Control Cities

[The Nature Boy]

Here's a random question:

What is the farthest north that Boston is signed? I saw it signed at the I-95 entrance in Auburn, ME and that's about as far away as I've seen it.

[TravelingBethelite]

I've seen it in parts of New London for I-95 northbound. I seem to recall having seen it once or twice in metro New Haven. Anyway, what's the farthest you've seen a sign from a control city, period?
My top three are: I-80 EB, New York City, near Youngstown, more than 350 miles
I-70 EB, Indianapolis, in East St. Louis, roughly 215 miles
I-84 WB, at I-90, New York City, about 140 miles (not direct)

[JakeFromNewEngland]

I've seen it in parts of New London for I-95 northbound. I seem to recall having seen it once or twice in metro New Haven. Anyway, what's the farthest you've seen a sign from a control city, period?
My top three are: I-80 EB, New York City, near Youngstown, more than 350 miles
I-70 EB, Indianapolis, in East St. Louis, roughly 215 miles
I-84 WB, at I-90, New York City, about 140 miles (not direct)

The only place in CT where Boston is signed is on I-84 EB east of Hartford. The control city for I-95 NB in New London is Providence.

[roadman65]

Denver used to be signed on the Kansas Turnpike in Topeka where I-70 Westbound used to exit it before the current interchange design was opened.  I believe Denver is over 500 miles from Topeka.

Then there is that (ughhhhhh) "Memphis" that IDOT uses for I-57 Southbound from Chicago southward on all interstates connecting to it.  If Missouri and Arkansas ever get to extending it to Little Rock maybe IDOT might resign it, but until then Memphis is used.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

One control city in particular that has always seen to bug me is the one listed for I-95 at the Milford Parkway exit on the Wilbur Cross. It lists the control cities as "Milford/New London". Milford makes sense because the parkway ends at US 1 in Milford, but New London for I-95? New Haven seems like a more reasonable choice. My only theory for this is that the state probably expected more people to take CT 15 towards New Haven since that's the control city for most of it's route in SW CT, even though it changes to Hartford as soon as you enter Milford. CT 15 barely passes through New Haven where as I-95 travels through it directly.

[roadman65]

I used to remember this as a kid, but before the I-195 freeway was completed into the current NJ 34/ Garden State Parkway interchange, on NJ 35 near Belmar, the control city for NJ 38 (then NJ 138 was NJ 38) was "The Amboys."  Why that was, at the time was beyond me even though at the western end of NJ 38 at NJ 34 it directed motorists north on NJ 34 which indirectly goes there via US 9.

What was interesting is that NJ 38 went west and The Amboys after NJ 38 was in a totally different direction.  Usually when a road is signed for an indirect place it is always in the same general direction that the road is going and not a complete 90 degree turn and 20 or more miles in the perpendicular direction.

Also, NJDOT left the overhead sign for NJ 38 blank on both directions of NJ 35  and all signs for NJ 38 and The Amboys were on LGSes at the base of the exit along NJ 35. Why they reserved the overhead sign for I-195 finally opened is another great mystery  besides the Amboys use even though NJ 38 at the time could have still been signed for the interest of NJ 35 motorists.

[discochris]

I've seen it in parts of New London for I-95 northbound. I seem to recall having seen it once or twice in metro New Haven. Anyway, what's the farthest you've seen a sign from a control city, period?
My top three are: I-80 EB, New York City, near Youngstown, more than 350 miles
I-70 EB, Indianapolis, in East St. Louis, roughly 215 miles
I-84 WB, at I-90, New York City, about 140 miles (not direct)

Westbound I-94 out of Bismarck. Signage is Billings - 415 miles away, but there's so little in between...

[hbelkins]

Then there is that (ughhhhhh) "Memphis" that IDOT uses for I-57 Southbound from Chicago southward on all interstates connecting to it.  If Missouri and Arkansas ever get to extending it to Little Rock maybe IDOT might resign it, but until then Memphis is used.

If Illinois is not going to use some of the minor cities where I-57 has interchanges with other interstates, then Memphis is logical. I can't really see them using Sikeston, where the route ends, and Memphis is what I-55 uses south of St. Louis.

[NJRoadfan]

If Illinois is not going to use some of the minor cities where I-57 has interchanges with other interstates, then Memphis is logical. I can't really see them using Sikeston, where the route ends, and Memphis is what I-55 uses south of St. Louis.

Champaign makes sense, even has two major interstates and a major state university.

[Pete from Boston]

One control city in particular that has always seen to bug me is the one listed for I-95 at the Milford Parkway exit on the Wilbur Cross. It lists the control cities as "Milford/New London". Milford makes sense because the parkway ends at US 1 in Milford, but New London for I-95? New Haven seems like a more reasonable choice. My only theory for this is that the state probably expected more people to take CT 15 towards New Haven since that's the control city for most of it's route in SW CT, even though it changes to Hartford as soon as you enter Milford. CT 15 barely passes through New Haven where as I-95 travels through it directly.

The signs for the Milford Parkway were replaced in the 1990s, I think, when the dangerously tight ramps to it were replaced.  I don't recall if they simply remained faithful to the earlier legend, or designed them anew, but the state knew what it was dealing with by then.

[noelbotevera]

Here's one I like: US 22 in Harrisburg uses State College and Lewistown.  Continuing on US 22/322, a distance sign says:

Newport 23
Lewistown 53
State College 83

To fix this, swap State College with Pittsburgh.

[discochris]

I posted this a while ago - in fact, it's how I discovered this site.

Minnesota is the worst for control cities.
From the Twin Cities, only EB-94 (Madison) and NB-35 (Duluth) make sense.

Otherwise they're totally provincial.
WB-94 is St. Cloud, and then from St. Cloud, it's Moorhead. In both cases, it should be Fargo.
SB-35 is the absolute worst, as it's Albert Lea (where 90 intersects). It should be Des Moines.

Although where 90 and 35 intersect, they do use Sioux Falls and LaCrosse as the control cities.

Years ago, when I was a kid, I remember going to Duluth, and there were signs for "Range Cities" as the control for (I think) 53 northbound, but I think they still use "Iron Range" and "North Shore" on some signs.

Also odd, is I-535 and US-2 out of Duluth both say "Wisconsin" rather than "Superior."

[roadman65]

I always remember "Scranton" as being the old control city for I-80 Westbound in Columbia, NJ because it was copied over when US 611 ran along the I-80 freeway in New Jersey between Exit 2 and the State Line.

Now its corrected as "Stroudsburg" is the main control city. As a child I thought that one was very odd as Scranton is several miles off of I-80.  Of course later when I learned US 611 was in NJ and "Los Angeles" was used as control city for I-40 west of Flagstaff being it was carried over from US 66 before it was removed I understood.

[odditude]

Here's one I like: US 22 in Harrisburg uses State College and Lewistown.  Continuing on US 22/322, a distance sign says:

Newport 23
Lewistown 53
State College 83

To fix this, swap State College with Pittsburgh.

to fix it..? State College is a major destination, and should remain on the sign.

[Brandon]

If Illinois is not going to use some of the minor cities where I-57 has interchanges with other interstates, then Memphis is logical. I can't really see them using Sikeston, where the route ends, and Memphis is what I-55 uses south of St. Louis.

Champaign makes sense, even has two major interstates and a major state university.

Champaign-Urbana is a secondary control on I-57 between Kankakee and Effingham.

[PHLBOS]

Other purged (or soon-to-be purged) control destination listings in MA:

NH-Maine (although such is still present on a handful MA 128 southbound ramp signage)

North Shore (from old 128 northbound signage southwest of Peabody)

For the time being, South Shore is still present on eastbound I-90 interchange signage for Exit 14/I-95 (MA 128) for the I-95/MA 128 southbound destination.  Providence, RI will, no doubt, be the new listed southbound control city once the BGS' are replaced per the new westbound interchange.

Personally, I'm surprised (but still glad) that FHWA hasn't (yet) gotten on MassDOT's case about still using Cape Cod as a listed control destination on many of its signs (mostly along I-93 between Boston and Braintree, I-195, I-495, US 6, MA 3 & MA 25).

[noelbotevera]

Here's one I like: US 22 in Harrisburg uses State College and Lewistown.  Continuing on US 22/322, a distance sign says:

Newport 23
Lewistown 53
State College 83

To fix this, swap State College with Pittsburgh.

to fix it..? State College is a major destination, and should remain on the sign.

Scratch that. Instead, State College is the 2nd line, and Pittsburgh is the 3rd line. So there's one for US 22/322, US 322, and US 22 (and US 30).

[Buffaboy]

The one I have here is a little weird:



From what I understand and how I would get there from that point, East Aurora is quite aways away from Exit 57. It makes much better sense to get off on any other exit (including Aurora Expressway), and Google Maps agrees.

[SSOWorld]

If Illinois is not going to use some of the minor cities where I-57 has interchanges with other interstates, then Memphis is logical. I can't really see them using Sikeston, where the route ends, and Memphis is what I-55 uses south of St. Louis.

Champaign makes sense, even has two major interstates and a major state university.

Champaign-Urbana is a secondary control on I-57 between Kankakee and Effingham.

If you think Memphis for I-57 south is bad, see I-24.  Southbound signs for Nashville (Not Paducah) and there is no control city NB in Illinois.   Kentucky uses St. Louis, Illinois uses "Interstate 57" (written out).

[The Nature Boy]

What would I-24 use in Illinois? Carbondale? Champaign-Urbana?

[Charles2]

What would I-24 use in Illinois? Carbondale? Champaign-Urbana?

The Middle of Nowhere?

[froggie]

Minnesota is the worst for control cities.

If Minnesota has a "worst" for control cities, is that MnDOT typically does not sign them along the Interstates within the Twin Cities metro.  Otherwise, MnDOT fully follows MUTCD guidance and AASHTO's control city list.  I see no problem with using St. Cloud, Moorhead, or Albert Lea.  St. Cloud is a major Outstate city, and the city limits cross I-94 now to boot.  Moorhead is part of the Fargo metro...in fact it's called the Fargo-Moorhead metro.  And Albert Lea, though small, is a major Interstate junction.

[hbelkins]

If Illinois is not going to use some of the minor cities where I-57 has interchanges with other interstates, then Memphis is logical. I can't really see them using Sikeston, where the route ends, and Memphis is what I-55 uses south of St. Louis.

Champaign makes sense, even has two major interstates and a major state university.

Champaign-Urbana is a secondary control on I-57 between Kankakee and Effingham.

If you think Memphis for I-57 south is bad, see I-24.  Southbound signs for Nashville (Not Paducah) and there is no control city NB in Illinois.   Kentucky uses St. Louis, Illinois uses "Interstate 57" (written out).

Kentucky used to use St. Louis from the Tennessee state line all the way west. Now St. Louis is used west of the US 68 Paducah exit. I snapped a photo of a sign at an exit near the Tennessee state line several years ago that listed St. Louis as the westbound control city. I think Paducah was a later addition.

Tennessee has added Clarksville to I-24 west at Nashville. That's a fairly recent development as well. What did Tennessee use prior to changing the signs to say Clarksville? I'm guessing St. Louis. I can't see Tennessee using Paducah.

[Pete from Boston]

Other purged (or soon-to-be purged) control destination listings in MA:

NH-Maine (although such is still present on a handful MA 128 southbound ramp signage)

North Shore (from old 128 northbound signage southwest of Peabody)

For the time being, South Shore is still present on eastbound I-90 interchange signage for Exit 14/I-95 (MA 128) for the I-95/MA 128 southbound destination.  Providence, RI will, no doubt, be the new listed southbound control city once the BGS' are replaced per the new westbound interchange.

Personally, I'm surprised (but still glad) that FHWA hasn't (yet) gotten on MassDOT's case about still using Cape Cod as a listed control destination on many of its signs (mostly along I-93 between Boston and Braintree, I-195, I-495, US 6, MA 3 & MA 25).

It would be triumph of regulation over people and reason if MassDOT were to forgo "Cape Cod" as a destination.  It is what people need to know, which is the point of signs. 

[shadyjay]

One control city in particular that has always seen to bug me is the one listed for I-95 at the Milford Parkway exit on the Wilbur Cross. It lists the control cities as "Milford/New London". Milford makes sense because the parkway ends at US 1 in Milford, but New London for I-95? New Haven seems like a more reasonable choice. My only theory for this is that the state probably expected more people to take CT 15 towards New Haven since that's the control city for most of it's route in SW CT, even though it changes to Hartford as soon as you enter Milford. CT 15 barely passes through New Haven where as I-95 travels through it directly.

New London being the control city on Merritt Pkwy Exit 54 signage makes perfect sense, IMHO.  At Exit 54, CT 15 goes from a (roughly) east-west orientation to a more northeast/southwest orientation, taking it away from the coast.  Signing the exit to I-95  as New Haven would just add more traffic to I-95, when New Haven has three exits a few miles up CT 15.  Sure, it doesn't pass through the heart of downtown, but you can take CT 34 East and get right into the heart of downtown relatively easy. 

Prior to the Merritt Parkway receiving its unique signage in the early 2000s, there was a "Phase III" button copy sign that stated "To I-95/New London/Providence/Use Exit 54".  While Providence never appeared on the Exit 54 primary signs, one would assume to take I-95 North, which was signed on the connector as "New Haven/New London".  The most recent signage project on the connector just signs the exit as 95 NORTH/NEW HAVEN, omitting New London, even though CT 15 mainline signage still says MILFORD/NEW LONDON.  Southbound, CT 15 signage says "TO I-95/US 1/MILFORD".

I've never seen Boston listed as a control city anywhere along I-95 in CT.  Mass Pike/Worcester used to be mentioned for Exit 76, but only in the form of a supplemental sign. 


As far as the farthest control city I've seen, it has to be "MIAMI FL" on I-95 in Virginia, paired with "ROCKY MT NC" around I-295.