Oregon 99E sign to Seattle

[sp_redelectric]

Not really an unusual sign but more interesting...since the sign is located south of downtown Portland and doesn't say "City Center" (or "Portland") but references "Seattle".  There are several other signs that also use Seattle as the control city on both 99E and at least one on 99W (Naito Parkway).


IMG_9205 by sp_redelectric, on Flickr

[Bickendan]

Presumably because you'd be using the Ross Island Bridge to reach Portland City Center over the Hawthorne, Morrison or Burnside Bridges.

[JasonOfORoads]

By that point, you're in Portland proper, so it wouldn't make sense for the sign to say that 99E heads to Portland if you're already technically there.  Seattle is the next city that you can reach via this road that's larger than Portland.  The Ross Island Bridge sign would normally say something like "City Center".

[sp_redelectric]

By that point, you're in Portland proper, so it wouldn't make sense for the sign to say that 99E heads to Portland if you're already technically there.  Seattle is the next city that you can reach via this road that's larger than Portland.  The Ross Island Bridge sign would normally say something like "City Center".

I would probably argue that this location is not in the City Center (close, but still not within)...and just as much, there are plenty of signs that point to "Portland" even though you're very well established in Portland (i.e. at the I-205/I-84 interchange, the control city for I-84 westbound is "Portland" even though you are firmly established within Portland at that location).

On the west end of the Ross Island Bridge, there is a sign for U.S. 26 West - City Center (not, say, Beaverton, or Seaside, or Astoria), Oregon 10 West - Barbur Boulevard (not Beaverton, nor does it mention Oregon 99W), or I-5 South/Oregon 43 South - Lake Oswego and Salem (but not Macadam Avenue).

[Bickendan]

Quibble about the I-84/205 interchange example: You're not firmly established in Portland there; you're also in Maywood Park... even though there is no freeway access to that city save from I-205 at Sandy Blvd.

[sp_redelectric]

Quibble about the I-84/205 interchange example: You're not firmly established in Portland there; you're also in Maywood Park... even though there is no freeway access to that city save from I-205 at Sandy Blvd.

Not if you're travelling northbound on I-205 to westbound I-84, you don't touch Maywood Park at all.

And if you're on southbound I-205, there is an "Entering Portland" sign just before

[TEG24601]

Having formerly lived in the PDX area, and actually use the city as a vacation destination, these signs always seemed logical to me.  US 99 (_/W/E) all merged at the Interstate Bridge and went to Seattle.  Today, only 99E does (which really should be signed as 99 North of the Lloyd district, as there is no 99W North of Downtown), where it merges with I-5 near the Expo Center.  It make perfect sense to use Seattle as the control city.  Perhaps Vancouver, WA would be more logical, but perhaps they are trying to eliminate confusion.

TEG

[NE2]

It should say
Vancouver WA
Vancouver BC
other Rainy Cities

[Landshark]

It should say
Vancouver WA
Vancouver BC
other Rainy Cities

This isn't rainy Florida.  The rain lie is meant to keep ignorant people like you from moving here.

[Bickendan]

I dunno... it's raining right now.

[sp_redelectric]

Having formerly lived in the PDX area, and actually use the city as a vacation destination, these signs always seemed logical to me.  US 99 (_/W/E) all merged at the Interstate Bridge and went to Seattle.  Today, only 99E does (which really should be signed as 99 North of the Lloyd district, as there is no 99W North of Downtown), where it merges with I-5 near the Expo Center.  It make perfect sense to use Seattle as the control city.  Perhaps Vancouver, WA would be more logical, but perhaps they are trying to eliminate confusion.

I wonder why PBOT/ODOT are keeping 99E alive in North Portland...when they had no qualms about quickly killing off 99W, or the record-breaking removal of U.S. 30 Business on Sandy Boulevard.  Especially, as M.L.K. is now a city-maintained street from the viaduct over the Union Pacific all the way north to Columbia Boulevard.  Oregon 99W, however, still is named on ODOT's bridge inventory signs for the Steel Bridge  (ODOT is still the leasee of the top deck of the bridge from Union Pacific, although the approach spans have been turned over to the City or TriMet) and on the Denver Avenue viaduct north of Argyle Street (look for the little green sign to the right, behind the pedestrian handrail but on the start of the concrete guardrail.)

[nexus73]

It should say
Vancouver WA
Vancouver BC
other Rainy Cities

This isn't rainy Florida.  The rain lie is meant to keep ignorant people like you from moving here.

It's a highway joke you didn't get.  Ever hear of the "Desert Cities" sign on I-10 in SoCal? 

Rick

[kkt]

It should say
Vancouver WA
Vancouver BC
other Rainy Cities

This isn't rainy Florida.  The rain lie is meant to keep ignorant people like you from moving here.

We don't have torrential downpours like Fla., but in terms of number of hours of precipitation per year the Pacific Northwest has got to be right up there.

Now: heavy clouds, rain forecast for the afternoon.

[corco]

This isn't rainy Florida.  The rain lie is meant to keep ignorant people like you from moving here.

Having lived in Tacoma, people who claim that the northwest isn't all that rainy are just people in the northwest trying to act like they're better than other people- it rains a fucking lot. Look at the vegetation! You don't get that vegetation without a lot of rain.

[TEG24601]

This isn't rainy Florida.  The rain lie is meant to keep ignorant people like you from moving here.

Having lived in Tacoma, people who claim that the northwest isn't all that rainy are just people in the northwest trying to act like they're better than other people- it rains a fucking lot. Look at the vegetation! You don't get that vegetation without a lot of rain.

It rains more often, but not as much volume falls.  Also, because of our vaguely Mediterranean climate, it rarely rains during the summer (ie July 5 through Sept 15).  I still laugh over the fact that it rains most of the winter, so our winter sports stadium is open air, and it is largely hot and dry in the summer, so our summer sports stadium has a (retractible) roof.

[Bickendan]

I still laugh over the fact that it rains most of the winter, so our winter sports stadium is open air, and it is largely hot and dry in the summer, so our summer sports stadium has a (retractible) roof.

Makes perfect sense to me :shrug:

[kkt]

This isn't rainy Florida.  The rain lie is meant to keep ignorant people like you from moving here.

Having lived in Tacoma, people who claim that the northwest isn't all that rainy are just people in the northwest trying to act like they're better than other people- it rains a fucking lot. Look at the vegetation! You don't get that vegetation without a lot of rain.

It rains more often, but not as much volume falls.  Also, because of our vaguely Mediterranean climate, it rarely rains during the summer (ie July 5 through Sept 15).  I still laugh over the fact that it rains most of the winter, so our winter sports stadium is open air, and it is largely hot and dry in the summer, so our summer sports stadium has a (retractible) roof.

We do have relatively dry summers, but only from about July 12 to late September.  Since the baseball season is way longer than that, the retractable roof makes sense.  Agree about the football stadium though.  Closed would have made more sense.

[Kacie Jane]

Having formerly lived in the PDX area, and actually use the city as a vacation destination, these signs always seemed logical to me.  US 99 (_/W/E) all merged at the Interstate Bridge and went to Seattle.  Today, only 99E does (which really should be signed as 99 North of the Lloyd district, as there is no 99W North of Downtown), where it merges with I-5 near the Expo Center.  It make perfect sense to use Seattle as the control city.  Perhaps Vancouver, WA would be more logical, but perhaps they are trying to eliminate confusion.

TEG

NE2's joke aside, I don't know what confusion that would cause, as you'd want to go north across the river to get to either Vancouver.

[nexus73]

Having formerly lived in the PDX area, and actually use the city as a vacation destination, these signs always seemed logical to me.  US 99 (_/W/E) all merged at the Interstate Bridge and went to Seattle.  Today, only 99E does (which really should be signed as 99 North of the Lloyd district, as there is no 99W North of Downtown), where it merges with I-5 near the Expo Center.  It make perfect sense to use Seattle as the control city.  Perhaps Vancouver, WA would be more logical, but perhaps they are trying to eliminate confusion.

TEG

NE2's joke aside, I don't know what confusion that would cause, as you'd want to go north across the river to get to either Vancouver.

Now imagine an alternate universe where there is no PDX.  The control city for heading north or south from Seattle would always be Vancouver...LOL!

Rick

[agentsteel53]

Now imagine an alternate universe where there is no PDX.  The control city for heading north or south from Seattle would always be Vancouver...LOL!

Rick

I don't recall Vancouver BC being very heavily signed in Seattle.  I would imagine, in the absence of Portland, the control cities would be Bellingham/Blaine in one direction, Salem in the other.

[sp_redelectric]

I don't recall Vancouver BC being very heavily signed in Seattle.  I would imagine, in the absence of Portland, the control cities would be Bellingham/Blaine in one direction, Salem in the other.

Seems to me that Tacoma is the predominate control city south of Seattle (Portland on many signs, but Tacoma more frequently).  After Olympia, Vancouver is on quite a few signs.

But I've never seen a "Portland" sign in Seattle on anything other than I-5, not on old U.S. 99.

[TEG24601]

Now imagine an alternate universe where there is no PDX.  The control city for heading north or south from Seattle would always be Vancouver...LOL!

Rick

I don't recall Vancouver BC being very heavily signed in Seattle.  I would imagine, in the absence of Portland, the control cities would be Bellingham/Blaine in one direction, Salem in the other.

Vancouver, B.C. is the primary control city on I-5 from Downtown Seattle, to the North.  Some signs add the next city in the 30 miles between cities list, but Vancouver it always the one at the bottom, or the one displayed when there is only one city listed.

Same goes for Portland when traveling South.  Other cities may be listed, but when by itself, it is always Portland.

[nexus73]

Thanks for backing up my memory TEG.  Having gone to Seattle many times from 1975 to 2008, I knew that Vancouver BC and Portland were the main control cities on I-5.  Things could have changed over the last five years though so I am glad they didn't!

Rick

[Kacie Jane]

Now imagine an alternate universe where there is no PDX.  The control city for heading north or south from Seattle would always be Vancouver...LOL!

Rick

I don't recall Vancouver BC being very heavily signed in Seattle.  I would imagine, in the absence of Portland, the control cities would be Bellingham/Blaine in one direction, Salem in the other.

There are a lot of interchanges that don't use control cities on the surface streets (just shields and arrows), so if that's what you mean by not signed heavily, you're correct.  But whenever a control city is used, it's always Vancouver northbound.  (As TEG showed, there are some that also say Everett, but I'm pretty sure never alone.)

[Landshark]

It should say
Vancouver WA
Vancouver BC
other Rainy Cities

This isn't rainy Florida.  The rain lie is meant to keep ignorant people like you from moving here.

It's a highway joke you didn't get.  Ever hear of the "Desert Cities" sign on I-10 in SoCal? 

Rick

It would be a good joke if Florida were the butt of it.  I am not sure it has rained where I live since I posted the above.  It's dry season here.