Control States

[Brandon]

Not to mention God Damn River Avenue!   

I wasn't sure exactly what the "Gd" was (God? Good? Grid?), when I first saw it. Not a very good abbreviation at all.

Come to think of it, that's also a weird location for the exit gore sign.

"Gd" is for "Grand".  It's a very common abbreviation for Grand in Michigan - Gd Rapids, Gd Ledge, Gd River Ave, etc.

[StogieGuy7]

"Gd" is for "Grand".  It's a very common abbreviation for Grand in Michigan - Gd Rapids, Gd Ledge, Gd River Ave, etc.

Yeah, that's swell if you're from Michigan and know the names of local roads and communities.  But, then again, that's not really the point of directional signs, is it?   No, they are supposed to guide those who don't know their way around.  In that way, the Gd abbreviation is deserving of ridicule (or at least comment). 

Yes, I know, we already have a thread about cryptic signs.....   

[Brandon]

"Gd" is for "Grand".  It's a very common abbreviation for Grand in Michigan - Gd Rapids, Gd Ledge, Gd River Ave, etc.

Yeah, that's swell if you're from Michigan and know the names of local roads and communities.  But, then again, that's not really the point of directional signs, is it?   No, they are supposed to guide those who don't know their way around.  In that way, the Gd abbreviation is deserving of ridicule (or at least comment). 

Yes, I know, we already have a thread about cryptic signs.....   

Funny, I use the abbreviation all the time.
Gd Cayman, Gd Turk, Gd Ave, etc.
Maybe it is because I am a Michigander living in Illinois.

[Alps]

"Gd" is for "Grand".  It's a very common abbreviation for Grand in Michigan - Gd Rapids, Gd Ledge, Gd River Ave, etc.

Yeah, that's swell if you're from Michigan and know the names of local roads and communities.  But, then again, that's not really the point of directional signs, is it?   No, they are supposed to guide those who don't know their way around.  In that way, the Gd abbreviation is deserving of ridicule (or at least comment). 

Yes, I know, we already have a thread about cryptic signs.....   

Funny, I use the abbreviation all the time.
Gd Cayman, Gd Turk, Gd Ave, etc.
Maybe it is because I am a Michigander living in Illinois.

I'd never seen it before going to Michigan, and have never seen it otherwise. It's just you.

[theline]

"Gd" is for "Grand".  It's a very common abbreviation for Grand in Michigan - Gd Rapids, Gd Ledge, Gd River Ave, etc.

Yeah, that's swell if you're from Michigan and know the names of local roads and communities.  But, then again, that's not really the point of directional signs, is it?   No, they are supposed to guide those who don't know their way around.  In that way, the Gd abbreviation is deserving of ridicule (or at least comment). 

Yes, I know, we already have a thread about cryptic signs.....   

Funny, I use the abbreviation all the time.
Gd Cayman, Gd Turk, Gd Ave, etc.
Maybe it is because I am a Michigander living in Illinois.

I'd never seen it before going to Michigan, and have never seen it otherwise. It's just you.

I was puzzled for a moment the first time I saw Gd on a BGS. I only figured it out because I knew the road went to Grand Rapids. It's a very poor abbreviation for non-Michiganders. (BTW, I just ran a spell check of this message, which did not object to Gd, oddly enough.)

[kphoger]

Oh, come on..  If you were looking for your exit "Grand River Avenue", and you saw a sign for "Gd River Ave", would you really not know that was your exit?  And, if you were looking for your exit "Stumpmonger Highway", and you saw a sign for "Gd River Ave", would you really wonder if it might be your exit?

[Alps]

Oh, come on..  If you were looking for your exit "Grand River Avenue", and you saw a sign for "Gd River Ave", would you really not know that was your exit?  And, if you were looking for your exit "Stumpmonger Highway", and you saw a sign for "Gd River Ave", would you really wonder if it might be your exit?

God River Avenue? Glad River? The MUTCD is very clear on what can and cannot be abbreviated for just this reason.

[NE2]

Oh, come on..  If you were looking for your exit "Grand River Avenue", and you saw a sign for "Gd River Ave", would you really not know that was your exit?  And, if you were looking for your exit "Stumpmonger Highway", and you saw a sign for "Gd River Ave", would you really wonder if it might be your exit?

If you only vaguely remembered that you wanted a Grand something you might not figure it out.

[1995hoo]

If I simply saw that sign without having any other information I'd have assumed it stood for "Good."

(Yes, I know people down South who use "G-D" as a substitute for a vulgarity, but I've always seen it written with that hyphen like that–which, in turn, I've also seen some observant Jews do in reference to the word "God" under the extension of the principle of not writing nor saying the Tetragrammaton. But I'd never have assumed there would be a road whose name used the vulgarity nor a road with "God" in the name that someone felt the need to abbreviate on a road sign.)

[hobsini2]

Oh, come on..  If you were looking for your exit "Grand River Avenue", and you saw a sign for "Gd River Ave", would you really not know that was your exit?  And, if you were looking for your exit "Stumpmonger Highway", and you saw a sign for "Gd River Ave", would you really wonder if it might be your exit?

God River Avenue? Glad River? The MUTCD is very clear on what can and cannot be abbreviated for just this reason.

If it was me doing an abreviation of Grand it would be "Grd" or "Gr", not "Gd"

[thenetwork]

On I-70 West from "GD. JCT., CO"  (Grand Junction) westward, Utah is used as the control "state".  Green River used to be the primary control city, but newer CDOT sign upgrades have gone with simply Utah.

[Pete from Boston]

Old sign on I-95 in The Bronx used to use "New England" as a control region.  Newer ones just use New Haven.  Signs on I-84 W in Danbury, CT use NY State as a control, but some of them have been switched to Newburgh.  Technically, any sign that has New York as a control is using a control state, althogh we can pretty much assume it means City.

Until the 1980s sometime, the 87/287 split going south/east after the Tappan Zee Bridge used New England as a control region for 287 East. 

The control destination on I-95 North in the Bronx and/or Manhattan was changed some years after that from "New England" to "New Haven," which makes sense, but going south it went from "New Jersey" to "Trenton," which was not only not directly reachable on 95, but was far from a major destination from there.  "Newark" or even "Philadelphia" would have been a much better substitute.

Of course, any of these are more specific than the Mass Pike signs only just replaced this past year that used "Points West."  (I was the only one that found it funny when I said "Mass Pike Points West?  That all depends which way you're facing!")

[StogieGuy7]

On I-70 West from "GD. JCT., CO"  (Grand Junction) westward, Utah is used as the control "state".  Green River used to be the primary control city, but newer CDOT sign upgrades have gone with simply Utah.

That's Gr. Jct. to you, son!   

[Brandon]

On I-70 West from "GD. JCT., CO"  (Grand Junction) westward, Utah is used as the control "state".  Green River used to be the primary control city, but newer CDOT sign upgrades have gone with simply Utah.

That's Gr. Jct. to you, son!   

Great Junction?  Hence why MDOT uses Gd for Grand as Gr is Great.

[xcellntbuy]

Many of the old BGS on the Major Deegan Expressway (Interstate 87) in the City of New York used to say "Thruway Upstate" (with upward pointing arrow) and the control "region."  To many City residents, "Upstate" was a whole 'nother country!

[1995hoo]

Many of the old BGS on the Major Deegan Expressway (Interstate 87) in the City of New York used to say "Thruway Upstate" (with upward pointing arrow) and the control "region."  To many City residents, "Upstate" was a whole 'nother country!

"Upstate" means anything north of the Bronx.

[NE2]

"Actually, I thought New Jersey was the West!" -Billy Joel

[1995hoo]

"Actually, I thought New Jersey was the West!" -Billy Joel

[national highway 1]

Great Junction?  Hence why MDOT uses Gd for Grand as Gr is Great.

NSW prefers to use 'GT' as an abbreviation for Great.

[swbrotha100]

Old sign on I-95 in The Bronx used to use "New England" as a control region.  Newer ones just use New Haven.  Signs on I-84 W in Danbury, CT use NY State as a control, but some of them have been switched to Newburgh.  Technically, any sign that has New York as a control is using a control state, althogh we can pretty much assume it means City.

Until the 1980s sometime, the 87/287 split going south/east after the Tappan Zee Bridge used New England as a control region for 287 East. 

The control destination on I-95 North in the Bronx and/or Manhattan was changed some years after that from "New England" to "New Haven," which makes sense, but going south it went from "New Jersey" to "Trenton," which was not only not directly reachable on 95, but was far from a major destination from there.  "Newark" or even "Philadelphia" would have been a much better substitute.

Of course, any of these are more specific than the Mass Pike signs only just replaced this past year that used "Points West."  (I was the only one that found it funny when I said "Mass Pike Points West?  That all depends which way you're facing!")

Maybe NYC or NYS forgot about that I-95 gap in NJ. Since everything west of the Hudson River is way out west and all.    I do agree that if the control city was going to change to "Trenton" they should have just left it as "New Jersey".

[spmkam]

On I-95 on the New England Thruway many pull through signs list Conn. as the northboun control city instead of New Haven (the practice). Southbound, I-95 sometimes lists New Jersey instead of GW Bridge as you start to see the bridge. I think states are fine if there is no one city that is recognizable. New York often is the city, but in CT we use N.Y. City to clarify

[mapman1071]

Eastern Long Island On Most BG Exit, Directional & Pull Thru Signs: Eastbound Belt Parkway, Eastbound Southern State Parkway, Eastbound Jackie Robinson (Interboro) Parkway, Eastbound Grand Central/Northern State Parkway & Eastbound Queens Midtown Expressway/Long Island Expressway.

Some Have Been Replaced or Greenedout with (Except Belt Parkway & Jackie Robinson Parkway):

Southern State Parkway: Islip/Heckscher State Park
Grand Central Parkway/Northern State Parkway: Hauppauge
Queens Midtown Expressway/Long Island Expressway: Riverhead

[golden eagle]

At the southern terminus of I-65 in Mobile, Alabama, the destinations for I-10 east and west now read Florida and Mississippi rather then Pensacola and Pascagoula.

I mentioned earlier in this thread that they were like that in July 1997. Did they change them to the city names since then and subsequently change them back? Your use of the word "now" is what makes me curious.

I remember this being the case as well. I haven't been in Mobile since the early 2000s, despite being about three hours away. The earlier point about Pascagoula and Pensacola looking somewhat alike is probably the reason the states are used, but perhaps ALDOT could use Biloxi or Gulfport as the control city, maybe even New Orleans.

[roadman65]

The same with Denton being used for both I-35E & I-35W in Texas over Oklahoma City. 

Alabama and LA still have reminents of when I-10 was not yet completed in Mississippi on their signage is why the unusual use of Pascagoula in AL or Bay St. Louis in LA instead of the larger cities.

New Jersey faces the same with Easton being used on I-78 from when it ended in Greenwich, NJ for many decades and from there Easton is the next major city along US 22.  Even though I-78 goes to Easton indirectly and is not far from its epicenter, if it was built years ago as a whole interstate, you might of seen Allentown as primary control city for I-78 west of Clinton or in places east of Clinton that have previously used Easton as a control city.

Then you have Los Angeles used for I-40 west of Flagstaff, AZ because the old Route 66 went there before I-40 was completed.  The same for I-15 in Las Vegas using LA as a control city, because US 91 (I-15's old US route) originally went there or at least close enough to it.  Both interstates, respectively do not go to Los Angeles as we all know and I-40 requires the use of two other interstates to make it there.

[motorway]

In a way I wish control regions were more accepted for use on BGSs because, at least in the NYC area, we tend to think of things in terms of region more than of individual municipalities in terms of destinations from highways within the city. For that reason I've always liked the use of "Eastern LI" on the LIE and Belt Parkway (in addition to Riverhead on the former), and previously the use of New England instead of New Haven (or even just Connecticut for that matter). I'd prefer they used Upstate (or Hudson Valley) rather than Albany (because, really, how many drivers are actually destined for Albany?). Also logical for use in the region are New Jersey and Westchester.