Control Cities

[Flint1979]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

[HighwayStar]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

Butte not Bozeman, Coeur d'Alene between Missoula and Spokane (as it is now).

[SkyPesos]

I think WSDOT skips Ellensburg for just Seattle and Spokane, which I prefer over including it.

[jmacswimmer]

I sometimes feel that I-90 west of Boston should be signed for Springfield instead of Albany.

I would think Worcester instead but I get it.

IIRC, the westbound signs leaving Boston generally have 2 control cities: Worcester & Albany as far as the Woo, then Springfield & Albany past there.

(Prior to sign replacements, I think there also used to be the occasional New York reference for traffic headed to I-84.)

[hotdogPi]

Just as a hypothetical, on A-35 southbound:


and see how many people think the road is closed

[Flint1979]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

Butte not Bozeman, Coeur d'Alene between Missoula and Spokane (as it is now).

That's your opinion. Coeur d'Alene is a small city 30 miles east of Spokane what would be the point in using it over Spokane going WB?

[Flint1979]

I think WSDOT skips Ellensburg for just Seattle and Spokane, which I prefer over including it.

I found one with Ritzville on it and that city only has about 1,500 people then Seattle west of that one exit I found but before Ritzville so Ritzville on one sign then Seattle after that. That's how it is but I was saying how it should be.

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6351593,-117.4840166,3a,75y,111.53h,85.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZOWNFoXw52KETNXoylkL5Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[Roadgeekteen]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

I would skip Albert Lea.

[Flint1979]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

I would skip Albert Lea.

I would skip Rochester before I would skip Albert Lea.

[sprjus4]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

I would skip Albert Lea.

I would skip Rochester before I would skip Albert Lea.

Rochester, MN has a population of over 100,000. Rochester, NY has a population of over 200,000. Albert Lea has a population of under 20,000.

How does this make any logical sense?

[Flint1979]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

I would skip Albert Lea.

I would skip Rochester before I would skip Albert Lea.

Rochester, MN has a population of over 100,000. Rochester, NY has a population of over 200,000. Albert Lea has a population of under 20,000.

How does this make any logical sense?

Why skip any of them?

[sprjus4]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

I would skip Albert Lea.

I would skip Rochester before I would skip Albert Lea.

Rochester, MN has a population of over 100,000. Rochester, NY has a population of over 200,000. Albert Lea has a population of under 20,000.

How does this make any logical sense?

Why skip any of them?

Well, you did suggest skipping Rochester, NY. But either way, a small town of 20,000 should not be used as a control city on a major interstate highway. It should limited to large cities and destinations through travelers would be destined to and familiar with.

[Flint1979]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

I would skip Albert Lea.

I would skip Rochester before I would skip Albert Lea.

Rochester, MN has a population of over 100,000. Rochester, NY has a population of over 200,000. Albert Lea has a population of under 20,000.

How does this make any logical sense?

Why skip any of them?

Well, you did suggest skipping Rochester, NY. But either way, a small town of 20,000 should not be used as a control city on a major interstate highway. It should limited to large cities and destinations through travelers would be destined to and familiar with.

It's up to the DOT of each state to decide. I mean quite honestly MnDOT looks like they agree with me.
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6802306,-92.9933094,3a,15y,22.91h,89.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMqyym_5ndEs6F-_g1UXUhQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I'm not trying to argue about it either but Albert Lea is at the junction of two major cross country Interstate's.

It also looks like NYSDOT agrees with me too. As this junction is east of Rochester.
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9528363,-76.9802479,3a,25.1y,300.24h,103.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKS_lOuXKDZIFooWhAGSEjA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[Flint1979]

I meant NYSTA not NYSDOT since it's on the Thruway. That's another good reason not to sign Rochester, NY. It's not on the Thruway. Even though I-90 barely misses entering Buffalo proper it gets you closer to Buffalo than it does Rochester and Buffalo is bigger than Rochester too.

[HighwayStar]

I just followed I-90 from Boston to Seattle on the map.

I'd go like this

Worcester, Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo (skipping Rochester), Erie PA, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Chicago, Rockford, Madison, Tomah, La Crosse, Rochester, Albert Lea, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Billings MT, Bozeman, Missoula, Spokane, Ellensburg, Seattle and vice versa going EB.

Butte not Bozeman, Coeur d'Alene between Missoula and Spokane (as it is now).

That's your opinion. Coeur d'Alene is a small city 30 miles east of Spokane what would be the point in using it over Spokane going WB?

The way it is numbered today is actually fine, at some point you see both on the signs, but further out it is just Coeur d'Alene.
The main reason for including it is that it it is in a different state, and generally speaking I think there should be a minimum of 1 control city in every state the route passes through (with some exceptions perhaps for trivial cases, but the 74 miles in ID is not that).

[Flint1979]

I think the control cities are fine the way they are. The DOT's pretty much know what cities to sign. The best control city is still the Mackinac Bridge though, clear as day evidence on where you are heading to.

[SkyPesos]

The DOT's pretty much know what cities to sign.

Exception: PennDOT

[sprjus4]

The DOT's pretty much know what cities to sign.

There's A LOT of errors across many states. None of them are perfect, not even close.

[Roadgeekteen]

Many DOTs don't know what to sign.

[hbelkins]

Rochester, NY? I-90 doesn't go to Rochester!

[Roadgeekteen]

Rochester, NY? I-90 doesn't go to Rochester!

I get the sarcasm but I still might not sign Rochester.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Rochester, NY? I-90 doesn't go to Rochester!

I-90 actually gets closer to Rochester, MN than it does to Rochester, NY - but you'd think 90 is hundreds of miles from the former the way things are signed!

It's big enough now that it's probably worth a mention somewhere at Albert Lea or Tomah.

[Roadgeekteen]

Rochester, NY? I-90 doesn't go to Rochester!

I-90 actually gets closer to Rochester, MN than it does to Rochester, NY - but you'd think 90 is hundreds of miles from the former the way things are signed!

It's big enough now that it's probably worth a mention somewhere at Albert Lea or Tomah.

I would sign Rochester on I-90 west and east instead of Albert Lea.

[Flint1979]

Rochester, NY? I-90 doesn't go to Rochester!

I-90 actually gets closer to Rochester, MN than it does to Rochester, NY - but you'd think 90 is hundreds of miles from the former the way things are signed!

It's big enough now that it's probably worth a mention somewhere at Albert Lea or Tomah.

You can use both Rochester and Albert Lea. I don't get what people's problem with Albert Lea is, it's at the junction of two major Interstate's. Albert Lea is fine as a control city. And is used so people thinking that it shouldn't be used have a problem with it? Really? That don't make sense to me.

[Flint1979]

Furthermore Minnesota seems to be in the ballgame of using control cities that are actually in Minnesota. You go west of Albert Lea and Blue Earth and Fairmont are used before Sioux Falls, SD. Then Jackson is used west of Fairmont. Considering that those cities are used I'm sure Worthington is too.