Havens for old signage?

[hbelkins]

Any places with a decent amount of old signage within a concentrated area?

I'm going to throw Wise County, Va., out there as a suggestion. I drove up there yesterday afternoon, since I had a half-day off for Election Day, and managed to get a bunch of pictures of old signage along the route that runs from the Kentucky state line at the end of KY 932 to Norton (VA Secondary 671, 707, 627 and 620). The number of cutouts in Norton is starting to dwindle, but there are still several (and the wide error US 74 sign on Kentucky Avenue is still there). There was a neat old US 23 sign along the business route north of the Secondary 620 terminus as well. I've seen some older signs on a few other Wise County secondary routes.

Sadly, the "To Kentucky 38" sign in the Virginia state primary shield at Keokee is gone. Glad I got a photo of it years ago.

[jakeroot]

For all the Clearview, Vancouver, BC is full of old signs: different fonts, old shields, shields for routes that have long been decommissioned, etc.

I try to get photos of old signs whenever I'm up there, which is often. Here's a relatively recent thread that I created with just a handful of old signs that I found by accident: http://goo.gl/LUcx4K

There are plenty more old signs that I have not yet taken pictures of.

[freebrickproductions]

Birmingham, AL has a lot of old signage in it.

[Max Rockatansky]

My spare bedroom, family room and garage....route signs don't go to heaven when they die....they go here...

[cl94]

The entire state of Connecticut, notably the Hartford area. I drove through there yesterday and was shocked at all the button copy that remains. The Hartford metro alone might have more button copy than the entire state of New York.

Buffalo had a ton before NYSDOT and NYSTA replaced everything in recent years. A lot of all-text button copy and quite a few button copy gore signs. Most of NYSTA's work is that awful nonreflective Clearview. One of them was one of the last SR shields with "NY" in the hump.

[Max Rockatansky]

The entire state of Connecticut, notably the Hartford area. I drove through there yesterday and was shocked at all the button copy that remains. The Hartford metro alone might have more button copy than the entire state of New York.

Buffalo had a ton before NYSDOT and NYSTA replaced everything in recent years. A lot of all-text button copy and quite a few button copy gore signs. Most of NYSTA's work is that awful nonreflective Clearview. One of them was one of the last SR shields with "NY" in the hump.

That's because the state doesn't like to replace highway signage for a couple decades.  The last time I was up that way there was still tons of Interstate signs with red faded completely to white...they probably were put up when I was living there in the early 90s.

[cpzilliacus]

Los Angeles for buttoncopy on the freeways, though Caltrans is replacing it now, apparently a section at a time.

[Zeffy]

The New Jersey Turnpike corridor has a decent amount still, though with sign replacement projects in full swing those are decreasing.

However, New Jersey still has a decent amount of button copy signs along various routes, US 1 south of New Brunswick coming to mind for me.

[formulanone]

Florida's Panhandle, west of US 301. Haven't explored Pensacola enough, but the rural areas are loaded with old state road shields, colored US Route shields, and other assorted old signage. Most of these goodies are on (or just off of) the former state secondary routes.

[Michael]

I'm currently visiting a friend who just moved to Ohio, and we took the train back from New York.  We took an Uber to his apartment, and I saw quite a few old signs between the train station and I-75.  The traffic signals looked pretty old too.  They look a lot like the ones that were on NY 5 in Syracuse between the west city line and Erie Blvd before the signal heads were replaced.  This is the route we took from the train station to I-75.  Once we got on I-75, I saw quite a few button copy BGSes that were in pretty good shape.  After crossing the Maumee River, a lot of of the signs were in Clearview.

[cl94]

I'm currently visiting a friend who just moved to Ohio, and we took the train back from New York.  We took an Uber to his apartment, and I saw quite a few old signs between the train station and I-75.  The traffic signals looked pretty old too.  They look a lot like the ones that were on NY 5 in Syracuse between the west city line and Erie Blvd before the signal heads were replaced.  This is the route we took from the train station to I-75.  Once we got on I-75, I saw quite a few button copy BGSes that were in pretty good shape.  After crossing the Maumee River, a lot of of the signs were in Clearview.

ODOT used button copy until the mid-2000s, so there's still a bunch left. Not all of it is particularly old. A lot of the button copy in Columbus, for example, went up within the past 15 years.

[opspe]

For all the Clearview, Vancouver, BC is full of old signs: different fonts, old shields, shields for routes that have long been decommissioned, etc.

I try to get photos of old signs whenever I'm up there, which is often. Here's a relatively recent thread that I created with just a handful of old signs that I found by accident: http://goo.gl/LUcx4K

There are plenty more old signs that I have not yet taken pictures of.

I wish I knew what that old guide sign typeface was, back when they were wooden and mounted on painted white posts.  Also I never figured this out, but all the old signs in BC are painted teal/green on the back.

An excellent example of an old BC sign I found on Quadra Island is below (love the hyphenation on "turn-a-round").  That's the place to find them really, the back roads on all those old hippie islands.

[jwolfer]

Florida's Panhandle, west of US 301. Haven't explored Pensacola enough, but the rural areas are loaded with old state road shields, colored US Route shields, and other assorted old signage. Most of these goodies are on (or just off of) the former state secondary routes.

The more rural counties of North Florida. The state maintained roads have signs updated

[Mergingtraffic]

The entire state of Connecticut, notably the Hartford area. I drove through there yesterday and was shocked at all the button copy that remains. The Hartford metro alone might have more button copy than the entire state of New York.

Buffalo had a ton before NYSDOT and NYSTA replaced everything in recent years. A lot of all-text button copy and quite a few button copy gore signs. Most of NYSTA's work is that awful nonreflective Clearview. One of them was one of the last SR shields with "NY" in the hump.

That's because the state doesn't like to replace highway signage for a couple decades.  The last time I was up that way there was still tons of Interstate signs with red faded completely to white...they probably were put up when I was living there in the early 90s.

CT was in a rush to phase in reflective button copy.  The whole state practically was covered with NEW  signs between 1985-1993.  However, the state is slower at replacing it.  although it is disappearing.

[CobaltYoshi27]

I actually just posted one in the Road-Sign challenge. It was an old County Route 508 sign from Essex County, NJ.

[Mergingtraffic]

NYC used to be but not anymore, although there are still areas where the havens still exist.

Rockaways, Queens, NY.






FDR Drive in most spots, although signs are disappearing with spot replacements.

[ET21]

Rural sections of Kane County IL, particularly IL-56 spur and parts of US-20 around Elgin. Slowly those signs have been getting replaced, but many still remain from the old days.

[mariethefoxy]

Lots of button copy left in Connecticut on I-91 from the I-691/CT 15 exit and north.

CT 15 the Wilbur Cross Highway segment from the north end of Berlin Turnpike to I-84 has button copy too.

I-95 in Connecticut has button copy logo signs, which I've never seen anywhere else.

CT 8/25 in Bridgeport has button copy but a few newer signs mixed in.

I'm sure theres more but I havent been everywhere there.

[machias]

There's quite a bit of button copy left around Interstate 790 in Utica. It's probably one of the last button copy projects in New York State, having all been installed somewhere between 1988-1990. There's also some vintage button copy all-text along NY Route 5S in Downtown Utica.  I suspect that'll be there for a couple of more years and won't be replaced until the "Broad to Aud" road diet/reconfiguration project slated for the area for 2018-2020.

Update: added an example photo

[formulanone]

Birmingham, AL has a lot of old signage in it.

Yup...Lots of old button copy, slatted BGS, and some odd hand-painted signage.

[cl94]

There's quite a bit of button copy left around Interstate 790 in Utica. It's probably one of the last button copy projects in New York State, having all been installed somewhere between 1988-1990. There's also some vintage button copy all-text along NY Route 5S in Downtown Utica.  I suspect that'll be there for a couple of more years and won't be replaced until the "Broad to Aud" road diet/reconfiguration project slated for the area for 2018-2020.

With the all-text signage along NY 252 being replaced right now, that's some of the only all-text left in the state. I was pleasantly surprised to see it while driving through last weekend.

[Jim]

With the all-text signage along NY 252 being replaced right now, that's some of the only all-text left in the state. I was pleasantly surprised to see it while driving through last weekend.

This, and a few others, survive in Amsterdam.



I would guess these were installed when the NY 30 bridge opened, apparently in 1973, but again that's just a guess.  They've been there as long as I can remember.

[cl94]

With the all-text signage along NY 252 being replaced right now, that's some of the only all-text left in the state. I was pleasantly surprised to see it while driving through last weekend.

This, and a few others, survive in Amsterdam.



I would guess these were installed when the NY 30 bridge opened, apparently in 1973, but again that's just a guess.  They've been there as long as I can remember.

I forgot about those. Yeah, those aren't going anywhere any time soon.

[sbeaver44]

Anything near Woodhaven Rd/PA 63 in Philadelphia, especially toward US 1

SM-G360V

[PHLBOS]

Anything near Woodhaven Rd/PA 63 in Philadelphia, especially toward US 1

The old button-copy BGS' along US 1 in that area have since been replaced within the past year.