District 3/Sacramento - Sign Replacement Project

[coatimundi]

Relevant discussion below on the erroneous I-5 shield...

Ah, alright. So that's a 5 shield under the bag. Too bad they got to it before me. Maybe a violent windstorm will pick up and erase their pro fix.
Driving through Downtown Sac last night, I got to watching how many Business 80 shields there actually are around. That'll be tough to fix. I mean, I would assume the plan is to eventually replace them with US 50 shields.

[jrouse]

Relevant discussion below on the erroneous I-5 shield...

Ah, alright. So that's a 5 shield under the bag. Too bad they got to it before me. Maybe a violent windstorm will pick up and erase their pro fix.
Driving through Downtown Sac last night, I got to watching how many Business 80 shields there actually are around. That'll be tough to fix. I mean, I would assume the plan is to eventually replace them with US 50 shields.

Below is an excerpt from a previous post of mine in this thread which answers that question.

An interesting side note:  if you look at the plans, you'll notice that it only modifies overhead signs and no ground mounted signs are being touched.  I asked the engineer how the freeway entrance sign packages would be handled along the former Business 80 and he said that they have made an agreement with the District 3 sign crew to remove Business 80 shields and replace them with US-50 shields as the overhead signs are replaced.  Basically the maintenance crew will follow the contractor.   He said the sign crew will probably not get every sign so there will be a few stray Business 80 markers here and there along the corridor, and they'll have to get taken care of by the maintenance forces at a later date or in a separate project.

iPhone

iPhone

[coatimundi]

Relevant discussion below on the erroneous I-5 shield...

Ah, alright. So that's a 5 shield under the bag. Too bad they got to it before me. Maybe a violent windstorm will pick up and erase their pro fix.
Driving through Downtown Sac last night, I got to watching how many Business 80 shields there actually are around. That'll be tough to fix. I mean, I would assume the plan is to eventually replace them with US 50 shields.

Below is an excerpt from a previous post of mine in this thread which answers that question.

An interesting side note:  if you look at the plans, you'll notice that it only modifies overhead signs and no ground mounted signs are being touched.  I asked the engineer how the freeway entrance sign packages would be handled along the former Business 80 and he said that they have made an agreement with the District 3 sign crew to remove Business 80 shields and replace them with US-50 shields as the overhead signs are replaced.  Basically the maintenance crew will follow the contractor.   He said the sign crew will probably not get every sign so there will be a few stray Business 80 markers here and there along the corridor, and they'll have to get taken care of by the maintenance forces at a later date or in a separate project.

No, they're all over Downtown and Midtown though, on the surface streets. There's even that big overhead on southbound 15th Ave. Then they're also at all the entrance ramps, all the approaches to the freeway... I mean, it's fine to plan to only periodically replace them since it's saves money, but that's only leaving this significant period of disconnection and inconsistent signing. What should maps show? Both, just to cover the bases?

[TheStranger]

No, they're all over Downtown and Midtown though, on the surface streets. There's even that big overhead on southbound 15th Ave. Then they're also at all the entrance ramps, all the approaches to the freeway... I mean, it's fine to plan to only periodically replace them since it's saves money, but that's only leaving this significant period of disconnection and inconsistent signing. What should maps show? Both, just to cover the bases?

From 15th Street southbound...I could imagine Business 80 signage staying a while for one reason:

Even if US 50 is no longer going to be part of the business route, getting on the onramp there would at least take you right away to the southern terminus of the remaining segment of Business 80.  (Kinda like how 99 signage where it runs with 50 and I-5 isn't particularly great, but is ubiquitous at the onramps that lead closer to the start of the South Sacramento Freeway)

Conjecture on my part: where I suspect Business 80 signage at ramps will be entirely removed is West Sacramento, where one is still 4-5 miles away from the start of the remaining segment.  But the onramps from Riverside and 15th are both close enough to the 99/50/Business 80 junction, could even argue that'll still be the case for the ramp from 5 north to 50 east/99 south.

[sparker]

I made a business trip up to Sacramento yesterday (8/22), using CA 99 north to US 50 east.  While there was approach signage on 99 north prior to the Oak Park interchange indicating to use US 50 west for I-5 and the continuation of CA 99, with Yuba City as a control, there was no further signage on the ramp itself (and it's a relatively long ramp); the overhead signage at the ramp split was "East US 50/South Lake Tahoe" and "West US 50/San Francisco".  While I understand the desire on the part of District 3 to simplify the signage, a roadside BGS ahead of or somewhere near the split reiterating To I-5 and CA 99 Use West US 50 would be appropriate (no such indication was posted as of yesterday).  Even a "To I-5/CA 99" sign with a left-oriented arrow would help!     

[TheStranger]

I made a business trip up to Sacramento yesterday (8/22), using CA 99 north to US 50 east.  While there was approach signage on 99 north prior to the Oak Park interchange indicating to use US 50 west for I-5 and the continuation of CA 99, with Yuba City as a control, there was no further signage on the ramp itself (and it's a relatively long ramp); the overhead signage at the ramp split was "East US 50/South Lake Tahoe" and "West US 50/San Francisco".  While I understand the desire on the part of District 3 to simplify the signage, a roadside BGS ahead of or somewhere near the split reiterating To I-5 and CA 99 Use West US 50 would be appropriate (no such indication was posted as of yesterday).  Even a "To I-5/CA 99" sign with a left-oriented arrow would help!     

I remember pointing out earlier in this thread that exact thing - the old signage for the ramp that carries 99 northbound from the South Sacramento Freeway to the westbound WX freeway was way more descriptive in that regard!

https://goo.gl/maps/Dbjq7RtFDmT2

[coatimundi]

Conjecture on my part: where I suspect Business 80 signage at ramps will be entirely removed is West Sacramento

Here ya go; a nice windshield pic from old 84:


And that's really the thing: there are lots of signs like this out there. I think the remnants of Business 80 on roadsides, even with a concerted effort to remove them, will hang around for at least another 10 years, and even then the internet will remember it a lot longer than that.

[mrsman]

Yes, it takes a while for the old signage to go away.  Some of the signage is simply forgottern and will never be updated.

[bing101]

Business 80 signs on the western half of Cap city freeway are simply called US-50  now.

[WestSide Highway]

Anyone know who the contractor is thats doing the sign replacement?

[J N Winkler]

Anyone know who the contractor is that's doing the sign replacement?

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/asc/oap/payments/public/034f7104.htm

[bing101]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206128125957252&set=gm.10154958845339879&type=3&theater


Now the Business 80 is no longer co-signed with US-50 in this shot at the west end of US-50.


As of September 2016 Business 80 only exists on CA-51.

[jrouse]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206128125957252&set=gm.10154958845339879&type=3&theater


Now the Business 80 is no longer co-signed with US-50 in this shot at the west end of US-50.


As of September 2016 Business 80 only exists on CA-51.

I went on the surface streets around the WX freeway yesterday and noted that the freeway entrance packages still have Business 80 shields.  So apparently the Caltrans sign crew hasn't gotten around to making those changes.



iPhone

[andy3175]

I went on the surface streets around the WX freeway yesterday and noted that the freeway entrance packages still have Business 80 shields.  So apparently the Caltrans sign crew hasn't gotten around to making those changes.

I am fairly sure you will let them know, so I am sure those Business 80 signs will get removed soon. I did go through the WX area a year and a half ago to take some of the freeway entrance pictures to have those for posterity (and eventual posting).

Now the question is how long before someone makes the political decision to eliminate the rest of the loop (that's now essentially a spur), presumably by renumbering the route to 51 (or, horrors, 99).

[mrsman]

I went on the surface streets around the WX freeway yesterday and noted that the freeway entrance packages still have Business 80 shields.  So apparently the Caltrans sign crew hasn't gotten around to making those changes.

I am fairly sure you will let them know, so I am sure those Business 80 signs will get removed soon. I did go through the WX area a year and a half ago to take some of the freeway entrance pictures to have those for posterity (and eventual posting).

Now the question is how long before someone makes the political decision to eliminate the rest of the loop (that's now essentially a spur), presumably by renumbering the route to 51 (or, horrors, 99).

I've always thought the Biz-80 signage confusing and welcome any steps at removing it.  I applaud signing 51 along this stretch should Caltrans agree to do it.

The 29/30 should not be 99 as there is no easy way to connect to the section of 99 heading to Yuba City.  Maybe a new highway number like 899 to show that it is a connection from 99 to 80.

[TheStranger]

Was in Sacramento today...

- Business 80 shields remain along W and X Streets, not very surprising (I noticed them around 16th Street and 21st Street).  I think there is one Business 80 (no US 50) reassurance shield in West Sacramento heading eastbound.

- The mainline pullthrough on the WX Freeway approaching I-5 that was once signed as "TO I-80 West - San Francisco" is now "US 50 to I-80 WEST" San Francisco, along with a followup sign at the Jefferson Boulevard offramp.

- On the remaining section of Business 80, the ramps to US 50 from Business 80 west are now signed for only 50.

- Near the Amtrak station (about 3 or 4 blocks from the new Golden 1 Center arena for the Sacramento Kings), there's a very new I-5/Route 99/Business 80 overhead sign along I Street that is a replacement-in-kind of an older button copy sign.  Not sure if this was added before or after the resigning project that kept US 50 alone along the east-west portion of former I-80/former Business 80 was done.

[jrouse]

- Near the Amtrak station (about 3 or 4 blocks from the new Golden 1 Center arena for the Sacramento Kings), there's a very new I-5/Route 99/Business 80 overhead sign along I Street that is a replacement-in-kind of an older button copy sign.  Not sure if this was added before or after the resigning project that kept US 50 alone along the east-west portion of former I-80/former Business 80 was done.

That was done before the re-signing.