"City" US Routes

[IndyWasTaken]

After scrolling through the AARoads shield gallery, i've found images of these so-called "City Routes", signed with yellow and black shields. Were these the predicessor to "Business" US Routes, or were they an entirely separate thing from Business routes.

[SEWIGuy]

After scrolling through the AARoads shield gallery, i've found images of these so-called "City Routes", signed with yellow and black shields. Were these the predicessor to "Business" US Routes, or were they an entirely separate thing from Business routes.

They were the predecessor to business routes.

[Big John]

And the yellow business shields continued for a bit as I remembered older Business US 41 signs being yellow.

[Molandfreak]

Why was the concept of having a different color shield for business loops done away with in the first place? The way Maryland and sometimes Minnesota sign US highway business loops makes way more sense than just tacking a "business" shield on top of a normal highway sign. If that shield is knocked over, it is impossible to tell the difference between the mainline and the business loop until the DOT replaces the sign.

[SEWIGuy]

Well, yellow signs are warning signs. So keeping that color didn't make much sense. Furthermore, I think your example is a pretty remote one.

[Scott5114]

Why was the concept of having a different color shield for business loops done away with in the first place? The way Maryland and sometimes Minnesota sign US highway business loops makes way more sense than just tacking a "business" shield on top of a normal highway sign. If that shield is knocked over, it is impossible to tell the difference between the mainline and the business loop until the DOT replaces the sign.

Signs of colors other than black and white are generally more expensive, since the colors are more prone to fading. Also, the MUTCD doesn't generally permit color variations of US route shield, as Florida found out.

What I don't get is why Interstate and US route business routes are signed completely differently. You'd think they'd either make the business US route green to match the Interstate one, or have a business interstate be the regular tricolor shield with a blue BUSINESS banner. Instead one class of routes does one thing and the other does the other. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you think about it for too long.

[mgk920]

Wisconsin's US business route signs also used to be yellow.

Mike

[Molandfreak]

Why was the concept of having a different color shield for business loops done away with in the first place? The way Maryland and sometimes Minnesota sign US highway business loops makes way more sense than just tacking a "business" shield on top of a normal highway sign. If that shield is knocked over, it is impossible to tell the difference between the mainline and the business loop until the DOT replaces the sign.

Signs of colors other than black and white are generally more expensive, since the colors are more prone to fading. Also, the MUTCD doesn't generally permit color variations of US route shield, as Florida found out.

What I don't get is why Interstate and US route business routes are signed completely differently. You'd think they'd either make the business US route green to match the Interstate one, or have a business interstate be the regular tricolor shield with a blue BUSINESS banner. Instead one class of routes does one thing and the other does the other. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you think about it for too long.

Right, going back to yellow would have no point—but anecdotally all of the Minnesota shields in blue don't seem to have the problem of fading that US Highway signs do in the same assemblies out west. All businesses loops should be in green since it's been established with interstates.

[Molandfreak]

Well, yellow signs are warning signs. So keeping that color didn't make much sense. Furthermore, I think your example is a pretty remote one.

Shakopee isn't a city I would call "remote" at all, but it got a distinguishable style of green business loop 169 shields when that business loop was established.

[Big John]

Well, yellow signs are warning signs. So keeping that color didn't make much sense. Furthermore, I think your example is a pretty remote one.

Tell that to Kansas.

[epzik8]

Why was the concept of having a different color shield for business loops done away with in the first place? The way Maryland and sometimes Minnesota sign US highway business loops makes way more sense than just tacking a "business" shield on top of a normal highway sign. If that shield is knocked over, it is impossible to tell the difference between the mainline and the business loop until the DOT replaces the sign.

We do so many things right in Maryland.