Indirect control cities

[Brandon]

I saw Tulsa listed as a destination via US 50 on I-255 in Illinois, but US 50 does not go to Tulsa.

That's part of the controls for the entire I-255/270 loop: Kansas City (I-70), Chicago (I-55), Indianapolis (I-70), and Tulsa (I-44).  Funny enough, Louisville (I-64) is not used on the loop.  I-170 has the local control of Clayton (which is direct) to the south and nothing to the north.

[roadman65]

How about Los Angeles for I-15 in Las Vegas?  Either its because many people travel between the two cities frequently it is signed SB from all Vegas points or carbon copied from the US 91 days just like US 66 was copied over to I-40 in Arizona.

Then in New Jersey on the local level NJ 17 has Newark used on NJ 17 SB starting from after it diverges from I-287 when NJ 17 does not go there.  You have to exit onto NJ 3 WB and then SB on NJ 21.

Then once again in the Garden State Trenton was used from Seaside Heights on NJ 37 WB but NJ 37 does not go anywhere near Trenton.  It ends at Lakehurst and you have to use many other roads to reach it from its termination. I think NJDOT since removed it from signs as I did see it disappear from the mileage sign on the Tonney Bridge approach that claimed it was 47 miles away.  I believe at one time NJ 37 did go across the state and end at the Whitehorse Circle along US 206 in Hamilton using NJ 70, CR 539, and CR 524 which is why that was  used on signs along NJ 35 and the former mileage sign that now reads Lakehurst 13.

[SSOWorld]

I-95 in NYC (new signs) are marked with Trenton

So now they plan to "close the gap"?

[Pete from Boston]

I-95 in NYC (new signs) are marked with Trenton

So now they plan to "close the gap"?

I thought they were transitioning to Newark.

Signing Trenton in the Bronx was just silly.  It felt like they were kidding.

[bing101]

I-580 east near the Bay Bridge in Oakland has Stockton as a control city even though I 205 to I 5 north do go to Stockton. Also there is I 780 east to San Jose and I 780 to Sacramento even though I 680 has a direct route to San Jose.

I 505 in Vacaville has the control city of Redding to I 5 North to avoid Downtown Sacramento Traffic.

[Zeffy]

I-95 in NYC (new signs) are marked with Trenton

So now they plan to "close the gap"?

That's just silly. Signing Newark makes a lot more sense than Trenton from NYC, mainly because the Turnpike actually enter Newark's city limits, whereas Trenton has NO Interstates that enter it's city limits (the closest it gets is I-195, but it ends in Hamilton Twp rather than Trenton itself before turning into NJ 29). Sometimes I wonder when "Trenton" refers to the Trenton area, rather than the capital city itself. Of course, on I-95 and I-295 in the Trenton area, every exit will take you towards Trenton if you head either west or south.

[TheStranger]

Also there is I 780 east to San Jose and I 780 to Sacramento even though I 680 has a direct route to San Jose.

From the Benicia area, one would indeed take 780 to reach 680 south.  (For that matter, 780 was the original 680 from the late 1950s to 1976.)

[jfs1988]

In the southwestern Riverside County city of Temecula, CA-79 overlaps with I-15 for a few miles. CA-79 South has Indio as a control city.

[myosh_tino]

I-580 east near the Bay Bridge in Oakland has Stockton as a control city even though I 205 to I 5 north do go to Stockton.

The Stockton designation may have carried over from when I-580 was signed as US 50.

Also there is I 780 east to San Jose and I 780 to Sacramento even though I 680 has a direct route to San Jose.

As TheStranger has already noted, San Jose makes sense because I-780 was originally signed as I-680.

I 505 in Vacaville has the control city of Redding to I 5 North to avoid Downtown Sacramento Traffic.

Like the first two, I-505 was originally signed as I-5W making Redding an appropriate control city.

[Interstate Trav]

The 405 has all indirect Control Cities.

Southbound Santa Monica- Via 10 west Long Beach -Via 710 South San Diego - Via 5 South

NorthBound Long Beach -Via 22 west  Santa Monica Via 10 west Sacramento Via 5 North

I think a couple of signs list LAX but since that isn't a city, I don't think Id count it

[TheStranger]

I-580 east near the Bay Bridge in Oakland has Stockton as a control city even though I 205 to I 5 north do go to Stockton.

The Stockton designation may have carried over from when I-580 was signed as US 50.

I think this is even more understandable when considering the route was cosigned at times as I-5W/US 50 and I-580/US 50.  It also provides a segment of the only all-freeway route to Stockton from the Bay Area (as long as Route 4 remains surface road from Brentwood east to Stockton).

Might've mentioned it eariler in the thread, but Route 92 east right before the San Mateo Bridge DOES use Stockton as a control city!  THAT is a very indirect situation - 92 to 880 north to 238 east to 580 east to 205 east to 5 north!

[JustDrive]

The 405 has all indirect Control Cities.

Southbound Santa Monica- Via 10 west Long Beach -Via 710 South San Diego - Via 5 South

NorthBound Long Beach -Via 22 west  Santa Monica Via 10 west Sacramento Via 5 North

I think a couple of signs list LAX but since that isn't a city, I don't think Id count it

The 405 does go through the Long Beach city limits, though.

Also, 37 east in Novato is signed for Napa and Vallejo, and the highway only goes to Vallejo.  116 east in Petaluma is signed for Sonoma and Napa, and it goes to neither city.

[roadman]

Not freeway to freeway, but there was recently a control city change on I-93 southbound at Exit 35 in Stoneham (MA).  Until the recent sign update was completed, the exit was signed as "Winchester Highlands" (part of Winchester, and not a separate community).  However, the street directly connecting the exit from I-93 to Winchester Highlands had been closed, and mostly removed, in the early 1970s.  While there is another way to get into Winchester Highlands from I-93, it is very circuitous and involves traversing multiple narrow residential streets.  Further, once you got onto the local street network, there were no signs marking the route whatsoever.

Since the replacement overhead BGSes for this section of I-93 were installed in late 2012, this exit is now signed "Park Street Melrose Stoneham", and "Winchester Highlands" has been relegated to a ground-mounted supplemental sign.  One of the more interesting aspects of this change I've noticed is how quickly Boston traffic reporters (who are usually very reluctant to changes in local nomenclature) picked up on this and have been incorporating it into their reports since.

[The Nature Boy]

How about Keene on I-89 North? That seems pretty out of the way.

[cl94]

Rochester on I-290 at I-190 in New York. Requires one to not only get onto I-90 East (where the city is not signed), but exit onto I-490 ~45 miles east of where I-290 ends. More appropriate would be Williamsville/Amherst (eastern terminus, large municipality), Airport, or Albany (I-90 control city).

[JakeFromNewEngland]

On the Merritt Parkway/CT 15, at Exit 54 I-95's control city is "New London" instead of New Haven. Yes, I-95 does go through New London but it makes so much more sense to sign "New Haven", a much larger and more recognizable city IMO, then New London which is far off from this part of Connecticut.


Also, ConnDOT seems to have a habit of signing cities that aren't even close to the highways they are signed on. For example, I-384's eastbound control city is "Providence". In order to get to Providence, you must get onto US 6 or US 44 to get there. A more reasonable control city would be "Manchester" which is off of I-384 and a smaller ground level sign for travelers heading towards Providence.

[bing101]

How About I-580 East at I-205 Interchange. East 580 starts to use Fresno as a control city yet its CA-132 to CA-99 South to reach Fresno.

Or CA-85 South at US-101 Interchange in Menlo Park they use Santa Cruz as a control city but I'm not sure how thats done. CA-152 @ I-5 CA-152 Uses San Jose as a Control city.

and CA-37 East in Marin County uses Sacramento even though I-80 in Vallejo has direct access to Sacramento.

[JustDrive]

Sacramento is only mentioned at the Ignacio Blvd overpass.  37 eastbound is still signed as Napa/Vallejo.

85 south of 280 is signed for Gilroy, even though it ends about 20 miles north of the city.

[bing101]

https://www.aaroads.com/california/images880/i-880_sb_exit_031_04.jpg

I-238 has Fresno as a Control city for I-580 East.

[spooky]

On the Merritt Parkway/CT 15, at Exit 54 I-95's control city is "New London" instead of New Haven. Yes, I-95 does go through New London but it makes so much more sense to sign "New Haven", a much larger and more recognizable city IMO, then New London which is far off from this part of Connecticut.

Maybe they figure someone bound for New Haven is going to stay on the Merritt/Wilbur Cross, and someone going to I-95 is more likely to be bypassing New Haven.

Also, ConnDOT seems to have a habit of signing cities that aren't even close to the highways they are signed on. For example, I-384's eastbound control city is "Providence". In order to get to Providence, you must get onto US 6 or US 44 to get there. A more reasonable control city would be "Manchester" which is off of I-384 and a smaller ground level sign for travelers heading towards Providence.

Isn't the I-84/I-384 "split" in Manchester?

[Pete from Boston]

Not freeway to freeway, but there was recently a control city change on I-93 southbound at Exit 35 in Stoneham (MA).  Until the recent sign update was completed, the exit was signed as "Winchester Highlands" (part of Winchester, and not a separate community).  However, the street directly connecting the exit from I-93 to Winchester Highlands had been closed, and mostly removed, in the early 1970s.  While there is another way to get into Winchester Highlands from I-93, it is very circuitous and involves traversing multiple narrow residential streets.  Further, once you got onto the local street network, there were no signs marking the route whatsoever.

Since the replacement overhead BGSes for this section of I-93 were installed in late 2012, this exit is now signed "Park Street Melrose Stoneham", and "Winchester Highlands" has been relegated to a ground-mounted supplemental sign.  One of the more interesting aspects of this change I've noticed is how quickly Boston traffic reporters (who are usually very reluctant to changes in local nomenclature) picked up on this and have been incorporating it into their reports since.

I didn't know a) where Winchester Highlands is or b) that there was a road removed.  What/where was the road?

[TheStranger]

Or CA-85 South at US-101 Interchange in Menlo Park they use Santa Cruz as a control city but I'm not sure how thats done. CA-152 @ I-5 CA-152 Uses San Jose as a Control city.

That signage is designed to encourage southbound drivers from Mountain View to use 85 to get to 17 south, instead of going all the way to the congested cloverleaf at 101/880.

and CA-37 East in Marin County uses Sacramento even though I-80 in Vallejo has direct access to Sacramento.

To follow up on what JustDrive noted, it seems to me "Sacramento" is chosen to let Marin County drivers know that 37 is the easiest (toll-free) route to get to 80 east.

Also, 37 east in Novato is signed for Napa and Vallejo, and the highway only goes to Vallejo.

This is a vestige of when 37 did indeed go to Napa along what is now Route 121.

[spooky]

Not freeway to freeway, but there was recently a control city change on I-93 southbound at Exit 35 in Stoneham (MA).  Until the recent sign update was completed, the exit was signed as "Winchester Highlands" (part of Winchester, and not a separate community).  However, the street directly connecting the exit from I-93 to Winchester Highlands had been closed, and mostly removed, in the early 1970s.  While there is another way to get into Winchester Highlands from I-93, it is very circuitous and involves traversing multiple narrow residential streets.  Further, once you got onto the local street network, there were no signs marking the route whatsoever.

Since the replacement overhead BGSes for this section of I-93 were installed in late 2012, this exit is now signed "Park Street Melrose Stoneham", and "Winchester Highlands" has been relegated to a ground-mounted supplemental sign.  One of the more interesting aspects of this change I've noticed is how quickly Boston traffic reporters (who are usually very reluctant to changes in local nomenclature) picked up on this and have been incorporating it into their reports since.

I didn't know a) where Winchester Highlands is or b) that there was a road removed.  What/where was the road?

A fun game would be to take that exit and try to find Winchester Highlands using only signage.

[SidS1045]

I didn't know a) where Winchester Highlands is or b) that there was a road removed.  What/where was the road?

It's the portion of Winchester that abuts I-93 and the southern end of Stoneham, but is not officially a separate jurisdiction.  In fact, the old "Winchester Highlands" control city used to share an older version of the signage at that exit with "So. Stoneham," another place that doesn't officially exist.

The road that was abandoned and later blocked off (Fallon Road) was to the right of the end of the exit ramp.  Now it extends only a short distance through an industrial park and dead-ends.  It probably, at one time, connected with Forest Street in Winchester, but its path to Forest Street is now blocked by a subdivision, so there's nowhere else for it to go.

The exit is actually signed incompletely.  If you exit, turn left to go back under I-93, turning left from there gets you onto Park Street and taking the next left after that gets you onto Forest Street heading into Winchester Highlands.  Turning right gets you onto North Border Road (the state's name)/South Street (Stoneham's name).  And BTW, using only signage, you'd never find Winchester Highlands.  I've lived in Stoneham almost all my life, so that's the only way I know about it.

[OCGuy81]

I-505 southbound, when splitting from I-5, has Winters and San Francisco as control cities.  SF is accessible only after getting on I-80 for a long stretch.