Signs With Design Errors

[Pink Jazz]

Here is an ugly sign on the Loop 202 SanTan Freeway in Mesa, Arizona:


This sign is still in place as of now.  Arizona used demountable copy after abandoning button copy in 2000, and continued to do so until switching to Clearview which is only available in direct-applied copy.  I presume the sign makers were out of the correct mixed case FHWA Series E Modified demountable letters.

[jakeroot]

241 at the 91 outside Yorba Linda, California ... white "exit only" plate and oddly placed cardinal directions. No certainty in regards to whether or not sign still exists (though GMSV is from May of last year):

[dfwmapper]

Here is an ugly sign on the Loop 202 SanTan Freeway in Mesa, Arizona:

This sign is still in place as of now.  Arizona used demountable copy after abandoning button copy in 2000, and continued to do so until switching to Clearview which is only available in direct-applied copy.  I presume the sign makers were out of the correct mixed case FHWA Series E Modified demountable letters.

The positioning of the 60 makes it look like they reused the old 60 EAST - Mesa/Globe sign from SB Loop 101 back in the day when it was only open from Loop 202 to US 60 and only the S->E and W->N ramps had been constructed at the US 60 interchange.

[jbnv]

I don't have a picture of this, because I happened to notice it as I drove past it and GSV shows a different sign at the point (it's almost 4 years old). Anyway, the sign is the EXIT 1 gore sign at the northern terminus of I-310 near New Orleans. When I passed that point on Thursday, the EXIT 1 sign has the leftward arrow in the right-hand corner.

[SignGeek101]

http://goo.gl/maps/Jda77

I think this should be black on white ("normal" speed limit), rather than an advisory "ramp" speed.

[jakeroot]

http://goo.gl/maps/Jda77

I think this should be black on white ("normal" speed limit), rather than an advisory "ramp" speed.

Probably should be, but maybe they're fulling expecting people to exceed 20 km/h, so they just said "install an advisory speed so at least we aren't responsible when they crash going 110".

[mrsman]

241 at the 91 outside Yorba Linda, California ... white "exit only" plate and oddly placed cardinal directions. No certainty in regards to whether or not sign still exists (though GMSV is from May of last year):

The magic of greenout, brought to you by Caltrans.

[roadfro]

241 at the 91 outside Yorba Linda, California ... white "exit only" plate and oddly placed cardinal directions. No certainty in regards to whether or not sign still exists (though GMSV is from May of last year):

Is that a white ONLY panel, or is it sun-faded?

Odd thing here: if Caltrans had used their stacked/square internal exit tab variant, they may have been able to retain the original cardinal directions on the sign. In any event, they should have aligned the cardinal patches much closer to the shield--I doubt the exit patch and cardinals were manufactured as one solid piece.

[myosh_tino]

Is that a white ONLY panel, or is it sun-faded?

You know, given how much sun SoCal gets and the fact that these signs face south, I thought they were faded as well.

Odd thing here: if Caltrans had used their stacked/square internal exit tab variant, they may have been able to retain the original cardinal directions on the sign. In any event, they should have aligned the cardinal patches much closer to the shield--I doubt the exit patch and cardinals were manufactured as one solid piece.

I don't think there's enough room for California's box-style exit "tab" unless you shrink it to fit (something Caltrans has done on occasion) and the location of the cardinal direction is far from ideal.  I would rather have seen new signs installed instead of this patch job.

[jakeroot]

Is that a white ONLY panel, or is it sun-faded?

You know, given how much sun SoCal gets and the fact that these signs face south, I thought they were faded as well.

Pretty decent chance they are sun faded. I forgot that was I thing (living in such a cloudy area).

EDIT: are they any other examples of faded "only's"?

[SignBridge]

Those signs are so old, that Caltrans just should have replaced them. That's what New York State DOT would have done. 

[MarkF]

Here's a still from a video I shot in 2006, they were yellow then:

[jakeroot]

Here's a still from a video I shot in 2006, they were yellow then:

Technically that's a different sign but the oddity remains ... GMSV is from late 2008. What the hell happened over the course of two years to make them completely lose their yellow?

[SignBridge]

They reached the end of their service life........

[jakeroot]

They reached the end of their service life........

They're like Maserati's... the second the warranty ends **BANG** useless.

[Stratuscaster]

Not only did they change from yellow to white, but the arrows changed directions, too.

[jakeroot]

Not only did they change from yellow to white, but the arrows changed directions, too.

It took me a long time to catch it. In fact, my post just above in response to the video frame originally included this "modern-day" GMSV shot to compare the changes over the two years since the video:



You can tell by the edit time that it took me over a half hour to notice the error.

[MarkF]

Oops, should have been this one:

[dfwmapper]

Caltrans may have just replaced the yellow panels with white ones when they updated the signs. They do love their random white panels.

[jakeroot]

Caltrans may have just replaced the yellow panels with white ones when they updated the signs. They do love their random white panels.

I wouldn't have told you that a few days ago, but I'm really starting to think that's what happened.

1) in two years, they've faded from very yellow to completely white -- unlikely
2) the "only" tabs are round in the film frame, versus square in the current sign

[SignBridge]

Strange bunch, those Caltrans sign engineers..........

[NE2]

Caltrans doesn't maintain SR 241...

[jakeroot]

Caltrans doesn't maintain SR 241...

Wikipedia indicates dual-maintenance by both TCA and Caltrans. I would guess TCA does about 90% of the maintaining, with Caltrans doing the other 10%, maybe including things like the signs. Just spitballing.

[dfwmapper]

Caltrans doesn't maintain SR 241...

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/tifia/technical_resources/federal_credit_policy_paper/appendix_d.aspx

As with the SJC, Caltrans will be responsible for traffic operations, maintenance, and liability, pursuant to a Cooperative Agreement between TCA and Caltrans. Pursuant to the terms of an agreement between Lockheed Management Information Services Company, Inc. and TCA, Lockheed will design, construct, operate, and maintain the integrated toll collection and management system. Upon completion of both SJC and FETC, the operations of the two corridors will be integrated into one and managed under the terms of a Multiple Use Agreement. TCA will retain ownership of the toll collection system and equipment for the FETC.

[national highway 1]

The legend for the Exit 103B panel seems awfully cramped amongst that exit tab. A very awkwardly designed sign on this sign assembly.