States Ranked by Signage Quality

[csw]

I don't have a ton of experience with signage in states outside of Indiana and Illinois, but I think Michigan and Missouri are above average.

Michigan might be the grand champion of over-signing routes.  I swear some state trunklines have reassurance shields at every single cross-street.

And that's a bad thing..? 

[Max Rockatansky]

I don't have a ton of experience with signage in states outside of Indiana and Illinois, but I think Michigan and Missouri are above average.

Michigan might be the grand champion of over-signing routes.  I swear some state trunklines have reassurance shields at every single cross-street.

And that's a bad thing..? 

Sure is on M-22 with all the sign theft. 

[corco]

I can rank the west and plains pretty  well:

1. Idaho
2. Kansas
3. North Dakota
4. Texas
5. Arizona
6. Washington
7. Nebraska
8. Wyoming
9. Colorado
10. South Dakota
11. Nevada
12. Utah
13. Montana
14. Oregon
15. California
16. Oklahoma
17. New Mexico

[webny99]

I can rank the west and plains pretty  well:

1. Idaho

Any bias at all? 

Also, what's wrong with Montana and Oregon?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I don't have a ton of experience with signage in states outside of Indiana and Illinois, but I think Michigan and Missouri are above average.

Michigan might be the grand champion of over-signing routes.  I swear some state trunklines have reassurance shields at every single cross-street.

At the county level, Anoka County, MN is a little overzealous with its signage in some spots. You can pass several reassurance markers within a few hundred feet wherever multiple county roads quickly intersect the route you're on.

[21stCenturyRoad]

In my experience, Florida and Arizona has great signage.
California has a lot of old/worn out signage

[roadman]

Very rarely do they post Bridge Icing or equivalent signage.

Very rarely do bridges ice in Tennessee. I find "Bridge Ices Before Road" signs to be excessive, especially in PA. After the 18th bridge, we get the message.

My guess is that PA considers "Bridge Ices Before Road" signs to be both a warning to drivers and an advisory to plow operators that they're approaching a bridge (much like the "Plows Use Caution" signs in MA).

[corco]

I can rank the west and plains pretty  well:

1. Idaho

Any bias at all? 

Also, what's wrong with Montana and Oregon?

Nope, Idaho's signage is consistently excellent - all state highways are signed consistently, errors are few and far between, signage is legible and well produced, and so forth. I've lived all over the west as an adult - just because I live in Idaho now does not mean I'm biased towards it.

Oregon has a lot of peeling legend, weird control cities, inconsistent signage from region to region,  and some state highways are poorly signed or unsigned. The criticism of Montana is much the same (except the control city issue) - though I tend to find Montana signage more aesthetically pleasing.

[webny99]

I've lived all over the west as an adult - just because I live in Idaho now does not mean I'm biased towards it.

Of course. Hence the 
I just found the combination mildly amusing, and since I'm making a list to summarize, I decided to be safe and make sure you weren't joking (I've never been to Idaho).

Oregon has a lot of peeling legend, weird control cities, inconsistent signage from region to region,  and some state highways are poorly signed or unsigned. The criticism of Montana is much the same (except the control city issue) - though I tend to find Montana signage more aesthetically pleasing.

I've never been to Oregon, but many of those issues sound similar to issues I have with PA signage - flimsy looking (because extruded panels), old and faded at times, weird fonts, etc. I never noticed any of those things in Montana, but I've only visited one region so I can't comment on consistency.

[formulanone]

I think this works better in tiers, although your mileage by vary based on interpretation of "quality". Everyone is going to see a stinker or two, and maybe that's what you'll remember. Or maybe you like a little variety, stuff that bends the rules a little, or good 'ol legacy stuff.

I'll just rate the ones I've spent at least 10 days at.

Paragon Park - you can set your watch to these examples, but they're also rather repetitive
North Carolina, Texas, Michigan, Kansas, Iowa

Anonymous Majority - usually in same tier as above, but a little variety doesn't hurt and we all goof up a bit
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, South Carolina, Indiana, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, New Hampshire

Tale of Two Control Cities - when it's good, it's awesome...when it's bad, it's probably just inconsistent (see below on a bad day)
Florida, New York, Maine, Kentucky, California, Connecticut, Ohio, Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Maryland

What Happens In Vagueness - stays in vagueness...could improve; on a good day, any of these jump up a level
Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia

Department of Public Worsts - inconsistent at most anything
New Mexico, Georgia, Rhode Island, Oklahoma

[Eth]

I'm not gonna try to claim that Georgia's signage is great or anything, but I admit surprise at seeing it consistently showing up around the likes of Oklahoma and New Mexico in here. Not all of our signs are APLs.

[MNHighwayMan]

I'm not gonna try to claim that Georgia's signage is great or anything, but I admit surprise at seeing it consistently showing up around the likes of Oklahoma and New Mexico in here. Not all of our signs are APLs.

It's so good that you get a free state route with every US Route!

[jp the roadgeek]

I'm just amazed at how much better signage gets when I cross the border from CT into MA or NY.  CT's remaining reflective button copy looks like something out of the 1960's with the non-painted backgrounds on US and state shields.  Where it is worn out, it is downright illegible at night.  While highway lighting is extensive in urban areas, reflectors in rural areas leave much to be desired. NY and MA signage is clean looking, very reflective, and legible (except for some areas of NYC).   Looking for a milepost on a highway whose signage hasn't been upgraded?  Good luck.  By contrast, NY and (especially) MA do a great job with mileposting their highway system, even on non-limited access highways.  And so many signage errors (CT 6 signs all over the place on I-84 in the Hartford area, CT 202 signage on a new sign replacement contract), and omissions of mentioning a duplex in places (no mention of US 6 on I-84 in the Hartford area on BGS's either on the highway itself or on entrances or exits from another highway).  By contrast, MA and New York do a great job of signing duplexes. 

[formulanone]

I'm not gonna try to claim that Georgia's signage is great or anything, but I admit surprise at seeing it consistently showing up around the likes of Oklahoma and New Mexico in here. Not all of our signs are APLs.

Their shields are usually kind of misaligned and uneven. Road quality and safety is pretty good on most numbered routes (take a hint, Alabama).

[PHLBOS]

And so many signage errors (CT 6 signs all over the place on I-84 in the Hartford area, CT 202 signage on a new sign replacement contract)

MA has its share incorrect route shields here and there as well; including MA 202 shields for US 202 (see Belchertown).

[webny99]

So far, we have the following:

Definite top ten: Kansas, Vermont, Idaho
Definite above-average: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Maryland, Arizona, Florida
Controversial/around average: Tennessee, Pennsylvania
Definite below-average: California, Louisiana
Definite bottom ten: Oklahoma, New Mexico

[Pink Jazz]

Here is how I rank some:

Excellent:

• Arizona
• Florida

Good:

• Texas
• Virginia

Average:

• Nevada

Poor:

• California
• New Mexico

Bad:

• Puerto Rico

[Avalanchez71]

Kansas, Tennessee, and Wisconsin belong up top.

The problem with Tennessee is that the surface business routes are not signed very well.

[Avalanchez71]

New Mexico is probably the grand champion of bad, but really it is the whole highway system as a whole.  California is bad due to inconsistent signing among each district, it gets even worse on the Signed County Route level.  There a ton of Signs in California from decades ago given the huge amount of button copy still around.  Florida, Michigan, Arizona, and Minnesota has the best signage levels I've seen.  Wisconsin is probably the strangest with all the wooden single piece signs.

California does a lousy job with signing Interstate Business Loops off the interstate.  They usually just have those dinky banners that say Route 5 Business.

[Avalanchez71]

Very rarely do they post Bridge Icing or equivalent signage.

Very rarely do bridges ice in Tennessee. I find "Bridge Ices Before Road" signs to be excessive, especially in PA. After the 18th bridge, we get the message.

I have driven on a few iced bridges in Tennessee.

[Avalanchez71]

So far, we have the following:

Definite top ten: Kansas, Vermont, Idaho
Definite above-average: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Maryland, Arizona, Florida
Controversial/around average: Tennessee, Pennsylvania
Definite below-average: California, Louisiana
Definite bottom ten: Oklahoma, New Mexico

Florida seems to do a good job by county.  I would say signage in Miami-Dade County is inconsistent.  The state also doesn't do a good job marking county roads off of state highways either.  CR 5A is not marked anywhere but it is on the FL DOT map.  Copans RD was marked at one time but I don't think it is anymore.

[Eth]

The state also doesn't do a good job marking county roads off of state highways either.  CR 5A is not marked anywhere but it is on the FL DOT map.  Copans RD was marked at one time but I don't think it is anymore.

I wonder if this varies from district to district. They seem to be pretty good at it in the Panhandle, for instance, based on what I've seen.

[Rothman]

Doesn't VT have the mismash of green and black state route shields?  Why definitely the top?

[Brian556]

Ive said this before... Tennessee is one of the worst.
Reasons:
1. US Highway Shields omitted from BGS at multiple locations around
Chattanooga
2. Signage on non-interstate roads beaten, tattered, and torn.
3. Improper signage. Signage that should be there is not.
4. Stop signs left up after signals installed. Seen two instances of this myself.
5. No bridge may ice signs. Everybody else has them, so TN should too
6. They allow small towns to set speed limits on state highways that are way too low, even on rural sections. They allow the towns to post the small 18x24 speed limit signs, which is wrong

The multiplexes around Chattanooga are well signed. I will give them that.

Oklahoma:
Postitves: Basically all state maintained signs are in good condition. Large stop signs at basically all state highway/state highway intersections
Negative: BGS format issues. Shoddy signing of relocated US 62 on I-44 and on the west end

[US 89]

So far, we have the following:

Definite top ten: Kansas, Vermont, Idaho
Definite above-average: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Maryland, Arizona, Florida
Controversial/around average: Tennessee, Pennsylvania
Definite below-average: California, Louisiana
Definite bottom ten: Oklahoma, New Mexico

I’d put Utah probably near the bottom of the “average” category. Often the wrong font is used on BGSs, and there are several different variations of the beehive SR shield in common use. Also, concurrency signage is pretty bad. But otherwise, the signage looks good, and new interstate shields are all state-named.