I was driving into Portland the other day and noticed that the signs for exit 1A have changed. Instead of sporting the destination Naito Parkway, they now say S. Waterfront - City Center. I thought this was interesting because exit 299A leads directly to the South Waterfront, but new signs along the freeway tell travelers to take exit 299B and then exit 1A. Anyway, just something interesting I noticed. Also, exit 1A now has an APL leading up to it.
I've noticed that, too. I'm not sure when those were changed, but I agree it's misleading. The two destinations don't belong on the same signage: 299A is the exit for South Waterfront, 299B/1A leads to Downtown. 1A should read "Naito Parkway/Downtown."
This is complete speculation, but maybe they are planning to change 299A to an exit solely for US-26, with no access to the South Waterfront. It would make sense that they were trying to alert drivers to the change before it was made.