Things I miss in roads

[Alex]

Have been thinking about this for a few years now, and thought I'd share with other road people. This list is about things in roads that are gone or being phased out in favor of standardization or modernization.

Feel free to add to this list:

- button copy signage
- overhead sign lighting
- embossed license plates
- state named interstate shields
- u.s. shields with the state name
- cutout route markers
- incandescent traffic light bulbs
- old Eagle and Crouse Hinds traffic lights
- temporary interstate designations
- colored route markers
- art deco guard rails
- concrete freeways
- mercury vapor street lighting

Someday soon I might add Highway Gothic Font to the list...

[agentsteel53]

porcelain signs!  also, black guide signs.  both used to be staples in California and elsewhere

[deathtopumpkins]

Why are concrete freeways on that list? Most new freeways around here seem to be concrete, and there are thousands of older ones.

I miss (even though I never witnessed it) the era before interstates when rural 2-lane roads were the way to get anywhere. 

[Alex]

Why are concrete freeways on that list? Most new freeways around here seem to be concrete, and there are thousands of older ones.

I miss (even though I never witnessed it) the era before interstates when rural 2-lane roads were the way to get anywhere. 

Rarely do I see new concrete freeways, and the majority of the concrete freeways that I knew of have since been asphalted over. A few examples:
Interstate 10 in the panhandle of Florida
Interstate 95 from I-295 to the PA state line
Most of Interstate 65 in Alabama now
Interstate 16 in the Savannah area

There are exceptions like Interstate 85 in Georgia, Pinellas County Interstates, California freeways...

[BigMattFromTexas]

- overhead sign lighting

I remeber one overhead sign that had light, in San Angelo and it got replaced when they did Houston Harte Expressway, but the light burnt out and i never saw it at night, but i think that is one sign i San Angelo i will never forget
BigMatt

[mightyace]

I know this may not be popular, but I miss sequential exit numbering especially in my home state of PA.

The old "coin bucket" automatic toll booths with the traffic lights marked "STOP" and "THANK YOU."

The "wide X" wooden railroad crossing signs.

Steel through truss bridges (painted green!) with open steel grid decks that made a distinctive sound when travelling over them.

Bridge designs that lasted more than 15-30 years!  Some of those through truss bridges were over 75 years old when replaced.

[Marc]

I miss slab concrete. As a little kid, I loved traveling from Jackson, MS to visit family in Memphis, TN on I-55 because once you hit Batesville, you hit a really fun section of concrete slabs. Then again once you entered Tate County. 15 years later, the section near Batesville has been asphalted and the section in Tate and DeSoto Counties has been diamond grinded. Needless to say the Batesville section is in worse shape today than the Tate/DeSoto section. The asphalt has developed ruts exposing the un-level concrete slabs underneath.

I tend to prefer slabbed concrete where the joints are more frequent. I'm not a fan of slabs that are further apart (i.e. I-10 New Orleans east end, I-65 through Birmingham, etc.). I like concrete like what is found on I-95 through Jacksonville, FL for example. I'm also not too fond of newer concrete that is a scored consistent-pour rather than slabbed (like what Texas uses). Too noisy in my opinion. For bridges only it's okay, but for everything, it gets annoying really quick.

I'll add this for Houston (and most of Texas' sake, except for San Antonio)... low mast lighting. Seriously, 150 foot tall high mast on every urban freeway is downright unattractive.

[agentsteel53]

they had the St. Andrew style (wide X) railroad crossbucks in cast iron too, in many places.  There is one in New Jersey.  Steve Alpert can tell you where this is:



as for the coin-operated toll booths ... that reminds me of a toll exit in Newark, off either the NJ turnpike or the extension (I-78).  A few friends of mine went on a road trip in 2003, and it not a very good neighborhood where we got off the toll road to find a hotel.  (We didn't know much about Newark at the time.)  This exit had a toll of only 25 cents at the time, and it was collected using a machine.

We pulled up, and attempted to pay, completely scratching our heads at where the slot or the receiving bucket, or really anything was to accept our money.  The light said "STOP/PAY TOLL" in red, so we knew we had to deposit something somewhere.  After about a minute or two, with traffic piling up behind us and looking none too friendly (this is the hood, after all), we realized that the entire coin receiving assembly had been completely stolen. 

We floored it, got back on the turnpike an exit later, and found a hotel way the Hell elsewhere.

This brings to an end our weekly story segment, featuring New Jersey.  Tune in next week for adventures in ... Kentucky and/or Banff!

[roadfro]

- button copy signage
- overhead sign lighting
- incandescent traffic light bulbs
- concrete freeways

Someday soon I might add Highway Gothic Font to the list...

I agree with several things on that list.  A few comments on what's quoted, from my Nevada perspective...

- Button copy: The *only* button copy sign I've ever seen on a Nevada freeway (a road info sign on WB I-80 in Reno) has been removed within the last few months.
- Overhead sign lighting: NDOT still lights practically every overhead sign, even if they have reflective sheeting.  I think they're experimenting with changing this, however.  Several signs on I-80 near Virginia Street and one sign structure on US 395 in Reno have been replaced since the beginning of the year.  The reflective sheeting looks different and each sign's light fixtures were removed. (I will say, though, that these are some of the most well-designed new signs I've seen in a while.)
- Incandescent traffic light bulbs:  These are virtually non-existent in the Vegas area anymore.  They're still plentiful in other areas, but are being phased out gradually.  Reno has slowly started using LED street name signs on newer signal installations as well.
- Concrete freeways: Still around Nevada on urban freeways.  However, I've read that the I-15 north project in through North Las Vegas will be reconstructed with asphalt when it was originally concrete....
- Hwy Gothic:  There's no Clearview in Nevada yet!

[Stephane Dumas]

here a perspective from Quebec of what I miss
-toll autoroutes shields indentified by a triangle
-blue school zone signs

as for concrete freeways, Ontario had recently rebuilt a portion of Hwy-417 with concrete

[SSOWorld]

- overhead sign lighting

Yeah - going away fast - though Milwaukee has them (and might i add - pink lighting  ).  Iowa still does this as does Illinois

- embossed license plates

Still exists in WI, IL, Iowa no

- state named interstate shields

scattered about in most states, several states won't get rid of them though (Iowa is one of them, California is another)

- u.s. shields with the state name

yeah - where are they?

- cutout route markers

Except California and Interstates, some in VA?, that famous one in IN on the Borman.

- incandescent traffic light bulbs

I for one am glad they're going away.

- old Eagle and Crouse Hinds traffic lights

hmm.  If I knew what they were - I'd concur.

- temporary interstate designations

Well, they are replaced with Future designations

- colored route markers

what was the point of them anyway? (in Florida)

- art deco guard rails

depends on what city you go through.

- concrete freeways

Wisconsin still does this - mostly.  Milwaukee won't see them anytime soon.

- mercury vapor street lighting

YES!!!! bring it back - I like pure white!

Someday soon I might add Highway Gothic Font to the list...

I sure hope you don't have to.

[74/171FAN]

At some point rest areas might have to be added to this list too(at least in VA)

[agentsteel53]

the point of the colored shields was to differentiate each route so that sign gantries at junctions could be parsed more quickly. 

[agentsteel53]

as far as I know, there is only one button copy sign left in Nevada.  It's in front of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, and has scraped off US-91 and US-466 shields on it!



the other side has "Downtown" and a forward arrow.  I believe the sign was, at one point in its life, intentionally double-sided - this isn't just a case of them reusing the back of a sign as a new front. 

[Ian]

Master son,
Eagle and Crouse-Hinds traffic signals....
Eagle:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/PennsylvaniaTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5303097088344277618
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/PennsylvaniaTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5303097177910899666
Crouse-Hinds (different types):
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/PennsylvaniaTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5308026886180769186
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/PennsylvaniaTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5338843756796821794
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/PennsylvaniaTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5338843694946852114

[Ian]

In roads, I too am going to miss the button copy, the overhead lighting, and incandescent bulbs in signals. I am also going to miss all of the old Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island signs that are being replaced. They had some nice vintage freeway signs.

It is also going to be odd when the Massachusetts Turnpike gets rid of most of their tolls. They too had some nice vintage toll signals.

I am also going to be crying when these get replaced...
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/NewYorkTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5303560726497598226
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/NewYorkTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5289078614267868738
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/NewYorkTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5289080630456596546
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/NewYorkTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5289081511382471346
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/NewYorkTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5289082321813003474
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/NewYorkTrafficSignalsAndRoadSigns#5289083180945232610

i

[Hellfighter]

Most of our freeway when rebuilt are concrete. For example, I-75 between M-85 near Flat Rock and I-375/M-3 was all reconstructed with concrete, including the gateway project.

[rawmustard]

Things I miss include 12-8-8 signal configurations and green WALK designations, and maybe text pedestrian signals in general, especially the WAIT and WALK indications within bars. I also miss some of the cutout shields, as I remember some of them were used in the Coldwater area well into the late 80s/early 90s (the last few being replaced while I was living in the area).

[cu2010]

I don't have to worry about missing the good ol' FHWA fonts yet; NYSDOT hasn't started using Clearview yet! (NYSTA has, though...and the new Clearview signs popping up on the Thruway are really bad.)

I do miss button copy, though...especially when you ran into the random oversized button copy sign that is overkill, but still awesome...

Here in NY, I also miss signs that aren't totally ugly and not to spec! 

[thenetwork]

Things I Miss:

-  The Trapezoid Exit signs on the Ohio Turnpike (an idea "stolen" by the IN Toll Road), their old GREEN speed limit signs/Blue in the Service Plazas, and the old witty signage placed on the metal beams of the Overpasses every so often. (Ie: "Stay Awake - Stay Alive", "Service Plaza xx Miles").

- The old-fashioned Green or Blue Toll Plazas on various turnpikes in the east.

-  BGS that also had the "Next Exit xx Miles" tab beneath them.

-  Old METAL traffic lights with GLASS lenses.

-  Neon (Wink-o-matic) Crosswalk signs with the Green neon for WALK.

-  Neon "<- NO" Signs in Cleveland, Ohio.

-  Drawbridges on Interstates.

[mightyace]

Things I Miss:

-  The Trapezoid Exit signs on the Ohio Turnpike (an idea "stolen" by the IN Toll Road), their old GREEN speed limit signs/Blue in the Service Plazas, and the old witty signage placed on the metal beams of the Overpasses every so often. (Ie: "Stay Awake - Stay Alive", "Service Plaza xx Miles").

- The old-fashioned Green or Blue Toll Plazas on various turnpikes in the east.

-  BGS that also had the "Next Exit xx Miles" tab beneath them.

-  Old METAL traffic lights with GLASS lenses.

-  Neon (Wink-o-matic) Crosswalk signs with the Green neon for WALK.

-  Neon "<- NO" Signs in Cleveland, Ohio.

-  Drawbridges on Interstates.

Exceipt for the Neon crosswalk signs a hearty ditto to all the rest.  Especially the Neon "<- NO" Signs in Cleveland, Ohio! 

[roadfro]

Slight diversion semi-OT...

as far as I know, there is only one button copy sign left in Nevada.  It's in front of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas, and has scraped off US-91 and US-466 shields on it!
<snipped image>
The other side has "Downtown" and a forward arrow.  I believe the sign was, at one point in its life, intentionally double-sided - this isn't just a case of them reusing the back of a sign as a new front. 

I think there is another one in Las Vegas.  On Main Street just north of Owens Avenue is a sign welcoming people to North Las Vegas, with a leaving/come again sign on the reverse (Google map).  I don't have any photos of it and it's hard to tell from the Google Street View, but I seem to remember it being button copy.

Anyway, the only freeway button copy sign I was referring to was a road info sign on I-80 WB just past the Keystone Ave onramp in Reno, NV.  It was somewhat obscured by the trees.  (I can't get Google maps to provide a good link, sorry). I saw some NDOT trucks off-road in the vicinity of the sign earlier in July, but couldn't tell what they were doing...they may have removed it.  I'm actually surprised this sign was missed in the RockyMountainRoads gallery, and more upset that I never got a picture of it.

[xonhulu]

I agree with most of what's already been posted here.

Here in Oregon, I miss the older-style cut-out state route shields, like this one (now gone):



I do know of 3 of these on OR 126, but as far as I know, that's it statewide.

[agentsteel53]

was that on mainline 217?  I went there in June '08 to try to find that 217 shield, as well as one in the other direction, and could not find either. 

I know of two on 126 ... one on the mainline in Eugene, and one on what I believe is an old alignment, a block away from the mainline, in Redmond.

[Duke87]

- overhead sign lighting

You still see this all over New York City. Even on new signs.

- mercury vapor street lighting

Indeed, the cool blue of mercury fits more with the night, the bright orange of sodium clashes with it. I remember as a kid still seeing a few mercury bulbs hanging around. Haven't seen one in ages now. Indeed, they were banned last year. No new ones will be installed ever again.
Still, the sodium ones are more efficient, and don't pose the same environmental issues. So there was a practical reason to switch.

Now then, a few more:

- pedestrian signals that say "WALK" and "DON'T WALK" as opposed to having a white walking man and an orange hand. Some of these are still kicking if you know where to look (tip for anyone in the area: the traffic signals in downtown Port Chester, NY are all pretty old, with these still operating), but anytime a signal gets replaced, it goes. Though, the hand and person are more user-friendly to people who don't speak English (the driving reason for the switch).

- street signs with raised letters. Like this one (still there, AFAIK).

- these old narrow strip "No Parking" signs. Were these ever used by any entity other than the City of Stamford, CT? I don't recall ever seeing one elsewhere.
Actually, plenty of those are still around (mostly on side streets in the older parts of town), but they're slowly disappearing in favor of the ubiquitous MUTCD standard signs.