Turnpike Trailblazers

[Alex]

I've always liked Turnpike trailblazers, probably because I grew up in the northeast where they are plenty of them. Many roads still have them, but the trend in using them appears to be on a state-by-state basis. Texas is using them still and coming up with new ones, such as the Fort Bend Parkway and updating old ones, such as the new Dallas North Tollway design. Other areas have phased them out, such as the New England Thruway trailblazer, the Connecticut Turnpike trailblazer, and the Delaware Turnpike trailblazer (relegated to just turnpike vehicles and three overheads on Interstate 295 south). Some states opt for a toll shield based upon the highway number, which Texas is now doing statewide (SH-183A, SH-130, SH-255, SH-121, etc.), and Florida has been using on its toll roads since 1991.

Some of my favorites include the New Jersey Turnpike, the defunct Dallas Fort Worth Turnpike, and the Garden State Parkway. I also like the Texas toll highway shield designs for its state highways.

I listed just a handful of the toll roads with trailblazers. So what other roads used them, which may use them, what are some of your favorites?

[corco]

I personally love the simplicity and class of the New York Thruway and Ohio Turnpike shields, but I think the Mass Pike shield takes the cake as my favorite anywhere

[vdeane]

In the Rochester, NY area we have a few; the Thruway, the Inner Loop, and the Lake Ontario State Parkway (for the last two you can see the shields on the Upstate NY Roads exit list page.

[mightyace]

One thing that PA and, to a lesser degree, OH are notorious for is Turnpike trailblazers well away from the road.

In the early '90s in Conneaut, OH; I spotted an Ohio turnpike trailblazer at the junction for OH 7 south.  Conneaut is just off of I-90 in the NE corner of the state and you have to go over 50 miles south on OH 7 and through Youngstown to get to the OH Turnpike!

Unfortunately, at the moment, I cannot remember some "long distance" PA Turnpike trailblazers.

But, I can say this, it used to be normal practice to put up trailblazers with distance starting at 5 miles from the interchange!

[yanksfan6129]

As an NJ resident, I love the NJ Turnpike and GS Parkway shields but I also happen to like the lil' pilgrim hat of the Mass Pike.

[Ian]

New York Thruway 
Everett Turnpike (NH) 
Maine Turnpike 
Massachusetts Turnpike 
New Jersey Turnpike 
Palasades Parkway (NJ-NY)
Pennsylvania Turnpike 

[PAHighways]

The farthest PA Turnpike shield I have seen is in Greensburg at the US 30/US 119-PA 819-BUS PA 66 interchange which is five miles north of the New Stanton Interchange.  The only extension that I have seen with assemblies that far out is PA Turnpike 43 with trailblazers at Lebanon Church Road which is the same distance north from the current terminus.

[mightyace]

The farthest PA Turnpike shield I have seen is in Greensburg at the US 30/US 119-PA 819-BUS PA 66 interchange which is five miles north of the New Stanton Interchange.  The only extension that I have seen with assemblies that far out is PA Turnpike 43 with trailblazers at Lebanon Church Road which is the same distance north from the current terminus.

I think your right that 5 miles is the limit today.  I have some vague memories back in the 70s on seeing some that were 20 or 30 miles from the turnpike or even more.  I just wish I could remember where.

I think those far away trailblazers were mainly from pre-interstate days when the PA and OH Turnpikes were all there were.  So, it's not surprising that they're not around anymore.

[74/171FAN]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Florida's Turnpike yet.

[ctsignguy]

Wont list any faves but here they are.....

[Scott5114]

I wish OTA was more inventive with their turnpike shields. All the turnpikes have the same shield; the only difference is the name at the top.

[NJTurnpike]

On I-78 going Eastbound, there is a 30 mile sign for the NJ Turnpike.

[RoadWarrior56]

When I was a kid, I remember little green Kentucky Turnpike trailblazers.  They were green and had a cardinal on them.  I suspect they have been gone for years, especially since that turnpike has been defunct since the 70's, but I wonder if there are any old ones remaining in some obscure locations.

[Alex]

I wish OTA was more inventive with their turnpike shields. All the turnpikes have the same shield; the only difference is the name at the top.

Did they change over the turnpike trailblazers that used the state of Oklahoma as a back-drop? The Indian National and Muskogee Turnpikes used them: http://www.okhighways.com/062304/intpkshield.JPG

[akotchi]

The Pa Turnpike generally posts trailblazers at most five miles away along roadways that connect to the interchanges.  Others are placed on other major roadways, like U.S. 202 in King of Prussia, that intersect other highways near their Turnpike interchange.

I miss the old Keystone-shaped trailblazers, though.  Now they are one-piece rectangular.

Regarding the New Jersey Turnpike trailblazer -- the Authority has not liked to use their trailblazer within the limits of their toll system -- most of them appear on approaches or interchange roadways.  A few are posted in Ridgefield Park where the two spurs come back together.  As part of the future widening (interchanges 6-9), they are changing their through traffic sign to include the trailblazer, so it will be shoing up in more places.

Finally, an oddity about placement of the NJ Turnpike trailblazer -- coming out of Interchange 15W (I-280 toward Newark), there is a trailblzer posted on the first sign structure exiting the toll plaza directing to take I-280 to the second ramp to get on the Turnpike.  Just in case you mistakenly got off, I suppose. . .

[okroads]

I wish OTA was more inventive with their turnpike shields. All the turnpikes have the same shield; the only difference is the name at the top.

Did they change over the turnpike trailblazers that used the state of Oklahoma as a back-drop? The Indian National and Muskogee Turnpikes used them: http://www.okhighways.com/062304/intpkshield.JPG

Yep, those have changed as well:
Indian Nation Turnpike

Muskogee Turnpike

[mightyace]

It still strikes me as strange to see highways signed only with the highway name trail blazer.  Oklahoma is one of the two states that I can think of that still does it.  The other one is Kentucky for their parkways.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension was signed this way before it became PA 9.  (Of course it is now I-476)  The sign was the generic PA Turnpike trailblazer with no notation that this was the Northeast Extension and not the main turnpike.  The only way to tell at the time was that the mile markers were like this: A104 with the start point being the junction with the main turnpike.  Once I-476 got replaced PA 9, the mile markers were redone to fit I-476 as a whole.

[74/171FAN]

It still strikes me as strange to see highways signed only with the highway name trail blazer.  Oklahoma is one of the two states that I can think of that still does it.  The other one is Kentucky for their parkways.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension was signed this way before it became PA 9.  (Of course it is now I-476)  The sign was the generic PA Turnpike trailblazer with no notation that this was the Northeast Extension and not the main turnpike.  The only way to tell at the time was that the mile markers were like this: A104 with the start point being the junction with the main turnpike.  Once I-476 got replaced PA 9, the mile markers were redone to fit I-476 as a whole.

Florida does the same with Florida's Turnpike even though it does have its own secret state designations like all freeways with US Routes and interstates on them as well.

[mightyace]

I did find one picture of an old "long distance" PA Turnpike trailblazer.



This sign is somewhere in West Newton, PA approx. 10 miles from the New Stanton exit.

The full page is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/15530177@N05/3143247582/

[akotchi]

I did find one picture of an old "long distance" PA Turnpike trailblazer.



This sign is somewhere in West Newton, PA approx. 10 miles from the New Stanton exit.

The full page is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/15530177@N05/3143247582/

Thanks, mightyace.  I think there is also one on I-95 SB at Exit 2 in New Jersey, very worn.

[PAHighways]

I believe it is on PA 136 in the western side of the borough.  From it's condition, I wouldn't be surprised if it was installed when it was signed as PA 31 to show motorists the way to the Turnpike via I-70.

[Greybear]

Oklahoma used to use a different trailblazer on its turnpikes. It was retangular in shape with an image of the state in blue on the sign and the name of turnpike in white lettering inside the state image.

[njroadhorse]

About those far off turnpike trailblazers, I was driving down NJ 23 today and saw a GSP trailblazer about 40-50 miles from the nearest junction. 

Oh well, gotta love NJ 

[rmsandw]

I wish the Illinois tollway did that for their tollways instead of the same tollway trailblazer for each tollway.

[LPCJr]

There is a NJ Turnpike trailblazer on an overhead sign, eastbound on the PA Turnpike at Interchange 326.  The sign reads "East NJ Turnpike" - in other words, it says that you are going east on the NJ Turnpike.   This is in PA so this is really odd.  Sign has been there for years and years.