Arrow-Per-Lane (APL) signs

[machias]

Here's an interesting use of an APL at the new DDI southeast of Tucson at Exit 275 Houghton Rd off Interstate 10. Photo courtesy of ADOT.

[webny99]

Here's a four-way APL on I-630 at I-430 near Little Rock. I must say I was pretty impressed by this one. One of the better implementations of the APL that I've seen for what could be a confusing set of exits.

[SignBridge]

Yeah that's a relatively good display re: the number of lanes involved. The arrow for the left exit is too small for some reason. And I'm puzzled why some states don't show destinations for 3-digit Interstates. In the Northeast, destinations are shown for them.

[jakeroot]

Here's a four-way APL on I-630 at I-430 near Little Rock. I must say I was pretty impressed by this one. One of the better implementations of the APL that I've seen for what could be a confusing set of exits.

That's a really good sign! Shame about the single up arrow pointing to the dividing line, but there's really no way to sign that without totally custom arrows.

I like the shorter sign height too. Well done Arkansas!

[wanderer2575]

This is kind of a funky one that doesn't exist yet, but is coming in the next couple years with the reconstruction of I-96 in western Oakland County.  (This will replace the current APL, of which I posted a photo earlier in this thread.)  The arrows are correctly positioned over the three lanes that exist at this point, but they're way off-center on the sign because of the number of shields for the one thru lane.

[Henry]

I wish someone would make a map on which states use APL's and which don't, similar to the Clearview vs. FHWA one...

[J N Winkler]

I wish someone would make a map on which states use APL's and which don't, similar to the Clearview vs. FHWA one...

Here is a start at one:

AK  N
HI  N Y
WA  Y
OR  Y
ID  N Y
CA  Y
NV  Y
UT  Y
MT  N
WY  N
AZ  Y
NM  N Y
CO  Y
ND  N Y
SD  N
NE  Y
KS  Y
OK  Y
TX  Y
MN  Y
IA  Y
MO  Y
AR  Y
LA  N
MS  Y
AL  Y
GA  Y
FL  Y
SC  N Y
NC  Y
TN  Y
VA  Y
IL  Y
WI  Y
MI  Y
IN  Y
KY Y
OH  Y
WV  N
MD  N Y
PA  Y
DE  Y
NJ  N Y
NY  Y
VT  N Y
NH  Y
ME  N Y
MA  N Y
RI  N Y
CT  Y

I'm inviting corrections, though.  States marked N are more likely to be in error since nearly all of the others have been marked Y on the basis of Google StreetView imagery or construction plans sheets showing APLs.  I am not counting APL-like signs found on surface roads leading to freeways (e.g., at DDIs) since those are dealt with under a separate section of the MUTCD.

Edit:  List is now corrected to reflect the existence of APLs in HI (I-H1 Exit 2, picture posted upthread), NM, ND, SC, MD, NJ, VT, ME, MA, and RI.

Edit II:  List has been amended to reflect use of APLs in ID.

[jeffandnicole]

NJ is Yes.

[SkyPesos]

OH  Y

Note that they are pretty rare in Ohio (there's a few each in Youngstown and Toledo, and one in Columbus that I can think of). Otherwise, it might as well have been a no. All of them are in Clearview, and ODOT stopped using Clearview at around 2017 or so, which could mean that they also stopped installing APLs, also considering that this new ugly and confusing way of signing option lanes is getting more common.

[ran4sh]

SC is yes, see https://goo.gl/maps/5gwvNVi6Mt4EekDJ6

[Great Lakes Roads]

HI, NM, ND, MA, RI, and VT are a yes

[jmacswimmer]

MD is technically a yes, but only in one spot (as far as I'm aware): the US 50/301 split on the Eastern Shore.

[webny99]

HI, NM, ND, MA, RI, and VT are a yes

I'm starting a map of what we have so far, but I'd like to see at least one example from each before marking a state as "Yes", and preferably some sense of whether they're rare or common in the state.

Here's one for North Dakota. They're obviously rare in ND relative to other states because there's few cities big enough to warrant them at more than a select few locations. I imagine Vermont is similar; if any exist, they're probably pretty rare.

I can also confirm New Mexico although not consistently (not that NMDOT is known to be consistent at much of anything).

[Scott5114]

Oklahoma is definitely "yes but not consistently"–our first stippled-arrow diagrammatics appeared after the first APL, and I know of two instances where the split arrow on an APL is actually a tiny stippled-arrow diagrammatic!

[fwydriver405]

MA uses APL's at the eastern terminus of Interstate 84 (1 mile, ½ mile), as well as the approach to the northern terminus of MA Route 24 (2 miles, 1 mile, ½ mile). There is also a partial one on I-95 / MA Route 128 South at US 3 as well. Not aware of any more planned in MA as of the writing of this message.

All photos taken by Robert Malme, which can be found here.

I imagine Vermont is similar; if any exist, they're probably pretty rare.

EDIT: Speaking of Vermont, I don't know if these count, but these two are at the US Route 7 and Vermont Route 279 interchange in Bennington (¼ mile, at exit).



Maine will eventually get one once the Exit 45 improvements at Maine Route's 703's western terminus is complete (page 105 in this planset)

[jeffandnicole]

HI, NM, ND, MA, RI, and VT are a yes

I'm starting a map of what we have so far, but I'd like to see at least one example from each before marking a state as "Yes", and preferably some sense of whether they're rare or common in the state.

Here's one for North Dakota. They're obviously rare in ND relative to other states because there's few cities big enough to warrant them at more than a select few locations. I imagine Vermont is similar; if any exist, they're probably pretty rare.

I can also confirm New Mexico although not consistently (not that NMDOT is known to be consistent at much of anything).

They're going to be rare in a number of states because they're a new standard and signs only get replaced every few decades, and these can require some significant changes. But just one still counts.

As far as NJ goes...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/czV6HTQJtCpugzBo6

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NMKbe1hx5ZKC5dcp6

[Great Lakes Roads]

Here's RI:
(¼ mile, at exit).

[fwydriver405]

Here's RI:
(¼ mile, at exit).

Two more at the exit: (1, 2)
And this one at I-295 South at US Route 6 (½ mile*, at exit)
*the ½ mile one has the exit only arrow over the breakdown lane. don't know if they intended to make an aux lane between the two interchanges.

[J N Winkler]

Thank you, all--the links to examples are especially helpful.  I've edited the original post accordingly.

HI, NM, ND, MA, RI, and VT are a yes

I'm starting a map of what we have so far, but I'd like to see at least one example from each before marking a state as "Yes", and preferably some sense of whether they're rare or common in the state.

They're going to be rare in a number of states because they're a new standard and signs only get replaced every few decades, and these can require some significant changes. But just one still counts.

There are certainly a few states where APLs are all but one-offs.  For MN, which has long had its homegrown approach for handling option lanes at freeway-to-freeway interchanges, I found just one example.  However, the APL concept surfaced in rulemaking in 2007 and became part of the MUTCD in 2009, so there has been a minimum of 12 years for state DOTs and turnpike agencies to work out how and where they want to install them.  We are down to just seven states with no known examples.

[Scott5114]

And there are, of course, installed examples that predate their adoption in the MUTCD. For example, the first APL I remember seeing was on I-43 in Milwaukee, at the 2008 Chicago road meet. The details on that sign differ from the modern design of APL, but it is unquestionably an early attempt at one.

[webny99]

My North Dakota example is an early one, too. The arrows are a different design than what we're used to seeing now, and the same sign is visible in 2008 Street View.

[webny99]

Here's what I have for a map so far. I included two levels of APL prevalence to account for states like Maryland (with only one or a few known examples) and Ohio (where APL's exist, but are not yet common statewide). I marked everything that was a Yes on J N Winkler's original list as green; only changing to yellow those for which someone had provided additional insight, so there's a lot of states marked green that may need to switch to yellow (and possibly vice versa).

[tolbs17]

Nice!

[tolbs17]

District of Columbia is a yes as well. This sign was installed recently.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8804092,-77.0308657,3a,63.3y,53.88h,87.96t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sdAuWLTNS-HcGif-AIm98ew!2e0!5s20210901T000000!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DdAuWLTNS-HcGif-AIm98ew%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D32.277313%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

[Tom958]

Oklahoma is definitely "yes but not consistently"–our first stippled-arrow diagrammatics appeared after the first APL, and I know of two instances where the split arrow on an APL is actually a tiny stippled-arrow diagrammatic!

I want to see them!!!!