Section 5: Miscellaneous Guide Signs (White on Green)
Introduction
In addition to the major types of freeway guide signs discussed
in the preceding sections, there are other types of guide signs
that are sometimes used on freeways. Many of these signs are not
commonly used on Texas freeways. They include:
- Community Interchange Identification signs
- Next X Exits signs
- Next Exit supplemental signs
- Weigh Station signs
- Guide sign Routing plaques.
Next X Exits Signs
Next X Exits signs (see Figure 3‑15 for example) provide information about which exits lead to a community
Figure 3-15. Next X Exits sign.
Next X Exits signs are addressed in Section 2E.39 of the Texas MUTCD.
Design and Application.
Minimum letter and numeral sizes (as listed in Table 2E-2.1 of the Texas MUTCD) are as follows:- Place name: 13.3 inches.
- Next X Exits: 10 inches.
The sign legend should identify the region or area followed by the words Next X Exits.
All exits included within the numeral selected should provide a reasonably good and direct route to the central business district.
No exit included within the numeral should result in back-signing or back-tracking to reach the central business district.
The numeral should not exceed 4 exits. When numerals get larger than 4, the value of the sign for guiding traffic is reduced.
Next Exit Supplemental Signs
The Next Exit supplemental sign (see Figure 3‑16 for example) provides road users with information about the distance they will have to travel before they will have another opportunity to exit the freeway.
Figure 3-16. Next Exit supplemental sign.
Next Exit supplemental signs are addressed in Section 2E.31 of the Texas MUTCD.
Design and Application.
Minimum letter and numeral sizes are listed in Table 2E-2.1 of the Texas MUTCD — words and number: 8 inches.The Next Exit supplemental sign should not be used unless the distance between successive interchanges is more than 5 miles.
If used, the sign is placed below the Advance Guide sign nearest the interchange.
The legend for the Next Exit supplemental sign may be displayed in either one or two lines. The one-line message is the more desirable choice unless the message causes the sign to have a horizontal dimension greater than that of the Advance Guide sign.
Weigh Station Signs
Weigh Station signs provide information about the location
of weigh stations.
Weigh Station signs are addressed in Section 2E.58 of the
Texas MUTCD.
Traffic Engineering Standard Sheet WSSFT addresses the design
and layout of Weigh Station signs for freeway applications. This
sheet includes sign dimensions, letter heights, and alphabet (font) style.
Guide Sign Routing Plaques
Guide Sign Routing plaques (see Figure 3‑17 for examples) provide supplemental information on travel routes for selected destinations or types of vehicles.
Figure 3-17. Guide Sign Routing plaques.
Traffic Engineering Standard Sheet TSR(2) addresses the design and layout of Guide Sign Routing plaques.
Placement.
Figure 3‑18 shows the placement for Guide Sign Routing plaques.Plaques should be horizontally centered at the top of the parent guide sign.
If the parent guide sign includes an Exit Number panel, the plaque (or plaques) should be centered between the Exit Number panel and the opposite sign edge. A spacing of 6 inches between the edge of the sign and the Exit Number panel is desired.
If there is not enough space to place a routing plaque in between the Exit Number panel and the sign edge, the plaque may be placed above the Exit Number panel.
Figure 3-18. Overhead freeway guide sign and routing plaque typical assemblies.