AARoads Forum

I would like to know, what type of gantries are current standard installation by each state - truss or tubular?

Here is what I know:

• Arizona - Tubular
• California - Mostly truss, but some tubular gantries installed as well.
• Nevada - Truss
• New Mexico - Tubular
• Virginia - Truss

Does anyone know about other states?

New Jersey is definitely truss, I don't think I have seen a tubular gantry yet.

Washington State seems to use a lot of tubular, at least from what I've seen.

Quote from: Zeffy on February 03, 2015, 05:52:53 PM
New Jersey is definitely truss, I don't think I have seen a tubular gantry yet.

I don't recall ever seeing tubular gantries anywhere on the East Coast, however, I didn't pay too much attention to each state I have been to since I was too young, so I didn't include them in my list.

I think some places in New York have tubular gantries, but other than that I'm pretty sure most states on the East Coast are still majority truss.

Tampa area on I-4 and I-275 uses tubular on its freeways, but FDOT usually uses truss.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/15615594610/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/15633207768/in/photostream/

As far as I can tell, Mass. only has tubular on roadways built as part of the Big Dig.  Never seen them elsewhere.

Connecticut has just about every type ever invented, including the two-piece cantilever setup that I'm sure has a more proper name.

I've seen tubular gantries in parts of Colorado and Texas. It's been rare to see tubular gantries in the Northeast.

Quote from: swbrotha100 on February 03, 2015, 08:59:27 PM
I've seen tubular gantries in parts of Colorado and Texas. It's been rare to see tubular gantries in the Northeast.

I think the El Paso district of TXDOT uses tubular gantries as standard installation; not sure about the rest of the state.

Minnesota is almost all truss, one notable exception being the gantries on the "new" (if six years old isn't really new anymore) I-35W bridge which features tubulars.

Quote from: Zeffy on February 03, 2015, 05:52:53 PM
New Jersey is definitely truss, I don't think I have seen a tubular gantry yet.

There does happen to be a tubular gantry on I-80 way out west.

http://goo.gl/maps/wLbdZ

The new Woodrow Wilson Bridge across the Potomac River uses tubular gantries.

In Pennsylvania, the PTC primarily uses tubular gantries for its new overheads, while PennDOT seems to be using a combination of both.

Indiana, to my knowledge, has tubular gantries in exactly two places, 71st and 86th Streets at I-465 on the northwest side. But not on the interstate itself, only the streets. Beyond that, it's all trusses.

Illinois uses truss gantries with these few exceptions:

Chicago Skyway (installed by the City of Chicago), and
I-Pass ORT lanes for the ORT equipment.

Now, that said, ISTHA and IDOT use two different types of trusses.  IDOT uses a square one while ISTHA uses a triangular one.

Quote from: yanksfan6129 on February 03, 2015, 09:10:33 PM

Quote from: Zeffy on February 03, 2015, 05:52:53 PM
New Jersey is definitely truss, I don't think I have seen a tubular gantry yet.

There does happen to be a tubular gantry on I-80 way out west.

http://goo.gl/maps/wLbdZ

I'm pretty sure that's a DRJTBC install, which just happens to be in NJ.  Surprised NJDOT didn't demand a truss!

Delaware uses tubes, but not the kind normally used elsewhere.  It's more like an limbo assembly.  http://goo.gl/maps/dr77M .

I am surprised that the exit for PA 611 from New Jersey gets better signage than its very own exit for Millbrook & Flatbrookville.

Plus they got Stroudsburg wrong.  Yes PA 611 goes there from that particular exit, but so does straight through I-80.  Then when the 7th Street Viaduct was closed for replacement, the detour into Downtown Stroudsburg was back onto I-80 again.  It is because the ramps leading to PA 611 are under the bridge authority's jurisdiction.

It definitely is DRTJC doing as jeffandnicole pointed out.

Colorado is slowly moving towards tubular and away from trusses. Meanwhile, Utah is well advanced in the use of tubular vs. Colorado.

Ohio is starting to get onto the tubular bandwagon after its' first noticeable assembly on the northern half of I-280 in Toledo (as part of the recent Glass City Skyway bridge project).

Ontario uses trusses.

The Intercounty Connector in Maryland uses brown tubular gantries. They definitely have a less "industrial" look to them. The Wilson Bridge has been mentioned above. Otherwise, Maryland generally seems to lean towards truss; I don't know whether the tubular design is a general policy for new installations or is a case-by-case thing. A lot of attention was paid to the ICC design. I remember remarking when the ICC opened how the overall visual effect between the brown tubular gantries, the nicely-designed sound walls, and the finished overpasses gave it more of a parkway feel.

Virginia uses truss and seems to be moving from the three-bar triangular style to more of a box-girder style, though that could also just be a Northern Virginia thing since the majority of the new ones I've seen recently were in conjunction with the HO/T lane projects.

Quote from: roadman65 on February 03, 2015, 09:19:12 PM
The new Woodrow Wilson Bridge across the Potomac River uses tubular gantries.

All gantries (for signs and toll collection equipment) on Md. 200 (ICC) use the same style of gantries.

I-95 between the Capital Beltway and Baltimore Beltway has a few "Autobahn-style" gantries, but nearly all the rest around Maryland use truss gantries.

Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 04, 2015, 08:42:39 AM
Delaware uses tubes, but not the kind normally used elsewhere.  It's more like an limbo assembly.  http://goo.gl/maps/dr77M .

I've seen similar set ups in Rhode Island (https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5266/5650102275_f34b6617f1_b.jpg), Mass (https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5223/5646854499_e36b37ea85_b.jpg), and New Hampshire (http://goo.gl/maps/Bsjrf).

Quote from: 1995hoo on February 04, 2015, 12:53:29 PM
The Intercounty Connector in Maryland uses brown tubular gantries. They definitely have a less "industrial" look to them. The Wilson Bridge has been mentioned above. Otherwise, Maryland generally seems to lean towards truss; I don't know whether the tubular design is a general policy for new installations or is a case-by-case thing. A lot of attention was paid to the ICC design. I remember remarking when the ICC opened how the overall visual effect between the brown tubular gantries, the nicely-designed sound walls, and the finished overpasses gave it more of a parkway feel.

In the preliminary engineering for the ICC, the artistic renderings certainly had a "parkway-like" feeling to them, though the road was always intended to be open to all traffic (late in the game, some politicians and activists opposed to the project wanted an inside-the-Beltway I-66-type ban on trucks, but the state rejected that, at least in part because of a potential loss of toll revenue).

In the final engineering and design, each of the four design-build teams had to have at least one landscape architect on the team to assure the design was consistent, and looked nice. 

IMO, they have succeeded.

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 03, 2015, 07:02:33 PM
As far as I can tell, Mass. only has tubular on roadways built as part of the Big Dig.  Never seen them elsewhere.

Connecticut has just about every type ever invented, including the two-piece cantilever setup that I'm sure has a more proper name.

CT seems to have stopped using the tubular only if the design of the project is being built today but was designed 10 years ago.  No new designs seem to have them.

Here's a pic of tubes and right aligned borderless exit tab.

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3951/15636410492_db6c9655e5_z.jpg)

My project for this year has only one new structure, a truss over the Inner Loop.   I've never had a tubular assembly on any of my projects.

Quote from: doofy103 on February 04, 2015, 04:25:22 PMCT seems to have stopped using the tubular only if the design of the project is being built today but was designed 10 years ago.  No new designs seem to have them.

This one (http://goo.gl/maps/j2WCc) is fairly recent (within the last 3 years).

Oklahoma has been using more tubular gantries in recent years. The new I-40 near downtown Oklahoma City uses them, along with I-35 through Norman and I-44 through part of Tulsa. All these sections of highway have been reconstructed or built during this decade.

New York is currently all-truss outside of airports and private property. NYSDOT will probably stick with trusses for a long time, while I've seen a tubular cantilever in an NYSTA plan set that should be installed within the next year or 2.

Is any state totally tubular?

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 04, 2015, 09:55:55 PM
Is any state totally tubular?

Nah, dude, they're all pretty lame.


Sorry, couldn't resist. I'll see myself out now.

Quote from: US81 on February 04, 2015, 10:10:54 PM

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 04, 2015, 09:55:55 PM
Is any state totally tubular?

Nah, dude, they're all pretty lame.


Sorry, couldn't resist. I'll see myself out now.

Rad.

Quote from: US81 on February 04, 2015, 10:10:54 PM

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 04, 2015, 09:55:55 PM
Is any state totally tubular?

Nah, dude, they're all pretty lame.


Sorry, couldn't resist. I'll see myself out now.

:rofl:

Back on topic, Nevada used tubular sign structures on I-80 through Reno.

Connecticut has a mix of truss and tubular gantries. Most of the new signs in New Haven have been going up as tubular.

What is the name for this type of support (from kurumi.com)?

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kurumi.com%2Froads%2Fct%2Fpics%2Fph-91s-at-68.jpg&hash=d9cf5e61f307fc723ca3d5b61f25ce6990fd94f6)

QuoteIs any state totally tubular?

I want to say Arizona, maybe?

But I'm sure there are probably a few trusses around to prove me wrong, but I can't recall seeing any in AZ.

Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 05, 2015, 10:12:00 AM

QuoteIs any state totally tubular?

I want to say Arizona, maybe?

But I'm sure there are probably a few trusses around to prove me wrong, but I can't recall seeing any in AZ.

It was a joke, actually, that probably flew right by anyone under a certain age. 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Tubular

Wow, clearly I need more coffee.

I did grow up in the 80s, and can't believe that one slipped by me!  :-D

Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 05, 2015, 10:12:00 AM

QuoteIs any state totally tubular?

I want to say Arizona, maybe?

But I'm sure there are probably a few trusses around to prove me wrong, but I can't recall seeing any in AZ.

There are a few older trusses in the Phoenix area, mainly along I-10 and US 60 (and possibly I-17 as well).  However all new installations use tubular gantries.

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 05, 2015, 10:11:15 AM
What is the name for this type of support (from kurumi.com)?

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kurumi.com%2Froads%2Fct%2Fpics%2Fph-91s-at-68.jpg&hash=d9cf5e61f307fc723ca3d5b61f25ce6990fd94f6)

Monotube cantilever, I believe? Oregon uses both these and trusses.

Quote from: luokou on February 05, 2015, 11:09:58 AM

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 05, 2015, 10:11:15 AM
What is the name for this type of support (from kurumi.com)?

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kurumi.com%2Froads%2Fct%2Fpics%2Fph-91s-at-68.jpg&hash=d9cf5e61f307fc723ca3d5b61f25ce6990fd94f6)

Monotube cantilever, I believe? Oregon uses both these and trusses.

The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway in Tampa, FL uses some of these at its exits east of Downtown.

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 03, 2015, 07:02:33 PM
As far as I can tell, Mass. only has tubular on roadways built as part of the Big Dig.  Never seen them elsewhere.

Connecticut has just about every type ever invented, including the two-piece cantilever setup that I'm sure has a more proper name.

Massachusetts specifications for sign supports only give very general guidance, and leave the exact support design to the fabricator/contractor.  As large tubular supports are more expensive than traditional truss or simple monotube designs, it's obvious why contractors go with the latter.  The Big Dlg was the lone exception to this rule, because the large tubular supports on that project were specified (by people with no experience in highway signing) for purely aesthetic reasons.

Quote from: Ian on February 04, 2015, 02:54:15 PM

Quote from: jeffandnicole on February 04, 2015, 08:42:39 AM
Delaware uses tubes, but not the kind normally used elsewhere.  It's more like an limbo assembly.  http://goo.gl/maps/dr77M .

I've seen similar set ups in Rhode Island (https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5266/5650102275_f34b6617f1_b.jpg), Mass (https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5223/5646854499_e36b37ea85_b.jpg), and New Hampshire (http://goo.gl/maps/Bsjrf).

Those examples are simple monotubes, and not a true tubular design.

I've never seen tubular gantries in Kentucky or either of the Carolinas, and have only seen them in Tennessee along the ring road around the Nashville International Airport.  In general, they seem to be very rare around the Southeast, which is probably why I enjoy seeing them whenever I visit Colorado.

Speaking of Kentucky, it's the only place I've seen that uses what I've seen called an "erector set" support for overheads.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2Fnew_signs_ky_2007%2Fnew_signs_ky_2007-Images%2F0.jpg&hash=f5d249097ad9d33dc3980b3acca863c34fb15ad3)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2Fnew_signs_ky_2007%2Fnew_signs_ky_2007-Images%2F1.jpg&hash=ce88e132638210784bd42598c5e018c19d8722d2)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2Fvarious_KY_OH_2003_04%2Fvarious_KY_OH_2003_04-Images%2F179.jpg&hash=c284e6777dde1c0ead795eca6b388fa914befe2a)

Box truss and trichord uprights for cantilever supports used to be common in Massachusetts until the mid-1970s.  Massachusetts stopped using the design, principally for asethetic reasons, when they stopped allowing aluminum sign supports (due to issues with premature fatigue).

There are a small number of trichord upright cantilever supports still in place on sections of I-495 - they are planned to be replaced as part of current and future sign replacement projects.

And to the designer of the new 667 overhead sign in the second photo - what were you thinking (or perhaps drinking?) by placing 'Truck' above 'South' instead of above the shield (like on the ground-mount sign)?

Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 03, 2015, 05:56:55 PM
Washington State seems to use a lot of tubular, at least from what I've seen.

There seems to be a wide variety actually.  Truss is the most common, then there is a lot of tubular down South, around Vancouver.  New installations are square tubes, which may be for strength, and ease of mounting reasons.

Quote from: luokou on February 05, 2015, 11:09:58 AM
Monotube cantilever, I believe? Oregon uses both these and trusses.

Correct. Oregon DOT standard is monotubes for cantilevered supports and trusses for sign bridges.

As always there's a few site specific exceptions. This giant truss cantilever on US 26 is one of my favorites: https://goo.gl/maps/xnkHK (https://goo.gl/maps/xnkHK)

Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 03, 2015, 05:56:55 PM
Washington State seems to use a lot of tubular, at least from what I've seen.

Like Arizona, Washington does not use truss anymore.  I wouldn't call our gantries tubular, since it has four sides and the corners are 90 degree turns versus curved (for tubes). They are monotube, for sure. But not tubular.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.interstate-guide.com%2Fimages405%2Fi-405_wa_st_02.jpg&hash=135685e63a783e1f1ae1d66ecbf839aafa63416a)
Image courtesy of Interstate-Guide.com

British Columbia uses a very similar setup to Delaware:

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vancouversun.com%2Fcms%2Fbinary%2F8322638.jpg&hash=17584c6fdc205d61c3044306e22ceebf640168a5)
Image courtesy of Vancouver Sun

EDITED to add quote

The Washington State example in the first photo is known as a welded box beam structure.  Boston's old elevated Central Artery had similar structures for its overhead signs.

The British Columbia example in the second photo would be considered a simple monotube, as the uprights and horizontal member are separate pieces.

Quote from: roadman on February 05, 2015, 03:27:52 PM
Box truss and trichord uprights for cantilever supports used to be common in Massachusetts until the mid-1970s.  Massachusetts stopped using the design, principally for asethetic reasons, when they stopped allowing aluminum sign supports (due to issues with premature fatigue).

There are a small number of trichord upright cantilever supports still in place on sections of I-495 - they are planned to be replaced as part of current and future sign replacement projects.

Aren't there still some trichord cantilever supports along I-95 between Topsfield/Danvers (Exit 50/US 1) and Byfield/Newbury (Exit 55/Central St.)?  GSV still shows them circa 2011. 

You (Roadman) know this, but for those that don't; those date back to when I-95 was widened to 8-lanes during the mid-1970s. 

Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 05, 2015, 10:31:16 AM
Wow, clearly I need more coffee.

I did grow up in the 80s, and can't believe that one slipped by me!  :-D

I read it with a Southern California accent...and for some reason have seen part of Valley Girl on TV recently...

Quote from: PHLBOS on February 05, 2015, 04:33:00 PM

Quote from: roadman on February 05, 2015, 03:27:52 PM
Box truss and trichord uprights for cantilever supports used to be common in Massachusetts until the mid-1970s.  Massachusetts stopped using the design, principally for asethetic reasons, when they stopped allowing aluminum sign supports (due to issues with premature fatigue).

There are a small number of trichord upright cantilever supports still in place on sections of I-495 - they are planned to be replaced as part of current and future sign replacement projects.

Aren't there still some trichord cantilever supports along I-95 between Topsfield/Danvers (Exit 50/US 1) and Byfield/Newbury (Exit 55/Central St.)?  GSV still shows them circa 2011. 

You (Roadman) know this, but for those that don't; those date back to when I-95 was widened to 8-lanes during the mid-1970s. 

The trichord cantilever supports on I-95 north of 97 in Georgetown were replaced under the Salisbury to Georgetown sign replacement project completed in late 2013.  The trichord cantilever supports on I-95 south of 97 in Georgetown will be replaced in early to mid 2015 under the Peabody to Georgetown sign replacement project currently underway.

Quote from: davewiecking on February 05, 2015, 04:37:41 PM

Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 05, 2015, 10:31:16 AM
Wow, clearly I need more coffee.

I did grow up in the 80s, and can't believe that one slipped by me!  :-D

I read it with a Southern California accent...and for some reason have seen part of Valley Girl on TV recently...

Let's go with the original, shall we?  :sombrero:

Quote from: luokou on February 05, 2015, 11:09:58 AM

Quote from: Pete from Boston on February 05, 2015, 10:11:15 AM
What is the name for this type of support (from kurumi.com)?

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kurumi.com%2Froads%2Fct%2Fpics%2Fph-91s-at-68.jpg&hash=d9cf5e61f307fc723ca3d5b61f25ce6990fd94f6)

Monotube cantilever, I believe? Oregon uses both these and trusses.

I've always thought those gantries looked unappealing. I prefer tubular or the cantilever truss gantries that have been showing up recently.

Quote from: hbelkins on February 05, 2015, 03:02:57 PM(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2Fvarious_KY_OH_2003_04%2Fvarious_KY_OH_2003_04-Images%2F179.jpg&hash=c284e6777dde1c0ead795eca6b388fa914befe2a)

That looks like a good PennDOT sign.
(Think District 2 or District 11, not District 1 or District 4.)

Quote from: hbelkins on February 05, 2015, 03:02:57 PM
Speaking of Kentucky, it's the only place I've seen that uses what I've seen called an "erector set" support for overheads.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2Fnew_signs_ky_2007%2Fnew_signs_ky_2007-Images%2F0.jpg&hash=f5d249097ad9d33dc3980b3acca863c34fb15ad3)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2Fnew_signs_ky_2007%2Fnew_signs_ky_2007-Images%2F1.jpg&hash=ce88e132638210784bd42598c5e018c19d8722d2)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millenniumhwy.net%2Fvarious_KY_OH_2003_04%2Fvarious_KY_OH_2003_04-Images%2F179.jpg&hash=c284e6777dde1c0ead795eca6b388fa914befe2a)

I've seen a couple of older overheads similar to this only in NC.  One of them might still be standing on I-40 west at the ramp for US 25 south in Asheville.  I can't remember where I saw the other one.  The horizontal component of this one was prism-shaped instead of rectangular-shaped.

Also, KY used to have a "T" variant of that gantry that I once saw on US 60 westbound at New Circle Rd in Lexington, long before they rebuilt that 40's or 50's era cloverleaf into a SPUI.  I might have seen another one somewhere in the Louisville area, like maybe on I-264 at US 31W/60 in Shively?

Maybe the exit signage for River Road and 3rd Street/4th Street, where there are two signs, one for thru westbound I-64 and one for the ramp from I-65?

I always liked Kentucky's overheads with the truss support posts on their half sign bridges.

You could actually start another thread with truss gantries as there are many different designs of them.

Quote from: PHLBOS on February 05, 2015, 05:51:46 PM

Quote from: davewiecking on February 05, 2015, 04:37:41 PM

Quote from: OCGuy81 on February 05, 2015, 10:31:16 AM
Wow, clearly I need more coffee.

I did grow up in the 80s, and can't believe that one slipped by me!  :-D

I read it with a Southern California accent...and for some reason have seen part of Valley Girl on TV recently...

Let's go with the original, shall we?  :sombrero:

Good ol' Moon Unit!

Not a US state, but Sweden uses truss gantries, as does Norway.
(https://www.lysator.liu.se/~riiga/Bilder/Foton/P1020422.jpg)

Older signs were mounted on rectangular tubelike gantry.
(https://www.lysator.liu.se/~riiga/Bilder/Foton/P1020419.jpg)

^^ I'm pretty sure that Y-RING is should be a brand of birth control.

Quote from: kphoger on February 07, 2015, 10:47:12 AM
^^ I'm pretty sure that Y-RING is should be a brand of birth control.

Heh, it's short for "Yttre ring" = Outer Ring. We have a C-RING too, the (City) Center Ring.

Quote from: riiga on February 07, 2015, 09:35:49 AM
Not a US state, but Sweden uses truss gantries, as does Norway.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/24401393/Foton/P1020422.jpg)

The truss gantry itself looks fine, but when they're used also as supports, they look kind of insubstantial, like they could be twisted easily in high winds. I could be wrong, though. Maybe I'm just used to big, beefy gantry supports, I guess.

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 03, 2015, 09:09:16 PM
Minnesota is almost all truss, one notable exception being the gantries on the "new" (if six years old isn't really new anymore) I-35W bridge which features tubulars.

I attribute the monotube sign supports on the I-35W bridge as being due to the fact that the bridge was reconstructed by a Colorado construction company (Flatiron). Tubulars are being used on virtually all new sign installations in Colorado.

Quote from: Gnutella on February 07, 2015, 11:45:00 AM
The truss gantry itself looks fine, but when they're used also as supports, they look kind of insubstantial, like they could be twisted easily in high winds. I could be wrong, though. Maybe I'm just used to big, beefy gantry supports, I guess.

It's just looks, they're very stable for their size and I'm yet to hear of any ones failing or falling due to only wind. Then again, we don't have extreme weather like tornados, tropical storms, or supercell thunderstorms here.

I just remembered, that here in Orlando we have one tubular gantry on the east end of World Center Drive where it defaults onto FL 417. 

AA Roads here has a photo of it in the FL 536 page.

https://www.aaroads.com/guide.php?page=s0536fl

Quote from: Pink Jazz on February 03, 2015, 05:41:12 PM
I would like to know, what type of gantries are current standard installation by each state - truss or tubular?

Here is what I know:

• Arizona - Tubular
• California - Mostly truss, but some tubular gantries installed as well.
• Nevada - Truss
• New Mexico - Tubular
• Virginia - Truss

Does anyone know about other states?

Arizona uses both Truss and Tubular.  Older gantries are truss, newer installations are tubular. 

Quote from: okroads on February 04, 2015, 05:49:09 PM
Oklahoma has been using more tubular gantries in recent years. The new I-40 near downtown Oklahoma City uses them, along with I-35 through Norman and I-44 through part of Tulsa. All these sections of highway have been reconstructed or built during this decade.

As always, though, nothing is simple with ODOT. It seems to be a county-by-county thing, because the I-35 Canadian River bridge project used tubular gantries on the bridge and Cleveland County soil, and a brand new truss cantilever on McClain County soil.

Iowa and WI are Truss states. 

Quote from: ztonyg on February 15, 2015, 05:15:53 PM

Arizona uses both Truss and Tubular.  Older gantries are truss, newer installations are tubular.

This thread is specifically about current standards.  Current installations are tubular.

FYI New Mexico also used truss a very long time ago.  Truss gantries are now very rare in NM.

Quote from: Pink Jazz on February 03, 2015, 09:03:26 PM

Quote from: swbrotha100 on February 03, 2015, 08:59:27 PM
I've seen tubular gantries in parts of Colorado and Texas. It's been rare to see tubular gantries in the Northeast.

I think the El Paso district of TXDOT uses tubular gantries as standard installation; not sure about the rest of the state.

North Texas districts use truss gantries.  North Texas Tollway Assoc. (NTTA) pretty much uses tubular on new gantries but still have some truss still in use.

Quote from: PHLBOS on February 04, 2015, 05:43:28 PM

Quote from: doofy103 on February 04, 2015, 04:25:22 PMCT seems to have stopped using the tubular only if the design of the project is being built today but was designed 10 years ago.  No new designs seem to have them.

This one (http://goo.gl/maps/j2WCc) is fairly recent (within the last 3 years).

Nope, that one goes back farther than you'd think.   Sometime around 2005.  It just looks newer because of the signs applied to it, but it replaced one of the green-colored supports similar to the one linked on the I-91 Exit 15 photo.  Apparently the official name is "Tubular Bridge" for one that spans the highway, or "Tubular Cantilever" only spanning one lane / one support. 

The current standard throughout CT on new projects seems to be the heavy duty truss gantries, some being capable of supporting two signs but with only a right hand support.  See an example here:
http://www.goo.gl/maps/xjOsR
Official name:  4-Chord Truss Cantilever (mounts on one side) / 4-Chord Truss Bridge (spans full length of roadway)

I-84 in Danbury seems to be the only sighting of the heavy duty steel angled posts (tubes without the angles).  See here:
http://www.goo.gl/maps/1bf4h
Official name:  Monotube Bridge. 
I-91 will be getting one SB at Exit 40 and NB at Exit 10, both which are missing signs/gantries altogether presently, and have been for a little while now. 

And of course there are plenty of these around, in a variety of color schemes (brown/green/yellow/grey):
http://www.goo.gl/maps/IXOaY
If I'd have to put $$$ on it, I'd guess all Exit 15 signs will go to the ground when it comes time to replace them.  Same with Exit 14.  Exit 13 as well.  ConnDOT is on a real kick to eliminate overheads. 

Quote from: shadyjay on February 19, 2015, 04:44:20 PM

Quote from: PHLBOS on February 04, 2015, 05:43:28 PM

Quote from: doofy103 on February 04, 2015, 04:25:22 PMCT seems to have stopped using the tubular only if the design of the project is being built today but was designed 10 years ago.  No new designs seem to have them.

This one (http://goo.gl/maps/j2WCc) is fairly recent (within the last 3 years).

Nope, that one goes back farther than you'd think.   Sometime around 2005.  It just looks newer because of the signs applied to it, but it replaced one of the green-colored supports similar to the one linked on the I-91 Exit 15 photo.  Apparently the official name is "Tubular Bridge" for one that spans the highway, or "Tubular Cantilever" only spanning one lane / one support. 

The current standard throughout CT on new projects seems to be the heavy duty truss gantries, some being capable of supporting two signs but with only a right hand support.  See an example here:
http://www.goo.gl/maps/xjOsR
Official name:  4-Chord Truss Cantilever (mounts on one side) / 4-Chord Truss Bridge (spans full length of roadway)

I-84 in Danbury seems to be the only sighting of the heavy duty steel angled posts (tubes without the angles).  See here:
http://www.goo.gl/maps/1bf4h
Official name:  Monotube Bridge. 
I-91 will be getting one SB at Exit 40 and NB at Exit 10, both which are missing signs/gantries altogether presently, and have been for a little while now. 

And of course there are plenty of these around, in a variety of color schemes (brown/green/yellow/grey):
http://www.goo.gl/maps/IXOaY
If I'd have to put $$$ on it, I'd guess all Exit 15 signs will go to the ground when it comes time to replace them.  Same with Exit 14.  Exit 13 as well.  ConnDOT is on a real kick to eliminate overheads.

There is another monotube bridge design at Exit 87 on I-95 southbound: https://www.google.com/maps/@41.359867,-72.050842,3a,75y,281.39h,90.93t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sbKwUtvJzGwX35rXtK458Ug!2e0?hl=en

Quote from: shadyjay on February 19, 2015, 04:44:20 PM

Quote from: PHLBOS on February 04, 2015, 05:43:28 PM

Quote from: doofy103 on February 04, 2015, 04:25:22 PMCT seems to have stopped using the tubular only if the design of the project is being built today but was designed 10 years ago.  No new designs seem to have them.

This one (http://goo.gl/maps/j2WCc) is fairly recent (within the last 3 years).

Nope, that one goes back farther than you'd think.   Sometime around 2005.  It just looks newer because of the signs applied to it, but it replaced one of the green-colored supports similar to the one linked on the I-91 Exit 15 photo.  Apparently the official name is "Tubular Bridge" for one that spans the highway, or "Tubular Cantilever" only spanning one lane / one support.

So you're saying that the signs are newer than the gantry; am I correct?  That LEFT EXIT tab clearly screams MUTCD 2009; something that ConnDOT's only recently fully adopted.

I remember the old (80s-vintage) green gantry (I do travel this road several times a year during the last 24 years) and signs (all button-copy w/reflectorized sheeting).  I just do not recall an older set of signs on that tubular gantry.

This one (http://goo.gl/maps/TozSk) looks definitely newer than 2005.

Quote from: PHLBOS on February 19, 2015, 05:29:10 PM

So you're saying that the signs are newer than the gantry; am I correct?  [/quote]

Yup, that's exactly what I'm saying....
(not my photo, though)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--UscaaLr0ZU/VOaKWQMXFkI/AAAAAAAAUZU/nRmtpNE7rIs/s800/EB-Exit%252007-2.jpg)

Back when it went up, it must've been just a support replacement, as CT was well out of the button copy "Phase III" era by then.  Now, most support replacements involve new signs as well. 

The other photo in the "canyon" in Hartford, WB, is new, installed only within the past couple of years.  Big giveaways there are the aligned exit tabs with borders.  Of course that's the new standard for signs in CT.  Those on I-95 west of New Haven missed the "border revolution", while those on the "Q" are getting the full border treatment.

There is also a new cantilever pipe gantry going on I-95 SB down in Fairfield County, in the current (2014) spot overhead replacement project.  It's actually being relocated from I-84 WB in Waterbury, so that's why. 

I know it's been mentioned, but specific areas tubular gantries seem to be used thematically in California are the Walnut Creek area, Fresno area, and parts of the Escondido area.  Otherwise, its use is pretty random. 

Since the late 90s, Washington uses a boxed 90º-jointed monotube, and Oregon uses a jointed monotube only for cantilevered signs.   Vancouver, WA, has a unique mix of traditional monotubes (https://goo.gl/maps/nJcEw) and square curved monotubes (https://goo.gl/maps/1aKUV).  The traditional monotubes on I-5 in Hazel Dell and WA-14 by Pearson Field are the only ones I know in the state to date, and it seems like they were installed in the early 2000s due to the constant-slope barriers and the fact that I've seen them there in 2004.  I'm not sure when WSDOT abandoned the F-shape barrier, but it seems to be commonplace in the country by 2005 for single-slope barriers to replace jersey/F barriers.

I think my favorite truss design is Oregon's (https://goo.gl/maps/sn94K).  It uses a Warren truss design which I find more aesthetically pleasing than most gantries in the country. 

Truss in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Truss in Kansas (KDOT and KTA) and Missouri.

Quote from: KEK Inc. on February 20, 2015, 08:50:58 PM
The traditional monotubes on I-5 in Hazel Dell and WA-14 by Pearson Field are the only ones I know in the state to date

Interesting. It's a bit of a trip to see traditional monotube in Washington.

Taking a brief glance up and down WA-14 makes it clear to me that WSDOT SW Region is completely nuts. They apparently have an active remove-all-full-width-exit-tabs-and-replace-them-with-traditional-tabs program whereby they remove perfectly good traditional WSDOT exit tabs and replace them with the standard MUTCD exit tabs. For what it's worth, I prefer the WSDOT style so I'm none too pleased with the SW region.

Quote from: shadyjay on February 19, 2015, 08:16:08 PM

Quote from: PHLBOS on February 19, 2015, 05:29:10 PM
So you're saying that the signs are newer than the gantry; am I correct? 

Yup, that's exactly what I'm saying....
(not my photo, though)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--UscaaLr0ZU/VOaKWQMXFkI/AAAAAAAAUZU/nRmtpNE7rIs/s800/EB-Exit%252007-2.jpg)

Thanks for posting that photo.  I knew there was only two generations of that signage over the last 25 years.  I have to wonder if the gantry (but not the signs) replacement was indeed due to the original gantry getting struck in an accident.

Quote from: shadyjay on February 19, 2015, 08:16:08 PMThe other photo in the "canyon" in Hartford, WB, is new, installed only within the past couple of years.

And that was my earlier point.  ConnDOT is still using (or at least was) using pipe gantries post-2005.

Definitely truss gantries around here, but I also find tubular gantries to be very cool.

I think truss gantries tend to be on older roads, and tubular ones on newer roads.

Look at high voltage transmission lines.  Before around 2003, they were generally all lattice tower designs except for urban areas where there was limited space.  Now brand new transmission lines are all monotube.  The main reason is that monotubes are easily sectional and can be manufactured, whereas lattice structures generally have more complex assembly on site -- especially on odd terrain where helicopters install them.  Lattice structures are great and still used for high crossings (i.e., over rivers with ships).   

(https://www.rockymountainpower.net/content/internet/pp/ed/tp/_jcr_content/General_Content/content_option_ima/image.img.jpg/1362158115488.jpg)

Look at path 15 or path 61 in California.  You can see all arrays of transmission lines from different decades. 

I still haven't seen HVDC monotubes.  Path 65 and the North Dakota lines were built in the 80s.

Quote from: KEK Inc. on February 24, 2015, 03:40:37 PM
Look at high voltage transmission lines.  Before around 2003, they were generally all lattice tower designs except for urban areas where there was limited space.  Now brand new transmission lines are all monotube.  The main reason is that monotubes are easily sectional and can be manufactured, whereas lattice structures generally have more complex assembly on site -- especially on odd terrain where helicopters install them.  Lattice structures are great and still used for high crossings (i.e., over rivers with ships).

I have seen "tube" transmission lines that date back to well before 2003 in Maryland.

Two 500 KVA transmission lines were built side-by-side in the early 1970's to link Baltimore Gas and Electric's then-new Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Generating Station with high-voltage transmission lines closer to Baltimore, and "tube" structures were used at points where the line crossed a public road, example here (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Gambrills,+MD&ll=39.040786,-76.672028&spn=0.00675,0.011555&cid=6707105158424226972&hnear=Gambrills,+Anne+Arundel+County,+Maryland&t=m&z=17&layer=c&cbll=39.041376,-76.672279&panoid=UfsLi-10wx8ertfxuPNw_w&cbp=12,134.55,,1,-3.78) (from near the northern terminus of the line in Gambrills, Maryland off of Md. 3).

in the 1980's, in another part of the state, two 500 KVA circuits were built on "unified" structure, example here (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=sunshine+md&hl=en&ll=39.225747,-77.058569&spn=0.013398,0.02311&sll=39.22208,-77.059951&sspn=0.026797,0.04622&t=h&fll=39.223211,-77.060165&fspn=0.42874,0.739517&radius=1.48&hq=sunshine+md&z=16&layer=c&cbll=39.225747,-77.058569&panoid=7K9pSzVwH70YFYxpA0eaMA&cbp=12,105.02,,1,-7.7) crossing Md. 97 north of Sunshine.

After decades of obstructionism and opposition by NIMBYs and environmental groups, these two lines were linked with a new circuit about 10 years ago, part of which used a style of monotube poles I had never seen before here (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Highland,+MD&hl=en&ll=39.155173,-76.950409&spn=0.013411,0.02311&sll=39.179125,-76.957707&sspn=0.053626,0.09244&oq=high&t=h&hnear=Highland,+Howard+County,+Maryland&z=16&layer=c&cbll=39.157027,-76.950914&panoid=Qjiaqxvrk8YUyqehssxcmQ&cbp=12,135.15,,1,-18.57) (this line is also 500 KVA).