The Best of Road Signs

[The High Plains Traveler]

Definitely not I-11, but it's on US-93 North at the railroad track crossing about 500 feet north of SR 89 around MP 193, so yes!

Is that the only outline AZ-route shield you've seen, and do you think it's an outlier or a new standard?

[agentsteel53]

it was certainly an old standard:



1971 photo, I think?

and they sometimes do randomly show up on modern installations...



I'm pretty sure this 71 is an outlier, as opposed to a reversion to a pre-1961 standard.

[corco]

I've driven a little over half the state highway system and that's the first I've seen besides the Tempe one above

[vtk]

I think Michigan DOT stated when they adopted Clearview that they didn't intend to use it in route shields, even in positive contrast.  A few have appeared, but they are not the norm.

[ctsignguy]

Up as of 10/09, replaced as of 5/11....



Still up as of 10/09



Still up as of 8/11

[JREwing78]

Yeah. Michigan didn't get the memo that Clearview wasn't intended to be used for numerals in shields (as far as I know, anyway).

More like the contractor didn't get the memo. Typically, Michigan does NOT do this.

[yakra]

I hereby dub that MA I-4895 sign "Methuselah". Can one of those good with with such things ID what year spec it is?

[agentsteel53]

I hereby dub that MA I-4895 sign "Methuselah". Can one of those good with with such things ID what year spec it is?

it is either a 1956 or early 1957 spec, before the specification was formally finalized in July '57.



here is a better example of one.  note the larger red crown, the larger state name, and the number moved further down relative to a standard '57 spec.  MA is the state which used this style the longest (well into the 60s), while other states used it on occasion as well.



never mind the white square layout... that is generally the same spec I refer to.  

there was, until sometime between Feb and Apr 2010, an I-91, of the same spec as the 495, that survived in Springfield.  It was in much nicer condition.

[elsmere241]

[Quillz]

Yeah. Michigan didn't get the memo that Clearview wasn't intended to be used for numerals in shields (as far as I know, anyway).

The rule is not that Clearview is not to be used in shields, but rather that it is not to be used in negative contrast situations (dark text on light background) because, depending on the study, it is either just as good or worse than FHWA Series fonts in those situations. That rules out most shields, which are negative contrast applications. If states want to they can use Clearview on their Interstate shields to their heart's content, just not any other shield (except for CA and their positive-contrast state route shield). I imagine the reason you don't see it more often is a desire to use the same numbers on all shields or perhaps problems in getting Clearview to fit properly with the dimensions given in shield specifications.

I think it's the former. I've played around with Clearview, and found the default spacing between the characters is much greater than the comparable FHWA Series. In fact, I've found that with Clearview, I've got to make the spacing as low as -50 or -75 just to have comparable spacing with the FHWA Series.

Thus, what I've found is that most standard route shields are too narrow to work with Clearview at their default settings, so wider shields are required.

[Alps]

Now I see those are in Maine. My first inclination was New York, which to my knowledge is the only other state with all nine place names. Prove me wrong.

[yakra]

Now I see those are in Maine. My first inclination was New York, which to my knowledge is the only other state with all nine place names. Prove me wrong.

Those are a famous sight here. Most o'the Maine Humah books or CDs that we sell to turists at Bean's are required by law to have a fisherman in a yellow rain slicka standin' nextta one o'these.

I just KNEW there had to be more than one of these, and elsmere241's example proved me right.
The one I'm familiar with is in South China, tucked at the 4-way jct of old 202/3/9/32.
(Link, location's a little off...)
We still have directions to China proper, and traded Paris & Naples for Egypt & Lebanon. Egypt's not a municipality; looks like it's pointing to Egypt Bay @ the Hancock/Franklin line. Just for giggles, there's a sign for New Sweden upta County, also labeled as vanilla Sweden just to be confusing.

Time to have a little fun zeroing in on where the above example might be found.
Edit: Blammo!

[adt1982]

I spotted this interesting sign on the Kickapoo-Edwards Road between I-74 exit 82 and US 150 west of Peoria on Tuesday.  It appears to be very new, as street view shows a proper shield, and does not have any markings at all on the back.

[agentsteel53]

I spotted this interesting sign on the Kickapoo-Edwards Road between I-74 exit 82 and US 150 west of Peoria on Tuesday.  It appears to be very new, as street view shows a proper shield, and does not have any markings at all on the back.

that's in Illinois, isn't it?  if so, that is something new for that state.  Indiana more-than-occasionally puts up a cutout like that (no border, intended for green guide sign use) on a surface-mount post, but this is the first I've heard of Illy doing it.

[adt1982]

Yes, it's Illinois.  This is the first cutout I can ever recall seeing in Illinois.

[agentsteel53]

Yes, it's Illinois.  This is the first cutout I can ever recall seeing in Illinois.

this one is, incredibly enough, still around.

[Takumi]

That thing looks mutated. If someone tries to take it down, it just might attack them!

[adt1982]

Where is that 67 shield?

[agentsteel53]

southbound coming in from Iowa at the state line.

[national highway 1]

Davenport-Rock Island (the Quad Cities)

[Brandon]

Where is that 67 shield?

Centennial Bridge, in the Quad Cities as stated by others.

[Quillz]

I wish there were more erroneous cutout shields out there. Even better if they accidentally were given a black border, too.

[Central Avenue]

I wish there were more erroneous cutout shields out there. Even better if they accidentally were given a black border, too.

And better yet, if they were accidentally included in the MUTCD!

[ctsignguy]

Still up as of 10/09



Still up as of August

[corco]

Found another AZ outline shield today on SR 89 in Prescott