MUTCD Questions

[akotchi]

Forgive me if these topics have been covered in other threads -- my quick search did not yield anything.

I am looking for guidance on the following situations that may not be covered by the MUTCD.

• Toll Road or, in the case of Long Island or Kentucky, parkway pictographs as Route markers on guide signs
• Use of overhead lane reduction signs (i.e. rectangles, instead of diamonds) for freeway lane reduction situations

I have been wracking my brain and flipping through the pages of the MUTCD looking for guidance on these topics, to no avail so far.

Also, while I have your attention . . .
I know that warning signs with messages such as "Heavy Merge Ahead" exist in the field.  Can you direct me to any locations you are aware of?

I am looking for this information for work product, so I should not say much more regarding why, but I can think of no better place to look for this guidance at this point than this community.

Thank you for any guidance you can provide on these matters.

[Zeffy]

I know that warning signs with messages such as "Heavy Merge Ahead" exist in the field.  Can you direct me to any locations you are aware of?

Like this?
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2308783,-74.7936389,3a,25.1y,133.21h,86.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scgMksTZpHIguxE4VOsbz3A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[froggie]

Use of overhead lane reduction signs (i.e. rectangles, instead of diamonds) for freeway lane reduction situations

Since it's work project related, have you contacted MnDOT regarding this one?  They make regular use of such signage in the Twin Cities metro.

[PurdueBill]

Indiana lately likes to use upward-pointing slanted arrows on lane reduction overheads at the point of the lane drop; I think it looks weird but my non-roadgeek brother mentioned that the upward arrow would then be analogous to painted arrows in the dropped lane.  Point for him!

Mass had the famous overhead lane drop sign on I-93 with a diagram...always loved it.


Ohio's overheads for lane drops seem uniformly text with no arrows; a compact format in rural areas and larger ones in urban areas or when surrounded by lots of other signs.

Could the lack of guidance in the MUTCD be the reason for so many flavors of overhead signage for lane drops?

[hbelkins]

Since Kentucky no longer has toll roads, and the former toll roads are now free roads with route marker shields, those route markers are used just the same as numbered routes on ground-mount signs and guide signs.

However, when Kentucky had toll roads, standard procedure was for a "TOLL ROAD" plate to be mounted beneath the route marker on ground-mounted posts, and for the words "TOLL ROAD" to be prominent on guide signs.

[roadfro]

I am looking for guidance on the following situations that may not be covered by the MUTCD.

• Toll Road or, in the case of Long Island or Kentucky, parkway pictographs as Route markers on guide signs
• Use of overhead lane reduction signs (i.e. rectangles, instead of diamonds) for freeway lane reduction situations

For the toll road, the section on route markers (2D.11) just simply states that state route markers shall be designed by the states. Presumably, the design guidance given there applies to state toll roads , and any associated route marker signs. Thus, it should follow that a toll road route shield can be used in the same manner as any other route shield.

The toll road banner is covered in 2F.11. The way that section is worded, the banner is required above a route sign of a numbered toll highway (lettered highways count as numbers in this context). I don't interpret that to mean that the toll banner is needed over named highways–however, I think the toll banner is good practice even if not required, for clarity to the unfamiliar travel public.


As far as I am aware, the MUTCD has no standards or guidance about overhead warning signs. It kind of falls into the realm of agencies being able to create text-based signs of appropriate colors for the purpose needed.

However, I think it is better to use a standard warning symbol on an overhead warning sign, if at all possible–a down arrow can indicate applicability to the appropriate lane. I've seen some applications of a lane reduction symbol on an overhead yellow warning sign (with and without having the symbol in a diamond).

[jakeroot]

I know that warning signs with messages such as "Heavy Merge Ahead" exist in the field.  Can you direct me to any locations you are aware of?

Like this?
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2308783,-74.7936389,3a,25.1y,133.21h,86.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scgMksTZpHIguxE4VOsbz3A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Any idea what the hell that means? Never seen/heard of a "heavy merge" before.

[jeffandnicole]

I know that warning signs with messages such as "Heavy Merge Ahead" exist in the field.  Can you direct me to any locations you are aware of?

Like this?
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2308783,-74.7936389,3a,25.1y,133.21h,86.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scgMksTZpHIguxE4VOsbz3A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Any idea what the hell that means? Never seen/heard of a "heavy merge" before.

Simply means the potential for a LOT of traffic entering the highway.   Like the example shown, when the sign is used it's typically for a left-side entrance.

There was a similar sign at the Delaware Welcome Center on I-95, which was removed when the plaza was reconstructed several years ago.  https://goo.gl/maps/dcMmCLfUJhG2

[roadman]

Mass had the famous overhead lane drop sign on I-93 with a diagram...always loved it.

I remember the first time I saw that sign, which was a few days after it was installed.  It was a dark rainy evening, and from a distance the sign looked like a large yellow blob hanging over the road.  Of course, once I got closer, I was able to decipher the message.

In 2012, that sign was replaced with a new overhead sign containing an oversized W4-2R lane drop panel with the legend "Right Lane Ends 1/2 MILE".