Highway Oddities

[TheStranger]

Don't forget the segment of 7 in Hawthorne that immediately became the third three digit child route in the state (after 440 and 740), 107 - which existed as early as 1942!  (This was when 7 was rerouted to follow Sepulveda south of Santa Monica, instead of today's 107)

I had no idea that 7 originally went down Hawthorne Blvd - or that 107 was an explicit connection.  

http://members.cox.net/mkpl2/hist/droz-laca42.jpg shows 7 and 107 near each other, making the relationship somewhat more obvious.  (107 would have not fit the 1934 numbering system - it is a 3 digit route entirely within an urban area)

www.aaroads.com/shields/misc/State_Route_Markers_Aug1934.pdf specifically places the southern terminus at "Route 3 in Torrance" for bear 7, as opposed to the Inglewood/LAX junction.

IIRC - and I recall mentioning it recently - 17 was originally to be 13, but I don't know if that was ever signed, and 13 wouldn't be reused until 1964 for Warren Freeway/Ashby Avenue.

that explains the absence of bear 13 shields, which I would have figured would be a collector's item.  then again, there is an absence of bear 69, which was around in the 40s, no?

IIRC, 69 was only used from 1964-1968 for a former segment of Route 65, renumbered to Route 245 in 1968.

Coincidentally, 236, 237, 238 all are former segments of Route 9 (except for the part of 238 decomissioned in the late 1960s that followed old Route 17 from Fremont to the Bayshore Freeway in San Jose).  

I don't have any idea where 236 is.  Great, so where is 239?  At some point you're going to get one just way the hell out in some other part of the state.  241 is down in Orange County.  Where is 240?

As Quillz noted, Route 236 is parallel (but windier) to Route 9 in Big Basin Park in Santa Cruz County...I've been on it once - many, many years ago.

There isn't a 240 to my knowledge, since it would more than likely be preserved for a future I-40 3di.

Route 240 originally was assigned to a portion of freeway that later became part of the definition of I-605, but remains unbuilt (the segment from Route 1 to Route 22).  Route 239 refers to the unbuilt freeway from Route 4 near Brentwood to the 205/580 junction which was along the corridor that would have become part of the Mid-State Tollway.

The 241 number has been used 3 times - once from 1964-1965 for an unbuilt "East Bypass" for today's Route/I-110 between I-5 and US 101, that would have somehow gone through the heart of downtown Los Angeles, then in 1968-1972 for the Western Freeway segment of I-80 that was never built in San Francisco, with the current route being defined in 1988.

[Quillz]

I would hope CA, sometime in the future, reuses some of the available two-digit numbers, like 21, 30, 31, 42, 48, etc.

[agentsteel53]

yes, but let's not waste them on useless connectors to Mexico.

21 would be a good number for that freeway in the East Bay between San Jose and Fairfield.

[Quillz]

Future Interstate 905, Route 7 and Route 11 are the only three highways that are connecting to Mexico outside of the older ones, like I-5, CA-111, CA-188 and CA-186.

I actually wish CA-21 was used for what is today CA-14. It just makes much more sense, but CA-14 has been around for nearly half a century now.

[TheStranger]

Future Interstate 905, Route 7 and Route 11 are the only three highways that are connecting to Mexico outside of the older ones, like I-5, CA-111, CA-188 and CA-186.

11 seems to honestly be more logically placed with the "905" corridor than the 905 southward turn to the existing border crossing (which IIRC was legislatively part of 125 at one point); in any case, that and 7 are such wastes of small numbers.  There were plenty of 3-digit numbers available at the time those two routes were comissioned, i.e. 106, 117!

I actually wish CA-21 was used for what is today CA-14. It just makes much more sense, but CA-14 has been around for nearly half a century now.

Something I just noticed - whenever a US route alignment was demoted to state route, it often gained a new number NOT matching the US route's original orientation!

Route 82, 72, 254 - US 101
Route 14 - US 6 (note, north-south)
Route 123 - Business US 40
Route 204 - US 99 (and US 466)
Route 159 - Alternate US 66 (but also former Route 11)
1964 Route 163 - US 6 (but also US 99)


Route 163 is one of the few that does align with its original route's cardinal direction (US 395), as does Route 271 (US 101), Route 248 (former US 66), Route 58 (former US 466, number same as former LRN), and Route 46 (US 466).

[74/171FAN]

Well I'm surprised no one has posted here for this long but I have a couple to add

I noticed rumble strips on US 460 in Sussex County(not including Waverly or Wakefield) on a trip to Virginia Diner.  I'm not sure when VDOT put them there but they should at least somewhat prevent head-on collisions.  

Heather Drive at Prices Fork Road in Blacksburg(the main entrance to the area of Blacksburg I live at while at school).  For the record I haven't seen any pedestrians coming EB on Prices Fork yet.  

[Takumi]

VA 13 (which I'll cover in another post later) also has rumble strips like that west of US 522 SR 1002. It's quite an experience for the uninitiated, especially when you have an older car like the one I drove at the time.

[Scott5114]

I think median rumble strips like that are fairly common in more Western states. I'm pretty sure I've seen pictures of them in California.

[agentsteel53]

indeed, in CA they are the norm, rather than the exception - and they are quite common in surrounding states as well.

[US71]

I think median rumble strips like that are fairly common in more Western states. I'm pretty sure I've seen pictures of them in California.

MoDOT has them.

[JREwing78]

As does Michigan.

[corco]

Washington does them extensively, and they've popped up on SH-55 in Idaho.

I dislike them in snow related situations for a couple reasons

1. The lane area shifts sometimes as winter progresses and snow accumulates along the edges- if the plow drivers aren't perfectly even, the middle of the road is sometimes off the line, and then you're stuck driving on a rumble strip. I guess this would apply to shoulder strips too. This is especially the case right after a heavy snow when pavement isn't exposed  yet but you can somehow still feel the rumble strips under the tire.
2. Ice accumulates in them, creating a super slick patch on otherwise clear roads on cold days, making passing a bit sketchier sometimes. If they'd only apply them in no passing zones (Idaho does this, Washington does not), then that problem is averted.

[broadhurst04]

That sign's been blank since at least 2006.

Ummm....why bother to hang the sign if it's blank? Wouldn't they have to take it down to put something on it? (I'm sitting here laughing at the stupidity of it all as I type this).

[deathtopumpkins]

I've encountered centerline rumble strips in many eastern states, including Virginia, Maryland (US 113 on the Eastern Shore), Massachusetts (MA 2, others), New Hampshire, and possibly Vermont and Maine (can't remember for certain but I seem to recall them)

I like them, but I agree with corco, they're really annoying in passing zones. Particularly the really deep ones Maryland seems to use.

[roadfro]

I think median rumble strips like that are fairly common in more Western states. I'm pretty sure I've seen pictures of them in California.

NDOT has been installing them quite aggressively in Nevada. At this point, the majority of two-lane U.S. highways have centerline rumble strips, and many of the two-lane state highways do as well.

2. Ice accumulates in them, creating a super slick patch on otherwise clear roads on cold days, making passing a bit sketchier sometimes. If they'd only apply them in no passing zones (Idaho does this, Washington does not), then that problem is averted.

NDOT also uses the centerline strips through the entire length of road and not just no passing zones. Their reason for installing them is to decrease the amount of head-on collisions due to people drifting across the centerline. Nevada has sections of rural highway that are sometimes 20 or more miles of perfectly straight blacktop with passing allowed. These areas tend to also be where these lane drift accidents occur, so omitting the center rumble strips is not helpful to the stated goal for installing them.

[KEK Inc.]

Washington does them extensively, and they've popped up on SH-55 in Idaho.

I dislike them in snow related situations for a couple reasons

1. The lane area shifts sometimes as winter progresses and snow accumulates along the edges- if the plow drivers aren't perfectly even, the middle of the road is sometimes off the line, and then you're stuck driving on a rumble strip. I guess this would apply to shoulder strips too. This is especially the case right after a heavy snow when pavement isn't exposed  yet but you can somehow still feel the rumble strips under the tire.
2. Ice accumulates in them, creating a super slick patch on otherwise clear roads on cold days, making passing a bit sketchier sometimes. If they'd only apply them in no passing zones (Idaho does this, Washington does not), then that problem is averted.

It's not necessarily a bad thing, since it's improved traction, but it's rather annoying.  

I think rumble strips on the middle make perfect sense.  Living in both Washington and California, it's a bit odd that other states don't do it too.


I'm sure most people are aware of this, but Oregon tends to omit 'LIMIT' on the 'SPEED LIMIT' signs.  As of 2009, they're starting to use SPEED LIMIT signs on I-5.

[Edited to remove font tag. Please don't use font tags, it can make your text harder to read in other user's browsers if they don't have the specified font installed. This doesn't happen with the default font. See http://i.imgur.com/2PWkL.png for an example. -S.]

[Dr Frankenstein]

Québec is experimenting with centre line rumble strips, and Vermont and Ontraio have them as well.

[corco]

I think rumble strips on the middle make perfect sense.  Living in both Washington and California, it's a bit odd that other states don't do it too.

Eh, I have no objection to them on open, straight roads with a lot of traffic where drivers could easily stop paying attention and lane drift,  but on curvy mountain roads where people are generally paying more attention they're kind of annoying, especially in low traffic situations where curves aren't blind (so you can see around them) and it's more efficient to briefly jut into the other lane rather than slow all the way down.

[KEK Inc.]

I think rumble strips on the middle make perfect sense.  Living in both Washington and California, it's a bit odd that other states don't do it too.

Eh, I have no objection to them on open, straight roads with a lot of traffic where drivers could easily stop paying attention and lane drift,  but on curvy mountain roads where people are generally paying more attention they're kind of annoying, especially in low traffic situations where curves aren't blind (so you can see around them) and it's more efficient to briefly jut into the other lane rather than slow all the way down.

Generally, when it's used in California, it's not used in an extremely curvy road.  Today, I went to Pebble Beach, and the only time I came across it was on CA-156 between Prunedale and Castroville, which is a straight section of tarmac.

[Ian]

PennDOT loves using the centerline rumble strips. I've seen them used on most of the roads in the state.

[ftballfan]

Michigan seems to love rumble strips. Occasionally one has to cross them while going through construction zones.

[myosh_tino]

Generally, when it's used in California, it's not used in an extremely curvy road.  Today, I went to Pebble Beach, and the only time I came across it was on CA-156 between Prunedale and Castroville, which is a straight section of tarmac.

Curviness(?) is not the reason why a 2-lane road gets a centerline rumble strip... it has to do with the accident rate, namely head-on collisions.  The only 2-lane roads I have driven on that have the centerline rumble strip are CA-25 from US 101 to Hollister, CA-152 in segments from US 101 to CA-156, CA-156 between Prunedale and Castroville and CA-58 between Boron and Barstow.  All these roads had high rates of head-on collisions.

[Grzrd]

I was driving on I-85 through Gwinnett County, GA (slightly northeast of Atlanta) earlier today and noticed, in addition to the HOT lane being devoid of any cars, that the HOT lane is separated from the other lanes by a rumble strip between two solid white lines.

[Mergingtraffic]

CT had them on US-6 put people actually complained b/c it created noise when vehicles made left turns into driveways and the DOT took them out.

[JREwing78]

CT had them on US-6 put people actually complained b/c it created noise when vehicles made left turns into driveways and the DOT took them out.

Michigan averts that issue by creating breaks in the rumble strips at driveways.