VMS destination/travel time labels

[TheStranger]

One thing I've noticed over time - at least in California - is the variance in what IS exactly used as the "target destinations" for the VMS projections.

For instance...

Southbound on the Bayshore Freeway/US 101 towards the Alemany Maze and I-280, you get the following destinations:

SFO
Route 92
Daly City

(Later, southbound, the time-to-travel to reach Route 92 and Route 84 is marked)

Northbound however (around 3rd Street/Bayshore Boulevard) is much less specific:

Downtown
Berkeley
Oakland (if I'm not mistaken)

It seems like the former is a little bit more pinpoint, the latter a little more general.   Where exactly in "downtown" is the projected destination?  (Last night, the signage suggested 20 minutes to downtown, via 101/80...but I took 280 north and made it there in about half that time or less)  IMO, "Interstate 80" would be a better destination choice than "downtown" for clarity, given how important that interchange with the Skyway and Central Freeway is.

I recall the Los Angeles area is much more specific and uses junctions consistently for time projections.

How is this handled in other areas?

[hobsini2]

In Chicagoland, it varies from hwy to hwy.
For instance, on I-55 NB from I-80, there are 4 such signs. One after US 30, one after IL 83, one before IL 171 1st Ave and one after Pulaski Rd. The one after US 30 almost never gives a travel time but will tell you if there is congestion ahead. The one after 83 gives time to Harlem Ave (IL 43) and the Dan Ryan Expy (I-90/94). The last 2 give only the time to Dan Ryan Expy.
One the Tollway System (which i find much more useful) the signs are before junctions with other interstates and will tell you the time to a point one direction via the junctioning interstate, a point the opposite way on that interstate, and a junction on the tollway after the junction. So For instance on I-355 NB at 63rd St/Hobson Rd it says Aurora (The Aurora Toll Plaza) via 88, Downtown (Chicago) via 88 OR I-294 via 88, and Army Trail (Toll Plaza).

[roadfro]

In the Las Vegas area, VMSs on I-15 & US 95 (as well as dedicated travel time BBSs on I-215 coming online soon) display travel time to specific interchanges.

For example, a VMS on I-15 NB at the 215 interchange gives travel times to Spring Mtn, US 95 & Craig Rd. A different sign further north gives times to US 95, Craig Rd & US 95/Ann Road (via US 95 north).

[thenetwork]

In Colorado, I-70 will place only the travel times on VMSs between Vail and Metro Denver, occasionally alternating between the travel times and some other message (i.e. WATCH FOR ROCKS ON ROAD). 

CDOT is pretty good & consistent with putting a destination/mileage sign off the right shoulder after nearly every exit, at least on I-70 west of Denver, which probably explains the lack of mileage on the VMSs.

[6a]

Columbus uses junctions - sometimes giving a couple options to get to the same general area

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    MINUTES TO:
I-71     11 MI    11
I-71 ON I-670     11

sometimes it's the time to and through town

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     MINUTES TO:
I-70     8 MI      8
1-270   21 MI     21

or just times to a main junction in popular directions

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    MINUTES TO:
I-71 ON I-70 W      8
1-670 ON I-270 N   11

[bassoon1986]

DFW puts only major freeways for the most part. On 35/35E from Denton south it only says "____ minutes to" and the designations going south are bush turnpike, I-635, I-30 and I-20.  Although heading north I'm pretty sure I've seen FM 1171, which is the Main St. exit in Lewisville

[The High Plains Traveler]

In Colorado, I-70 will place only the travel times on VMSs between Vail and Metro Denver, occasionally alternating between the travel times and some other message (i.e. WATCH FOR ROCKS ON ROAD). 

CDOT is pretty good & consistent with putting a destination/mileage sign off the right shoulder after nearly every exit, at least on I-70 west of Denver, which probably explains the lack of mileage on the VMSs.

On I-25, there are VMS giving travel times to Denver from as far south as Colorado Springs. There are both fixed signs and VMS, which give travel times unless there are more urgent items to post. The destinations from that far south are U.S. 85 (Castle Rock) and C-470, with I-225 showing up as you travel further north; southbound, there are signs close to Denver that give times to Academy Blvd. in Colorado Springs - but unfortunately they don't tell you whether it's the North or South Academy exit. That's the difference between Exit 150 and Exit 135. (I think it's the north exit). About the furthest south exit shown is U.S. 24 west.

The drive time displayed is calculated from tracking vehicles that have transponders for the E-470 toll road.

[SSOWorld]

In Chicagoland, it varies from hwy to hwy.
For instance, on I-55 NB from I-80, there are 4 such signs. One after US 30, one after IL 83, one before IL 171 1st Ave and one after Pulaski Rd. The one after US 30 almost never gives a travel time but will tell you if there is congestion ahead. The one after 83 gives time to Harlem Ave (IL 43) and the Dan Ryan Expy (I-90/94). The last 2 give only the time to Dan Ryan Expy.
One the Tollway System (which i find much more useful) the signs are before junctions with other interstates and will tell you the time to a point one direction via the junctioning interstate, a point the opposite way on that interstate, and a junction on the tollway after the junction. So For instance on I-355 NB at 63rd St/Hobson Rd it says Aurora (The Aurora Toll Plaza) via 88, Downtown (Chicago) via 88 OR I-294 via 88, and Army Trail (Toll Plaza).

Code Select Expand

15  MINUTES
TO CIRCLE

Such a lovely sign.

Milwaukee has freeway times to busy interchanges, problem is, unless you know your way around - you won't know what this means.  (first one could be less than second)

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FREEWAY TIME TO
  HWY 100 15 MIN
LAYTON AVE 10 MIN

from I-43 downtown, HWY 100 can be reached on the west or the south.

[achilles765]

Here in Houston it seems to depend on which freeway, but generally it's been to major junctions.  So on IH 10 heading west you'd see

"Travel Time To IH 610 8 minutes at 4:55"
or "Travel Time to Barker Cypress"

Lately I have been seeing two destinations used more like "10 mins to downtown; 15 mins to SH 288"

[Eth]

In Atlanta, the signs usually show just one destination, reading something like:

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NORTH AVE / EXIT 249D
    8 MILES AHEAD
TRAVEL TIME  8-10 MIN

IIRC, most of the destinations listed on these signs are for surface roads, not other freeways.

When approaching a freeway, you'll instead get this sign (wording may be slightly off):

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I-285 SPEEDS:
NORTH 55+ MPH
SOUTH 55+ MPH

[MASTERNC]

PennDOT started the following VMS messages in Philly.  Unfortunately they're not always running when there's congestion

Avg Travel Time To
US 1 (5 mi)  9 min
I-676 (9 mi) 16 min

[myosh_tino]

Caltrans has a new travel information website that displays highway speeds, CHP incidents (accidents), chain controls.  There's also an option to show which VMSes are currently in use and view what those signs display by clicking on the VMS icon.  For the S.F. Bay Area, the majority of the VMSes are used to display travel times.

The website is... http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/