PA 9 Shield Pictures

[Roadsguy]

Does anyone have (or know where there is) a picture of a PA 9 shield from back when the Northeast Extension was signed as that? I know a BGS on the PA 100 interchange approaching the Turnpike that says "To I-476," and you can see the PA 9 shield under it.

[Alex]

We took the Northeast Extension many times during our roadtrips in 1993 and 1994. I did a lot of video back then and made a few vidcaps in 1998-99 for the original AA Sign Gallery. Here are two from 1993 I had posted:

[PHLBOS]

It's interesting that the old eastbound sign (taken at the Norristown interchange) has the Northeastern Extension somewhat staggered rather than fully-center-justified.  The PA 9 shield was obviously slapped on later when the road actually received a route number designation.

Those signs were replaced with the current signs (with the westbound BGS erroneously reading 76 WEST) during the mid-90s.

[Roadsguy]

Harrisburg
Pittsburgh
and Ohio

I don't think I've ever seen control cities signed like that before.

[Alps]

There must have been some small shield formerly next to NE Extension. Whether that was a tiny 9 or a tiny keystone, we don't have video from back then.

[amroad17]

Harrisburg
Pittsburgh
and Ohio

I don't think I've ever seen control cities signed like that before.

The NY Thruway in the 60's and 70's had signs at the on-ramps that said "Rochester and West" or "Utica and East" around Syracuse.

[NE2]

Not PA 9, but an old sign exiting from it: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=C4NdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=K10NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5364,4873507&dq=scranton+turnpike&hl=en

[agentsteel53]

RTE instead of PA - never noticed that before

[PHLBOS]

There must have been some small shield formerly next to NE Extension. Whether that was a tiny 9 or a tiny keystone, we don't have video from back then.

An up-close, daytime shot of that BGS (revealing any possible shadows) would likely prove/disprove that notion.

[Beltway]

What is the correct name ...

"Northeast Extension" or "Northeastern Extension" ?

[Ian]

What is the correct name ...

"Northeast Extension" or "Northeastern Extension" ?

I believe it's "Northeast Extension."

[Beltway]

One of the signs photographed above says -- "Northeastern Extension"

Granted that one is over 20 years ago ... what do the signs say today?

[Ian]

One of the signs photographed above says -- "Northeastern Extension"

Granted that one is over 20 years ago ... what do the signs say today?

I've never heard of it referred to it as the "Northeastern Extension." Then again, I didn't exist 20 years ago. Today, the signs just say "Northeast Extension."

[PHLBOS]

Granted that one is over 20 years ago ... what do the signs say today?

That sign is more like over 40 years ago.

[Alps]

It's like the NJ Turnpike Western Spur and Eastern Spur. ACTUALLY... Westerly and Easterly Alignments.

[Beltway]

Granted that one is over 20 years ago ... what do the signs say today?

That sign is more like over 40 years ago.

Probably so ... I generally recognize it as what I saw in the early 1970s, with the PA-9 shield.

[machias]

RTE instead of PA - never noticed that before

Those signs look identical to what was originally on the New York Thruway. Everything was a Route and the down arrows pointed to the ramp.

[Scott5114]

Wasn't original Thruway signage blue, though?

[machias]

Wasn't original Thruway signage blue, though?

Yes, the original Thruway signs were blue but were retrofitted or replaced to green with the adoption of the guidelines that came along with the Interstate system. The old style guide signs (with the exit number on the bottom line) that lasted until the early 90s were green.

[PHLBOS]

Granted that one is over 20 years ago ... what do the signs say today?

That sign is more like over 40 years ago.

Probably so ... I generally recognize it as what I saw in the early 1970s, with the PA-9 shield.

The NE Extension didn't receive the PA 9 designation until sometime during the 1970s.  I have a 1974 Rand Mc-Nally atlas for PA that shows no route number for the NE Extension.  When I first moved into the Delaware Valley in mid-1990 and saw that old BGS sometime later; I don't believe there was a PA 9 shield on it at the time... it clearly came later judging by the larger size of the shield and font (series E vs. D). 

Another old 60s/70s vintage BGS for the NE Extension along US 22 (approaching the Lehigh Valley exit) only featured a PA Turnpike shield and no route shield for PA 9.  I don't believe that BGS ever had an I-476 shield slapped on it following the redesignation.  A newer 90s-vintage BGS at the actual exit had route shields on it (PA 9 originally, then I-476 later).

Long story short, PennDOT & PTC seemed very lax with posting PA 9 shields on NE Extension BGS' until the early 90s.  They probably were hoping that the NE Extension would've received an Interstate number (476) earlier than it actually did.

[Alex]

Long story short, PennDOT & PTC seemed very lax with posting PA 9 shields on NE Extension BGS' until the early 90s.  They probably were hoping that the NE Extension would've received an Interstate number (476) earlier than it actually did.

The Northeast Extension was a regular route for my family in the late 80s and early 90s to upstate New York. Likewise, I also recall very few instances of PA-9 actually being signed. Mostly when it was signed, it was a newer install at the time, or a shield slapped on an older button copy guide sign. There were no reassurance shields at all that I remember, not that it is surprising considering that the PA Turnpike was never that consistent about posting them on the east-west mainline.

[cpzilliacus]

Wasn't original Thruway signage blue, though?

Yes, the original Thruway signs were blue but were retrofitted or replaced to green with the adoption of the guidelines that came along with the Interstate system. The old style guide signs (with the exit number on the bottom line) that lasted until the early 90s were green.

The N.Y. State Thruway had blue signs as recently as the early 1970's.   

I don't know when they were swapped-out for green.

[PHLBOS]

Wasn't original Thruway signage blue, though?

Yes, the original Thruway signs were blue but were retrofitted or replaced to green with the adoption of the guidelines that came along with the Interstate system. The old style guide signs (with the exit number on the bottom line) that lasted until the early 90s were green.

The N.Y. State Thruway had blue signs as recently as the early 1970's.   

I don't know when they were swapped-out for green.

As recently as the early 1990s, just south of the Tappan Zee Bridge; there was an older style gantry with horizontal green button-copy BGS at the I-87-287 split.  I believe the panels (w/arrows) read:
87 New York
287 New England

Guess on my part; that long-gone BGS (replaced during the mid-90s) appeared to be of 60s vintage... maybe 1970 at the newest.

[Jim]

Looks like an old PA 9 keystone here:



Taken north of Abington in 2004.

[PHLBOS]

Looks like an old PA 9 keystone here:



Taken north of Abington in 2004.

Again, like other signs that had I-476 shields posted over PA 9 shields, this BGS was also erected during the early 1990s.  Note: the direction cardinal lettering is all the same height.