Control Cities

[geoking111]

What control cities for interstates and other highways do you find interesting or annoying?

There are some control cities I agree with and others I disagree with it. I find it acceptable to have Hancock, MD as a control city for WB I-70. Even though, Cumberland and Pittsburgh are much larger places than Hancock, I agree with this control city because it serves as the junction of I-68 and I-70.

I find it interesting that NB I-95 north of Baltimore in Maryland has a control city of New York. This shows no respect to Philadelphia or Wilmington. I'm okay with it because New York is the nation's largest city. However, I-78 and I-80 in Pennsylvania do not show New York as their control city. I wonder why I-95 would have New York as a control city, at such a far distance, but I-78 and I-80 do not.

I also liked when I-295 SB in the Richmond area had Miami as its control city. Was this the farthest control city on any BGS?

[Hellfighter]

I hate the fact when you come off the Mackinaw bridge, the control city for I-75 is Saginaw, when it doesn't even go to it. Instead, it should be Flint.

[Bryant5493]

I like the control cities for I-285.

I-285 West/North (SW corridor, between I-85 and I-20): Birmingham/Chattanooga

I-285 North (Westside Perimeter, between I-20 and I-75): Chattanooga/Greenville

I-285 East (Top End, between I-75 and I-85): Greenville/Augusta

I-285 South (Eastside, between I-85 and I-20): Augusta/Macon

I-285 West (Eastside/Southside, between I-20 and I-85): Macon/Montgomery


Be Well,

Bryant

[mightyace]

I find it interesting that NB I-95 north of Baltimore in Maryland has a control city of New York. This shows no respect to Philadelphia or Wilmington. I'm okay with it because New York is the nation's largest city. However, I-78 and I-80 in Pennsylvania do not show New York as their control city. I wonder why I-95 would have New York as a control city, at such a far distance, but I-78 and I-80 do not.

Well, my home state of Pennsylvania tends to be a bit provincial about control cities.  While I-80 around Youngstown, OH uses New York City as the eastbound control, Pennsylvania uses several small towns and cities along the way.  There are, of course, no big cities along that route.

The I-80 control cities are (west to east) Sharon, Mercer, Clarion, Brookville, DuBois, Clearfield, Bellefonte, Milton, Bloomsburg (my hometown), Hazleton, and Stroudsburg.  (I may have missed one between Hazleton and Stroudsburg.)  None of those towns is over 50,000 and I think that only Sharon, Hazleton, and Stroudsburg may even be over 20,000.

I am not as sure about I-81 but I think they are Chambersburg, Shippensburg, Carlisle, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton then Binghamton, NY.

I think I-78 uses Harrisburg (even though it doesn't reach it and Allentown.

[travelinmiles]

That does bother me that Philadelphia is not used as a control city from Baltimore on 95 north.  However, Philly doesn't use Baltimore it uses Chester and Wilmington on 95 south. Trenton is used for 95 north in Philly.

In Fort Worth, Abilene and Dallas are used for I-20 and I-30. I-35W uses Denton and Waco, I think there should be some reference to Austin and Oklahoma City, but OKC uses Dallas on I-35 south. US 287 uses Decatur and Waxahachie, that should be changed to Wichita Falls and possibly "Houston via I-45".

[yanksfan6129]

Delaware Water Gap has always bothered me on I-80 West in New Jersey. I know, PA I-80 has no really significant cities, so why not something really long distance, like Youngstown or Cleveland, Ohio. LOL, sounds wierd thinking about it on signs in NJ.

Maybe Pittsburgh via I-79, either that or the Ohio destinations

[Greybear]

In Dallas, I-35E also uses Denton and Waco as control cities. I-30 uses Fort Worth and Texarkana while I-20 uses Fort Worth and Shreveport. The control city on US 75 North was recently changed from Sherman to McKinney.

[corco]

A lot of the control cities along I-82 when approaching are completely useless

[Revive 755]

In the St. Louis area, using Wentzville on US 40/I-64 but having I-270 use (or used to use) Kansas City/Chicago until I-70 is just doesn't seem right.  Since it is faster to use US 40 instead of continuing up I-270 to I-70 - even when US 40 had more than one stoplight west of MO 94 - either it should use Kansas City instead of Wentzville, or I-70 should use Wentzville instead of Kansas City at I-270.

MO 370 could also use better controls.  WB should use Kansas City instead of St. Charles County, while EB should use Indianapolis instead of nothing.

For I-270, the inner lanes (NB and later EB) should use Kansas City to US 40, then Indianapolis, instead of switching to Chicago from Kansas City at MO 21 (where it's faster to go east to access Chicago).  The outer lanes on I-270 should use Kansas City from the I-55/I-70 interchange to MO 370, then Memphis south of MO 370.

I-680 in Nebraska would also benefit from having control cities over the current nothing.  EB should use Sioux City and Des Moines, while WB should use Lincoln.

I also don't care for using Dayton on I-70 east of Indianapolis.  Maybe if I-70 had a spur on the west side that towards downtown Dayton, or as a secondary control to Columbus, but it's not quite right to have it replace Columbus.

[PAHighways]

The Turnpike Commission doesn't want to acknowledge out of state cities.  Only "Ohio and West" once you get to the Pittsburgh interchange, meanwhile, PennDOT has Youngstown as one of the destinations for Exit 77 on I-79.

[Voyager]

605 in CA - Thru Traffic.

[deathtopumpkins]

It's rather annoying coming at I-64 on VA-168 in Chesapeake as both directions' signs say I-64 Hampton Richmond   No direction plaque, and the same control cities... good thing I remember that the I-64 west one is the one you exit for once you're already on I-464 North.

Does I-295 SB in Richmond really list Miami as its control city?  

[FLRoads]

The reason for some of these "useless" control cities along interstate highways is a bi-product from when they were constructed.  Take Interstate 10 between Mobile and New Orleans for instance.  All the control signs west of Mobile are signed for Pascagoula instead of New Orleans, as many would think it would be.  In the early 1970's, the interstate defaulted onto U.S. 90 at the Mississippi/Alabama state line and since U.S. 90 went through Pascagoula, Interstate 10's control point became that for motorists.  Click here and here for more details on this particular example.

[yanksfan6129]

Yep. Actually its more like I-95 in Petersburg, at the interchange with I-85. The gantry even has Atlanta on it as well:


There's another one just like that before the exit as well.

I'm not 100% this still exists, because so people are saying stuff like "used" to and "had."

Oh well.

[deathtopumpkins]

Ohh... I've never been on I-95 through Petersburg. Always take US-58 and get on I-95 in Emporia when I head south.

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

"Other Desert Cities", anyone?

I still would like to know where Thru Traffic, California is located.

The control cities on I-10 EB in east TX and LA are kind of funny. East of Beaumont, TX uses "Baton Rouge", but then once across the state line the control point becomes "Lake Charles." Thought that was kind of interesting. BTW, La. uses "Beaumont" on I-10 WB past Lake Charles.

Also, I might have mentioned it before, but the use of "Bay St. Louis" as a control point for I-10 EB past Slidell is truly ridiculous. Ditto some of the MS I-55 control points such as McComb or Grenada.

[WillWeaverRVA]

It's rather annoying coming at I-64 on VA-168 in Chesapeake as both directions' signs say I-64 Hampton Richmond   No direction plaque, and the same control cities... good thing I remember that the I-64 west one is the one you exit for once you're already on I-464 North.

Does I-295 SB in Richmond really list Miami as its control city?  

It used to. The "Miami" on the sign was covered over in 2002 or 2003.

[rmsandw]

I love when I am in St. Louis and on I-270 SB I get Tulsa for a control city, instead of Illinois or Memphis.

[akotchi]

The east end of the Pennsylvania Turnpike uses "New Jersey," and some signs on I-95 SB in New Jersey (the Trenton section) say "Pennsylvania."

The use of New York on I-95 in Maryland may be to serve the regional interests between Washington and New York via I-295 and the Turnpike.  Wilmington and Philadelphia show up after the I-295 split.

How about Park n Ride for "I-70" inside the Baltimore Beltway?

[mightyace]

Going westbound, the I-80/294 split where 80 leaves the Tri-State Tollway uses control points of Iowa for I-80 West and Wisconsin for I-294 North.

Going compass south on the Tri-State where I-94 East leaves for the Edens Expressway, the control points are Chicago for I-94 East but Indian and O'Hare for I-924 South.

[Road Warrior]

This makes sense as Wytheville is where 77 and 81 come together



Elkin might have 5,000 residents, but considering there is no major city between Statesville and Charleston, WV... guess it was the best choice

[DrZoidberg]

 Not a BGS control city, but worth mentioning is I-10 westbound shortly after crossing into Texas.  I used to have a picture of this on my old laptop, but I believe the sign reads "Orange  8  El Paso 880"  (nevermind Houston and San Antonio between the east and west ends of Texas....details)

[lamsalfl]

Alex and I are kinda peeved about the Pascagoula and Bay St. Louis signage on I-10 in Alabama and Louisiana respectively.  Flaroadgeek touched on this on page 1.  Funny thing is, Mississippi doesn't even recognize EITHER of its two cities.  Louisiana should sign it "10 East Gulfport" and Alabama should sign it "10 West Biloxi".

[WillWeaverRVA]

In Illinois, I-55 universally lists Chicago or St. Louis as its control cities, even though most other interstates have much smaller cities or towns as control cities. (*coughI-180cough*)

Case in point, at I-155's northern terminus at I-74, I-74 East has a control city of Bloomington. On I-74 itself, there is an overhead sign eastbound saying Indianapolis, and I believe westbound the control city is Peoria. Signage from the I-55 interchange with I-74 universally depicts Bloomington or Peoria. So really, the signage is inconsistent.

At no point on I-55 are Springfield (the state capital, to boot), Lincoln, or Bloomington depicted as control cities on signage, although there is one BGS on I-155 South before its terminus that lists Lincoln and St. Louis as control cities.

I-72 uses Springfield, but I think that's it.

EDIT: I also forgot I-255, whose control cities are "Interstate 270" (no shield) and Memphis. I didn't know there was a town called Interstate 270, Illinois.

[DrZoidberg]

In Illinois, I-55 universally lists Chicago or St. Louis as its control cities, even though most other interstates have much smaller cities or towns as control cities. (*coughI-180cough*)

Doesn't I-24 in Kentucky also use Chicago and St. Louis as control cities for westbound traffic?