Erroneous road signs

[Central Avenue]

Is Ohio a state that classifies all numbered highways, regardless of actual class, as state routes? If so, that would not technically be an error shield.

Some states, like California, do that. That is, I-5 is actually maintained as "CA-5."

Yes, Ohio does that as well. So admittedly, it's not technically incorrect, but I still count it as an error because OH 40 is supposed to be signed as US 40.

[vtk]

Is Ohio a state that classifies all numbered highways, regardless of actual class, as state routes? If so, that would not technically be an error shield.

Some states, like California, do that. That is, I-5 is actually maintained as "CA-5."

That may be open to interpretation. Numbers aren't duplicated, so a route number alone (such as on bridge plaques) is unambiguous. However, the Straight Line Diagrams consistently distinguish between route classes, like this: IR 71R, US 40R, SR 16R.  But that doesn't stop state and local officials from lumping in US routes with state routes.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Most of the route classification errors I've seen in Ohio have been classifying US routes as state routes.

[formulanone]

Most of the toute classification errors I've seen in Ohio have been classifying US routes as state routes.

Didn't know that...makes sence that I found that OH 62 shield along US 62.

[Takumi]

VA does all kinds of them. State primaries with US shields, state primaries with secondary shields, US routes with state primary shields, secondaries with primary shields...my theory as to why this happens so much is that the VA primary route shield looks like the halfway point between the US shield and a secondary shield (a circle).

[WillWeaverRVA]

VA does all kinds of them. State primaries with US shields, state primaries with secondary shields, US routes with state primary shields, secondaries with primary shields...my theory as to why this happens so much is that the VA primary route shield looks like the halfway point between the US shield and a secondary shield (a circle).

Not to mention the one isolated case of a VA primary route signed in an interstate business loop shield (VA 7).

[Ian]

NY 9W should be US 9W:


I-84 eastbound at the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.

[xcellntbuy]

Just before Exits 10N-S on Interstate 84 are signs for NY 9D Wappinger Falls instead of Wappingers Falls.  The Town is Town of Wappinger.

[Duke87]

Two separate signs for US 22 in White Plains:



This makes a grand total of four US 22 shields that I know of in New York (the other two are waaay upstate north of the Adirondacks, I believe I posted one of them before).

Now for a more subtle error:


While this is geographically accurate, I-278 is technically an east-west route, so this sign is not following proper convention.

[Alex]

U.S. 421 is signed as Indiana 421 on both overheads along SR 9 at the interchange with I-74 & U.S. 421.

[Brandon]

While this is geographically accurate, I-278 is technically an east-west route, so this sign is not following proper convention.

It is?  3dis can go any direction, and are not limited by the even-odd rules.  I-294 is a north-south 3di here, and I-196 is a north-south 3di in Michigan, thus I-278 can be north-south in New York.

[vtk]

While this is geographically accurate, I-278 is technically an east-west route, so this sign is not following proper convention.

It is?  3dis can go any direction, and are not limited by the even-odd rules.  I-294 is a north-south 3di here, and I-196 is a north-south 3di in Michigan, thus I-278 can be north-south in New York.

Yes, 3dI's can go in any direction.  This one goes east-west because NYSDOT says so, not because of its even number.  Geographically, I-278 appears to go every direction at some point or another, but runs overall southwest to northeast, slightly closer to west to east than south to north.

[Alps]

Within Brooklyn and Queens, though, 278 runs north-south, or more precisely, the Gowanus and BQE run north-south, even though 278 is signed east-west. It's a case where the individual roadway names are so well known in the area, usually the numbering plays second fiddle, and that can happen to directions even with the number posted. (95 runs east-west on the Cross Bronx, and that's how traffic reports call it.)

Thanks for the White Plains signs, I hadn't been through there on 22 SB, so I'll make a detour next time.

[1995hoo]

"Gowanus" and "BQE" might be more than just "well-known" in the area. I referred to I-278 and none of my relatives (who at the time lived in Bay Ridge and Staten Island) had any clue what I-278 once. I was shocked, but when they realized what I meant they said nobody calls NYC's highways by number.

[hbelkins]

Spotted last week in the Empire State:





These were the only two I saw northbound, not sure if there were any southbound or not.

And that's a funky shape for the NY shield in the bottom photo, too.

[Duke87]

And that's a funky shape for the NY shield in the bottom photo, too.

But not uncommon, sadly. Those are all over the place.

[ftballfan]

While this is geographically accurate, I-278 is technically an east-west route, so this sign is not following proper convention.

It is?  3dis can go any direction, and are not limited by the even-odd rules.  I-294 is a north-south 3di here, and I-196 is a north-south 3di in Michigan, thus I-278 can be north-south in New York.

I-196 runs BOTH north-south (with US-31) and east-west (without US-31).

[ctsignguy]

Is Ohio a state that classifies all numbered highways, regardless of actual class, as state routes? If so, that would not technically be an error shield.

Some states, like California, do that. That is, I-5 is actually maintained as "CA-5."

Yes, Ohio does that as well. So admittedly, it's not technically incorrect, but I still count it as an error because OH 40 is supposed to be signed as US 40.

Well, i dont know if this is still done, but at one time, Ohio had their roads classified as State Highways...and the numbers often didnt match the route numbers....for instance, i had a map of Ashtabula County many years ago that had State Highways written alongside the shields...I-90 was also noted as State Highway 1...and the various routes in the County had State Highway numbers that were nothing like the Route numbers they carry

[agentsteel53]

California is surprisingly good at not getting route classifications mixed up.  I remember a construction zone at the East LA Interchange had a lovely I-101 shield on a "your tax dollars at work" sign for a year or two.  I've also seen interstates 1, 50, and 99. 

there was a lovely US-99 posted in Sacramento a few months ago but it was quickly patched to the correct state 99.  that is the only state-to-US error I've ever seen made by Caltrans.  there is a US-12 shield on a county road green sign in Santa Rosa and a US-86 street blade in El Centro.  as those examples are all on green guide signs, I have never once spotted a US route cutout with a state route number in California.  that would be quite the find.

as for other states... North Dakota seems to have had a problem in the 1950s - I have seen at least four cutouts for North Dakota state routes in US shields.  I've also seen (in fact, owned) a red Mississippi US 18 cutout from 1956, and have heard that there is a Colorado US 9 out there.

then there is this attempt at a US-83 shield from Oklahoma.

[WNYroadgeek]

Somewhat of an oddity- The normal shields are wrong, while the detour shields are right: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=42.834563,-77.715225&spn=0.000063,0.027595&t=m&z=15&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=42.834667,-77.715192&panoid=CYgSGiKrHNRo6p4t30PwbQ&cbp=12,58.67,,1,-0.28

[cu2010]

That is, sadly, a common error throughout NY...

[JREwing78]

While this is geographically accurate, I-278 is technically an east-west route, so this sign is not following proper convention.

It is?  3dis can go any direction, and are not limited by the even-odd rules.  I-294 is a north-south 3di here, and I-196 is a north-south 3di in Michigan, thus I-278 can be north-south in New York.

I-196 runs BOTH north-south (with US-31) and east-west (without US-31).

Brought to you by the same state that also posts a north-south and east-west I-69. Hang the convention - the east-west section would make no sense posted north-south.

[vtk]

Here are a couple of examples where the sign is only erroneous due to its orientation:


Renner Rd, westbound at St James Lutheran Ln in Columbus.  It's the I-70 trailblazer combo on the right that's wrong.  Turning left here certainly will not lead you to I-70.  Instead, go to the next intersection and turn left onto Hilliard—Rome Rd.  Years ago there was a traditional 3-piece trailblazer assembly here, facing St James Lutheran Ln, and that made sense.  Apparently the error was made when the assembly was replaced with this one-piece dealie.



US 52 westbound at US 23 northbound in Portsmouth.  The OH 73 / US 52 assembly on the right is wrong.  Again, the markers should be facing northbound traffic, guiding them to turn west.  Instead, this seems to instruct westbound US 52 traffic to turn left here, which would send them the wrong way down a one-way street!  It's possible this display was installed correctly, and became disoriented later; the signs are mounted on a U-channel, but that U-channel has been secured to the adjacent light post rather clumsily.  By the way, this is the first time I've taken a roadgeek photo while on the job – apparently I'm willing to do that when moving very slowly and not carrying a crew.

[national highway 1]

MN 95 is signed with a Wisconsin shield before the state line.

[xonhulu]

MN 95 is signed with a Wisconsin shield before the state line.

Am I correct that it looks like they added "MINN" to the shield?

If so, it reminds me of this beauty from El Paso: