Phoenix "Frankensigns"

[Breadman17]

https://imgur.com/a/kvo3qAs

Welcome to Phoenix, Arizona! Where the sun is hot enough to melt our mailboxes and garbage bins. 

Here in Phoenix, about a year ago I noticed a phenomenon which I today dubbed "Frankensigns". These signs appear to be (exit gore) signs that are so screwed up they don't appear to give out any discernable meaning. It looks like they mashed two or more old, retired signs together and cut them to the proper dimensions, but then never covered the old message up with a new, meaningful message. I only know of one currently standing (I-10 E somewhere between I-17 and Loop 303), however there are several that I know have existed. The one I linked above was at exit 42 on both sides of the Loop 101 (Pima Rd/90th in Scottsdale). ADOT must have noticed it quickly, as they removed it and replaced it with the proper "EXIT 42" sign. I saw the signs only twice before their correction. Google maps has no record of this sign at this exit, leading me to believe I might have the only photo of one that I know of. I've never heard any mention of these anywhere.

How do these things even make it onto the freeway? Has anyone else seen these signs? I've been thinking about this for a while since I spotted the other one on I-10 a few months ago. 

[Road Hog]

Um ...

Have you seen the Oklahoma signs on here?

[Breadman17]

Um ...

Have you seen the Oklahoma signs on here?

No????? this and the one on the 10 are the only instances I've ever seen of this.
How many more of these are there? I drove through OK about a year ago through OKC and Tulsa, I don't remember seeing one

[pderocco]

More likely the new layer that had the correct symbols on it fell off.

[The Ghostbuster]

They just don't make signs like they used to.

[Breadman17]

More likely the new layer that had the correct symbols on it fell off.

Interesting. I don't know why I didn't think of this. Just such an odd phenomenon i didn't even think about it rationally. I'll go investigate the current sign tonight!

[machias]

The I-10 EB advanced guide sign for Casa Grande is falling apart from a recent accent and half the legend is a pull thru overhead for I-10 EB with an Exit Only black on yellow panel (at least as of two weeks ago)

[roadfro]

More likely the new layer that had the correct symbols on it fell off.

Interesting. I don't know why I didn't think of this. Just such an odd phenomenon i didn't even think about it rationally. I'll go investigate the current sign tonight!

At least for AZ 101 northbound at exit 42, you can tell the sign was completely replaced between Street View captures in November 2022 and April 2023. The earlier sign is wider and the latter sign is narrower. (There's also a change between April 2021 and December 2021, because the former has Clearview numbers but the latter appears to have FHWA numbers.)

It looks like ADOT uses extruded signs, so the backing of the exit gore sign is likely recycled from an old overhead sign and cut to the size of an exit gore sign. Then the exit gore sign legend is either sheeted over that or applied to a thin aluminum blank affixed atop the old sign legend (effectively "greening out" the whole sign). The latter explanation would make more sense to me, especially because an errant vehicle accidentally striking the gore sign could jar it enough to knock the green out panels off, exposing the old sign underneath. Slapping up a new sign face on top of old extruded sign panels would appear to be a quick fix for gore signs that have a high frequency of being struck, so some "Frankensign" instances might be common for this application.

[machias]

The I-10 EB advanced guide sign for Casa Grande is falling apart from a recent accent and half the legend is a pull thru overhead for I-10 EB with an Exit Only black on yellow panel (at least as of two weeks ago)

I drove through there again this weekend. It was the 1/2 mile advance sign for the Casa Grande access, and has been removed by ADOT, probably because of the "Tucson" and "Exit Only" down arrow legend that was showing.

[AzNate]

The latter explanation would make more sense to me, especially because an errant vehicle accidentally striking the gore sign could jar it enough to knock the green out panels off, exposing the old sign underneath.

This explanation seems likely. I came across this sign at US 60 EB at Gilbert Rd back in August where the remnants of an old BGS are visible after someone ran into the gore sign.

[DJStephens]

Um ...

Have you seen the Oklahoma signs on here?

No????? this and the one on the 10 are the only instances I've ever seen of this.
How many more of these are there? I drove through OK about a year ago through OKC and Tulsa, I don't remember seeing one

He's referring the "cRaIg County" one.  It's bad, and apparently was up for years.   Looks like a kindergartener came up with it.   There was a brand new BGS, erected on the new "Loop 375" error in downtown El Paso.  A combination of standard FHWA font, and the "clearview font".   Terrible. 

[machias]

The I-10 EB advanced guide sign for Casa Grande is falling apart from a recent accent and half the legend is a pull thru overhead for I-10 EB with an Exit Only black on yellow panel (at least as of two weeks ago)

I drove through there again this weekend. It was the 1/2 mile advance sign for the Casa Grande access, and has been removed by ADOT, probably because of the "Tucson" and "Exit Only" down arrow legend that was showing.

The 1/2 mile sign is back and obviously over the former Tucson pull through sign, as the entire sign face is covered in rivets, holding it in place over the original sign legend. They must have fixed it in the field.  Another interesting thing of note on this sign: "Casa Grande" is in mixed case Series D, but "Coolidge" is in mixed case Series E Modified. All of the other signs in the sequence have both destinations in Series D mixed case.