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Author Topic: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??  (Read 1384 times)

thenetwork

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Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« on: April 17, 2022, 10:20:05 PM »

For tha majority of my life I lived in Northern Ohio, where the idea of back-lit street blades at signalized intersections were (and still) pretty much non-existent.  It wasn't until I moved out west when I saw back-lit blades hanging at intersections as more of a norm in urban areas.

Within the last 2-3 years, my locality replaced all of the bqck-lit (flourescent and LED) blades and replaced them with hi-res reflective metal blades.  I assume that this was to save energy, not have to replaced burnt-out signs, and to have slightly larger signs at many of the intersections.

I was kinda bummed to see these go, some not even 5 years old.

Has your area been phasing out back-lit street-name signs, or just upgrading them to LED lightingassemblies?  I'm curious to see if this is an increasing trend.
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US 89

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2022, 10:43:41 PM »

They pretty much don't exist in Utah, except for along the TRAX Green Line corridor in Salt Lake where a whole bunch of them were put up in ~2013 (example). That whole corridor is clearly intended to have a distinct feel to it, as those signs are mounted on green-painted signal poles that use short straight mast arms - exceptionally rare to non-existent in the rest of the city or even state.

There also used to be a lot of backlit one-way signs on the 500 South/600 South one-way pair in downtown SLC, but these seem to be gradually disappearing. I think the only ones left now are on the city-maintained parts east of State Street.

Scott5114

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2022, 11:50:20 PM »

The fluorescent ones never made it to Oklahoma. Norman has gradually added some LED blades, but these are one-sided and mounted to the mastarm in the same way a reflective sign would be, not hanging. They can mostly be found in the downtown area and in the University North Park development (which is a strip mall/big box area and not actually anything to do with the university).
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KeithE4Phx

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #3 on: April 18, 2022, 01:39:17 AM »

Mesa AZ has been getting rid of them for several years.  Not only because of the cost of electricity, but they fade in the sun and heat and need to be replaced more often than they are.  It's a good move as far as I'm concerned.  They weren't necessary and the new reflective signs are far more visible.
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Brian556

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #4 on: April 18, 2022, 08:48:33 PM »

These are becoming much more popular in North Texas in recent times
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UCFKnights

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2022, 09:09:32 PM »

Around Florida some areas install them consistently, some not at all, and some seemingly entirely randomly. In Gainesville the policy seems to be if a private developer is paying for the signal, install the backlit sign, otherwise it gets a reflective one. This intersection got all new arms recently, but 3 were paid for by a private developer and one was the state paying for it, so the 3 privately funded got painted black and backlit signs, the final one didn't get painted and reflective sign in the same damn intersection, less then a year apart
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.6155075,-82.3892825,3a,15y,58.63h,91.91t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgxvDkY9GXRPu9e__DlbuEg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Orlando seemingly is installing them on most intersections right now, but they randomly don't, and the installation method is also entirely random, some getting a separate small arm off the mast, sometimes below, sometimes above, sometimes it hanging from the main mast arm, sometimes attached directly to the arm and one sided, or even 2 sided with 2 seperate fixtures, sometimes with the county logo on it, sometimes without, sometimes all caps, sometimes mixed case, etc... I'm pretty sure they just tell each contractor to do whatever they want.

This one's got the same sign twice with different styles and installation methods on the same pole that they both actively still use:
https://www.google.com/maps/@28.5653655,-81.1948895,3a,15y,111.44h,93.96t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sK9Fz604YC81BI03NlSLUlw!2e0!5s20150401T000000!7i13312!8i6656
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roadman65

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #6 on: April 19, 2022, 07:43:06 AM »

Orlando also is inconsistent with info on numbered routes like in the Southchase Area. You have on Orange Blossom Trail all the signals pretty much state the street name, but the Walmart Neighborhood Market states  “ US 441. “ on its blades.  What irks me is the US 17 & 92 routes are never used.  The lingo for Orange Blossom Trail is either “ OBT” or “ Four Forty-One.” No one even knows hat US 17 & 92 exist along Orange  Blossom Trail, so the contractor who installed the Walmart Signal used the other common name unlike the rest in the area using Orange Blossom Trail as they were installed as part of the 2005 widening project signal replacement. 

  Most signs along  the Orange Blossom Trail  use the name on the signs but at random places also  say “US 441.”   In Rosemont area there is one signal that I know still uses a reflective non back lit sign using the US 441 designation while other intersections nearby have back lit Orange Blossom Trail on them.


Also you mentioned the installation on those varies. Ditto for span wires as some attached it to the span wire while some to the concrete strain poles on mast arms.


However Florida is the most inconsistent with signal installations in the US except maybe Texas. It used to be all concrete poles and span wire with mast arms in business districts of large cities as the norm, but now each community and contractor installs different designs so street blades are along with it.  So see many variations there wherever you go.
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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2022, 12:23:14 PM »

My city is still installing them regularly, although the most recent installs have the fugly 3/4 error.  Aside from that text error, I think that they look pretty good.

Here is an example that was installed within the last 18 months when this section of street was rebuilt:

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.948045,-122.0825204,3a,75y,191.99h,88.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYNgyIRCsCg3qHQRr7WFpUQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
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SectorZ

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2022, 12:39:34 PM »

These things are almost non-existent in New England. I can't even think of a single place with one though I suspect some exist.

I kind of wonder why that is, since there doesn't seem to be any reason for the region not to have them.
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SkyPesos

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2022, 08:37:00 PM »

Interesting that you've never seen any of them in your time living in Northeast Ohio. I lost count of the number of backlit street blades on mast arms in the Cincinnati and Columbus areas.

Pretty common in West Chester, OH (suburb of Cincinnati):
- Union Centre Blvd and Muhlhauser Rd
- Cincinnati-Dayton Rd and West Chester Rd
- Tylersville Rd and Butler Warren Rd
- Liberty Way and Cox Rd

And a few Evendale a bit down south:
- Glendale-Milford Rd and I-75 ramp/Aviation Way
- Glendale-Milford Rd and Reading Rd

And in the Columbus area, they're common in Dublin. Some examples:
- US 33/OH 161 ramp and Avery-Muirfield Dr
- Emerald Pkwy and OH 257
- US 33/OH 161 and Post Rd/Frantz Rd
« Last Edit: April 19, 2022, 08:46:40 PM by SkyPesos »
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thenetwork

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #10 on: April 19, 2022, 09:07:56 PM »

Interesting that you've never seen any of them in your time living in Northeast Ohio. I lost count of the number of backlit street blades on mast arms in the Cincinnati and Columbus areas.

Pretty common in West Chester, OH (suburb of Cincinnati):
- Union Centre Blvd and Muhlhauser Rd
- Cincinnati-Dayton Rd and West Chester Rd
- Tylersville Rd and Butler Warren Rd
- Liberty Way and Cox Rd

And a few Evendale a bit down south:
- Glendale-Milford Rd and I-75 ramp/Aviation Way
- Glendale-Milford Rd and Reading Rd

And in the Columbus area, they're common in Dublin. Some examples:
- US 33/OH 161 ramp and Avery-Muirfield Dr
- Emerald Pkwy and OH 257
- US 33/OH 161 and Post Rd/Frantz Rd

Oh yeah, I knew there are a LOT of backlit signs in general in Cincinnati still in use and I know that there are  a few around C-Bus.   But if there is or were any in Northern Ohio, they are very few and far between.
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Revive 755

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #11 on: April 19, 2022, 10:29:53 PM »

There does not seem to be any change in using backlit street name signs in the Illinois portions of Chicagoland.  If anything more of them are showing up as the agencies that use them get around to replacing signals, excluding Kane County.
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DRMan

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #12 on: April 20, 2022, 11:23:35 AM »

In the NW Tucson suburbs (Marana and Oro Valley), they are widely used at signalized intersections, even for new signals. They are rather thin, so I assume they are LED and not fluorescent.

However, back-lit signs are pretty much non-existent in the city of Tucson and on Pima County roads. You may find a straggler here and there, but for the most part they aren't operational. Those areas have opted for reflective metal blades.
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Pink Jazz

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #13 on: April 20, 2022, 11:39:08 AM »

Phoenix, Gilbert, and Chandler continue to install them. Mesa seemed to phase them out, but actually since 2020 they have been making somewhat of a comeback at a few intersections (with new slimline LED fixtures).
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MASTERNC

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Re: Back-Lit Hanging Street Blades...Phasing Out??
« Reply #14 on: April 20, 2022, 02:05:40 PM »

King of Prussia, PA had these but they are being gradually phased out.
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