Cutaway vs tunnel visors by state/region

[Pink Jazz]

I was wondering, does anyone know which states (or regions within states) use cutaway vs. tunnel visors on traffic signals?

Here is what I know:

• Arizona seems to be all tunnel visors.
• Not sure about all of New Mexico, but tunnel visors are the norm in the Albuquerque area.
• In Virginia, cutaway visors are the norm in Northern Virginia.  Hampton Roads, on the other hand, uses mostly tunnel visors although a few older signals use cutaway visors.
• New York is primarily cutaway visors.
• Puerto Rico is all tunnel visors.

If I would guess, tunnel visors are mostly used in warmer climates due to sunlight while cutaway visors are mostly used in colder climates due to snow.

[Brandon]

Most of Illinois is tunnel visors; however, McHenry County uses cutaway visors on their county highways.

Michigan, which gets a lot of snow, uses tunnel visors.  They're even uses in the UP where 200+ inches of snow a season is common.

Then there's Kentucky.  Kentucky tends to use the following: red - cutaway, yellow - tunnel, green - cutaway.

[Ian]

Pennsylvania uses both, and there's usually never any consistency. One intersection may be all tunnels, the next all cutaways, then the next one a mix.

[M3019C LPS20]

Traffic signals in New York City typically had cutaway visors over 60 years ago. Since the 1950s, tunnel visors have been in use.

[DaBigE]

WisDOT generally uses cutaways, but their spec book allows for either type. Municipalities around Wisconsin vary as well, occasionally with both types installed on signals at the same intersection.

[freebrickproductions]

ALDOT along with most cities and towns (such as Huntsville, Birmingham, Mobile, Sheffield, Athens, etc.) use tunnel visors. Several places, such as Huntsville, used cut-aways as late as the 1970s though.

[kj3400]

Maryland is mostly tunnel visor. Baltimore City is a mixed bag, but is slowly shifting to all tunnels.

[jakeroot]

Both Washington and British Columbia use tunnel visors. While I have not paid very good attention in the years I've been driving, I can't recall ever seeing a cutaway visor anywhere near the PNW. I've always considered cutaway visors an "east of the Mississippi" thing.

[Big John]

^^ Except Vancouver BC uses cutaway visors: https://www.google.com/maps/@49.281153,-123.116257,3a,75y,277.52h,96.73t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sVkUo--COKner1yUZl0DOEA!2e0

[jakeroot]

^^ Except Vancouver BC uses cutaway visors: https://www.google.com/maps/@49.281153,-123.116257,3a,75y,277.52h,96.73t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sVkUo--COKner1yUZl0DOEA!2e0

That's a testament to how little I've paid attention.

[cl94]

NY is typically cutaway, but tunnel visors certainly aren't hard to find, especially when highways do not intersect at a right angle. Region 5 loves them.

Older signals in Akron, OH always intrigued me. Red and green have cutaway visors, but yellow used tunnel visors. Newer installs are all one kind.

[PColumbus73]

Ohio uses cutaway visors, NC/SC both use tunnel visors

[jeffandnicole]

Jersey uses tunnels.  The few infrequent older signals (mostly in cities) used cutaways.

[M3019C LPS20]

Jersey uses tunnels.  The few infrequent older signals (mostly in cities) used cutaways.

Some newer traffic signals use cutaway visors, mind you. Though these are few and far between in New Jersey. I personally know of one outside of Toms River.

[Bitmapped]

West Virginia uses cutaway visors unless it's in a location where off-sides viewing might cause problems.  They use tunnels on the impacted signal heads in those locations.

[roadfro]

Nevada used to use full tunnel visors everywhere. Newer installations, especially in Reno and other areas of Northern Nevada, now tend to use 3/4 tunnel visors so snow can't accumulate (and birds can't nest, which I have seen a couple times down in Vegas). Cutaway visors seem to be fairly rare in the Silver State--I can't think of a single installation off the top of my head.

[vdeane]

NY is typically cutaway, but tunnel visors certainly aren't hard to find, especially when highways do not intersect at a right angle. Region 5 loves them.

Region 2 uses them for just about everything.  They're also not uncommon in Region 1.

[jeffandnicole]

Jersey uses tunnels.  The few infrequent older signals (mostly in cities) used cutaways.

Some newer traffic signals use cutaway visors, mind you. Though these are few and far between in New Jersey. I personally know of one outside of Toms River.

New Jersey's rules appear to require Tunnel Visors.  http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/eng/elec/TSS/english/pdf/EBts1a.pdf - See 2.5.

If a cutaway visor was used, it must have been installed in error, unless a rare exception was granted.

[6a]

Ohio uses cutaway visors, NC/SC both use tunnel visors

Maybe ODOT but in the cities it's whatever The Lord God Himself doth proclaim the day the signal's installed. Up to and including both types on the same signal.

[dfnva]

I was wondering, does anyone know which states (or regions within states) use cutaway vs. tunnel visors on traffic signals?

Here is what I know:

• Arizona seems to be all tunnel visors.
• Not sure about all of New Mexico, but tunnel visors are the norm in the Albuquerque area.
• In Virginia, cutaway visors are the norm in Northern Virginia.  Hampton Roads, on the other hand, uses mostly tunnel visors although a few older signals use cutaway visors.
• New York is primarily cutaway visors.
• Puerto Rico is all tunnel visors.

If I would guess, tunnel visors are mostly used in warmer climates due to sunlight while cutaway visors are mostly used in colder climates due to snow.

Most VDOT-installed traffic signals in Virginia feature tunnel visors, with some exceptions.  In Northern Virginia, cutaway visors are mostly used unless visability precludes their use and some other exceptions -- a practice in use for decades.  In other portions of the state, such as in the Staunton and Culpeper districts, Tunnel visors are mostly used only on protected turn or protected-permissive signals.

[cl94]

Ohio uses cutaway visors, NC/SC both use tunnel visors

Maybe ODOT but in the cities it's whatever The Lord God Himself doth proclaim the day the signal's installed. Up to and including both types on the same signal.

Is that limited to Akron, or is the craziness found elsewhere?

[Alex4897]

Delaware typically uses cutaway visors with a few tunnel visors scattered about at awkward intersections.

[andrewkbrown]

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Wilmington,+OH&hl=en&ll=39.447118,-83.838277&spn=0.000004,0.002368&sll=38.893596,-77.014576&sspn=0.253317,0.606308&oq=wilmington,+o&t=h&hnear=Wilmington,+Clinton+County,+Ohio&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.447109,-83.838649&panoid=wq60FjegFvjrKHbf6hGFfg&cbp=12,267.34,,1,-4.98

Sometimes you get this: The left signal facing the camera is all tunnels, the right one, cutaway-tunnel-cutaway, the ones facing left are cutaway-tunnel-tunnel, and the ones facing right are cutaway-tunnel-cutaway. Pan and zoom around to find they're a mis-match of various signal manufacturers.

[roadman65]

Jersey uses tunnels.  The few infrequent older signals (mostly in cities) used cutaways.

Some newer traffic signals use cutaway visors, mind you. Though these are few and far between in New Jersey. I personally know of one outside of Toms River.

New Jersey's rules appear to require Tunnel Visors.  http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/eng/elec/TSS/english/pdf/EBts1a.pdf - See 2.5.

If a cutaway visor was used, it must have been installed in error, unless a rare exception was granted.

Then how does Atlantic City get away with it? Many of its signals are cutouts.

[M3019C LPS20]

Jersey uses tunnels.  The few infrequent older signals (mostly in cities) used cutaways.

Some newer traffic signals use cutaway visors, mind you. Though these are few and far between in New Jersey. I personally know of one outside of Toms River.

New Jersey's rules appear to require Tunnel Visors.  http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/eng/elec/TSS/english/pdf/EBts1a.pdf - See 2.5.

If a cutaway visor was used, it must have been installed in error, unless a rare exception was granted.

That guideline appears to be outdated, since it is from 2001. Some requirements mentioned I know are no longer practiced, such as the installment of plastic lenses, incandescent light bulbs, and Alzak reflectors. Additionally, polycarbonate heads are now installed along with aluminum traffic signals throughout most, if not all, parts of New Jersey.

Since then, N.J.D.O.T. perhaps made an exception to that requirement in particular. I also forgot about Atlantic City (as roadman65 mentioned), since cutaway visors are in use on both old and new traffic signals there. My guess is that the municipality itself determines what should be installed.