Signing for incomplete Interstates

[briantroutman]

The thread on historical maps got me looking at some old state maps with incomplete Interstates, and I was thinking about the experience of driving in those days.

Did state highway departments post control cities that the Interstate didn't yet reach? I'm imagining, for example, being in Des Moines in the mid '60s and seeing guides for I-80 West to Omaha and I-35 South to Kansas City–neither of which you could drive to continuously at that point. Did they ever cover the control cities or use temporary control points until the road was completed? I've read some comments suggesting that this is how Netcong, NJ became a control city on I-80–having been a temporary terminus at one point.

And to what extent did the states attempt to make a usable route out of the disjointed pieces? If incomplete I-80 dumped you out at Atlantic, Iowa, would signs direct you on "Temporary I-80" via US 6? This would be straightforward enough on Interstates that replaced parallel US highways but much trickier in situations like I-80 in Pennsylvania, where you'd have to take miles of detours on state routes to connect to the next open section. Coupled with the rapid pace of construction during the '60s and '70s, the comparatively slow flow of information, and paper maps going out of date quickly, cross-country travel seems to have been a hit-or-miss affair.

Anyone have any recollections (or better yet, photos) they could share?

[Rover_0]

Here's a picture from 1970s Sevier County, UT, near the current US-89/I-70 junction:


Before 1977, when legislative numbers were matched up with in-the-field route numbers, Utah legislatively used SRs 1-5 for the Interstates, in statewide importance (my guess); I-15 was SR-1, I-80 was SR-2, I-84 was SR-3, I-70 was SR-4, and I-215 was SR-5. Hence, TEMP I-70 was numbered SR-4.

While this is the only picture I can dig up showing a Utah SR shield, I would assume that there were some UT-1, UT-2, etc.  shields along elsewhere along incomplete portions of Interstates. If not them, then I'd assume that you'd just have "(Direction) TEMP I-##" shields.

[tdindy88]

If you want a current example involving the control cities, consider that the new Interstate 69 in Southern Indiana has no northbound control city, since only half of the highway is built. Signage plans have indicated that Indianapolis will be added later on, but probably not until the highway is complete up to at least Bloomington if not Indy, time will tell. On the other hand, Evansville is the southbound control city even though Interstate 69 does not yet reach the city, it continues south of Interstate 64 as Interstate 164, but will be Interstate 69 in the future. No TEMP shields however and I'm unsure if there were ever any in Indiana.

[NE2]

Why would they cover the control city if that was the best way to get there?

[NE2]

While this is the only picture I can dig up showing a Utah SR shield, I would assume that there were some UT-1, UT-2, etc.  shields along elsewhere along incomplete portions of Interstates. If not them, then I'd assume that you'd just have "(Direction) TEMP I-##" shields.

SR-4 was the only one that wasn't also a U.S. Route, so I doubt the others were signed.

[briantroutman]

Why would they cover the control city if that was the best way to get there?

If it was the best route, then you're right, it wouldn't make sense to cover it. Especially in cases where a US route and its replacement Interstate were in close proximity and motorists could hop on and off as sections opened.

But I'm sure there are cases where the incomplete Interstate wasn't the best route to the final destination and motorists bound for the next city would have been better off taking a different US or state route until the Interstate was completed.

Like, for example, I-81 in Carlisle before the Interstate was opened to Harrisburg–you would have been much better off taking either US 11 or I-76, so guides indicating "I-81 North - Harrisburg" would have been misleading for some years until the new road opened.

[roadman65]

I remember before I-88 in New York State was completed from Oneonta to its current eastern terminus did use Oneonta as control city on I-88 eastbound.

In New Jersey Boonton was used for I-287 North of Morristown instead of Mahwah, until the final section opened to the NYS Thruway back in the 90's.  I believe that it still is on NJ 10, or at least it was in 09 when I captured it on film that particular year as NJDOT did not yet update it.

It may be the reason why Easton, PA is used on I-78 Westbound in some parts of New Jersey instead of Allentown, PA as I-78 used to end at current Exit 3 at Still Valley, NJ until 1990. 

[PHLBOS]

In MA, there were some 70s-era BGS' for I-95 South in Topsfield & Danvers that listed Lynn along with Boston as its control cities giving hint the highway would eventually pass through Lynn.  Needless to say, this didn't happen but the old BGS' remained as is until they were all replaced sometime during the 1990s.

[agentsteel53]

In MA, there were some 70s-era BGS' for I-95 South in Topsfield & Danvers that listed Lynn along with Boston as its control cities giving hint the highway would eventually pass through Lynn.  Needless to say, this didn't happen but the old BGS' remained as is until they were all replaced sometime during the 1990s.

similar to how out here, I-710 has a control city of Pasadena, even on replacement signs from the 2000s.

I remember the Lynn-Boston signs, as well as the fact that one of the local radio stations (101.7, WFNX?) always called its geographical location "Lynn/Boston".  other than that - having grown up at the other end of missing I-95 (Canton) - I barely knew where Lynn was.

[vdeane]

If you want a current example involving the control cities, consider that the new Interstate 69 in Southern Indiana has no northbound control city, since only half of the highway is built. Signage plans have indicated that Indianapolis will be added later on, but probably not until the highway is complete up to at least Bloomington if not Indy, time will tell. On the other hand, Evansville is the southbound control city even though Interstate 69 does not yet reach the city, it continues south of Interstate 64 as Interstate 164, but will be Interstate 69 in the future. No TEMP shields however and I'm unsure if there were ever any in Indiana.

I would guess that Indianapolis will be signed with the completion to Bloomington.  After there, it's a straight run up IN 37.

[Brandon]

Michigan used to use "TEMP" or "TEMPORARY" on I-69 before it was completed in the Lansing area in 1992.  The reassurance signs were as such:

NORTH
TEMP
{69}

It was also listed as temporary on the big green signs, but I don't recall the order.

[PHLBOS]

I remember the Lynn-Boston signs, as well as the fact that one of the local radio stations (101.7, WFNX?) always called its geographical location "Lynn/Boston".  other than that - having grown up at the other end of missing I-95 (Canton) - I barely knew where Lynn was.

The old 95 SOUTH Lynn Boston BGS' were at the following locations:

1. Topsfield/Danvers line - Two along US 1 South at I-95's Exit 50 (1971(?) vintage) at the Left-lane exit for I-95 South; the BGS' were erected years before the ramp actually opened (the I-95 shields, the SOUTH lettering and arrows were absent from the BGS' until the exit ramp opened in the mid-70s).

2. Danvers - one along US 1 South between the MA 114 and Lowell St. interchanges (1971(?) vintage).  This BGS only had all the lettering & downward arrow on it except the I-95 shield (message essentially read: SOUTH Lynn Boston).   This BGS gave hint to the original movement plans for the current Exit 46 off I-95; off US 1 South to I-95 South/off I-95 North for US 1 North, the exact opposite of the current ramp movements.   That BGS along w/a 1 SOUTH Saugus pull-through BGS & related gantry was replaced in the early 80s with cantilever gantry and BGS listing the advance notice of the I-95/MA 128 interchange.

3.  Topsfield/Danvers line - Pull-Through BGS along I-95 South at Exit 50 (mid-70s vintage).  Ironically, this one was fabricated & erected after it was known that I-95 inside of 128 was not going to happen.  This BGS had a more reflective shield & lettering than the earlier BGS'.

[cpzilliacus]

There were TO I-95 assemblies posted along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway between those two cities, since the "between the Beltways" section of I-95 did not open until several years after 1970. 

There were also TO I-95 assemblies posted along I-895 through Baltimore before the Fort McHenry Tunnel was completed in 1985.

[agentsteel53]

I remember the Lynn-Boston signs, as well as the fact that one of the local radio stations (101.7, WFNX?) always called its geographical location "Lynn/Boston".  other than that - having grown up at the other end of missing I-95 (Canton) - I barely knew where Lynn was.

The old 95 SOUTH Lynn Boston BGS' were at the following locations:

1. Topsfield/Danvers line - Two along US 1 South at I-95's Exit 50 (1971(?) vintage) at the Left-lane exit for I-95 South; the BGS' were erected years before the ramp actually opened (the I-95 shields, the SOUTH lettering and arrows were absent from the BGS' until the exit ramp opened in the mid-70s).

2. Danvers - one along US 1 South between the MA 114 and Lowell St. interchanges (1971(?) vintage).  This BGS only had all the lettering & downward arrow on it except the I-95 shield (message essentially read: SOUTH Lynn Boston).   This BGS gave hint to the original movement plans for the current Exit 46 off I-95; off US 1 South to I-95 South/off I-95 North for US 1 North, the exact opposite of the current ramp movements.   That BGS along w/a 1 SOUTH Saugus pull-through BGS & related gantry was replaced in the early 80s with cantilever gantry and BGS listing the advance notice of the I-95/MA 128 interchange.

3.  Topsfield/Danvers line - Pull-Through BGS along I-95 South at Exit 50 (mid-70s vintage).  Ironically, this one was fabricated & erected after it was known that I-95 inside of 128 was not going to happen.  This BGS had a more reflective shield & lettering than the earlier BGS'.

got any photos of these?  the one I remember was on mainline 95, so I believe it was #3.  was around well into the 90s.

(also, in completely unrelated news, I'd love to see a photo of the lingering I-86 shield at exit 2 of I-84 in Sturbridge - around as of 1987 or 1988, and the erroneous green-and-white Interstate Massachusetts 495 shield pair at the south end of the Lowell Connector posted briefly sometime in the early 90s.)

[PHLBOS]

got any photos of these?  the one I remember was on mainline 95, so I believe it was #3.  was around well into the 90s.

(also, in completely unrelated news, I'd love to see a photo of the lingering I-86 shield at exit 2 of I-84 in Sturbridge - around as of 1987 or 1988, and the erroneous green-and-white Interstate Massachusetts 495 shield pair at the south end of the Lowell Connector posted briefly sometime in the early 90s.)

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the above.  The I-95 South/Lynn BGS' at Exit 50 (1 & 3 in my previous post) were all replaced with the current BGS' in the 90s; although the lead-in BGS assembly along US 1 South to the I-95 South on-ramp appears to have been recently replaced w/a newer diagrametric BGS (the non-button-copy I-95 shield being the dead give-away).

The BGS mentioned in #2 was a similar size to the original lead-in BGS in #1.

As far as the old I-86 shield at I-84's Exit 2; I believe that one has been long gone for a while.
The green Business Spur 495 shield in Lowell has been gone for years as well.

If you were planning on heading to the upcoming Portsmouth, NH meet this late-May; I could rough-sketch you up what the old I-95/Lynn-Boston BGS' resembled.

[agentsteel53]

As far as the old I-86 shield at I-84's Exit 2; I believe that one has been long gone for a while.

yep.  although there are some arrows there, as of February 2010, which may date to the 60s.  an 84 shield with high intensity sheeting looks to be late 80s vintage, and seems to be a hasty replacement for an 86. 

The green Business Spur 495 shield in Lowell has been gone for years as well.

I photographed that shield on the side street in 2006, and heard it was around as late as 2008.  here is a 2007 photo.



what I was referring to was a construction project at the south end of the connector, at I-495, which was a gantry featuring a pair of shields.  the entire assembly was green and white: NORTH and SOUTH banners, a pair of shields, and the arrows referring to the individual ramps.  It was located at the gore point where the first ramp (495 south) split.  standard '70 spec state named 30x25 shields, except the green and white business design with the INTERSTATE legend.

the gantry topology was identical to this, except all green-white (and with NORTH and SOUTH switched).



I think they were only up for a few months.  I remember them existing in a field of orange cones, orange signs, orange trucks, etc.

[PHLBOS]

The green Business Spur 495 shield in Lowell has been gone for years as well.

I photographed that shield on the side street in 2006, and heard it was around as late as 2008.  here is a 2007 photo.



what I was referring to was a construction project at the south end of the connector, at I-495, which was a gantry featuring a pair of shields.  the entire assembly was green and white: NORTH and SOUTH banners, a pair of shields, and the arrows referring to the individual ramps.  It was located at the gore point where the first ramp (495 south) split.  standard '70 spec state named 30x25 shields, except the green and white business design with the INTERSTATE legend.

the gantry topology was identical to this, except all green-white (and with NORTH and SOUTH switched).



I think they were only up for a few months.  I remember them existing in a field of orange cones, orange signs, orange trucks, etc.

I will have to double-check the next time I'm up that way (time permitting) but I believe (coming from someone else on this site) that the green Bus Spur 495 shield has since been gone for a few years (obviously after 2007-2008).

As far as the other green 495 signs you're referring to; if they were erected as a temporary signage for a construction project, chances are they've since been taken down.  A Google Earth Street View run down the southbound Lowell Connector to the 495 ramps show no such signage; just standard 90s-vintage MassHighway BGS' mounted on overhead post gantries.

[mukade]

If you want a current example involving the control cities, consider that the new Interstate 69 in Southern Indiana has no northbound control city, since only half of the highway is built. Signage plans have indicated that Indianapolis will be added later on, but probably not until the highway is complete up to at least Bloomington if not Indy, time will tell. On the other hand, Evansville is the southbound control city even though Interstate 69 does not yet reach the city, it continues south of Interstate 64 as Interstate 164, but will be Interstate 69 in the future. No TEMP shields however and I'm unsure if there were ever any in Indiana.

Back in the 1970s Indiana used "TO" I-94 on SR 39 as did Michigan on M-239. Probably the same on the ITR. Michigan used at least some "TO" I-196 signs between Jenison and Holland on former M-21 (now M-121).

I drove from Merrillville to Lafayette before I-65 was completed (in driver ed). I don't remember 100%, but I think US 231 was also marked as "TO" I-65.

[Henry]

Michigan used to use "TEMP" or "TEMPORARY" on I-69 before it was completed in the Lansing area in 1992.  The reassurance signs were as such:

NORTH
TEMP
{69}

It was also listed as temporary on the big green signs, but I don't recall the order.

I imagine the BGS showed TEMP the same way as a regular Interstate, but with TEMP in white letters above the number.

[corco]

On I-76 approaching I-270 in Denver there's still (or was in 2010) a relic "Future 270" shield

[thenetwork]

On I-76 approaching I-270 in Denver there's still (or was in 2010) a relic "Future 270" shield

I didn't even know they were to extend I-270 further west, unless that is a sign error.  The only way I could see them extending I-270 west along the US-36/Boulder Turnpike alignment is if they ever complete 470 along the Northwest side and sign it I-470 at least between I-70 and US-36.

[ski-man]

I think that I-270 only extends from I-76 to I-25. After that I-270 ends and it is just US-36 to Boulder.

[corco]

I didn't even know they were to extend I-270 further west, unless that is a sign error.  The only way I could see them extending I-270 west along the US-36/Boulder Turnpike alignment is if they ever complete 470 along the Northwest side and sign it I-470 at least between I-70 and US-36.

The sign's on I-76 guys, not I-25.

The sign in question appears to be gone now but is located on this approach- I-76 westbound approaching I-270- that was the second phase of I-270, from I-76 to I-25.

[NE2]

Yep, I-270 between I-25 and I-76 was built much later than the freeways it continues as on either end.

[briantroutman]

Unless CDOT planned on extending I-270 westward beyond I-25, it seems odd they would have signed it as "Future". There isn't even one full mile of I-270 between I-76 and I-25, so there wouldn't be much else yet to open.

They don't even mention "To I-25 North" on the I-270 West guide, which I think is a major omission. (You can't exit onto I-25 North from I-76 West.) They do have one supplemental guide sign in the mix that does mention it, but it looks easily missed.