What has your state DOT contributed that is in wide use by the other states

[SteveG1988]

For example, the Jersey Barrier from NJ.

PennDOT and Clearview, and i think rumble strips and the general idea for the interstate highway standard.

[bulldog1979]

Michigan created the Michigan left.

[Pete from Boston]

New Jersey also built the first cloverleaf, in Woodbridge back in 1931 (recently obliterated).

[Brandon]

Michigan created the Michigan left.

Along with concrete pavement and center lines.

[KG909]

I noticed some "FREEWAY ENTRANCE" signs in either Nevada or Arizona. The signs are the standard here in California.

[tchafe1978]

How about Wisconsin being the first state to implement a numbered highway system.

[froggie]

Minnesota effectively created the MUTCD.  To be fair, they weren't the only ones.  But they played the primary part.

[SteveG1988]

Stretching the DOT bit, but i forgot about the Long Island Motor Parkway, first road ever built for automobile use only with overpasses and underpasses too.

[1995hoo]

I don't know whether it's true (maybe someone here does), but I remember reading somewhere that Virginia was the first state to post "Gas/Food/Lodging" signs in advance of highway exits.

[OCGuy81]

Hmmm, was California first to implement HOT lanes? I think those are used elsewhere now.

[roadman]

I don't know whether it's true (maybe someone here does), but I remember reading somewhere that Virginia was the first state to post "Gas/Food/Lodging" signs in advance of highway exits.

As I understand it, Virginia was indeed one of the first states to post service signing on Interstates, but their policy and installations were based on guidance in the old AASHO Manual for Signing and Pavement Marking of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.  "Generic" service signs (Gas Food Lodging) were first detailed in the 1961 edition of this Manual.

[Brandon]

Michigan created the Michigan left (early 1960s).

Along with concrete pavement (1909) and center lines (1911).

I should have also mentioned roadside parks (1919) and welcome centers (1935 - New Buffalo).

And the first modern three light (red-yellow-green) traffic signal (1920).

Also the first depressed urban freeway (Davison Freeway - 1942).

[kurumi]

Connecticut: first speed limit for motorized vehicles, enacted May 21, 1901. 12 mph in cities, and 15 mph outside.

[andrewkbrown]

As I've read, I believe the ODOT district covering the Cincinnati metro developed the decimal mileage sign found in medians of divided highways in the 1990s, which can be found elsewhere around the United States.

https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.238219,-84.451043&spn=0.000843,0.001321&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=39.238219,-84.4513&panoid=eXOAAsa0t5x5tsh9lHtf8w&cbp=12,325.61,,1,1.22

[dfwmapper]

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute developed constant slope barriers, the ET-2000 guardrail end cap (the good one, not the maiming machine Trinity Industries turned it in to), breakaway sign posts, and was a partner with Pennsylvania in the development of Clearview (sorry). Texas also created the adopt a highway concept. Not sure if we actually invented the Texas U-turn on frontage roads, but it's associated with Texas more than anywhere else so good enough.

[Tom958]

Not to mention the Texas twist. Obsolete now, but widely adopted back in the day.

[hbelkins]

Kentucky: Political patronage in hiring civil service employees. 

[Billy F 1988]

I noticed some "FREEWAY ENTRANCE" signs in either Nevada or Arizona. The signs are the standard here in California.

Montana has some now with "NO LEFT/RIGHT TURN" signs at the apexes of the on and off ramps of I-90, 15 and 94 along with FREEWAY ENTRANCE signs.

[Pink Jazz]

I don't know whether it's true (maybe someone here does), but I remember reading somewhere that Virginia was the first state to post "Gas/Food/Lodging" signs in advance of highway exits.

As I understand it, Virginia was indeed one of the first states to post service signing on Interstates, but their policy and installations were based on guidance in the old AASHO Manual for Signing and Pavement Marking of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.  "Generic" service signs (Gas Food Lodging) were first detailed in the 1961 edition of this Manual.

I think Virginia was also one of the first states to allow logo signs in urban areas.  While the 2000 MUTCD added provisions to allow logo signs in urban areas, many states were slow to adopt these provisions, with some states still restricting the program to rural areas even today.  Virginia actually had logo signs on I-64 in Newport News (a city with a population over 170,000) since at least 1998, I presume as an experiment for allowing them in urban areas.

In addition, Virginia was the first state to experiment with having up to two logo signs per service type instead of only one.  This led to the FHWA granting interim approval shortly afterward and eventually adopting it into the 2009 MUTCD.

[Brandon]

Kentucky: Political patronage in hiring civil service employees. 

Nah.  Illinois has taken that to a high art form.  Just ask our outgoing governor how it went for him.

[roadman]

In addition, Virginia was the first state to experiment with having up to two logo signs per service type instead of only one.  This led to the FHWA granting interim approval shortly afterward and eventually adopting it into the 2009 MUTCD

In my opinion, if an interchange has enough eligible services to fill up two LOGO signs, then a generic sign should be sufficient for the driver instead.

[GCrites]

But what if you want fast food and all the restaurants are sit-down? A knife and fork don't cut it for me. Or it's got a bunch of the kind of places where you have to eat in your car. Or even just roller food and chips.

[vdeane]

If you have 12 restaurants at an interchange, I'm sure at least 1 is fast food, and you're probably in suburbia or a city.  There are minimum standards for being listed too (such as the breakfast requirement, which is one reason why logo signs are dominated by fast food and chains).

[roadman]

The 'breakfast' requirement (must serve 3 meals) was dropped with the 2000 MUTCD.  Beginning in the mid-1990s, but prior to the MUTCD change, Massachusetts would often waive the breakfast requirement for new "add-on" applicants if other restaurants already on the sign offered breakfast.

[vdeane]

Either NY still uses it, or the people at my ROW training were citing an example from a couple decades ago.