Unusual destinations on highway signs

[NE2]

New Mexico's 17th largest city

That's like saying FritzOwl's 17th most reasonable proposal.

[The Nature Boy]

I saw that and thought "Las Vegas, Nevada" even though I knew that I-25 went nowhere near Las Vegas, Nevada. If I were traveling I-25 and saw that, I'd think, "that's odd, this road goes nowhere near there." Most people from the east coast would think that it were referring Las Vegas, Nevada.

[jakeroot]

I saw that and thought "Las Vegas, Nevada" even though I knew that I-25 went nowhere near Las Vegas, Nevada. If I were traveling I-25 and saw that, I'd think, "that's odd, this road goes nowhere near there." Most people from the east coast would think that it were referring Las Vegas, Nevada.

I'm from the west and thought that meant Las Vegas, Nevada.

If you are travelling from anywhere except New Mexico towards Sin City, these signs are, in the best use of the word, a bit misleading. Granted, I-25(N) is not towards the gambling capital, but I think you lot get my point.

[codyg1985]

Does any other state use state initials when signing a city within their state? I've only seen NH do it (in this case).

Near Memphis, whenever Jackson, MS is mentioned, it appears as "Jackson Miss" to distinguish it from nearby Jackson, TN. I don't remember whether the latter appears as "Jackson Tenn" but if so that would be an example.

In Kansas City, KS, there are signs for "Kansas City Ks Community College", but that is the name of the actual college, so it may not count.

The control city for I-40 east is Nashville so there isn't any mention of Jackson, TN in the Memphis area that I know of.

Interestingly enough, on US 72 at MS 365 in Burnsville, the destination listed is Cairo Miss. I guess at that place they didn't want to confuse it with Cairo, IL. https://www.google.com/maps/@34.83914,-88.321777,3a,75y,307.85h,88.46t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sB8aW2PZnyedLxKhDhOErYA!2e0

[1995hoo]

It's somewhat astonishing to me how many people have no idea of distances. My grandmother once told me I was an idiot when I said it took longer to drive from home in Fairfax to Duke University in North Carolina than it did to her house in New York: "You're stupid. North Carolina is only one state over." (Nowadays it would probably take longer to New York given increases in traffic, but 20 years ago I'd regularly make the 240-mile drive in three and a half hours. Never made it to or from Duke, which is about 260 miles, in under four hours.)

[Zeffy]

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.084948,-75.310026,3a,22y,14.47h,99.6t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sijeZwOFkBkBSKM5aQwe6PA!2e0

Is this sign referring to the New Jersey Turnpike, New Jersey and a Turnpike, or what? Usually NJTP or NJ Turnpike is used when referring to that road - I've never seen it like NJ-TPK (there's not even a hyphen in the Turnpike's name!) like the PTC has done here.

[ekt8750]

It's referring to NJ and the NJTP as the route to take to get to NY.

[PHLBOS]

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.084948,-75.310026,3a,22y,14.47h,99.6t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sijeZwOFkBkBSKM5aQwe6PA!2e0

Is this sign referring to the New Jersey Turnpike, New Jersey and a Turnpike, or what? Usually NJTP or NJ Turnpike is used when referring to that road - I've never seen it like NJ-TPK (there's not even a hyphen in the Turnpike's name!) like the PTC has done here.

Given the location of that BGS; it's a PennDOT installation & PennDOT spec'd.; not PTC.  It was installed as part of the I-476/Blue Route reconstruction project that took place not too long ago.

[6a]

Easton is a shopping center; personally I'd use brown for the top line as it is a regional destination.

[roadfro]

^ Brown is only used for historical/cultural interest or recreational signing, so you couldn't use brown for the top portion of the sign.

[6a]

Hollywood Casino, noted historical and cultural interest site

[roadman65]

I saw that and thought "Las Vegas, Nevada" even though I knew that I-25 went nowhere near Las Vegas, Nevada. If I were traveling I-25 and saw that, I'd think, "that's odd, this road goes nowhere near there." Most people from the east coast would think that it were referring Las Vegas, Nevada.

I know some people that would consider "Nashville" for US 64 in North Carolina as for Nashville, TN instead of Nashville, NC which the control city refers to.

Hopefully when the I-495 designation gets applied to all of US 64, it will be changed to Raliegh as it should really of been all along.  I believe it had to do with when the US 64 freeway was not completed all the way to Raliegh and ended a few miles west of I-95. As Nashville, NC is along the old alignment of US 64 and was indeed the first city west of Rocky Mount where the location of the I-95/ US 64 interchange is.

[The Nature Boy]

Along I-95, Raleigh is already the secondary control city for US 64. The biggest issue here is that NCDOT lets every small "city" in the state be a control city. I would just sign "Raleigh" and not have a secondary city.

[TEG24601]

I saw that and thought "Las Vegas, Nevada" even though I knew that I-25 went nowhere near Las Vegas, Nevada. If I were traveling I-25 and saw that, I'd think, "that's odd, this road goes nowhere near there." Most people from the east coast would think that it were referring Las Vegas, Nevada.

I'm from the west and thought that meant Las Vegas, Nevada.

If you are travelling from anywhere except New Mexico towards Sin City, these signs are, in the best use of the word, a bit misleading. Granted, I-25(N) is not towards the gambling capital, but I think you lot get my point.

This is part of the reason that WSDOT always signs it Vancouver, B.C., instead of just Vancouver, because some people might get confused and think Vancouver, WA.  Thankfully, Vancouver, WA isn't a control city on any Interstate in Washington or Oregon, but it is good to work to prevent confusion.

[bzakharin]

Easton is a shopping center; personally I'd use brown for the top line as it is a regional destination.

Easton is a major population center in the Lehigh Valley. I don't see why it can't be mentioned on a BGS like any other town that has multiple exits.

[NE2]

Easton is a major population center in the Lehigh Valley. I don't see why it can't be mentioned on a BGS like any other town that has multiple exits.

Because it's not mentioned on this sign. The sign is mentioning a shopping center (in Ohio).

[cl94]

Easton is a major population center in the Lehigh Valley. I don't see why it can't be mentioned on a BGS like any other town that has multiple exits.

Because it's not mentioned on this sign. The sign is mentioning a shopping center (in Ohio).

Agree. Neighborhood and shopping center in Columbus. What would work really well here are those colored squares outlined in the 2009 MUTCD to represent different sections of the center.

[bzakharin]

oh, sorry. The talk of PennDOT had me primed for PA. A shopping center has two exits?

[cl94]

oh, sorry. The talk of PennDOT had me primed for PA. A shopping center has two exits?

Not really. One is a direct exit to the mixed-use development that was built as part of its construction, the other is to a preexisting major road that runs along the north side of the development. Pretty large place, actually, and the Morse Road exit alone couldn't handle the traffic.

[lordsutch]

The control city for I-40 east is Nashville so there isn't any mention of Jackson, TN in the Memphis area that I know of.

Nope, there's not really any signage for Jackson, TN around Memphis, even on on-ramps; even US 70/79 is signed for Arlington or Brownsville, to the extent it is signed for anywhere in particular.

That still doesn't stop people from frequently going to the wrong Jackson, mind you (it might actually make things worse, since geographically-ignorant people might figure that Jackson TN might well be somewhere near Jackson MS on the Bristol or Kansas City theory).

[kphoger]

Just found this one while browsing GSV in and around Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila.
"AUTOZONE 450 mts", complete with highway shield.

[6a]

oh, sorry. The talk of PennDOT had me primed for PA. A shopping center has two exits?

Functionally, yes. The interstate was divided into a pseudo local/express setup so that an exit for the shopping center could be built. The proposed exit was too close to the I-670, Morse Rd and SR 161 exits so the whole thing was reconfigured. The Easton Way and Morse Rd exits serve the mall, but as was mentioned, Morse Rd was preexisting.

Not really. One is a direct exit to the mixed-use development that was built as part of its construction, the other is to a preexisting major road that runs along the north side of the development. Pretty large place, actually, and the Morse Road exit alone couldn't handle the traffic.

Quite large, indeed. This is Easton vs. what is considered downtown Columbus.  Same scale.

[roadman65]

A former residence.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/50381078401/in/photostream/

[thenetwork]

Anybody know the official pronunciation of the lower destination of the following sign:

I-70
https://maps.app.goo.gl/u9d81CmdCnJDy3Zy7


We passed it this weekend on I‐70 in Utah, and to us, it looks like something you'd tell a kid in a china shop..

[hotdogPi]

Anybody know the official pronunciation of the lower destination of the following sign:

I-70
https://maps.app.goo.gl/u9d81CmdCnJDy3Zy7


We passed it this weekend on I‐70 in Utah, and to us, it looks like something you'd tell a kid in a china shop..

That looks like a Native American name that would be pronounced phonetically.