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| State | Type | Description | Date |
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Shields at the terminus of AL 99 north of Athens. | 2008-05-31 |
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In Huntsville most intersections in residential neighborhoods, except with major streets, are posted as yields instead of stops. | 2008-05-04 |
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Shields for AL 65 and US 72 in western Jackson County, near Paint Rock. This is another example of the Corridor V shield usage. Also, AL 65 ends here. | 2008-05-10 |
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View on eastbound US 72 between Gurley and Scottsboro. | 2008-05-10 |
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Exit for Veterans Dr (AL 35/AL 279) from US 72 in Scottsboro. | 2008-05-10 |
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Leaving Scottsboro to the south, AL 35 crosses the Tennessee River and meets AL 40, which leads to Mentone and Lookout Mountain. This is evidently an important fact. | 2008-05-10 |
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The view heading south on AL 35 from Scottsboro shows a steep climb out of the Tennessee river valley. The highway climbs the ridge rather gently, mostly parallel to the crest. | 2008-05-10 |
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Shields at AL 75 and AL 35 junction, Rainsville. | 2008-05-10 |
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Looking through the limestone on AL 35 near Pine Ridge. | 2008-05-10 |
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The control cities on I-59 in Fort Payne are Chattanooga (which I-59 doesn't actually reach) and Gadsden. | 2008-05-10 |
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Fort Payne is known for its sock factories, as this sign shows. | 2008-05-10 |
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Wire-hung overheads approaching the AL 35/US 11 junction in Fort Payne. They look to be sagging a bit. | 2008-05-10 |
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View of the strangely oriented intersection between AL 35 and US 11, Fort Payne. | 2008-05-10 |
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Looking up the ridge one must climb heading east out of Fort Payne on AL 35. | 2008-05-10 |
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Small trapezoidal attraction sign on AL 35 in DeKalb County for DeSoto Falls. These are common in Alabama. | 2008-05-10 |
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Near Mentone, a tourist and adventurer hotspot, this wooden sign gives lots of destinations. Also note the green sign that is being swallowed by a tree. | 2008-05-10 |
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DeKalb County Highways 618 and 89 near DeSoto Falls. | 2008-05-10 |
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The winding DeSoto Parkway in DeSoto State Park near Mentone. | 2008-05-10 |
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In DeSoto State Park there are lots of small roads numbered such as this. | 2008-05-10 |
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Looking down from the mountain. Mentone. | 2008-05-10 |
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Well-weathered AL 117 shield, Mentone. | 2008-05-10 |
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Strangely proportioned pentagon shield in DeKalb County. | 2008-05-10 |
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Huntsville assigns numbers to its bike routes. Old Madison Pike, though treacherous for cyclists due to its narrow, shoulderless nature, is actually Route 100. It ends here just before the Huntsville-Madison line. | 2008-05-11 |
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During 2008 the city began an effort to replace older street blades. Many of them looked downright terrible, with mixed-case letters at various stages of fading. This was one of the worst examples and was fortunately one of the first to go. New blades following the city's standard style now hang here. | 2008-05-12 |
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Approaching AL 9 from AL 35 in Cherokee County. | 2008-09-26 |
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End of AL 35 at AL 9 northeast of Cedar Bluff. The end is not signed. | 2008-09-26 |
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Louvered sign panels over I-59 in Birmingham. | 2009-01-03 |
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Old button BGS on I-59 for I-65. The control city of Huntsville is obviously a cover-up, most likely of Decatur. When this sign was installed, Decatur may have been the bigger of the two cities, but in the years since, Huntsville's growth and national presence has outstripped Decatur's and so the state saw fit to redo the sign. | 2009-01-03 |
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Shields on the multiplex of I-20, I-59, US 11, and AL 5 between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Alabama looks a bit boxy on the AL 5 shield. | 2009-01-03 |
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Button overhead for Bush Blvd in the Birmingham suburb of Ensley. | 2009-02-21 |
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Button overheads for Ensley destinations. | 2009-02-21 |
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Button panels at the I-359/I-20/59 junction in Tuscaloosa. | 2009-02-21 |
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I had once been under the impression that a sprayberry was a type of bush, but I then discovered it was a family name common in central Alabama. | 2009-02-21 |
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A primary advantage of flip-dot VMS panels is that they retain their message even after power is removed. Unless they become abandoned. As long as I've lived in Huntsville, this sign, heading up Monte Sano on Governors Dr (US 431), has read the same thing. | 2009-02-22 |
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Rare occurrence of a county route shield on an interstate BGS. Sumter County. | 2009-03-22 |
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Overheads for I-359/AL 69 on I-20/59 eastbound. | 2009-03-22 |
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I-20/59 exit 73, McFarland Blvd (US 82). Sign sheeting appears to be cracking. | 2009-03-22 |
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Button BGS for the Beltline (AL 67), just outside Decatur. | 2009-05-09 |
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Quite old directional signage for I-395. I believe this is posted near Judiciary Square. | 2008-06-17 |
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Modern DC-style directional signage to I-395 and I-95. | 2008-06-17 |
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Famous name on modern DC street blade. | 2008-06-17 |
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I never saw any actual shields in DC--only composite signs like this one. I believe this is on 9th St NW looking south. | 2008-06-17 |
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DC-style directional sign showing the way to the Beltway (I-495). | 2008-06-17 |
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'Shields' near the National Mall. | 2008-06-17 |
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Entering Georgia on AL 117 (which becomes GA 48). The 'rough' Georgia state outline used on the sign is the same as the one used on more recent, computer-generated state route shields. | 2008-05-10 |
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Intersection of GA 48 and GA 337. The state did not spare the expense of making two GA 48 shields and associated arrows, and this is the odd result. | 2008-05-10 |
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GA 48 ends at US 27 in Summerville. Weird signage, IMHO. | 2008-05-10 |
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Alternate view of the GA 48/US 27 junction. GA 1 overlays US 27 for its entire length through the state, and is usually, but not always, signed. | 2008-05-10 |
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Georgia-style Business US 27/Business GA 1 shields, LaFayette. | 2008-05-10 |
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More Georgia classics: overhead shields at the northern terminus of GA 95 in Rock Spring. This type of signage is common in the state. | 2008-05-10 |
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Chattanooga, though farther, seems to outshadow Ft. Oglethorpe as the primary destination on this distance sign. This also shows Georgia's cheap-looking usage of scaled FHWA fonts. | 2008-05-10 |
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The town of Fort Oglethorpe reflects its Civil War history in its street names, which are mostly named for military figures present at the Battle of Chickamauga fought in the area. As seen here, informational plaques accompany many intersections. | 2008-05-10 |
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Georgia is known for its unusual BGS formatting practices, but this one on the US 27 bypass around Fort Oglethorpe is pretty normal. | 2008-05-10 |
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That's more like it: Georgia-style overhead gantry on US 27 near Ft Oglethorpe. | 2008-05-10 |
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Lookout Mountain as seen from GA 193 heading into Chattanooga. | 2008-05-10 |
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On top of Lookout Mountain in and around Chattanooga, you can cross between Tennessee and Georgia and not even realize it, except for the state shields. These are older-style shields on the Georgia side. | 2008-05-10 |
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BGS for I-85 on I-285 as seen from Savoy Drive below the expressway. | 2008-09-27 |
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A lot of shields in Maryland near D.C. are printed with banners on a single panel and posted on traffic signal supports. MD 384 in Silver Spring (near NOAA headquarters). | 2008-06-17 |
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To MD 97 shield on an overpass support, Silver Spring. | 2008-06-17 |
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Shield approaching the US 29 junction with East-West Highway (MD 410). | 2008-06-17 |
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End of Spur MO 180 at Page Ave. (MO Supplemental D) in Pagedale. The spur acts as a connector between heavily traveled St Charles Rock Rd (MO 180) and Page. | 2008-07-04 |
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New backlit street blades, laid out in Clearview, at Chippewa and Kingshighway. | 2008-07-04 |
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During the first half of 2008, I-270 in West County was upgraded with digital speed limit signs that can presumably be adjusted to match traffic flow and/or time of day. | 2008-07-04 |
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Overheads for US 84 and MS 15 in Laurel. | 2009-03-22 |
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Entering I-59's famous 'S-Curve' from the south. Laurel. | 2009-03-22 |
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I-59 exit 99, US 11 and nothing else. Near Laurel. | 2009-03-22 |
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The last exit leaving Mississippi on I-20/59. Many signs in the Meridian area have US route shields tacked on like these. | 2009-03-22 |
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Welcome to Tennessee. GA 193 becomes TN 17. | 2008-05-10 |
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First TN 17 shield heading north from Georgia. Cyclists frequent this route, thanks to its bike lanes. | 2008-05-10 |
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Near the TN 17/TN 58 junction (southern terminus of TN 58). Goodbye bike lane. | 2008-05-10 |
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Old railroad bridge over Broad St (TN 17) at the foot of Lookout Mountain. | 2008-05-10 |
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Chattanooga is loaded with US routes--and this isn't even all of them! Broad Street. | 2008-05-10 |
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Tourist destinations in BGS form. | 2008-05-10 |
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TN 17 and TN 58 signed together as the Lookout Mountain Parkway. | 2008-05-10 |
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Descending the mountain, drivers are presented with these options. It's almost as if they want you to leave town. This sign appears to be built from an interstate-style BGS blank, complete with exit tab (used for the afterthought). | 2008-05-10 |
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Western terminus of US 76, downtown. | 2008-05-10 |
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Odd arrangement of route shields at the intersection of TN 50 and TN 243, Columbia. | 2008-05-16 |
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Intersection of US 43 and US 412 with TN 50 west of Columbia. This is the northern end of US 43. | 2008-05-18 |
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Unusual usage of Series A lettering on a TN route shield in Columbia. | 2008-05-18 |
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TN 7 is only signed for a short segment between I-65 and the Alabama line in Giles County. To the south, US 31 is multiplexed with I-65; it joins TN 7 here but takes all the credit for the remainder of its mileage through Tennessee. | 2008-05-18 |
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Signs posted by construction crews are always crazy. Columbia. | 2008-06-20 |
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The town of Ardmore is split between Tennessee and Alabama. This shows that succinctly: street blades showing an Alabama highway (53) intersecting with a Tennesee highway (110). AL 53 becomes TN 7 in this area; TN 110 goes to Fayetteville. | 2008-08-01 |
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Residential streets make up the truck route of TN 7 through Ardmore, due to a low railroad bridge which hangs over a sharp dip in the primary route. | 2008-08-01 |
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Though tiny, Lynchburg and Moore County are one and the same. This is the entrance as seen on TN 50. | 2008-10-04 |
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TN 55 and TN 50 junction in Lynchburg proper. For some reason the state seems to have laid out the TN 55 sign as though it were a speed limit sign, with Series E lettering. Also these signs seem to be covered in coal dust or something. | 2008-10-04 |
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The John Ross Bridge, which carries Market St (TN 8) over the Tennessee. Pedestrian-friendly. | 2009-03-07 |
| State | Type | Description | Date |
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Overheads above Governors Dr. in Huntsville. The middle two panels are newer than the 14th Street panels, which use buttons. There likely used to be panels referencing AL 20, the old designation of I-565, in the middle. | 2008-03-05 |
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The western terminus of I-565 where the roadway continues as AL 20,east of Decatur. | 2008-03-29 |
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Decatur seems to have a lot of exotic signage and regulations on its roads. AL 20 has a lower speed limit when wet, as seen here. | 2008-03-29 |
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US 31, AL 20 Corridor V, US 72 Alternate Corridor V shields, Decatur. The US 31 shield looks pregnant. | 2008-03-29 |
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Ancient trapezoidal recreational overhead above US 31 in Decatur for Point Mallard Park. I'm not sure what it was when the sign was posted, but it is now a water park. | 2008-03-29 |
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They spelled it wrong. In front of Home Depot, Decatur. | 2008-03-29 |
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I-65 exit 282. Several places along I-65, sign panels are installed on single steel poles, like this one. | 2008-03-29 |
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I-44 eastbound exit 266, Lewis Rd. Several interchanges in this area of southwest St Louis County still had what was apparently the original signage, when this photo was taken. Because the signs were weathered and the road was being resurfaced anyway, I assume that by now they've been replaced. Note the exit tab on this one was added fairly recently. | 2006-07-16 |
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Looking south from the Chain of Rocks Bridge north of St Louis. Once upon a time, this carried Route 66 across the Mississippi. Read more. Now, the bridge only carries bike and foot traffic. Several times while I lived in St Louis, I rode my bike along the Riverfront Trail, across the bridge into Illinois, and back. This shot was taken at the bridge's famous bend. The tower in the middle of the river was once an intake for the St Louis water system. That's my bike, too. | 2007-10-07 |
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Miniature BGS posted on the back of traffic light beams on Eager Rd. where it meets Brentwood Blvd. Presumably, with the Hwy 40 project, the interchange will change enough that these will obsolesce. | 2006-06-04 |
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Old overhead above Delmar Blvd. at its interchange with I-170 and McKnight Rd. | 2006-04-01 |
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Traffic heading east on I-44 is given the option of using 270/255 to avoid going through the city. Also note the Missouri-style interstate mile marker. | 2006-06-04 |
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A nice shot of the buttons on these overheads that once hung over Hanley Rd. at 40. | 2007-02-14 |
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I-44 exit 272, MO 141. Note the U-turn lane marked on the previous offramp. | 2006-07-16 |
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BGS for US 82 West on US 45 Alternate. The tacked-on MS 25 shield is common in the area, because the state realized after many years that there was no explanation as to how MS 25 got from Starkville to Aberdeen. | 2007-01-01 |
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Brand new US 641 and TN 54 shields on the square in Paris. Note that the state route shield is suffering from the effects of "desktop" sign production--no longer is the state outline a faithful representation of the actual state shape, nor is the font the same as it once was. This appears to be an "artist's conception" of how the sign is really defined. The same has been done to the Scenic Parkway shield. Finally, the directional banner with the larger initial letter is now being adopted in Tennessee. | 2007-11-01 |
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US 70 and TN 22 Business shields on the square in Huntingdon. These use the new-style directional banners. | 2007-01-01 |
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A view of some early-morning valley fog in Crossville, along US 127 just south of I-40. | 2008-03-01 |
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US 70 is the only US highway split into 'N' and 'S' segments. Both segments are entirely within Tennessee. The eastern terminus of 70N is at US 127 in downtown Crossville. | 2008-03-01 |
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Shield for US 127 Alternate in Crossville. I am not sure where this goes or how long it is. Note that Tennessee normally signs alternate routes with an "A", not the separate "Alternate" shield. | 2008-03-01 |
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TN Secondary 101 shield, Crossville. | 2008-03-01 |
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A view of the loooooong descent heading south on US 127 in the vicinity of the border between Cumberland and Bledsoe Counties. The road is consistently this steep for about two miles. | 2008-03-01 |
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Guidance for trucks approaching the TN 8-TN 111 interchange on US 127. The "27" actually is printed on a cutout shield, as would be used on a BGS, but you almost cannot see it at all. | 2008-03-01 |
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TN 8 and 111 shields, Dunlap. TN 8 is one of the few single-digit state routes that stays signed for a significant length. | 2008-03-01 |
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At the US 127/TN 111 interchange. This is a standards-skirting BGS. The strangest part is the odd shape of Tennessee inside the route shield. | 2008-03-01 |
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This sign is supposed to protect a bridge by dramatically warning drivers that their trucks are too tall to pass underneath it. Looks like it works. Kimball. | 2008-03-01 |
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The elusive single-digit state route makes a rare appearance in Kimball. TN Secondary 2 is the unsigned designation of US 41 between Murfreesboro and Chattanooga. Presumably this part is a former alignment of US 41, and is thus signed with the old designation. | 2008-03-01 |
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Overheads on US 72 on the outskirts of South Pittsburg. | 2008-03-01 |
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