I-40 in North Carolina

[CanesFan27]

I don't like the cost cutting in NC with its skimpy small overheads, less precise typesetting, single posts holding up shoulder signs, etc. I mean they don't have to light the overheads anymore, and they should be keeping all highway lighting working perfectly and continue lighting up the overheads that have lights. It looks fantastic driving through Greenville, SC to have new overheads lit up even with the reflective technology.

This might be a nice to have, but these are not necessities. In my experience, North Carolina still has better signage than a lot of states, even with this so called "cost cutting".

Here to second this.

1) the single pole elevated guide signs (as I call them) all appear to exist on highways with more than three lanes in each direction - especially on more recent projects (85 between concord and China grove to example)

I'm going to guess that the state has decided it as a standard to elevate guide signs on those type highways and using a higher strength single pole long term is better than overheads spanning multiple lanes.

Throw in that similar styles are in place in Georgia and elsewhere - it's viewed as a proven solution.

2) overhead sign lighting was removed when the new reflective signs were put in place what 10-15 years ago z. It was a statewide replacement processes

3) I know architect77 has brought up overhead sign size before and I just haven't really seen anything drastic or at all or it may be a decision to abbreviate where in the past it wasn't, etc.

I just haven't seen in my travels through this state the last 26 years as a resident any real degradation of signage.  If anything, adding/removing locations, routes, etc. is more of an issue than anything new being placed.

[Dirt Roads]

I don't like the cost cutting in NC with its skimpy small overheads, less precise typesetting, single posts holding up shoulder signs, etc. I mean they don't have to light the overheads anymore, and they should be keeping all highway lighting working perfectly and continue lighting up the overheads that have lights. It looks fantastic driving through Greenville, SC to have new overheads lit up even with the reflective technology.

This might be a nice to have, but these are not necessities. In my experience, North Carolina still has better signage than a lot of states, even with this so called "cost cutting".

Here to second this.

1) the single pole elevated guide signs (as I call them) all appear to exist on highways with more than three lanes in each direction - especially on more recent projects (85 between concord and China grove to example)

You guys may have missed <architect77>'s comments about NCDOT cost cutting over in the <I-42> thread back in February.  Irrelevant portions of <ghostbuster>'s video posts were snipped.  The second video clip here shows the type of unipost sign that is currently under discussion.

Full drive from 70 Business to 40:

It's sad to see the visible cost cutting where gore signs are only on a single post. NCDOT used to anchor every shoulder sign with multiple posts back in the glory days.

For the record, I've been wondering if this newer signpost arrangement is because of sloppy mowing by NCDOT contractors.  By the end of Summer, there are way too many dual-post shoulder signs that are missing the post adjacent to the highway.  If the mower takes down one of these uni-post signs the whole sign will land on top of their mower boom and hopefully force them to stop and report the incident.

With respect to this thread, I haven't yet seen any permanent unipost shoulder signs installed in the I-40 Orange County widening project.  Haven't seen any unipost BGS signage either, but I'm pretty sure that some of those are required.

[architect77]

I don't like the cost cutting in NC with its skimpy small overheads, less precise typesetting, single posts holding up shoulder signs, etc. I mean they don't have to light the overheads anymore, and they should be keeping all highway lighting working perfectly and continue lighting up the overheads that have lights. It looks fantastic driving through Greenville, SC to have new overheads lit up even with the reflective technology.

This might be a nice to have, but these are not necessities. In my experience, North Carolina still has better signage than a lot of states, even with this so called "cost cutting".

Here to second this.

1) the single pole elevated guide signs (as I call them) all appear to exist on highways with more than three lanes in each direction - especially on more recent projects (85 between concord and China grove to example)

You guys may have missed <architect77>'s comments about NCDOT cost cutting over in the <I-42> thread back in February.  Irrelevant portions of <ghostbuster>'s video posts were snipped.  The second video clip here shows the type of unipost sign that is currently under discussion.

Full drive from 70 Business to 40:

It's sad to see the visible cost cutting where gore signs are only on a single post. NCDOT used to anchor every shoulder sign with multiple posts back in the glory days.

For the record, I've been wondering if this newer signpost arrangement is because of sloppy mowing by NCDOT contractors.  By the end of Summer, there are way too many dual-post shoulder signs that are missing the post adjacent to the highway.  If the mower takes down one of these uni-post signs the whole sign will land on top of their mower boom and hopefully force them to stop and report the incident.

With respect to this thread, I haven't yet seen any permanent unipost shoulder signs installed in the I-40 Orange County widening project.  Haven't seen any unipost BGS signage either, but I'm pretty sure that some of those are required.

It's nice to see that they've backed off on the recent trend of putting candy cane symbols and reflectors on these gore sign posts. It looked tacky and unnecessary to me. NC added decent looking solid green vertical reflectors which are ok. SC for a while wrapped the posts in diagonal striping which didn't look pleasing.

[architect77]

I don't like the cost cutting in NC with its skimpy small overheads, less precise typesetting, single posts holding up shoulder signs, etc. I mean they don't have to light the overheads anymore, and they should be keeping all highway lighting working perfectly and continue lighting up the overheads that have lights. It looks fantastic driving through Greenville, SC to have new overheads lit up even with the reflective technology.

This might be a nice to have, but these are not necessities. In my experience, North Carolina still has better signage than a lot of states, even with this so called "cost cutting".

Here to second this.

1) the single pole elevated guide signs (as I call them) all appear to exist on highways with more than three lanes in each direction - especially on more recent projects (85 between concord and China grove to example)

You guys may have missed <architect77>'s comments about NCDOT cost cutting over in the <I-42> thread back in February.  Irrelevant portions of <ghostbuster>'s video posts were snipped.  The second video clip here shows the type of unipost sign that is currently under discussion.

Full drive from 70 Business to 40:

It's sad to see the visible cost cutting where gore signs are only on a single post. NCDOT used to anchor every shoulder sign with multiple posts back in the glory days.

For the record, I've been wondering if this newer signpost arrangement is because of sloppy mowing by NCDOT contractors.  By the end of Summer, there are way too many dual-post shoulder signs that are missing the post adjacent to the highway.  If the mower takes down one of these uni-post signs the whole sign will land on top of their mower boom and hopefully force them to stop and report the incident.

With respect to this thread, I haven't yet seen any permanent unipost shoulder signs installed in the I-40 Orange County widening project.  Haven't seen any unipost BGS signage either, but I'm pretty sure that some of those are required.

It's nice to see that they've backed off on the recent trend of putting candy cane symbols and reflectors on these gore sign posts. It looked tacky and unnecessary to me. NC added decent looking solid green vertical reflectors which are ok. SC for a while wrapped the posts in diagonal striping which didn't look pleasing.

With so many shoulder signs being hit by cars, getting bent or leaning over, the chintzy-looking single posts will be leaning and or fall over sooner and require more shoring up over time.

[Dirt Roads]

It's nice to see that they've backed off on the recent trend of putting candy cane symbols and reflectors on these gore sign posts. It looked tacky and unnecessary to me. NC added decent looking solid green vertical reflectors which are ok. SC for a while wrapped the posts in diagonal striping which didn't look pleasing.

Was travelling on I-40 westbound near the I-74 Winston-Salem Northern Beltway area and saw a new unipost exit gore sign with *gasp* a green pole reflector.  For years, NCDOT has been installing red or yellow pole reflectors on what the farmers here call "T-posts" (same thing that they call farm fence posts).  This sign definitely didn't use the FHWA standard U-channel posts.  First time I've seen a post reflector on (presumably) an I-beam, and first time I've seen a green one.