Massachusetts

[Mergingtraffic]

When did new signage for I-391 come through?
My photo doesn't do it justice, but this sign is huge for the typ of road it's on.

[shadyjay]

I discovered the new signage back in March 2023, so my guess would have to be sometime in 2022.  Ironically, I got the new NB signage this past Saturday (6/17).  And they still never put in an exit now sign for NB Exit 3... it was missing under the old signage, and still is missing.

The album is here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/albums/72157710678881407/with/52741269011/

And interesting to note the 3-lane expressway narrows to only letting traffic by in the shoulder due to viaduct reconstruction on the last 1/2 mile or so of the expressway.  You can see it in the photo above, on the top level in the distance (where there appears to be a "rooftop" outhouse.

[Mergingtraffic]

I discovered the new signage back in March 2023, so my guess would have to be sometime in 2022.  Ironically, I got the new NB signage this past Saturday (6/17).  And they still never put in an exit now sign for NB Exit 3... it was missing under the old signage, and still is missing.

The album is here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/albums/72157710678881407/with/52741269011/

And interesting to note the 3-lane expressway narrows to only letting traffic by in the shoulder due to viaduct reconstruction on the last 1/2 mile or so of the expressway.  You can see it in the photo above, on the top level in the distance (where there appears to be a "rooftop" outhouse.

That's hilarious Jay, you were on the same street I was on today taking the on-ramp pic for I-391. Ha

That ending is quite interesting. I thought about getting a pic of the overheads between the barrels.

In other news:
MA-33 button copy is gone except the last one that says Indian Fuller Rd. All replaced by paddle signs.

The button copy in the Mass Pike/US-5 connector are gone too

[shadyjay]

I discovered the new signage back in March 2023, so my guess would have to be sometime in 2022.  Ironically, I got the new NB signage this past Saturday (6/17).  And they still never put in an exit now sign for NB Exit 3... it was missing under the old signage, and still is missing.

The album is here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/albums/72157710678881407/with/52741269011/

And interesting to note the 3-lane expressway narrows to only letting traffic by in the shoulder due to viaduct reconstruction on the last 1/2 mile or so of the expressway.  You can see it in the photo above, on the top level in the distance (where there appears to be a "rooftop" outhouse.

That's hilarious Jay, you were on the same street I was on today taking the on-ramp pic for I-391. Ha

That ending is quite interesting. I thought about getting a pic of the overheads between the barrels.

In other news:

The button copy in the Mass Pike/US-5 connector are gone too

Really??!!??  I was just on that connector on Sunday, but got off onto the 'pike. 

[Mergingtraffic]

These are gone. New gantry too I believe

New sign has 1/4 mile and a TOLL banner.

[RyanB06]

Someone's got some 'splainin' to do back at the sign shop. (The correct number should be 45.)

https://www.westernmassnews.com/2023/06/20/getting-answers-mass-pike-missing-exit-46-after-extensive-exit-renumbering-project/

[The Ghostbuster]

At least it didn't still say Exit 4. Even so, such errors should be noticed and rectified quickly to avoid confusion.

[MATraveler128]

Also when I was on the Pike eastbound in Lee, the Exit 2 sign still hasn’t been corrected to say Exit 10 even though the exits are otherwise mileage based.

[Mergingtraffic]

Someone's got some 'splainin' to do back at the sign shop. (The correct number should be 45.)

https://www.westernmassnews.com/2023/06/20/getting-answers-mass-pike-missing-exit-46-after-extensive-exit-renumbering-project/

Hasn't been corrected yet

[Mergingtraffic]

Btw, where do you find sign plans or upcoming sign projects on the MA DOT website?

[bob7374]

Btw, where do you find sign plans or upcoming sign projects on the MA DOT website?

MassDOT isn't the easiest DOT to track upcoming projects or get plans, but they are slowly making progress. This is what I have had to do to find out about scheduled upcoming sign projects. First you need to check their ProjectInfo site for structural signing projects under design for this and upcoming fiscal years at:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massdot-highway-project-information-projectinfo

Second, to find out if a specific sign project is being advertised, you need to monitor their weekly bid advertisement list at:
https://www.mass.gov/massdot-highway-construction-contract-bidding

Third, once a project is advertised it gets its own page on the Mass. Procurement Record System (CommBuys) site. You used to be able search it for the specific contract searching under the DOT and the award date, but the website has recently been modified so that you can only look at the latest bid list showing all the contracts at:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/commbuys-home-page-bid-count/download
or you can perform an advanced search to restrict the department and date you are looking for at:
https://www.commbuys.com/bso/view/search/external/advancedSearchBid.xhtml

Fourth, if you can find the contract you are looking for and click on the link to the project page you can then peruse a list of the documents available. Starting last year they began including on this list a form to allow the public to request plans for a contract called REQUEST FOR RELEASE OF MASSDOT AUTOCAD FILES FORM instead of having to email the sign engineer in charge of the project. These forms however can only be sent to MassDOT after a contract is awarded. I have not tried this yet myself to see how it will work.

Got all that? Wish they were more trusting of the public like other states where, would you believe it, they actually allow you to download plans directly onto your computer.

You can also check out my page with updated listing of sign projects underway and upcoming, I try to get the new projects when they are first advertised, at: https://malmeroads.net/mass21c/signprojectlist.html

[bluecountry]

Anybody else think the Mass Pike form 84 east needs to be ramped up so:
-It is 8 lanes from 84 to 290, I surmise that volume is actually heavier than it is from 290 east.
-Making the whole road up to interstate standard, at least west of 128?

[Rothman]

Anybody else think the Mass Pike form 84 east needs to be ramped up so:
-It is 8 lanes from 84 to 290, I surmise that volume is actually heavier than it is from 290 east.
-Making the whole road up to interstate standard, at least west of 128?

Fictional.

[kramie13]

Shifting back to road-related, I noticed that the "LEFT" exit tabs approaching the 93/95 Canton junction (on both I-93 SB and I-95 SB) were recently neutered.  This has created smaller tabs akin to the last BGS generation with the "sunken" tabs.  Any explanation?

I was on 93 South yesterday from Braintree to Canton.  All of the "LEFT"  tabs have been removed from the Exit 4 signs (for 24 South).   Most of the left tabs were removed from the phantom exit 1B signs for I-95 north, except for the 1/2 mile sign.  That one still persists for some odd reason.

[bjcolby50]

Someone's got some 'splainin' to do back at the sign shop. (The correct number should be 45.)

https://www.westernmassnews.com/2023/06/20/getting-answers-mass-pike-missing-exit-46-after-extensive-exit-renumbering-project/

According to Wikipedia, Exit 45 is located at Mile 45.7, so someone decided to round it up, rather than truncate the decimal.

Side note: I noticed that on the Mass Turnpike going to Springfield; the mileage signs from Weston to Springfield have shifted 6 miles upwards to direct drivers to take Exit 45 (I-91) instead of Exit 51 (I-291) to downtown Springfield.  For instance, just outside of the former Weston toll barrier, it used to be 70 miles to the Springfield exit, and it's now 76.

[kramie13]

The EB exit for I-91 from I-90/Mass Pike is at Mile 45.5.  The WB exit is at Mile 45.8.  Take the average and you get 45.65.  Rounding to the nearest whole number gets you to 46.  But exit numbering standards say it can be 45 or 46.  MassDOT chose to use 45, rounding down and not to the nearest whole number.

Yet 5 miles to the west, at the US 202/MA 10 interchange, the EB exit is at Mile 40.35.  The WB exit is at Mile 40.6.  Take the average and you get 40.475.  Rounding to the nearest whole number here gives you 40.  But MassDOT chose to assign exit 41 to this interchange, this time rounding up, and again not to the nearest whole number.

Which proves that MassDOT was inconsistent in their exit renumbering.  I would have assigned exit number 40 for this interchange, especially when there are "next exit 30 miles" signs going west and the exit after that is exit 10.

[hotdogPi]

The EB exit for I-91 from I-90/Mass Pike is at Mile 45.5.  The WB exit is at Mile 45.8.  Take the average and you get 45.65.  Rounding to the nearest whole number gets you to 46.  But exit numbering standards say it can be 45 or 46.  MassDOT chose to use 45, rounding down and not to the nearest whole number.

Yet 5 miles to the west, at the US 202/MA 10 interchange, the EB exit is at Mile 40.35.  The WB exit is at Mile 40.6.  Take the average and you get 40.475.  Rounding to the nearest whole number here gives you 40.  But MassDOT chose to assign exit 41 to this interchange, this time rounding up, and again not to the nearest whole number.

Which proves that MassDOT was inconsistent in their exit renumbering.  I would have assigned exit number 40 for this interchange, especially when there are "next exit 30 miles" signs going west and the exit after that is exit 10.

What are these numbers for the centerline of the overpass/underpass? Is it still inconsistent?

[jmacswimmer]

The EB exit for I-91 from I-90/Mass Pike is at Mile 45.5.  The WB exit is at Mile 45.8.  Take the average and you get 45.65.  Rounding to the nearest whole number gets you to 46.  But exit numbering standards say it can be 45 or 46.  MassDOT chose to use 45, rounding down and not to the nearest whole number.

Yet 5 miles to the west, at the US 202/MA 10 interchange, the EB exit is at Mile 40.35.  The WB exit is at Mile 40.6.  Take the average and you get 40.475.  Rounding to the nearest whole number here gives you 40.  But MassDOT chose to assign exit 41 to this interchange, this time rounding up, and again not to the nearest whole number.

Which proves that MassDOT was inconsistent in their exit renumbering.  I would have assigned exit number 40 for this interchange, especially when there are "next exit 30 miles" signs going west and the exit after that is exit 10.

What are these numbers for the centerline of the overpass/underpass? Is it still inconsistent?

Looks like the exit 41 overpass is just east of milepost 40.4 while the exit 45 underpass is right at milepost 45.7, so still inconsistent.

The other inconsistent thing I find amusing here is that the Westfield toll gantry just east of exit 41 at ~mile 40.9 shows up on E-ZPass charges as 040 eastbound/540 westbound.

[PurdueBill]

The EB exit for I-91 from I-90/Mass Pike is at Mile 45.5.  The WB exit is at Mile 45.8.  Take the average and you get 45.65.  Rounding to the nearest whole number gets you to 46.  But exit numbering standards say it can be 45 or 46.  MassDOT chose to use 45, rounding down and not to the nearest whole number.

Yet 5 miles to the west, at the US 202/MA 10 interchange, the EB exit is at Mile 40.35.  The WB exit is at Mile 40.6.  Take the average and you get 40.475.  Rounding to the nearest whole number here gives you 40.  But MassDOT chose to assign exit 41 to this interchange, this time rounding up, and again not to the nearest whole number.

Which proves that MassDOT was inconsistent in their exit renumbering.  I would have assigned exit number 40 for this interchange, especially when there are "next exit 30 miles" signs going west and the exit after that is exit 10.

What are these numbers for the centerline of the overpass/underpass? Is it still inconsistent?

Looks like the exit 41 overpass is just east of milepost 40.4 while the exit 45 underpass is right at milepost 45.7, so still inconsistent.

The other inconsistent thing I find amusing here is that the Westfield toll gantry just east of exit 41 at ~mile 40.9 shows up on E-ZPass charges as 040 eastbound/540 westbound.

The bridge/crossing centerline to go with may be that of the route itself, not the trumpet ramps.  Using that, it's more consistent.  I-91 crosses the Pike at 45.2, and Routes 10 & 202 cross at 40.6.  Those would give Exits 45 and 41 rounded to the nearest mile. 

[Alps]

Anybody else think the Mass Pike form 84 east needs to be ramped up so:
-It is 8 lanes from 84 to 290, I surmise that volume is actually heavier than it is from 290 east.
-Making the whole road up to interstate standard, at least west of 128?

Fictional.

At least the part from 84 to 290 is a traffic question with legitimate concern.

[jmacswimmer]

Anybody else think the Mass Pike form 84 east needs to be ramped up so:
-It is 8 lanes from 84 to 290, I surmise that volume is actually heavier than it is from 290 east.
-Making the whole road up to interstate standard, at least west of 128?

Fictional.

At least the part from 84 to 290 is a traffic question with legitimate concern.

FWIW, here's the data at the Charlton toll gantry from MassDOT's traffic count map:

[kramie13]

The bridge/crossing centerline to go with may be that of the route itself, not the trumpet ramps.  Using that, it's more consistent.  I-91 crosses the Pike at 45.2, and Routes 10 & 202 cross at 40.6.  Those would give Exits 45 and 41 rounded to the nearest mile.

It does appear that the route intersecting the Mass Pike is the reference point for assigning an exit number.  For all other highways in the state, this works because in most cases, the point where the route intersects the highway is in between the exit ramps in both directions.  But on the Mass Pike, because it used to have toll booths on the ramps, the exit ramps are a few tenths of a mile east/west of where the surface road and highway intersect.

This creates an anomaly where it's 29.8 miles between the US 20 and US 202 exits but their exit numbers have a difference of 31.  The US 202 exit should be Exit 40, not 41, for this very reason.  It also maintains consistency with the "next exit 30 miles" signs in both directions approaching the 30 mile gap between exits.

In the case of the I-91 exit, the Pike intersects I-91 at mile 45.2 but the exit also serves US 5, which intersects the Pike at mile 46.0!  The EB exit is at mile 45.4, and the WB exit is at mile 45.8.  Either number (45 or 46) is acceptable here.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Opinion on the Commonwealth's license plates, including age and legibility issues:

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/tampering-with-mass-license-plates-has-got-to-stop/

[kramie13]

Opinion on the Commonwealth's license plates, including age and legibility issues:

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/tampering-with-mass-license-plates-has-got-to-stop/

There was a story on WCVB about a woman incorrectly getting charged tolls.  Her license plate ended in "I-O", while the car driving through the EZPass gantries had a license plate ending in "1-0".
https://youtu.be/IwYbExxxLuc

[fwydriver405]

Shifting back to road-related, I noticed that the "LEFT" exit tabs approaching the 93/95 Canton junction (on both I-93 SB and I-95 SB) were recently neutered.  This has created smaller tabs akin to the last BGS generation with the "sunken" tabs.  Any explanation?

Two of the advance signs for the MA 128 North exit in Peabody, below being the second, were also recently changed, truncated at the bottom with no yellow Left Tab included either, wonder if there's any connection?

I drove on I-95 / MA 128 north just today at Exit 64, and all of the "LEFT" tabs were reinstated* as new tabs on all of the diagrammatics as well as at the actual split. Can't say if LEFT Exit 26 (I-95 South / MA 128 South -> I-93 North) / LEFT Exit 1 A (I-93 South -> I-95 North / MA 128 North), or if I-93 South's LEFT Exit 4 TO MA 24 South got the same treatment as well, or if they are still without a LEFT exit tab.

Also, new signage has started to appear along US Route 1 SB from I-95 Exit 66 to around the MA 60 exit. Not sure about the NB side or if more are on the way (or if the US 1 segment from I-95 Exit 70 to I-95 Exit 66 got new signs as well).

*EDIT: seems like I must have missed Reply #2159 - they must have been reinstated earlier in June, haven't driven much in the area in the month of June.