Signing street name with destinations

[Brandon]

Here's a photo of ISTHA's method (at North Ave and I-355):

[national highway 1]

Here's a photo of ISTHA's method (at North Ave and I-355):

Is 'Pleasant Ln' the road name at the exit mentioned on the previous sign, or is referring to the overpass above it?
Anyway, it's hard to tell from this picture, but usually on NSW overpasses the road name is affixed to the overpass. The road name is 'Yellow Creek Rd'.

[Scott5114]

Pleasant Lane is the overpass.

Some states do attach the sign to the overpass; KS usually does. Though they tend to attach the sign to the actual cross beams as opposed to the railing.

[JREwing78]

It's referring to the overpass. Many (most?) states do it that way on overpasses. Some (Michigan being one example) post the road name on the overpass itself in the fashion shown in your picture (not on the railing though).

[CentralCAroadgeek]

From what I've noticed here in California, the only way you know what street the overpass is from one of those small white signs, as well as on the technical information on the overpass itself. Though on I-5 in Stockton, the temporary signs there show what street is below you. Don't know if they were there before the construction though...

[Brandon]

Is 'Pleasant Ln' the road name at the exit mentioned on the previous sign, or is referring to the overpass above it?

"Pleasant Ln" is the overpass.  The exit is for North Avenue (IL-64).

[codyg1985]

What about I-495 in Maryland?  You have, lets say, the MD 4 & Pennsylvania Avenue interchange listing it with both the route and street name with either Washington for WB and Upper Marlboro for EB among many other interchanges.  Only the MD 214 & Central Avenue interchange has no control cities with the respective street name and MD route number on its signs. 

Nonetheless, this is showing the fact that you have numbered routes going to different places as well as their local names at the same time. This, I must say, works out well for the needs of the traffic along the busy Capital Beltway.

That's pretty routine in Northern Virginia as well and it always seemed normal to me, probably because I grew up seeing signs like that. I think the way Virginia's signs are usually (unfortunately not always!) set up with the name in slightly smaller print than the destinations is a pretty good design.

I think part of the reason I like this system is that it's a real crapshoot around here as to what roads get referred to in what way. There's not a lot of consistency in terms of some roads being referred to by number, some by name, and in some cases it depends on the person to whom you're speaking. The sign in this picture is a good example–"236" and some form of "Little River" are both pretty common. But the road at the next interchange to the north is ALWAYS "Gallows Road" and is never referred to by its number.

Tennessee does this quite a bit with BGS signs. I've also seen it in Kentucky and around Mobile, AL.

<rant>I always wonder why ALDOT can't use consistent standards across the state. Sure the differences between divisions makes for interesting driving, but can't there be some guide signing practices that are the same throughout the state? This method of signing street names and route numbers should be used throughout Alabama, but for some reason you only see it in Division 9. I have seen it once in Birmingham for US 78/Arkadelphia Rd, but not anywhere else.
</rant>

[SignBridge]

That Illinois supplemental sign is interesting. 5 destinations shown. The MUTCD (Sec. 2E-35-03) says there should not be more than 2 destinations shown, though I've seen other states show 3 in some cases. But again that's just guidance, not a standard.

[roadman65]

G.S. Parkway has always used that sign format even going back to their original signs from the 1950's and 60's. As a kid years ago, I remember seeing the sign "E. Orange Newark CENTRAL AVE, NEXT RIGHT".  G.S. Parkway had a few other unique sign designs also, incuding the arrow enclosed in a circle on the "exit-gore" sign.

New York DOT has long used BGS with a road name and 2 destinations, where the road is not numbered. Especially common on the L.I. Expwy in Nassau County.

I've always wondered why the FHWA discouraged the use of a street name and city name on the same sign. New York has proved for at least 50 years that this format works fine.

I also remember exit numbers were just posted on top of the sign without the word "EXIT."

You know some parts of NY, like on I-81 uses capital letter street names (look at Exit 51 on street view) where Island Road is not only in caps, but inside a square while the control point is standard mixed case.

[SignBridge]

Yes Roadman, I remember those top-mounted number tabs you described. Interesting that GSP's original practice from the 1950's was a forerunner to the now almost everywhere standard exit tabs that began in the 1960's. 

[mjb2002]

It's referring to the overpass. Many (most?) states do it that way on overpasses. Some (Michigan being one example) post the road name on the overpass itself in the fashion shown in your picture (not on the railing though).

South Carolina does NOT put the Street Name for overpasses.  Instead, SC puts the Secondary Road, State Highway, US Highway or Interstate Highway to refer to the overpass.

[PurdueBill]

You know some parts of NY, like on I-81 uses capital letter street names (look at Exit 51 on street view) where Island Road is not only in caps, but inside a square while the control point is standard mixed case.

That format is on the way out though, right?  I thought that those were being replaced or greened out to have the street name in regular text.

[bulkyorled]

Another example, there seems to be a lot off US101... although Barham's name changes to Olive when it gets into Burbank. This was the only one I could think of but I think there's others.

[vdeane]

You know some parts of NY, like on I-81 uses capital letter street names (look at Exit 51 on street view) where Island Road is not only in caps, but inside a square while the control point is standard mixed case.

That format is on the way out though, right?  I thought that those were being replaced or greened out to have the street name in regular text.

They are, though the only case of a green out I know of is I-81 south at Taft Rd (exit 28).

Interestingly, exit 52 (Island Rd/DeWolf Pt) fixed the problem by removing "Island Rd" from the sign altogether when it was replaced.

[myosh_tino]

This combination (road name + destination) is not limited to older California signage.  There's an example of a newer exit direction sign on eastbound I-580 in Livermore that has both the road name and destination on the same sign.

[national highway 1]

Wow, I have never heard of 'Dwntn' as an abbreviation for 'Downtown'. 

[Brandon]

Wow, I have never heard of 'Dwntn' as an abbreviation for 'Downtown'. 

I've seen "DWTN" used from time to time.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

I'm sure this sign along I-680 north used to say "Contra Costa Blvd" (it's the next exit) at the top line where the exit number now is. One of the many greenout absurdities I found along 680 in Contra Costa County.

[roadman65]

I was noticing that in New Jersey along NJ 36 in Middletown Township that NJDOT has changed their small lgses to mixed case instead of the capital letters that have been used in NJ for years.  Even the "ALL TURNS" banner is now within the newer signs.  In the past at all jughandles, "ALL TURNS" was in a black on white placecard below the street names, destination, etc. in the gore.  Now it is still black on white, but within the green sign.