Highway Oddities

[J N Winkler]

I don't recall how much the Burgess Junction sign was set back from the road.

It is well outside the clear zone--I would say at least 60 feet away from the edge of traveled way.  It is also oriented at roughly a 45° angle to the highway centerline, so that it is visible both to traffic on the road and in the truck check area.

This sign instructs truckers to stop and read the Burgess Junction diagrammatic sign:

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p16865331.html

This is the diagrammatic sign itself:

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p19305179.html

After you pass Burgess Junction, US 14 ALT passes through several miles of mostly level terrain (high mountain plateau scrubland).  As you come toward the end of this area, you pass this sign:

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p16865297.html

Followed by this sign:

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p16865298.html

Followed, in turn, by this:

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p16865308.html

At the turnout, which is for checking of brakes, you see this sign, which is oriented parallel to the highway centerline (in other words, you can read it only if you are actually parked at the turnout):

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p19305171.html

Then, just as you enter the switchback section of US 14 ALT, you pass this sign:

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p16865264.html

About halfway down the mountain, you pass signs indicating a brake cooling turnout:

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p16865269.html

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p19305249.html

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p19305257.html

This sign is just in case you forget you are on a steep downgrade:

http://winklers-roads.fotopic.net/p19305333.html

I have actually passed these signs twice--in 2000 and 2001.  In 2000 I was not expecting them and therefore my arrival was badly timed for available-light photography.  In 2001 I made a special effort to arrive in midmorning and was able to get reasonably good available-light photos, particularly of the diagrammatics.  Unfortunately some of the signs are tricky to photograph because the road twists and some signs face toward the north (meaning backlighting during most hours of the day).  I didn't have a digital camera at the time, so all of my pictures of this stretch are slides.

As an aside, this grade is really easy to negotiate in a car.  I think I hit the switchback section at about 50 MPH, downshifted fairly quickly to second gear, and coasted all the way down without needing to brake once except to park my car in the brake cooling turnout while I got photos.

[D-Dey65]

I sincerely doubt the City of Stamford can define "fuel efficient car" in their city ordinances.  It's a BS sign, completely unenforceable, and easily challenged if some deranged meter maid opts to ticket a vehicle in the space.

That's another reason I'm no fan of the "Clean Fuel" exception rule for HOV lanes on the Long Island Expressway. Besides the fact that they defeat the whole purpose of having a lane that's restricted to drivers wth three or more passengers in the false hopes of reducing traffic through carpooling, they seem like the kind of thing that anybody can get, as long as they have a car that's specifically believed to be fuel efficient, or can just slip some crooked politician or DMV clerk some extra money for the sticker.

[agentsteel53]

or can just slip some crooked politician or DMV clerk some extra money for the sticker.

or print one out on a labelmaker.

[mightyace]

or can just slip some crooked politician or DMV clerk some extra money for the sticker.

or print one out on a labelmaker.

Of course, the vehicle still has to be plausible.  I don't think putting a "fuel efficient" sticker on my 1990 Chevy G20 van would work! 

[corco]

Of course, the vehicle still has to be plausible.  I don't think putting a "fuel efficient" sticker on my 1990 Chevy G20 van would work! 

Just claim you converted it to run on corn!

[agentsteel53]

Of course, the vehicle still has to be plausible.  I don't think putting a "fuel efficient" sticker on my 1990 Chevy G20 van would work! 

how about an '89 Escort?  Gets 41 miles per gallon! 

[Duke87]

Most of us agree that boring Connecticut squares are boring.

Well, how about a Connecticut rectangle?

[agentsteel53]

who is responsible for that Arial monstrosity?

(and the mis-fonted stop sign in the background, which looks to me like compressed Arial.)

[joseph1723]

who is responsible for that Arial monstrosity?

Probably the same person who made this one: 

(I've posted this one a few times before)

Here's a odd looking advanced exit sign from Ontario that I've posted before in the cantilevers thread:

I guess Caltrans idea of internally drawn exit tabs are catching on in Ontario. But I guess the design of the sign structure makes this the only way to number the exit, before the signs on cantilevers simply had omitted the exit tab.

[roadfro]

I guess Caltrans idea of internally drawn exit tabs are catching on in Ontario. But I guess the design of the sign structure makes this the only way to number the exit, before the signs on cantilevers simply had omitted the exit tab.

There's no reason why a cantilevered sign can't have an exit tab...

https://www.aaroads.com/west/nevada395/us-395_sb_exit_063_01.jpg

[US71]

Reminds a bit of the Paris, TX  "spaghetti bowl"

[Duke87]

who is responsible for that Arial monstrosity?

The City of Norwalk. This portion of route 136 is not state maintained.

Also, here's the sign in Street View.

[mightyace]

Reminds a bit of the Paris, TX  "spaghetti bowl"

I looked it on Google maps and it doesn't look that bad.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=paris+tx&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.688845,49.746094&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Paris,+Lamar,+Texas&ll=33.646546,-95.502756&spn=0.012593,0.012145&t=h&z=16

IMHO The sign makes it seem worse than it is.

[bugo]

Reminds a bit of the Paris, TX  "spaghetti bowl"

That's a weird interchange.

[Michael]

^^^ I would have used two directional T's instead of that mess.

Rochester's Can of Worms (I-490/I-590/NY 590) is quite odd.  Here's its Wikipedia article, and here's a link to a page on Empire State Roads.

[vdeane]

Of course, what the article doesn't mention is that merging is still an issue, it's just different.  Backups occur for 2 miles in all directions due to traffic trying to merge onto the other road.  Particularly problematic is I-490 west to NY 590 north and NY 590 south to one or both directions of I-490.

[national highway 1]

Question, Why does US 60 travel south of I-40 (US 66) in NM & AZ, and formerly CA? Any reasons? Because 60 was supposed to be NORTH of 66 not SOUTH!!!!!!!!

[TheStranger]

Question, Why does US 60 travel south of I-40 (US 66) in NM & AZ, and formerly CA? Any reasons? Because 60 was supposed to be NORTH of 66 not SOUTH!!!!!!!!

Although there are certainly cases where the major routes (x0/x1) would start out of order (case in point: US 30 starting north of US 20 in Oregon), for the most part, any route with a last digit other than 0 or 1 in the US route system could run diagonally, as long as some of it fell within its nominal spot on the grid.

[national highway 1]

Diagonal routes mess up the 1926 grid for what i see of it

[mightyace]

Although there are certainly cases where the major routes (x0/x1) would start out of order (case in point: US 30 starting north of US 20 in Oregon), for the most part, any route with a last digit other than 0 or 1 in the US route system could run diagonally, as long as some of it fell within its nominal spot on the grid.

US 11 especially and US 41 run afoul of that as well.

11 crosses the former routing of 21 and the current ones of 31 and 41 en route to its southern end near New Orleans.

41 crosses 31 and 11 and ends at US 1 in Miami.

11 and 41 do a wrong way multiplex in Chattanooga well east of US 31!

[national highway 1]

Question: Why was US 11 planned in 1926 as a diagonal route?

[mightyace]

Question: Why was US 11 planned in 1926 as a diagonal route?

I don't know the answer to that but US 11 is an oddball for an x1 or x0.  The only really major city it goes near is New Orleans at its southern end and it doesn't actually reach it anymore.  Going north it hits (among others):

Birmingham, AL
Chattanooga, TN
Knoxville, TN
Bristol, TN/VA
Roanoke, VA
Hagerstown, MD
Harrisburg, PA
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Scranton, PA
Binghamton, NY
Syracuse, NY

It would be hard to argue that any of those cities is a "major" city today.  A case could be made for Scranton, PA as it was a considered a major city back in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

[US71]

Question, Why does US 60 travel south of I-40 (US 66) in NM & AZ, and formerly CA? Any reasons? Because 60 was supposed to be NORTH of 66 not SOUTH!!!!!!!!

Actually, 66 was originally 60

[Mr_Northside]

Question: Why was US 11 planned in 1926 as a diagonal route?

I think for a lot of it, it pretty much just follows the contours of the Appalachian mountains (At least in VA & PA)

[Scott5114]

Question, Why does US 60 travel south of I-40 (US 66) in NM & AZ, and formerly CA? Any reasons? Because 60 was supposed to be NORTH of 66 not SOUTH!!!!!!!!

Actually, 66 was originally 60

Indeed. To quell Kentucky's objection to not getting a US route that ended with "0", they added a route through Kentucky and southern Missouri as "60". The promoters of the Chicago-LA route were forced to take one of the few remaining unassigned numbers, so they selected "66". US 60's original western terminus was Springfield, Missouri. I'm sure Oklahoma Department of Highways was happy when it was extended west, as they had already run off some Oklahoma US 60 shields that they couldn't use when 60 was renumbered to 66.