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Oregon just sucks at signing highways

Started by OCGuy81, November 26, 2018, 02:16:00 PM

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OCGuy81

After living here for a while, I can safely say Oregon sucks at signing their highways.

- a lot of state highways  (8, 10, 210, 51, 43, 551 for a few examples) seem to be more of an afterthought to ODOT. You'll have (maybe) a junction sign at the termini, but that's about it. Few, if any, reassurance shields.

- Multiplexes poorly signed. They are okay about reassurance shields on the actual route itself, but if you're coming across a multiplexed highway, you'd never know until you get on it.  If you're following a route that becomes part of a multiplex, I'm thinking of 99E, you'd never know driving 99E that it continues on 5 south

Portland seems to be the worst about acknowledging state highways


Hurricane Rex

State highways are different than state routes. Route 8 for example goes from OR 6 to OR 47 not as a highway, so it isn't signed. PBOT as is ODOT to not put highways through Portland if at all possible. Others they have no excuse for, especially multiplexes.

LG-TP260

ODOT, raise the speed limit and fix our traffic problems.

Road and weather geek for life.

Running till I die.

Bickendan

Quote from: OCGuy81 on November 26, 2018, 02:16:00 PM
After living here for a while, I can safely say Oregon sucks at signing their highways.

- a lot of state highways  (8, 10, 210, 51, 43, 551 for a few examples) seem to be more of an afterthought to ODOT. You'll have (maybe) a junction sign at the termini, but that's about it. Few, if any, reassurance shields.

- Multiplexes poorly signed. They are okay about reassurance shields on the actual route itself, but if you're coming across a multiplexed highway, you'd never know until you get on it.  If you're following a route that becomes part of a multiplex, I'm thinking of 99E, you'd never know driving 99E that it continues on 5 south

Portland seems to be the worst about acknowledging state highways

8 is part of Gales Creek Road (a county road) from 6 to Forest Grove; beyond that, Hillsboro is starting to put the OR 8 shields on their street signs at lights (8 TV Hwy/8 Tualatin Valley Hwy, for example.
I think ODOT's trying to decom 10 and 210, definitely want to decom 43. Can't comment on 51. 551 was a recent signed route, where ODOT clearly did the minimum needed to get the job done.
In regards to Portland, what routes do you mean specifically? OR 99W is Schrodinger's highway, and whether it exists in Portland is dependant on what ODOT map you stumble on. OR 99E is under PBOT maintanence between SE Mill St and NE Lombard St.
OR 213 is getting street sign treatment as PBOT/ODOT redo 82nd Ave.

nexus73

540 is a bit undersigned as reassurance shields are needed to go with one at the main intersection in Charleston and another at the intersection with Seven Devils Road.  Considering this is the route to the various state parks by the Pacific Ocean and thus getting heavy tourist use, solid signage practices need to be done to help the out of area folks avoid confusion.

Going south on 99 heading toward Sutherlin saw me end up at a T junction with no sign or route marker to indicate which way to go.  Of course I guessed wrong...LOL!  ODOT dropped the ball there big time.

Try to follow the signs to OMSI in PDX.  Maybe these are city signs but the last one you see will be pointing south on a street.  Follow the directional arrow and you wind up in some industrial area since the signs needed to guide you along for the additional turns after the first one are MIA.

Is it 99, 38 or 38/99?  The stretch of highway between I-5's exit 162 and Drain leave one wondering.  Get into Drain and what used to be 99 is now signed as a county road.  Why not just drop the 99 and call this 7 mile section 38...period!  Put up Historical 99 signs instead.

Rick



US 101 is THE backbone of the Pacific coast from Bandon OR to Willits CA.  Industry, tourism and local traffic would be gone or severely crippled without it being in functioning condition in BOTH states.

ylekot

There are certainly gaps in route marking around the Portland Area that drive me nuts:

-No OR 43 marker on Ross Island approach from South Naito Pkwy: https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5002,-122.6756026,3a,83.5y,60.46h,79.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soHxlJzRaIZgybTRPOxs1Yw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&authuser=0

-No redirect off Division back to US-26 East (Powell) from the I-205 exit until you get to Gresham: https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5043834,-122.5660894,3a,75y,180.71h,94.67t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEjoR04I9nFahu0EyPL5YyA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&authuser=0

-At least they finally put up a US-26 redirect at Division and 11th: https://www.google.com/maps/@45.5048512,-122.6555589,3a,15y,117.01h,87.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smmvzu1QbBrxhMFi44GE3VA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&authuser=0

-99W is definitely Schrodinger's highway.  ODOT has upped the game with new exit signage on I-5 North at Barbur, but they have yet to truly finish the job.

And what about the big talk of marking Non Signed highways with route numbers back in 2002?  There are still a lot of state highways that still don't have route signage.
Mike Wiley

e.mike.wiley@gmail.com

sp_redelectric

Quote from: OCGuy81 on November 26, 2018, 02:16:00 PM
- a lot of state highways  (8, 10, 210, 51, 43, 551 for a few examples) seem to be more of an afterthought to ODOT.

Oregon 10 and 210 are barely state highways at that - of the entire length of 210 the only stretch that is state maintained is from the Portland & Western Railroad, north over Highway 217, to the intersection with Hall Boulevard; roughly 3/5ths of a mile.  West and north is county maintained.  Highway 10 is state maintained from Raleigh Hills west to Highway 217, and there are some island segments further west in Aloha.  I'm surprised those routes haven't been decommissioned, since they effectively are.

Quote from: OCGuy81 on November 26, 2018, 02:16:00 PMMultiplexes poorly signed. They are okay about reassurance shields on the actual route itself, but if you're coming across a multiplexed highway, you'd never know until you get on it.  If you're following a route that becomes part of a multiplex, I'm thinking of 99E, you'd never know driving 99E that it continues on 5 south

Is ODOT removing the Oregon 99E shields?  I have always thought the I-5/Oregon 99E multiplex was very well signed, with every reassurance marker plus all on-ramps signing both routes.  Whereas many of the I-84 reassurance shields no longer display U.S. 30.

That said, ODOT has never acknowledged the new multiplex of Oregon 99W and 18 between McDougall's Corner and Dundee, but Highway 99W and 219 are signed.  I never understood the Highway 18/233 multiplex near Dayton (or, why Highway 233 is still a state highway.)  The U.S. 20/Oregon 34 multiplex from Corvallis to Philomath seems well-signed as well.  I-205/Oregon 213 is questionable, but who knows how much longer 82nd Avenue will remain a state highway rendering this multiplex moot.

sparker

Quote from: ylekot on December 04, 2018, 01:10:21 AM
And what about the big talk of marking Non Signed highways with route numbers back in 2002?  There are still a lot of state highways that still don't have route signage.

Doing just that was part of the last CA statewide renumbering in 1964; the "brief" was "one number/one route"; essentially a repudiation of the old LRN/SSR concept that allowed multiple route signage over a single legislatively designated alignment.  Since much of the LRN system contained routes that were quite long but with low traffic volumes that were under the old system deemed not to warrant field signage (much of that in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys), the new credo was "if it's under state maintenance, it should be signed".  Some districts took longer to do so than others; functionally full signage occurred about 5 years after the change.  OR also has a two-tiered system -- but they're keeping that system intact rather than replacing it with a singular legislative/field signage state system.  But it appears to be up to the individual district as to the selection of routes signed as well as the actual signage configurations; some are perplexing, such as the choice to downplay the OR 551 connector -- likely because ODOT would rather commute traffic bound for Woodburn, an exurb exhibiting substantial growth, remain on I-5 rather than pass through Hubbard along the slightly shorter 551/99E routing.

Quote from: Bickendan on November 27, 2018, 09:07:57 PM
OR 213 is getting street sign treatment as PBOT/ODOT redo 82nd Ave.

It seems that ODOT is deferring to PBOT dicta that insist on downplaying -- to the point of failing to acknowledge -- state highway corridors within city limits, ostensibly to discourage use of city streets for through traffic.  Getting rid of stand-alone trailblazer signage from crossing streets and replacing it with tiny shields on overhead street signs hanging from signal arms or clamped to the signal support posts is a trick seemingly "imported" from CA -- this is being done on the few remaining streets still hosting state highways.  I just wonder if a conundrum facing CA cities also is applicable to Oregon as well:  if a city/metro area (or its planning entities) desires to so discourage through traffic but also wants the state to continue to fund maintenance on the route, which would be obviated if relinquishment was done, would making field signage difficult to discern accomplish that (hidden) goal?  (there are several instances of such things right here in the South Bay).     

Bickendan

Quote from: sparkerGetting rid of stand-alone trailblazer signage from crossing streets and replacing it with tiny shields on overhead street signs hanging from signal arms or clamped to the signal support posts is a trick seemingly "imported" from CA -- this is being done on the few remaining streets still hosting state highways.
Personally, I'm ok with this compromise. Hillsboro ups the ante by placing their logo on their signal street signs, and I've seen Portland's logo (the rose) on a couple signs.

sparker

Quote from: Bickendan on December 06, 2018, 06:18:10 AM
Quote from: sparkerGetting rid of stand-alone trailblazer signage from crossing streets and replacing it with tiny shields on overhead street signs hanging from signal arms or clamped to the signal support posts is a trick seemingly "imported" from CA -- this is being done on the few remaining streets still hosting state highways.
Personally, I'm ok with this compromise. Hillsboro ups the ante by placing their logo on their signal street signs, and I've seen Portland's logo (the rose) on a couple signs.

In CA, at least one generally unsigned route -- CA 262, the south Fremont connector between I-880 and I-680, previously signed only on the SB exit from I-680 but with zero reassurance shields -- is now cited on one of this type of street sign, posted by the City of Fremont, at the intersection of 262 (aka Mission Blvd.) with Warm Springs Blvd., aka old SSR 17 (pre-freeway).  It may be an ass-backward way for a route to be credited, but at least it's there (and without Caltrans' help).  If it helps with navigation in the least bit, then this sort of OR 213 signage on 82nd Street is certainly welcome! 

Snopas576

#9
Quote from: ylekot on December 04, 2018, 01:10:21 AM
99W is definitely Schrodinger's highway.  ODOT has upped the game with new exit signage on I-5 North at Barbur, but they have yet to truly finish the job.

And what about the big talk of marking Non Signed highways with route numbers back in 2002?  There are still a lot of state highways that still don't have route signage.

I feel like all the unsigned routes are also Schrödinger's highways too. Take for example the two unsigned state routes/highways in the Portland Metro Area, OR 120 in North Portland (Portland Rd/Marine Dr) and OR 141 in Tigard (Hall Blvd/Durham Rd/Boones Fy). They both exist (at least on paper) and don't exist (no physical indication that they exist on the ground) at the same time until ODOT does something. Google Maps tackles this with a compromise approach by only labeling half of OR 120 (only the Portland Dr portion and not the Marine Dr portion).

Bickendan

^This is what's made the Oregon set for Travel Mapping a bit of a pain. The ODOT highway maps don't match the published ODOT state map doesn't match what's in the field. Should OR 120, 104S, 99W from Tigard to Kenton, hell 10 and 210 be included? 120 and 104S aren't signed; 10 and 210 are despite only fragments being ODOT maintained.
So, following the intention of the 2002 signing plan, everything is included in the dataset, save for 105 (not signed, part of Bus 101, number duplicates I-105), 372, and 420.

TheStranger

Quote from: sparker on December 07, 2018, 02:21:05 AM
Quote from: Bickendan on December 06, 2018, 06:18:10 AM
Quote from: sparkerGetting rid of stand-alone trailblazer signage from crossing streets and replacing it with tiny shields on overhead street signs hanging from signal arms or clamped to the signal support posts is a trick seemingly "imported" from CA -- this is being done on the few remaining streets still hosting state highways.
Personally, I'm ok with this compromise. Hillsboro ups the ante by placing their logo on their signal street signs, and I've seen Portland's logo (the rose) on a couple signs.

In CA, at least one generally unsigned route -- CA 262, the south Fremont connector between I-880 and I-680, previously signed only on the SB exit from I-680 but with zero reassurance shields -- is now cited on one of this type of street sign, posted by the City of Fremont, at the intersection of 262 (aka Mission Blvd.) with Warm Springs Blvd., aka old SSR 17 (pre-freeway).  It may be an ass-backward way for a route to be credited, but at least it's there (and without Caltrans' help).  If it helps with navigation in the least bit, then this sort of OR 213 signage on 82nd Street is certainly welcome! 

Do you have a photo of this new 262 sign?
Chris Sampang

sparker

Quote from: TheStranger on December 13, 2018, 01:53:19 PM
Quote from: sparker on December 07, 2018, 02:21:05 AM
Quote from: Bickendan on December 06, 2018, 06:18:10 AM
Quote from: sparkerGetting rid of stand-alone trailblazer signage from crossing streets and replacing it with tiny shields on overhead street signs hanging from signal arms or clamped to the signal support posts is a trick seemingly "imported" from CA -- this is being done on the few remaining streets still hosting state highways.
Personally, I'm ok with this compromise. Hillsboro ups the ante by placing their logo on their signal street signs, and I've seen Portland's logo (the rose) on a couple signs.

In CA, at least one generally unsigned route -- CA 262, the south Fremont connector between I-880 and I-680, previously signed only on the SB exit from I-680 but with zero reassurance shields -- is now cited on one of this type of street sign, posted by the City of Fremont, at the intersection of 262 (aka Mission Blvd.) with Warm Springs Blvd., aka old SSR 17 (pre-freeway).  It may be an ass-backward way for a route to be credited, but at least it's there (and without Caltrans' help).  If it helps with navigation in the least bit, then this sort of OR 213 signage on 82nd Street is certainly welcome! 

Do you have a photo of this new 262 sign?

No, I was in a rush on business in the area when I saw it and unfortunately haven't any plans to pass through there in the next few weeks.  IIRC, it's hanging from a typical signal mast arm and says "Mission Blvd. with a CA 262 shield next to it.  Still no ground signage; from Warm Springs there are trailblazers indicating "TO I-680" heading east and "TO I-880" westward.   

ErmineNotyours

Quote from: sp_redelectric on December 05, 2018, 12:39:42 AM

Oregon 10 and 210 are barely state highways at that - of the entire length of 210 the only stretch that is state maintained is from the Portland & Western Railroad, north over Highway 217, to the intersection with Hall Boulevard; roughly 3/5ths of a mile.

This post got me interested in OR 210, and now I have details: https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Data/Documents/SLC_Hwy143.pdf

Just 0.57 miles.  Myself, I would just go by what's in the ODOT Straightline Charts regardless of what's signed.

JasonOfORoads

#14
Quote from: ErmineNotyours on January 15, 2020, 01:59:54 PM
Quote from: sp_redelectric on December 05, 2018, 12:39:42 AM

Oregon 10 and 210 are barely state highways at that - of the entire length of 210 the only stretch that is state maintained is from the Portland & Western Railroad, north over Highway 217, to the intersection with Hall Boulevard; roughly 3/5ths of a mile.

This post got me interested in OR 210, and now I have details: https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Data/Documents/SLC_Hwy143.pdf

Just 0.57 miles.  Myself, I would just go by what's in the ODOT Straightline Charts regardless of what's signed.

But Oregon treats highways different than routes. Even if Scholls Highway #143 is only under state maintenance near Washington Square, OR-210 officially exists from Scholls to Six Corners.
Borderline addicted to roadgeeking since ~1989.

Bruce

Related, but why does OR 217 seem to number exits from north to south?

US 89

Quote from: Bruce on January 15, 2020, 06:12:17 PM
Related, but why does OR 217 seem to number exits from north to south?

Based on this Oregon milepost dataset, it looks like with the exception of interstates, the mileposts on all north-south routes in Oregon increase to the south.

ErmineNotyours

Quote from: JasonOfORoads on January 15, 2020, 06:00:13 PM
Quote from: ErmineNotyours on January 15, 2020, 01:59:54 PM
Quote from: sp_redelectric on December 05, 2018, 12:39:42 AM

Oregon 10 and 210 are barely state highways at that - of the entire length of 210 the only stretch that is state maintained is from the Portland & Western Railroad, north over Highway 217, to the intersection with Hall Boulevard; roughly 3/5ths of a mile.

This post got me interested in OR 210, and now I have details: https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Data/Documents/SLC_Hwy143.pdf

Just 0.57 miles.  Myself, I would just go by what's in the ODOT Straightline Charts regardless of what's signed.

But Oregon treats highways different than routes. Even if Scholls Highway #143 is only under state maintenance near Washington Square, OR-210 officially exists from Scholls to Six Corners.

Upon further research, I found official detailed maps on the ODOT site, such as Portland Beaverton which labels long stretches of "other jurisdiction" with a shield but only some stretches will be a "state highway" with a thicker line and the internal number written in red along side.  Anything other than an official state highway should be regarded as informal.

Bickendan

Quote from: US 89 on January 15, 2020, 10:35:47 PM
Quote from: Bruce on January 15, 2020, 06:12:17 PM
Related, but why does OR 217 seem to number exits from north to south?

Based on this Oregon milepost dataset, it looks like with the exception of interstates, the mileposts on all north-south routes in Oregon increase to the south.
OR 35 also increases to the north, but it's actually part of ORH 26, starting at the west end of the Ross Island Bridge. ORH 53 (US 26) shares the same zero point, incidentally.



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