New Jersey Turnpike

[PHLBOS]

Exit 4 is signed for Philadelphia via a supplemental plate.

Had NJ 90 been extended eastward as originally planned (it would've terminated at NJ 73 south of the Turnpike interchange); Philadelphia would've been placed on the main Exit 4 interchange signs.

Besides, I think we've had more than enough posts for what control cities *should* be posted on the NJ Turnpike.

Agree in principle; but keep in mind that not every user (especially newbies) are is going to go through 61+ pages of posts to see what's been discussed and what's not been discussed.  It's the general nature of thread forums that some things get repeated (Airliners.net's numerous Northwest DC-9 retirement (pre-Delta merger) speculation threads being a non-AARoads example).

[roadman65]

Is the authority ever going to replace the post toll plaza guide signs at Exit 11 to reflect what the Garden State Parkway now has signed at Exit 129.  Last GSV (taken just recently) shows the I-95 SOUTH NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH and I-95 NORTH NJ TURNPIKE NORTH sign installed back in 1988 still there.  No mention of Trenton-Camden- New York on any of them to guide motorists through the giant interchange.

I guess the Parkway and Turnpike still operate separately when it comes to signs.

[PHLBOS]

Is the authority ever going to replace the post toll plaza guide signs at Exit 11 to reflect what the Garden State Parkway now has signed at Exit 129.  Last GSV (taken just recently) shows the I-95 SOUTH NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH and I-95 NORTH NJ TURNPIKE NORTH sign installed back in 1988 still there.

Your date of those 2 signs is at least 5 years off.  Those current signs are of mid-90s vintage at the earliest.  The predecessor signs (that I saw during my early years of driving between New England and the Delaware Valley on holiday weekends) had Trenton and New York for listed southbound and northbound destinations respectively.   

[roadman65]

Is the authority ever going to replace the post toll plaza guide signs at Exit 11 to reflect what the Garden State Parkway now has signed at Exit 129.  Last GSV (taken just recently) shows the I-95 SOUTH NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH and I-95 NORTH NJ TURNPIKE NORTH sign installed back in 1988 still there.

Your date of those 2 signs is at least 5 years off.  Those current signs are of mid-90s vintage at the earliest.  The predecessor signs (that I saw during my early years of driving between New England and the Delaware Valley on holiday weekends) had Trenton and New York for listed southbound and northbound destinations respectively.   

Not exactly as those I am talking about were there when I lived there in Fords, NJ.  I moved out in August of 1990 and they were up then.   I do not know if they carbon copied them or not since then, but I can tell you the Trenton AND SOUTH and New York AND NORTH were removed (including the original bare metal sign gantry) during my tenor at Kessington Apartments from 1987 to 1990. 

[PHLBOS]

Is the authority ever going to replace the post toll plaza guide signs at Exit 11 to reflect what the Garden State Parkway now has signed at Exit 129.  Last GSV (taken just recently) shows the I-95 SOUTH NJ TURNPIKE SOUTH and I-95 NORTH NJ TURNPIKE NORTH sign installed back in 1988 still there.

Your date of those 2 signs is at least 5 years off.  Those current signs are of mid-90s vintage at the earliest.  The predecessor signs (that I saw during my early years of driving between New England and the Delaware Valley on holiday weekends) had Trenton and New York for listed southbound and northbound destinations respectively.   

Not exactly as those I am talking about were there when I lived there in Fords, NJ.  I moved out in August of 1990 and they were up then.   I do not know if they carbon copied them or not since then, but I can tell you the Trenton AND SOUTH and New York AND NORTH were removed (including the original bare metal sign gantry) during my tenor at Kessington Apartments from 1987 to 1990. 

And I moved from New England into the Delaware Valley in July 1990 and didn't head back up there again until Labor Day weekend of that year and I believe that the old dark BGS' w/button-copy all-caps lettering were still there.  Additionally, I believe that they were still there through at least 1991 and maybe partly through 1992 or 1993. 

OTOH, the ramp-split signage (1st one being a diagramatic type, scroll down) after one exits the southbound GSP signage that read 95 NJ TURNPIKE were of late 80s vintage (the slightly bulging 9 on one of the I-95 shields being a dead giveaway of its vintage).  Those 2 BGS' were recently replaced by the current BGS'

[jeffandnicole]

Exit 4 is signed for Philadelphia via a supplemental plate.

Had NJ 90 been extended eastward as originally planned (it would've terminated at NJ 73 south of the Turnpike interchange); Philadelphia would've been placed on the main Exit 4 interchange signs.

Besides, I think we've had more than enough posts for what control cities *should* be posted on the NJ Turnpike.

Agree in principle; but keep in mind that not every user (especially newbies) are going to go through 61+ pages of posts to see what's been discussed and what's not been discussed.  It's the general nature of thread forums that some things get repeated (Airliners.net's numerous Northwest DC-9 retirement (pre-Delta merger) speculation threads being a non-AARoads example).

Agreed in Principal as well.  Except this user has already posted their control city opinion for the Turnpike.  Granted, it was a few years ago.  But it's been rehashed several other times as well.

[roadman65]

No matter what, like it or not, Wilmington at least is progress for the NJT to now feature it.

Anyway, bring back the mileage signs along the Turnpike that had mileages to the cities ever 10 miles on the ten.  I believe now the last mileage sign for NYC is at the 95/295 split for 135 miles to the big city and nothing at all on the NJT itself anymore including the 30 miles out sign at the Raritan River in New Brunswick that was there years ago when I lived in North Central Jersey.

Most states would sign the next exit and large city along the way, but giving that again would be a unique feature as having it every ten miles would be something different and probably be more useful in its own way.

[ixnay]

No matter what, like it or not, Wilmington at least is progress for the NJT to now feature it.

Anyway, bring back the mileage signs along the Turnpike that had mileages to the cities ever 10 miles on the ten.  I believe now the last mileage sign for NYC is at the 95/295 split for 135 miles to the big city and nothing at all on the NJT itself anymore including the 30 miles out sign at the Raritan River in New Brunswick that was there years ago when I lived in North Central Jersey.

Most states would sign the next exit and large city along the way, but giving that again would be a unique feature as having it every ten miles would be something different and probably be more useful in its own way.

Good idea, roadman.

How about also bringing back the lit-from-within sequential signs in the median that said, KEEP AWAKE/FOR SAFETY/REST NEXT/SERVICE AREA (x) MILES ?

ixnay

[roadman65]

Oh the burma shave signs.  Yes I remember them as a kid.

[KEVIN_224]

If you mean the tiny "TRENTON - 30 MILES" sign southbound, it's still there.

[ixnay]

Oh the burma shave signs.  Yes I remember them as a kid.

I would've compared them to Burma-Shave but they didn't rhyme.

ixnay

[roadman65]

If you mean the tiny "TRENTON - 30 MILES" sign southbound, it's still there.

Yeah and that one needs to be moved as its more than 30 miles now.  It was there because before I-195 and Exit 7A were built, Exit 8 was signed for motorists to use NJ 33 into Trenton.  That is 30 miles from that point, but with I-195 and NJ 29 it is slightly longer.

I also believe there is still a 30 mile sign for the Delaware Memorial Bridge, but not sure on that one. 

[cl94]

I'm on the train approaching Newark and I saw something that was surprising. Every sign I saw along the Turnpike was MUTCD-compliant. When the heck did all of the new signs go up?

[roadman65]

I'm on the train approaching Newark and I saw something that was surprising. Every sign I saw along the Turnpike was MUTCD-compliant. When the heck did all of the new signs go up?

I believe within the last six months.  All the ones north of Exit 11 that were due for change were swapped out  The signs south of there, including the 6 to 9 widening were already designed before the feds made the mandate so even though installed post MUTCD change, they were in the works before it all took place

I am glad that finally NJ 495 finally is included as its a major freeway into NYC and on the map as such, but ignored for decades.

[noelbotevera]

I'm on the train approaching Newark and I saw something that was surprising. Every sign I saw along the Turnpike was MUTCD-compliant. When the heck did all of the new signs go up?

I believe within the last six months.  All the ones north of Exit 11 that were due for change were swapped out  The signs south of there, including the 6 to 9 widening were already designed before the feds made the mandate so even though installed post MUTCD change, they were in the works before it all took place

I am glad that finally NJ 495 finally is included as its a major freeway into NYC and on the map as such, but ignored for decades.

To be honest, NJ 495 should remain to only being known by us roadgeeks and locals. The fact that you can get into Midtown Manhattan and I-495 from Newark is a boon. Extra points if you get there from I-78.

[jeffandnicole]

To be honest, NJ 495 should remain to only being known by us roadgeeks and locals. The fact that you can get into Midtown Manhattan and I-495 from Newark is a boon. Extra points if you get there from I-78.

And the Survey says: No.

[roadman65]

I'm on the train approaching Newark and I saw something that was surprising. Every sign I saw along the Turnpike was MUTCD-compliant. When the heck did all of the new signs go up?

I believe within the last six months.  All the ones north of Exit 11 that were due for change were swapped out  The signs south of there, including the 6 to 9 widening were already designed before the feds made the mandate so even though installed post MUTCD change, they were in the works before it all took place

I am glad that finally NJ 495 finally is included as its a major freeway into NYC and on the map as such, but ignored for decades.

To be honest, NJ 495 should remain to only being known by us roadgeeks and locals. The fact that you can get into Midtown Manhattan and I-495 from Newark is a boon. Extra points if you get there from I-78.

That statement is making my head spin.  I was with you up to it being known to us road geeks and locals but after that I got lost. 

[D-Dey65]

Re: youths and whoever else equipping their cars with non-compliant color lights, I agree with J&N that enforcement is the key. I bet you don't see that crap in California! 

Guess you could include people who import cars from France:
http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle.php?id=877743

[storm2k]

An update: these signs are now gone, as are these, lost to the MUTCD sign replacement project. I'll try to grab pictures of them the next time I'm up that way.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

An update: these signs are now gone, as are these, lost to the MUTCD sign replacement project. I'll try to grab pictures of them the next time I'm up that way.

Oh, the humanity!   

[SignBridge]

Too bad, I always liked that sign with Pa, Del, Md. It was like passing thru a kind of "gateway" to wherever you were going.

Re: this business about NJ-495. I don't understand why it's called that. Wasn't it originally all NJ-3 from the Lincoln Tunnel to where Route-3 now breaks off from the Turnpike approach? Seems to me that's what the old maps showed when I was a kid. And I think that continuity was better. Call it Route-3 all the way to the tunnel.

[KEVIN_224]

SIGH! So long text sign! 

[storm2k]

Re: this business about NJ-495. I don't understand why it's called that. Wasn't it originally all NJ-3 from the Lincoln Tunnel to where Route-3 now breaks off from the Turnpike approach? Seems to me that's what the old maps showed when I was a kid. And I think that continuity was better. Call it Route-3 all the way to the tunnel.

It was supposed to be part of a longer I-495, composed of the current NJ 495 freeway, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Mid-Manhattan Expressway, the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, and the LIE. It got the 495 designation in 1958. Once the MidMex was cancelled, I-495 became orphaned in NJ and the state downgraded it to NJ-495 in 1979, which it's been ever since. Steve Anderson's page on this road has a very thorough historical overview about this.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

Re: this business about NJ-495. I don't understand why it's called that. Wasn't it originally all NJ-3 from the Lincoln Tunnel to where Route-3 now breaks off from the Turnpike approach? Seems to me that's what the old maps showed when I was a kid. And I think that continuity was better. Call it Route-3 all the way to the tunnel.

It was supposed to be part of a longer I-495, composed of the current NJ 495 freeway, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Mid-Manhattan Expressway, the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, and the LIE. It got the 495 designation in 1958. Once the MidMex was cancelled, I-495 became orphaned in NJ and the state downgraded it to NJ-495 in 1979, which it's been ever since. Steve Anderson's page on this road has a very thorough historical overview about this.

And thank god it was cancelled. People on this site love to parade Robert Moses for obvious reasons but far too many of his proposals like MidMEx and LoMEx would have completely destroyed some beautiful neighborhoods.

[cpzilliacus]

And thank god it was cancelled. People on this site love to parade Robert Moses for obvious reasons but far too many of his proposals like MidMEx and LoMEx would have completely destroyed some beautiful neighborhoods.

Agreed.  Though I also believe the need for these was (and is) there.  Bored tunnels from North Jersey, under Manhattan to emerge in Queens (I-495) and Brooklyn (I-78) would have worked well.