WISDOT freeway highway sign/shield size inconsistencies

[peterj920]

This is a large Wisconsin state shield used on a freeway BGS for some 3 digit state highways.  This sign was installed in September of 2016  However,



Here is the sign for Wis 172 placed in the same month.  A 2 digit shield was used for Wis 172, with the County AAA sign appearing larger despite Wis 172 having more stature and is the busiest state highway in Green Bay.  In Appleton, there are similar smaller Wis 441 signs placed on the new BGS on I-41 and along the US 10/Wis 441 project.  Since these signs are being placed at the same time, why is Wis 310 getting a bigger sign than the busier Wis 172 and Wis 441?   



In years past, US highway shields in Wisconsin were the same size for 2 and 3 digit shields since US 141 and US 151 were the only 3 digit US highways, and 1's do not take up much space on a sign so it was easy to fit the numbers in.  Along I-43 in Manitowoc, longer US highway shields appeared for US 151.  Similar larger shields have also been placed in the Beaver Dam area and Madison.  However, the new US 141 signs have the smaller shields. 

It may not be something that many people notice, but I would like to know why WISDOT is inconsistent with highway shields on freeway signs, and why they are moving to make them smaller on important roads such as Wis 172 and Wis 441 while keeping them large on less traveled roads such as Wis 310?  I'm guessing they want to make US 151 more visible because the larger shields are exclusive to US 151.

[GeekJedi]

I think you're overthinking it. WisDOT doesn't make the signs - contractors do. You'd need to check the plans that WisDOT submitted in the project letting to see if the sign size was intentional, or simply sloppy work by the contractor (which is almost always the case).

[peterj920]

I think you're overthinking it. WisDOT doesn't make the signs - contractors do. You'd need to check the plans that WisDOT submitted in the project letting to see if the sign size was intentional, or simply sloppy work by the contractor (which is almost always the case).

Odds are the signs came from Badger State Industries, where prisoners make the signs.  I have a catalog below, they pretty much make every kind of traffic sign that is out there.

http://buybsi.com/images/PDF/HighwayandTraffic.pdf

[DaBigE]

I think you're overthinking it. WisDOT doesn't make the signs - contractors do. You'd need to check the plans that WisDOT submitted in the project letting to see if the sign size was intentional, or simply sloppy work by the contractor (which is almost always the case).

Odds are the signs came from Badger State Industries, where prisoners make the signs.  I have a catalog below, they pretty much make every kind of traffic sign that is out there.

http://buybsi.com/images/PDF/HighwayandTraffic.pdf

Odds are against it. That catalog only has a couple signs that could fall in the "BGS" category (or Type I, by WisDOT nomenclature), and they're not the ones in your photos. Commercial vendors such as Decker, TAPCO, and a few others that escape my memory at the moment make the Type I signs. If you're ever in Madison, you can see quite a few freeway signs waiting to ship in Decker's yard by the [soon to be] old Oscar Meyer plant.

As for the shield variance, it's been happening for years (decades?). There's a variety of shield widths for US 151 near the I39/90/94 interchange in Madison.

I find it ironic that the BSI version of the STH shield is not designed to WisDOT spec.

[peterj920]

I haven't seen the wide US shields until a few years ago in Madison and Beaver Dam.  They are only for US 151 since they haven't been used on US 141.  In years past, the wide shields were used on all 3 digit state routes and still are today, with the odd exception of Wis 172 and Wis 441.  Replacement signs are being replaced with the wider shields, mainly "as is" but brand new signs are opted for the narrower shields.  I don't understand this since those are the 2 most important 3 digit state highways and they should have the best signage. 

On another note, I believe that the only wide state highway marker not on a BGS is the Wis 794 ends sign in Milwaukee that was installed last year unless anyone can find one elsewhere in the state. 

[DaBigE]

I don't understand this since those are the 2 most important 3 digit state highways and they should have the best signage. 

Again...

I think you're overthinking it. WisDOT doesn't make the signs - contractors do. You'd need to check the plans that WisDOT submitted in the project letting to see if the sign size was intentional, or simply sloppy work by the contractor (which is almost always the case).

That's how places like Schofield, Rothschild, and Allenton all had incorrectly spelled BGS. It has zero to do with the "importance" of the highway and virtually 100% to do with lousy QA/QC.