nasty dagger.

Does NCHRP 350 apply to STH-67 and STH-80?
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

J N Winkler

#22
Quote from: kphoger on August 30, 2023, 05:02:55 PMDoes NCHRP 350 apply to STH-67 and STH-80?

Yes.  WisDOT is applying NCHRP 350 standards to all state highways and state-let contracts, so besides WisDOT's own system, it should also apply to work it handles on city streets and county highways.

This said, I can't speak to WisDOT's reason for changing to I2-1 on STH 67 and STH 80 when it previously used the predecessor to I2-1B.  It may be that other criteria for the use of I2-1B were updated as well.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

kphoger

Quote from: J N Winkler on August 30, 2023, 05:23:14 PM

Quote from: kphoger on August 30, 2023, 05:02:55 PM
Does NCHRP 350 apply to STH-67 and STH-80?

Yes.  WisDOT is applying NCHRP 350 standards to all state highways and state-let contracts, so besides WisDOT's own system, it should also apply to work it handles on city streets and county highways.

Well, that's what I get for only reading the first sentence of that paragraph before asking the question...
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

JoePCool14

Related to the topic of Wisconsin border crossing signs, the sign on the border for I-41/94 has been missing for a few years now I think. I've wanted to reach out to WisDOT to have them replace it, but I haven't gotten around to it (much like they haven't gotten around to reinstalling one).

:) Needs more... :sombrero: Not quite... :bigass: Perfect.
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