Sine salad

[ErmineNotyours]

Before I had sites like this, if I wanted to appreciate wild signage I had to look at pictures in books like this.  This is from The Engineer, a Life Magazine book from 1966.  The text says that arrays like this are being phased out, but judging from this thread, not so much.

Now thanks to the magic of Google Street View, I can find the current site and see if they did in fact improve the signage.  Armed with nothing but the routes in the pictures, and no knowledge of Ohio geography, I found the location.  They've placed the directional signs on the intersection itself, eliminating some clutter.

Page grab from The Engineer, a Life Magazine book from 1966. by Arthur Allen, on Flickr

[PurdueBill]

The caption referring to the location as being in "central Ohio" certainly doesn't help if you were to start looking from scratch.  No one around the location of that photo would say they are in central Ohio!  (Also, the complaints in the text about drivers at 50 or 60 trying to read those signs is funny when they are at an intersection involving roads posted with 35 mph limits visible right in the photo!)

[davmillar]

Saw one on my way home from work. Courtesy of Google Street View.

[cjk374]

Saw one on my way home from work. Courtesy of Google Street View.

An interstate that changes cardinal directions in a 90° fashion. Interesting. I remember a thread talking about that a couple of years ago, but no time to search it right now.

[PHLBOS]

Saw one on my way home from work. Courtesy of Google Street View.

An interstate that changes cardinal directions in a 90° fashion. Interesting. I remember a thread talking about that a couple of years ago, but no time to search it right now.

Such is common for 3-dis that are on full beltways like I-695 in the Baltimore area and I-270 in the Columbus (OH) area.  The only difference between those and the I-820 example in the Fort Worth area is that the entire beltway isn't I-820; the southern portion is I-20.

[bzakharin]

Saw one on my way home from work. Courtesy of Google Street View.

An interstate that changes cardinal directions in a 90° fashion. Interesting. I remember a thread talking about that a couple of years ago, but no time to search it right now.

Such is common for 3-dis that are on full beltways like I-695 in the Baltimore area and I-270 in the Columbus (OH) area.  The only difference between those and the I-820 example in the Fort Worth area is that the entire beltway isn't I-820; the southern portion is I-20.

With 695 it's kind of hard to tell where the change occurs.
This is entrance 19, 695 East and 695 South
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3741717,-76.7501656,3a,75y,141.32h,72.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sDV7MI-JeFxRiglwCeQF6_w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

And this is Entrance 22, still 695 East and 695 South
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3946795,-76.6873262,3a,15y,341.25h,89.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMNHtroJUWiPZxQ90UM9RDA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Approaching Exit 21 the reassurance shied says North:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.3830716,-76.7354385,3a,75y,26.4h,95.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGtrlnKdVbYneTww9NPxsDQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Approaching Exit 20 this reassurance still West:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.388225,-76.7282633,3a,15y,271.91h,90.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1socT0nWl0j1N6gm52WRf7zg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

So where does the change in direction actually occur?

[txstateends]

Sounds like the E-W to N-S transition on I-635 in northeast Dallas.  Hard to tell; some main lane signs say N-S while some of the exit intersection signs say E-W, and vice versa.  It mostly happens in the vicinity of Garland.  In north Dallas, and over in Mesquite, no question as to the direction--signs are consistent on the main lanes and cross-streets.

[SCtoKC]

The beltways in the KC metro make it a bit easier to see where the transition is.  The mile markers are in .2-mile increments, and have the direction and shield on them.

I-470 Eastbound at MM 9.8:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9447496,-94.3682403,3a,15y,104.95h,85.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBRuaFIV3QHx0XhoCoU5fNg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I-470 Northbound at MM 10.0.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.945867,-94.3648049,3a,37.5y,73.92h,85.8t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2JhK2-o5NoixCb8Gi1TAFQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[7/8]

A sine salad at the US-side Duty Free shop in Niagara Falls, NY

[Big John]

^^ To 384 and south 384 right?

[formulanone]

Scattered shields in Wilmington, Ohio:

[txstateends]

Scattered shields in Wilmington, Ohio:

>ugh<, Black background street blades and guide signs.  I don't know what it is, but it just has this oh-we-didn't-have-or-couldn't-find-another-color effect, to me.

[paulthemapguy]

I have a picture of this exact same shitshow.  It isn't just the lighting--the backgrounds are actually black.
I imagine that the symbology appears to be floating in the night when it's dark.  I'd prefer a color other than black as the background, so you can be sure of the extents of the sign panel.  A person driving an oversized vehicle wants to be sure that their vehicle will pass safely around the edge of the sign assembly, and they won't be able to see the sign panel at night and verify that it's safe to pass by it.  More importantly though, the black color makes the sign more difficult to notice/read at any time of day.  Pretty sure this is not allowed by the MUTCD.


OH-US68-US22N by Paul Drives, on Flickr

[formulanone]

US77 in Lexington, Texas:

[txstateends]

US77 in Lexington, Texas:

Odd to see that many FMs overlapped on one road like that.  Usually, there aren't more than 2, and the overlap is short for the most part.  I'm not sure what would be the longest multi-FM overlap in TX.

[djlynch]

Officially, that should have TO banners for FM 112 and FM 1624. They end at FM 696 and SL 123 (respectively) rather than multiplexing all the way to US 77.

[amroad17]

A sine salad at the US-side Duty Free shop in Niagara Falls, NY

Could this photo go in the Department of Redundancy thread?

[Mapmikey]

Seiling, OK:

Here is an Aug 1977 photo of the same view...even more shields...

https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc659371/?q=signs

[formulanone]

Bristol, PA:

[odditude]

Bristol, PA:
(picture omitted)

that one's been around for a while, although the "TO I-295" is a recent addition. good find!

[formulanone]

US 117, US 13, US 70, and NC 111 in the background at Goldsboro:

[SidS1045]

A sine salad at the US-side Duty Free shop in Niagara Falls, NY

Could this photo go in the Department of Redundancy thread?

Let's also send it to the Department of Conflicting Signs.

Four right-facing arrows on the route shields...and a No Right Turn sign under the Stop sign?

[kendancy66]

I am guessing that the no right turn is for the roadway to the left of the traffic island where the sign is located

[formulanone]

Rushville, Indiana - in part to all those SR 44s!

[JoePCool14]

Rushville, Indiana - in part to all those SR 44s!

More Department of Redundancy Department shenanigans... why are there 2 separate SR-44 signs for West and East in the same direction? Why not just use one?