FADED Beyond Recognition

[kphoger]

Shouldn't the arrow plaque be yellow on blue?

I didn't think so, but then I looked at the (current edition) MUTCD:

Part 2 — Signs
Ch. 2D — Guide Signs – Conventional Roads
§ 2D.12 — Design of Route Sign Auxiliary Plaques

Standard:
01 — ... All route sign auxiliary plaques shall match the color combination of the route sign that they supplement.

Then again, I don't know how seriously to take that.  The only ones I see designed here are black-on-white and white-on-blue.  And, more importantly, nobody seems to be bothered by Kansas' black-on-yellow route shields having black-on-white auxiliary plaques.

On the other hand, I think Kansas may be the only state that doesn't use color-matching auxiliary plaques for its route shields.

[Scott5114]

The only ones I see designed here are black-on-white and white-on-blue.  And, more importantly, nobody seems to be bothered by Kansas' black-on-yellow route shields having black-on-white auxiliary plaques.

For what it's worth, Clark County 215, the final boss of county roads, uses yellow-on-blue plaques.

I actually like state routes (and non-freeway CRs, I guess) having black-on-white plaques, because it means the only routes that have a different color are Interstates. Which makes it a little easier to pick the most important route out of an assembly with a bunch of shields, like this one.

[freebrickproductions]

In my experience, all of the arrow plaques for county routes here in Alabama (and over in Mississippi and down in Florida) use yellow-on-blue except for the old black & white shields in Cherokee County, AL.

[kphoger]

I was looking to see what Illinois does.  But all the places I know of that use county route shields in Illinois apparently don't use auxiliary plaques for them.

[kphoger]

I actually like state routes (and non-freeway CRs, I guess) having black-on-white plaques, because it means the only routes that have a different color are Interstates. Which makes it a little easier to pick the most important route out of an assembly with a bunch of shields, like this one.

Here's a good example of where the Interstate and county shields (and plaques) all look pretty much the same at first glance:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/qUT5CXNooQtPV36w7

Or how about three different classifications of highway, all in blue:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fM8V3iWFVAVQT1eX8

[Big John]

^^ How are those signs faded?

[kphoger]

How are those signs faded?

They aren't.  But the conversation started with this sun-faded shield that's pair-bonded paired with a not-faded arrow plaque:

[hbelkins]

It's 27, but what kind of 27? And what direction are we traveling on Unknown Route 27?



This is northbound US 27 in Campbell County, Ky.

There are a bunch more faded signs, including another North US 27 that looks just as bad, at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1325773132950187&type=3