Color of Signal Mast Arms (split from Signage/Gantries Off Kilter)

[realjd]

I like unpainted Cali-style best, seen here at NC State's Hillsborough St. in Raleigh.

Is that half span wire, half mast arm? Is it because of the construction?

[pianocello]

Doesn't look like the mast arms are operational yet.

[architect77]

Hillsborough St., the main drag of NC State, has long been an eyesore. They just completed reducing 4 lanes to 2 and added a median for pedestrians. They converted a couple of intersections to roundabouts. These mast arms are long, and most hold signals for both directions (for crosswalks). This picture does show an intersection with 2 short ones almost "kissing" over the road though...

Nearby Cary, NC which uber-regulates everything from business signs to the size of people's holiday wreaths, uses cali-style mast arm citywide, though their mounting of the signals is inconsistent and not as elegant as California's....

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

Inconsistency is something I hate more than anything.

In any event, I love CA/AZ/UT style mast arms.  I hate span wires and I'm not terribly fond of straight arms, though they are a lot better than span wires.

[Brandon]

As much as mast arms may look good (and I do like the older Illinois trusses), I like the two boxes from a single span wire.  Simple, elegant, timeless, IMHO.

[CL]

Looks like North Carolina is basically using the exact same style of installation as Utah is (with thicker mast arms than California).

Utah - well, UDOT - will only paint its mast arms if the municipality specifies/pays for it. In that case, it'll be painted black. Otherwise, it's left unpainted. Salt Lake City paints all its new installations black. Very rarely one will see other colors, including this dark green assembly north of Park City on SR-224:

[2Co5_14]

Berkeley, CA paints everything brown (including signal heads.)  Until about 20-25 years ago, all the mast arms were this short.  Then they started using longer ones with either 1 or 2 signal heads (more like the typical California ones.)
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/9703599?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com

Oakland, CA used to paint the lower 1/3 of the pole and the mast arms pale yellow, and the upper part of the light pole and luminaire arm green (think A's baseball colors).  Now they do everything green (not as interesting, but more practical.)
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/47203277?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com

Just like the rest of CA, they always use supplemental near-side (and usually far-side) signals along with the mast arm mounted ones.

As a 4 year old roadgeek riding in the car, I could always tell when we were crossing the city limits from Albany to Berkeley and from Berkeley to Oakland by the different colors!

[realjd]

San Marcos does the all-brown thing in places also:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=San+Marcos,+CA&hl=en&ll=33.133174,-117.19387&spn=0.029037,0.038581&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=55.279921,79.013672&vpsrc=6&hnear=San+Marcos,+San+Diego,+California&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=33.133174,-117.19387&panoid=tuUWwCIh6dPps-5hAHATsg&cbp=12,69.98,,0,-3

[roadman65]

The US 192 Corridor in Kissimmee, FL uses purple for the mast arm coloring.  That, I believe, is to be consistent with Disney using purple on their resort property's guide signs.  Remember, Disney is why most people come to Central Florida to visit.  Also, so are the area street lights and sidewalk lights using that color.

[SignBridge]

2Co5-14, those Calif. near-side supplementals you mentioned are not universal out there, though the far-side ones are. Some interesections have them, some don't. There doesn't seem to be much consistency to it. Though El Camino Real between San Fran. and San Jose seems to have them at most intersections. I like them too, though I have to admit, they don't really serve much purpose on a straight road. Rarely used in New York unfortunately except at some curved approaches.

[PAHighways]

Phoenixville, PA is using bright blue poles for their new signal installations.

[Zmapper]

Fort Collins has a hodgepodge of signal colors. Most of them are silver or unpainted. There are a few dark green and a few brown signals.

One thing that I do like are the median mounted signals along South College (US 287). I wish new installations along College were mounted this way. In a way, it helps to differentiate College from the other streets.

[US71]

Clarinda, IA

Thought I had a photo in my files, but I don't.

[Indyroads]

I also ran across this unusual design in Sacramento.  Not sure if they install new signals with this type of mast arm but IIRC, there are a number of these scattered around the Sacramento metro area...

I particularly like this style of traffic signal. The newer version of the "sacramento county style" traffic signal does not dip as much at the left turn signal as the older examples here. The Ethan and El Camino Avenue signal is very old indeed. The city of Citrus heights has painted these signals as part of their branding theme including the replacements of streeet signs several years ago. they look really spiffy. Typically the larger intersections with multiple turn lanes do not use this style favoring the more normal caltrans style of signal that is used today. SACDOT however has a unique way of signing its double left turns using a separate left arrow for each lane typically placed on either side of the left turn signal.

[The High Plains Traveler]

In the nearly 10 years I've lived in Colorado, I have always thought there were different signal designs on state highways around the state. I finally realized the basic signal design was consistent: monotube with the mounting for the mast arm evolving on older to newer installations, from a simple four-bolt mount to the present design which uses U-bolts and a much larger flange plate to secure the longer, heavier mast arms. What threw me was the different color schemes around the state. Around here, older signals have unpainted masts and mast arms with black signal faces and backplates. The more recent installations (5-7 years) have black structural components as well. As you go into the Denver area, the signals tend to still be unpainted, but the signal faces are yellow with black backplates.

My guess is that this is a CDOT district decision because it appears districts have freedom to vary design. For instance, CDOT District 2 (Colorado Springs, Pueblo and the rest of SE Colorado) is moving wholeheartedly into flashing yellow arrow installations on new and even existing signals. I have not seen FYA nearly as much in the rest of the state.