Erroneous road signs

[agentsteel53]

Seems to me the sign is erroneous then.  No way it was posted pre-1969.

99% chance that it is an error.  easiest way to tell would be to look at the style of reflective sheeting.  before 1969, Texas used the beaded white Scotchlite, switching over to honeycomb high intensity sometime in the 1970s.  they used the silver scotchlite (which is kinda green-tinted) surprisingly rarely.

[Roadsguy]

While driving from Valley Forge (I-76) to Willow Grove (PA 611) this past Saturday evening, I noticed a BGS message change along the westbound Turnpike (I-276).  The BGS panels for the Valley Forge exit from the westbound direction have been stripped of I-476 shields and US 422 shields are now in their place.  Not sure whether the exits signs in the eastbound direction sport this change or not.

Somebody on the PTC must've either read this thread or Steve's site. 

The eastbound ones don't have 476 replaced with 422 since that's an easy way to get to 476 (southbound, at least ). Westbound also has more of a need for 422 in terms of a through-route, since it's another way west, and EB Tpke-WB 422 is pretty much a really big U-turn.

Also, the odd "EAST NJ Tpke." with an NJTP shield pasted over a 276 shield on the turnpike eastbound at the 76-276 ramp split has been greened out and replaced with a 276 shield. A new sign on the right a bit back says

NJTP
USE
EAST
I-276

Something like that.

[PHLBOS]

The eastbound ones don't have 476 replaced with 422 since that's an easy way to get to 476 (southbound, at least ). Westbound also has more of a need for 422 in terms of a through-route, since it's another way west, and EB Tpke-WB 422 is pretty much a really big U-turn.

Not really, if one's heading to Valley Forge Park or Trooper via 422.  While I wouldn't expect that the I-476 shields on the eastbound Turnpike be replaced w/US 422 shields; there should be at least a supplemental BGS stating such.

Something like:

TO 422
King of Prussia
USE 76 EAST
or similar.

Personally, I would change the shields on the primary BGS (to match the westbound ones) and place the I-476 info. on supplemental BGS as I stated earlier.

Also, the odd "EAST NJ Tpke." with an NJTP shield pasted over a 276 shield on the turnpike eastbound at the 76-276 ramp split has been greened out and replaced with a 276 shield. A new sign on the right a bit back says

NJTP
USE
EAST
I-276

Something like that.

It's about time (15+ years) that PTC righted the wrong with that through-BGS.  That NJTP shield should have never been placed over that I-276 shield in the first place.  Hopefully, those numerals on that shield are of the proper type (series C vs. the narrower series B that the one covered over had).

Now if PTC can correct that BGS for the westbound Turnpike just beyond the Norristown toll plaza, (it reads 76 WEST where it should read 276 WEST like ALL the surrounding lead-in BGS' in that area); we should be golden.

[mefailenglish]

I think they've cleaned up most (all?) of the East 75/West 75 shields through the Alley, but I can't believe they've missed these:

[Roadsguy]

Now if PTC can correct that BGS for the westbound Turnpike just beyond the Norristown toll plaza, (it reads 76 WEST where it should read 276 WEST like ALL the surrounding lead-in BGS' in that area); we should be golden.

It's kinda right, but not well executed. One way or another, if you take that ramp, you'll reach the end of I-276 with no other exits, and so you'll be dumped into I-76. Except not just westbound...

Whatever the case, someone goofed in the sign shop or the design team.

I also spy a covered PA 9 shield.

[vtk]

EB Frank Rd at I-71 in Columbus.  These signs have been here as long as I can remember.  The stippled-lane diagram on the right panel makes it appear as though, of the three lanes, the center lane is an option that can go either east or south.  Actually, the left lane is for I-71 NB only, the center lane is for OH 104 EB only, and the right lane can go either east or south on OH 104.  Given the way the lanes shift just east of that intersection, I don't think this was the original arrangement, and the diagram on the sign may have been correct at some point in the past.  On the other hand, if you just remove the stipples, you happen to have a correct (if not perfectly aligned) arrow-per-lane diagram spanning two separate signs!

[Central Avenue]

Even if the stippled-arrow diagram were correct, the inclusion of the straight-ahead arrow on the left of the sign seems redundant.

[formulanone]

I think they've cleaned up most (all?) of the East 75/West 75 shields through the Alley, but I can't believe they've missed these:

I'm guessing SR 29...a rather lonely interchange in its own right.

[ctsignguy]

EB Frank Rd at I-71 in Columbus.  These signs have been here as long as I can remember.  The stippled-lane diagram on the right panel makes it appear as though, of the three lanes, the center lane is an option that can go either east or south.  Actually, the left lane is for I-71 NB only, the center lane is for OH 104 EB only, and the right lane can go either east or south on OH 104.  Given the way the lanes shift just east of that intersection, I don't think this was the original arrangement, and the diagram on the sign may have been correct at some point in the past.  On the other hand, if you just remove the stipples, you happen to have a correct (if not perfectly aligned) arrow-per-lane diagram spanning two separate signs!

Wow...that is less than 2 miles from where i live...i see it every other day and i never noticed that one before....wow!  Guess i'll have to try to be more observant...

[PHLBOS]

Now if PTC can correct that BGS for the westbound Turnpike just beyond the Norristown toll plaza, (it reads 76 WEST where it should read 276 WEST like ALL the surrounding lead-in BGS' in that area); we should be golden.

It's kinda right, but not well executed. One way or another, if you take that ramp, you'll reach the end of I-276 with no other exits, and so you'll be dumped into I-76. Except not just westbound...

Whatever the case, someone goofed in the sign shop or the design team.

I also spy a covered PA 9 shield.

Although that pipe gantry is recent (5 years max. (?)), both of those current BGS' actually date back to the early-to-mid-90s.  Which explains why there originally was a PA 9 shield on the eastbound panel.

Back to the westbound BGS, while it is true that I-276 ends at I-76 at the next exit; that is still absolutely no excuse for that BGS panel error... especially when all, repeat ALL surrounding BGS panels in that area (including newer ones erected along I-476 north and south erected by both PennDOT and PTC) for the westbound Turnpike have 276 shields on them.

[jemacedo9]

The eastbound ones don't have 476 replaced with 422 since that's an easy way to get to 476 (southbound, at least ). Westbound also has more of a need for 422 in terms of a through-route, since it's another way west, and EB Tpke-WB 422 is pretty much a really big U-turn.

Also, the odd "EAST NJ Tpke." with an NJTP shield pasted over a 276 shield on the turnpike eastbound at the 76-276 ramp split has been greened out and replaced with a 276 shield. A new sign on the right a bit back says

NJTP
USE
EAST
I-276

Something like that.

Snagged pics today:

[jemacedo9]

The BGS reads:

NORTH 476 EAST 276 *PA Turnpike shield*
Allentown
N.J. Tpke. - New York

Was able to get some pics today.  The first two are the new ones mentioned above, which were part of the I-476 reconstruction project.  The last one is the original one from the Express E-Z Pass Lanes project.

[Alps]

Even if the stippled-arrow diagram were correct, the inclusion of the straight-ahead arrow on the left of the sign seems redundant.

It looks like that's not an original arrow, probably added when the lane designations changed. That's when the stipples should have disappeared.

[Central Avenue]

Even if the stippled-arrow diagram were correct, the inclusion of the straight-ahead arrow on the left of the sign seems redundant.

It looks like that's not an original arrow, probably added when the lane designations changed. That's when the stipples should have disappeared.

I considered that, but if that's the case it means the sign originally had a lot of blank space...

[KEVIN_224]

I didn't get a picture of them, but heading east on I-84/US 6 in West Hartford, CT, there are a couple of incorrect shield assemblies. The ground signs are now showing:

EAST

I-84
-------------
CT 6

Of course, they should be saying US Route 6. Connecticut doesn't even have a state route 6, as we don't duplicate US and interstate routes here (it's why there's no state routes 1, 5, 7, 44, 84, 91, 95 or 202 either). The worst part of it all? These error signs are brand new (they were NOT there in mid-May). The "6" signs may also really be upside down "9" signs, since CT Route 9 ends a couple of miles to the west, near the Farmington/West Hartford town line.

[national highway 1]

The BGS reads:

NORTH 476 EAST 276 *PA Turnpike shield*
Allentown
N.J. Tpke. - New York

Was able to get some pics today.  The first two are the new ones mentioned above, which were part of the I-476 reconstruction project.  The last one is the original one from the Express E-Z Pass Lanes project.

Gosh, those I-276 shields look awful. 

[Roadsguy]

It seems the PTC is big on Series B.

This awesome little tool proves that Series C fits just as well and looks far more normal.

(It also shows that Series E is almost useless. )

[PHLBOS]

I didn't get a picture of them, but heading east on I-84/US 6 in West Hartford, CT, there are a couple of incorrect shield assemblies. The ground signs are now showing:

EAST

I-84
-------------
CT 6

Those must've been erected during the summer.  I was last along I-84 in CT in mid-June and no CT 6 sign shields.

Snagged pics today:

*Blows Whistle* Unauthorized Use of Clearview!  The word USE on that LGS is Clearview.

It seems the PTC is big on Series B.

As earlier stated, for I-276 shields, both PTC and PennDOT are guiltly of using Series B.  The original 276 shield on that through BGS was also Series B.  Both PennDOT & PTC are a little better with the I-476 shields.  Most of those shields are in Series C.

A recent PTC BGS gantry erected along I-476 South features 3 I-shields that have different fonts and shield shapes.  The one for I-476 South is fine (normal wide-shield w/Series C font).  The ones for I-276 are a mess (the one for I-276 East features a normal wide-shield w/Series B font but the one for I-276 West features a bubble-wide shield w/a very-crowded Series D).

A non-roadgeek friend of mine complained that the new BGS for I-276 West no longer includes Norristown (for the nearby interchange) in it.

Was able to get some pics today.  The first two are the new ones mentioned above, which were part of the I-476 reconstruction project.  The last one is the original one from the Express E-Z Pass Lanes project.

The above-photos show a clear-cut reason WHY the MUTCD guideline/requirement that street names and destinations not being placed on the same BGS is absolutely bogus and asinine.  Kudos to agencies like NJDOT and MassDOT for flat-out ignoring that.

The Germantown Pike references have been completely exorcized from the new BGS' despite the fact that one ramp from Exit 20 dumps one directly onto that road.  Not everyone that uses that cloverleaf ramp is getting on I-276 Westbound... unless PennDOT/PTC decides to place a divider/collector distributor lane along westbound Germantown Pike in that area (local traffic would use the Plymouth Road ramp); but that's another topic for another thread.

The wording on the old BGS were more correct and appropriate IMHO.  The Harrisburg listing should be on a supplemental ground-mounted BGS (reading Harrisburg USE EXIT 20) similar to what was done further south as I-476 Northbound approaches Exit 16A-B (the I-76 interchange).

I'm surprised that you didn't get photos showing the new BGS at the Ridge Pike (Exit 18A-B) interchange.  Particularly the faux-pas PennDOT made at that overpass.  They painted the overpass blue about a year ago.  While painting the overpass, they temporarily took down the structure-mounted BGS' along I-476 Northbound and re-installed them when they were done. 

Fast-forward to this summer; PennDOT erects a new overhead gantry just before (south of) the overpass w/new BGS' and takes down one of the structure-mounted BGS (the one for Exit 19).  As a result, there are 8 small 'green' squares where the BGS once stood that remain unpainted.  It appears that the bridge painting contractor and the sign contract (as part of the I-476 reconstruction project) never coordinated with each other.

Side bar (and this could be a whole other thread in and of itself): what's the deal with structure-mounted BGS'?  I've noticed that its use has been declining for nearly a decade.  I checked the latest MUTCD and I didn't see any mention of the practice being discouraged.  I've seen plenty of BGS replacement projects (not just in PA) that seem to forsake this practice despite the fact that many replacement BGS' are the same size as the structure-mounted ones they're replacing.

[okroads]

U.S. 68 & KY 80 West just west of the Lake Barkley/Cumberland River bridge. Photo taken 4/22/12.

[national highway 1]

To be honest, it should really be mounted on the opposite side of the road, just before it narrows to cross the bridge.

[doorknob60]

Just drove by this one today, caught my attention. It's on US 26 in Mt Vernon, OR (West of John Day). Didn't get a picture myself but grabbed a good one from Google Maps:



Maps link: https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=44.417781,-119.114628&spn=0.033902,0.084543&t=m&z=14&layer=c&cbll=44.417756,-119.114342&panoid=IvA_-WfubjnaYYlJzB8qRg&cbp=12,119.83,,1,6.53

[Central Avenue]

To be honest, it should really be mounted on the opposite side of the road, just before it narrows to cross the bridge.

If it were rotated 180 degrees it would be fine where it is. 

[national highway 1]

To be honest, it should really be mounted on the opposite side of the road, just before it narrows to cross the bridge.

If it were rotated 180 degrees it would be fine where it is. 

True. Of course! 

[Kacie Jane]

U.S. 68 & KY 80 West just west of the Lake Barkley/Cumberland River bridge. Photo taken 4/22/12.

I feel like that actually both of the diamond signs are erroneous.  Obviously the one in the foreground needs to be flipped the right way around.  But the one in the background probably ought to be replaced by R4-7.  Once you're at the divide, it's no longer warning you of an upcoming hazard, so it should be a black-on-white regulatory sign.

[agentsteel53]

Just drove by this one today, caught my attention. It's on US 26 in Mt Vernon, OR (West of John Day). Didn't get a picture myself but grabbed a good one from Google Maps:

20, 26, and 95 seem to be the most frequently mismade US shields.  that district must be extra sloppy, because I've also seen US-27 in that general area.