AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Traffic Control => Topic started by: roadman65 on July 11, 2023, 12:33:58 PM

Title: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: roadman65 on July 11, 2023, 12:33:58 PM
https://goo.gl/maps/YJcsZYw1rovs3mGL9
Here is a picture of an intersection in NYC using various signal heads mounted together overhead for different directions common in the eastern US especially with diagonal span wires.

In places like California, you'll only see two or three section heads on side mounts, but never overhead. Ditto for many other Central and Western states.

I was wondering if such overhead installations do exist west of the Mississippi like in the link above.
Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: steviep24 on July 12, 2023, 05:41:52 PM
The signals you are referring to are clustered signals. I live in western NY and they are common here.

From what I've seen around the forum Seattle seems to be the only west coast city to have used span wire signals. They certainly have some old stuff there still in use. Some of those are of the clustered variety.
Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: jay8g on July 16, 2023, 03:56:19 AM
As far as I'm aware, there's only one true clustered overhead signal in Seattle, at Western and Marion (https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6036332,-122.336854,3a,15y,142.26h,102.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZOBhicP0jW6tIz2AB-PNpg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&entry=ttu). Seattle does have a lot of older signals, but diagonal spans were never particularly common for whatever reason.

There are also quite a few true multi-way signal heads (https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6000875,-122.3342359,3a,26.2y,320.08h,101.9t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgoTRMjgEupCMv7PhMhbGTg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&entry=ttu) in Pioneer Square, though they're side-mounted. And there's also this random ancient 2-way beacon (https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5509154,-122.2969524,3a,74.2y,110.09h,103.39t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZXxd64JmXZRYlABEIuobTQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&entry=ttu) that's still hanging on somehow.
Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: NoGoodNamesAvailable on July 16, 2023, 06:45:21 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on July 11, 2023, 12:33:58 PM
https://goo.gl/maps/YJcsZYw1rovs3mGL9
Here is a picture of an intersection in NYC using various signal heads mounted together overhead for different directions common in the eastern US especially with diagonal span wires.

In places like California, you'll only see two or three section heads on side mounts, but never overhead. Ditto for many other Central and Western states.

I was wondering if such overhead installations do exist west of the Mississippi like in the link above.

I always wondered why these weren't more common in NJ. In new installations they are nonexistent. Seems like an absolute waste of money requiring extra mast arms for no reason
Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: CovalenceSTU on July 31, 2023, 07:15:03 PM
Here in Oregon, the only new installs I've seen are beacons but there are old 4-ways still around, like this one at 18th and Old Portland Rd in St. Helens (https://goo.gl/maps/EYMSYzWNs5cB8ZNu6):
(https://i.imgur.com/DdJc3wD.png)
Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: jeffandnicole on August 03, 2023, 11:09:41 PM
Quote from: NoGoodNamesAvailable on July 16, 2023, 06:45:21 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on July 11, 2023, 12:33:58 PM
https://goo.gl/maps/YJcsZYw1rovs3mGL9
Here is a picture of an intersection in NYC using various signal heads mounted together overhead for different directions common in the eastern US especially with diagonal span wires.

In places like California, you'll only see two or three section heads on side mounts, but never overhead. Ditto for many other Central and Western states.

I was wondering if such overhead installations do exist west of the Mississippi like in the link above.

I always wondered why these weren't more common in NJ. In new installations they are nonexistent. Seems like an absolute waste of money requiring extra mast arms for no reason

With modern day requirements of a signal head per lane on the far side of the intersection, it's hard to install clustered signals that meet the standards.  However, a 3-way cluster was recently installed (replacing another cluster) on Rt. 45 at Edith Ave in Woodbury:  https://goo.gl/maps/QnX7EDF6unH6d2V18

Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: jakeroot on August 04, 2023, 07:40:03 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on August 03, 2023, 11:09:41 PM
With modern day requirements of a signal head per lane on the far side of the intersection

There is no such rule.




Sumner, WA has a very old overhead diagonal cluster signal:

https://goo.gl/maps/gNNmZ3ZwJ2S7kkMJ8
Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: jeffandnicole on August 04, 2023, 09:11:20 AM
Quote from: jakeroot on August 04, 2023, 07:40:03 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on August 03, 2023, 11:09:41 PM
With modern day requirements of a signal head per lane on the far side of the intersection

There is no such rule.

Fine. "Strongly Preferred".

https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/eng/documents/RDM/documents/RoadwayDesignManual.pdf

Even if it's not set in stone, NJDOT plans prefer this.  They would accept 1 less signal than the number of thru lanes if necessary, but the desire is to place a signal over each lane is the preferred placement.  Recent installations almost always have been designed in this method. 
Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: chrisg69911 on August 04, 2023, 05:18:34 PM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on August 04, 2023, 09:11:20 AM
Quote from: jakeroot on August 04, 2023, 07:40:03 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on August 03, 2023, 11:09:41 PM
With modern day requirements of a signal head per lane on the far side of the intersection

There is no such rule.

Fine. "Strongly Preferred".

https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/eng/documents/RDM/documents/RoadwayDesignManual.pdf

Even if it's not set in stone, NJDOT plans prefer this.  They would accept 1 less signal than the number of thru lanes if necessary, but the desire is to place a signal over each lane is the preferred placement.  Recent installations almost always have been designed in this method.

NJDOT just recently did a job on rt 46 near teterboro airport at huyler street and they absolutely messed it up. It has 2 turn lanes and 3 thru lanes and the lights going west have 4(!) turn signals and only 2 thru signals. It looks like its missing a light.
Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: Revive 755 on August 23, 2023, 11:15:29 PM
There's an almost but not quite west of the Mississippi 4-way head at a 6-leg intersection in Granite City, IL (https://goo.gl/maps/YtiWykLV8ngP6CH9A)
Title: Re: Are there any places west of the Mississippi with two, three, or four way Heads?
Post by: roadman65 on October 30, 2023, 10:06:24 AM
Quote from: jakeroot on August 04, 2023, 07:40:03 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on August 03, 2023, 11:09:41 PM
With modern day requirements of a signal head per lane on the far side of the intersection

There is no such rule.




Sumner, WA has a very old overhead diagonal cluster signal:

https://goo.gl/maps/gNNmZ3ZwJ2S7kkMJ8

True. NYC will always use them along with analogue click boxes and the ole double guy arms with 8-8-8 lenses (or 8-8-12 for NO TURNS where a 12 inch is needed for an arrow).