Interstate 95 signing work

[bob7374]

Overhead signs have still not gone up along the Attleboro to Norwood stretch of I-95, however some progress to report at an exit ramp. In particular the US 1 ramps to I-95 at Exit 19 (Old Exit 9). Supports for overhead guide signs along US 1 have appeared in both directions, here heading north:


Hopefully, this means similar structure will now start appearing on the highway itself with overhead signage soon to follow.

[bob7374]

Good and bad news regarding the Attleboro to Norwood sign replacement project based on MassDOT Twitter post, below.  Looks like they've started working in earnest to replace the signs, but, it looks like it will be another 6 months though before project is completed:

"Reminder, ongoing work from #Attleboro to #Canton, I-95 NB & SB, for sign replacement work w/ single lane closures as needed. Work continues Mon thru Fri, 7am — 3:30p & Sun thru Thu, 8pm — 5am, through November. Travel allowed through work zone, expect delays.
7:00 PM · May 15, 2022"

[bob7374]

As for the project between Reading and Lynnfield, drove NB on Saturday and despite an announcement on the MassDOT project listing that new regulatory and route signs were being installed, saw only 1 new empty sign pole.  There were new foundations placed for many, but not all overhead signs, and perhaps a couple new gore signs, such as:


Other photos can be found at: https://malmeroads.net/mass21c/i95photos.html

[bob7374]

Back to the Norwood - Attleboro project, new signs have gone up along US 1 South at both the I-95 South ramp and the split of ramps for US 1 South and North, seen in the distance below, but not northbound (see above):


Would only having 1 Left Exit tab be a better idea here?

The only other new sign related items spotted were right-side support posts at 1/2 mile and at the MA 140 North ramp on I-95 South, nothing new to report heading north between I-495 and Neponset Street. Supposedly the contractor was working both between 9 and 3 PM and 10 PM and 4 AM every night last week, perhaps mostly south of I-495.

[PurdueBill]

Back to the Norwood - Attleboro project, new signs have gone up along US 1 South at both the I-95 South ramp and the split of ramps for US 1 South and North, seen in the distance below, but not northbound (see above):
Would only having 1 Left Exit tab be a better idea here?

The only other new sign related items spotted were right-side support posts at 1/2 mile and at the MA 140 North ramp on I-95 South, nothing new to report heading north between I-495 and Neponset Street. Supposedly the contractor was working both between 9 and 3 PM and 10 PM and 4 AM every night last week, perhaps mostly south of I-495.

Both being left exits, they probably both technically require the tab, but requiring it on signs that have a left-pointing arrow seems so silly.  The NB exit panel probably needs it so people will get in the left lane and not swerve over.

[SignBridge]

I agree with Purdue Bill. If the sign has a left arrow, why have the LEFT tab? It's redundant. But it is required by the MUTCD. All the signs in the series for any left exit must have the tab, I guess to maintain consistency of message.

[jeffandnicole]

Back to the Norwood - Attleboro project, new signs have gone up along US 1 South at both the I-95 South ramp and the split of ramps for US 1 South and North, seen in the distance below, but not northbound (see above):


Would only having 1 Left Exit tab be a better idea here?

While it's rare having 2 left exits in a row, the signs are correct, and pointing out they're both left exits is helpful.

I agree with Purdue Bill. If the sign has a left arrow, why have the LEFT tab? It's redundant. But it is required by the MUTCD. All the signs in the series for any left exit must have the tab, I guess to maintain consistency of message.

Exit signage tends to have a lot of redundancy.  The exit tab to the right and a right arrow, for example.  The 'Left' tab is a little more "loud" due to it being black on yellow, but it's no more redundant than other features of exit signage.

[Alps]

only change I'd make here is putting the right sign next to the left sign. the gap has it over the right lane which is not really good

[PurdueBill]

only change I'd make here is putting the right sign next to the left sign. the gap has it over the right lane which is not really good

At least they have made a start at something addressing that.  The old signs had an arrow on the right-hand sign that pointed to the right lane despite the panel having an EXIT LEFT black-on-yellow field.

[bob7374]

The latest I-95 in MA sign replacement project, between Lynnfield and Danvers, was given the notice to proceed yesterday (June 2) according to MassDOT's ProjectInfo site. The site no longer provides completion date information therefore, I will assume, despite the relatively small size of the project, that it will take a couple years to complete.

[roadman]

The latest I-95 in MA sign replacement project, between Lynnfield and Danvers, was given the notice to proceed yesterday (June 2) according to MassDOT's ProjectInfo site. The site no longer provides completion date information therefore, I will assume, despite the relatively small size of the project, that it will take a couple years to complete.

To clarify.  The I-84 Holland to Sturbridge and I-95/128 Lynnfield to Danvers sign replacement projects are mainly to replace the sign panels only, and will reuse the existing structures and posts - which were replaced during the previous sign replacement projects on these roads, and are are still in serviceable condition.  With a handful of exceptions in those projects to be let for bids between now and 2026, this will be the normal practice for MassDOT sign replacements going forward for about the next eighteen to twenty years.  The duration for so-called "panels only" project is typically between twelve and eighteen months, as there is no structural work involved, just fabricating and installing signs.

[bob7374]

New overhead signage has now appeared along I-95 South in Norwood and Canton, here's the new 1 mile advance for the now Coney Street/Norwood Street exit:


The remainder of new photos can be found at: https://malmeroads.net/mass21c/i95photos.html#attleboronorwood

[shadyjay]

Here's what I lensed today on I-95 North between the RI state line and I-495:

DSC01060 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

DSC01061 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

DSC01063 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

DSC01064 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

DSC01065 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

Are they really using two different types of supports for cantilevered signs in the same project? 

Nothing new southbound... just some vertical supports up.

[roadman]

Are they really using two different types of supports for cantilevered signs in the same project? 

Per the current MassDOT standard specifications, cantilever support design is based on arm length.  Arms 30 feet and less in length use the 'F' type single plane design, arms over 30 feet use the four chord truss design.  This is to meet AASHTO Category 1 fatigue design requirements.

[kramie13]

New overhead signage has now appeared along I-95 South in Norwood and Canton, here's the new 1 mile advance for the now Coney Street/Norwood Street exit:


The remainder of new photos can be found at: https://malmeroads.net/mass21c/i95photos.html#attleboronorwood

What is the state obsession with horizontal lines on exit signs now?  Exit 21 of I-95 is NOT, and NEVER has been Norwood St, it's always been Coney St!

The horizontal lines make the signs look HUGE and ruin the view!

[SectorZ]

New overhead signage has now appeared along I-95 South in Norwood and Canton, here's the new 1 mile advance for the now Coney Street/Norwood Street exit:


The remainder of new photos can be found at: https://malmeroads.net/mass21c/i95photos.html#attleboronorwood

What is the state obsession with horizontal lines on exit signs now?  Exit 21 of I-95 is NOT, and NEVER has been Norwood St, it's always been Coney St!

The horizontal lines make the signs look HUGE and ruin the view!

I like them, it tells you that one single ramp gives two distinct options, something that exit clearly does.

[DJ Particle]

I like them, it tells you that one single ramp gives two distinct options, something that exit clearly does.

To be fair, Exit 75 on US-6 in Yarmouth should be signed that way.  Especially since the Station Ave section to the south has far more importance in terms of business.

[roadman]

New overhead signage has now appeared along I-95 South in Norwood and Canton, here's the new 1 mile advance for the now Coney Street/Norwood Street exit:


The remainder of new photos can be found at: https://malmeroads.net/mass21c/i95photos.html#attleboronorwood

What is the state obsession with horizontal lines on exit signs now?  Exit 21 of I-95 is NOT, and NEVER has been Norwood St, it's always been Coney St!

The horizontal lines make the signs look HUGE and ruin the view!

I like them, it tells you that one single ramp gives two distinct options, something that exit clearly does.

Also better than having overhead signs for one option, but a single ground mounted sign for the other option, which was the case for decades.

[southshore720]

New overhead signage has now appeared along I-95 South in Norwood and Canton, here's the new 1 mile advance for the now Coney Street/Norwood Street exit:


The remainder of new photos can be found at: https://malmeroads.net/mass21c/i95photos.html#attleboronorwood

What is the state obsession with horizontal lines on exit signs now?  Exit 21 of I-95 is NOT, and NEVER has been Norwood St, it's always been Coney St!

The horizontal lines make the signs look HUGE and ruin the view!

I like them, it tells you that one single ramp gives two distinct options, something that exit clearly does.

Also better than having overhead signs for one option, but a single ground mounted sign for the other option, which was the case for decades.

I agree.  We'll see the same soon for S. Main St/Mechanic St at Exit 17 (Former 8) and the same setup is in place for Harrison Ave./Central St. (Exit 35A-B) on Rte. 24.

[bob7374]

New overhead signage has now appeared along I-95 South in Norwood and Canton, here's the new 1 mile advance for the now Coney Street/Norwood Street exit:


The remainder of new photos can be found at: https://malmeroads.net/mass21c/i95photos.html#attleboronorwood

What is the state obsession with horizontal lines on exit signs now?  Exit 21 of I-95 is NOT, and NEVER has been Norwood St, it's always been Coney St!

The horizontal lines make the signs look HUGE and ruin the view!

I like them, it tells you that one single ramp gives two distinct options, something that exit clearly does.

Also better than having overhead signs for one option, but a single ground mounted sign for the other option, which was the case for decades.

I agree.  We'll see the same soon for S. Main St/Mechanic St at Exit 17 (Former 8) and the same setup is in place for Harrison Ave./Central St. (Exit 35A-B) on Rte. 24.

Here's the sign plan for the future Exit 17 overhead signs (but with the old exit number):

[SignBridge]

Interesting that Mass DOT is doing it this way. The way the MUTCD says to sign this is either just Sharon, Foxboro without the street names OR to sign it S. Main St, Mechanic St. without the town names. And then list the towns on a supplemental sign.

I prefer the latter option, or the Mass DOT approach.

[roadman]

Interesting that Mass DOT is doing it this way. The way the MUTCD says to sign this is either just Sharon, Foxboro without the street names OR to sign it S. Main St, Mechanic St. without the town names. And then list the towns on a supplemental sign.

I prefer the latter option, or the Mass DOT approach.

The MUTCD says that "a street name and a city name on the same sign SHOULD (emphasis added) be avoided", so it's not an explicit prohibition nor was it apparently ever one.   As far as directional guidance on freeway signs goes, Massachusetts has always considered the street name to be akin to a route number, and as equally important to navigation as the destination is.  In cases like this one where the streets and destinations off an exit are deemed to be of relatively equal importance (usually because the intersecting street name changes at or near the interchange), the MassDOT treatment is a 'cleaner' approach to presenting the information than relegating one street/destination to a supplemental sign is, provided that only one destination is indicated for each street.

[Alps]

Interesting that Mass DOT is doing it this way. The way the MUTCD says to sign this is either just Sharon, Foxboro without the street names OR to sign it S. Main St, Mechanic St. without the town names. And then list the towns on a supplemental sign.

I prefer the latter option, or the Mass DOT approach.

The MUTCD says that "a street name and a city name on the same sign SHOULD (emphasis added) be avoided", so it's not an explicit prohibition nor was it apparently ever one.   As far as directional guidance on freeway signs goes, Massachusetts has always considered the street name to be akin to a route number, and as equally important to navigation as the destination is.  In cases like this one where the streets and destinations off an exit are deemed to be of relatively equal importance (usually because the intersecting street name changes at or near the interchange), the MassDOT treatment is a 'cleaner' approach to presenting the information than relegating one street/destination to a supplemental sign is, provided that only one destination is indicated for each street.

And I'm a fan of keeping destination and street name on a sign. I just went through Greenwich CT and new signs on I-95 just go by street name. But I missed the "Greenwich next X exits" sign (if there is one), so if I didn't know the area, how would I know where this street takes me vs. a similarly named one at another exit?

[kramie13]

Interesting that Mass DOT is doing it this way. The way the MUTCD says to sign this is either just Sharon, Foxboro without the street names OR to sign it S. Main St, Mechanic St. without the town names. And then list the towns on a supplemental sign.

I prefer the latter option, or the Mass DOT approach.

I prefer the "S. Main St, Mechanic St" option (without town names) for this exit.  This format is already being used at exit 28 (East St, Canton St).  So I don't see a reason why to go double street and double town name here.

[roadman]

Interesting that Mass DOT is doing it this way. The way the MUTCD says to sign this is either just Sharon, Foxboro without the street names OR to sign it S. Main St, Mechanic St. without the town names. And then list the towns on a supplemental sign.

I prefer the latter option, or the Mass DOT approach.

I prefer the "S. Main St, Mechanic St" option (without town names) for this exit.  This format is already being used at exit 28 (East St, Canton St).  So I don't see a reason why to go double street and double town name here.

I'm not 100% positive on this, but presumably the "East Street Canton Street (without towns)" legend was kept that way on the replacement signs installed under the Randolph to Wellesley "add-a-lane" project because most of the streets that feed off of the rotary, serving primarily residental neighborhoods, have heavy commercial vehicle restrictions (HVCE).  This may be supported by the fact that there have never been supplemental signs for towns at the East Street exit.