Single Overheads Requiring 4+ Shields

[PurdueBill]

I was trying to think of examples in Mass of signs with 4 shields and the only one I could think of offhand was an historic example that I only wish I'd taken a picture of back then.  Southbound on I-95 approaching exit 50 back in the late 80s when the road was closed south of there due to construction of the tie-in to 128 (with the prior and current I-95 SB to US 1 SB ramp carrying NB 1 to 95 traffic, thus nowhere for SB traffic to go other than exit 48, Centre St., which certainly couldn't handle that), the existing sign for exit 50 had a 95 shield tacked on, resulting in 4 shields.  The extremely tacky, somewhat-inaccurate cartoon below shows the idea...the I-95 shield was tacked on to the right of the US 1 shield as I recall, and at the time the exit for US 1 was posted as TO 62 and 114.  Today it is only posted as TO 62 despite there still not being direct access to 114 southbound.  I can't remember if the exits had gotten their exit numbers and tabs yet then or not....I think so but the panels originally had no tabs and the word EXIT was down with the distance. The subsequent replacement eliminated the redundant EXIT wording.
Like I said, it's a crummy cartoon, but I do recall the 95 being fudged in to the right of US 1, and the sign being relatively tall vertically and starting with 3 shields and then going to 4 during the detour.  I also seem to recall the 114 being a square shield, as was done sometimes in Mass, like 110 and 113 on 93 signage from a previous era.

The BGS that you speak & illustrated of was originally erected in the mid-1970s when the I-95 extension between Topsfield & Peabody (Exit 46) was fully completed.  IIRC, the Exit 50 tab (center-mounted) was added either during the 80s southbound detour or just after (when I-95 between Exits 46 & 45 (MA 128)) opened.

BTW, it's worth noting that the control destinations for the original BGS' from I-95 South were Middleton & Danvers (MA 62 control destinations) not Danvers & Topsfield (which are what's listed on the current BGS').  The original MA 62 & MA 114 shields did not sport outlines as well.  The US 1 shield would later (mid-80s) be replaced with one that featured a white square background.

Additionally, the I-95 shield that was temporarily thrown on that BGS had the numerals in an (ugly IMHO) experimental font that the DPW & even RIDOT featured on many of their 80s-vintage Interstate shields.

The original pull-thorugh BGS for I-95 South (covered during that detour) listed Lynn along w/Boston as a control destination despite the fact that it was fabricated years after it was long-since known that I-95 proper wasn't going to continue south of MA 128 into Lynn.

Another example that might not exist now (not 100% sure) is the approach BGS' for Exit 60 along I-295 Southbound;  I-195, I-95, NJ 29, NJ 129 and/or NJTP shields were all crammed onto the same BGS'.

I knew you would remember a little better than I....I wish I'd taken pics of the old signs.  I knew the old state outlines didn't have borders but didn't manage to bother with the detail for the sketch.  I remember Lynn being on there which was a telltale of the original plans. 

The sketch was admittedly crummy but the best I could whip up fast so as not to have to try to verbally describe the old sign.  I still remember the narrowing of 4 lanes to 2 starting a couple miles back from there, the construction projects and detours, RIDOT-style 95 shields aplenty around the project area, especially in Peabody....since I lived only a short distance from there at the time.  I think the non-cutout "RIDOT" shields had the same type of digits as you mention showing up on the overhead. 

I would love for some sign to show ALL the routes on board with 465 at the point it carries the most routes.  (Yes, I know that it is possible that technically the routes in question cease to exist during their overlap, but it would be awesome for the purposes of a sign with 8 shields.)

[formulanone]

Florida's Turnpike; I can only suppose they might have put "Beeline/Beachline Expressway" in that gap:



Leaving Memphis, on I-55 north:



Outside of Greensboro, NC:

[cpzilliacus]

Other end of Md. 200, on I-270:

[DaBigE]

Other end of Md. 200, on I-270:

I thought the ampersand (&) was banned? I'm surprised to see it on a new clearview sign.

[J N Winkler]

Did Kansas get a new sticker for the back of their signs? Is this the end of "ERECTION DATE:" ?

Don't think so--that sticker means the sign was installed by KDOT maintenance forces.  I think "ERECTION DATE" is still around for contractor-installed signs.

[PHLBOS]

Other end of Md. 200, on I-270:

I thought the ampersand (&) was banned? I'm surprised to see it on a new clearview sign.

Truth be told, the exit tab and TO Clearview cardinal are actually unauthorized uses of Clearview (from a design standpoint) to begin with so it's essentially a wash IMHO.  Clearview's not supposed to be used in an all-CAPs application.

[corco]

I-230 and I-330

My guess would be 230 is reserved for the Texarkana loop (which now won't be I-230, but nobody knew I-49/I-69 were coming at the time.

I-330...maybe held for a potential freeway spur to Hot Springs?

[PurdueBill]

MUTCD says "Word messages should not contain periods, apostrophes, question marks, ampersands, or other punctuation or characters that are not letters, numerals, or hyphens unless necessary to avoid confusion" so apparently ampersands are not verboten but are discouraged when possibly confusing.  The application in the exit tab isn't the end of the world but probably they could have gotten away with "9B-10".  Maryland ampersands always used to appear in the main text of the sign anyway!

I've seen a button copy ampersand on old signage on OH I-280 SB a few miles from the south end; it was on a mileage sign for "I-80 & 90" but that is now replaced with a new sign with shields for both interstates and the turnpike.

[Ian]

Natick, MA:

[DaBigE]

I thought the ampersand (&) was banned? I'm surprised to see it on a new clearview sign.

Truth be told, the exit tab and TO Clearview cardinal are actually unauthorized uses of Clearview (from a design standpoint) to begin with so it's essentially a wash IMHO.  Clearview's not supposed to be used in an all-CAPs application.

I noticed that too, but I didn't want to drag things too far away from the main topic of this thread, especially when it's been beaten to death elsewhere on these forums. This was just the first time I've ever seen an ampersand (post-2009 MUTCD update) in Clearview.

[on_wisconsin]

Madison Beltline at Verona Rd- Midvale Blvd

Four U.S. Highways by Steve Schar on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/antlers2/3192706623/in/set-72157611752253779

Park St at Madison Beltline

Southbound US 151 by iowahighways on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iowahighways/8040216287/

[Central Avenue]

MUTCD says "Word messages should not contain periods, apostrophes, question marks, ampersands, or other punctuation or characters that are not letters, numerals, or hyphens unless necessary to avoid confusion" so apparently ampersands are not verboten but are discouraged when possibly confusing.  The application in the exit tab isn't the end of the world but probably they could have gotten away with "9B-10".  Maryland ampersands always used to appear in the main text of the sign anyway!

I've seen a button copy ampersand on old signage on OH I-280 SB a few miles from the south end; it was on a mileage sign for "I-80 & 90" but that is now replaced with a new sign with shields for both interstates and the turnpike.

I know of at least one button copy ampersand surviving in the Columbus area: "EXITS 30 & 33" for the combined OH-161 and Easton Way sign on I-270 NB. I'm guessing they wanted to avoid "EXITS 30-33" because it could be misinterpreted as including exit 32 (Morse Road), which it does not.

[agentsteel53]

I know of at least one button copy ampersand surviving in the Columbus area: "EXITS 30 & 33" for the combined OH-161 and Easton Way sign on I-270 NB. I'm guessing they wanted to avoid "EXITS 30-33" because it could be misinterpreted as including exit 32 (Morse Road), which it does not.

I'm glad they did that, because if I were there, I totally would interpret a "30-33" as including 32.

[roadman65]

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Fort+Lee,+NJ&hl=en&ll=40.857196,-73.974423&spn=0.002065,0.005284&sll=27.698638,-83.804601&sspn=9.892242,21.643066&oq=fort+lee&t=h&hnear=Fort+Lee,+Bergen,+New+Jersey&z=18&layer=c&cbll=40.857181,-73.975067&panoid=9UpeYmN4QsSVOP4Fzr0yVA&cbp=12,123.18,,0,0

Two routes here have been even combined as NJDOT considers US 1 & US 9 being concurrent as one route: US 1 & 9.
There also used to be an overhead here that was removed and had US 1 and US 9 separate shields, but google came by after its removal.

Also at the southern terminus of the Palisades Interstate Parkway has a nice overhead single panel colaboration of routes.  Too bad US 1 & 9 are not listed as it would really be something.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Fort+Lee,+NJ&hl=en&ll=40.862564,-73.956985&spn=0.002081,0.005284&sll=27.698638,-83.804601&sspn=9.892242,21.643066&oq=fort+lee&t=h&hnear=Fort+Lee,+Bergen,+New+Jersey&layer=c&cbll=40.862564,-73.956985&panoid=jkmi1Z93quIWDPyfOlZCOA&cbp=12,204.87,,0,-22.5&z=18

[US71]

[Coelacanth]

If anyone has a photo of the (now sadly defunct) BGSs showing
I-94  US 10  US 12  US 61
I would be most grateful if you posted it.

[formulanone]

[mcdonaat]

http://goo.gl/maps/S88Ye

US 69, 96, 287, and I-10 in Beaumont, Texas.

[Kacie Jane]

While the four shields are very nice, I'm more impressed by the four exit tabs -- so many that they had to put one of the panels over the opposite-direction lanes.  I'm kind of curious if that's a record.

[roadman65]

Here is one along I-196 & US 31 NB near Holland, MI.


<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/5043172332/" title="I-196 &amp; US 31 Holland, MI by jerseyman65, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4126/5043172332_e698fdb8d8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="I-196 &amp; US 31 Holland, MI"></a>

Here are two in Elizabeth, NJ along US 1 & 9 near Newark International Airport and the many highways that intersect at the giant spaghetti bowl.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/5085877033/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/5085876933/

[PurdueBill]

While the four shields are very nice, I'm more impressed by the four exit tabs -- so many that they had to put one of the panels over the opposite-direction lanes.  I'm kind of curious if that's a record.

The five-wide assemblies on I-670 had four signs with exit tabs as well, both left and right (interestingly, also three left and one right). The assemblies even had two different groups of five across (5A, 5B, 5C, pull-through, 4A-B, and then a couple with 4C replacing 4A-B).

[kphoger]

East Saint Louis:

[mefailenglish]

Montgomery, AL:

[hbelkins]

[Roadsguy]

Breezewood is a control city?

I guess with all those businesses...

Anyway, the middle-photo sign looks kinda weird.