Roads signed by name only

[31E]

Sam Cooper Blvd in Memphis has no route number and no shield that I've ever seen. It was built as a segment of I-40, but the segment through downtown Memphis was never built and I-40 was eventually rerouted, leaving Sam Cooper Blvd orphaned. The road is currently owned by the city of Memphis, and as far as I know it's the only city or county freeway in the state of Tennessee.

[agentsteel53]

Lake Ponchatrain Causeway - tolls and 20+ miles without an exit. No shields nor special signage that I was aware of.

no idea how old.

[hotdogPi]

Storrow Drive (in Boston)
Maine Turnpike Falmouth Spur
Everett Turnpike (the part that's not US 3, although it's still incorrectly called that sometimes, and already mentioned)

Lots of connectors:

Berkshire Connector
Lowell Connector (already mentioned)
Scarborough Connector (Maine)

[Indyroads]

"Ronald Reagan Parkway" In central indiana

[JustDrive]

Alfred Harrell Highway in Bakersfield is limited access.

[dgolub]

Storrow Drive (in Boston)

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention this one.  It was the first one outside of New York that came to mind for me.  Also, Soldiers Field Road, which is an extension of it.

Back in New York, there's the JFK Expressway, which doesn't even get a reference route.

[PHLBOS]

Storrow Drive (in Boston)

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention this one.  It was the first one outside of New York that came to mind for me.  Also, Soldiers Field Road, which is an extension of it.

It's worth noting that Storrow Drive wasn't always route numberless.  East of Kenmore Square, it was originally designated as MA C1.  In 1971, when the C-X route system was abolished; it became US 1 and remained as such until 1989-1990 when US 1 south of Storrow Drive was rerouted to piggy-back along I-93 and I-95(MA 128) to Dedham. 

One reason for the rerouting (according to roadman) was due to trucks following US 1 and hitting or getting stuck on Storrow Drive's low clearance overpasses.

One of the MDC-spec'd. BGS listing eastbound Storrow Drive as US 1 North that still exists today.

http://goo.gl/maps/cRplI

Additionally, both MA 3 & 28 are routed on small segments of Storrow Drive (east of the Longfellow Bridge) to this day.

[roadman]

Storrow Drive (in Boston)

I'm surprised it took so long for someone to mention this one.  It was the first one outside of New York that came to mind for me.  Also, Soldiers Field Road, which is an extension of it.

It's worth noting that Storrow Drive wasn't always route numberless.  East of Kenmore Square, it was originally designated as MA C1.  In 1971, when the C-X route system was abolished; it became US 1 and remained as such until 1989-1990 when US 1 south of Storrow Drive was rerouted to piggy-back along I-93 and I-95(MA 128) to Dedham. 

One reason for the rerouting (according to roadman) was due to trucks following US 1 and hitting or getting stuck on Storrow Drive's low clearance overpasses.

One of the MDC-spec'd. BGS listing eastbound Storrow Drive as US 1 North that still exists today.

http://goo.gl/maps/cRplI

Actually, there's more than one MDC-spec BGS that includes US 1 still in place.  Not only that, but the current MDC-spec overhead signs on Storrow Drive (with US 1 shields) were installed in the early 1990s, after US 1 had been re-routed (at the MDC's request) off of Storrow Drive and the other parkways.

[formulanone]

Lake Ponchatrain Causeway - tolls and 20+ miles without an exit. No shields nor special signage that I was aware of.

no idea how old.

Hmmm, saw that; the typeface on the first line almost looks like Transport.

Anything still extant?

[agentsteel53]

Actually, there's more than one MDC-spec BGS that includes US 1 still in place.  Not only that, but the current MDC-spec overhead signs on Storrow Drive (with US 1 shields) were installed in the early 1990s, after US 1 had been re-routed (at the MDC's request) off of Storrow Drive and the other parkways.

I also recall several that have had the "1" eliminated by an exceedingly minimalist greenout: a tall and narrow green square.

[PHLBOS]

Actually, there's more than one MDC-spec BGS that includes US 1 still in place.

My reason for opening my previous post with "One of..." which you quoted. 

Not only that, but the current MDC-spec overhead signs on Storrow Drive (with US 1 shields) were installed in the early 1990s, after US 1 had been re-routed (at the MDC's request) off of Storrow Drive and the other parkways.

Actually, those signs (along with the others along Storrow Drive) were installed in the late 80s.  I remember first seeing them when driving along Storrow Drive during the latter part of my senior year in college (1988) while on spring break.  I also remember many of the BGS', except for the ones near Kenmore Square and the Fens, were altered (US 1 shields stripped off) shortly thereafter when the US 1 reroute occurred.

I also recall several that have had the "1" eliminated by an exceedingly minimalist greenout: a tall and narrow green square.

Those BGS' & LGS' were located further south along the Fens and the Jamaicaway.

[cpzilliacus]

Berkshire Connector

Most of it is signed as I-90.

[agentsteel53]

I also recall several that have had the "1" eliminated by an exceedingly minimalist greenout: a tall and narrow green square.

Those BGS' & LGS' were located further south along the Fens and the Jamaicaway.

you are right on there being some in those areas... but there aren't any somewhere around Storrow as well?  was I mismemembering?

[agentsteel53]

also: s/square/rectangle/

squares aren't tall and narrow. 

[roadman]

I also recall several that have had the "1" eliminated by an exceedingly minimalist greenout: a tall and narrow green square.

Those BGS' & LGS' were located further south along the Fens and the Jamaicaway.

you are right on there being some in those areas... but there aren't any somewhere around Storrow as well?  was I mismemembering?

The LGS panels on the MDC parkways between the Fenway and the Boston/Dedham line didn't have the US 1 information (no shield, just the numeral '1') greened over until 1995 or 1996 - this was done in a rush after a Globe "Starts and Stops" expose that got the attention of the higher-ups in the MDC and MassHighway.

[PHLBOS]

you are right on there being some in those areas... but there aren't any somewhere around Storrow as well?  was I mismemembering?

The closest ones to Storrow Drive are at the intersection of Park Drive and Fenway (the road not the baseball park).

Scroll down link to see photo:
http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ma/us_1/2.html

It's worth noting some pics. on Steve's page of the greenouts on those older MDC BGS' were actually covering C1 or C-1 (need to send him a comment stating the error).  Those were never changed to just 1 or US 1 at all.  I remember seeing those MDC BGS' reading C1 circa 1990.

[agentsteel53]

I think this is the one I was remembering, except for some reason I conflated the memory with it being greened out.



as for the C-routes, are there any surviving uncovered examples?  there is the C1/C9 on Beacon Street:



and then there was once a blue (!) LGS in Cambridge with C-28 et al.

[PHLBOS]

I think this is the one I was remembering, except for some reason I conflated the memory with it being greened out.

That LGS (DPW-style & size but MDC colors and font) was erected in the 1980s was was not erected along the former US 1 (hence the To prefixes).

as for the C-routes, are there any surviving uncovered examples?  there is the C1/C9 on Beacon Street:

I'm not sure if that one is still there.  And that sign is small enough that it simply would've been taken down and replaced as opposed to being covered with the updated number.  In the mid-70s, I remember seeing a small old DPW-spec'd 9A shield along Beacon Street near the Boston/Brookline border.

and then there was once a blue (!) LGS in Cambridge with C-28 et al.

That Euro-style blue (LBS), and others like it,
was located in the Back Bay section of Boston.  I'm not sure if any are still around.  I did see one or two survivors circa 1990.

[1995hoo]

Thought of it yesterday because I was driving on it....Seminary Road and Janney's Lane in Alexandria, Virginia, constitute State Route 420, but the number is not posted anywhere (oddly for Virginia, the LGS on I-395 has just the name, and none of the intersections along the route have the little white route number signs ubiquitous in most of Virginia). I suspect the number isn't posted because it was added to the route in the 1980s and the LGSs on I-395 have just been copies of the previous versions each time (lone change in recent memory being the switch to Clearview).

[agentsteel53]

Thought of it yesterday because I was driving on it....Seminary Road and Janney's Lane in Alexandria, Virginia, constitute State Route 420, but the number is not posted anywhere (oddly for Virginia, the LGS on I-395 has just the name, and none of the intersections along the route have the little white route number signs ubiquitous in most of Virginia). I suspect the number isn't posted because it was added to the route in the 1980s and the LGSs on I-395 have just been copies of the previous versions each time (lone change in recent memory being the switch to Clearview).

or it would be a Frequently Stolen Sign?

[agentsteel53]

That Euro-style blue (LBS), and others like it,
was located in the Back Bay section of Boston.  I'm not sure if any are still around.  I did see one or two survivors circa 1990.

I tried finding the photo of the one I thought was on Steve's site... and I remember it being either at Alewife or Davis.  it definitely had a C-28.

Steve, any help here?

[NE2]

I tried finding the photo of the one I thought was on Steve's site... and I remember it being either at Alewife or Davis.  it definitely had a C-28.

Steve, any help here?

End of http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ma/ma_2/2.html

[PHLBOS]

I tried finding the photo of the one I thought was on Steve's site... and I remember it being either at Alewife or Davis.  it definitely had a C-28.

Steve, any help here?

End of http://www.alpsroads.net/roads/ma/ma_2/2.html

Which confirms the location of that LBS is indeed Boston (Arlington St.); note the Cambridge listing towards the bottom of the panel.

[1995hoo]

Thought of it yesterday because I was driving on it....Seminary Road and Janney's Lane in Alexandria, Virginia, constitute State Route 420, but the number is not posted anywhere (oddly for Virginia, the LGS on I-395 has just the name, and none of the intersections along the route have the little white route number signs ubiquitous in most of Virginia). I suspect the number isn't posted because it was added to the route in the 1980s and the LGSs on I-395 have just been copies of the previous versions each time (lone change in recent memory being the switch to Clearview).

or it would be a Frequently Stolen Sign?

Maybe. I do remember when the signs for Electric Avenue over near Tysons Corner disappeared every few days back in the early 1980s.

Although....

[NE2]

It's a number that has received an arbitrary meaning. Like every other number.