Largest BGS in Your Area

[roadfro]

^ The arrows on that Naples/Tampa sign look pretty permanent to me...

Which if that is the case, there's not only the problem of the arrows, but the whole sign is laid out incorrectly (and is wider than necessary).

[Alex]

For the Naples/Tampa sign above, it seems that the right lane is closed off due to construction.  Probably when there is no construction the sign is more properly aligned between the two highways, but temporarily it is not.  This saves the DOT the trouble of changing the whole sign, instead they simply re-position the arrows.

In that context, I would prefer they put black arrows on orange signs that are attached to the BGS.  That would at least alert people to the temporary nature of the marking.

Here is the final version of the sign (photo taken this morning). Even with a sign this large, there are still drivers making last minute lane changes, including driving completely over the chevrons ahead of the gore point.

[thenetwork]

For the Naples/Tampa sign above, it seems that the right lane is closed off due to construction.  Probably when there is no construction the sign is more properly aligned between the two highways, but temporarily it is not.  This saves the DOT the trouble of changing the whole sign, instead they simply re-position the arrows.

In that context, I would prefer they put black arrows on orange signs that are attached to the BGS.  That would at least alert people to the temporary nature of the marking.

Here is the final version of the sign (photo taken this morning). Even with a sign this large, there are still drivers making last minute lane changes, including driving completely over the chevrons ahead of the gore point.

That is the first time I have ever seen a BGS lit from both the top AND the bottom!!!

[Alex]

That is the first time I have ever seen a BGS lit from both the top AND the bottom!!!

FDOT started doing that with assemblies around 2011 or so (maybe 2008?). But in 2014 they dropped sign lighting from future projects, so new signage installed now is devoid of any fixtures. 

[Ned Weasel]

Here is the final version of the sign (photo taken this morning). Even with a sign this large, there are still drivers making last minute lane changes, including driving completely over the chevrons ahead of the gore point.

It's nice to see the appropriate lane arrows in the correct places, but that's not how you do "EXIT ONLY" panels.

[Ian]

The largest one in the Bangor area is probably this one on I-95 north approaching I-395 (exit 182A-B). Not really comparable to others on here, but it's large for central Maine standards.


Another large one exists on US 202 where it meets I-395 too.


Further downstate on I-295 in Falmouth there's this as well...

[SidS1045]

Functionally, that seems to be the world's largest reassurance marker.

Er, not quite.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.9263853,-73.7700143,3a,75y,21.49h,69.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swB9Ilg4zq79VNAph6VqgEg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Jet380]

Not big by American standards, but this one seems like the biggest in WA. And who needs temporary directions during construction? 

https://www.google.com/maps/@-31.9602602,115.9538521,3a,72y,159.71h,85.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqMXHLpyBh-4gq-7dTJaN1A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

[DevalDragon]

I have always liked this one on the southbound Tri State Tollway, where  I-294 meets I-80 in Markham IL

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5866928,-87.6811269,3a,75y,195.69h,101.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1FcwWXs8WobyjFx66nnVsQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Buffaboy]

Albany:
It's pretty close...

Made me wonder about if the new "New York City" BGS on the Thruway could be considered "larger":

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.6942352,-73.8442651,3a,75y,154.96h,99.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snaqh6egKAa5qdHWQgLZSxw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

...

Nope.

When did they widen that?? I guess I haven't been on I-87 in a LONG time.

[xcellntbuy]

Exit 24 area, 1989 for the Northway and Interstate 90, the Thruway between Exits 25A and 24, much earlier, a project of former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.  Six-lane section of Interstate 90 (Thruway) to Exit 23, years 2013-14.

Long, long time in coming.

[cl94]

Exit 24 area, 1989 for the Northway and Interstate 90, the Thruway between Exits 25A and 24, much earlier, a project of former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.  Six-lane section of Interstate 90 (Thruway) to Exit 23, years 2013-14.

Long, long time in coming.

Moynihan is a major reason why I-88 got funded in the first place. Allowed him to get between Binghamton and Albany faster.

If you want a pre-1989 aerial of the area that is after the Thruway was built, the "1982 topo" on Historic Aerials is really an old satellite image that dates to the mid 70s. I know that because the Collar City Bridge has not been constructed, but the unused I-687 interchange is there.

[burgess87]

Here's a couple Buffalo-area large signs.  Some are APL's, some not.

IH 90 EB near Exit 53 (IH 190 NB):

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.8711408,-78.7899455,3a,75y,22.55h,97.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sp3FRMP3hXJKftRLLE6t9PQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

IH 90 WB for Exit 55 (an absolute monstrosity):

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.8408866,-78.7930004,3a,75y,193.13h,94.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sK-sL-rxkzHC9r-BMVf3TzA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

And, finally, this beaut (IH 90 WB for Exit 54):

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.8631546,-78.7919949,3a,75y,189.59h,95.45t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZLttwynVOjzT98Na-1ZLuA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Rothman]

Exit 24 area, 1989 for the Northway and Interstate 90, the Thruway between Exits 25A and 24, much earlier, a project of former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.  Six-lane section of Interstate 90 (Thruway) to Exit 23, years 2013-14.

Long, long time in coming.

Moynihan is a major reason why I-88 got funded in the first place. Allowed him to get between Binghamton and Albany faster.

So it wasn't Senator Anderson?  The story I heard was that once the thing was built, he started flying.

[cl94]

Exit 24 area, 1989 for the Northway and Interstate 90, the Thruway between Exits 25A and 24, much earlier, a project of former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.  Six-lane section of Interstate 90 (Thruway) to Exit 23, years 2013-14.

Long, long time in coming.

Moynihan is a major reason why I-88 got funded in the first place. Allowed him to get between Binghamton and Albany faster.

So it wasn't Senator Anderson?  The story I heard was that once the thing was built, he started flying.

You're right. Got my names mixed up.

[Vizier]

I think in the Eugene area it goes to this one:

https://goo.gl/maps/dfsDkvxSK7m

[national highway 1]

This very wide sign in Wyoming is a contender as well

[TravelingBethelite]

They just put in a pretty big one near me at the I-84 EB/U.S. 7 NB split. It is an APL, if I am correct.

[marleythedog]

There's this one near the I-70/I-75 interchange:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8508256,-84.1897643,3a,75y,353.75h,76.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sXAzf9Q7hhxby7_K2PeElVg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Since they used a dancing arrow on the shared lane it seems like it didn't need to be as far over as it is. Lot of dead space on that sign.

[1995hoo]

Passed under this massive sign this morning. I assume the information on the sign makes it obvious where it is. I kind of wish I'd gotten a little closer before taking the picture, but I wasn't sure what the motorcycle rider was going to do.

[national highway 1]

Passed under this massive sign this morning. I assume the information on the sign makes it obvious where it is. I kind of wish I'd gotten a little closer before taking the picture, but I wasn't sure what the motorcycle rider was going to do.

That's the first time I've seen the 'INNER' cardinal direction used on a BGS.

[1995hoo]

I was surprised to see the "INNER" signs because I lived in Durham in the mid-1990s when North Carolina posted "INNER" and "OUTER" in lieu of compass points on the Beltline around Raleigh. It was a complete failure and they quickly changed it back, so complete a failure that I was surprised to see them trying it again elsewhere, even recognizing that I-485 forms a complete beltway (unlike the Beltline, which involves a TOTSO situation).

One difference was that I-485 did have some signs saying "NORTH" and "SOUTH" when we first exited to it from northbound I-85. The Beltline experiment dropped such designations completely. But most of I-485's signage once we were on the road had just "INNER."

[jbnv]

Too bad English doesn't have shorter words for CLOCKWISE and COUNTER-CLOCKWISE.

[1995hoo]

Too bad English doesn't have shorter words for CLOCKWISE and COUNTER-CLOCKWISE.

My wife asked what "INNER" and "OUTER" meant and I analogized it to how people here refer to the Beltway's Inner and Outer Loops, and I was then astonished when she said she's never sure which one is which (like me, she's lived here for over 40 years).

I kind of think anything along the lines of "clockwise" may assume too much of the person of average ignorance who can't visualize an area map, or the overall relationship between locations, in his head.

[hbelkins]

One of these days, the terms "clockwise" and "counterclockwise" are going to be unknown to the vast majority of people, because of digital timepieces. I still wear a wristwatch, and the one I currently have is analog, but I think we are probably going to end up with an entire generation that doesn't know how to tell time before too long.