No Control Cities on California state route 118, Ronald Reagan Freeway?

Started by ACSCmapcollector, July 14, 2016, 09:00:12 PM

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ACSCmapcollector

There is no control cities on the California state route 118, Ronald Reagan Freeway.

This is what I mean by no control cities:

https://www.aaroads.com/california/images005/i-005_nb_exit_156a_02.jpg


Scott C. Presnal
Morro Bay, CA


cahwyguy

IIRC, control cities are only required for interstate routes. 118 is a state route. I do believe there is a reference to Simi Valley at some point (I drive it regularly -- I live in Northridge).
Daniel - California Highway Guy ● Highway Site: http://www.cahighways.org/ ●  Blog: http://blog.cahighways.org/ ● Podcast (CA Route by Route): http://caroutebyroute.org/ ● Follow California Highways on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cahighways

ACSCmapcollector

Quote from: cahwyguy on July 14, 2016, 11:39:00 PM
IIRC, control cities are only required for interstate routes. 118 is a state route. I do believe there is a reference to Simi Valley at some point (I drive it regularly -- I live in Northridge).

Why is the reason that Interstate Highways, have control cities.  I have seen a freeway sign in Kern County on the north on Interstate 5 (Old U.S. 99) Golden State Freeway at the Westside Freeway I-5/CA 99 Golden State Freeway Y or "split" interchange:

https://www.aaroads.com/california/images005/i-005_nb_exit_221_02.jpg

Scott C. Presnal
Morro Bay, CA

cahwyguy

I wasn't trying to say that you couldn't have them on state routes, only that they weren't required. I believe the Interstate standards dictate specific control cities and require their periodic presence. With a state signed route, it is really up to the highway department whether they will be useful. Let's use your example of Route 118. If you're talking the freeway portion, is Moorpark that useful of a control city. That's where the freeway portion ends. Looking WB, what do you say. Umm, somewhere between Sylmar and LaCanada Flintridge? They don't really help there. On the other hand, let's take something like the 170. There, you can use the 5's control city NB, and Los Angeles SB just fine. Which reminds me.... I've got theatre in Hollywood at 830p, and gotta go to the 170.....
Daniel - California Highway Guy ● Highway Site: http://www.cahighways.org/ ●  Blog: http://blog.cahighways.org/ ● Podcast (CA Route by Route): http://caroutebyroute.org/ ● Follow California Highways on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cahighways

ACSCmapcollector

Ok gotcha, where is the Control Cities list, for Interstate, State Routes, and U.S. Highways, in California?

Scott C. Presnal
Morro Bay, CA

myosh_tino

Quote from: ACSCmapcollector on July 15, 2016, 08:29:26 PM
Ok gotcha, where is the Control Cities list, for Interstate, State Routes, and U.S. Highways, in California?

Scott C. Presnal
Morro Bay, CA

I don't believe there is an "official" list for US and California state routes.  As I understand it, it's up to each Caltrans district to come up with that list.  There's probably an official Interstate control city list on the FHWA website but I believe states are allowed to augment that list with additional intermediate control cities to aid in local navigation.
Quote from: golden eagle
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jeffe

Quote from: cahwyguy on July 15, 2016, 08:24:53 PM
I wasn't trying to say that you couldn't have them on state routes, only that they weren't required.

That's what I thought too, but I checked the California MUTCD and it looks like it applies to all freeways, not just Interstates:

Quote
Control city legends should be used in the following situations along a freeway:
A. At interchanges between freeways;
B. At separation points of overlapping freeway routes;
C. On directional signs on intersecting routes, to guide traffic entering the freeway;
D. On Pull-Through signs; and
E. On the bottom line of post-interchange distance signs.

That being said, it looks like Caltrans is removing control cities from some signs due to message loading issues.  There was a recent sign replacement project in district 7 (Los Angeles) that removed control cities from several of the signs.

Signs like this pull through on I-805 in San Diego with no control city are also more common:
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.8525673,-117.1813422,3a,75y,148.28h,86.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFvJTNSDduaIfUmeqrRaRnA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

There are also some unusual control cities, such as I-605 which uses "Thru Traffic" as a control city.

On a final note, I believe California is unique in using ONLY control cities on older signs directing surface streets to freeway ramps.  Such as a:

<-- San Francisco
       US-101
      San Jose -->

type sign.  Other states use only cardinal directions or a control city/cardinal direction combination.  However, the current Caltrans standard calls for cardinal directions with optional control cities.

Otto Yamamoto

Quote from: jeffe on July 15, 2016, 08:57:01 PM
Quote from: cahwyguy on July 15, 2016, 08:24:53 PM
I wasn't trying to say that you couldn't have them on state routes, only that they weren't required.

That's what I thought too, but I checked the California MUTCD and it looks like it applies to all freeways, not just Interstates:

Quote
Control city legends should be used in the following situations along a freeway:
A. At interchanges between freeways;
B. At separation points of overlapping freeway routes;
C. On directional signs on intersecting routes, to guide traffic entering the freeway;
D. On Pull-Through signs; and
E. On the bottom line of post-interchange distance signs.

That being said, it looks like Caltrans is removing control cities from some signs due to message loading issues.  There was a recent sign replacement project in district 7 (Los Angeles) that removed control cities from several of the signs.

Signs like this pull through on I-805 in San Diego with no control city are also more common:
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.8525673,-117.1813422,3a,75y,148.28h,86.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFvJTNSDduaIfUmeqrRaRnA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

There are also some unusual control cities, such as I-605 which uses "Thru Traffic" as a control city.

On a final note, I believe California is unique in using ONLY control cities on older signs directing surface streets to freeway ramps.  Such as a:

<-- San Francisco
       US-101
      San Jose -->

type sign.  Other states use only cardinal directions or a control city/cardinal direction combination.  However, the current Caltrans standard calls for cardinal directions with optional control cities.
Putting control cities on these signs would be kind of useful for non locals.

XT1585


cahwyguy

Well, given that I drove the 118 last night, the answer is really that there is no control city that works well for the EB route, given where it ends. Looking at the transition from the 405 NB to the 118, you're given two choices: WB, which has Simi Valley as a control city (and in Simi, they may say Moorpark -- I'll check tonight as we've got theatre in Thousand Oaks and take the 118/23 to get there). But EB is just 118 East, for there really is no appropriate city.
Daniel - California Highway Guy ● Highway Site: http://www.cahighways.org/ ●  Blog: http://blog.cahighways.org/ ● Podcast (CA Route by Route): http://caroutebyroute.org/ ● Follow California Highways on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cahighways

Quillz

San Fernando might work as a 118 EB control city. I don't believe you can transition onto 210 NB, but there are a few San Fernando exits.

cahwyguy

You can transition to 210 NB. IIRC, SB is Pasadena, NB is possibly Sacramento, but could be Bakersfield.
Daniel - California Highway Guy ● Highway Site: http://www.cahighways.org/ ●  Blog: http://blog.cahighways.org/ ● Podcast (CA Route by Route): http://caroutebyroute.org/ ● Follow California Highways on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cahighways

roadfro

Quote from: jeffe on July 15, 2016, 08:57:01 PM
On a final note, I believe California is unique in using ONLY control cities on older signs directing surface streets to freeway ramps.  Such as a:

<-- San Francisco
       US-101
      San Jose -->

type sign.  Other states use only cardinal directions or a control city/cardinal direction combination.  However, the current Caltrans standard calls for cardinal directions with optional control cities.

Nevada had done this in the past as well, although they didn't always use the specific style of sign that you're referring to here. Even now, there are instances on surface streets leading up to a freeway interchange that NDOT will post a directional sign with control cities but no cardinal directions (Example: WB SR 648/Glendale Ave, approaching I-580/US 395 in Reno).
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

JustDrive

118 has control cities on some surface streets (Laurel Canyon to WB 118, Tapo Canyon at the 118, Madera Road at the 118, etc).

djsekani

Quote from: JustDrive on July 17, 2016, 01:02:19 AM
118 has control cities on some surface streets (Laurel Canyon to WB 118, Tapo Canyon at the 118, Madera Road at the 118, etc).

https://goo.gl/maps/GFZMkSt7LYL2
East to Los Angeles and west to Ventura. Mystery solved?

cahwyguy

Further, depending on where the freeway to freway connections are, there are control cites. Drove 118 to 23 and back last night. At the point where the transition occurs, 118 W had "Los Angeles" at hte control city (118 E is Los Angeles Ave). The 405 transition to the 118 labels WB as "Simi Valley"; no label EB but then it ends in under 10 miles in an unnamed area. I believe the 5 to 118 transition does the same thing.
Daniel - California Highway Guy ● Highway Site: http://www.cahighways.org/ ●  Blog: http://blog.cahighways.org/ ● Podcast (CA Route by Route): http://caroutebyroute.org/ ● Follow California Highways on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cahighways

mrsman

Quote from: djsekani on July 17, 2016, 03:37:26 AM
Quote from: JustDrive on July 17, 2016, 01:02:19 AM
118 has control cities on some surface streets (Laurel Canyon to WB 118, Tapo Canyon at the 118, Madera Road at the 118, etc).

https://goo.gl/maps/GFZMkSt7LYL2
East to Los Angeles and west to Ventura. Mystery solved?

The real mystery is that there aren't more signs like this at other exits and on the pull through signs on the highway itself as well as on the transitions from the 23, 405, 5, and 210 freeways.

IMO, a control city of Simi Valley should be posted as the westbound control from I-210 through Rocky Peak, and then the control of Ventura should be used along 118 west.  The eastbound control should be Los Angeles along the entire stretch from the 23 to the Hayvenhurst Ave eastbound on-ramp in Granada Hills.  The on-ramp from the 405 northbound and all other on-ramps to the east of that point should have a Pasadena control city.

cahwyguy

There's no mystery. This isn't the East Coast, where things are that distinct. Most of the folks on the 118 are locals (like me), and don't need the control cities. This freeway goes from the Simi Valley to the San Fernando Valley. That's it. I know. I live in the San Fernando Valley.
Daniel - California Highway Guy ● Highway Site: http://www.cahighways.org/ ●  Blog: http://blog.cahighways.org/ ● Podcast (CA Route by Route): http://caroutebyroute.org/ ● Follow California Highways on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cahighways

hm insulators

Quote from: cahwyguy on July 16, 2016, 02:41:43 PM
You can transition to 210 NB. IIRC, SB is Pasadena, NB is possibly Sacramento, but could be Bakersfield.

It's Sacramento. I've used that section of the 118 many times, especially when I lived in Van Nuys and my late Aunt Betty was still alive and living in Pacoima.
Remember: If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

I'd rather be a child of the road than a son of a ditch.


At what age do you tell a highway that it's been adopted?



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