Adventures in Utah signage

[Rover_0]

OK, here's some rather random pictures from the last few months. I'll start off with the US-89/UT-71 conundrum, with little comments (for now):

UT-71 East after getting off NB I-15 at Exit 291:

US-89 should be signed here, but really isn't.

US-89/UT-71 Split after Michigan Left:

Traffic on northbound US-89 goes through a Michigan Left; this picture is on the street to the south of the route split.

Southbound US-89 before joining UT-71:


Northbound US-89 Michigan Left:

A friendly sign showing northbound US-89 traffic on how to stay on the route and get to State Street.

UT-12 and the End of the Mt. Carmel Scenic Byway:


Destination Points Sign at US-89/UT-12 Junction:


US-89/UT-12 Junction Signage:


UT-85 Junction Advance Signage:


"Ends" US-89 Sign at UT-85 Junction:

I really don't like how UDOT says that US-89 "Ends" here. Why not either run the routes concurrent or end UT-85 here?

More photos coming soon...

[Rover_0]

Some miscellaneous signage:

Older UT-54 Sign on I-15:


I-70/US-89/US-50 signs in Salina:




UT-118 BGS from I-70/US-89:

[Rover_0]

And finally, the new Panguitch signage:

NB US-89 at UT-143:


NB Close-up of Shields:


SB US-89 at UT-143:


SB Close-up of Shields:


I really can't understand why the US-89 shields are not centered or outlined. I'm not sure what to think of calling UT-143 a north-south route, as by the time it gets to Brian Head, it's turned roughly 180 degrees.

Thoughts on any of the signs? Sorry for not much detail, but that's a lot of photos, even for me.

[agentsteel53]

that corner in Salina was the site of the last state-named shield in Utah before the batch of new ones.  it was on the only leg of a four-way junction that was not a state highway.

[CL]

"Ends" US-89 Sign at UT-85 Junction:

I really don't like how UDOT says that US-89 "Ends" here. Why not either run the routes concurrent or end UT-85 here?

Especially absurd considering the first reassurance shields on northbound I-15 after SR-85 acknowledge the US-89 concurrency.

I also want to take the opportunity to once more show the difference between early-2000s spec (first photo) and 2011-spec (second):

[Rover_0]

Anyone who has traversed Southern Parkway (SR-7) in St. George knows that it has piss-poor signage. I mean, no reassurance shields anywhere. (Actually, no standalone SR-7 shield even exists.) No mileage signs. One exit doesn't even have signage to denote itself. Well, UDOT just put out a signage contract...



Astragalus Dr is the one that lacks any signage whatsoever for its exit on Southern Parkway. This will be rectified soon, although I hope the arrow on the Astragalus Dr exit sign will be fixed so that it's properly tapered. Plenty of extra signage guiding the way to I-15, too.




This is the Desert Canyons Pkwy exit, which I guess will be opening soon. Situated between the River Rd and Airport Pkwy exits, this exit remained closed as the mainline freeway opened in 2010. SR-7 shields abound. Don't like the signs that read "PARKWAY ENTRANCE." A freeway is a freeway is a freeway. It's the Southern Parkway freeway, not the Southern Parkway parkway.




This page reveals that the exit after Airport Pkwy (which is the temporary northern terminus of SR-7 right now) will be Warner Valley Rd, some three-and-a-half miles north of Airport Pkwy. Not sure when the next stretch of SR-7 will open, but progress is being made.

Sorry for the lack of photos. I don't think I'll be venturing anywhere near St. George for the next few months.

Out of curiosity, are these posted on the UDOT website anywhere? Where did you find these?

Also, I've stumbled onto (preliminary) bids for the next two sections of SR-7--segments 3A and 4A.

[CL]

^

That bid was on Project Explorer back in June.

[corco]

Bumped into this on SR-13 today- only state name I-84 shield I know of (there is a second one identical to this from the other direction at this junction)

[CL]

Looks almost as if some guerrilla roadgeek affixed that "UTAH" to the shield. That's an older spec sign.

Several more installations of non-neutered shields have been installed in the last year. Utah has fully made the shift from state with absolutely no non-neutered shields to a state with a good number of state-name signs. If one were to have told me that three years ago I would have called him a fool of the highest degree.

[texaskdog]

I really love being in Texas but would have to say Utah is my favorite state to visit.

[agentsteel53]

Looks almost as if some guerrilla roadgeek affixed that "UTAH" to the shield. That's an older spec sign.

plus it is off-center and rotated diagonally.

[Rover_0]

I have a few pictures from Brigham City showing the new signs that were installed last summer. Both I-15 and I-84 shields are state-named.

I also caught a glance of a newer state-named I-70 shield along its concurrency with US-89. The numbers appeared to be Series C (I prefer D), but the state name was there and the shield was new.

As I'm down here in Kanab for the week, I'll snap some pictures of the newly built US-89 through town. As some streetlights have been replaced, the signs holding them are currently not up. I'm also going to see if there are any replacements on the way, as well.

[Rover_0]

Here's some pictures from Logan and Brigham City:


UT-252 Construction shield. Apparently there are some UT-252 3-digit shields, but like most (all?) UT-175 shields (in Salt Lake County), they have all that space and decide to use Series B digits. Maybe these were made at about the same time as the regular, 2-digit shields (also about the time that UT-175 came about), as the year appears more tacked on and the signs show some regular use (but I could be wrong). What's strangest about the route the sign is made for is US-91 (below the UT-252 shield), yet it says "East." Also, the font used is hideous--a cheap Hevetica (sp?). Also, the sign is turned away from eastbound UT-30 traffic.


At least the last construction shield got the shield right--this one suffers from US/SR confusion. But it is a construction sign, so it shouldn't be up very long.


The UT-252 shield is falling off and showing a US-91 shield. You can't see the numbers, but they are again the Hevetica font.


Another US/SR confusion shield--this time it's UT-30. This is the same font as the US-91 and "US"-252 construction shields. Well, at least this shield gives some fictional scenarios (like a US-230 from US-30 in Wyoming to I-15 at Riverside or even I-80 in Nevada).


This assembly remains virtually unchanged--except that the simple double-arrow beneath the US-91 shield has now been replaced by a double-arrow "T." I have no idea why the old sign was replaced, as the stub beneath the arrow implies that you're already on the route (which would be appropriate if it were beneath the US-89 and UT-30 shields and was a left turn). I don't know if I've ever seen such an arrow before, either.

Now, on to Brigham City...a car caught on fire (turning from NB US-91 to NB UT-13) and slowed traffic (no one was hurt there and officers were quick to get to the scene), so that explains the smoke.


New Brigham City US-89 and UT-13 Shields. These are 36x36.


Distant picture of newer (as of last year) I-15/84 shields. You can barely make it out, but there is "UTAH" on both. You can also see the US-91/I-15/84 assembly to the right, and I have a picture of that, too.


Here's northbound UT-13 with newer BL-15/84 shields. All these are 36x36.


There's now an END UT-13 shield at its south end. Also, it's 36x36.


And finally, we have the WEST US-91, TO I-15/84 shields. Same sizes as all the other Brihgam City shields, and the I-15/84 shields are state-named.

Thoughts?

[agentsteel53]

hooray for Utah state name!  I wonder if any of the, ahem, ninja ones survive.

[CL]

It warms my heart that this thread is still kept active. Thanks, Rover.

Just a thought that I have about the good old 2011-spec/compromise (whatever I used to call it) shield:



^ Okay. Very decent looking shields, correct? Now let's see how they look on standalone assemblies.




^ Bravo, whoever designed this. Very aesthetically pleasing. Very disappointed that even at this point (and what is it? June 2013 basically?) we can't get one single consistent shield to be installed, let alone this stellar one.




^ And here's Rover's photo. It looks nowhere near as good. What's different here? Ignore the fact that the numerals are too small. The shield itself is the same design (not the "early 2000s-spec" design).
Welp. It's the beehive. It's oversized. It stretches to the very edge of the shield. And it therefore looks disproportionate and goofy.

Just a pet peeve of mine. Sigh. . .

[Rover_0]

It warms my heart that this thread is still kept active. Thanks, Rover.

Thanks!

Here are some more...

You can't see too closely (hence its size), but there is the new state-named I-70 shield. I should've pulled over:



I'd figure I'd snap some pictures of Utah's only business spur, BS-70, in Salina, and...

...suffice to say, this is the only shield that gets the right route type (spur, instead of loop) on the route.

Here's the other two mis-labeled shields:

(Northbound)


(Southbound)

BTW, where does the Salina BS-70 end? At the US-89/50 junction, or does it jog west with US-50 to UT-24 or north with US-89 a bit?



After mistakenly getting off I-15 onto UT-48 instead of I-215, I decided to take a few pictures of the eastern terminus of UT-48:

END UT-48 East:


Looking south on US-89 (State St.):


First UT-48 West shield:


Also, some I-215 shields:

[Rover_0]

Here's just a couple from my most recent trip to Kanab:

The sign at the junction of US-89 and US-89A (100 E. and 300 S.) has been returned, this time on a "goal-post" pole:

For those who aren't aware, it was originally posted directly to the streetlight pole, must have got hit by a larger truck (hence the bent corner), and was out of commission for a couple of years. Maybe this means that the southbound reassurance shields for US-89 and US-89A will be making a comeback, right?

And one on SB US-89 approaching the junction of UT-28 at the north end of Gunnison:

Both shields appear to be older ones, possibly from this setup.

[Rover_0]

I have another couple from the Logan area:

The arrow has been replaced on the SB US-89/WB UT-30 approach to US-91. Looks the way it should (minus directional placards, of course).


Here's an intriguing development...we have solo, non BGS double-outline US shields (though they're not cutout), on US-89/91 heading south out of Logan (just after the UT-165 split):

Not only do I not mind this, I'd actually welcome it. The double-outline with no "US" could become something of a Utah thing (now we just need cutouts!).

[Ian]

Here's an intriguing development...we have solo, non BGS double-outline US shields (though they're not cutout), on US-89/91 heading south out of Logan (just after the UT-165 split):

<img snip>

Not only do I not mind this, I'd actually welcome it. The double-outline with no "US" could become something of a Utah thing (now we just need cutouts!).

Agreed, I like those! I wouldn't mind that becoming the new standard everywhere.

[CL]

Not only do I not mind this, I'd actually welcome it. The double-outline with no "US" could become something of a Utah thing (now we just need cutouts!).

Wow! That's unique. Initially I was a little underwhelmed by this new design (which derives from this BGS shield variant [other instance] that is occasionally used). But I quite like it now. For real. If we're gonna have shields like this and this and this then I say we take the plunge and adopt that style of U.S. highway shields as well.

The problem, of course, is that Utah cannot make up its mind and uses several shield variants simultaneously. Why, signage gods? Why?

[Rover_0]

Just a thought that I have about the good old 2011-spec/compromise (whatever I used to call it) shield:



^ Okay. Very decent looking shields, correct? Now let's see how they look on standalone assemblies.




^ Bravo, whoever designed this. Very aesthetically pleasing. Very disappointed that even at this point (and what is it? June 2013 basically?) we can't get one single consistent shield to be installed, let alone this stellar one.




^ And here's Rover's photo. It looks nowhere near as good. What's different here? Ignore the fact that the numerals are too small. The shield itself is the same design (not the "early 2000s-spec" design).
Welp. It's the beehive. It's oversized. It stretches to the very edge of the shield. And it therefore looks disproportionate and goofy.

Just a pet peeve of mine. Sigh. . .

You know what? The whole "going out to the edge" beehive is growing on me. Yes, the numerals are too small on the UT-13 shield, but  that design is about as close to a cutout Utah beehive as we'll get. Now if only they could make the corners straight on the bottom--the rounded bottoms are what bugs me the most. Most BGSs (including the 71/152 sign) have tiny little corners, why can't the state shields have them, too?

[Desert Man]

This thread is great! :-) Lots of scenery behind the road signage, as Utah is a beautiful state I had been in a few times myself. I had a glimpse of the photo shown a now-gone road sign of US routes 6 and 50 on I-15 between Payson and Spanish Fork. Any more pics of road signage in the southern Utah valley? Historically, US routes 89 and 91 crossed these towns on their way to Provo, Orem and Salt Lake City.

[Rover_0]

Some more Logan updates...there's now more of those "to the edge" SR-30 shields:









And a new assembly to the south of the US-89/91/SR-30 junction:


Problem is now, that street sign lies directly in front of the assembly:


And SR-30 still isn't signed on US-89 after the split:


Nor on the SB US-91 approach:


Nor on NB US-89/91/(EB SR-30):


And the reassurance/junction signage on SB US-89/91/(WB SR-30) hasn't been updated, either:


That makes me wonder if further updates are coming.

[agentsteel53]

I don't think I've ever seen a double-border '70 spec shield on a black background.  closest I've seen is the early 60s Ohio standard.

[Rover_0]

Some more random routes:

UT-120 (BL-70) and some UT-118 in Richfield:










I really hope that someday Utah will take the plunge and sign state route concurrencies. Also, navigation through Richfield would be made a lot clearer if some BL-70 shields were put up.

BS-70, US-89 near Salina:




They've got it right on the BSG's (Spur, not Loop), so why didn't they on the spur route itself?

UT-54 near Mona: