Control cities you would use for your area

[jdb1234]

I-65 uses Louisville north of Nashville and Huntsville south.  As many of you know, it used to be Birmingham southbound.  In 840 style, I'd use Huntsville and Bowling Green for the local and Birmingham and Louisville for the long distance.

The mileage signs on I-65 southbound still show Birmingham. I suppose that's because you can't get to Huntsville by staying on I-65, and it would be out of the way to use I-565.

Really? I remember Nashville used to be the control city on I-65 in Birmingham, but was switched to Huntsville around the late 90s-early 2000s. Maybe TennDOT felt no need to change it. I'm not opposed to Huntsville being the control city, but perhaps they could use both Huntsville and Nashville as control cities in B'ham.

On I-65 in TN, the control city is Huntsville going south, but for some reason the mileage signs were not changed to reflect that. I-65 in Alabama going north is Huntsville as well, but in Morgan County the control city off exit ramps and on mileage signs is for Nashville.

I noticed that on my trip to Huntsville last August, I remember at one point seeing mileage signs for Nashville as far south as Cullman.

While ALDOT does not use Nashville as a control city in Birmingham anymore, they have no problems using Memphis as a control city:

]

[codyg1985]

When I was traveling down I-59 in Hattiesburg, the exit for U.S. 11 has South Hattiesburg. Nothing wrong with that, but I'd also include Purvis on there, though the Purvis exit is about ten miles down the road.

I have noticed that in Mississippi there are a lot of exits that say [cardinal direction] + [city] to emphasize the part of the city you will be accessing when you get off the freeway. Examples on US 78/I-22 are West Tupelo and West Holly Springs. I think I've seen West Jackson somewhere in there, too.

West Jackson on US 78/I-22?
On BGS for I-220, yeah.

Yep, I meant for I-220. Dangling participle FTL.

[codyg1985]

I-65 uses Louisville north of Nashville and Huntsville south.  As many of you know, it used to be Birmingham southbound.  In 840 style, I'd use Huntsville and Bowling Green for the local and Birmingham and Louisville for the long distance.

The mileage signs on I-65 southbound still show Birmingham. I suppose that's because you can't get to Huntsville by staying on I-65, and it would be out of the way to use I-565.

Really? I remember Nashville used to be the control city on I-65 in Birmingham, but was switched to Huntsville around the late 90s-early 2000s. Maybe TennDOT felt no need to change it. I'm not opposed to Huntsville being the control city, but perhaps they could use both Huntsville and Nashville as control cities in B'ham.

On I-65 in TN, the control city is Huntsville going south, but for some reason the mileage signs were not changed to reflect that. I-65 in Alabama going north is Huntsville as well, but in Morgan County the control city off exit ramps and on mileage signs is for Nashville.

I noticed that on my trip to Huntsville last August, I remember at one point seeing mileage signs for Nashville as far south as Cullman.

While ALDOT does not use Nashville as a control city in Birmingham anymore, they have no problems using Memphis as a control city:

]

But for some reason after that sign there is no more mention of Memphis going westbound until you reach Tupelo, MS. Also, the control city changes from Jasper to Hamilton with Tupelo thrown in every now and then for good measure until you get past Hamilton, then it's Tupelo. The control city is only for Birmingham going east, though.

[golden eagle]

When I was traveling down I-59 in Hattiesburg, the exit for U.S. 11 has South Hattiesburg. Nothing wrong with that, but I'd also include Purvis on there, though the Purvis exit is about ten miles down the road.

I have noticed that in Mississippi there are a lot of exits that say [cardinal direction] + [city] to emphasize the part of the city you will be accessing when you get off the freeway. Examples on US 78/I-22 are West Tupelo and West Holly Springs. I think I've seen West Jackson somewhere in there, too.

West Jackson on US 78/I-22?
On BGS for I-220, yeah.

There are a bunch of cardinal directions in Jackson. I-220 is signed as West Jackson at I-55 southbound in Ridgeland. I-20 at the Stack is signed South Jackson, while the ramp to I-55 north is signed North Jackson/Grenada.

[Kacie Jane]

Someone already posted suggestions for Washington on Page 1, and I agree for the most part. Everett, Tacoma, and Olympia really deserve some more play on I-5. Everett gets mentioned somewhat frequently as a secondary city northbound, but the others not so much.

[FreewayDan]

I think the worst one in the southern California area is Santa Ana, on I-5 between San Diego and Los Angeles.

nearly nobody goes to Santa Ana.  Most everyone couldn't differentiate it from Irvine, Anaheim, etc on the map - they're all featureless suburbs.  To give Santa Ana precedence over Irvine or whatnot is arbitrary.  To give it preference over San Diego is bordering on absurd.  To give it preference over Los Angeles - in fact, to pull off the old button copy legend for LA and tape Santa Ana over it - is criminal.

if you're going to Santa Ana, you know it.  Through traffic, which is who really could use the control cities, is going between San Diego and Los Angeles on I-5.  The local traffic is, as likely as not, going to some other faceless Orange County hellhole.

(I hate to admit it, but if you're going to pick a destination between San Diego and Los Angeles that is useful as a control, because out-of-towners are likely to be looking for it, your most logical choice would be Disneyland.)

The control city "Santa Ana" used on I-5 (and also for SB Route 57 and EB I-10 at the I-110 interchange) should be "Orange County".  Route 91 westbound would be "Orange County" too instead of "Beach Cities". In fact, it should be the control city for SB I-405 from Long Beach to  I-605.

Once in Orange County, these freeways can then be Los Angeles for NB I-5/WB Route 91 and  San Diego for SB I-5/SB I-405.

[golden eagle]

I don't really like the idea of counties (as well as states) being control cities. Perhaps, Santa Ana or Anaheim could be used as a secondary city for either Los Angeles or San Diego-bound traffic.

SN: Why does my spell checker not recognize Los Angeles?

[cjk374]

I kinda like the idea of using 2 control points on signs in some cases....like where a major US route meets an interstate.  IMHO, use the next 2 MAJOR control points.

Example:  using US 167 in Ruston.  For I-20 west, use Shreveport and Dallas.  I-20 east, Monroe and Vxburg.

Just an idea.   

[Kacie Jane]

I agree.  IMHO, there's no legitimate reason why two control cities can't be used.  The term "secondary city" appears a lot in this thread, but more and more often, I'm seeing new signs go up with only one city.

[Brandon]

I agree.  IMHO, there's no legitimate reason why two control cities can't be used.  The term "secondary city" appears a lot in this thread, but more and more often, I'm seeing new signs go up with only one city.

Here, in Illinois, we use a two-tier system of controls.  For example, I-55 has primary controls of St Louis and Chicago at major interchanges.  However, there are secondary controls at other interchanges of Chicago, Joliet, Bloomington (also Bloomington-Normal), Springfield, and East St Louis.  If I hop on I-55 at one of my local interchanges (let's say US-30), I have a choice of Bloomington or Chicago, but if I change interstates from I-80 to I-55 here, I have a choice of St Louis or Chicago.

[Michael in Philly]

I agree.  IMHO, there's no legitimate reason why two control cities can't be used.  The term "secondary city" appears a lot in this thread, but more and more often, I'm seeing new signs go up with only one city.

Yep.
I've already said many times on this forum that American control-city practices are a pet peeve of mine.  They really ought to be as informative to the motorist as possible. 

[agentsteel53]

The control city "Santa Ana" used on I-5 (and also for SB Route 57 and EB I-10 at the I-110 interchange) should be "Orange County".  Route 91 westbound would be "Orange County" too instead of "Beach Cities". In fact, it should be the control city for SB I-405 from Long Beach to  I-605.

Once in Orange County, these freeways can then be Los Angeles for NB I-5/WB Route 91 and  San Diego for SB I-5/SB I-405.

nobody cares about Orange County.  people take I-5 because they want to get between San Diego and Los Angeles.

91 seems to serve only local traffic, who generally have little need for control cities.

[FreewayDan]

nobody cares about Orange County.  people take I-5 because they want to get between San Diego and Los Angeles.

91 seems to serve only local traffic, who generally have little need for control cities.

Then for that matter, San Diego all the way for SB I-5 & Route 57; strike Santa Ana. 

[hobsini2]

Here are the control cities i would use for my homestate and my birth state:
Cities in () are not officially served by the route but go toward them.
Illinois/Wisconsin:
I-39: Bloomington/Normal, LaSalle/Peru, Rockford/(Chicago-SB only), Beloit, Janesville, Madison, (Wisconsin Dells-NB only), Stevens Point, Wausau, (Merill-NB only)
I-43: Beloit, Milwaukee/(Chicago-SB only), Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Green Bay
I-55: St Louis, Springfield, Bloomington/Normal, Joliet, Chicago
I-57: Sikeston/(Memphis-SB only), Mt Vernon, Effingham, Champaign, Kankakee, Chicago
I-64: St Louis, Mt Vernon, (Evansville-EB only)/Louisville
I-70: St Louis, Effingham, Terre Haute/Indianapolis
I-72: Hannibal, Quincy, Jacksonville, Springfield, Decatur, Champaign/(Indianapolis-EB only)
I-74: (Iowa City)/(Dubuque), Davenport-NB only/Moline/Rock Island, (Joliet-EB only)/Galesburg, Peoria, Bloomington/Normal, Champaign, Danville/Indianapolis
I-80: Iowa City/Des Moines, Moline/Rock Island-WB only, LaSalle/Peru, (Chicago-EB only)/Joliet, Gary/South Bend/Toledo
I-88: Moline/Rock Island, Rock Falls, DeKalb, Aurora, (Chicago-EB only)
I-90: Albert Lea/(Rochester-WB only), La Crosse, Tomah/(St Paul-WB only), Wisconsin Dells, Madison, Janesville, Beloit, Rockford/Elgin-WB only, O'Hare (only East of I-290), Chicago, Gary/South Bend/Toledo
I-94: St Paul, Eau Claire, Tomah/(La Crosse-WB only), Wisconsin Dells, Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, Gary/Detroit
I-155: Peoria, Lincoln/(Springfield)
I-180: Princeton, (Peoria)/Hennepin
I-190: O'Hare, (Chicago Loop)
I-255: (Memphis-SB only)/(Joplin-SB only), (Chicago-NB only)/(Indianapolis-NB only), Alton
I-270: (Kansas City-WB only)/Lambert St Louis Airport, (Chicago-EB only)/(Indianapolis-EB only)
I-280: (Iowa City-WB only)/(Des Moines-WB only), Moline/Rock Island/Quad Cities Airport, (Peoria-EB only)/(Joliet-EB only)
I-290: (Lake Geneva-NWB only), Schaumburg, (Joliet-SB only), Oak Brook, Chicago Loop (really like Brandon's idea of Oak Brook)
I-294: (Indiana-SB only), (Wisconsin-NB only)/O'Hare, (Milwaukee-NB only)
I-355: South Suburbs (until I-355 meets I-57, then it becomes (Kankakee)), (Joliet-SB only), Schaumburg
I-474: (Moline-WB only)/(Chillicothe-WB only), Peoria Airport, (Bloomington-EB only)/(Indianapolis-EB only)
I-894: (Chicago-SEB only)/Milwaukee Mitchell Int'l Airport, (Beloit-WB only), (Madison-NB only)/(Fond du Lac-NB only)

[Henry]

Anyone else find it annoying that I-95 north of Baltimore does not have "Philadelphia" as a control city in addition to "New York"?

Or that I-85 south has "Atlanta" as a control city in Petersburg, but not in Charlotte?

[golden eagle]

Does I-85 go to Raleigh-Durham as well?

[74/171FAN]

Does I-85 go to Raleigh-Durham as well?

It goes through Durham but I-40 and US 70 access Raleigh from I-85.

[DeaconG]

I-10: Biloxi or Gulfport vs Pascagoula

I-95: Instead of just Miami or Daytona Beach, add West Palm Beach and Melbourne or Palm Bay.

[Michael in Philly]

Anyone else find it annoying that I-95 north of Baltimore does not have "Philadelphia" as a control city in addition to "New York"?

EXTREMELY!  Thank you.  (Or why "in addition to" New York?  Delaware ignores it until you reach the 295 split.)

[njroadhorse]

Am I the only one who think it would be totally out of reach for VDOT to mention Knoxville on I-81 South after Lexington?

[74/171FAN]

Am I the only one who think it would be totally out of reach for VDOT to mention Knoxville on I-81 South after Lexington?

I'd say maybe right after the I-64 interchange but otherwise I wouldn't think of mentioning Knoxville again until Roanoke at I-581.   

[nexus73]

Coos Bay on 101 heading south has Brookings as the control city, which is a little over 100 miles away.  Northbound 101 uses Reedsport, which is 26 miles north of North Bend.  Before ODOT replaced the freeway-style button sign that was to the north of the 101/42 partial interchange, Newport (103 miles) was a control city but one did not see Newport show up again until Florence, which is 45 miles north of North Bend.

The main control cities for 101 in Oregon should be Brookings, Coos Bay, Newport and Astoria, with Aberdeen WA coming after Astoria and San Francisco after Brookings.  The gaps between them is about 100 miles/2 hours and they are the primary cities for the Oregon Coast.  ODOT is all over the place for control cities compared to California.  101 in their state has four main control cities (SF and LA dominate) with San Jose getting some sign time between SF and San Jose plus you will see Eureka and Crescent City as control cities as one heads north of SF.  Heading out of Crescent City is where CalTrans gets off track by using "Oregon Coast" at the 101/199 partial interchange.  Other unique things also show up like PDX as a control city for 101 via 199, a "To 5" with Interstate shield (even though it's like 90 miles to get to I-5) and also the expected Grants Pass, where 199 meets state route 99 and I-5.

Rick

[hbelkins]

Am I the only one who think it would be totally out of reach for VDOT to mention Knoxville on I-81 South after Lexington?

Tennessee uses Bristol for I-81 north of I-40.

[Eth]

Am I the only one who think it would be totally out of reach for VDOT to mention Knoxville on I-81 South after Lexington?

Eh, Knoxville's a bit of a reach, I think.  I'd say Bristol's important enough to go with that instead.  Perhaps after Wytheville (I-77) I might start adding Knoxville.

[hbelkins]

Somewhere I have a photo of the first mileage sign on I-81 southbound that lists Knoxville.