Plain green “Wisconsin” signs at the border

[peterj920]

At more "minor" crossings, there were blue "Welcome to Wisconsin" signs with the shape of the state. Now it's just a plain green sign that says "Wisconsin" when entering on a highway such as US 14, US 45, Wis 67, and Wis 80 to name a few places where there's just the green sign. Entering other states there's always a more elaborate sign. Are you ok with the plain sign with the big wooden Wisconsin Welcomes You at busier crossings or are better signs needed at the other border crossings?

[SEWIGuy]

Those wooden signs look real dated IMO.

[The Ghostbuster]

I guess not every highway can have a "grand" Welcome to Wisconsin sign like the one on Interstates 41/94: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.509336,-87.9514675,3a,75y,34.02h,93.33t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sUJ1ZjEr-DNLjHcYEfC4pbw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DUJ1ZjEr-DNLjHcYEfC4pbw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D54.799366%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu. Interstates 39/90's Welcome to Wisconsin sign is imprinted on the CTH P/Stateline Rd. overpass: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4961535,-88.9926914,3a,75y,15.75h,87.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1su3viU3liBkvjuH-AfIQgtQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu.

[jt4]

I assume it's because in general the US routes are now used by local drivers instead of tourists, so there's no need to have much fanfare when driving over the line.

[Big John]

I read that the Feds said the blue sign with the state cutout was noncompliant.

[formulanone]

Yeah, they're kind of disappointing; it looks as if the posts supported a larger sign at some point. Although this is on US 51 in Beloit, maybe it's because of the driveway along side of it?



Not all of the crossings get elegant signs...



...but there's the wooden one a little up the road:

[Bitmapped]

Virginia has been doing the same on surface routes in the last couple years. US 33, US 48, and US 250 have had their fancier welcome signs replaced with simple green-on-white "Virginia" signs in the last couple years. Here's US 33, where you can see past designs by looking back through time: https://goo.gl/maps/BBTwkdQ5dZZgLzf5A

Just having the state name with nothing else is underwhelming. At least put a "Welcome to State" or something so it stands out.

[WisJohn]

They replaced the classic one on Hwy 25 at the Nelson WI-Wabasha MN crossing with this: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.3891611,-92.0298193,3a,47.1y,68.33h,87.88t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s4HpW1ipQa0_FS1Ui2stDXA!2e0!5s20230801T000000!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu

It's better than plain old green.

[CtrlAltDel]

Yeah, they're kind of disappointing; it looks as if the posts supported a larger sign at some point. Although this is on US 51 in Beloit, maybe it's because of the driveway along side of it?

Street View shows this:

[jzn110]

I guess not every highway can have a "grand" Welcome to Wisconsin sign like the one on Interstates 41/94: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.509336,-87.9514675,3a,75y,34.02h,93.33t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sUJ1ZjEr-DNLjHcYEfC4pbw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DUJ1ZjEr-DNLjHcYEfC4pbw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D54.799366%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu. Interstates 39/90's Welcome to Wisconsin sign is imprinted on the CTH P/Stateline Rd. overpass: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4961535,-88.9926914,3a,75y,15.75h,87.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1su3viU3liBkvjuH-AfIQgtQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu.

39/90 has the big wooden sign a ways up the road at the rest area. The big wooden signs are rarely right at the border, they can be up to a mile past depending on location.

[jzn110]

Yeah, they're kind of disappointing; it looks as if the posts supported a larger sign at some point. Although this is on US 51 in Beloit, maybe it's because of the driveway along side of it?



Not all of the crossings get elegant signs...



...but there's the wooden one a little up the road:

On that last example, the wooden sign is about 6 miles in from the border.

[CtrlAltDel]

...but there's the wooden one a little up the road:

On that last example, the wooden sign is about 6 miles in from the border.

It is farther than I thought it was, but it's only about 3 miles.

[triplemultiplex]

Street View shows this:

Fireworks stand immediately over the border.  Classic Wisconsin.

[mgk920]

I agree, put the fancier signs a bit 'in' from the actual line at the major crossings and the "KISS" ones directly at the line and at the more local crossings.  Maybe there should be a standard 'semi-fancy' state line sign in the MUTCD on the lines of the 'EU' standard style Schengen zone international border crossing signs.

Mike

[hbelkins]

Virginia has been doing the same on surface routes in the last couple years. US 33, US 48, and US 250 have had their fancier welcome signs replaced with simple green-on-white "Virginia" signs in the last couple years. Here's US 33, where you can see past designs by looking back through time: https://goo.gl/maps/BBTwkdQ5dZZgLzf5A

Just having the state name with nothing else is underwhelming. At least put a "Welcome to State" or something so it stands out.

On a number of secondary roads (and even some primary roads) Virginia will have something iike "Enter Lee County, Va., Leave Claiborne County, Tenn." on small green signs.

Tennessee just puts a "Tennessee State Line" sign on non-interstate routes.

Of course you're not really in Virginia until you're greeted by the "Radar Detectors Illegal" or "Speed Checked by Aircraft" white-on-black signs.

[The Ghostbuster]

Does anyone have any more photos of Welcome to Wisconsin signs along other border crossings from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, or Michigan?

[formulanone]

I agree, put the fancier signs a bit 'in' from the actual line at the major crossings and the "KISS" ones directly at the line and at the more local crossings.  Maybe there should be a standard 'semi-fancy' state line sign in the MUTCD on the lines of the 'EU' standard style Schengen zone international border crossing signs.

Mike

Fifty white stars in a circle with the two-letter abbreviation in the center?

Take that, EU!

Sincerely,

Estados Unidos

[JREwing78]

The plain green signs seem to be a newer deployment; the blue "Welcome to Wisconsin" signs with the state in green have been around quite a while.

[wriddle082]

I read that the Feds said the blue sign with the state cutout was noncompliant.

What is non-compliant about it?  Is it because of the shade of blue?  Because many other states have welcome signs in various shades of blue.  Is it because the state shape protrudes out from the rectangle?  Again, not the first sign to be like that.  I don't get it.  Anything has to be better than a plain BGS with nothing but "Wisconsin"  on it.  State pride is on the line here!

[Big John]

^^ I think it was the state cutout.  I agree that the Wisconsin sign is just plain boring.

[J N Winkler]

I think the state cutout might have been a compliance issue with NCHRP 350 rather than the MUTCD--the northern coastline is jagged and the Door County outline is potentially a nasty dagger.

In any event, WisDOT still uses a welcome sign that features the state outline in green with text legend in white on blue.  From the Sign Plate Manual:

*  I2-1 (approval date of January 24, 2002):



*  I2-1B (approval date of November 16, 2020):

[kphoger]

At more "minor"  crossings, there were blue "Welcome to Wisconsin"  signs with the shape of the state. Now it's just a plain green sign that says "Wisconsin"  when entering on a highway such as US 14, US 45, Wis 67, and Wis 80 to name a few places where there's just the green sign.

I think the state cutout might have been a compliance issue with NCHRP 350 rather than the MUTCD--the northern coastline is jagged and the Door County outline is potentially a nasty dagger.

Does NCHRP 350 apply to STH-67 and STH-80?

[J N Winkler]

Does NCHRP 350 apply to STH-67 and STH-80?

Yes.  WisDOT is applying NCHRP 350 standards to all state highways and state-let contracts, so besides WisDOT's own system, it should also apply to work it handles on city streets and county highways.

This said, I can't speak to WisDOT's reason for changing to I2-1 on STH 67 and STH 80 when it previously used the predecessor to I2-1B.  It may be that other criteria for the use of I2-1B were updated as well.

[kphoger]

Does NCHRP 350 apply to STH-67 and STH-80?

Yes.  WisDOT is applying NCHRP 350 standards to all state highways and state-let contracts, so besides WisDOT's own system, it should also apply to work it handles on city streets and county highways.

Well, that's what I get for only reading the first sentence of that paragraph before asking the question...

[JoePCool14]

Related to the topic of Wisconsin border crossing signs, the sign on the border for I-41/94 has been missing for a few years now I think. I've wanted to reach out to WisDOT to have them replace it, but I haven't gotten around to it (much like they haven't gotten around to reinstalling one).