Regional signing practices that are unusual compared to everyplace else

[jakeroot]

Similar to the original post, here's a "Junction" sign at WA-7 and WA-704:

[Brandon]

^^ Illinois uses a very similar sign for junctions downstate.

[hotdogPi]

In New Hampshire, if you are on US 202, junctioning NH 12 (for example), you might see JCT {202} [12], even though you are already on 202.

[myosh_tino]

CT liked to have exit tabs without borders.

I seem to vaguely recall that the 1971 California exit tab experiment also lacked borders.  I'll pay close attention the next time I drive through there.

It looks like the 1971 California ones did have borders...

[Takumi]

A couple other local/regional VDOT quirks:

-the Mecklenburg/Brunswick area had a lot of shields that used Series B last time I was out that way. US routes, state routes, I-85...all over the place.

-in the Glenns/Saluda/Urbanna area 3-digit state routes were signed with 2-digit shields with Series B. It looked quite nice in those examples.

[cl94]

A couple NYSDOT/NYSTA oddities:

-Until very recently, 3DI shields were Series D. Except in a few other northeastern states, the standard is Series C (or B if you're Ohio, but that just looks weird).

-NYSTA uses blue on white tenth-mile markers that are the size of a shoulder marker instead of the standard green-on-while tenth mile markers

-Until very recently, each NYSDOT region had a different format for tenth-mile markers. R8, for example, used small green markers, while R1 used full-size markers with the decimal in green-on-white. All now use the MUTCD-standard enhanced location marker.

-NYSDOT roads have reference markers providing location information every 1/10. Vermont has a nearly-identical system, but I know of no other states with a system as precise.

-BGSes have rounded corners and exit tabs do not overlap the curved portion of a sign (like what is seen here).

-Rest and parking areas are signed as "Text Stops", as are some Thruway service areas

[codyg1985]

-NYSTA uses blue on white tenth-mile markers that are the size of a shoulder marker instead of the standard green-on-while tenth mile markers

-Until very recently, each NYSDOT region had a different format for tenth-mile markers. R8, for example, used small green markers, while R1 used full-size markers with the decimal in green-on-white. All now use the MUTCD-standard enhanced location marker.

Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio use blue tenth or two-tenth mile markers that are more abbreviated versions of the MUTCD-standard enhanced location markers, but the newer installations in these states are the blue MUTCD-standard enhanced markers.

[NE2]

-NYSDOT roads have reference markers providing location information every 1/10. Vermont has a nearly-identical system, but I know of no other states with a system as precise.

Doesn't Mass give mileage to the nearest thousandth?

[Pink Jazz]

-NYSTA uses blue on white tenth-mile markers that are the size of a shoulder marker instead of the standard green-on-while tenth mile markers

-Until very recently, each NYSDOT region had a different format for tenth-mile markers. R8, for example, used small green markers, while R1 used full-size markers with the decimal in green-on-white. All now use the MUTCD-standard enhanced location marker.

Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio use blue tenth or two-tenth mile markers that are more abbreviated versions of the MUTCD-standard enhanced location markers, but the newer installations in these states are the blue MUTCD-standard enhanced markers.

Puerto Rico uses hectometer (100 meters or one tenth of a kilometer) markers on most of its roads.  These are used for addressing purposes on the island, as most streets in Puerto Rico are not named.

[Mapmikey]

A couple other local/regional VDOT quirks:

-the Mecklenburg/Brunswick area had a lot of shields that used Series B last time I was out that way. US routes, state routes, I-85...all over the place.

-in the Glenns/Saluda/Urbanna area 3-digit state routes were signed with 2-digit shields with Series B. It looked quite nice in those examples.

These sorts of practices are District-wide in Virginia.  District 6 had almost exclusively 2-digit shields for 3-digit routes when I moved here in 1995.  Now some 3-digit wide shields are starting to crop up in sign replacements, especially in King George County area.

Full unisigns were a District 4 thing (were also a District 2 thing way back).  Mini unisigns are cropping up all over District 8.

There are many other kinds of examples of District-specific practices.


Independent Cities do their own thing regardless of District location.


Mapmikey

[vdeane]

A couple NYSDOT/NYSTA oddities:

-Until very recently, 3DI shields were Series D. Except in a few other northeastern states, the standard is Series C (or B if you're Ohio, but that just looks weird).

-NYSTA uses blue on white tenth-mile markers that are the size of a shoulder marker instead of the standard green-on-while tenth mile markers

-Until very recently, each NYSDOT region had a different format for tenth-mile markers. R8, for example, used small green markers, while R1 used full-size markers with the decimal in green-on-white. All now use the MUTCD-standard enhanced location marker.

I honestly wish NYSDOT didn't switch on these.  The series D shields look MUCH better than the series C ones, as do R1's green and white tenth mile markers.  They should leave the mile markers alone.  As much as I like the regular-sized (NOT enhanced) tenth mile markers, they make me feel like I'm in Vermont.

R1 has not adopted the enhanced reference markers for anything but the Northway, and only for full miles, not tenths.

[NE2]

Doesn't Mass give mileage to the nearest thousandth?

Holy crap, took me long enough to find:

from http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ma/ma_187/

[Pink Jazz]

A couple other local/regional VDOT quirks:

-the Mecklenburg/Brunswick area had a lot of shields that used Series B last time I was out that way. US routes, state routes, I-85...all over the place.

-in the Glenns/Saluda/Urbanna area 3-digit state routes were signed with 2-digit shields with Series B. It looked quite nice in those examples.

These sorts of practices are District-wide in Virginia.  District 6 had almost exclusively 2-digit shields for 3-digit routes when I moved here in 1995.  Now some 3-digit wide shields are starting to crop up in sign replacements, especially in King George County area.

Full unisigns were a District 4 thing (were also a District 2 thing way back).  Mini unisigns are cropping up all over District 8.

There are many other kinds of examples of District-specific practices.


Independent Cities do their own thing regardless of District location.


Mapmikey

I know different districts in Virginia also use different types of variable message signs.  The Hampton Roads district uses fixed row VMS, while the Richmond district uses full matrix.  Occasionally you will see a VMS in the Richmond district display the message "VDOT Sign Test", while you never see such messages in the Hampton Roads district signs.

[PurdueBill]

Doesn't Mass give mileage to the nearest thousandth?

Holy crap, took me long enough to find:

from http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ma/ma_187/

Those weren't posted everywhere though--mostly they were posted roughly early 90s/late 80s and were on bridges and other reference locations, not like the 2/10 markers that are all over the place like today.  They have started to disappear and some are outdated (like the marker on an underpass in the interchange on what used to be independent MA 128 after I-95 exited on its own Exit 44B before the connection through Peabody opened; it reads 0.314 or something if I recall and is still there.) 

Conventional Mass. milemarkers are the 2/10 variety like everywhere else.

[codyg1985]

A couple other local/regional VDOT quirks:

-the Mecklenburg/Brunswick area had a lot of shields that used Series B last time I was out that way. US routes, state routes, I-85...all over the place.

-in the Glenns/Saluda/Urbanna area 3-digit state routes were signed with 2-digit shields with Series B. It looked quite nice in those examples.

These sorts of practices are District-wide in Virginia.  District 6 had almost exclusively 2-digit shields for 3-digit routes when I moved here in 1995.  Now some 3-digit wide shields are starting to crop up in sign replacements, especially in King George County area.

Full unisigns were a District 4 thing (were also a District 2 thing way back).  Mini unisigns are cropping up all over District 8.

There are many other kinds of examples of District-specific practices.


Independent Cities do their own thing regardless of District location.


Mapmikey

I know different districts in Virginia also use different types of variable message signs.  The Hampton Roads district uses fixed row VMS, while the Richmond district uses full matrix.  Occasionally you will see a VMS in the Richmond district display the message "VDOT Sign Test", while you never see such messages in the Hampton Roads district signs.

Alabama has different VMS styles in their cities, and even within cities. Birmingham and Tuscaloosa use fixed row VMSs mounted over the travel lanes, while the recent installations in Montgomery are color, full matrix VMSs mounted on the right side of the travel lanes. Mobile has fixed row VMSs, and most of them are mounted over the travel lanes, but there is one that is mounted on the right side of the travel lanes (on I-10 east approaching the I-65 interchange).

[Takumi]

A couple other local/regional VDOT quirks:

-the Mecklenburg/Brunswick area had a lot of shields that used Series B last time I was out that way. US routes, state routes, I-85...all over the place.

-in the Glenns/Saluda/Urbanna area 3-digit state routes were signed with 2-digit shields with Series B. It looked quite nice in those examples.

These sorts of practices are District-wide in Virginia.  District 6 had almost exclusively 2-digit shields for 3-digit routes when I moved here in 1995.  Now some 3-digit wide shields are starting to crop up in sign replacements, especially in King George County area.

Interesting. I vaguely remember some 2-digit shields for 3-digit routes somewhere in Spotsylvania County, but I can't remember when.

The Brunswick/Mecklenburg Series B shields, from what I could tell, were in the territory of VDOT's South Hill residency. They stretched from the Alberta area to at least Boydton, and all looked to be somewhat old.

[Ian]

Similar to the original post, here's a "Junction" sign at WA-7 and WA-704:

New Hampshire also has a ton of these signs...



In this, you can also see how NHDOT places the suffix of a suffixed route number under the numerals themselves on their route shields, which is something I've only seen done in New Hampshire.

[hubcity]

Doesn't Mass give mileage to the nearest thousandth?

Holy crap, took me long enough to find:

from http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ma/ma_187/

Those weren't posted everywhere though--mostly they were posted roughly early 90s/late 80s and were on bridges and other reference locations, not like the 2/10 markers that are all over the place like today.  They have started to disappear and some are outdated (like the marker on an underpass in the interchange on what used to be independent MA 128 after I-95 exited on its own Exit 44B before the connection through Peabody opened; it reads 0.314 or something if I recall and is still there.) 

Conventional Mass. milemarkers are the 2/10 variety like everywhere else.

On their bridge crossing markers, NJ goes to the hundredth:



(with bonus superseded state highway route marker, since this is along US 322.)

[vtk]

Ohio's slanted arrows to indicate option lanes stopped within the past 3 years, after the 2009 MUTCD explicitly banned downward slanting arrows.

No, that practice has not stopped in Ohio.

[Mapmikey]

In this, you can also see how NHDOT places the suffix of a suffixed route number under the numerals themselves on their route shields, which is something I've only seen done in New Hampshire.

Virginia does this with the Y routes that are posted in full shields:





Oddly, T routes used to have the T at the top side of the circle:



Mapmikey

[Brandon]

In New Hampshire, if you are on US 202, junctioning NH 12 (for example), you might see JCT {202} [12], even though you are already on 202.

IDOT does that as well.

Gibson City: https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.425519,-88.336258&spn=0.311534,0.676346&cbll=40.45687,-88.377447&layer=c&panoid=dVpz50oCXLikZ8VTL9EfDg&cbp=12,131.39,,1,-3.28&t=m&z=11
Note, you are on IL-47, IL-54, and IL-9 at this point.

[Brandon]

-NYSTA uses blue on white tenth-mile markers that are the size of a shoulder marker instead of the standard green-on-while tenth mile markers

-Until very recently, each NYSDOT region had a different format for tenth-mile markers. R8, for example, used small green markers, while R1 used full-size markers with the decimal in green-on-white. All now use the MUTCD-standard enhanced location marker.

Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio use blue tenth or two-tenth mile markers that are more abbreviated versions of the MUTCD-standard enhanced location markers, but the newer installations in these states are the blue MUTCD-standard enhanced markers.

ISTHA uses 1/4 mile markers.  Granted, they're also the enhanced style of mile marker.





IDOT District 1 (Chicagoland) used to use their own style of mile marker down to the hundredths of a mile, slapped on every or every-other light pole.

[dfnva]

A couple other local/regional VDOT quirks:

-the Mecklenburg/Brunswick area had a lot of shields that used Series B last time I was out that way. US routes, state routes, I-85...all over the place.

-in the Glenns/Saluda/Urbanna area 3-digit state routes were signed with 2-digit shields with Series B. It looked quite nice in those examples.

These sorts of practices are District-wide in Virginia.  District 6 had almost exclusively 2-digit shields for 3-digit routes when I moved here in 1995.  Now some 3-digit wide shields are starting to crop up in sign replacements, especially in King George County area.

Full unisigns were a District 4 thing (were also a District 2 thing way back).  Mini unisigns are cropping up all over District 8.

There are many other kinds of examples of District-specific practices.


Independent Cities do their own thing regardless of District location.


Mapmikey

I've noticed that, as well. Not sure which VDOT district is which, but, have seen these quirks...

Northern VA (Pr. William, Fairfax, Loudon, Arlington): Use of 2-digit shield blanks for a good number of years for 3-digit routes. Still is done to some extent; only district with use of cutaway visors for the vast majority of traffic signals
Staunton District: Extensive use of yellow poles, use of mini-rectangles in some areas for secondary routes.
Culpeper District: Some new unisigns with mini shields (like the ones in the Staunton district) are popping up, replacing mini-shields. Saw one a few days ago approaching VA-28 in rural Fauquier County.
Lynchburg District: Use of "Left on Green Arrow Only" signs next to protected left turn signals, as opposed to "Left Turn Signal" (or no signage).

Is there a reason why these and other practices are not standardized by Richmond?

[vdeane]

If VDOT is like NYSDOT, it's because the regional offices just go and do their own thing regardless of what the main office says.

[Brandon]

If VDOT is like NYSDOT, it's because the regional offices just go and do their own thing regardless of what the main office says.

Sounds like IDOT.  Screw Springfield, we'll do our own damned thing!