Longest distance from exit ramp to control point city

[Duke87]

If we're talking distance signs, there are several transcontinental routes that have a sign at one end showing the distance to the other. Although, those are more for curiosity than practical information. Not too many people leaving Baltimore are driving to Cove Fort, I'd imagine.

[Jim]

There is a sign on AB 43 not all that far from the start of the Alaska Highway that has a control city of Alaska...never mind that's more than 1500 miles away just from the start of the Alaska Highway.

I'd link a pic, but it's not mine, and I don't want to cause trouble with a fellow roadgeek.

This one, perhaps?  It's in Grande Prairie (or was, at least, as of 2001).  About 80 miles from the start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, and about 1250 miles from the Alaska line.

[OracleUsr]

Yeah, that's the one.  I saw it on your site and the comment about how that was like showing "I-95 North, Maine" in Miami.

I'd be willing to bet it's still there.

[Sykotyk]

Sykotyk

[rickmastfan67]

Uniontown is a good 45 miles from here to it's Downtown on PA-51.  West Mifflin (because the Allegheny County Airport is located there) or Pleasant Hills would have made for a better control city IMO.

[agentsteel53]

and those awful US-19 shields show up again 

[rickmastfan67]

and those awful US-19 shields show up again 

LOL.  This is nothing compaired to some of the freak US Shields that are standalone here in the Pgh area.

[agentsteel53]

LOL.  This is nothing compaired to some of the freak US Shields that are standalone here in the Pgh area.

the ones that look like demented acorns?  I've seen them in Indiana too.  *shudder*

it's one thing to be lazy and use Arial, but who goes through the effort of making a terribly wrong shield, when the correct one is usually right there as a pattern-accurate diagram for anyone too lazy to work with the lengths and radii.

[rickmastfan67]

LOL.  This is nothing compaired to some of the freak US Shields that are standalone here in the Pgh area.

the ones that look like demented acorns?  I've seen them in Indiana too.  *shudder*

Yes sir, those are the ones.

[Ian]

Actually, earlier than that. This photo is from near Exit 60 of the Thruway.



http://www.millenniumhwy.net/2008_Buffalo_Day_2/Images/369.jpg

Ah yes, I forgot about those.

[Mr_Northside]

Sykotyk

Looks like they had to correct or revise the mileage to Ocean City.

and those awful US-19 shields show up again 

There's an equally awful one on the new signs for US-30 / Forest Hills.

[Scott5114]

Originally the mileage was incorrectly transposed as 3037; when someone pointed out the fact to Caltrans that a prior sign at that spot had said "3073", the greenout was installed.

[Revive 755]

I believe that ODOT's use of New York City as the control city for I-80 at Youngstown, OH is the longest in the Northeast (of course, VA using Miami on I-95 takes the cake for the entire country), and it's especially strange since New York is 3 states over (not in PA or NJ) and technically I-80 doesn't even go to NYC.  It's still pretty cool though.  It's 400 miles from Youngstown to New York City. 

There really isn't anything better to use as a control city.  I would prefer Pennsylvania to do the same instead of using a bunch of cities I've never really heard of and have to use a map to locate.

Now what' the longest distance for a control city on a non-interstate/90% freeway route?  US 41 has Terre Haute listed on I-64 at Evansville.

[tdindy88]

Northwest of Lafayette (Benton County I believe), there is a sign indicating Terre Haute and Evansville along with Lafayette, and then in Terre Haute there are signs indicating Chicago on US 41 north. Speaking of that I-64/US 41 interchange, there is a milage sign just north of there that shows Chicago as being 279 miles away. While it's likely not the longest for such a highway, it's long for Indiana standards. I kind of wonder if there is a similar sign up north in Lake County that shows the distance to Evansville.

[shoptb1]

There really isn't anything better to use as a control city.  I would prefer Pennsylvania to do the same instead of using a bunch of cities I've never really heard of and have to use a map to locate.

Believe me, I like it and wouldn't want to change it.  Every time I'm driving that stretch of I-80 across PA, I would rather not see Clarion or DuBois listed as control cities since it means nothing to me.

[CL]

(courtesy AA Roads)


Reno is listed in Salt Lake City, a full 526 miles away.

[SSOWorld]

(courtesy AA Roads)
[image]

Reno is listed in Salt Lake City, a full 526 miles away.

Reno does the same (list Salt Lake)

[agentsteel53]

yesterday I was in Raton, NM and noticed that the little green signs at the junction of business 25 and US-64/87 (where US-87 turns from south to east) say Amarillo, TX, which is about 215 miles.  That is quite the distance for a non-freeway route, though I am sure there is longer in Nevada.  

Where does US-95 start mentioning Las Vegas?  I know it mentions it in Tonopah (215 miles as well) - what about Hawthorne or even Winnemucca?  And in the other direction, what are the US-95 control cities heading out of Vegas?

for now the "Alaska" destination in Alberta takes the cake, though!  Impressive.  I hope to be there in March 

[mightyace]

There really isn't anything better to use as a control city.  I would prefer Pennsylvania to do the same instead of using a bunch of cities I've never really heard of and have to use a map to locate.

Believe me, I like it and wouldn't want to change it.  Every time I'm driving that stretch of I-80 across PA, I would rather not see Clarion or DuBois listed as control cities since it means nothing to me.

I have to disagree, but that is probably because my hometown of Bloomsburg is one of the control cities.  And, to me seeing, Milton then Bellefonte/Milesburg then Clearfield then Dubois then Clarion then Sharon westbound makes me feel like I'm making more progress than seeing Youngtown 245, 215, 185, etc.  The passenger traffic on 80 local focused and these make more sense than New York and Youngstown/Cleveland would.  Now, the truckers and my fellow road geeks, you know where you're going anyway. 

[Bryant5493]

On the access road from I-285 East or West to I-75 South (Southside), there's signage for Macon and Tampa.

Macon's about 80 miles, and Tampa's about 456 miles or so from this portion of Metro Atlanta.

Macon-Tampa signage (I-285 East to I-75 South)


Be well,

Bryant

[TheStranger]

I forgot this obvious ones that I've seen many times on US 101: Los Angeles signed southbound from northern San Jose, and San Francisco signed north from Ventura!

http://bit.ly/83u4m9 - ramp from westbound Route 126 to northbound US 101, 364 miles south of the first exit in San Francisco (and 369 miles from downtown)

http://bit.ly/552XqX - ramp from I-880 (Exit 4B) to US 101 (US 101 milepost 339) in San Jose, 312 miles from the first exit in Los Angeles (Woodland Hills) and about 336 miles from downtown Los Angeles

(This makes me wonder if San Jose one day (as it approaches 1 million residents) will become a more prominent long-distance northbound control city throughout the route between Ventura and Salinas...)

I-5 and Route 99 southbound are signed for Los Angeles at the ramps from I-80 in the Natomas district of Sacramento, about 361 miles north of the Los Angeles city limit at Sylmar/I-210, and 385 miles north of the I-5/Route 110 interchange near Dodger Stadium - http://bit.ly/749f5a

Northbound I-5 is signed from the ramps at Route 60's western terminus, located 379 miles south of the first Sacramento exit (Exit 512 - Route 160) and 385 miles south of the first downtown exit (Exit 518 - US 50/Business 80/Route 99 South) - http://bit.ly/67llEl

I-10 is signed for Los Angeles at the onramp from N 7th Avenue in central Phoenix (I-10 Exit 144A), 366 miles east of the Los Angeles city line - http://bit.ly/5uTKKk

Route 99 first receives northbound signage for Sacramento when Route 58 westbound merges onto it in Bakersfield, as seen here:
http://bit.ly/8sy08D

This is located about 265 miles south of the Sacramento city limits (at Calvine Road) and 276 miles from downtown.

Route 99 by itself first receives signage for Los Angeles southbound from Route 120 in Manteca, 326 miles from downtown Los Angeles and 300 miles from Sylmar.  (Years ago, Route 99 standalone was signed for Los Angeles as far north as Sacramento, with plenty of removed button copy labelscars as evidence.)
http://bit.ly/8qSKXb

[tdindy88]

In Las Vegas, US 95 lists Reno as its control city, with one sign also mentioning Tonopah. Likewise, to the south, Phoenix is mentioned as the control city from US 95 ans US 93 combined, even though it doesn't touch either of those highways, Needles seems to be the main one for south US 95. And then there's Salt Lake City and Los Angeles being mentioned as control cities, both several hundred miles away from Vegas.

[agentsteel53]

In Las Vegas, US 95 lists Reno as its control city, with one sign also mentioning Tonopah. Likewise, to the south, Phoenix is mentioned as the control city from US 95 ans US 93 combined, even though it doesn't touch either of those highways, Needles seems to be the main one for south US 95. And then there's Salt Lake City and Los Angeles being mentioned as control cities, both several hundred miles away from Vegas.

great, thanks for letting me know!

Vegas to Reno is 441 miles; that is quite the distance.  Vegas to Phoenix is 293 (via US-93) - also impressively long.

[OracleUsr]

On the access road from I-285 East or West to I-75 South (Southside), there's signage for Macon and Tampa.

Macon's about 80 miles, and Tampa's about 456 miles or so from this portion of Metro Atlanta.

Macon-Tampa signage (I-285 East to I-75 South)


Be well,

Bryant

IIRC, in Cobb County, near the Windy Hill Road Interchange, there's a similar one for the pull-through of I-75 coming southbound.

[shoptb1]

I have to disagree, but that is probably because my hometown of Bloomsburg is one of the control cities.  And, to me seeing, Milton then Bellefonte/Milesburg then Clearfield then Dubois then Clarion then Sharon westbound makes me feel like I'm making more progress than seeing Youngtown 245, 215, 185, etc.  The passenger traffic on 80 local focused and these make more sense than New York and Youngstown/Cleveland would.  Now, the truckers and my fellow road geeks, you know where you're going anyway. 

Of course, if you're familiar with the area and those locations, I can see how having them used as control cities has a local appeal....but as a counter-example, I'm not sure that I would want to see I-40 control cities in Arkansas listed as Fort Smith, Clarksville, Russellville, Conway, Little Rock, Loanoke, Brinkley, West Memphis, Memphis instead of just Fort Smith -> Little Rock -> Memphis.