Longest Advance Warning for Interchange Sign

[webny99]

Ontario, Canada, has an interesting practice of posting the first advance warning sign for the next interchange at the gore point of the previous interchange.
Here's an example.

This only happens on relatively urban parts of freeways (these don't appear on signs that are on the roadside, only on overhead gantries).

I actually think it's not so much urban vs. rural as it is 6-lane highway vs. 4-lane highway. Ontario seems to use overhead signs, and therefore, this signage pattern, primarily on 6-lane highways. Whereas on 4-lane highways, if there's no overhead, there's not much point in posting an advance warning for the next interchange, so they'll just post it the standard 1 or 2 km out instead.

[wanderer2575]

This is the longest I ever saw in Michigan, and it was definitely an anomaly.  I have to assume someone thought motorists might confuse the surface street business route for the interstate freeway.  The sign no longer exists.  US-127 in East Lansing:

[roadman65]

I saw that PA has one for I-78 on PA 33 4.5 miles away.

The airport for Kansas City has one 5 miles out on I-29 N Bound.

NJ 124 had one on I-287 in NJ 7 miles out at one time near Bernardsville heading northbound.

[HTM Duke]

This sign was installed as part of the I-66 / US-15 DDI project in Haymarket, VA, and lists I-81 as being 41 miles west.
https://goo.gl/maps/S94KKTir2MURdySm8

[Mapmikey]

Surprisingly there is no I-84 shield in New Jersey (though I found a US 6 shield).  You can see an I-84 shield from NJ on NJ 23 but all the signs are on the NY side of the line.

Isn't this "JCT I-84" sign technically on the New Jersey side?
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.3528956,-74.6854571,3a,49.4y,36.61h,78.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sz5OutaecCC8UqF4zjDha9w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1

What threw me was that it is on the same signpost as a NY county 15 shield.  The pavement change one might expect at a state line is such that the I-84 jct shield does seem to be in New Jersey.

[webny99]

I saw that PA has one for I-78 on PA 33 4.5 miles away.

4 miles, actually. Surprised I didn't remember that one for how many times I've driven under it.

[jmacswimmer]

I saw that PA has one for I-78 on PA 33 4.5 miles away.

4 miles, actually. Surprised I didn't remember that one for how many times I've driven under it.

That reminds me, in the same area there's a sign on US 22 West for PA 33, 5 miles (which, interestingly, references I-80 even though the signs closer to the interchange reference Stroudsburg)

[webny99]

I saw that PA has one for I-78 on PA 33 4.5 miles away.

4 miles, actually. Surprised I didn't remember that one for how many times I've driven under it.

That reminds me, in the same area there's a sign on US 22 West for PA 33, 5 miles (which, interestingly, references I-80 even though the signs closer to the interchange reference Stroudsburg)

Given how that sign is visible from the PA 611 exit, I wouldn't be surprised if the reference to I-80 is to encourage people to keep going to PA 33 to get to I-80 instead of using PA 611.

[Jim]

On the NYS Thruway northbound, I guess to limit confusion between "Route 17" at the upcoming Woodbury exit, and "Exit 17" for I-84.  March 21, 2007.

[Flint1979]

This is the longest I ever saw in Michigan, and it was definitely an anomaly.  I have to assume someone thought motorists might confuse the surface street business route for the interstate freeway.  The sign no longer exists.  US-127 in East Lansing:

And what's strange there is that there is another exit before I-69. How long has that sign been gone for? I don't ever remember seeing that one.

[1995hoo]

I am well aware of what "Gd" means on those signs, but every time I see them (or similar) in a picture, it looks to me like it should mean "Good."

(Down South, "GD" is often used as a proxy expression for a profanity in order to avoid blaspheming, though it seems to me if you use it with the intent of saying the longer word without actually saying it, aren't you effectively blaspheming anyway?)

[Flint1979]

I am well aware of what "Gd" means on those signs, but every time I see them (or similar) in a picture, it looks to me like it should mean "Good."

(Down South, "GD" is often used as a proxy expression for a profanity in order to avoid blaspheming, though it seems to me if you use it with the intent of saying the longer word without actually saying it, aren't you effectively blaspheming anyway?)

Grand River will throw you off, there is another Grand River Road not far from the more well known Grand River Avenue and then it switches names once you get into Kent County it becomes Cascade.

They do it when the Mackinac Bridge is the control city 9n I-75 and US-127 they say Mackinac Br.

[thenetwork]

Here's 2 miles to I-271 east of Cleveland, OH.
Some states use 2 miles regularly.

1- and/or 2-Mile advance notices are common in Ohio (2 for most major interchanges), 2 Miles especially on the Ohio Turnpike.   

One stands out in particular -- a 3-mile advance sign on I-480 East in Cleveland.  https://goo.gl/maps/x97kricPHtuqbjQA8

[michravera]

Ontario, Canada, has an interesting practice of posting the first advance warning sign for the next interchange at the gore point of the previous interchange.
Here's an example. This means that the amount of advance notice you get for the interchange depends on how much distance there is between the exits. It also leads to some cases of excessive advance notice, like the one linked to for 7 km, which translates to 4.34 miles.

Are there any states in the US that use this same practice in a widespread way?
Additionally, what is the longest distance on an advance warning sign in the US? This does not include interchange sequence signs - we already have a thread for those. This is just for signs that refer to a single upcoming interchange. Here's 2 miles to I-271 east of Cleveland, OH.
Some states use 2 miles regularly. Others, like NY, are more sparse. What is the standard for your state? Does it differ for urban vs. rural areas?


(Also, is there a better, more concise name for these than 'Advance Warning for Interchange Signs'? That seems clumsy - if there's a better term I'll update the thread title.)

Because many California freeways were often built by widening or slightly offsetting from other roads, it is common for some freeways to have several exits that either are named or signed as "you can get to ..." close to each other. This happens on I-280 with Stevens Creek Blvd in Santa Clara county, with Mission Blvd  on I-680 and I-880 in Alameda county, and with Fremont Street in Monterey county. CalTrans will frequently post signs indicating the distance to a similarly named later exit near the first one, but this isn't exactly what the OP had in mind.

Also, not what the OP had in mind, CalTrans will post the distance to a CalTrans maintained Rest Area just in advance of exits with limited services so as to discourage the use of the limited service exits in favor of Rest Areas.

The most obvious examples of what the OP had in mind, if there were to be any in California, Utica Ave and Twissleman Rd along I-5 do NOT have signs indicating the distance to the next exit.

[webny99]

Can we include advance signage for rest areas/service plazas into the discussion?  I can think of several states (such as PA & NY) that give quite the advance notice for their service plazas ...

Also, not what the OP had in mind, CalTrans will post the distance to a CalTrans maintained Rest Area just in advance of exits with limited services so as to discourage the use of the limited service exits in favor of Rest Areas.

I wasn't really looking for rest areas with this thread. "Next Service Area XX miles" signs are common on the Thruway, too, but I wouldn't call those "advance warning" in the sense of preparing you for your exit, since there's often several intermediate exits.

These are often posted just in advance of a service area as a general informational reference to help you decide if you should use this service area or wait for the next one. Here's Next Service Area 28 miles on approach to the Junius Ponds Service Area, posted between the standard 2 mile and 1-1/2 mile advance signs.

[jmacswimmer]

I wasn't really looking for rest areas with this thread. "Next Service Area XX miles" signs are common on the Thruway, too, but I wouldn't call those "advance warning" in the sense of preparing you for your exit, since there's often several intermediate exits.

These are often posted just in advance of a service area as a general informational reference to help you decide if you should use this service area or wait for the next one. Here's Next Service Area 28 miles on approach to the Junius Ponds Service Area, posted between the standard 2 mile and 1-1/2 mile advance signs.

I was moreso referring to long-distance service plaza signs such as this and this that match the signs immediately preceding the plaza.

[sprjus4]

For rest areas, here's 107 miles on I-95 South at MM108 near Ruther Glen, VA. The next rest area would be the North Carolina Welcome Center, since the rest area near Carson at MM35 is only for northbound traffic.

[hobsini2]

I-88 has a few of the longer distance ones.
Route 47 - 16 miles https://www.google.com/maps/@41.900344,-88.7242285,3a,75y,88.43h,92.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2mrtmGJHCqmFQ-zLnxf1uw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
I-39/US 51 - 13 miles
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9037085,-88.7684279,3a,75y,278.32h,94.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEBLwXTjwD2HNZirGrPGDXQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Route 26 - 25 miles
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9005787,-89.0615463,3a,75y,269.11h,100.84t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seUr9DNpIrv_wtzL_xralMw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[KEVIN_224]

Surprisingly there is no I-84 shield in New Jersey (though I found a US 6 shield).  You can see an I-84 shield from NJ on NJ 23 but all the signs are on the NY side of the line.

Isn't this "JCT I-84" sign technically on the New Jersey side?
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.3528956,-74.6854571,3a,49.4y,36.61h,78.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sz5OutaecCC8UqF4zjDha9w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!5m1!1e1

Going by my grainy picture at night in 2011...yes.


Then you have THIS on I-91 in Springfield, MA. Exit 14 is up on the West Springfield/Holyoke town line.

[andrepoiy]

webny99 found an example in Ontario that is 7 km away (Victoria Ave), well, now I found one that's 12 km.

NB Highway 400 at King Road, where it lists the next exits, which are 9 and 12 km away.

[Big John]

3, 6, and 10 miles: https://goo.gl/maps/fQ6c3STXHH7DEmcq8

[michravera]

Can we include advance signage for rest areas/service plazas into the discussion?  I can think of several states (such as PA & NY) that give quite the advance notice for their service plazas - for example, here's one on the PA Turnpike, and one on I-83 North leaving the Baltimore area.

You can find some of those signs scattered around rural MN as well- they don't seem to serve any purpose since Minnesota already lists the distance to the next rest area at each rest area ("Rest Area 'X' Miles/ Next Rest Area 'X' Miles"- type signs). They would make sense as supplemental signs where a lot of long-distance traffic enters the freeway after the previous rest area to inform truckers and other travelers "new" to the highway of rest stops (which it seems like is the case in your second example), but in MN they seem to be purely for random reassurance and not based on traffic patterns at all.

California regularly puts up "Rest Area" distances just advance of limited service exits (so that you won't stop to go to the loo at the poor guy's 2-pump/1-hole station that only has Coke, Pepsi, Orange Crush, or Bud; Regular, Bar-B-Cue or Fritos; and Milky Way or Mounds; and only about 6 of each) . It also often puts up "Next Rest Area" distances just advance of rest area exits, so that you know whether you need to stop or can make it to the next one.

As to the OP's question:  It's really common in California, especially as you get to the end of urban areas, for the distance to the next exit to be hung from the overpass of the current exit regardless of how far it is. 2 Miles or 2¹/₂ would be entirely common. I know that there is a "3 Miles" signs near CASR-166. "European Style" interchange diagrams are frequently at longer distances still.

[roadman65]

Doesn't I-195 in NJ have far advanced signs now as part of their trial to inform motorists of the distance to the next exit?

[ran4sh]

(Also, is there a better, more concise name for these than 'Advance Warning for Interchange Signs'? That seems clumsy - if there's a better term I'll update the thread title.)

In the MUTCD they are called "Advance Guide Signs". So your own name for them is not that far off.

In Georgia there's this sign on I-75 south for I-285, 4 3/4 miles (north side): https://goo.gl/maps/uizic5PMEK8hT3Mt5 The weird thing about that one is, there are two other interchanges (261, 260) in between the two indicated on those signs (263 and 259).