Freeway Entrance

[rmsandw]

Was checking out the new Arsenal Road interchange on I-55 tonight, and noticed the on ramp from Arsenal Road to SB I-55 is marked with a "Freeway Entrance" sign.  This new for Illinois?  I would have expected a guide sign with the south banner a I-55 shield and an up arrow.

[Brandon]

Was checking out the new Arsenal Road interchange on I-55 tonight, and noticed the on ramp from Arsenal Road to SB I-55 is marked with a "Freeway Entrance" sign.  This new for Illinois?  I would have expected a guide sign with the south banner a I-55 shield and an up arrow.

I'll have to check this out.  It may be due to the design of the interchange which has the straight-through movement being directly onto I-55 south and the frontage road T-ing into the ramp.

[Alex]

Saw freeway entrance signs on US 54 at I-72 last month. Had not seen them placed in Illinois before that.

[Henry]

Freeway Entrance signs in IL??? Never thought I'd ever see them there, especially after being familiar with them in CA over the years.

[rmsandw]

I went last night to get pictures of the west side of the interchange and saw that...also was curious on what the south control city would be for I-55 (it's Bloomington)...as you come south on the Frontage road you get a BGS that points to I-55 south straight, and that the Frontage Road is a right turn.  I would have thought it would be signed like SB IL 59 with just a North I-55 marker.

Was the Freeway sign on US 54 near the Park and Ride lot?  I cant remember how close that entrance is to the ramps.

[Alex]

I went last night to get pictures of the west side of the interchange and saw that...also was curious on what the south control city would be for I-55 (it's Bloomington)...as you come south on the Frontage road you get a BGS that points to I-55 south straight, and that the Frontage Road is a right turn.  I would have thought it would be signed like SB IL 59 with just a North I-55 marker.

Was the Freeway sign on US 54 near the Park and Ride lot?  I cant remember how close that entrance is to the ramps.

The Park and Ride lot is outside the interchange area to the north. Looking at my photos again, the freeway entrance sign I posted above is the only in place at the interchange.

[Revive 755]

At the I-94 interchange with WI 50 in the Kenosha area, there is a green 'Freeway Entrance Only' sign on entrance to EB I-9 4(likely due to the ramp previously allowing access to the west outer road).

[sdmichael]

I saw some signs in Utah near Salt Lake City over the weekend. No shields though. I prefer the California style assembly.

[SSOWorld]

pictures fourthcoming of a set in Utah at Salina on I-70.

[Alex]

Posted this on the main site today, probably as close as one will come to finding a Freeway Entrance on the east coast:



PA 74 north at I-83 south near York.

[Alps]

Posted this on the main site today, probably as close as one will come to finding a Freeway Entrance on the east coast:



PA 74 north at I-83 south near York.

West Virginia and Long Island use the angled down arrow, but I just realized I was confusing that with bona fide "Freeway Entrance."

[roadman]

First time I've seen an "Enter Here" sign outside of Massachusetts.

[PurdueBill]

First time I've seen an "Enter Here" sign outside of Massachusetts.

Last summer I got a pic of one entering I-79 in Grove City; I too thought that ENTER HERE was a Massachusetts thing only until they started cropping up in PA. 

Still, ENTER HERE (at least in its Mass application) doesn't equal Freeway Entrance; sometimes it appears where the place to turn among a number of channelized turns/islands would otherwise not be apparent.  Most ENTER HERE signs in Mass always seemed older to me; I was surprised to see new specimens in PA.

[Mr_Northside]

Last summer I got a pic of one entering I-79 in Grove City; I too thought that ENTER HERE was a Massachusetts thing only until they started cropping up in PA. 

Still, ENTER HERE (at least in its Mass application) doesn't equal Freeway Entrance; sometimes it appears where the place to turn among a number of channelized turns/islands would otherwise not be apparent.  Most ENTER HERE signs in Mass always seemed older to me; I was surprised to see new specimens in PA.

I've seen the "Enter Here" signs on occasion here in PA for some time.  And they're also occasionally used in non-freeway instances as well.

[mgk920]

I wouldn't mind a transition towards using signs like my avatar (a German 'begin - autobahn driving rules' sign) to denote freeways and their entrances, also using the same image with a red diagonal slash across it to denote 'end freeway'.

There is also an alternate image used on those signs in Europe (the profile of the front of a car) to officially denote 'expressway'.

Mike

[SSOWorld]

I-94 from 6th Street by ssoworld, on Flickr

Found on 6th street at I-94 National Ave interchange.

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

I just went by the Arsenal Road --> I-55S 'Freeway Entrance' sign the other day.  Was going to snap a pic, but couldn't grab the camera in time.

[Revive 755]

Looks like Illinois will be adding more of the freeway entrance signs, as there was a project on the June letting for the Effingham District that includes some (http://eplan.dot.il.gov/desenv/061413/74614-168/PLANS/PL-74614-168.pdf)

There was also a similar project for the Carbondale District on the June letting (http://eplan.dot.il.gov/desenv/061413/78362-107/PLANS/PL-78362-107.pdf)

[kphoger]

There was also a similar project for the Carbondale District on the June letting (http://eplan.dot.il.gov/desenv/061413/78362-107/PLANS/PL-78362-107.pdf)

Ha!  I didn't realize how big this thing called the "Carbondale District" was, and I thought to myself, what the heck road is Carbondale calling a freeway?  Now I get it...

[Brandon]

There was also a similar project for the Carbondale District on the June letting (http://eplan.dot.il.gov/desenv/061413/78362-107/PLANS/PL-78362-107.pdf)

Ha!  I didn't realize how big this thing called the "Carbondale District" was, and I thought to myself, what the heck road is Carbondale calling a freeway?  Now I get it...

IDOT is divided into nine districts, and Carbondale is District 9.

District 1 - Schaumburg (Cook, Lake, Kane, McHenry, DuPage, and Will)
District 2 - Dixon (Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Carroll, Whiteside, Lee, Ogle, Rock Island, Henry)
District 3 - Ottawa (DeKalb, Bureau, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Kankakee, Ford, Livingston, Iroquois)
District 4 - Peoria (Putnam, Peoria, Marshall, Woodford, Tazewell, Knox, Stark, Mercer, Warren, Henderson, McDonough, Fulton)
District 5 - Paris (McLean, DeWitt, Piatt, Champaign, Vermilion, Douglas, Edgar)
District 6 - Springfield (Sangamon, Mason, Menard, Cass, Logan, Christian, Morgan, Schuyler, Adams, Brown, Pike, Scott, Macoupin, Montgomery)
District 7 - Effingham (Macon, Shelby, Coles, Cumberland, Clark, Effingham, Moutrie, Fayette, Clay, Richland, Lawrence, Jasper, Crawford, Wabash, Edwards, Wayne)
District 8 - Collinsville (Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Madison, Bond, St Clair, Clinton, Washington, Monroe, Randolph)
District 9 - Carbondale (Perry, Jefferson, Hamilton, White, Franklin, Jackson, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski, Massac)

These districts all have some sort of autonomy in how they do things.  For example, District 4 is using the FYA.  District 1 does not, but District 1 has a habit of using the same height for signs across a sign bridge a la CalTrans.  The other districts use differing heights.  District 2 is apparently using auxiliary speed signage under arrow signs at curves (at the actual curve, not preceding the curve).  No one else seems to be doing this.

[Revive 755]

District 1 - Schaumburg (Cook, Lake, Kane, McHenry, DuPage, and Will)

And US 30 through Kendall County IIRC.

These districts all have some sort of autonomy in how they do things.  For example, District 4 is using the FYA.  District 1 does not, but District 1 has a habit of using the same height for signs across a sign bridge a la CalTrans.  The other districts use differing heights.  District 2 is apparently using auxiliary speed signage under arrow signs at curves (at the actual curve, not preceding the curve).  No one else seems to be doing this.

I don't think District 1 will switch to the FYA until either the current group of employees retires or the Feds narrow/crack down on the shared thru/left turn head policy.  Wouldn't rule out a test location though.

Other differences:

* District 1 places traffic signal heads on the lane lines; the other districts seem to place signal heads over the center of the lane (possibly excluding five section heads for left turn lanes).

* District 1 does not allow more than one head for dual left turn lanes.  Districts 2, 3, and 6 do on new signals, not sure about the other districts.

* District 6 uses reflective backplates on all new traffic signals and is actively adding them to existing signals.  District 1 has added reflective backplates at selective intersections with crash problems.

* District 8 does not use red arrows, and instead uses louvers on signal heads for left turns.

* Districts 5 and 6 will use lead-lag left turns at intersections with left on arrow only.  District 1 would only use lead-lag as an extreme last resort.  I don't believe Districts 3, 4, and 8 use lead-lag either.  District 2 may be using it on Business 20 on the east side of Rockford (or the city of Rockford may be in charge of the signals).  Haven't visited Districts 7 and 9 enough lately to remember their preferences.

* District 1 does not allow lefts on green ball opposing a left on arrow only turn (excluding a few older intersections involving railroads).  District 3 does not seem to have this requirement.

* District 8 seems to be the most pro-roundabout district in Illinois - this may have something to do with MoDOT's use of roundabouts, as I remember hearing that District 8 was monitoring the first roundabout on the Missouri side of the St. Louis area.

* Only Districts 5 and 8 seem to use the 2/10 milemarkers with route shields on interstates.

[Brandon]

District 1 - Schaumburg (Cook, Lake, Kane, McHenry, DuPage, and Will)

And US 30 through Kendall County IIRC.

Not quite all of it.  District 1 takes care of Base Line Road, US-30 from US-34 to IL-47.  The section of US-30 between US-34 and Will County is distinctly District 3 signage and signalling.

[Revive 755]

There are two projects on the August letting in District 1 that may bring freeway entrance signs if the contractors mess up:

http://eplan.dot.il.gov/desenv/080213/60W50-020/PLANS/PL-60W50-020.pdf

http://eplan.dot.il.gov/desenv/080213/60W51-021/PLANS/PL-60W51-021.pdf

Looks like District 1 is intended to go their own route and use route shields instead of the freeway entrance sign, but I could see someone getting confused by the details in the back of the plans and installing the freeway entrance signs as well.

[rmsandw]

Here is a shot of the sign tha started the post...


Also at this interchange this speed limit sign is on SB...first time I have seen in IL the truck speed posted this way, and no minimum posted.

[Brandon]

^^ I think the truck limit is posted there instead of the minimum due to the sheer volume of trucks that use that interchange.