The Best of Road Signs

[NE2]

Huh? What's best about the reassurance (not trailblazer)?

[kphoger]

We've now reached the point in this forum at which a shield merely has to be designed correctly in order to qualify as the best of road signs.

Let's all post the 15.2 zillion other properly designed route shields.

Let's not.

[PHLBOS]

We've now reached the point in this forum at which a shield merely has to be designed correctly in order to qualify as the best of road signs.

Let's all post the 15.2 zillion other properly designed route shields.

Let's not.

OK OK, I've removed my posts.

Happy now.

[Ian]

Came across this old sign along US 1A in Ellsworth, ME the other day.

[formulanone]

I was amazed how much wooden signage still exists in Maine.

[Ian]

I was amazed how much wooden signage still exists in Maine.

Unfortunately, MaineDOT is currently in the process of replacing all of their old font and wooden highway signs. I was amazed at how many 2011/2012 installed signs I saw when traveling in the state last summer, when the year before there were hundreds of old ones still present.

[agentsteel53]

Unfortunately, MaineDOT is currently in the process of replacing all of their old font and wooden highway signs. I was amazed at how many 2011/2012 installed signs I saw when traveling in the state last summer, when the year before there were hundreds of old ones still present.

I feel the same way about 2006 vs 2008, actually.  2006 there were dozens of old signs even on primary routes.  by 2008, you really had to dig on the backroads.

[yakra]

Yeah. There used to be a nice 202/4 unisign of the same dimensions with the white-on-black JUNCTION banner on River Road in Windham. It got replaced maybe last summer. Never got a photo when I had the opportunity...
GMSV link

[Ian]

Yeah. There used to be a nice 202/4 unisign of the same dimensions with the white-on-black JUNCTION banner on River Road in Windham. It got replaced maybe last summer. Never got a photo when I had the opportunity...
GMSV link

I didn't even know that one existed. I do know there is/was one on ME 4A in Buxton. Any idea if that one is still alive?

[yakra]

No idea. Haven't been out that way in quite some time.
Though as you mentioned, signs are getting replaced at a pretty swift pace in southern Maine, so I may not hold out too much hope...

[Central Avenue]

Came across this old sign along US 1A in Ellsworth, ME the other day.

The numbers being sequential is a nice touch.

[national highway 1]

Came across this old sign along US 1A in Ellsworth, ME the other day.

The numbers being sequential is a nice touch.

So is the custom font.

[6a]

I was told at a young age that the overhead lights were used to avoid shining up at aircraft at night.  Columbus's overlit signs are all on the east side (near Port Columbus Int'l Airport).  There are plenty of other city lights to make that consideration moot, but it might have seemed like a good idea in the 60's and 70's.

It must be something to do with that, although I wondered why signs near the CLE and CAK airports weren't similarly designed, for example.  Maybe the signs lined up the right way so as to be problematic.  (Admittedly there are/were few lighted signs near CAK, but there were a ton near CLE, all underlit.  Most have been replaced in the last couple years, sadly.)

In addition, pretty much all of 270 south of E. Broad lines up almost exactly with the runways at Rickenbacker...or back in the day, Lockbourne AFB.

[Takumi]

I couldn't decide if this belongs in Best or Worst. The awkward moment when you discover a brand new cutout on April Fools Day. This is in Hopewell, obviously, and is a carbon copy of the cutout that used to stand here.

[agentsteel53]

I like the large B numbers.  I do not like the mismatch between shield shape and black border.

[Takumi]

Yeah, I do like the size of the digits, but it was done with typical Hopewell sloppiness. For comparison, here is the old cutout (photo 2008).

[Roadgeek2500]

Happy April Fools Day

[Takumi]

Also from Hopewell, what appears to be an original I-95 shield.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Also from Hopewell, what appears to be an original I-95 shield.

This is definitely Best. The horrible mutant VA 36 cutout is, sadly enough, Worst.

[Takumi]

Here's a cutout (in downtown Richmond) that definitely belongs here.

[hbelkins]

Taken today in Cincinnati. Accidentally getting lost in a less-than-desirable part of town can sometimes be a good thing.



Found a crapload of old US 42, 27 and 127 signs, as well as a few "OH 127" signs, along the truck route for US 27/127 as well.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Here's a cutout (in downtown Richmond) that definitely belongs here.

Interesting, I always thought that had been removed. I guess I just wasn't looking in the right place. Here's a photo of that cutout in 2007 (notably the oldest photo I have on Flickr - not chronologically, though):



No idea why the chicken wire is there.

[yakra]

To keep those gol-durn thievin' roadgeeks out?

[agentsteel53]

Found a crapload of old US 42, 27 and 127 signs, as well as a few "OH 127" signs, along the truck route for US 27/127 as well.

did you find this cutout/18" pair?

[agentsteel53]

The slightly fatter US 40 shield immediately made me think of a similar US 68 shield on I-70 EB; the street view is terrible but as I recall, that one sign's shield is somewhat fat for its height, while all the others approaching both ways on I-70 are "normal" 1970-spec shields.  Steve's I-70 page has a better pic of the somewhat-fat shield on that particular sign.

excellent 40. 

the 68s on Steve's page all seem to be standard 36x36 '70 spec - but the very top row of photos has a '61 spec 45x36 US-23.