"OLD" Highway Placard for Obsolete Routes

[paulthemapguy]

Here's something I'd seen for the very first time along former OH-533 north of Zanesfield, Ohio.  A marker for an "OLD" state highway!  Do any other states/places do this?



Have you seen any other signs like this, with the "OLD" placard?  Why would they want to keep signs up that say "OLD" instead of tearing the sign down outright?

[jbnv]

The "OLD" banner looks like they stuck a label over another banner.

How recent was the decommission? Was OH-533 a major route that a lot of people used? Do people in the area still refer to the route as "533"? If so, I can see some value in this.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Part of VA 262 near Staunton used to be VA 275, and it was briefly signed as OLD VA 275.

[Brian556]

I've seen an "OLD US 301" assembly in FL pictured on here, hopefully the owner of the pic will post it here.

[Mapmikey]

Back in the late 1980s Kentucky used "FORMERLY" on one of the first segments of US 23 to be bypassed...don't know if that is still the norm there.

I don't recall NC or SC using "OLD" on a banner.  Virginia has done this on primary routes and also does it on secondary routes too.

Mike

[catch22]

A variation on that idea (Old US-27 in Otsego County, MI):

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.915632,-84.6947143,3a,16y,234.53h,84.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sv7Eko0dQrBxKfVZxXsu65Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Minnesota sometimes does this following the retirement of state highways. Right now you can find them along the section of MN 5 that was turned back to Washington County this past fall. As far as I know these are temporary and only remain in place for a year or two if I remember right, but I don't remember what the guidelines are for that.

[Max Rockatansky]

There is a fairly large section signed "Old US 27" north of out Lansing, MI.  I can think of other examples off the top of my head but I've never seen a placard like that with an accompanying route sign.  Seems like they are trying to transition traffic to a newer alignment route being decommissioned?

[NE2]

from http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ky/us_62/

[formulanone]

La Belle, Florida:

I've seen an "OLD US 301" assembly in FL pictured on here, hopefully the owner of the pic will post it here.

Was it this one in Hawthorne, Florida?

[jwolfer]

La Belle, Florida:

I've seen an "OLD US 301" assembly in FL pictured on here, hopefully the owner of the pic will post it here.

Was it this one in Hawthorne, Florida?

That would have been post 1990s most likely.. 301 was yellow.. 301 was moved to new road around 1968..at least that is what my mom told me

[SignGeek101]

I know this one in my childhood town:

https://goo.gl/maps/Vb6toWbAzXs

Upper James St used to be highway 6, until it was truncated in 1997/8 I believe. The current highway 6 is farther south (hence the trailblazer).

[Brian556]

Quote from Catch22:

A variation on that idea (Old US-27 in Otsego County, MI):

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.915632,-84.6947143,3a,16y,234.53h,84.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sv7Eko0dQrBxKfVZxXsu65Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Lake County, FL also does this for OLD SR 50 and OLD US 441

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.7968181,-81.6359092,3a,51.4y,302.54h,85.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgbNOBBKoH-oQxKzU4TrZJA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tavares,+FL/@28.5677076,-81.7191793,3a,75y,358.57h,84.95t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sTLASkfmeMXCQxeQ7FnjcHA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DTLASkfmeMXCQxeQ7FnjcHA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D326.97156%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x88dd620ef900b1c5:0xe0c5782fe1cb5695!6m1!1e1

[Max Rockatansky]

Quote from Catch22:

A variation on that idea (Old US-27 in Otsego County, MI):

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.915632,-84.6947143,3a,16y,234.53h,84.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sv7Eko0dQrBxKfVZxXsu65Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Lake County, FL also does this for OLD SR 50 and OLD US 441

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.7968181,-81.6359092,3a,51.4y,302.54h,85.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgbNOBBKoH-oQxKzU4TrZJA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tavares,+FL/@28.5677076,-81.7191793,3a,75y,358.57h,84.95t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sTLASkfmeMXCQxeQ7FnjcHA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DTLASkfmeMXCQxeQ7FnjcHA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D326.97156%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x88dd620ef900b1c5:0xe0c5782fe1cb5695!6m1!1e1

I actually preferred the older alignment of 50 around Lake Minneloa as opposed to downtown Clermont.  Actually there is an "Old 27" on the south banks of Lake Okeechobee near Canal Point.  West of there I believe it is called Corkscrew Road.  There is an Old Highway 37 and Old Highway 60 signed in Polk County as well near Bartow.  Probably the best in Florida is Old State Road 4a which is sort of still signed on Sugar Loaf Key which is the original alignment of the Overseas Highway all the way back to 1928....that's no typo it actually was the road prior to US 1 being signed to Key West.  Ironically most country routes in Florida are actually "old" Florida State Highways. 

One that I was thinking of through the day is Old 89 north of Prescott.  There is a pretty neat old one lane bridge over Devil's Canyon that has a conveyor belt on it at the end of one of the alignments.  Also Old Highway 91 is signed as such just north of the Arizona/Utah state line on the old US 91 alignment to St George. 

Again not examples of placard and shield but they do have the "old" part in them.

[hbelkins]

Back in the late 1980s Kentucky used "FORMERLY" on one of the first segments of US 23 to be bypassed...don't know if that is still the norm there.

Yes. Kentucky policy is to sign old roads with the "FORMERLY" banner for approximately a year after the number change. Old KY 15 in Breathitt County was signed "FORMERLY KY 15" for a shorter time period and I never got photos.

I don't recall NC or SC using "OLD" on a banner.  Virginia has done this on primary routes and also does it on secondary routes too.

The old alignment of US 58 east of Coeburn was signed "OLD US 58" before it became VA 158. I may have a photo somewhere.

from http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ky/us_62/

Which, I think, is a picture I gave Steve. Now it's just US 68.

[1995hoo]

There used to be at least one "OLD I-95" assembly, with the "OLD" plaque in white-on-blue like a directional plaque, on southbound I-395 in Virginia somewhere between the Seminary Road and Duke Street interchanges. I remember it being there when I was a kid and it surviving into the 1980s, but it's long gone now.

[slorydn1]

This is as close as we get in North Carolina I'm afraid....

[Rothman]

Back in the late 1980s Kentucky used "FORMERLY" on one of the first segments of US 23 to be bypassed...don't know if that is still the norm there.

Yes. Kentucky policy is to sign old roads with the "FORMERLY" banner for approximately a year after the number change. Old KY 15 in Breathitt County was signed "FORMERLY KY 15" for a shorter time period and I never got photos.

Take a drive through Whitesburg.  Old KY 15 is still signed as KY 15 in many places through the town...as well as on the new routing.

[mrsman]

Is there any practical difference between an "OLD" highway and a "BUSINESS" routing?  From what I know, business routings are generally old routings of the highway and are no longer under state maintenance.  Many business routings don't even have that many businesses on it.

[Mapmikey]

This is as close as we get in North Carolina I'm afraid....

Not an 'OLD' banner, but if you look carefully you can see a US 264 ALT shield remaining on a section abandoned when its eastern end in Sims was reconfigured...


https://goo.gl/maps/6KKPNjiNZ6R2

Mike

[froggie]

Minnesota sometimes does this following the retirement of state highways. Right now you can find them along the section of MN 5 that was turned back to Washington County this past fall. As far as I know these are temporary and only remain in place for a year or two if I remember right, but I don't remember what the guidelines are for that.

"OLD US 12" was posted through Long Lake when the Long Lake Bypass opened and before the turnover to CSAH 112 was completed.

[Jim]

I drove US 491 soon after it replaced US 666 in the Four Corners region in 2003.  Here's how that signage looked at the time.

Monticello, Utah:




Crossing into Colorado:



Cortez, Colorado:



I have not been back to this area since, so I don't know how long the "Old US 666" signage remained in place.

[Jim]

There is a fairly large section signed "Old US 27" north of out Lansing, MI.  I can think of other examples off the top of my head but I've never seen a placard like that with an accompanying route sign.  Seems like they are trying to transition traffic to a newer alignment route being decommissioned?

Here's a sign for Old US 27 in Gaylord, Michigan, from 2007.

[hbelkins]

Broken image links, Jim. 

[Jim]

Broken image links, Jim. 

Odd..  They were OK this morning, but broken for me now also.  I'll see if I can figure out what changed.

Edit: No luck so far, will have to check it out again later.