Highway signs with NO control cities

[SkyPesos]

I-270 and OH 315 for an example in Ohio.

Some states, like Minnesota, are full of examples of this. Specifically in the Twin Cities, where control cities aren't signed on a majority of the intracity freeways, which includes MN 36, 62, 77 and 100.

36 is actually one of the few local freeways that does have control cities signed inside of 694.

Snelling Ave at 36

I-35E at 36

Guess I need to check more locations then. I saw a lack of a control city for 36 at its 35W interchange only, and assuming it doesn't have them anywhere else.

[tolbs17]

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4360822,-77.8728151,3a,15y,357.28h,89.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skuvLfApDUhJq0jfnyQSdNA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Guess they don't like Rocky Point.

[wanderer2575]

A Detroit-area oddity is that no signs for exits/ramps to the M-39 Southfield Freeway show any control cities; only the route number and freeway name.

[paulthemapguy]

ISTHA has several of these on one stretch I-90 alone. This isn't uncommon enough to warrant a thread.

I'll just make a blanket statement here about Illinois's toll highways (maintained by ISTHA, as previously mentioned)-- any exit on an Illinois tollway that isn't to another expressway* will not have any control cities mentioned on the sign.  The control cities will be mentioned on a single separate sign usually within 1/2 mile of the exit, with text on the bottom that says "NEXT RIGHT".  Here's an example on I-355 northbound approaching the IL-64 exit:


cityGS by Paul Drives, on Flickr

This is an especially long list of control cities; these signs max out at five list items.  The other BGS assembly in the background is at the gore point for the exit.
These signs deviate from many other states' tradition of putting the exit number at the bottom of the list of control cities, because ISTHA hasn't used exit numbers until this past decade.

Here's an example of a sign on I-90.  Look at the lonely little route markers.  They need some friends.  (Maybe the ugly Clearview numerals scared them away.)


IL-I-90X056W by Paul Drives, on Flickr

*In Illinois, "expressway" refers to the set of highways including freeways and tollways.  Chicagoland is so evenly split between the two types of highways that we'll use this word as a blanket term to refer to any high-speed limited-access highway.

[US 89]

ISTHA has several of these on one stretch I-90 alone. This isn't uncommon enough to warrant a thread.

I'll just make a blanket statement here about Illinois's toll highways (maintained by ISTHA, as previously mentioned)-- any exit on an Illinois tollway that isn't to another expressway* will not have any control cities mentioned on the sign.  The control cities will be mentioned on a single separate sign usually within 1/2 mile of the exit, with text on the bottom that says "NEXT RIGHT".  Here's an example on I-355 northbound approaching the IL-64 exit:

images

This is an especially long list of control cities; these signs max out at five list items.  The other BGS assembly in the background is at the gore point for the exit.
These signs deviate from many other states' tradition of putting the exit number at the bottom of the list of control cities, because ISTHA hasn't used exit numbers until this past decade.

I hadn't even considered interchanges that omit a control city in favor of a street name. If we're counting those, then just about every single interchange in a Utah urban area qualifies, and from my experience this is probably true of most large and medium sized cities in the US.

[ethanhopkin14]

Reading the title made me think of this.  I have always found this quite perplexing.  An area that heavily uses control cities would omit the control cities on a mainline to mainline interstate intersection like this!

[1995hoo]

Used to say Richmond

https://www.google.com/maps/@36.0383632,-77.7629452,3a,75y,20.28h,95.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0CWFI5rfwn_srLx7He95xw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!5m1!1e1?hl=en

On both signs.  Which isn't exactly best practice.

Also the "Via Whitakers-Enfield-Halifax-Weldon"  in fine print. Never heard of those places in either NC or VA.

They're all in NC. Weldon is the only one of note, being right next to Roanoke Rapids and is where US 158 and 301 meet. The greened out part said Battleboro, which was annexed by Rocky Mount at some point.

While that sign isn't referring to it, there is also a Halifax in Virginia–it's on US-501 north of South Boston. I mention this because of his comment about never having heard of those places in either North Carolina or Virginia.

I passed through both Halifax and Enfield, NC, on the way south to Florida in May. We hit a backup on I-95 due construction and I bailed out for a while to get around the delay. Don't know whether we saved any time, but it felt better to be moving on the back roads than to be sitting still on the Interstate.

[hbelkins]

Should the term "control city" refer to the destinations listed at individual exits, or should the term be reserved for the long-distance places to which mileage counts down on an interstate?

I, personally, use the term only for the latter. A "control city" is the destination listed at a freeway-to-freeway junction. At Knoxville, you have control cities such as Chattanooga, Lexington, Nashville, and Asheville. But say you take I-75 north. The "control city" for the last exit in Tennessee -- to me anyway-- isn't Jellico. The destination is Jellico. And deeper into Kentucky, those aren't "control cities" at Exit 41 for KY 80. London and Somerset  are destinations.

Is "control city" the accurate term for the places listed on exits along I-75 between the actual control cities of Knoxville and Lexington?

[Scott5114]

Should the term "control city" refer to the destinations listed at individual exits, or should the term be reserved for the long-distance places to which mileage counts down on an interstate?

I, personally, use the term only for the latter. A "control city" is the destination listed at a freeway-to-freeway junction. At Knoxville, you have control cities such as Chattanooga, Lexington, Nashville, and Asheville. But say you take I-75 north. The "control city" for the last exit in Tennessee -- to me anyway-- isn't Jellico. The destination is Jellico. And deeper into Kentucky, those aren't "control cities" at Exit 41 for KY 80. London and Somerset  are destinations.

Is "control city" the accurate term for the places listed on exits along I-75 between the actual control cities of Knoxville and Lexington?

The usage you describe tends to be the dominant usage among professionals, but I think it's a distinction without much of a difference. After all, if you exit to a non-Interstate route signed for some city, you're pretty likely to encounter signage on the non-Interstate route with mileage counting down to that city. The only thing that makes Interstate control cities special is that they tend to be further apart, and AASHTO maintains a list of them (which some states freely ignore). I don't know that they're functionally different enough to warrant a difference in terminology.

[Big John]

I-41 WI

Current: https://goo.gl/maps/3jz9gTuU8it3sERd7
Used to also say East-West: https://goo.gl/maps/rjEMFbHQf27LpShD6

[ztonyg]

For some reason, Arizona seems to hate control cities on non Interstate or US Highway Freeways. 

None of the Phoenix area state highways or loops have control cities (except for one sign on E/B Loop 202 that lists Scottsdale and Chandler as control cities for Loop 101).

One oddity is AZ 85 where the N/B control cities are Phoenix and Los Angeles and the S/B control cities are Tucson and San Diego (because N/B uses I-10's control cities and S/B uses I-8's control cities).

[JoePCool14]

I-41 WI

Current: https://goo.gl/maps/3jz9gTuU8it3sERd7
Used to also say East-West: https://goo.gl/maps/rjEMFbHQf27LpShD6

The CTH-C exit in Kenosha County still has signs that say EAST-WEST. They are relatively new actually. I'm willing to bet they were the last of their kind installed in the state, as WisDOT will either use proper controls or omit them altogether and just have the route letter posted.

[tolbs17]

Another example here. And I'm not sure what's up with the black lighting they installed in 2012, what are those supposed to do.

[kphoger]

Another example here. And I'm not sure what's up with the black lighting they installed in 2012, what are those supposed to do.

Light things up?   

[tolbs17]

Another example here. And I'm not sure what's up with the black lighting they installed in 2012, what are those supposed to do.

Light things up?   

I thought they stopped with the sign lighting

[andrepoiy]

In Ontario, the OTM (Ontario Traffic Manual) states that control cities are not required in urban environments.

Thus, pretty much all overhead signs in Toronto do not have control cities. Exceptions are the 400 interchange (where it states Barrie) and 404 (where it's Newmarket)

[JoePCool14]

In Ontario, the OTM (Ontario Traffic Manual) states that control cities are not required in urban environments.

Thus, pretty much all overhead signs in Toronto do not have control cities. Exceptions are the 400 interchange (where it states Barrie, and 404 where it's Newmarket)

That's such lazy guidance. I guess once you get into a metro area, you have no need to find a way to bypass said metro? Or even, navigate to certain cities within the same metro region? (Think Aurora and Schaumburg within Chicagoland)

[kphoger]

That's such lazy guidance. I guess once you get into a metro area, you have no need to find a way to bypass said metro? Or even, navigate to certain cities within the same metro region? (Think Aurora and Schaumburg within Chicagoland)

I think you mean "Western Suburbs"...

[andrepoiy]

In Ontario, the OTM (Ontario Traffic Manual) states that control cities are not required in urban environments.

Thus, pretty much all overhead signs in Toronto do not have control cities. Exceptions are the 400 interchange (where it states Barrie, and 404 where it's Newmarket)

That's such lazy guidance. I guess once you get into a metro area, you have no need to find a way to bypass said metro? Or even, navigate to certain cities within the same metro region? (Think Aurora and Schaumburg within Chicagoland)

Well the thing is, if there were control cities here, 401 would be "Toronto", 427 would also be "Toronto"... because the city is amalgamated

[kphoger]

In Ontario, the OTM (Ontario Traffic Manual) states that control cities are not required in urban environments.

Thus, pretty much all overhead signs in Toronto do not have control cities. Exceptions are the 400 interchange (where it states Barrie, and 404 where it's Newmarket)

That's such lazy guidance. I guess once you get into a metro area, you have no need to find a way to bypass said metro? Or even, navigate to certain cities within the same metro region? (Think Aurora and Schaumburg within Chicagoland)

Well the thing is, if there were control cities here, 401 would be "Toronto", 427 would also be "Toronto"... because the city is amalgamated

Could do 'Alderwood' or 'Long Branch' for 427, 'North York' or 'Scarborough' for 401, or some combination like that.

[andrepoiy]

In Ontario, the OTM (Ontario Traffic Manual) states that control cities are not required in urban environments.

Thus, pretty much all overhead signs in Toronto do not have control cities. Exceptions are the 400 interchange (where it states Barrie, and 404 where it's Newmarket)

That's such lazy guidance. I guess once you get into a metro area, you have no need to find a way to bypass said metro? Or even, navigate to certain cities within the same metro region? (Think Aurora and Schaumburg within Chicagoland)

Well the thing is, if there were control cities here, 401 would be "Toronto", 427 would also be "Toronto"... because the city is amalgamated

Could do 'Alderwood' or 'Long Branch' for 427, 'North York' or 'Scarborough' for 401, or some combination like that.

Fair. I think if it were me, I'd do Scarborough (since it's the eastern end of Toronto) for 401, and Toronto (Downtown) and Mississauga for 427, as the freeway is very close to the border. Nobody knows what Alderwood or Long Branch are lol

[kphoger]

Nobody knows what Alderwood or Long Branch are lol

Wondered about that.

[JoePCool14]

Nobody knows what Alderwood or Long Branch are lol

Wondered about that.

Maybe people would know if they were used. I feel some cases of control city may be chicken or egg situations. You can't put something down as a control because no one knows what the place is.

[mrsman]

Nobody knows what Alderwood or Long Branch are lol

Wondered about that.

Maybe people would know if they were used. I feel some cases of control city may be chicken or egg situations. You can't put something down as a control because no one knows what the place is.

I can't think of a case where having a control city would not be helpful.  Even if the last city the highway passes through is relatively small, it is still a location that it reaches.  For the most part, before the absolute end of the highway, there is likely an interchange where most of the traffic will migrate to.  If that is the case, then that city would be an appropriate control.

As an example, the Rockford control that is used on I-290 in the Chicago area.  I-290 ends at I-90 which leads to Rockford.  I-290 also continues as the IL-53 expressway, which only goes for a few more miles.  Rockford is an appropriate control (but not necessarioly the most appropriate)* since it leads you in that direction.  And a more local control (perhaps Deer Park) would be appropriate for IL-53.

But in no case would it be appropriate to say no control for I-290 since it doesn't directly go to any big city in the westbound direction.

* I personally prefer Schaumburg.

[hotdogPi]

What would MA 88's control city be southbound, then? It's entirely in Westport, but at some point, you're heading away from the center.

Or for that matter, the Lowell Connector away from I-495/US 3?