Best and worst Control City

[Interstate Trav]

Basically, this is another spinoff of the Control Cities thread.

So whats your favorite or best listed Control City and the worst or your least favorite one and why?

I'll start with

Favorite  'Other Desert Cities' (I know i might get some disagreements on this) to me though it is a bit unique, and I think it makes sense given the Coachella Valley Destinations.  Plus I don't see a reason for Phoenix to be listed before Indio.  I mean Las Vegas isn't listed on the 15 until Barstow.

Least Favorite 605 in Los Angeles area, 'Thru Traffic' I really think that there should be a control city on the 605. 

[FreewayDan]

Cleveland for northbound US 59 from Houston.  I would prefer Lufkin or ultimately Texarkana.  When US 59 becomes I-69, I would like to see Shreveport as the northbound control city.

[corco]

That's a weird one. I'm not sure what my favorite control cities are. The first one I ever recall noticing was the one for Wheeling on I-70 east out of Columbus, so I guess that one is the most nostalgic. I was probably 3 or 4 at the time and was always mystified by Wheeling. Same with Peoria on I-55 in Chicago. I noticed that one at about the same time. Peoria and Wheeling were exotic lands in my 4 or 5 year old eyes. We saw signs for them all the time, but we never went there. (I did make it to Wheeling once- I still haven't been to Peoria)

Least favorite is probably "Topeka" for Missouri 152 west. I get that Topeka is the designated control cities for western destinations, but that seems like a weird choice there. I also dislike Limon for I-70 east of Denver.

Oh...wait. My least favorite is I-82 west from Oregon. The control cities are "Hermiston" and "Umatilla"

[hbelkins]

Basically, this is another spinoff of the Control Cities thread.

So whats your favorite or best listed Control City and the worst or your least favorite one and why?

Least favorite would probably be "Lewisburg" for I-64 east where it splits from I-77 at Beckley, WV.

More logical would be Lexington, Va. (as opposed to Lexington, Ky.) which is where I-64 meets I-81, or Richmond, which is the control city for I-64 where it splits from I-81.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Worse? All the towns along I-80 in Pennsylvania. Winona, Ms. for I-55 instead of Memphis (NB) and Jackson (SB)
Best? Sacramento/Ocean City, MD at either end of US 50.

[xonhulu]

Oh...wait. My least favorite is I-82 west from Oregon. The control cities are "Hermiston" and "Umatilla"

Hey, there's a BGS right before that sign bridge saying "Kennewick, Spokane, Next Right."  Oregon grudgingly admits there are Washington destinations you might be interested in.

[mightyace]

Worse? All the towns along I-80 in Pennsylvania.

They're among the best IMHO, but I know I'm in the minority.  Anyway, best, my hometown, Bloomsburg, PA.

The worst, New York City via Penna. on I-80 near Youngstown, OH.  That's a "Let's snub Pennsylvania and totally ignore New Jersey!"  And, it's also over 400 miles away!

But, to be fair, if I wasn't from that part of PA, I'd probably agree with the prevailing sentiment.  But, what to use?  New York City and Youngstown/Cleveland, OH are too far away and there aren't any cities over 50,000 within 10 miles of the highway.

But, this is another place where the "two level" control cities would work well.  Things like New York City and Cleveland would work well for long distance travelers and the current control cities would serve the local traffic.  Tennessee uses places like Dickson, Lebanon, Cookeville, etc. on I-40 and they're in the same size range as the cities and towns on I-80 in PA.

[corco]

Hey, there's a BGS right before that sign bridge saying "Kennewick, Spokane, Next Right."  Oregon grudgingly admits there are Washington destinations you might be interested in.

Is that new? Last time I was there (08, admittedly), this was the advance signage

[Interstate Trav]

Seems like Oregon only signs Oregon Cities.  i wonder what the control City for I-5 southbound in Southern Oregon is.  does Sacramento even get mentioned or Redding?

To add another

Another one I like is on 10 Eastbound in Ontario Ca at the 15 jct it says 15 North Barstow Las Vegas.  It's the only overhead sign before Barstow to even mention Las Vegas.  I always presumed because orginally 10 east to 15 north was the main Los Angeles Las Vegas Route.

One I dislike is in downtown Los Angeles, the four level where 101 north is signed Ventura but 101 south is signed 10 San Bernardino 5 Santa Ana.  It seems a bit confusing, I think it should be 101 South Santa Ana, or 101 5 Santa Ana. 

[TheStranger]

Seems like Oregon only signs Oregon Cities.  i wonder what the control City for I-5 southbound in Southern Oregon is.  does Sacramento even get mentioned or Redding?

Strangely enough, I know of US 97 signs in Klamath Falls pointing to a southbound control city of...San Francisco!?  Talk about indirect!  (One would need to take 5 south, then 505 south, then 80 west to get to SF from 97 - though at one point 505 south and much of 80 west was part of I-5W.)

One I dislike is in downtown Los Angeles, the four level where 101 north is signed Ventura but 101 south is signed 10 San Bernardino 5 Santa Ana.  It seems a bit confusing, I think it should be 101 South Santa Ana, or 101 5 Santa Ana. 

In the last few years, this has become 101 TO 10/5/60, which I think is the most logical way of noting it.  (101/5 Santa Ana made most sense in the 1960s when both routes ran concurrent to San Diego)

[Interstate Trav]

Seems like Oregon only signs Oregon Cities.  i wonder what the control City for I-5 southbound in Southern Oregon is.  does Sacramento even get mentioned or Redding?

Strangely enough, I know of US 97 signs in Klamath Falls pointing to a southbound control city of...San Francisco!?  Talk about indirect!  (One would need to take 5 south, then 505 south, then 80 west to get to SF from 97 - though at one point 505 south and much of 80 west was part of I-5W.)

One I dislike is in downtown Los Angeles, the four level where 101 north is signed Ventura but 101 south is signed 10 San Bernardino 5 Santa Ana.  It seems a bit confusing, I think it should be 101 South Santa Ana, or 101 5 Santa Ana. 

In the last few years, this has become 101 TO 10/5/60, which I think is the most logical way of noting it.  (101/5 Santa Ana made most sense in the 1960s when both routes ran concurrent to San Diego)

'
I remember seeing a picture of that sign, and on a US highway San Francisco is signed, but on interstates small towns are signed.  Wierd.

Thats right I saw one replaced, a while back.  I haven't been down there in a while.  That does make more sense to have 101 to 5/10/60.  Although considering 101 south of the 4 level is the Santa Ana Freeway Santa Ana doesn't seem to unreasonable.  But you do have a good point about 101 ending at 5/10/60.  either way as long as it still says 101 South, considering your still on 101 for another couple of miles.

[TheStranger]

Thats right I saw one replaced, a while back.  I haven't been down there in a while.  That does make more sense to have 101 to 5/10/60.  Although considering 101 south of the 4 level is the Santa Ana Freeway Santa Ana doesn't seem to unreasonable.  But you do have a good point about 101 ending at 5/10/60.  either way as long as it still says 101 South, considering your still on 101 for another couple of miles.

In comparison, CalTrans isn't great at route acknowledgment near termini in NorCal - I-80 signage is almost entirely omitted save for two trailblazers on the westbound stretch between the Bay Bridge and US 101, and US 50 westbound in Sacramento/West Sacramento gets no mention on the stretch between Stockton Boulevard and I-80.

[Ian]

Best: "Miami" as seen on I-95 southbound in Petersburg, VA. I think it deserves some credit as it is one of the farthest control city point I think I've seen on an ordinary pull through BGS.

Worst: "To All Maine Points" as seen on a few pull through BGSs on I-95 northbound in New Hampshire.

[english si]

The best: Out of City is used on the M275 in Portsmouth. It's about the only place it works in the UK (certainly the only city, but there are a couple of towns) - Portsmouth (well most of it) being an island with three road bridges to the mainland. Saves signing several destinations. Also a bonus as it helps make it exit routes clearly marked if by misfortune you end up there (say you've caught a ferry or took a trip to see various old navy boats).

The worst: Sports Centre - it's not well known and some large suburb of Southampton a bit further away would make sense (Shirley or Lordshill or both).

[Revive 755]

Worst:  The use of states around Chicagoland
Second Worse:  East St. Louis.  Close enough to St. Louis and so much smaller that the latter should be used and the former omitted.  Now if East St. Louis was 10 miles from St. Louis or had a population of 200k I could go for it.

[Brandon]

Best: I actually like the use of states around Chicagoland, and I like the use of "Aurora" on I-88.
Worst: "West Suburbs" on I-290 and I-355, "Northwest Suburbs" on I-355, "Southwest Suburbs" on I-355, "North Suburbs" for IL-53.  Pick a flipping city, folks.

[corco]

Worst:  The use of states around Chicagoland

I actually like that- an out of towner is much more likely to know which way "Iowa" is than which way "Aurora" is

[xonhulu]

Is that new? Last time I was there (08, admittedly), this was the advance signage

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I was out golfing after work.

The sign I mentioned is between the 1 mile advanced sign and the sign bridge you originally pictured.  I don't have any snaps of it, but you should be able to see it in this Google Maps Street View shot:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Hermiston,+OR&aq=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.534108,86.572266&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Hermiston,+Umatilla,+Oregon&ll=45.798115,-119.411041&spn=0.000928,0.002642&z=19&layer=c&cbll=45.798076,-119.410818&panoid=55V6GgFiJKM66rm6Yx9Ntg&cbp=12,143.04,,0,-0.76

[huskeroadgeek]

Worse? All the towns along I-80 in Pennsylvania.

They're among the best IMHO, but I know I'm in the minority.  Anyway, best, my hometown, Bloomsburg, PA.

The worst, New York City via Penna. on I-80 near Youngstown, OH.  That's a "Let's snub Pennsylvania and totally ignore New Jersey!"  And, it's also over 400 miles away!

But, to be fair, if I wasn't from that part of PA, I'd probably agree with the prevailing sentiment.  But, what to use?  New York City and Youngstown/Cleveland, OH are too far away and there aren't any cities over 50,000 within 10 miles of the highway.

But, this is another place where the "two level" control cities would work well.  Things like New York City and Cleveland would work well for long distance travelers and the current control cities would serve the local traffic.  Tennessee uses places like Dickson, Lebanon, Cookeville, etc. on I-40 and they're in the same size range as the cities and towns on I-80 in PA.

Where does TN use those cities on I-40? Last time I was there, the only control cities that were on I-40 were Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville.

It's hard for me to come up with a specific "best and worst" for control cities. The best control cities actually would be situational-like the first time you see your destination as a control city on a long trip. That's always kind of exciting. Worst for me would be any time a small city is used at a major junction when there are larger cities fairly close that could just as easily be used. Some examples have been given above-another would be "Bay St. Louis" for I-10 E. of I-12/I-59. Why not Mobile, or if they want to give a Mississippi destination, why not Gulfport or Biloxi(or Pascagoula, which is what Alabama signs I-10 for W. of Mobile).

[nexus73]

Best/worst depending on how you feel about control cities: Salt Lake City showed Los Angeles as a control city for I-15 southbound and Cheyenne for I-80 eastbound in the signs I saw in the mid 1990's.  To the east of SLC there was a sign on I-80 westbound that had the mileage to San Francisco.

If there was no SLC, it would literally qualify as the Middle Of Nowhere.  400+ miles to Las Vegas, Denver, Phoenix, Boise and Reno.  Those are the closest major cities in the states surrounding Utah.

Rick

[TheStranger]

  To the east of SLC there was a sign on I-80 westbound that had the mileage to San Francisco.

Way back in the day...

(from this Michael Summa photo at ALPSRoads - http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ut/i-80/ )

[mightyace]

Tennessee uses places like Dickson, Lebanon, Cookeville, etc. on I-40 and they're in the same size range as the cities and towns on I-80 in PA.

Where does TN use those cities on I-40? Last time I was there, the only control cities that were on I-40 were Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville.
[/quote]

I was mistaken. (or wishful thinking)  I do know that TN 840 uses the two tier system.  The control cities at the on-ramps are Dickson, Franklin, Murfreesboro and Lebanon.

However the BGS at the interstate junctions use Memphis and Knoxville for full (eventually) travel on 840.  Murfreesboro is used at the eastern I-40/TN 840 junction.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lebanon,+TN&aq=0&sll=35.029996,-95.712891&sspn=47.369784,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lebanon,+Wilson,+Tennessee&ll=36.183437,-86.341124&spn=0.023173,0.038581&t=h&z=15&layer=c&cbll=36.18347,-86.340678&panoid=XPil-Tvs9H_f8NlOfWf3cw&cbp=12,268.77,,0,9.52

At I-24,
Lebanon and Knoxville for 840 east
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lebanon,+TN&aq=0&sll=35.029996,-95.712891&sspn=47.369784,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lebanon,+Wilson,+Tennessee&ll=35.880618,-86.471672&spn=0.011701,0.01929&z=16&layer=c&cbll=35.880996,-86.472091&panoid=SVZZIpmbpWf2L8Xo1o2fuQ&cbp=12,329.42,,0,-14.52

and Franklin for 840 West
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lebanon,+TN&aq=0&sll=35.029996,-95.712891&sspn=47.369784,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lebanon,+Wilson,+Tennessee&ll=35.889189,-86.481757&spn=0.011699,0.01929&z=16&layer=c&cbll=35.889083,-86.481652&panoid=lqUeMY4MukhsnRV1BD2Vyw&cbp=12,164.42,,0,2.3

at I-65
Knoxville at the exit sign
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lebanon,+TN&aq=0&sll=35.029996,-95.712891&sspn=47.369784,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lebanon,+Wilson,+Tennessee&ll=35.830159,-86.834202&spn=0.001464,0.002411&z=19&layer=c&cbll=35.830359,-86.834125&panoid=v29sZNKa0bszBhSbyEgWAA&cbp=12,203.41,,0,6.3

and Knoxville/Murfreesboro on the distributor ramp:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lebanon,+TN&aq=0&sll=35.029996,-95.712891&sspn=47.369784,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lebanon,+Wilson,+Tennessee&ll=35.81904,-86.839671&spn=0.005855,0.009645&z=17&layer=c&cbll=35.819193,-86.840217&panoid=ev128XDB01snXM6uHcOD8w&cbp=12,216.24,,0,-4.31

and on 840 East itself:

20090831 TN 840 E @ Exit 31-1C by mightyace, on Flickr

[kharvey10]

And that was the same state that once signed the westbound I-24 control city for St. Louis as late as the mid 1990s in Nashville, TN.  TnDOT has made an improvement since those days.

[CL]

Best/worst depending on how you feel about control cities: Salt Lake City showed Los Angeles as a control city for I-15 southbound and Cheyenne for I-80 eastbound in the signs I saw in the mid 1990's.  To the east of SLC there was a sign on I-80 westbound that had the mileage to San Francisco.

If there was no SLC, it would literally qualify as the Middle Of Nowhere.  400+ miles to Las Vegas, Denver, Phoenix, Boise and Reno.  Those are the closest major cities in the states surrounding Utah.

Rick

Yup - Los Angeles and San Francisco aren't control cities anymore (and that sign with the mileage to San Fran must have been removed) but Cheyenne and Reno still are. I don't know about Cheyenne, but Reno doesn't even use Salt Lake as a control city now (they opt for Elko instead).

The Salt Lake area really is a sort of urban oasis in that region; going north (and this isn't counting Ogden and Provo, which aren't in the Salt Lake metro but are in the urban area as a whole), the closest big-ish city is Boise, some 5 hours away. South, it's Las Vegas, 6 hours. Reno, heading west, is 9 hours away, and Denver (going east) is 8. So there's definitely solid rationale behind using such far-off control cities.

As a side note though, heading north out of Salt Lake the control city is Ogden (metro area 550,000 or so). Sometimes, heading south, one will see Provo (also at around 550,000), so UDOT isn't all that against using short-distance control cities. But when you have 80% of the state's population living on a 120-mile strip, long-distance cities are the norm.

[golden eagle]

Worst: states as control cities, like in the Chicago and Mobile areas
Best: no real "best" for me, but if we go by uniqueness, I do like the "Other Desert Cities" along I-10 and the "Beaches" sign on I-8 westbound in San Diego