Control cities you would use for your area

[golden eagle]

Since some of us have issues with some locations used as control cities, what would your ideal control city list consist of? Here's mine:

I-55N (Grenada/Memphis): I'd drop Grenada
I-55S (McComb/New Orleans): Keep New Orleans, drop McComb
I-20W (Vicksburg): No change
I-20E (Meridian): Fine with Meridian, though I'd add Birmingham to it
I-220 (no control cities): Northbound would be Yazoo City/Memphis until US 49 splits, Memphis exclusively from US 49 northward. Southbound would be Vicksburg exclusively until it multiplexes with US 49S. At that point, it'd be Vicksburg/Hattiesburg
US 49S (Hattiesburg): No change
US 49N (Flora/Yazoo City): No change
US 80: No control cities from I-220. I'd use Clinton for westbound, downtown Jackson/Pearl for eastbound
MS 18 (Raymond): No change
MS 25 (Carthage): I'm OK with Carthage, but I'd rather use Starkville. I could even be swayed into dropping Carthage entirely.

While not in my area, in Memphis, I'd use Tunica as the control city for US 61 rather than Vicksburg from I-55, though there is signage for Tunica before approaching the exit. In fact, I've wondered why they don't use Clarksdale or even Greenville as the control city.

[Brandon]

Note to mods, this would be better in the fictional thread, IMHO, but here's mine:

I'll stick with the Chicago area of Illinois for the time being.  Note that IDOT uses primary and secondary control cities.

I-55: St Louis and Chicago are fine for the primary controls, as are Bloomington, Joliet, and Chicago for the secondary controls
I-57: Ditto with Memphis and Chicago; Champaign, Kankakee, and Chicago
I-80: Hodgepodge of Indiana, Iowa, Toledo, and Des Moines for primary controls.  Iowa and Indiana are fine for primary controls, and Moline-Rock Island, Joliet, and Indiana are good for secondary controls.  I would, however, sign I-88 for Chicago and sign I-80 for Joliet and Indiana in the Quad Cities.  I-88 is a better way to reach the Loop and I-80.
I-88: I would choose DeKalb, Aurora, and Chicago.
I-90: Rockford and Chicago are fine.
I-94: Indiana and Wisconsin/Mikwaukee work well.
I-190: O'Hare and Chicago, what else?
I-290: Now here comes some major changes.  Wbd should be Aurora and Schaumburg, not West Suburbs and Rockford.  Ebd should be Joliet/Oak Brook (@ I-90) and Chicago (@ I-355, I-88, and I-294).
I-294: Wisconsin and Indiana.  How much simpler can they be?
I-355: More major changes.  Sbd should be Joliet (@ I-290 and I-88), Lockport/New Lenox (@I-55 Sbd), and Lockport/Indiana (@ I-55 Nbd).  Nbd should be Schaumburg.
IL-394: Danville!?!  I'd use Crete.  IL-394 never makes it to Danville, and I-57 to I-74 is better for that and IL-1.

[74/171FAN]

I'm ok with pretty much all the control cities in my area except for on I-95 NB at VA 35/US 301/VA 156(Exit 41) where I believe that Hopewell(accessed via VA 156) should be used as a control city along with Courtland even though traffic can also access Hopewell via the I-295 exit only 5 miles to the north.

[njroadhorse]

New Jersey
I-78E (Newark) - no change
I-78W (Clinton) - Change this for Phillipsburg and Allentown
I-80E (Paterson/New York City) - no change
I-80W (Netcong/Del Water Gap/Stroudsburg PA) - Maybe scrap Netcong
I-287N (Somerville/Morristown/Boonton/Mahwah) - No change
I-287S (Boonton/Morristown/Perth Amboy) - no change
I-280E & W (The Oranges/Newark/Harrison) - The only change here is that they could all be signed a little more, I-280 rarely uses control points
NJ 3 E - I don't think it has any, so I will say it should use Clifton and Secaucus
NJ 3 W (Clifton) - Could add Little Falls

[xcellntbuy]

In south Florida:

Interstate 75 north from the Palmetto Expressway FL 826 to Interstate 595 should state Sunrise-Weston.
Interstate 75 north (west) from Interstate 595 across Alligator Alley should remain Naples.

Interstate 75 south from Interstate 595 to Palmetto Expressway should be Hialeah-Miami.

Interstate 95 north from Miami should have both Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach (and spell it out, too!).  I hate that "W Palm Bch" crap.

Interstate 595 west should be kept with "TO Interstate 75 and Florida's Turnpike" shields but include Sunrise-Weston.  Right now, there is nothing.

[Bryant5493]

Metro Atlanta area:

I-85 North (north of Downtown Atlanta): I'd add Gainesville to Greenville between I-75 and I-985. North of I-985, I'd add Charlotte to Greenville.


Be well,

Bryant

[Scott5114]

I-35 southbound could stand to have Ardmore added as a control city.

[TheStranger]

Some California thoughts...

I-205: Westbound, "Oakland" or "Dublin" at I-5, and eastbound, "Manteca" at I-580

Route 154: Santa Barbara going southbound from US 101, and Santa Maria going northbound from Santa Barbara.  (Kinda understand why this isn't the case - to discourage most travelers from leaving the 101 freeway between the two cities)

San Diego
I-805: Southbound, National City and San Ysidro
I-5, metro San Diego: Southbound, San Ysidro south of downtown
Route 905 (future I-905): Eastbound from I-5 and I-805, "Otay Mesa Border Crossing", while westbound from Route 125, "Imperial Beach/San Diego"
Route 15: Southbound, "Barrio Logan" or "National City"

Los Angeles
I-605: "Azusa" or "Glendora" northbound, "Long Beach" southbound
Route 170: "Downtown Los Angeles" southbound

Bay Area
Route 85: Southbound at US 101 in Mountain View, "Los Angeles" and northbound at US 101 in south San Jose, "San Francisco" (make it more obvious that it is a bypass route for north-south travelers)

Sacramento area
Route 99: Southbound, "Elk Grove" south of US 50 (as well as northbound past Route 104)
I-5: "Elk Grove" south of US 50 and north of Route 12
Business 80: "Roseville" north of US 50 going eastbound, "Elk Grove via Route 99" south of Route 160 going westbound
I-80: "Roseville" eastbound northeast of US 50 (as well as "TO Route 99/I-5 north")
US 50: "TO Route 99/I-5 south" eastbound past I-80, "Folsom" east of Route 99

[agentsteel53]

I-805: Southbound, National City and San Ysidro
I-5, metro San Diego: Southbound, San Ysidro south of downtown
Route 905 (future I-905): Eastbound from I-5 and I-805, "Otay Mesa Border Crossing", while westbound from Route 125, "Imperial Beach/San Diego"
Route 15: Southbound, "Barrio Logan" or "National City"

I'd really like to see Tijuana (either as is, or Tijuana BC) acknowledged as a legitimate destination.  Certainly it is larger and more important than any of those smaller suburbs on the US side.

[TheStranger]

I-805: Southbound, National City and San Ysidro
I-5, metro San Diego: Southbound, San Ysidro south of downtown
Route 905 (future I-905): Eastbound from I-5 and I-805, "Otay Mesa Border Crossing", while westbound from Route 125, "Imperial Beach/San Diego"
Route 15: Southbound, "Barrio Logan" or "National City"

I'd really like to see Tijuana (either as is, or Tijuana BC) acknowledged as a legitimate destination.  Certainly it is larger and more important than any of those smaller suburbs on the US side.

Tijuana would work as a replacement for "San Ysidro" from I-5 and I-805 south from approximately National City on...for 905, I don't know if that quite applies (not sure if the Otay Mesa crossing leads you to Tijuana city limits, certainly it is far from the central portions of it).

[agentsteel53]

I think Tijuana is more important than National City!

hell, if Santa Ana gets to be a control city...

[TheStranger]

I think Tijuana is more important than National City!

hell, if Santa Ana gets to be a control city...

National City probably could serve as a one or two-mile long control city, much like Daly City does for I-280.  TJ from San Diego south though would make sense, for I-805 I say that maybe even extend that from Route 15 south.

Another San Diego idea: for Route 125, northbound to I-8 should be "El Cajon" and southbound could be "Otay Mesa Border Crossing".

As for Santa Ana along I-5...I'm surprised Anaheim isn't paired with it as a control city, as it is the community much more familiar to tourists/travelers.

[golden eagle]

I think Tijuana is more important than National City!

hell, if Santa Ana gets to be a control city...

Another San Diego idea: for Route 125, northbound to I-8 should be "El Cajon" and southbound could be "Otay Mesa Border Crossing".

How about pairing Riverside on I-15 north with Las Vegas and in Vegas, pair San Diego with Los Angeles on I-15 south? After all, Los Angeles is a good hour or more from I-15.

[Revive 755]

St. Louis area
* I-55:  Currently Memphis and Chicago for primary; generally Cape Girardeau, East St. Louis, and Springfield for secondary.  I'd leave the primary alone, but add Festus-Crystal City as a secondary on the Missouri side since it has a decently important interchange with the US 67 expressway, and replace East St. Louis on the Illinois side with Troy.

* I-44:  No changes, though replacing Tulsa with Springfield is tempting.

* I-64:  Currently Wentzville, Chesterfield (EB only) and Louisville for primaries.  I'd drop Chesterfield and make I-64 be signed as the route for St. Louis traffic eastbound; it's only a mile shorter than I-70 to the PSB, but I-64 goes through a more appealing part of the region.  Since it's about eight miles shorter to use I-64 over I-270 and I-70, I'd also replace Wentzville with Kansas City, unless I-70 has had Kansas City changed to Wentzville.

* I-70:  Currently Kansas City and Indianapolis, plus at the intersection with I-64 in Wentzville it is signed as the route into St. Louis.  I'd change it so at Wentzville the eastbound control is either St. Charles, Lambert Airport, or Lambert Airport/Indianapolis.  Westbound at the PSB I'd change to control to either Lambert Airport or St. Charles.  At I-270 I'd change the control to Wentzville or if I-64 gets Kansas City, leave the I-70 control city as Kansas City.

* I-170:  Currently Clayton and nothing.  Keep Clayton, add Florrisant, Lambert Airport, or both for northbound traffic.

* I-255:  I'd replace "to I-270" with Alton.

* I-270:  Replace Chicago at the I-70 interchange in Bridgeton with Indianapolis, which is what Illinois uses.  For northbound I-270, the control city would stay Kansas City until the I-64 interchange, though if Kansas City is replaced with Wentzville on I-70, I-270 would also use Wentzville.  Between I-64 and I-70 the northbound control city would be St. Charles.

* IL 255:  Alton and either To I-270 or Memphis; change To I-270 to always be Memphis

* MO 364:  Currently St. Louis for eastbound, nothing for westbound.  Westbound would get St. Peters, eastbound would change to Maryland Heights.  When MO 364 reaches I-64, the I-64 to MO 94 section would use Wentzville and St. Peters.

* MO 367:  As is; though I would like to drop St. Louis and use the road name instead (Lewis and Clark Boulevard).

* MO 370:  Currently St. Charles County and nothing.  Nothing would become Indianapolis, westbound would change to Wenztville or Kansas City, since using MO 370 appears about a mile shorter than I-270 and I-70.

[tdindy88]

For Indianapolis:

I-65 South: Columbus, IN, Louisville
I-65 North: Lafayette, Chicago
I-69 North: Muncie, Fort Wayne
I-70 West: Terre Haute, St. Louis (old signs at the intersection with 465 on the west side did used to have both these cities but have been replaced with St. Louis and the Airport)
I-70 East: Richmond, Dayton
I-69 South (future): Bloomington, Evansville
US 31 North: Kokomo, South Bend

[agentsteel53]

How about pairing Riverside on I-15 north with Las Vegas and in Vegas, pair San Diego with Los Angeles on I-15 south? After all, Los Angeles is a good hour or more from I-15.

I think that's a relic from the US-91 days - held over because the majority of traffic still to this day goes to LA.

[agentsteel53]

As for Santa Ana along I-5...I'm surprised Anaheim isn't paired with it as a control city, as it is the community much more familiar to tourists/travelers.

Santa Ana is the county seat, and also I think Anaheim being a well-known place dates only to the Disney era. 

Santa Ana being a control city is a joke.  Los Angeles and San Diego are the places people actually intend to go.

Well, that and Disneyland but that would be an even bigger joke as a control city.

Krusty the Clown: hey kids! now we're gonna go the happiest place on earth!  Tijuana!

I rest my case 

[TheStranger]

How about pairing Riverside on I-15 north with Las Vegas and in Vegas, pair San Diego with Los Angeles on I-15 south? After all, Los Angeles is a good hour or more from I-15.

I think that's a relic from the US-91 days - held over because the majority of traffic still to this day goes to LA.

If we can still have "San Diego" mentioned on US 395 in Inyo County and on US 101 in the Santa Barbara/Ventura area...maybe the first sign for SD along I-15 could be southbound in Hesperia, at the very least.  Not all the way in Vegas though.

Riverside is indeed the I-15/Route 15 northbound control city (up to Temecula), starting at I-15 in Bario Logan.

golden eagle: Other routes where the control city isn't even on the numbered highway in question, but is accessible via connections made by it, include Route 120 for San Francisco (via I-5, I-205, I-580 and I-80 - essentially former US 50) in the Manteca/Lathrop area, Route 152 for San Jose at I-5 (via US 101 north), and Route 99 to Los Angeles (via I-5 which is old US 99).

As for I-5 using Santa Ana...

1. Anaheim does have a convention center and other attractions (the Orange County sports teams) besides Disneyland...which has been the case for nearly 50 years.

2. San Diego doesn't become a control city for I-405 southbound until after Long Beach, so that represents the "suburban control city" between Orange County and Los Angeles; I think the same logic was used for Santa Ana along former US 101/current I-5.  (Having said that, San Diego should start to garner mention around the I-605 junction, going southward.)

[SP Cook]

West Vriginia:

Interstates:

77: Currently the progression is Wytheville, VA; Bluefield, Beckley, Charleston, Parkersburg, and Marrieta, OH.  Using Charleston as the dividing point, I would at least cosign with "Cleveland" and "Charlotte". 

79:  Currently the progression is Charleston, Clarksburg, Fairmont, Morgantown, and Washington, PA.  I would simplify this to Charleston and a co-signed Morgantown - Pittsburgh, then Pittsburgh.

81:  Currently a confused mis-mash of smaller and far off towns in the entire area where one can be in four states in 30 minutes, but then in a single state for hours.  I would just use Virginia southbound and Maryland-Pennsylvania northbound in the entire state.

64: Currently the progression is Ashland, KY (used to be Lexington), Huntington, Charleston, Beckley, Lewisburg, White Sulphur Springs, and Lexington, VA.  I would bring back Lexington (the interstate does not really take you to Ashland), then Huntington, Charleston, Beckley, Lewisburg, and then just Virginia.

68:  Currently its Morgantown and Cumberland.  I would co-sign Cumberland with Baltimore - Washington, DC.

70/470: Westbound split is "Wheeling Bypass - Columbus, OH" and "Downtown Wheeling", which is fine.  Eastbound use of "Washington" is OK, since it does not confuse motorists as its the way to either Washington.

Corridors:

D-50: 79 exit is just marked "Clarksburg", should be "Clarksburg - Parkersburg".  77 exit is just a street name, should be "Clarksburg".

L-19: I would sign the 79 exit as "Summersville - Beckley - TO 77 south - Charlotte".  I would sign the 77/64 exit as "Summersville - Morgantown - TO 79 north - Pittsburgh".

G - 119: Current exit in Charleston is "Oakwood Road" which is a semi-destroyed by the construction side street, which causes many people to think 119 is "Oakwood Road", along with Logan.  Progression is Logan, Williamson and then Pikeville, KY.  I would simplify to Pikeville, KY and Charleston.

H - 33/48:  Currently a mis-mash as it is not completed, but is using tiny local towns.  As completed, I would make the progression TO 79/Weston - Elkins - Front Royal, VA TO 81/66.

OTHER MAIN ROADS:

US 35: Currently Charleston and Point Pleasant.  Southbound, the road does not go to Charleston, it ends 21 miles away in Scott Depot.  Northbound Point Pleasant might be OK, but its a small town and technically the road does not go there (its on the other side of the river).  I would sign the exit as "Point Pleasant - Dayton - Cincinnati - Columbus" and use mileage to Dayton as well as Point Pleasant.  Southbound, along with Charleston, I would use "TO 64". 

[RustyK]

Seattle:  For the most part, the ones in use right now aren't bad.  There was some updating done on a few of them, I think, but this is what I'd do:

If using 1 control city only (moving to the next control city as you enter that one...so I-5 from Everett north should be Vancouver)
I-5 North from Seattle: Everett, then Vancouver BC
I-5 South from US Border: Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland
I-90 East from Seattle: Bellevue, Ellensburg (I-82 Junction), Spokane, Couer D'alene ID
I-90 West from ID Border: Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle
I-82 East/South from Ellensburg: Tri-Cities, Boise (via I-84)
I-82 West/North from OR Border: Tri-Cities, Ellensburg
I-405 South from Lynnwood: Bellevue, Renton, Sea-Tac Airport
I-405 North from Tukwila: Renton, Bellevue, Everett
I-705, I-205: No changes

2 control cities, or Junction points: (A/B, once A is reached, go to B/C, etc...)
I-5 North from OR Border: Centralia / Olympia, Olympia / Seattle, Tacoma / Seattle, Seattle / Everett, Everett / Vancouver BC, Bellingham / Vancouver BC, Vancouver BC / (None)
I-5 South from CN Border: Bellingham / Seattle, Everett / Seattle, Seattle / Tacoma, Tacoma / Olympia, Olympia / Portland OR, Centralia / Portland OR, Vancouver WA / Portland OR
I-90 east from Seattle: Mercer Island / Bellevue, Bellevue / Issaquah, Issaquah / Spokane, Snoqualmie Pass / Spokane, Ellensburg / Spokane, Moses Lake / Spokane, Ritzville / Spokane, Spkane / Coeur D'Alene, C'ouer D'Alene / None



I-90west from ID Border: In reverse of I-90 east, with Seattle always being the second listed until Bellevue
ok my computer hates this text box, so I can't see what I'm typing, so I'm just going to stop here.





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[myosh_tino]

Bay Area
Route 85: Southbound at US 101 in Mountain View, "Los Angeles" and northbound at US 101 in south San Jose, "San Francisco" (make it more obvious that it is a bypass route for north-south travelers)

The problem with your CA-85 suggestions is that the US 101 pull through signs at these interchanges already show Los Angeles (south 101) and San Francisco (north 101) as the control cities.  Putting the same control cities on the CA-85 exit signs would be very, very confusing to motorists.  While I agree that CA-85 can be considered a bypass around San Jose, that only applies to automobile traffic.  Big rigs are banned on CA-85 between Stevens Creek Blvd and US 101.   

I think the current control cities (Cupertino/Mtn View and Cupertino/Santa Cruz) work just fine.

[TheStranger]

Bay Area
Route 85: Southbound at US 101 in Mountain View, "Los Angeles" and northbound at US 101 in south San Jose, "San Francisco" (make it more obvious that it is a bypass route for north-south travelers)

The problem with your CA-85 suggestions is that the US 101 pull through signs at these interchanges already show Los Angeles (south 101) and San Francisco (north 101) as the control cities.  Putting the same control cities on the CA-85 exit signs would be very, very confusing to motorists.  While I agree that CA-85 can be considered a bypass around San Jose, that only applies to automobile traffic.  Big rigs are banned on CA-85 between Stevens Creek Blvd and US 101.   

I think the current control cities (Cupertino/Mtn View and Cupertino/Santa Cruz) work just fine.

With the big rig ban, it makes sense then that 101 gets the major control cities, though I think 85 then should be signed as "Central San Jose Bypass - Autos" (keeping in mind that 101 doesn't go through downtown either) at each end.  Something like that.

If trucks were allowed on 85, then I would think of the best approach being "101 San Jose/85 Cupertino, San Francisco" at the south end, and "101 San Jose/85 Los Angeles, Gilroy" on the north end.

[The Premier]

I-77 NB: Cambridge, Dover/New Philadelphia, Canton, Akron, Cleveland (instead of just Cleveland from the State Line all the way to Canton as the control city)
I-77 SB: Akron, Canton, Dover/New Philadelphia, Cambridge, Marietta

I-80 EB (free section only): Youngstown, Sharon, PA (instead of New York City)

I-480 EB: Hopkins Airport, Twinsburg, Ravenna (as SR 14)
I-480 WB: Twinsburg, Hopkins Airport, Ohio Turnpike

SR 8 NB: Cuyahoga Falls, Macedonia
SR 8 SB: Cuyahoga Falls, Akron

[golden eagle]

I-80: Hodgepodge of Indiana, Iowa, Toledo, and Des Moines for primary controls. 

I'd thought South Bend would be used for a control city before Toledo.

[Revive 755]

Not my area, but anyway:
Omaha, NE/Council Bluffs, IA
* I-29:  As is (Kansas City, Sioux City
* I-80:  As is (Lincoln, Des Moines
* I-480:  Eastbound:  Downtown Omaha, Sioux City.  Westbound:  Downtown Omaha, Lincoln.  I'd use the airport symbol for Eppley Airfield, plus a supplemental sign or two.
* I-680:  Eastbound:  Sioux City, then Des Moines.  Westbound:  Sioux City, then Lincoln.  Currently does not have control cities on the Nebraska side.
* US 75:  As is (Bellevue), though I might add Plattsmouth on a few signs.