Weird or unusual Highway signs

[jaybird2001wi]

Does anyone know of a web site showing weird or unusual freeway exit signs, etc?

In Racine County, there is a sign that reads: Chicago (X-rated number) miles

[bball123h2]

Don't know of a site, but there is of course the Bong Recreational Center, as well as the prince symbol for the Brown Deer Rd exit on 43 north.

[jaybird2001wi]

Did anyone know that there is one freeway exit in America that is labeled as "Exit 0." I am not sure where it is located, but its true. For those of that don't know, Freeway exits are numbered in miles along Interstates, which is why Racine's Hwy 20 exit is labeled Exit 333 on I-94.

[mothershipconnection]

"Easy on the Jake Brake" in the Sierra Nevada.

[And That]

I have a weird fascination with road signs, so I like this topic.

 

First, there used to be a US Hwy 666, but it was renamed about 4 years ago. Boo!

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/1e21564994d49b2a296402f75bf4d7fda4d7ab0.jpg

 

 

And my favorite highway exit in the world:

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/56235c774ac0988ad7b594892c0603d62f3adb2.jpg

[Crazyk1294]

And That wrote:

---

I have a weird fascination with road signs, so I like this topic.

 

First, there used to be a US Hwy 666, but it was renamed about 4 years ago. Boo!

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/1e21564994d49b2a296402f75bf4d7fda4d7ab0.jpg

 

 

And my favorite highway exit in the world:

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/56235c774ac0988ad7b594892c0603d62f3adb2.jpg

?

How funny, I was going to post a picture of Zzyzx Rd too.? Zzyzx Rd is also a very cool Stone Sour song.

[And That]

The shortest non dual-numbered Interstate, I-97, comes in at a crisp 17.62 miles, running entirely within one county in Maryland, so most people will never see one of these:

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/2ae35e8e411d9d97dc6f98c82cc56149cc40a00.jpg

 

 

At the other end of the spectrum is I-90, which many people will use at some point in their life. Nearly 3100 miles long, there's a whole lot of these in the U.S.:

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/2521514b93d6942e29c7073223d941005ed306d.jpg

[jaybird2001wi]

Interstate 97 just spans ONE county? Why don't they just call it a state Hwy or something?

[And That]

Interstate 97 just spans ONE county? Why don't they just call it a state Hwy or something?

I'm assuming it was meant to be longer, but ran into funding and/or legal trouble. Interstates running entirely within one state isn't exceedingly rare, though I-97 is sort of ridiculous.

 

[jaybird2001wi]

Interstate 43 runs just in the state of Wisconsin. It ends in Beloit I believe, unless for some reason or another... I-43 runs into Michigan that I don't even know of.

[1992casey]

Longest three-interstate concurrency in the United States:

 

http://web.mit.edu/smalpert/www/roads/wi/i/tri.jpg

[1992casey]

I can't confirm this, but believe I-43 was originally going to be an extension of I-57, which ends somewhere in Chicago. The section from downtown Milwaukee to Beloit was re-designated at a time when only interstates were allowed exceptions to the 55 mph national speed limit.

[ReverendBrewmeister]

While living in Michigan, we usually got a laugh out of Interstate 75 north of Detroit. There is a certain major east-west thoroughfare called Big Beaver Road. And you can exit I-75 to get off on Big Beaver. The street signs were common targets of theft.

 

Here is a picture of the highway sign. No joke, the exit number is really that. Link

There is even a company that makes money by selling stuff with this on it. Link

[homer]

"I can't confirm this, but believe I-43 was originally going to be an extension of I-57, which ends somewhere in Chicago. The section from downtown Milwaukee to Beloit was re-designated at a time when only interstates were allowed exceptions to the 55 mph national speed limit. "

 

My brother told me that the original plan was two have two highways running parallel south from Milwaukee to Chicago. The Hoan bridge was the beginning of one and I94 as it exists today was the other. They scrapped the plans for the 'Lakeshore' Highway which would have run through Racine and Kenosha I believe.

 

Of course, my brother could be full of it too.

[1992casey]

Try this quiz.

 

1) What state first developed the highway numbering system? [Answer]

Wisconsin

 

2) What is the shortest, numbered and signed highway in Wisconsin? [Answer]

WIS 243 near Osceola. It is 0.30 mile in length.

 

3) What is the longest highway in Wisconsin? [Answer]

WIS 35. It is 412.15 miles in length. It enters Wisconsin near east Dubuque, Illinois and ends at I-535 in Superior.

 

4) What is the lowest numbered highway? [Answer]

US 2 across northern Wisconsin.

 

5) What is the highest numbered highway? [Answer]

Interstate 894 in Milwaukee.

 

6) What highway number is used more than once? [Answer]

39 twice. Interstate 39 extends northward from Beloit to Wausau. WIS 39 extends eastward from US 18 near Edmund to WIS 59 near Albany.

 

7) What highway is both an Interstate highway and a Wisconsin State Trunk highway? [Answer]

Interstate 794 and WIS 794 in Milwaukee. It is I-794 from the Marquette Interchange to Carferry. The new Lake Arterial extension is designated WIS 794.

 

8) What US highway crosses Lake Michigan by ferry and continues in Michigan? [Answer]

US 10.

 

9) What highway crosses the Wisconsin River by ferry? [Answer]

WIS 113 crosses the Wisconsin River at Merrimac on the COLSAC III.

 

10) What US highways have two separate sections in Wisconsin? [Answer]

US 2 and US 141. Both highways enter Michigan and then re-enter Wisconsin for a short distance near Florence.

 

11) WIS 123 ends at what state park? [Answer]

WIS 123 ends at the entrance to Devil's Lake State Park.

 

12) What is the primary function of WIS 129 near Lancaster? [Answer]

WIS 129 serves as the Lancaster bypass for US 61 and is the "state recommended truck route."

 

13) What is unusual about Interstate 43? [Answer]

Interstate 43 is an intrastate Interstate highway.

 

14) What was the section of Interstate 43 from Beloit to Milwaukee previously designated as? [Answer]

WIS 15.

 

15) What was the section of Interstate 43 from Milwaukee to Green Bay previously designated as? [Answer]

US 141.

 

16) What three Interstate highways run concurrently from Madison to Portage? [Answer]

Interstate highways 39, 90 and 94.

 

17) Is this the longest stretch of three concurrent Interstate highways in the USA? [Answer]

Yes.

 

18) What highway shown on the Wisconsin map is not signed? [Answer]

WIS 119 in Milwaukee. It is a connection from I-94 to Mitchell Field.

 

19) What US highway was decommissioned and became a Wisconsin highway with the same number? [Answer]

US 16 was decommissioned and became WIS 16 in the late 1960's.

 

20) What highway is also known as the Stadium Freeway in Milwaukee? [Answer]

US 41. It is a short segment of freeway that was never completed.

 

21) What highway is the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway? [Answer]

US 51.

 

22) What highway is signed with four concurrent US highways? [Answer]

The Madison South Beltline between Park Street and Verona Road. It carries US 12, 14, 18 & 151.

 

23) Are there any locations with an Interstate, a US and a Wisconsin highway signed concurrently? [Answer]

Yes, I-94, US 12 and WIS 35 are signed concurrently near Hudson. Also, I-39, US 51 and WIS 23 are signed concurrently near Endeavor.

 

24) What are those red things found on WIS 32 signs? [Answer]

They are red arrow emblems signifying the 32nd Red Arrow Division.

 

25) True or false. Another state's highway can be found in Wisconsin. [Answer]

True. Minnesota Highway 23 cuts through the northwest corner of Wisconsin for a short distance near Superior.

 

Source [View Link]

Trivia - Wisconsin Department of Transportation

[1992casey]

Of course, my brother could be full of it too.

He'd be right. There were several uncompleted freeways. Among them would have been the Bay Freeway, which would have run near Hampton Avenue and joined Highway 16 in Waukesha County.

The Stadium Freeway was planned to run to the south and merge with I-894. You can still see part of that construction; there's a Park and Ride lot that can be accessed via a pretty fancy freeway ramp. There were a couple different plans to run the Stadium Freeway to the north. One plan would have taken it into the Cedarburg area. A second scaled-down plan would have blended it into the Fond du Lac Freeway in northwest Milwaukee County.

 

There was also a full downtown bypass planned. Part of it would have been the now torn down Park East Freeway. The Park East would have been connected to the East-West Freeway (I-794) with a segment along the lake. Several of those ramps were actually built, and they can be seen in the Blues Brothers movie.

Another scrapped freeway would have bypassed Milwaukee County, leaving I-94 in Racine County and running north through Waukesha and Washington Counties, eventually connecting to US 41.

 

[Oldcity]

I don't have a picture, but my friends and I always joke about the "Watch for low flying planes" sign on our way up to my friend's cabin. What exactly am I supposed to do as an automobile driver if I see a low-flying plane? It always leads to us making up fake signs: Watch for falling water droplets, watch for flying hay bales, etc.

[And That]

I don't have a picture of this, but for a time in a construction zone by my house, the following occurred:

 

While heading northbound on I-35E, in order to get on eastbound I-694, you had to be in the far left lane, and to get on westbound I-694, you had to be in the far right lane. Think about it. Merging right there was ultra-fun when surrounded by logically-correct thinking drivers.

[jaybird2001wi]

casey, you just mentioned Wis32. My grandfather was actually a part of the 32nd Infantry division, which was named for Hwy 32. My grandfather was a cook at the then-Kenosha military base and he has told me stories about his time as a cook with the 32nd Infantry. I actually saw some of his military pictures, which was weird because it always showed him holding a gun even though he only was a cook.

As a cook, he once told me he would hoard all of the leftovers from meals and then invite fellow military guys from the 32nd division for a night of poker, drinking and eating of the leftover food which were going to be thrown away anyway.

[1992casey]

I believe WI-32 was previously WI-42, but as you said, was changed to match the number of the Infantry Division.

[jason21nl]

I don't have a picture, but my friends and I always joke about the "Watch for low flying planes" sign on our way up to my friend's cabin. What exactly am I supposed to do as an automobile driver if I see a low-flying plane? It always leads to us making up fake signs: Watch for falling water droplets, watch for flying hay bales, etc.

 

its like the sign that says, look out for blowinging wind, or something like that..Okkk, how am i supposed to see this wind?

[jaybird2001wi]

casey, what is really weird... is since I worked as a news intern at Waukegan's newspaper... I learned a lot of weird highway conversions from Kenosha county, Wis. to Lake County, Ill.

Highway 31, which basically runs from the north side of Racine County all the way south is known as Route-131 right across the Illinois border.

Another weird thing is pretty much EVERY street in Illinois is labeled with a Route number (State highway for us Wisconsin folks). I always went on I-94 south towards Chicago for my internship, then I'd get off on the US-41 exit to avoid tolls and there were a ton of Route Numbers in Illinois. It got very confusing when I was sent to Glen Ellyn, Ill. once and had to mapquest my way back and I ended up getting lost.

The State Route numbers in Lake County are as follows (I know where each of them lead to for a sad reason during my internship) from Waukegan. Route 132: Grand Avenue takes people from Waukegan through Gurnee through Lindenhurst, etc.

Route 176: I believe its North Chicago or Lake Forest that far south takes you all the way west to Wauconda, Ill. where their high school football coach is Glen Kozlowski, former Chicago Bears' tight end.

Route 173: Right at the state border, takes you all the way to Antioch and Intersects with Route 131 in Beach Park, Ill. near Zion.

Route 21: Takes you from Waukegan to Libertyville to Lake Zurich and all the way to Palatine in Cook County.

Route 137: Takes you to Mundelein, Ill.

US 14: Begins in Delavan/Darien, Wis. and continues all the way to Chicago, which is named Peterson Road.

 

But from what I have experienced, it seems like US 41 was a total state of confusion for the US DOT people, because it collides a couple times in Wisconsin and Illinois for no rhyme or reason. I have no idea why 27th St. in Milwaukee county is known as 241 even though it essentially can serve as an alternate route to I-94.

 

For those who plan on Wrigley trips, don't take the Tri-State tollway by any means necessary from what I learned. Just get off on US 41 towards Waukegan and continue south. It will eventually meet back up with I-94 without the toll payments.

During my internship, I mastered the toll roads where I didn't have to pay a dime unless I really had to.

[1992casey]

Highway 41 formerly ran along S. 27th St. and S. Layton Blvd. (S. Layton Blvd is probably better known to those outside the neighborhood as 27th St.)

 

Hwy 41 was rerouted to the North-South Freeway after the 1999 reconstruction of S. Layton Blvd. between National and Lincoln Avenues. The rebuilt segment, which is primarily residential, didn't meet DOT highway standards, and therefore, lost its highway number. South of W. Forest Home Ave., S. 27th St. was renumbered as State Hwy 241.

[sbrylski]

http://www.hot-screensaver.com/wp-myimages/sharp-edges.jpg

[Schlitz001]

Funny Highway 666 got brought up. Just two days ago we were headed down what my map said 666 to visit Shiprock in New Mexico and suddenly I'm on Highway 491. What gives? I thought I was lost. You can't just go changing highway names in the middle of the desert.