The Worst of Road Signs

[bassoon1986]

This is more of what I remember at MS interstate junctions with the 3 lines:

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3578896,-90.6678494,3a,75y,40.74h,84.21t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sV7VSVNVR_aGA5iKxqyODfA!2e0

[silverback1065]

This is more of what I remember at MS interstate junctions with the 3 lines:

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3578896,-90.6678494,3a,75y,40.74h,84.21t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sV7VSVNVR_aGA5iKxqyODfA!2e0

What the heck is that road paved in mulch?

[Brandon]

This is more of what I remember at MS interstate junctions with the 3 lines:

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3578896,-90.6678494,3a,75y,40.74h,84.21t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sV7VSVNVR_aGA5iKxqyODfA!2e0

What the heck is that road paved in mulch?

Looks like gravel, and seems appropriate for the unpaved road at an interchange thread.

[cjk374]

quote from codyg1985:

Man, that green guide sign is crap. They couldn't even manage to get New Orleans on the same line as it's arrow. it appears that the sign is laid out with three lines, but of course, it only needs two.

Route markers so low that barrels can obstruct them? Come on.

In MS, they usually use 3 lines on those particular direction signs at interchanges.  I believe McCOMB is missing above New Orleans.

This is more of what I remember at MS interstate junctions with the 3 lines:

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.3578896,-90.6678494,3a,75y,40.74h,84.21t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sV7VSVNVR_aGA5iKxqyODfA!2e0

This is what I was referring to.  And the road, last time I saw it about 2 years ago, was chip seal.

[Kacie Jane]

Another Seattle-area gem...this one near the Tacoma Dome along I-5 South. The old signs, which were mounted on either side of the southbound carriageway were replaced by shoulder-mounted gantries so that construction in the median could take place. This section of I-5 did not have a median (it's three carriageways) and, in order for the HOV lane construction to commence, they needed the space in the middle. All the lanes have shifted to the right (and have also narrowed significantly).

Needless to say, the job was less than spectacular:

- no control cities
- no suffixed exit number (the first sign is pointing to two exits despite there only being one exit number...wtf)
- double-length 45-degree shaft was a poor choice
- very little green-space, particularly on the first sign.
- also on the first sign, placing the "only" between the two angled arrows would only be correct at the gore point (since the left lane doesn't have to exit at the first exit)

There are a lot of issues with these signs, but to me one of the most egregious problems is one you didn't mention.  Look how short those arms are.  I can't say for sure (I haven't had cause to exit onto 16 recently, so whenever I've driven past, I'm a bit to the left), but I'm pretty sure both signs are mounted over the shoulder.  If not the shoulder, they're at least a full lane too far to the right.

Also, exit number problems seem to be rather common in this area...

• https://goo.gl/maps/Fqbtm The sign right before those is also only for 16, and also lacks the B.
• https://goo.gl/maps/nZtZA This "Food Exit 134" sign.  There is no Exit 134 southbound.  Northbound, Exit 134 is for Portland Avenue, Exit 135 is for SR 167.  Southbound, there's no separate offramp for Portland Avenue. (The green sign in the background correctly reads Exit 135 for Amtrak.)
• https://goo.gl/maps/wr7uU Opposite problem as the first one.  Northbound has A and B ramps for Port of Tacoma, southbound does not.  This one should be unsuffixed, but isn't

[1995hoo]

I suppose at least it has the state name.....

http://goo.gl/maps/oTVd6

[Zeffy]

I suppose at least it has the state name.....

http://goo.gl/maps/oTVd6

At least it uses the correct typefaces, too.

[Mapmikey]

I suppose at least it has the state name.....

http://goo.gl/maps/oTVd6

I never noticed that the sign you've identified was in the background of this pic I took in 2005 (this 95 shield has been replaced):



Mapmikey

[1995hoo]

Heh, so it's been there at least nine years? Wow. I had never noticed it before. Admittedly I don't go through there eastbound all that often simply because it doesn't normally make any sense for me to go that way (today was an exception because I was going from Landmark to Old Town), but I'm a bit surprised at myself for never having noticed it in all this time.

[talllguy]

Dead End Street by Elliott Plack, on Flickr

• Wrong Shape
• Wrong Color
• What the Font?!

[NE2]

It's called old signage. Get off its lawn.

[Scott5114]

Yeah, that's not Worst Of, that's Best Of.

[talllguy]

It's called old signage. Get off its lawn.

It is indicative of a DOT that does not spend any significant amount of money improving traffic engineering.

[Roadgeek Adam]

Former NY Route 59A (West Nyack Road) at County Route 23 in West Nyack. I don't know how this happened, given every other shield in the area is correct, even the one across the street. I wouldn't mind it burned either.

[Pete from Boston]

Dead End Street by Elliott Plack, on Flickr

• Wrong Shape
• Wrong Color
• What the Font?!

I feel like these are common in Boston. I worked on a dead-end street once, and I recall the number of people turning around at the end being an indication of those signs not being conspicuous enough.

[cpzilliacus]

L.A. Times: Exit sign on 710 Freeway misspells Olympic Boulevard as 'Olimpic'

[TrevorB]

Photo courtesy of TDOT, although I doubt they would want to take credit for this atrocity:

[vtk]

Purely manufacturing error re the missized letters. They swapped the "i"s for Kingsport and Wilcox, and the "r"s for Dr and Kingsport.  As for Downtown being misaligned, the cause is less obvious.  That would almost have to be a dimensioning error on the plan sheet.

[roadfro]

Purely manufacturing error re the missized letters. They swapped the "i"s for Kingsport and Wilcox, and the "r"s for Dr and Kingsport.  As for Downtown being misaligned, the cause is less obvious.  That would almost have to be a dimensioning error on the plan sheet.

But does Tennessee use demountable copy, or hand apply letters on BGSs? I was under the impression that many current freeway guide sign legends are computer generated...

[hbelkins]

That sign is northbound, and I'd almost suspect that the "Downtown" was added after the fact. I couldn't find any photos that I've taken of that sign, since most of my travels down the former I-181 were southbound, but the photos I have taken of the southbound signs (which has separate ramps for northbound and southbound TN 93) don't have "Downtown" listed.

[TrevorB]

It's a brand new sign installed where the new Rest Area is:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152575733062551.1073742009.79232382550&type=1

[Pete from Boston]

Pretty weird, exiting Evansville Dress Regional Airport:



I do like the acorn-shaped Interstate symbols.

[Zeffy]

Airport signage is always wacky, well, for the most part it is. At least the shields use FHWA.

[vtk]

I do not like the acorn shape. And I do not like the compressed Series D.

[SignGeek101]

The shields look hideous. The shape and the arrows look like Mexican signage.

https://www.google.com/maps/@31.9040897,-116.7255374,3a,18.6y,298.41h,101.76t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s0MTqbDYU_QH6rtfUn0qWOA!2e0?hl=en

The text written in Transport is unique though. Looks quite decent IMO.