New exits signs have just been put up on I-71 SB in Downtown Cincinnati, and there are some odd things about them. The exit sign for Third St previously read "Third St/Downtown/Riverfront" now reads "Third Street/Covington". The odd thing about this is that I-71 goes to Covington after merging with I-75 South. To access Covington from Third St, drivers must either go halfway across Downtown Cincinnati on Third St, then past The Banks (Riverfront entertainment development), then across the Roebling Suspension Bridge (weight restrictions on bridge prevent many large trucks from crossing there). The alternative is to go all the way across Downtown to the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge.
The new signs now come with exit numbers as Third St is now Exit 1B and I-471 is now exit 1A. What makes this odd is first of all is that, to my knowledge, this is the first time since the reconstruction of I-71 in the late 1990's that these exits have had numbers. Secondly, the numbers are reversed of what they should be as Third St exit is south of I-471 exit. The other odd thing is that giving these exits numbers of 1A and 1B eliminates the possibility of exit numbers for the exits to I-75 North and US 50 West, unless they were to go with Exits 0A and 0B.
But, on the plus side, they added the US-22/OH-3 designation to the Gilbert Ave exit (they also added Eighth St.) Now if they had only signed it correctly WEST 22/SOUTH 3.