Last Exit in This State

[robert_columbia]

@thelurkinghorror

…

Random trivia: US 50 in Sacramento and US 6 in Bishop have exits listed for the eastern termini, thousands of miles away in Ocean City, MD and Provincetown, MA, respectively. There are corresponding signs but it appears the east coasters screwed up their signs: MD at least at one time misreported the distance, and MA still lists Long Beach as the EB end.

I’ve seen the Sacramento sign on US 50 in Ocean City. It’s less than a mile from the beach as you head west out of the central business/resort district.

[thelurkinghorror]

@Bullitt

I recently snapped a picture by that sign in Bishop.

Like Senegoid, where is that US 50 sign in Sacto?

Image.

I drive 80 often and 50 never in that area, and haven’t seen it in awhile, so I’ll guess that I saw it on the occasional time when I take the business loop portion of 80. Looking at the map that bears out as it’s 99 to the west.

@Bullitt

Regarding toll charge direction, the two San Francisco bridges, Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge, charge toll only in the inbound-to-SF direction.

As do all of them: Carquinez, B-M, and Antioch (north) and R-SR, Dumbarton, and H-SM (west).

[cmkeller]

Keeve:

When my family is driving, and we are near the border between states (let’s use NJ-NY as an example), and we see a sign which announces that the next exit is the “LAST EXIT IN N.J.”, we tend to ask the other passengers, “Is anyone here wanted by the New York State Police? No? Okay, let’s continue as planned.”

Seriously, what is the purpose of these signs?

In addition to what others mentioned earlier, it can also be helpful for turning around if you missed your exit. Just for example, I was once driving west on I-70 in Kansas City, Missouri, looking for the proper exit to get off for Union Station. There are about 20 "Exit 1-(letter)"s on I-70 there, very close together, it wasn’t a simple thing to know which was the last. Before I knew it, I had crossed into Kansas and had to go a good five miles or so in before I could exit the highway and turn around. Had I known which exit was the last one in Missouri, I would have known I’d gone too far and missed my exit, because I knew I didn’t need to go into Kansas for Union Station.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

I always thought Interstates were not (ever) toll roads, until now. I just looked it up, though, and apparently Florida has one interstate toll road: a four mile stretch of I-75.

Don’t the feds build and maintain interstates? Who gets the toll revenue?

[Fool_in_the_Rain]

@LSLGuy

To anyone not from the northeast, the idea of “Interstate highway” and “toll booth” applying to the same road makes as much sense as a square circle or a flying submarine.

Hence the thought of whoosh I suspect.

Bolding mine.

You’re may need a new analogy. [WARNING: PDF]

DARPA is soliciting innovative research proposals on the topic of a submersible aircraft. In particular, DARPA is interested in a feasibility study and experiments that would provide proof of concept for the realization of an aircraft that can maneuver underwater.

RI has no signs saying last exit, then again it has no Welcome Center either. We’re just a pothole between New York and Boston really.

[md2000]

It might also warn you that you approaching an interstate bridge where the governor had closed a lane, so you can avoid a traffic jam.

[John_Bredin]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

Don’t the feds build and maintain interstates? Who gets the toll revenue?

The feds pay for most of (often 90%) the capital expense of building/expanding/majorly renovating an Interstate highway but actually gives the money to the relevant state(s). The states pay the rest, actually own the highways, and maintain them day-to-day (plowing, patching, non-major repairs, mowing the grass, etc.) at state expense. The toll revenue therefore goes to the state.

Some states have created a tollway authority, a corporation that owns the tolled highways, maintains them, and receives the tolls. But the state (governor, legislature, some combination) picks all or most of the tollway authority board so it’s a state entity.