The Worst of Road Signs

[Ben114]

This is just horrible


TN-I-40X211WJZ by Paul Drives, on Flickr

You must travel to Rhode Island.

[Jim]

I-87 SB in Colonie, NY. Yeah, I think NYSDOT's Albany County residency is trying to compete with ODOT for crappy signs.

I drive by that almost daily and have been meaning to get a good picture for months.  Any time I've had my camera with me it seems it's been dark, rainy, snowy, backlit, my windshield's dirty, or the traffic's too heavy for me to feel comfortable trying to get a picture.  Glad it's finally been shamed appropriately in this thread.

It looks like the ugly Exit 2E that's been up for a while was patched over with a standard-looking "2E" in recent days.  I drive by it often and tonight was the first time it caught my eye so I don't think it's been fixed for long.

[vdeane]

I-87 SB in Colonie, NY. Yeah, I think NYSDOT's Albany County residency is trying to compete with ODOT for crappy signs.

I drive by that almost daily and have been meaning to get a good picture for months.  Any time I've had my camera with me it seems it's been dark, rainy, snowy, backlit, my windshield's dirty, or the traffic's too heavy for me to feel comfortable trying to get a picture.  Glad it's finally been shamed appropriately in this thread.

It looks like the ugly Exit 2E that's been up for a while was patched over with a standard-looking "2E" in recent days.  I drive by it often and tonight was the first time it caught my eye so I don't think it's been fixed for long.

I think the first time I saw it fixed was literally yesterday morning, so it looks like they got to it on Thursday.

[cl94]

I-87 SB in Colonie, NY. Yeah, I think NYSDOT's Albany County residency is trying to compete with ODOT for crappy signs.

I drive by that almost daily and have been meaning to get a good picture for months.  Any time I've had my camera with me it seems it's been dark, rainy, snowy, backlit, my windshield's dirty, or the traffic's too heavy for me to feel comfortable trying to get a picture.  Glad it's finally been shamed appropriately in this thread.

It looks like the ugly Exit 2E that's been up for a while was patched over with a standard-looking "2E" in recent days.  I drive by it often and tonight was the first time it caught my eye so I don't think it's been fixed for long.

I think the first time I saw it fixed was literally yesterday morning, so it looks like they got to it on Thursday.

RIP. Lasted roughly a year.

[thspfc]

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0370636,-102.131862,3a,30.1y,255.36h,97.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3Gca9IDm5CRGnQtVh2MAHg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
The error is painfully obvious once you see it.

[hotdogPi]

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0370636,-102.131862,3a,30.1y,255.36h,97.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3Gca9IDm5CRGnQtVh2MAHg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
The error is painfully obvious once you see it.

That belongs in the erroneous thread, not the worst of thread.

[Roadsguy]

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0370636,-102.131862,3a,30.1y,255.36h,97.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3Gca9IDm5CRGnQtVh2MAHg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
The error is painfully obvious once you see it.

Interestingly they all say south, including the first westbound reassurance marker. The eastbound reassurance marker entering Nebraska has no direction, though, so I don't think there are any signs that say north. I wonder if NDOT did that on purpose or if it was a mistake somewhere along the way.

[mrsman]

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0370636,-102.131862,3a,30.1y,255.36h,97.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3Gca9IDm5CRGnQtVh2MAHg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
The error is painfully obvious once you see it.

Interestingly they all say south, including the first westbound reassurance marker. The eastbound reassurance marker entering Nebraska has no direction, though, so I don't think there are any signs that say north. I wonder if NDOT did that on purpose or if it was a mistake somewhere along the way.

Perhaps it is done to emphasize that you are leaving I-80 and heading in more of a southbound direction.

[J N Winkler]

Personally, I think the use of cardinal direction words that are inappropriate for the "book" orientation of I-76 is not nearly as bad as the lane assignment arrows that don't reflect the actual configuration of the exit and the use of a stippled-arrow diagrammatic as the exit direction sign.

I think Nebraska DOT has a contract in the pipeline (not sure whether it has been advertised yet) for reconstruction of this interchange.

[Gnutella]

This is just horrible


TN-I-40X211WJZ by Paul Drives, on Flickr

What is it with Tennessee and their rinky-dink sign replacements lately? Last time I passed through, I saw several exit signs on I-24 that looked like that.

[Gnutella]

Athens, GA idiocies


Below are two sets of new GDOT-spec big green signs near the recently constructed Peter Street/Olympic Drive interchange:


Exhibit A

There are three screw-ups: 1) The route shields are tiny. 2) "OUTER GA 10" should read "OUTER LOOP GA 10." 3) Instead of saying "To Elberton," just say "Elberton" and add "TO EAST GA 72" alongside "NORTH U.S. 29."


Exhibit B

There are two screw-ups: 1) The route shield is tiny. 2) There's no distance indicated to the Lexington Road interchange. Even worse, both of these problems are present on the next sign gantry down the road. (I do, however, like the long deceleration lane, reminiscent of recent PennDOT construction projects.)


Here are some other Athens-area idiocies:


Exhibit C


Apparently, Dr. Martin Luther King Parkway and Commerce Road are points of recreational or cultural interest.


Exhibit D


The Oconee Connector partial interchange opened recently, but this sign uses 1990s-era GDOT font.


Exhibit E


Another relatively new sign with 1990s-era GDOT font, with a blank panel on the bottom that used to read "NO RETURN ACCESS" until it was inexplicably removed. The exit sign in the gore looks stupid too, with an undersized number.


Exhibit F (since rectified)


Sometime in 2012, the sign gantry at the Milledge Avenue interchange was removed for no apparent reason, and it took GDOT until last year to repeace it. To their credit, however, the new signs are new-GDOT-spec, and their pattern accuracy is perfect.


Exhibit G


A less obvious idiocy, this sign is only three quarters of a mile away from the exit ramp.

[thenetwork]

This is just horrible


TN-I-40X211WJZ by Paul Drives, on Flickr

What is it with Tennessee and their rinky-dink sign replacements lately? Last time I passed through, I saw several exit signs on I-24 that looked like that.

Looks like something made in Utah.

[jakeroot]

Athens, GA idiocies

These aren't great, but I'm not sure if they're "worst-of" quality. Certainly not the use of the old GDOT font, which isn't worst-of on its own.

The spacing on some of the signs seem odd, but other than that, they seem OK.

[US 89]

This is just horrible


TN-I-40X211WJZ by Paul Drives, on Flickr

What is it with Tennessee and their rinky-dink sign replacements lately? Last time I passed through, I saw several exit signs on I-24 that looked like that.

Looks like something made in Utah.

Now that you mention it, that does very much remind me of an older UDOT spec, but the interstate shield is below even Utah's level. (knocks on wood)

[kphoger]

Athens, GA idiocies

These aren't great, but I'm not sure if they're "worst-of" quality. Certainly not the use of the old GDOT font, which isn't worst-of on its own.

The spacing on some of the signs seem odd, but other than that, they seem OK.

They definitely don't fit the criteria of the OP:

We're talking pure, unadulterated suck here. Stuff that makes you wonder what they were thinking. Stuff that should only result from a night of binge drinking at the sign shop.

[jakeroot]

They definitely don't fit the criteria of the OP:

We're talking pure, unadulterated suck here. Stuff that makes you wonder what they were thinking. Stuff that should only result from a night of binge drinking at the sign shop.

You could, maybe, make the argument that using the old GDOT font was the result of a night of binge-drinking, maybe some gambling as well (to see if they could get away with it), with the drinking eventually contributing to some of the strange spacing.

At least they weren't pulling a .33+ BAC like the Craig County sign engineers!

[Eth]

You could, maybe, make the argument that using the old GDOT font was the result of a night of binge-drinking, maybe some gambling as well (to see if they could get away with it), with the drinking eventually contributing to some of the strange spacing.

I mean, that would explain the squared-off Ds. And perhaps the missing tittle on the ı (or maybe there was just a Turkish guy on the staff).

[MNHighwayMan]

2) "OUTER GA 10" should read "OUTER LOOP GA 10." 3)

Inner/Outer (in place of cardinal directions) has been a substitution that some DOTs have used for beltway routes. It's not in the MUTCD, though, as far as I can tell (maybe some state versions/supplements, though?)

That said, I don't know why you'd use "OUTER LOOP" when just "OUTER" says the same thing with half the words.

[Eth]

2) "OUTER GA 10" should read "OUTER LOOP GA 10." 3)

Inner/Outer (in place of cardinal directions) has been a substitution that some DOTs have used for beltway routes. It's not in the MUTCD, though, as far as I can tell (maybe some state versions/supplements, though?)

That said, I don't know why you'd use "OUTER LOOP" when just "OUTER" says the same thing with half the words.

"LOOP" in this case is part of the route number. Plain GA 10 runs from Atlanta to Augusta, mostly along US 78; GA 10 Loop is an auxiliary route that forms the Athens beltway.

[US 89]

2) "OUTER GA 10" should read "OUTER LOOP GA 10." 3)

Inner/Outer (in place of cardinal directions) has been a substitution that some DOTs have used for beltway routes. It's not in the MUTCD, though, as far as I can tell (maybe some state versions/supplements, though?)

That said, I don't know why you'd use "OUTER LOOP" when just "OUTER" says the same thing with half the words.

"LOOP" in this case is part of the route number. Plain GA 10 runs from Atlanta to Augusta, mostly along US 78; GA 10 Loop is an auxiliary route that forms the Athens beltway.

And that "LOOP" would be within the Georgia outline state route shield, like seen here.

I want to say I've seen Outer/Inner used on the Perimeter (I-285), but I can't find where it was on GSV.

[1995hoo]

The arrow is hideous. The rest of the sign is printed, but the arrow was ineptly added with red tape. It's on the corner at the end of our block and the arrow was just added, by whom I don't know. No other fire lane sign on our street has an arrow.

[ErmineNotyours]

This taped-on arrow survived for years before being replaced.  At first it looked convincing, until the paper started puffing out.

[PurdueBill]

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0370636,-102.131862,3a,30.1y,255.36h,97.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3Gca9IDm5CRGnQtVh2MAHg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
The error is painfully obvious once you see it.

Interestingly they all say south, including the first westbound reassurance marker. The eastbound reassurance marker entering Nebraska has no direction, though, so I don't think there are any signs that say north. I wonder if NDOT did that on purpose or if it was a mistake somewhere along the way.

Perhaps it is done to emphasize that you are leaving I-80 and heading in more of a southbound direction.

Nebraska posts I-76 as North-South.
Not a big deal really.  As noted previously, the first advance signs could be more accurate as to lanes, but the later diagrammatics (which interestingly omit directions) get it right.
(and pardon the brain fart, we're dodging tornadoes)

[US 89]

Surely there was a better way to do a temporary shield than this:

[hbelkins]

Surely there was a better way to do a temporary shield than this:

Not if it was just for a short time, as it's easier to just pick up an assembly like this and throw it in the back of a truck vs. setting a post, bolting the signs to the post, then unbolting them and removing the post.