Control Cities

[jbnati27]

I have always liked how on Eastbound I-80 in Ohio, the control city is New York City East of Youngstown. Kind of intimating there is absolutely nothing in Pennsylvania. However, Pennsylvania has a different thought pattern on this and lists Mercer, DuBois, Clearfield, State College, etc. as control cities on I-80 within its own borders.

[jp the roadgeek]

I-84 should be Hartford going EB - WB, use Wilkes-Barre.

In Connecticut?  This is unlikely to be a significant enough destination for traffic there.  West of Newburgh I'd at least use Middletown first.  It's a big town and the major junction with Route 17 is there.

Yup. Hartford CT. I mean it that far, and that's the one of the two major cities I-84 serves.

So, aside from the fact that even Waterbury and Danbury have twice the population of Wilkes-Barre, if it isn't serving the best needs of motorists on 84 East in Connecticut, it shouldn't be signed there.  This isn't Texas where a population center 200 miles away is a likely next destination for a great bulk of motorists.

Danbury 80,893   
   Waterbury 110,366 (2010)
        Wilkes-Barre 41,108
Just to illustrate the point.

84 control cities should be: Scranton (WB only), Milford (EB only), Middletown, Newburgh, Danbury, Waterbury, Hartford, Boston (EB only).  MA Turnpike Authority uses NY City on Exit 9 signage, but MASSDOT only uses Hartford CT once on 84.

[Pete from Boston]

I-84 should be Hartford going EB - WB, use Wilkes-Barre.

In Connecticut?  This is unlikely to be a significant enough destination for traffic there.  West of Newburgh I'd at least use Middletown first.  It's a big town and the major junction with Route 17 is there.

Yup. Hartford CT. I mean it that far, and that's the one of the two major cities I-84 serves.

So, aside from the fact that even Waterbury and Danbury have twice the population of Wilkes-Barre, if it isn't serving the best needs of motorists on 84 East in Connecticut, it shouldn't be signed there.  This isn't Texas where a population center 200 miles away is a likely next destination for a great bulk of motorists.

Danbury 80,893
Waterbury 110,366 (2010)
        Wilkes-Barre 41,108
Just to illustrate the point.

84 also "serves" Worcester and Boston, though it arrives in neither (it stops ten miles short of Worcester and is part of the primary New York-Boston route).  Boston and New York are posted destinations for it on signs in Connecticut and Massachusetts, respectively.

[roadman]

My favorite vague control city is on I-395 near Bangor, Maine. This is the best pic I could find.



Yes, that control city IS "All Points North and South" for I-95.

Better photo at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=13066.0 - see Reply # 8

[Thunderbyrd316]

I do not really care for some of the very small control cities used out here in the west such as Kellogg on I-90 east of Coeur d'Alene or Rawlins on I-80 in Wyoming. At the very least a control city should be a major junction or regionally significant population center, not just the nearest town of 5 or 10,000 people. As I have stated elsewhere, I have no problem with having a local and long distance control city posted on the same sign such as Coeur d'Alene, Missoula, followed by Kellogg, Missoula or Rawlins, Cheyenne, followed by Laramie, Cheyenne, etc. 

[The Nature Boy]

My favorite vague control city is on I-395 near Bangor, Maine. This is the best pic I could find.



Yes, that control city IS "All Points North and South" for I-95.

Better photo at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=13066.0 - see Reply # 8

I knew I saw a better pic here, I just didn't know where it was.

And also, an interstate doesn't have to enter a city in order for it to be signed as a control city. After all, I-95 doesn't enter Boston and I-80 doesn't enter New York.

[jaehak]

^^ At least Dayton is closer to I-70 than Chicago is to I-80.

Dayton ain't Chicago.

[Brandon]

^^ At least Dayton is closer to I-70 than Chicago is to I-80.

Dayton ain't Chicago.

But still closer to I-70 than Chicago ever makes it to I-80.

[hm insulators]

And there is the "Other Desert Cities" control sign on I-10 near Palm Springs.

[roadman65]

Shore Points used on US 9 at various points and the Garden State Parkway at the NJ Turnpike interchange in Woodbridge is quite broad as well.

[Pete from Boston]

As was the recently-departed

Mass Pike
Points West

(Technically only half accurate–it points east if you turn around!)

I believe the last of these, Turnpike Extension originals, were replaced a couple of years ago.

[Zeffy]

Here's one that's very interesting:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9819784,-77.171576,3a,21.8y,249.16h,100.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sE-W7Ugc8wrunyNKv7JWbhw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This is in Bethesda, MD. I know there is a Great Falls, VA (which is not even more than 2 miles from this exit), but really? Was there that much confusion that they had to put "Md" next to Great Falls? Or is there something I'm missing here?

[JakeFromNewEngland]

Here's one that's very interesting:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9819784,-77.171576,3a,21.8y,249.16h,100.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sE-W7Ugc8wrunyNKv7JWbhw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

This is in Bethesda, MD. I know there is a Great Falls, VA (which is not even more than 2 miles from this exit), but really? Was there that much confusion that they had to put "Md" next to Great Falls? Or is there something I'm missing here?

Reminds me of a BGS in Portsmouth, NH along I-95 NB that lists the control city as "Portsmouth NH" even though you're already within the city limits. I wonder if there was possible confusion between Portsmouth and Portland..?

[bzakharin]

My favorite vague control city is on I-395 near Bangor, Maine. This is the best pic I could find.



Yes, that control city IS "All Points North and South" for I-95.

That makes sense in a large state with only one major freeway

[kkt]

My favorite vague control city is on I-395 near Bangor, Maine. This is the best pic I could find.



Yes, that control city IS "All Points North and South" for I-95.

That makes sense in a large state with only one major freeway

Most places would just post that as I-95.  I'm not sure why Maine needs a novella-length explanation that you can go two directions on I-95.

[The Nature Boy]

My favorite vague control city is on I-395 near Bangor, Maine. This is the best pic I could find.



Yes, that control city IS "All Points North and South" for I-95.

That makes sense in a large state with only one major freeway

Most places would just post that as I-95.  I'm not sure why Maine needs a novella-length explanation that you can go two directions on I-95.

The control cities on the BGSes as you get closer to the junction are Houlton and Augusta. I don't know why they couldn't be consistent and sign that on the BGS pictured here.

[roadman65]

Why is Putney, VT used for I-91 North at VT 9 in Bratteleboro?   I am not questioning the use of the next sequential town as much as why the state name, when Putney and Brattleboro are in the same state.

[roadman]

As was the recently-departed

Mass Pike
Points West

(Technically only half accurate–it points east if you turn around!)

I believe the last of these, Turnpike Extension originals, were replaced a couple of years ago.

You would be correct sir.  More specifically, under MassDOT Project # 605913 - Boston -Newton-Weston I-90 Guide Sign Replacements.  The work, which focused on replacing the secondary signing at the West Newton and Newton Corner interchanges, was prompted by a sign support failure (original Extension installation) at Newton Corner in (IIRC) January of 2011.

[Buffaboy]

What control cities for interstates and other highways do you find interesting or annoying?

There are some control cities I agree with and others I disagree with it. I find it acceptable to have Hancock, MD as a control city for WB I-70. Even though, Cumberland and Pittsburgh are much larger places than Hancock, I agree with this control city because it serves as the junction of I-68 and I-70.

I find it interesting that NB I-95 north of Baltimore in Maryland has a control city of New York. This shows no respect to Philadelphia or Wilmington. I'm okay with it because New York is the nation's largest city. However, I-78 and I-80 in Pennsylvania do not show New York as their control city. I wonder why I-95 would have New York as a control city, at such a far distance, but I-78 and I-80 do not.

I also liked when I-295 SB in the Richmond area had Miami as its control city. Was this the farthest control city on any BGS?

I've discussed this in the NY thread, but in Buffalo, Albany is signed prominently on I-90, when Rochester is the next major city. Also, some signs in the Buffalo area at the I-190/I-90 interchange would sporadically jump between "Downtown Buffalo," "Niagara Falls" and "Canada."

In addition, a little selfish wish of mine is that signs in the Syracuse and Albany areas mentioned Utica as a control city (I-88, I-81), but that will happen when pigs fly. Rumor has it Utica was once a control city on I-481 back in the days, but that's not the case anymore.

[roadman65]

Better question in NY is why on NY 17 is Binghamton not used east of I-84?  I noticed that for years on NY 17 itself when you made the loop from the Orange Turnpike to the Quickway it used Monroe and Monticello.  Plus on GSV if you look at all the intermediate interchanges between Harriman and Middletown, it uses local cities in between, but west of Middletown the City of Binhamton gets used consistently there onward.

[Buffaboy]

Better question in NY is why on NY 17 is Binghamton not used east of I-84?  I noticed that for years on NY 17 itself when you made the loop from the Orange Turnpike to the Quickway it used Monroe and Monticello.  Plus on GSV if you look at all the intermediate interchanges between Harriman and Middletown, it uses local cities in between, but west of Middletown the City of Binhamton gets used consistently there onward.

That's an excellent question. Maybe when NY 17 is fully converted to I-86 they will designate it a control city (as they should), but I don't know the technical aspects of when and why they would do this.

[Rothman]

I've discussed this in the NY thread, but in Buffalo, Albany is signed prominently on I-90, when Rochester is the next major city. Also, some signs in the Buffalo area at the I-190/I-90 interchange would sporadically jump between "Downtown Buffalo," "Niagara Falls" and "Canada."

In addition, a little selfish wish of mine is that signs in the Syracuse and Albany areas mentioned Utica as a control city (I-88, I-81), but that will happen when pigs fly.

I-88 doesn't get near Utica?

[Buffaboy]

I've discussed this in the NY thread, but in Buffalo, Albany is signed prominently on I-90, when Rochester is the next major city. Also, some signs in the Buffalo area at the I-190/I-90 interchange would sporadically jump between "Downtown Buffalo," "Niagara Falls" and "Canada."

In addition, a little selfish wish of mine is that signs in the Syracuse and Albany areas mentioned Utica as a control city (I-88, I-81), but that will happen when pigs fly.

I-88 doesn't get near Utica?

It's the next "city" over from it though.

[Pete from Boston]

I-93 and Mass. 128/I-95 meet in Reading.  Using junction locations is not uncommon.

That interchange is just barely in Reading.  The westernmost interchange ramps actually cross into Woburn.

The great majority of it is in Reading.  Regardless, this is the best explanation for the use of the name on the sign.

[roadman65]

I still like the fact that Los Angeles is the main control city for I-40 westbound in AZ west of Flagstaff.  Similar, is I-91 in Las Vegas also using Los Angeles for the southbound ramps to it.

I do know about the former as Arizona's DOT did tell me in a letter that came about because of US 66 that once ran the route of the present day interstate.  They did that to appeal to the same motorists who used the Mother Road as the present day I-40 to keep consistence.

I only assume that Nevada's DOT signed I-15 Southbound ramps in accordance as US 91 which used to run I-15's run, went to LA as well, and they too used the original control points of that particular defunct US highway.