One-off Control Cities

[Blape]

Northbound Michillinda just before Colorado Blvd and the Foothill Freeway (Rte 210) in unincorporated Los Angeles County (East Pasadena) has a control city for Westbound 210 as "Los Angeles." Most other control cities for West 210 are either San Fernando (90%) or Sacramento (another one-off). Considering there's really no simple way to reach Los Angeles from this area, why did Caltrans sign it this way?

Do you have any other examples of this happening in your area?

http://goo.gl/maps/eZHmL

Thanks
-Davis


iPhone

[bzakharin]

I 287 in NJ has 2. One is I think around the I-78 interchange where the pull through has Pompton Lakes as the control city (a secondary one after Morristown). While I-287 does go through Pompton Lakes, all the other signs list the nearby Mahwah instead. The other is on the New Jersey Turnpike and through the interchange (exit 10) where the control city is solely "Metuchen". While, again, 287 does go through Metuchen (it's the next city over after Edison where the interchange is located), it is not mentioned anywhere else on either pull throughs or approaches from either direction (opting for Perth Amboy instead)

[TheStranger]

Northbound Michillinda just before Colorado Blvd and the Foothill Freeway (Rte 210) in unincorporated Los Angeles County (East Pasadena) has a control city for Westbound 210 as "Los Angeles." Most other control cities for West 210 are either San Fernando (90%) or Sacramento (another one-off). Considering there's really no simple way to reach Los Angeles from this area, why did Caltrans sign it this way?

Hey, via 134, you can get into a part of the City of Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley)!

Having said that though...if it's the typical implied "downtown Los Angeles", that one's a bit of a stretch, though not too impossible - 134 west to 5 south should make that at least manageable, and if the 710 gap is completed, it's much more plausible.

US 101 does have "Sacramento" as a one-off on at least one onramp sign along the Hollywood Freeway, due to the named route (as Route 170) leading to 5 north.

[DTComposer]

The signs for the I-880 ramps from US-101 use Los Gatos as a control city southbound in addition to Santa Cruz. Completely accurate, but it's the only time Los Gatos is used anywhere along I-880 or CA-17 as a control city.

(There used to be a pull-through on what was at the time CA-17 (now I-880) southbound in Milpitas that listed both Los Gatos and Santa Cruz, but that sign is long gone.)

Similarly, the signs for the CA-85 ramp from CA-237 use Los Gatos as a control city southbound in addition to Santa Cruz, and again, Los Gatos isn't used anywhere else along CA-85.

[NE2]

Having said that though...if it's the typical implied "downtown Los Angeles", that one's a bit of a stretch, though not too impossible - 134 west to 5 south should make that at least manageable, and if the 710 gap is completed, it's much more plausible.

134-2-5. This route should be signed, at least with auxiliary signs, for Downtown LA.

Most likely the original sign (which may have been copied by the current one) was referring to the 710.

[Blape]

Having said that though...if it's the typical implied "downtown Los Angeles", that one's a bit of a stretch, though not too impossible - 134 west to 5 south should make that at least manageable, and if the 710 gap is completed, it's much more plausible.

134-2-5. This route should be signed, at least with auxiliary signs, for Downtown LA.

Most likely the original sign (which may have been copied by the current one) was referring to the 710.

Ah yes but there is no reassurance for Los Angeles along the 210 mainline at the 134. The 134/2 interchange has no control cities whatsoever. I think west 210 at the 2 has a Los Angeles southbound control city but I could be mistaken. But that's a wacky route to take.

Another silly control city is at E. Mountain St in Glendale at the 2 North. The northbound control city is Pasadena! This is in spite of the interchange being located only a mile north of the 134.

On another note, when the Long Beach Freeway is completed, will the Tujinga/La Crescenta/Montrose 210 section be resigned as 710?

iPhone

[agentsteel53]

On another note, when the Long Beach Freeway is completed, will the Tujinga/La Crescenta/Montrose 210 section be resigned as 710?

no; it will instead feature pullouts for observing the flying pigs.

[PHLBOS]

Marblehead is only used for the MA 114 East exit (25A) off MA 128 Southbound.
EXIT 25A 114 EAST Salem Marblehead

Exit 25A BGS' from 128 Northbound only uses Salem for a 114 East destination.
EXIT 25 A 114 EAST Salem/Lowell St W. Peabody
Before somebody chimes in regarding Marblehead being snubbed due to the Lowell St. listing; the latter has only been part of the main BGS since the late 80s.

Pics. of 1976-77 era BGS for the MA 114 exits from northbound 128 can be found at http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ma/ma_128/ showing only Salem as the eastbound 114 destination.  Note: the Exit 25A-B listings were originally Exit 25E-W until the late 80s.
These particular BGS' remained until just a few years ago.

The old 50s/60s-era BGS that the fore-mentioned 70s-era BGS' replaced was the last time Marblehead was listed on the primary Eastbound 114 exit BGS from 128 Northbound.  A small, supplemental sign reading MARBLEHEAD NEXT EXIT existed for a few short years during the 80s but was later discarded.

[roadman65]

I 287 in NJ has 2. One is I think around the I-78 interchange where the pull through has Pompton Lakes as the control city (a secondary one after Morristown). While I-287 does go through Pompton Lakes, all the other signs list the nearby Mahwah instead. The other is on the New Jersey Turnpike and through the interchange (exit 10) where the control city is solely "Metuchen". While, again, 287 does go through Metuchen (it's the next city over after Edison where the interchange is located), it is not mentioned anywhere else on either pull throughs or approaches from either direction (opting for Perth Amboy instead)

Metuchen is used on US 22 EB on ground mounted LGSes approaching the ramp for I-287 SB where Perth Amboy is used on the overheads.

Incidentally, Springfield is used on the Garden State Parkway exit for I-78 WB where Clinton or Easton is generally used for I-78 on its freeway ramps WB.

[JustDrive]

"Sacramento" is listed on the US 101 onramps at Cahuenga Blvd East at near the Ford Amphitheater and again on NB Vermont Avenue at Oakwood Avenue, as well as the eastern 101/2 interchange at Alvarado Street

WB Wardlow Road at the 710 is signed as "Los Angeles"

[JMoses24]

I'm not sure of any "single control city" examples, but I have two for those with two destinations:

1) Northbound I-75 at KY 36, Williamstown, KY. I-75 pull through has Dry Ridge in addition to the standard Cincinnati.

2) A few miles further north, on Mall Road in Florence, listed on 2 signs:

(I-75 shield) (I-71 shield) North
Covington
Cincinnati

This, in spite of the fact that Covington is not mentioned a single time on ANY mainline pull through north of this point, only advance guide signage and only within the city of Covington itself. They all just say "Cincinnati".

[hbelkins]

I'm not sure of any "single control city" examples, but I have two for those with two destinations:

1) Northbound I-75 at KY 22, Williamstown, KY. I-75 pull through has Dry Ridge in addition to the standard Cincinnati.

You mean KY 36. KY 22 is the Dry Ridge exit. I'd imagine that's done to keep people from getting off at Williamstown and taking US 25 to Dry Ridge. Although last time I was through there, you can't really tell where Williamstown ends and Dry Ridge begins.

[FreewayDan]

Northbound Michillinda just before Colorado Blvd and the Foothill Freeway (Rte 210) in unincorporated Los Angeles County (East Pasadena) has a control city for Westbound 210 as "Los Angeles." Most other control cities for West 210 are either San Fernando (90%) or Sacramento (another one-off). Considering there's really no simple way to reach Los Angeles from this area, why did Caltrans sign it this way?

Do you have any other examples of this happening in your area?

http://goo.gl/maps/eZHmL

Thanks
-Davis

A similar situation on the ramp to I-405 North from University Drive:

Eastbound University Drive at ramp to I-405 North by FreewayDan, on Flickr

[JMoses24]

I'm not sure of any "single control city" examples, but I have two for those with two destinations:

1) Northbound I-75 at KY 22, Williamstown, KY. I-75 pull through has Dry Ridge in addition to the standard Cincinnati.

You mean KY 36. KY 22 is the Dry Ridge exit. I'd imagine that's done to keep people from getting off at Williamstown and taking US 25 to Dry Ridge. Although last time I was through there, you can't really tell where Williamstown ends and Dry Ridge begins.

Yeah, you're right. My goof.

[mrsman]

I'll regard these examples as being mistakes, but not big enough mistakes that warrant an expensive correction.

I-405 in Orange County would typically see Long Beach as the control city, L.A. is not entirely accurate, but the 405 does go through West L.A. and interchanges with several freeways that do lead to Downtown L.A.  A fix would be nice, but it isn't entirely wrong (like if they signed San Diego as being North instead of South).

The same with I-210 to Los Angeles.  Pasadena would be better (and in fact is signed that way on the BGS just before the I-210 bridge).

The sign at CA-2 and Mountain should be changed.  Pasadena is wrong.  It should be La Canada Flintridge or San Fernando.

(By tooling around GSV, I figured out why the northbound 2 is signed for Pasadena.  When you head to the 210 interchange, you are directed towards Foothill Blvd, or I-210 west to Sacramento or I-210/CA-2 to Pasadena.  So if you didn't know any better, that sign would indicate by staying on 2 you will reach Pasadena.  Of course, CA-2 exits the freeway at the next exit and continues up Angeles Crest Highway.  Regardless, the sign at Mountain Street does not lead to Pasadena in a direct fashion.  It would be better to use CA-2 south to 134 east.)

[NE2]

So if you didn't know any better, that sign would indicate by staying on 2 you will reach Pasadena.

I don't think so - once you enter I-210 east there's a mileage sign that includes Pasadena.

[PHLBOS]

In NJ, the use of Mt. Holly and Bellmawr as I-295 destinations.

NJ 70 Westbound approaching I-295

[Occidental Tourist]

"Sacramento" is listed on the US 101 onramps at Cahuenga Blvd East at near the Ford Amphitheater and again on NB Vermont Avenue at Oakwood Avenue, as well as the eastern 101/2 interchange at Alvarado Street

WB Wardlow Road at the 710 is signed as "Los Angeles"

For no particularly good reason, the n/b 405 on-ramp at Atlantic Blvd in Long Beach has Sacramento listed as the control city.
And you should see the mental gymnastics that Caltrans does for deciding whether the rest of the n/b 405 south (east) of the 710 should have Santa Monica or Long Beach for its control city.  It's hit or miss as to which one they use on any given on-ramp.  I assume the one-off Sacramento sign on Atlantic was the result of the engineer's head exploding trying to choose between Santa Monica and Long Beach.

[mrsman]

So if you didn't know any better, that sign would indicate by staying on 2 you will reach Pasadena.

I don't think so - once you enter I-210 east there's a mileage sign that includes Pasadena.

I was referring to the sign on the Glendale Freeway.  Of course, even someone new to the area, would probably realize once they've already transtioned to the Foothill Freeway that they need to stay on the freeway for a while.

If I were signing the control cities, I would use La Canada Flintridge as the control from the 134 north.  At the 210 east junction, I would put in dual controls of Pasadena and La Canada Flintridge (but I would use smaller type for La Canada Flintridge).

[mrsman]

"Sacramento" is listed on the US 101 onramps at Cahuenga Blvd East at near the Ford Amphitheater and again on NB Vermont Avenue at Oakwood Avenue, as well as the eastern 101/2 interchange at Alvarado Street

WB Wardlow Road at the 710 is signed as "Los Angeles"

For no particularly good reason, the n/b 405 on-ramp at Atlantic Blvd in Long Beach has Sacramento listed as the control city.
And you should see the mental gymnastics that Caltrans does for deciding whether the rest of the n/b 405 south (east) of the 710 should have Santa Monica or Long Beach for its control city.  It's hit or miss as to which one they use on any given on-ramp.  I assume the one-off Sacramento sign on Atlantic was the result of the engineer's head exploding trying to choose between Santa Monica and Long Beach.

Caltrans has a good general policy of signing the control until you reach the central business district, which I strongly prefer to signing until you reach the city limit.  (See practically any freeway in Los Angeles city limits).  However, they lack the ability to apply this policy consistently (see Long Beach example you cited).

[shadyjay]

CT 2 EB at Exit 28N has PROVIDENCE for I-395 North's control city.   All other I-395 onramps have a control city of NORWICH or WORCESTER.