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Interstate 91 Signing Work

Started by roadman, April 05, 2012, 02:41:22 PM

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shadyjay

Key word here is "eventually".  The replaced gantry was part of CT's statewide overhead sign support replacement project.  The signage was originally installed in the early 1990s when I-91 was widened through there.  North of Exit 44, it was widened already during my first trip to VT in 1989, so I'd date the button copy in that area, up to the Mass state line, to the 1987-1988 time frame. 

I have a feeling the feds will require CT to convert in less than 20 years and that we'll see overlays on the existing button copy signage on some routes. 


roadman

Quote from: shadyjay on June 01, 2016, 05:53:01 PM

I have a feeling the feds will require CT to convert in less than 20 years and that we'll see overlays on the existing button copy signage on some routes. 

And I'm sure that when and if those overlays go in, ConnDOT will be pressured to completely change the signs out.  When Massachusetts changed the exit numbers on I-95 and I-93, the severe contrast at night of having new overlays on older signs caught a lot of attention from people.  And those signs were newer than the current signs on I-91 in CT.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

shadyjay

Quick trip through the project limits yesterday and today.  Still quite a few signs to go up... few changes from last time.  Dual-sided overheads still not replaced yet, though it appears there will be many less than before, as SB the Holyoke exits are having signage split up to single-sided gantries only.  A couple new overheads for Exit 19 in Northampton, which change the control cities from "9/Northampton/Amherst" to "9/Hadley/Amherst".  Also some new regulatory signs NB and new reassurance shields.  The shields are similar to those on the Longmeadow-West Springfield project, dual-posted, with the directional mounted on the right post.  The numerals "91" are smaller than the previous signs.  A few cases of "dualling signage" still in existance, including the SB Welcome sign and the NB 1/2 mile advance for Exit 26.  There's still a lot of work to go, but progress is being made for sure. 

Also looks like work is finally wrapping up on the Deerfield River bridge, northbound.  Fresh pavement awaits lane markings.  A new reassurance shield is alongside the new NB bridge, while the old mile markers remain on what used to be the old NB roadway. 

No pics this time.  That'll wait for a trip next month.

shadyjay

Not much has changed in the past month.  A few more new regulatory signs, all new reassurance shields, and a few more overhead BGSs.  Still no full-span gantries yet.  Looks like all the duplicate signage (old battling the new) has been removed.  New BGS at exit for Exit 25 and Exit 18.  Rearview showed the new Exit 27-NB signage as simple BGSs, vs the giant diagrammatics.  This was in place for the 2, 1, and 1/2 mile.  Couldn't see the "exit now" BGS.   A quick recollection of what I see for old signage, SB:
Exit 28 - 1 mile
Exit 27 - 2, 1, 1/2 mile, exit now
Exit 26 - at exit
Exit 23 - 3/4 mile?
Exit 14 - 3/4 mile - full width gantry that used to have signage for Exit 13, since relocated to new single-side gantry

Also saw the new mileposts (showing every tenth/mile) over the Deerfield River Bridge.  They're only NB on the new span and are idenitcal to those in VT (vertically oriented, vs horizontal).

Got a few pics of some signage which I'll get online at the link below in the next few days.

shadyjay

Update 8/17/2016...

Most new signs are up throughout the entire project.  Remaining signs to go up:
NB:  Exit 21 (vertical post up, no horizontal or sign), Exit 28A - full width
SB:  Exit 27 - all signs

Since my last trip last month, full width gantries are now in place and are all monotube supports.  The giant billboard-sized diagrammatics for Exit 27-NB are gone.  There's still some old signs to be removed, and at Exit 16, the new and old gantries are both still up. 

Hit here for my photo album:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/albums/72157657084998544

PHLBOS

IMHO, the numerals for the I-291 & 391 shields should be Series D not C.
GPS does NOT equal GOD

Rothman

Dawned on me that the destinations on the new exit 19 signs are just Hadley and Amherst when I drove through there again recently.  I know the exit's technically already in Northampton, but the fact of the matter is that MA 9 is the main road into Northampton Center from the east and I half-wonder if it carries more traffic than US 5/MA 10 from Exit 18.  Would have much preferred seeing Amherst and Northampton Center as the destinations -- one in each direction.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

shadyjay

Update as of 11/28:

There appears to be zero progress on the project since my trip last month.  Two full-width gantries for Exit 27-SB remain to be put up, with the Exit 27 1/2 mile still having the vertical mounting posts for the overhead installed and nothing else.  Same goes for Exit 21-NB.  Still a couple old bridge-mounted signs still up in Hatfield.  Did notice a few secondary BGSs (that weren't part of the project) in pieces on the side of the SB lanes in some locations around Greenfield.

They finally have removed work zone speed limits for the Deerfield River bridge project.  And the new travel time signs are now all live, at least in the SB direction. 

The Springfield viaduct seems to be progressing along.  New center median lighting has been installed and it looks like soon traffic will shift to the inner portion so that the outer lanes can be rebuilt.

bob7374

Quote from: shadyjay on November 28, 2016, 07:06:45 PM
Update as of 11/28:

The Springfield viaduct seems to be progressing along.  New center median lighting has been installed and it looks like soon traffic will shift to the inner portion so that the outer lanes can be rebuilt.
The shift was to take place on Sunday night (11/28):
http://blog.mass.gov/transportation/massdot-highway/springfield-i-91-viaduct-project-traffic-shift/

shadyjay

#109
The shift took place in the northbound lanes.  Came through there this afternoon... really nice ride on the rebuilt viaduct.  The right lane is the lane that now ends just past Exit 6.  A couple new left-side cantilevers are in place at the I-291 exit.  No mention of the exit to US 20 West being closed... except "DETOUR 20" shields outside of the work zone, directing traffic to use Exit 10.  The new center median lighting on the viaduct is in place as well.  Looks nice, but the lights are lower compared to other illumination in the area.  Southbound traffic was still on the outer edges of the viaduct when I came through, but the inner SB lanes are paved and it should transition over at some point soon.

As evident in the SB direction on Monday, no changes in any signage on the West Springfield-Bernardston signing contract in the NB direction.  Still no "exit now" sign for Exit 21.  The vertical gantry is up, just awaiting the horizontal "arm" and the sign itself.  That's the only one needing installation.  There's also the now-unnecessary "Hadley-Exit 19" sign still in place. 

shadyjay

5 months later, and a few things to report:

The 2 mile advance for Exit 27 Southbound remains the old sign.  However, I did notice the new gantry/supports laying next to the highway, so perhaps they'll finally get around to putting it up this summer.  Nothing different for the Exit 21 sign... still just the veritcal post, no horizontal post up yet.  I did observe some newish regulatory-type signs in place, including new "No U Turn" signs for the median crossovers.  Still some old signs in place in the Exit 19-20 work zone in Northampton, including a couple old I-91 shields and the aforementioned "Hadley-Exit 19" sign.  The "Northampton Next 2 Exits" sign is the last one left on an overpass in Hatfield/Whately.  I did observe new supports installed to possibly support a ground version of this sign... hopefully it'll be changed to "Next 3 Exits", as Next 2 Exits only identifies Exits 21 & 20 (Exit 19 is the south end of Northampton).

Outside of that, looks like this project replaced all signs except mile markers, blue logo signs (Food, Lodging, Attractions, etc), and destination/mileage signs.



roadman

#111
Quote from: shadyjay on May 15, 2017, 04:56:46 PM
Outside of that, looks like this project replaced all signs except mile markers, blue logo signs (Food, Lodging, Attractions, etc), and destination/mileage signs.

That is precisely MassDOT SOP for a large sign replacement project.  This is because the mile markers and post-interchange distance signs are deemed to still be in serviceable condition, and the blue logo signs are normally installed by private businesses, not the state.  And yes, there are exceptions to this practice - such as the new Attractions sign installed on I-91, but they are rare.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

shadyjay

Actually one big blue ATTRACTIONS sign did get installed, for Exit 17A/17B, northbound, in Holyoke.  But it remains void of any attractions. 

As a side note, Connecticut has started to install blue ATTRACTIONS signs, and even includes colleges/universities as attractions.  To date, I-395 has them, as soon will CT 8's northern reaches.  There's also a couple on I-91, but they're temporary (in CT-ese, that could mean 10-15 years later), and only hold two "logos". 

The mile markers and distance signs were installed in separate projects many years after the guide signs being replaced were installed.  ie - in the 2000s, so they have plenty of life left.

I wonder if there will be the "lone strangler" in this project... meaning, the sign that doesn't get replaced for some odd reason.  Like the "ENTERING HATFIELD" sign in the median on I-91NB at Exit 21.  Or in CT, the last blue all-text services sign for Exit 75 at the south end of I-395, the Jct 91 1 1/2 miles sign on CT 9 NB, etc.  Seems like there's always THAT ONE sign that slips through the cracks and outlasts them all!  For this project, I'm putting my money on "HADLEY-EXIT 19", NB.  Because in 10 years when they're done playing with them damn bridges in Holyoke, they'll forget all about it!

spooky

Quote from: shadyjay on May 16, 2017, 05:26:35 PM
Actually one big blue ATTRACTIONS sign did get installed, for Exit 17A/17B, northbound, in Holyoke.  But it remains void of any attractions. 

Found the reason.

shadyjay

;-)

Actually Exit 16 has at least 5 listed.  I don't know what they'd put for Exit 17A-B, outside of Mt Tom State Reservation for 17A. 

Rothman

I'm pretty sure Exit 18 had one big blue sign northbound on I-91.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

shadyjay


Alps

Quote from: shadyjay on May 16, 2017, 05:26:35 PM
I wonder if there will be the "lone strangler" in this project...
Straggler. :)

roadman

#118
Quote from: shadyjay on May 16, 2017, 05:26:35 PM
Actually one big blue ATTRACTIONS sign did get installed, for Exit 17A/17B, northbound, in Holyoke.  But it remains void of any attractions. 

Yes, there are cases where blue logo signs are installed as part of sign replacement projects - have amended my earlier post to reflect this.  In this instance, the Attractions sign in Holyoke was indeed installed under the sign replacement project, as opposed to a private installation.  The reason for this was to provide adequate spacing with the adjacent hybrid travel time sign, and to reduce overall sign clutter by combining many of the independent supplemental signs at this location onto a single Attractions panel.  MassDOT has also started replacing blue logo background panels where the existing sign is sufficiently worn, or where an older sign would need to be reset to accommodate current spacing requirements for the replacement guide signs.  These latter points will be a factor in the design for the upcoming Attleboro to Norwood I-95 sign replacement, as a) many of the blue logo background panels date from the early days (1980s) of the state's LOGO program and b) most of the current support structures were located based on kilometers (in anticipation of the then-expected conversion to metric units) instead of miles or fractions of mile.
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

DrSmith

Some (if not all) of the remaining signs are up on the 91 viaduct in Springfield now. Construction isn't complete; however some major milestones have been completed including reopening some ramps and taking down the barriers and such.

Some of the news reports below have videos of the roadway including in one a new diagrammatic sign northbound prior to the 291 interchange for 291 and route 20/North End Bridge exits.
http://wwlp.com/tag/i-91-construction/

shadyjay

The NB diagrammatic on a very wet Sunday at the end of October 2017:
91NB-Exit08-1 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

And Southbound, taken yesterday, of the reopened Exit 7:
91SB-Exit07 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

I'll try and get better northbound shots on Friday.

shadyjay

The complete northbound viaduct photo album is available now.  Start here, then scroll right:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/37736488105/in/album-72157657084998544/


shadyjay

Passed by I-91 in Springfield on Amtrak this past weekend and noticed some changed signage.  Southbound Exit 3 to US 5 North (South End Bridge) is now signed as "EXIT ONLY".  The third (extreme right) lane had previously ended a few hundred feet past this exit.  It makes sense signing it as an EXIT ONLY since a lot of traffic exits here and better than having the lane end just past the exit.

So this sign has been replaced with one that has the arrow in the middle of the Exit Only tab:
DSC09605 by Jay Hogan, on Flickr

(note at the time of the above photo, there was construction on several bridges in the area, reducing I-91 to 2 lanes.... that work has since wrapped up)

jon daly

Quote from: shadyjay on November 25, 2017, 12:08:46 AM
The complete northbound viaduct photo album is available now.  Start here, then scroll right:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/37736488105/in/album-72157657084998544/



Are you a railfan, perchance, Jay?

shadyjay

Quote from: jon daly on July 23, 2018, 10:22:36 PM
Quote from: shadyjay on November 25, 2017, 12:08:46 AM
The complete northbound viaduct photo album is available now.  Start here, then scroll right:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/shadyjay/37736488105/in/album-72157657084998544/



Are you a railfan, perchance, Jay?

Why yes.... yes I am.  I worked on the railroad for 10 years in CT, I ride trains when I can, and I take pictures.  I'm not one of those people who frantically chases trains, however.  I like to ride them and get the mileage when I can and support the groups who put them on. 



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