Strange Orange Tarp Guide Sign

[Brian556]

Check This out. Never seen one of these before.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangosteen/4453049088/
This is how a lot of billboards are done, so that's probably where the idea originates.

[Dr Frankenstein]

That's an ingenious way to do it. I wonder how much that costs.

P.S. The I-376 detour trailblazer... eww.

[Duke87]

The I-376 detour trailblazer... eww.

Apparently those are all over the area. Here's a closer shot of one of them from August:


Eww indeed.

[rickmastfan67]

Here's one that they had on PA-8 @ the PA-28 interchange while it was under-construction.

[Quillz]

The I-376 detour trailblazer... eww.

Apparently those are all over the area. Here's a closer shot of one of them from August:


Eww indeed.

It looks like a bubble shield... Made from a bubble shield. It doesn't even look proportionally correct.

[Sykotyk]

Cheap way to cover a sign with a construction sign without the cost of affixing it, etc. Plus, the material, I would have to imagine, is a lot cheaper.

[wriddle082]

They used a lot of green tarps over the existing BGSs for the SmartFix40 project in Knoxville when they had I-40 through traffic detoured onto I-640 so they could close and rebuild the downtown stretch.

I think I also saw them being used temporarily on I-24 in Chattanooga where they were rehabbing the surface on an eastbound 24 bridge at the US 27 (I-124) interchange.

The Knoxville signs were very well done, and they managed to stretch it out well enough to keep most of the wrinkles out.  I don't know how the Chattanooga signs looked since I was going the opposite direction and just noticed the bungees holding the tarp on the back of the sign.

[roadfro]

Cheap way to cover a sign with a construction sign without the cost of affixing it, etc. Plus, the material, I would have to imagine, is a lot cheaper.

That, plus affixing the construction sign in this manner causes no harm to the original sign, particularly important if the original sign is still applicable after construction.

[agentsteel53]

I think the word we are looking for is "urn".  which is where it needs to end up.

[Alex]

Years ago they had even more  tarp signs in place:

[agentsteel53]

holy blorb; I don't know what is more wrong - the Arial-fonted shields, or the permanent 579 sign with the 9 tipped to the side just so they can squeeze it along the arc of the shield outline even more.

[PAHighways]

I don't understand what the big deal is, considering they are temporary signs that are made by contractors.  What is a more egregious act is when contractors install state shields for US routes and vice-versa as permanent signage.

The sad thing is, with signs that large, a friend of mine would call me to ask how to get to Robinson during the Fort Pitt rehab.  He would get mad that I didn't know which lane on the West End Bridge went where and didn't like the answer "Read the signs, and follow the one that says "Airport."  Even more sad is the fact that he is an English teacher.

[Brian556]

Dang those are goofy lookin'. It looks like they were made by somebody that has no knowledge of signs.

[Scott5114]

I can't imagine those tarps are properly reflectorized.

I was always amused by what KDOT used to do with their signs in construction areas. Since they used demountable copy they just pried the inapplicable messages off. Sometimes in a construction area you could find five or six completely blank signs in a row.

[74/171FAN]

Those tarp signs tome actually make clearview look good.

[Chris]

I like this concept. It's temporary anyway, so it doesn't really matter how ugly the font is, as long as it is legible. How are these signs at night? Are they reflective? Can you read them through the bubbles?

[Brian556]

Those traps look non-reflective. They gotta be. If they were to be reflective, they would have to be made out of the same material as roll-up signs. That would be rather expensive.

[PAHighways]

If I remember correctly, they were not reflective.

[Michael]

Years ago they had even more  tarp signs in place:

Those are downright ugly! I agree with 74/171FAN:

Those tarp signs tome actually make clearview look good.

[Mr_Northside]

The 579/Veterans Bridge signs (both in the foreground & background) were replaced a couple of months ago.  I don't remember if the I-sheild looks better, but Veterans Bridge is now in Clearview.  The 279/Airport signs (behind the tarps) were, for some reason, allowed to remain

I remember when those tarps were up.  I remember reading in the papers that a lot of people actually really liked the giant shields/letters on them

[rickmastfan67]

The 579/Veterans Bridge signs (both in the foreground & background) were replaced a couple of months ago.  I don't remember if the I-sheild looks better, but Veterans Bridge is now in Clearview.

Here's a picture of it.   At least it's no longer a bubble shield.

[The Premier]

Yet it still retains the tipped "9" that agentsteel53 pointed out.

[rickmastfan67]

Yet it still retains the tipped "9" that agentsteel53 pointed out.

Still, looks better that all the other I-579 sheilds on the other new BGS's around the Civic Arena.

[Quillz]

holy blorb; I don't know what is more wrong - the Arial-fonted shields, or the permanent 579 sign with the 9 tipped to the side just so they can squeeze it along the arc of the shield outline even more.

I remember I made a topic not to long ago about shields that have weird-looking "9" in them, but I think that's without doubt the worst attempt at getting a 9 onto a shield ever.

[Scott5114]

I think the 579 on the "Monroeville" sign looks better than the one on the Veterans Bridge sign, myself. For one thing, the Veterans Bridge sign is still using a compressed font.

(What is the deal with that "No Trucks Over 35 Ft"? Is that supposed to be an Exit Only? Is that why it's yellow? Why isn't it on a white regulatory plaque? Why is the text so small? What sort of liquor was being imbibed?)