"Next ___ Exits" signs

[roadman65]

Pennsylvania  lists three exits maximum on each sign, however for the fourth exit it will appear on a sign after the first exit thus maintaining another three exit sign.  Then if there should be five or six, after each exit a new sign will appear with thee new set of exits.

To me seeing four places is too much information.

[bassoon1986]

North Carolina uses the word "Interchanges" instead of "Exits." Never really knew why...

Northbound I-49/US 167 approaching Opelousas has "Opelousas NEXT 3 INTERCHANGES"...though southbound they use "NEXT 3 EXITS". Seems like LaDOTD couldn't seem to make up their minds.

Maybe those signs are due to having the relative cities as control cities??

The only other places I can remember having next exits are for Bossier City (5?) Westbound on I-20, for Pineville coming south on the 167 expressway, for West Monroe(5) eastbound on I-20, and I beleieve for Ruston (3) as well

[Road Hog]

there's not an exit located between the listed ones

that would be some very strange gerrymandering... even if, literally, an intermediate exit is not placed within city limits, it seems plausible that it could serve the city.

While one can get to downtown Gloucester via Concord Street (Exit 13), one clearly can not get there by way of Crafts Road (Exit 12) very easily.  The former exit (at least along 128 northbound) includes Wingaersheek Beach in BGS and the latter exit also includes Rust Island in the BGS.

That particular BGS (& its predecessor(s)) listing the 4 exits to the center of Gloucester has been there since at least 1976.

In this situation wouldn't it be simplest to just list Gloucester on the exit sign for Exit 14, and then after Exit 12 have a "Gloucester Next 3 Exits" sign?

Arkansas used to use Next -- Exits, but has mostly switched to signs showing the exits and how far to each one.

Superfluous signage at its worst. US 64 does not cross I-40 at any point in Russellville. All four exits will take you to it, however.

[NE2]

What the hell would you sign the West Main exit as?

[Billy F 1988]

What the hell would you sign the West Main exit as?

ALAN

[US71]

Superfluous signage at its worst. US 64 does not cross I-40 at any point in Russellville. All four exits will take you to it, however.

Yes, well those two exits have been posted as US 64 for many years. The West Main St exit, until a few years ago, was basically a long ramp to US 64. http://goo.gl/maps/jguL7

Of course, I-40 doesn't cross AR 109 in Clarksville, either:

[PHLBOS]

While one can get to downtown Gloucester via Concord Street (Exit 13), one clearly can not get there by way of Crafts Road (Exit 12) very easily.  The former exit (at least along 128 northbound) includes Wingaersheek Beach in BGS and the latter exit also includes Rust Island in the BGS.

That particular BGS (& its predecessor(s)) listing the 4 exits to the center of Gloucester has been there since at least 1976.

In this situation wouldn't it be simplest to just list Gloucester on the exit sign for Exit 14, and then after Exit 12 have a "Gloucester Next 3 Exits" sign?

I guess you've never actually been in the area in question.  Exit 12 is located no too far from the western approach/abutment to the Anniquam Bridge crossing.  Guess on my part is that the highway right-of-way between that interchange and the bridge narrows a bit to a point where there may not have been enough room to erect such a sign.  There are no other BGS' in that immediate area along the northbound lanes and the only BGS along the southbound lanes is the overhead exit BGS at Exit 12 iteself (where the right-of-way is wider).

MassDPW's logic of of placing that particular BGS that skips exit numbers (granted, three of them aren't actual interchanges but rather intersections but nonetheless) is to inform motorists well in advance which exits will direct them to the center of Gloucester.

[jeffandnicole]

NJ's Rt. 55 Southbound infamous 4 Exit Glassboro Sign. High up on an overpass, with small lettering and Route numbers written out rather than using shields. All relatively unusual in the state.  http://goo.gl/maps/atuAW 

The sign was also posted before the highway was built to the final two locations, giving a sort of sneak preview as to where the next 2 exits were going to be built.

I know there's better pics out there, but this is what is says:

GLASSBORO EXITS
NJ 47              2 MI
NJ 553            5 MI
US 322           8 MI
CO 641        9.5 MI

On NJ Rt. 55 Northbound, a more standard "Glassboro Next 3 Exits" sign exists...but it's below the next exit south from County Rt. 641.  So of the 5 exits designated in total for Glassboro, the only overlapping exits both directions are US 322 & CO 641.

[JMoses24]

I-471 in Campbell County, KY has the following:

Newport Next 3 Exits: http://goo.gl/maps/wgqsb

Fort Thomas Next 2 Interchanges: http://goo.gl/maps/iZ3V7

One does not exist for Bellevue, Kentucky, even though the last two interchanges in the state do go to that community.

Southbound, this one is technically wrong, as the next 3 exits do indeed serve Newport southbound, but the sign only says 2: http://goo.gl/maps/Qg626

[JMoses24]

Also, as you approach downtown Cincinnati from the north on I-75, you see this sign for the downtown exits:

http://goo.gl/maps/L37Ee

[1995hoo]

Still, more informative than the "Next X Exits" sign.

This is true, but presumably for reasons of message loading, the MUTCD restricts community interchanges signs to rural or suburban locations with two or three exits.  The "NEXT X EXITS" sign covers cases where there are more than three exits associated with a community or recreational area.

As an aside, the traditional MUTCD example of a community interchanges sign has had "Columbia Exits" as the top line.  In a fit of pedantry (after my own heart), the revisors of the 2009 MUTCD decided that the second word should not be in mixed-case since it is a generic word, so the example sign now reads "Columbia EXITS."

Thanks for that info. I'd always wondered why this sign on the Beltway in Virginia (picture from AARoads), as well as a nearly-identical overhead sign to the left of that barrier on the left side of the picture, lists only three exits and omits the US-1 interchange that serves Old Town Alexandria (the area most people probably think of first if you just say "Alexandria"):



As an aside unrelated to this thread, I like that they spelled out "Connector." Last night as we were coming back from Six Flags my wife noted a BGS in Maryland that referred to "Eisenhower Ave Conn" and she wondered whether anyone who doesn't live here would know what it meant.

[rmsandw]

One of my favs is this sign on both NB and SB I-55 at Lincoln, IL


Exits NB are

BUSN Loop I-55/Lincoln
IL 10/121 Lincoln
I-155 Peoria...no Lincoln connection
BUSN Loop I-55/Lincon

Reverse for SB

[deathtopumpkins]

While one can get to downtown Gloucester via Concord Street (Exit 13), one clearly can not get there by way of Crafts Road (Exit 12) very easily.  The former exit (at least along 128 northbound) includes Wingaersheek Beach in BGS and the latter exit also includes Rust Island in the BGS.

That particular BGS (& its predecessor(s)) listing the 4 exits to the center of Gloucester has been there since at least 1976.

In this situation wouldn't it be simplest to just list Gloucester on the exit sign for Exit 14, and then after Exit 12 have a "Gloucester Next 3 Exits" sign?

I guess you've never actually been in the area in question.  Exit 12 is located no too far from the western approach/abutment to the Anniquam Bridge crossing.  Guess on my part is that the highway right-of-way between that interchange and the bridge narrows a bit to a point where there may not have been enough room to erect such a sign.  There are no other BGS' in that immediate area along the northbound lanes and the only BGS along the southbound lanes is the overhead exit BGS at Exit 12 iteself (where the right-of-way is wider).

MassDPW's logic of of placing that particular BGS that skips exit numbers (granted, three of them aren't actual interchanges but rather intersections but nonetheless) is to inform motorists well in advance which exits will direct them to the center of Gloucester.

I live a few blocks off MA 133 a few miles from there, so I most certainly have been to the area in question. I don't know what I said that indicated my ignorance of the area. I also don't know the exit numbers off the top of my head, but I presumed that Exit 14 was MA 133, and Exits 13 and 12 were the random back roads by the bridge. A quick look at Google Maps confirms this.

I still don't understand why it wouldn't be simplest to just put a "Next 3 Exits" sign after Exit 12. The right-of-way not being wide enough is irrelevant - if MassDOT really wanted people to know how to get to Gloucester, like you say, then put up an overhead sign. Or not even worry about it, since exit 12 is the last actual interchange anyway, and just throw up a "Gloucester ->" sign at Grant Circle, which I'm pretty sure exists anyway.

[Mr_Northside]

Pennsylvania  lists three exits maximum on each sign, however for the fourth exit it will appear on a sign after the first exit thus maintaining another three exit sign.  Then if there should be five or six, after each exit a new sign will appear with thee new set of exits.
To me seeing four places is too much information.

North of New Stanton, there is this 4-destination sign; though I'm almost positive it was put up by the PTC in conjunction with the Toll-66 freeway.



Also, some variations (at least in my opinion) of these signs (both from SB I-79):


Use of Exit numbers to indicate to Washington PA bound traffic which direction to head on I-70.  (This sign omits the I-79/I-70 East duplex, probably since it's mostly just for the local-bound traffic)

And:


Use of exit destinations & distance to for another interstate highway (since it forms a half-beltway of Morgantown with I-79)

[PHLBOS]

I still don't understand why it wouldn't be simplest to just put a "Next 3 Exits" sign after Exit 12. The right-of-way not being wide enough is irrelevant - if MassDOT really wanted people to know how to get to Gloucester, like you say, then put up an overhead sign. Or not even worry about it, since exit 12 is the last actual interchange anyway, and just throw up a "Gloucester ->" sign at Grant Circle, which I'm pretty sure exists anyway.

On most highway corridors that approach a large elevated structure (especially if the highway in question predates the Interstate era such as this stretch of 128), the highway's right-of-way narrows down to a point where the width of the right-of-way is not that much wider than the roadway pavement/abutment width.  As a result, there's less room to place either a ground-mounted BGS' or even a concrete foundation for an overhead BGS gantry in the immediate area. 

It's also worth that noting that the stretch of highway between Exit 12 & the bridge has no paved breakdown shoulder and the embankment makes a sharp drop-off elevation-wise.  That said, placing any large signs (never mind a BGS) would be a bit cumbersome and problematic from a constructability standpoint.

While placing a supplemental BGS beyond (east) of the bridge is doable (the road widens back to a normal 4-laner w/a breakdown shoulder just past the bridge) and could be done per your suggestion; it defeats the general purpose of placing an all-inclusive advance exit-listing BGS prior to approaching all of the applicable exits.

To a Gloucester Center-bound motorist that's unfamiliar with the area the current BGS (prior to Exit 14 (MA 133)) not only gives that person a 'heads-up' as towards which exits will get him to his destination but it also (indirectly) tells him which exits not to use.

BTW, there is a Gloucester - Grant Circle (I forget the exact wording) LGS that you mentioned is along the downside (eastern approach) of the bridge approaching Grant Circle/Exit 11/MA 127.  Again, that stretch is not as narrow the western approach so placing signs off to the side of the roadway's not an issue.

IMHO, unless MassDOT plans on converting those circles (I'm including the un-numbered Blackburn Circle) & intersections into interchanges down the road (I doubt it); they shouldn't have even bothered assigning those circles & intersections exit numbers.

[amroad17]

I-471 in Campbell County, KY has the following:

Newport Next 3 Exits: http://goo.gl/maps/wgqsb

Fort Thomas Next 2 Interchanges: http://goo.gl/maps/iZ3V7

One does not exist for Bellevue, Kentucky, even though the last two interchanges in the state do go to that community.

Southbound, this one is technically wrong, as the next 3 exits do indeed serve Newport southbound, but the sign only says 2: http://goo.gl/maps/Qg626

The Ft. Thomas sign in the median was taken down last year due to the reconstruction of I-471 NB and has been replaced by a ground-mounted sign on the right side of the road in the same location.  It now says "Ft. Thomas  Next 2 Exits." (on 2 lines)

The cities in Northern Kentucky just seem to run right into each other.  On I-471, exits 2 and 3 are for Ft. Thomas and exits 3, 4, and 5 are for Newport.

[JMoses24]

The Ft. Thomas sign in the median was taken down last year due to the reconstruction of I-471 NB and has been replaced by a ground-mounted sign on the right side of the road in the same location.  It now says "Ft. Thomas  Next 2 Exits." (on 2 lines)

The cities in Northern Kentucky just seem to run right into each other.  On I-471, exits 2 and 3 are for Ft. Thomas and exits 3, 4, and 5 are for Newport.

And 4 and 5 are actually for Bellevue as well.

[cjk374]

North Carolina uses the word "Interchanges" instead of "Exits." Never really knew why...

Could account for interchanges which have more than 1 exit ramp per direction in it, such as a cloverleaf.  An NC language thing to make it more clear as other states call the whole interchange 1 exit for this purpose.

Mississippi uses "interchanges" on the signs for Brookhaven instead of "exits" (maybe McComb also, I can't remember).  Looking at the signs, it seems to me that the signs would be cheaper if you used the word "exits" because of less metal usage.  There are no cloverleaf interchanges in Brookhaven.

[machias]

I believe NYSDOT has referred to these types of signs as "regional next exits" signs in the past.  NYSDOT likes to mark regions with these signs, for example,

Tug Hill Region
NEXT 6 EXITS

1000 Islands Region
NEXT 8 EXITS

The Thruway is also big on these, though they're a little different:
Central - Leatherstocking Region
EXITS 27 - 34 A

[swbrotha100]

I've seen "Next 15 Exits" and "Next 16 Exits" in the same general area of Tempe and Mesa, near the Loop 101 and Loop 202 interchange. Some valley freeways have them for specific cities, such as Mesa, Scottsdale, Tempe, and Chandler. I have seen some for the west valley cities.

On a side note, ADOT used to be a lot better with this, as well as city limit signs on some of the freeways. I haven't seen them post any city limit signs on the Loop 202 Santan Freeway.

[DSS5]

Winston-Salem, NC uses 'exits' instead of 'interchanges' in the form of "Downtown Next X Exits" signs like this one: http://goo.gl/maps/d9FI4

[nexus73]

My favorite "exits" sign is in California: Weed  Next 3 Exits

I swear you can't make this stuff up...LOL!

Rick

[NE2]

LOL WEED LOL LOL LOL

[Billy F 1988]

Oh, please! There's always Weed down in SoCal so of course CalTrans puts up a sign that says "Weed, Next 3 Exits"! Makes it plenty obvious to druggies, doesn't it?!

[nexus73]

Oh, please! There's always Weed down in SoCal so of course CalTrans puts up a sign that says "Weed, Next 3 Exits"! Makes it plenty obvious to druggies, doesn't it?!

Actually the city of Weed is on I-5 in NorCal.  Imagine being a cop in this city and having to wear a badge or patch that says "Weed Police"!

Rick