Interchange names on mainline Toll Road Exit signs

[PHLBOS]

You needed one more option on the poll:
"Yes, it's great for historical reasons on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but unnecessary elsewhere."

The Pennsy is the grandfather of all American turnpikes, and the exit names hearken back to an era where drivers expected to be able to enter and exit a road pretty much anywhere they expected. Exits were a novel idea, and naming them was a good way to emphasize the point.

Good idea - I've modified the poll accordingly.  People can revise their voting if they so desire.

Not sure if it's a web-site glitch or not; but I am not able to revise my vote.

[roadman]

Interesting.  I had checked off the "allow people to revise vote" (or whatever it's called) option when I created the poll, but that option is now not showing up since I added the additional choice.

[amroad17]

Rand McNally did list all interchange names for all state toll roads such as NJ, NY, PA, OH, IN, MD, DE, and even KS.  All had sequential numbering back then.

Rand McNally did similar for the Mass Pike (including the Boston Extension) as well.

I remember that Rand McNally would list the interchange names for the NY Thruway in a separate box on the New York page.  These were in the late 1960's/early 1970's issues.

By separate box, do you mean a boxed label next to the interchange number (black circle w/the number in white) or a separate box off the side that listed all the numbered/named interchanges or both?  Rand McNally did both until they changed their map graphics in the early-to-mid 1980s; the large altas changed first (1980) and the smaller atlas & fold-out maps changed later.

It was a separate box to the side of the page.  The interchanges were marked with the small black circle w/ the white number w/out the interchange name, except on the individual city maps I believe.

[roadman65]

I remember those boxes.  The ones you talk about feature the number and name in bold font, and the road name or route number in normal font next to it.

With NJ Turnpike only one interchange name appeared in bold while the other was fine print except for former Exit 15 (now 15E) had both Newark and Jersey City in bold with only US 1 & 9 in regular print.  Other such as former Exit 11 (that only served US 9 at the time) had  it with Exit 11- Woodbridge- The Amboys- US 9.  Only Woodbridge got bolded instead of both like on Exit 15.  Exit 8 was also Exit 8- Hightstown- Trenton- NJ 33 and many other were one bold and one regular too.

[J N Winkler]

If "Appropriate for Pennsylvania Turnpike" had not been added as an option, I would have chosen "Unnecessary," but not because it leads to larger signs.  In the special case of turnpikes which operate a closed-ticket system, interchange names have the special benefit of relatability with interchange labels on paper tickets.  However, this benefit will vanish sooner or later when even older public-authority turnpikes switch to ETC-only operation.  Many existing closed-ticket turnpikes, like the Kansas Turnpike, still use paper tickets but have transitioned from implied interchange labels on guide signs (e.g. "El Dorado North" for US 77 even though there is no city called El Dorado North, "Admire" for US 56 even though Admire has fewer than 160 people and almost nobody actually exits at US 56 to go to it) to a more vanilla-MUTCD approach, without any pain (US 77 is now just "El Dorado," US 56 is now "Council Grove/Osage City").

I'd argue also that use of interchange names is actually more troublesome on the Pennsylvania Turnpike than it would be elsewhere since it adds to the message loading on the length between Pittsburgh and Carlisle, where traffic is heavy and curve design is grossly beneath current standards.

[SignBridge]

I think the interchange name should be shown, but incorporated in the destinations on the main sign. Additional destinations can be shown on a supplemental sign. The poll needs another category for that preference. And all the text should be the regulation size as per the MUTCD.

[mrsman]

Perhaps, the interchange name could change to reflect what is currently on the sign.

For example, exit 343 on the Penn Turnpike is the Willow Grove Interchange.  The sign says PA-611, Doylestown Jenkintown.

Maybe instead of retaining "Willow Grove Interchange", we simply call this "Doylestown Jenkintown Interchange"

[SignBridge]

Now let me get this straight mrsman. You say the interchange should be named for where it actually is as shown by the destinations on the exit signs? What a concept!

Well, ditto Exit-358. Instead of calling it Delaware Valley, they could call it "Levittown-Bristol". At least they got Exit-351 right when they renamed it "Bensalem".

[mrsman]

I know.  It's so sensible it will never happen.  Maybe a topic for Fictional Highways.

[PHLBOS]

At least they got Exit-351 right when they renamed it "Bensalem".

Come again?  PTC actually went backwards with that one.  That interchange was originally called Philadelphia, which actually matched at least one control destination on the BGS' (the other destination being Trenton). 

Outside of the new name, which was done in anticipation of the new I-95 interchange possibly being named Philadelphia when completed, Bensalem does not appear anywhere else on those exit BGS'.

[StogieGuy7]

I believe that the Maine Turnpike also historically used interchange names - at least until when the turnpike was resigned and widened over the last 10 years.