Something odd about Pennsylvania's older installations

[traffic light guy]

I'm not sure if other states do this, but sometimes when Pennsylvania replaces a traffic signal they don't replace the whole intersection, installed they replace a few signals and keep the original mast-arms in place, or replace the all the original traffic signals and keep the original mast-arms in place, this is most common in the Philadelphia area mostly with intersections originally installed in the 1970s, an example would be an original Eagle flatback and a Modern signal being mounted on the same mast.

Here's an example with 2nd Gen. Eagle Durasig replacements mounted on 1970s PennDOT mast-arm:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5069/5582740019_27f9165228_b.jpg

[UCFKnights]

I imagine that is common around the country, no? While not nearly as old, I know I've posted about this intersection before in Orlando that has 3 different generations of mast arms (along with non matching signals as well). They also are upgrading a lot of the left turn signals to the FYAs which do not match the older styles of lights around town, so the lights often do not match right next to each other for the same direction.

[roadman65]

New Jersey used to have plenty of mismatched signals. Some would be all horizontal signal heads where the pole that failed inspection would be switched out with a vertical signal head instead of just getting another signal pole that is the same as the others.  Just so you know horizontal truss  signals mast arms are different shapes than vertical installed signals arms, so they look totally off.

Many times in NJ back in the 70's you would see many intersections with both truss mast arms and double guy mast arms in the same cluster, as New Jersey can have an intersection from one to five different mast arms.  Unlike most states that have the main one across the intersection with heads facing the traffic, NJ will have two on opposite sides of the street sort of like Ontario does with their installations, and usually some will have one on your side over the stop line while the one ahead of you is facing away from you and all you see is the back of another head.

So you would sometimes not only see double guy and truss masts, but a combination of horizontal and vertical with three or four different types of poles and arm styles.

[Bitmapped]

I'm not sure why needing to change or replace one or two signal heads would justify redoing an entire intersection. If the existing signals and poles are in good shape, why replace them?

In Ohio and West Virginia, they do generally seem to replace signal heads when they performing planned controller replacements. The existing poles are generally reused.

[UCFKnights]

I'm not sure why needing to change or replace one or two signal heads would justify redoing an entire intersection. If the existing signals and poles are in good shape, why replace them?

In Ohio and West Virginia, they do generally seem to replace signal heads when they performing planned controller replacements. The existing poles are generally reused.

If they are similiar signals and poles, I agree, but sometimes its just plain fugly and thats enough reason IMO. I forgot my link in the other post, but I feel all of this should be replaced with new stuff solely because everything is mismatched and is butt ugly.
https://www.google.com/maps/@28.5493393,-81.2039372,3a,75y,143.8h,76.38t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s_4i0Xh3q6NCT_JZqfQAEQQ!2e0!5s20110401T000000!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

The complaints finally led them to paint them all the same color at least, but its still bad.

[roadman65]

Well in NJ that is the norm for different assemblies.  When I grew up that is what interested me in the signals throughout the Garden State.  I used to like seeing some intersections with side mounts with the overheads a variety of truss masts, double guy masts, and the combination of horizontal verses vertical.  At divided highways would be more interesting as you would have arms from the sides as well as the centers with high side mounts in the median attached to the light poles.

I do not like it when they use a span wire to replace one mast arm that needed to be removed while leaving the rest of the intersection with mast arms as Orlando has done on John Young Parkway at the First Baptist Church Driveway.  The northbound JYP for the past three years uses a span wire Carolina Style (meaning wooden telephone poles hanging the span wires from) while the SB JYP and the Church driveway still have Orlando's attempt to copy Caltrans poles only with their own square sodium vapor light on top of the pole.