US States on BGS - Pictures

[webny99]

The New York State Thruway used "PA Line"  southwest of Buffalo.  Before the 1980s the signs said "PENNA LINE" .

I think at least one such sign read "Pa Line" with a lower case 'a'... because I remember thinking as a young kid what a weird town name that was, only to later laugh at myself for not realizing it meant the state line and not a town called Pa Line 

[Bruce]

I've seen it on a handful of signs, but what does the white U with an arrow in negative space mean?

It's the logo of UDOWN, a Hawaiian clothing brand.

Huh. Sad that many of our older button copy signs are getting vandalized, then.

[machias]

The New York State Thruway used "PA Line"  southwest of Buffalo.  Before the 1980s the signs said "PENNA LINE" .

I think at least one such sign read "Pa Line" with a lower case 'a'... because I remember thinking as a young kid what a weird town name that was, only to later laugh at myself for not realizing it meant the state line and not a town called Pa Line 

Actually, they were all Pa Line at one point, darn auto correct.    the NYSDOT signs in that corner of the state often refer to Erie Pa, Warren Pa, Bradford Pa

[hotdogPi]

The New York State Thruway used "PA Line"  southwest of Buffalo.  Before the 1980s the signs said "PENNA LINE" .

I think at least one such sign read "Pa Line" with a lower case 'a'... because I remember thinking as a young kid what a weird town name that was, only to later laugh at myself for not realizing it meant the state line and not a town called Pa Line 

Actually, they were all Pa Line at one point, darn auto correct.    the NYSDOT signs in that corner of the state often refer to Erie Pa, Warren Pa, Bradford Pa

The town line signs for North Reading, MA have changed from No. Reading to N. Reading (not recently) to avoid confusion.

[LilianaUwU]

Any state that uses their outline as their state route shield have multiple instances of US states on BGS. 

[thenetwork]

Due to a relative lack of large cities on I-70 west of Grand Junction, the westbound control city there is simply "Utah":



And that's the best choice, in my opinion. The issue there is that half of the westbound traffic on 70 will exit on US 6 to head up towards Salt Lake. Taking just interstates into account you could use Las Vegas or St George, but that carries a bit of confusion potential since those cities are located in the opposite direction from Salt Lake on I-15.

As this GSV from 2012 shows, the control city used to be Green River, the last town before the US 6 split...but Green River has just over 900 people. Probably the right call to just go with Utah here.

There's a lone surviving ground-mounted BGS on EB Bus-70 at the I-70 split in Clifton.  Oddly enough, it ID'S GREENRIVER as all one word.

A better example of Arizona as a control city, depending on how you read the sign is at the US-160/US‐491 split south of Cortez.

US-491
https://maps.app.goo.gl/32PrqTYrnwCF2eN68

[jp the roadgeek]

New York: "NY State"  on I-84 WB in Danbury, CT "NY"   I-295 on I-95 approaching Wilmington, DE

Changed to Newburgh about 10-15 years ago.

[andrepoiy]

From the border crossings I've been to in Ontario they only say "Bridge to USA" as opposed to the actual state like Quebec posts, wonder why

[wanderer2575]

Eastbound I-94 at I-69 in Port Huron.

(I know it's not a US state, but it fits the spirit of the thread.)

[gonealookin]

The ongoing discussion about which states post the best and worst control cities reminded me of this old thread.  Oregon hasn't been mentioned yet, and I think this sign on northbound US 101 (copied over from the AARoads highway guides) just north of Crescent City qualifies:

[1995hoo]

So for Canada, currently we only have QC and NB.  I'm sure we can find some others.

Chris

I hadn't looked at this thread in a long time and so hadn't seen this post. It immediately made me think of the following BGS in New Brunswick that lists PEI (in English and French):

https://goo.gl/maps/u8qZuPhwvFU35K7i6

Nova Scotia's sign uses English only (I deem "PEI Ferry" to be close enough to simply using the province):

https://goo.gl/maps/QpDVhRXnujPePCfRA

Similar to that, "Newfoundland Ferry" appears on various signs (sometimes as "Nfld."):

https://goo.gl/maps/mX28fpK137xJSbaB8

https://goo.gl/maps/eKjsRcamWGwYZSVc6

Similarly, Newfoundland has signs for "Nova Scotia Ferry":

https://goo.gl/maps/5WsC38uqBQ1yJCw58

Here's New Brunswick on a BGS near Truro, Nova Scotia (Amherst is a town in Nova Scotia):

https://goo.gl/maps/j3zV7Hc5fECtP5qk6

[gonealookin]

Updating another old thread because "Max Rockatansky's" post on CA 62 in Pacific Southwest reminded me of this.  Here's "California" on BGS on Arizona SR 95 in Parker:

Southbound AZ 95:  https://goo.gl/maps/yeKeN4CTtadJqeMeA
Northbound AZ 95:  https://goo.gl/maps/DnXjdjAZwv4tnrqeA

[CovalenceSTU]

On the subject of Oregon, Washington uses it when a route there doesn't end in a notable place. WA-409 is signed as "To Oregon" in place of (unincorporated) Westport:


Similarly, WA-432 lists "Oregon" as a destination when it exits itself, and the (unsigned) WA-433 uses it as if a direction:

[fwydriver405]

In Quebéc,

"Maine" and/or "Maine (USA") (Examples: 1, 2, 3), along with a US 201 shield is posted as control cities on Autoroute 73 from Autoroute 20 (TCH/Route Transcanadienne) to the Route 204 roundabout. "Maine (USA)" is listed on smaller distance signs on Quebec Route 173 heading south.

On the topic of Maine, the Falmouth Spur exit (11) on I-295 has NH-Mass and Points South as the control cities - one of the signs was even replaced with the same destinations in around 2020 or 2021.

~2.5 km (1.5 mi) before exit
~2 km (1 mi) before exit
Exit sign before gore
At exit

Quebéc (City) and the province of Quebéc (listed as P.Q.) is listed on one guide sign on I-95 north as "Quebec, P.Q.". A few mileage signs on US Route 201 towards the Quebéc/Maine border are a bit inconsistent, from "Quebec P.Q", to simply just "Quebec (City)", and then another sign saying "Quebec City" proper.

[hobsini2]

Eastbound I-94 at I-69 in Port Huron.

(I know it's not a US state, but it fits the spirit of the thread.)

And on the other side of the Blue Water Bridge, you get these at the interchanges in Sarnia.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9891392,-82.397646,3a,37.3y,206.63h,91.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGtpr9maoWaVB7vKXx80OOw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[bzakharin]

The New York State Thruway used "PA Line"  southwest of Buffalo.  Before the 1980s the signs said "PENNA LINE" .

I think at least one such sign read "Pa Line" with a lower case 'a'... because I remember thinking as a young kid what a weird town name that was, only to later laugh at myself for not realizing it meant the state line and not a town called Pa Line 

Delaware State Line is used on travel time VMSs on I-95 in Maryland. I think that's the only time MD acknowledges Delaware exists, but God forbid mentioning Wilmington.

[Gnutella]

Not an individual state, but an the entire New England region on I-87 north in Woodbury.  March 21, 2007.

I'll also add in this sign on I-81 approaching I-78, advising truckers to continue north to I-84 to access New England. Not necessarily listed as a control, but an honorable mention nonetheless.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4219922,-76.5364759,3a,75y,127.22h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slpvQ40m9dZKnOm9bbalNTA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

Also this on I-80 in Pennsylvania at the junction with I-81.

Delaware doesn't appear to have been mentioned yet - it gets a few appearances on I-295 approaching the DMB from NJ.

Is NH the only state to use the state abbreviation after a city in its own state?

Washington PA is another one that comes to mind for this - in this case, to differentiate from a certain other Washington further east on I-70 (& I-270).

Also Nashville, IL on I-64.

[hbelkins]

Not an individual state, but an the entire New England region on I-87 north in Woodbury.  March 21, 2007.

I'll also add in this sign on I-81 approaching I-78, advising truckers to continue north to I-84 to access New England. Not necessarily listed as a control, but an honorable mention nonetheless.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.4219922,-76.5364759,3a,75y,127.22h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slpvQ40m9dZKnOm9bbalNTA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

Also this on I-80 in Pennsylvania at the junction with I-81.

Delaware doesn't appear to have been mentioned yet - it gets a few appearances on I-295 approaching the DMB from NJ.

Is NH the only state to use the state abbreviation after a city in its own state?

Washington PA is another one that comes to mind for this - in this case, to differentiate from a certain other Washington further east on I-70 (& I-270).

Also Nashville, IL on I-64.

Washington, VA, on US 211.

I never really got the inclusion of IL on the Nashville sign, especially since I-64 doesn't go to any other large-sized cities near Nashville.

[74/171FAN]

I never really got the inclusion of IL on the Nashville sign, especially since I-64 doesn't go to any other large-sized cities near Nashville.

I would assume because of traffic using I-64 EB to I-57 SB to I-24 EB.

[ilpt4u]

I never really got the inclusion of IL on the Nashville sign, especially since I-64 doesn't go to any other large-sized cities near Nashville.

I would assume because of traffic using I-64 EB to I-57 SB to I-24 EB.

I-24 almost has an "implied"  concurrency with 57 and 64 between its western terminus and St Louis, its western control.

The first I-24/Nashville BGS is on I-64E approaching the I-57 concurrency at Mt Vernon, as if IDOT is quietly acknowledging the I-24-bound traffic on 64