Where are overhead signs needed?

[tolbs17]

I say here, and here. It's what cloverleaf interchanges should have. This is a rare practice of why they did that (including all of US-64 in Rocky Mount which was built in the 80s).

All of US-64 in Rocky Mount. Closely spaced interchanges and has side mounted signs. Lots of gantries and EXIT ONLY plaques can go there when I-87 comes.

[ran4sh]

The current sign design manual that Georgia uses specifies that Advance Guide signs need to be overhead height for a roadway with three lanes in the same direction, and over the travel lanes for a roadway with four lanes in the same direction. It also says that Exit Direction signs need to be overhead at the theoretical gore without specifying a minimum lane count.

Needless to say, GDOT doesn't always follow that standard. It would be nice if there were a state that did though.

Source (page 33) https://www.dot.ga.gov/PartnerSmart/DesignManuals/smguide/GDOT%20SIGNING%20AND%20MARKING%20DESIGN%20GUIDELINES.pdf

[tolbs17]

The current sign design manual that Georgia uses specifies that Advance Guide signs need to be overhead height for a roadway with three lanes in the same direction, and over the travel lanes for a roadway with four lanes in the same direction. It also says that Exit Direction signs need to be overhead at the theoretical gore without specifying a minimum lane count.

Needless to say, GDOT doesn't always follow that standard. It would be nice if there were a state that did though.

Source (page 33) https://www.dot.ga.gov/PartnerSmart/DesignManuals/smguide/GDOT%20SIGNING%20AND%20MARKING%20DESIGN%20GUIDELINES.pdf

I-85 between Greensboro and Lexington also has side mounted signs. And it's 6 lanes. So work there would also need to be done. But again, it's an older highway so there's reasons why that is.

[vdeane]

The current sign design manual that Georgia uses specifies that Advance Guide signs need to be overhead height for a roadway with three lanes in the same direction, and over the travel lanes for a roadway with four lanes in the same direction. It also says that Exit Direction signs need to be overhead at the theoretical gore without specifying a minimum lane count.

Needless to say, GDOT doesn't always follow that standard. It would be nice if there were a state that did though.

Source (page 33) https://www.dot.ga.gov/PartnerSmart/DesignManuals/smguide/GDOT%20SIGNING%20AND%20MARKING%20DESIGN%20GUIDELINES.pdf

MassDOT now does overhead for all guide signs in the state, even on rural interstates with only two lanes each way and not much traffic.  Other than older signs that predate the policy, the only exception is US 6 on Cape Cod, because the residents objected to the overhead signs (in fact, this is how they discovered the mileage-based exit number conversion project and delayed that for a few years).

[EpicRoadways]

Minnesota is typically pretty good about mounting overhead guide signs (and often even overhead distance signs) on roads that have 3+ lanes in one direction and/or where there are multiple ramps or interchanges within a mile or so of each other. The few ground mounted BGS's on wider highways are generally pretty visible and convey the same message as an overhead sign would. There are a few puzzling examples across the state that in a perfect world I would probably move overhead, but for the most part Minnesota doesn't score too badly in this department.