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Author Topic: "Route 6W" in Decatur  (Read 3371 times)

NE2

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pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

sparker

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Re: "Route 6W" in Decatur
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2017, 05:06:54 PM »

Apparently this is a route that six-wheeler trucks must follow (rather than staying on old US 51 Bus.): http://www.ask4direct.com/InfoRead.asp?id=DRDC&InfoID=836677

http://www.google.com/maps/@39.8458841,-88.9526195,3a,29.6y,274.54h,99.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snvz0uwWeXMHgS4e6xcqiQg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
http://www.google.com/maps/@39.8409654,-88.9497428,3a,75y,235.2h,82.59t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLb4JcleSHcfUJLXnNtIHSg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Even for IDOT, this is a weird departure from usual signing practice.  "6W" to indicate "6-wheels -and up?"  Cute, but unless very well publicized, not necessarily the optimal way to accomplish a truck route around downtown.  Usual practice is something like "Truck 51" or "Truck 36", for that matter, accompanied by restrictive signage on the streets not intended for truck traversal.  And IIRC US 51 already is located on a N-S Decatur bypass, and I-72 skirts it to the north for E-W traffic.  There must be a good deal of truck traffic to ADM's facilities and other localized destinations to require a specific route to accommodate them and also keep downtown businesses fat & happy!  It'll be interesting to see if the new nomenclature functions as advertised in the long haul.

On a related note -- is this something IDOT has done previously (with or without this particular signage methodology) or is this a relatively recent concept intended to address a specific issue?  :hmmm: 
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adt1982

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Re: "Route 6W" in Decatur
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2017, 10:16:23 PM »

As far as I know this is a unique occurrence.
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edwaleni

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Re: "Route 6W" in Decatur
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2017, 07:40:07 PM »

Reportedly this is not a proper signage for an official DOT sanctioned truck route.

There are 2 signs allowed by DOT:

http://www.trafficsign.us/shs/reg/r14-1.pdf

http://www.trafficsign.us/shs/reg/r14-4.pdf
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sparker

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Re: "Route 6W" in Decatur
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2017, 12:08:13 AM »

Reportedly this is not a proper signage for an official DOT sanctioned truck route.

There are 2 signs allowed by DOT:

http://www.trafficsign.us/shs/reg/r14-1.pdf

http://www.trafficsign.us/shs/reg/r14-4.pdf

Question: would the "6W" sign be considered OK if displayed above or below the MUTCD-standard sign as pictured in the cites? 
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MNHighwayMan

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Re: "Route 6W" in Decatur
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2017, 12:23:16 AM »

Reportedly this is not a proper signage for an official DOT sanctioned truck route.

Question: would the "6W" sign be considered OK if displayed above or below the MUTCD-standard sign as pictured in the cites? 

That may be true that it's not a properly signed truck route, but there's no regulation preventing states from using suffixed state routes in general.

In any case, though, "Route 6W" should definitely be signed as Truck US-36 or 51 or whatever. "Route 6W" as it stands is not at all intuitive.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2017, 12:25:27 AM by MNHighwayMan »
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sparker

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Re: "Route 6W" in Decatur
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2017, 12:43:43 AM »

Reportedly this is not a proper signage for an official DOT sanctioned truck route.

Question: would the "6W" sign be considered OK if displayed above or below the MUTCD-standard sign as pictured in the cites? 

That may be true that it's not a properly signed truck route, but there's no regulation preventing states from using suffixed state routes in general.

In any case, though, "Route 6W" should definitely be signed as Truck US-36 or 51 or whatever. "Route 6W" as it stands is not at all intuitive.

Absolutely correct; a "W" as a suffix has essentially always meant "West" -- or more appropriately, the "west branch" of a particular route.  But it's so fucking funny at times when agencies attempt to be "cute" with their terminology, even with precedent pointing elsewhere; this is one of those examples.  I'd like to be a fly on the wall the first time a trucker, or any driver for that matter, calls IDOT asking "WTF does 6W mean?"
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ilpt4u

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Re: "Route 6W" in Decatur
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2017, 02:45:02 AM »

It makes it even better, knowing there is an actual IL Route 6 over in Peoria...its the Northeastward continuation of the I-474 Peoria bypass, North and East of I-74 back towards the IL River
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NE2

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Re: "Route 6W" in Decatur
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2017, 07:23:36 PM »

In any case, though, "Route 6W" should definitely be signed as Truck US-36 or 51 or whatever. "Route 6W" as it stands is not at all intuitive.
It's a truck route for former US 51 Bus., which is now locally maintained.
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pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

 


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