Why is WSDOT adding exit numbers to only a few exits on SR 3?

[Lytton]

One of the interesting things about State Route 3 is that after it turns into a freeway, a few exits on the freeway segment of the route has exit numbers, but others don't. I have always wondered why WSDOT would tab some of them while leaving others with no exit numbers?

For example, I'm not sure when exit 36 is tabbed but I definitely do remember it was tabbed back in 2008 (when I moved back to the Washington area for four years), and exit 45A-B were tabbed sometime during the reconstruction of the WA-3/WA-303 interchange, but however, after I left Washington back in 2012, I noticed that the nearest exit to my former home in Kitsap County (Newberry Hill Road) is now tabbed as exit 43, even though it wasn't there before, and it was added sometime after I left.

So, what's the deal with WSDOT adding exit numbers to a few interchanges but leaving the others without exit numbers? What's the reasoning with this?

Edit: Also, is there any other freeways with this sort of situation (I know that WA-16 is another one of those)?

[corco]

Probably as they replace signs they are adding exit numbers? The latest MUTCD requires them on all freeways, even non-interstates.

[jakeroot]

Probably as they replace signs they are adding exit numbers? The latest MUTCD requires them on all freeways, even non-interstates.

That's interesting. I did not know that. So no new freeway exit signs without numbers?

[KEK Inc.]

The latest MUTCD requires them on all freeways, even non-interstates.

Citation?  WSDOT has plenty of new signs since 2012 on state freeways that don't have exit numbers. 

WSDOT is a bit odd on what highways use exit numbers.  I thought that 2 digit or less freeways would since SR-14 always had exit numbers in Vancouver.  SR-16 only has them up to Gig Harbor.  SR-18 -- also a fairly urban freeway -- doesn't have any exit numbers.

I don't think any 3-digit state freeway has any exit numbers. 

[roadfro]

The latest MUTCD requires them on all freeways, even non-interstates.

Citation?  WSDOT has plenty of new signs since 2012 on state freeways that don't have exit numbers. 

2009 MUTCD - Section 2E.31 Interchange Exit Numbering (Bold emphasis as in original)

Standard:
02 Interchange numbering shall be used in signing each freeway interchange exit. Interchange exit numbers shall be displayed with each Advance Guide sign, Exit Direction sign, and Exit Gore sign. ... (various details on size and lettering of exit plaque, suffix rules) ... If used, the interchange numbering system for expressways shall comply with the provisions prescribed for freeways.

I don't know if WSDOT uses the national MUTCD or has a state version/supplement that modifies this standard.

[corco]

Citation?  WSDOT has plenty of new signs since 2012 on state freeways that don't have exit numbers. 

See above.  On which highways are those?

[jakeroot]

Citation?  WSDOT has plenty of new signs since 2012 on state freeways that don't have exit numbers. 

See above.  On which highways are those?

The entirety of SR-520 between the 405 and the Albert Rosellini Bridge was resigned about a year ago. No exit numbers. No provision for exit numbers either, since the top of the signs are rounded off (they'd be squared off if exit numbers were planned, since we use full-width exit tabs).

https://goo.gl/2epSyn

[corco]

Citation?  WSDOT has plenty of new signs since 2012 on state freeways that don't have exit numbers. 

See above.  On which highways are those?

The entirety of SR-520 between the 405 and the Albert Rosellini Bridge was resigned about a year ago. No exit numbers. No provision for exit numbers either, since the top of the signs are rounded off (they'd be squared off if exit numbers were planned, since we use full-width exit tabs).

https://goo.gl/2epSyn

Interesting, okay.

Should be noted though that WSDOT, at least from what I have seen recently, is also inconsistently moving away from full-width exit tabs- I've noticed this most recently on I-5 north of I-205. Much of I-5 between I-205 and Centralia now has normal exit tabs:
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=688
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=689
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=690
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=692
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=693
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=417
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=418
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=419
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=450
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=938

It might be a deal where it just depends on who is putting together the sign and how they interpret the MUTCD in comparison to WSDOT's historic practices.

I guess my argument is that Washington is slowly, and apparently not at full thrust, moving towards doing things as indicated in the MUTCD with regards to exit tabs and exit numbers. You can see from the 2008 photos linked on those pages that all the exit tabs were full-width before, so things are slowly and inconsistently changing.

[duaneu2]

Interesting, okay.

Should be noted though that WSDOT, at least from what I have seen recently, is also inconsistently moving away from full-width exit tabs- I've noticed this most recently on I-5 north of I-205. Much of I-5 between I-205 and Centralia now has normal exit tabs:
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=688
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=689
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=690
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=692
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=693
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=417
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=418
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=419
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=450
http://www.corcohighways.org/highways/blog/?p=938

It might be a deal where it just depends on who is putting together the sign and how they interpret the MUTCD in comparison to WSDOT's historic practices.

I guess my argument is that Washington is slowly, and apparently not at full thrust, moving towards doing things as indicated in the MUTCD with regards to exit tabs and exit numbers. You can see from the 2008 photos linked on those pages that all the exit tabs were full-width before, so things are slowly and inconsistently changing.
[/quote]

Those are all in the Southwest Region. For some reason, the signs down there seem to be done differently than anyplace else in the state.

[corco]

How else are they different?  Every region has its quirks. The eastern region forgets to put directional banners on state highways fairly often, the northwest region puts up bubble shields, and so forth.

As I said above, this is a new development (and you can see the old photos to prove it)- they were using full-width exit tabs before. Now they are not.

It is obviously not happening 100% of the time, but exit numbers and tabbed exits are appearing where they were not before. They are more explicitly discussed in the MUTCD now. I don't think that's a coincidence. I maintain what I said at the beginning of the thread - is this happening because of explicit WSDOT policy? Maybe not. Is it happening because the MUTCD says it should? Probably.

[jakeroot]

How else are they different?  Every region has its quirks. The eastern region forgets to put directional banners on state highways fairly often, the northwest region puts up bubble shields, and so forth.

The variance even comes down to pavement markings. The eastern region, on occasion, uses the optional dotted extension lines on freeway exits. As well, some regions use gore-point chevron markings, some don't (and the design varies from region to region that uses them -- some use diagonal lines like Texas, others use the traditional pointed chevrons).

Even basic things like traffic control devices, like roundabouts, are far more utilized in the NW region than anywhere else in the state (though this is slowly becoming less true).

Lots of new signs have been installed in the NW region since the signs that you linked to earlier were installed, all of which have full-width tabs.

While there is certainly the possibility that WSDOT will, as a whole, begin a transition away from full-with tabs, I don't think it's very likely.

[KEK Inc.]

SW WSDOT has started to do that [tabs] since 2010.  New signs in King County and north don't seem to follow that.

---

SR-500, SR-240 and SR-167 has had some modifications and new signs since 2012.