Unique, Odd, or Interesting Signs aka The good, the bad, and the ugly

[kurumi]

Both lanes may turn both ways:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1640019,-118.4749181,3a,75y,262.9h,76.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6dkxuUqko1_haPlhLk31Gw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

US 101 exit onto Haskell Ave in Sherman Oaks, CA (Los Angeles).  Both NB and SB exits bring you to the same point.  For LA, this is one of the lowest volume exits on a freeway, probably the lowest in the SFV.  Still, this could be somewhat dangerous.  It seems as though they should probably remove one of the exits.

Whoa, trippy!

And all those white bollards... I wonder if access to Hartsook St was closed off before, during , or after the ramps being opened. Each ramp being able to go left, right, or straight.

[ClassicHasClass]

Yeah, that looks like an accommodation because of the blocked street. I would bet the turning movements were more restricted prior.

[roadfro]

Both lanes may turn both ways:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1640019,-118.4749181,3a,75y,262.9h,76.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6dkxuUqko1_haPlhLk31Gw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

US 101 exit onto Haskell Ave in Sherman Oaks, CA (Los Angeles).  Both NB and SB exits bring you to the same point.  For LA, this is one of the lowest volume exits on a freeway, probably the lowest in the SFV.  Still, this could be somewhat dangerous.  It seems as though they should probably remove one of the exits.

Whoa, trippy!

Also at that intersection, There is signage for both US-101 NORTH and US-101 WEST!

This is an unusual configuration–I've never seen something like this before.

The bigger question to me is that these ramps are right in the middle of a clearly residential area. So why do any of the ramps exist in the first place? It seems like you wouldn't want to have freeway ramps exit right into a neighborhood, especially since it's over half a mile (with several stop signs at that) to the nearest major road, Ventura Blvd. I can kinda see that maybe it's a way for I-405 SB traffic to get to Ventura Blvd–there's a slip exit on the SB US 101 to SB I-405 merge that is I-405 SB is blocked from using–but that doesn't seem to be signed in any way. Maybe there's historical context I'm not aware of...

[D-Dey65]

Here is one for you guys:

https://goo.gl/maps/QzLSUgMyJ6AEEzxr7

This sign tells you all you need to know about driving in Pittsburgh.

I was just in Pittsburgh this past week, and saw one of these when getting on I-376 heading towards the Turnpike. Merging in Pittsburgh is quite the adventure.

I had to zoom out and play around with the thing just to see what MCRoads was talking about. That link was like having your face directly on the pavement!

[MCRoads]

Here is one for you guys:

https://goo.gl/maps/QzLSUgMyJ6AEEzxr7

This sign tells you all you need to know about driving in Pittsburgh.

I was just in Pittsburgh this past week, and saw one of these when getting on I-376 heading towards the Turnpike. Merging in Pittsburgh is quite the adventure.

I had to zoom out and play around with the thing just to see what MCRoads was talking about. That link was like having your face directly on the pavement!

Yeah, I am not sure how these links work, but sometimes they work better than others.

[hotdogPi]

Here is one for you guys:

https://goo.gl/maps/QzLSUgMyJ6AEEzxr7

This sign tells you all you need to know about driving in Pittsburgh.

I was just in Pittsburgh this past week, and saw one of these when getting on I-376 heading towards the Turnpike. Merging in Pittsburgh is quite the adventure.

I had to zoom out and play around with the thing just to see what MCRoads was talking about. That link was like having your face directly on the pavement!

Yeah, I am not sure how these links work, but sometimes they work better than others.

I think it's desktop/laptop (works) vs. mobile (points at ground).

[J N Winkler]

I think it's desktop/laptop (works) vs. mobile (points at ground).

I don't think that's the reason, or at any rate all of it--I'm on a laptop and got pavement.

[hotdogPi]

I think it's desktop/laptop (works) vs. mobile (points at ground).

I don't think that's the reason, or at any rate all of it--I'm on a laptop and got pavement.

Desktop/mobile of whoever created the link, not of your own device.

[kphoger]

I think it's desktop/laptop (works) vs. mobile (points at ground).

I don't think that's the reason, or at any rate all of it--I'm on a laptop and got pavement.

Desktop/mobile of whoever created the link, not of your own device.

Correct.

[mrsman]

Both lanes may turn both ways:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1640019,-118.4749181,3a,75y,262.9h,76.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s6dkxuUqko1_haPlhLk31Gw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

US 101 exit onto Haskell Ave in Sherman Oaks, CA (Los Angeles).  Both NB and SB exits bring you to the same point.  For LA, this is one of the lowest volume exits on a freeway, probably the lowest in the SFV.  Still, this could be somewhat dangerous.  It seems as though they should probably remove one of the exits.

Whoa, trippy!

Also at that intersection, There is signage for both US-101 NORTH and US-101 WEST!

This is an unusual configuration–I've never seen something like this before.

The bigger question to me is that these ramps are right in the middle of a clearly residential area. So why do any of the ramps exist in the first place? It seems like you wouldn't want to have freeway ramps exit right into a neighborhood, especially since it's over half a mile (with several stop signs at that) to the nearest major road, Ventura Blvd. I can kinda see that maybe it's a way for I-405 SB traffic to get to Ventura Blvd–there's a slip exit on the SB US 101 to SB I-405 merge that is I-405 SB is blocked from using–but that doesn't seem to be signed in any way. Maybe there's historical context I'm not aware of...

I'll try to answer as best as I can, but there are some real experts on CA highway history who frequent the Pac SW forum may have additional information.

First, the direction of US 101.  US 101 nationally, as well as statewide in CA, is N/S and officially it is N/S.  Caltrans signs will use north/south exclusively.  US 101 is also known as the Ventura Freeway.  The Ventura Freeway is basically E/W in compass direction.  CA 134 is also part of the Ventura Freeway and the full Ventura Freeway from I-210/CA-134 interchange in Pasadena to the city of Ventura is absolutely E-W.  So it is also appropriate to note the on-ramp as being an on-ramp to the westbound Ventura Freeway, and historically there were signs that said this, but would largely leave out the 101 shield since it would be confusing (WB Ventura Fwy, but NB US 101?). 

To my chagrin, and probably many other CA-native roadgeeks, Caltrans is deemphasizing the historic names of the freeways and replacing the names with the numbers alone.  So they (generally) do not refer to the freeway as the Ventura Fwy, but rather solely as the 101.  The use of the definite article "the" is absolutely a common idiom in Southern CA, and it makes sense as a direct replacement of "the Ventura Freeway" with "the 101".  (This idiom does generally irk people who are not native to SoCal.  As I now live in MD, I am pretty good in not using "the" for some of the local highways like I-95 and I-270, but US 101, will always be "the 101" to me.)

OK, so if you have some signs with Ventura Fwy west, and you take away "Ventura Fwy" you are left with just west.  What do you replace it with, US 101 of course!  So you do get to see plenty of signs that also say US 101 East/West, most of those are created by the city of Los Angeles.  You will see plenty of those signs around:

Example:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.1592295,-118.4486466,3a,75y,203.42h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFp4XYHYvaIeBtmrYkgiemw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

(IIRC the US 101 shield was added later to the sign, but it clearly uses E/W directions)

Second issue Hartsook Street.  At one time, Hartsook St did connect to this intersection.  THe white posts and the trees were designed to prevent thru traffic from the off ramps into the neighborhood.  When that occurred and waht the old directions were on the off-ramps, I do not recall.

Third issue residential neighborhood.  There are plenty of off-ramps and on-ramps on residential streets in the LA area.  The ramps were put in where it was feasible to put them in, and probably to reduce right of way acquisition.  In fact, there was also a nearby on-ramp as well to the US 101 SB, but that was removed years ago.

See:  https://cahighways.org/wordpress/?p=8768

Here's an example of an existing off-ramp to Melrose Ave from US 101 SB.  It dumps you onto a residential street, Ardmore Ave.  No plans to close this exit, to my knowledge.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0851165,-118.3016886,3a,75y,181.51h,78.93t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfaqoowSP04kluyh7mXSwCg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

My guess is that this interchange was place here due to the 405 construction.  The 101 is the older of the two freeways.  There are currently EB on ramp and WB off ramps to Sepulveda Blvd, but likely there was a full diamond here prior to the construction of I-405. 
I suppose the Haskell onramps and offramps were constructed to maintain access to the 101 (especially WB) for the local area.  As it is, given the current configuration of ramps, SB I-405 traffic cannot easily reach Ventura Blvd.  Only EB US 101 traffic to the 405 SB transition road can reach the exit onto Ventura Blvd and SHerman Oaks Ave near the Marriott.  If you are on SB 405, I guess you take US 101 west to Haskell and take that to Ventura.  Unfortunately, the presence of this exit and entrance means that you have very little distance if you take that SB 405 to WB 101 ramp to actually merge onto the 101.  It is too short for such an important freeway to freeway move.

[KEVIN_224]

https://goo.gl/maps/8MWwkVdfP6dACKCP9

This is got to be the shortest distance through a town ever.  Enter Phillipsburg, and then go a very short distance and enter a new community.

I-84 at the Connecticut/Massachusetts state line: You go through maybe a couple hundred feet of Holland in Hampden Coounty, then hit the town line for Sturbridge in Worcester County. In about 10 seconds, it's Union, CT...Holland, MA...Sturbridge, MA.

[mrsman]

I made a post in Pac SW asking more about the 101/Haskell interchange here:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=28546.msg2572851#msg2572851

As always, more nuggets of highway history have been added by the local posters there.

I did want to add that about 5 miles south, there was a long time exit to another local street, I-405 to Waterford St.  This exit was there from the freeway's construction but was removed about 10 years ago, largely due to the complaints of traffic by people in the neighborhood.  Waterford is a particularly hard entrance/exit to reach and required a lot of meandering in a local neighborhood, which is probably why Caltrans removed first the off-ramp and then the on-ramp over the years. 

With enough complaints by the local Sherman Oaks/Encino populace perhaps they can close Haskell Ave ramps as well.  IMO, the ramps aren't really necessary as the general area can be reached by other --

a) off-ramps: US 101 SB to Balboa, US 101 SB to I-405 and then to Ventura Blvd, US 101 SB to Van Nuys, US 101 NB to Sepulveda, US 101 NB to Hayvenhurst, 405 NB to Ventura or Burbank, 405 SB to Burbank or Valley Vista

and b) on-ramps: US 101 north from Balboa, US 101 north from Van Nuys, 405 S to 101 N from Burbank Blvd, 405 N to 101 N from Sepulveda/Greenleaf just south of Ventura

Of all of these, especially if the ultimate destination is the corner of Haskell and Ventura, the  405 SB off ramp to Valley Vista is the closest.  You can make a right turn there and Valley Vista will lead you directly to Hakell.  Likewise, the closest on-ramp would be at Sepulveda/Greenleaf and allows traffic onto both directions of 101 as well as 405 NB.

Plus, if the Haskell offramps were removed, there might be a chance to make it easier to merge from 405SB to 101 NB.

[roadman65]

Though Alabama's ARCD shields are pretty neat altogether, this particular assembly is on the only solo part of I-22 that is not concurrent with US 78 near Coalburg, AL.

[ErmineNotyours]

New Mexico:

In a dust storm

Pull off roadway

Turn vehicle off

Feet off breaks

Stay buckled

[kphoger]

New Mexico:

In a dust storm

Pull off roadway

Turn vehicle off

Feet off breaks

Stay buckled

[zachary_amaryllis]

i don't know that this is good... or ugly.. but it seems 'bad' to me.

https://goo.gl/maps/yuYMyr2J1FXuePcJ7

the road we're on is us 50, just east of canon city. the sign in question is the 'be prepared to stop when flashing'. this road is speed limit 65...  looking at where this sign is in relation to the intersection, its a tough trick to stop, especially if you're right at the sign when it goes on. it will start flashing a few seconds before the light changes to yellow. this is apparently about to happen, since we can see its flashing. a lot of intersections on this road have really long skidmarks before them. this seems to be a older picture, since the last time i was through here,the light had the FYA for the left turn.

[kphoger]

i don't know that this is good... or ugly.. but it seems 'bad' to me.

https://goo.gl/maps/yuYMyr2J1FXuePcJ7

the road we're on is us 50, just east of canon city. the sign in question is the 'be prepared to stop when flashing'. this road is speed limit 65...  looking at where this sign is in relation to the intersection, its a tough trick to stop, especially if you're right at the sign when it goes on. it will start flashing a few seconds before the light changes to yellow. this is apparently about to happen, since we can see its flashing. a lot of intersections on this road have really long skidmarks before them. this seems to be a older picture, since the last time i was through here,the light had the FYA for the left turn.

Looks fine to me.  The MUTCD calls for 475 feet, and I measure it to be approximately 742 feet on Google Maps.

[ethanhopkin14]

New Mexico:

In a dust storm

Pull off roadway

Turn vehicle off

Feet off breaks

Stay buckled

Actually this one is pretty tame for New Mexico.  When traveling I-10 west across New Mexico, they get so often that it gets silly.  I said to my wife, "What do we do in a dust storm?"

[Jim]

Part of one series of New Mexico dust storm warnings that existed on I-10 back in 2003 can be found on this page:

https://www.teresco.org/pics/az-20030912-14/14/i10nm.html

[noelbotevera]

I see Detroit has seceded from Michigan, joining the state of Chicago.

[kphoger]

I see Detroit has seceded from Michigan, joining the state of Chicago.

No comma.

[webny99]

I see Detroit has seceded from Michigan, joining the state of Chicago.

Actually, if there was a vertical line between Detroit and Chicago, I wouldn't mind that at all. You could even put EAST in one top corner and WEST in the other.

[ethanhopkin14]

I see Detroit has seceded from Michigan, joining the state of Chicago.

Actually, if there was a vertical line between Detroit and Chicago, I wouldn't mind that at all. You could even put EAST in one top corner and WEST in the other.

This also ties into another thread about control cities skipping entire states. 

[noelbotevera]

I see Detroit has seceded from Michigan, joining the state of Chicago.

Actually, if there was a vertical line between Detroit and Chicago, I wouldn't mind that at all. You could even put EAST in one top corner and WEST in the other.

Something like this is what I thought of - as it stands, it seems Detroit and Chicago have merged into one supermegalopolis.

And while we're at it, have I found some distant relative to David Bowie?

[rellis97]

I see Detroit has seceded from Michigan, joining the state of Chicago.

Typically, MDOT uses a hyphen (-) to separate control cities (or destinations) in opposite directions of travel. In this case, it should read "Detroit - Chicago". I also never understood why MDOT uses "Chicago" for the westbound control city. Cities such as Ann Arbor, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor / St. Joseph would be sufficient to use while within Michigan. The same goes for eastbound travel where MDOT uses "Detroit" for the entire I-94 corridor into Detroit, with a few exceptions.