Manky Signs

[freebrickproductions]

Finally, we have this classic "kodachrome" US 90 shield in Marianna, FL, which thankfully survived Hurricane Michael back in 2018. There were a good few others in this area, along with a good few "kodachrome" US 98 shields further south (including quite a few around Panama City) and plenty of old Florida State Road "keys" shields to be had in this part of the pan-handle as well, but I know the other US 90 "kodachrome" shields are gone and I'm not sure what fate befell the rest, but I wouldn't be too surprised if they disappeared as a result of Michael as well.

I've never seen a US shield like that before - what era were these signs used? Were they a Florida speciality?

They kinda were, other states did use multi-colored US Route shields, but had largely standardized on the black & white ones by the 1980s when the FHWA stopped allowing colored shields. Florida tried to hold-out as long as they can, but only lasted until the 1990s with the "kodachrome" shields, as the FHWA told the state they would no longer get funds if they didn't retire the colored shields. The last new ones were made in 1993, and the last ones to be installed were in 1996, with all new ones since being of the standard design.

With the Florida "kodachrome" shields, each route had its own color, though colors could be repeated between routes. The colors were also picked to try and avoid having two routes of the same color meet, though US 27 and US 192, both of which used green shields, did eventually meet due to an extension of one of them. The idea behind them was to help aid in motorist navigation. Auxiliary US Routes, like Business and Alternate routes, had the colors of the shields inverted, so that the backgrounds and text on the shields were of the route's assigned color, and the shield itself (and the bannered text above) was white. US 98 kinda got the short end of the stick in regards to the "kodachrome", as that highway got to use a black shield. I'll see about digging-out my other photos of the "kodachrome" shields in Florida, as I snagged a good few photos of the ones that used to exist around the "forgotten coast" on Florida's pan-handle back in 2016 and 2018.
EDIT: Facebook link, but here's a full list of the US Routes and the colors they used, shared by the AARoads page a few years back, which seems to have been cropped from a larger highway map of Florida.

Arizona was another state that did multi-colored shields, though the four colors they used were tied to the cardinal direction you traveled on the highway. For a while, Alabama also used colored shields along the Appalachian Development Corridors (V and X) that run through the state, with white shields (both US Route and State) that had blue text and backgrounds on them, along with indicating which corridor they're along. Sadly, it seems as of last year, ALDOT has stopped making new shields of that style and only uses the standard black and white shields. Most of the ones along US 72 in Jackson County, AL, were replaced with standard ones sometime last year. Georgia still does some of this style as well, but I believe theirs were only state route shields and just had the blue backgrounds and text, they didn't indicate what corridor they were along.

IMG_2923 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

[Chris5156]

Really interesting - thank you!

With the Florida "kodachrome" shields, each route had its own color, though colors could be repeated between routes. The colors were also picked to try and avoid having two routes of the same color meet, though US 27 and US 192, both of which used green shields, did eventually meet due to an extension of one of them. The idea behind them was to help aid in motorist navigation. Auxiliary US Routes, like Business and Alternate routes, had the colors of the shields inverted, so that the backgrounds and text on the shields were of the route's assigned color, and the shield itself (and the bannered text above) was white.

I rather like this idea - you can communicate something extra with colour, without taking away anything from the symbols or text. It's quite clever. But I can also see that it's a nightmare for standardisation.

[MotorwayGuy]

I'm surprised this is still in place (at least as of 2022), there can't be many motorway numbers on green left, let alone in London.

[freebrickproductions]

Really interesting - thank you!

With the Florida "kodachrome" shields, each route had its own color, though colors could be repeated between routes. The colors were also picked to try and avoid having two routes of the same color meet, though US 27 and US 192, both of which used green shields, did eventually meet due to an extension of one of them. The idea behind them was to help aid in motorist navigation. Auxiliary US Routes, like Business and Alternate routes, had the colors of the shields inverted, so that the backgrounds and text on the shields were of the route's assigned color, and the shield itself (and the bannered text above) was white.

I rather like this idea - you can communicate something extra with colour, without taking away anything from the symbols or text. It's quite clever. But I can also see that it's a nightmare for standardisation.

You're welcome! And yeah, especially since it wasn't standardized across the entire US, so drivers from outside of Florida may not have been as familiar with how the colors worked, along with the fact that the colors could mean different things in different states. Not to mention, with the green highway shields, you'd have to represent those with a white outline on a guide sign, similar to what California does with their green miner's spade state route shields.
Another issue is that, as I understand it, the other colors can fade faster than black, which I've heard cited as a reason by other local roadgeeks for why ALDOT appears to have stopped* installing new Appalachian Development Corridor shields.
(*It's entirely possible ALDOT had just simply ordered a batch of more-generic shields through a contractor, and are working through those as replacements.)

Anyways, I was able to dig-up my photos of the other "kodachrome" shields I've documented, so here they are, though I have no idea if any are still around and I know some are very much long-gone. To start with, we have this post in Panama City, FL, which has sadly since been removed. I think this may have originally been done by Panama City rather than FDOT, as this was located on a side street and the signs (and shields) were rather small. It did feature the last known "kodachrome" US 231 shield in Florida though, along with a "kodachrome" US 98 Business shield posted below it, though I didn't realize the latter was one until more recently. I took these photos back in 2016, and I believe this post had sadly disappeared by the time I returned in 2018.

Old US 231 Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Old US 231 Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

And here's another "kodachrome" survivor from 2016 that I know is long-gone. This one was in Sneads, FL, and I have no idea if it was a casualty of Hurricane Michael or not.

Old US 90 Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Old US 90 Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

This next one was one of the surprisingly several "kodachrome" US 98 shields that was left along the "forgotten coast" of the Florida Panhandle at the time, with this one being located in Port St. Joe, FL:

Old US 98 Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Old US 98 Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr
Per street view, it is sadly now gone, I suspect as a result of Hurricane Michael.

Surprisingly, in 2018 prior to Michael, there were quite a few US 98 "kodachrome" shields left around Panama City. This one, which used to stand next to a railroad crossing I had documented for a site I help run, appears to have sadly been another loss from Michael, per street view:

IMG_9607 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_9608 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_9609 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Next, we have two assemblies that once stood along Frankford Avenue in the western part of Panama City. According to street view imagery, this first one did amazingly manage to survive Michael's Cat. 5 landfall just to the east of here, but was still sadly removed some time prior to 2022:

IMG_9905 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_9906 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_9907 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Just up the street was also this pair of shields, with cardinals posted above them. Street view from 2022 shows that they also amazingly survived Michael, though they did lose the arrows in the process, it appears. Nearby 2023 imagery seems to indicate that they may still be there.

IMG_9908 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_9909 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_9910 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Going back towards the northern part of Panama City now, and closer to where Michael made landfall (on the other side of Tyndall Air-force Base), was this "kodachrome" shield on Sherman Avenue. Per 2022 street view, this one also amazingly survived the hurricane as well:

IMG_8903 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_8908 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_8905 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Finally, to wrap-up the tour of "kodachrome" shields around Panama City, there used to be this US 98 Business shield along 3rd Street in Springfield, FL. Sadly, it appears that this was once again lost due to Hurricane Michael, but it appears that the post somehow still survives:

IMG_9136 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_9140 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

In the 1970s (IIRC), due to Florida's state-maintained highway mileage cap, the state turned-over many of its State Roads to the counties, often being the more minor routes like the suffixed spur routes and a large number of the three-digit routes, along with the entire secondary system (indicated by an S before the route number). As a result of this, most of the signed county routes within Florida also have wound-up slotting nicely into Florida's well-organized numbering system. This is notable, as not only did this mass-turnover to to the counties help let a number of the older "kodachrome" shields above survive, but the 1970s (though possibly later), was also when Florida redesigned their state highway shields, IIRC. Prior to this redesign, the shields featured a representation of the Florida Keys along the bottom of them, which were dropped as a result of the redesign. These "keys shields", as referred to by roadgeeks here in the US, can still occasionally be found on the former state roads if you know where to look.

This first "keys shield" is a particularly well-preserved example, located in northern Panama City for the still-extant FL 389. Per street view, this one as also thankfully spared Michael's wrath. On the back of these signs, you could also still find a stamped date from 1974, no doubt when the signs were originally made.

IMG_8863 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_8864 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_8865 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_8866 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_8867 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

A bit further back was another FL 389 keys shield, though it was partially obscured by a tree. This one also managed to initially survive Michael, but has sadly since been removed.

IMG_8871 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_8872 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

IMG_8874 by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Next, going east to Mexico Beach, there was this FL 386 keys shield along 15th Street (CR 386A). Amazingly, despite being super close to where Hurricane Michael made landfall, this shield had survived the hurricane, though twisted towards the road. Sadly, per more recent street view imagery, it has since been removed. Admittedly, like many surviving key shields, this one had been in pretty poor shape when I visited it back in 2016.

FL 386 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

FL 386 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

FL 386 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Continuing east over to Port St. Joe, you can find this old keys shield in the southeast corner of the city. This one was originally for FL S-384, which was a secondary highway. When it was turned-over to the county, it was patched with the appropriate county patches (becoming C-384), though those have since faded off. The shield is still in pretty good shape otherwise. Unlike the lost US 98 "kodachrome" shield nearby, this was thankfully not lost due to the hurricane, and still stood as of 2023.

FL C-384 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

FL C-384 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

FL C-384 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Further east, between Cape San Blas and Indian Pass is another keys shield, still standing along CR 30B. It appears this was originally for FL S-30 originally, and was also patched into a county shield upon the retirement of the secondary highway system in 1977. This one's in pretty poor condition, though, like with the one above, it was still around as of last year. It appears that part of FL S-30 in this area was retained on the state system as FL 30A, with the rest becoming CR 30A. Cape San Blas is still served by FL 30E as well, which I believe is the highest-surviving suffix on Florida's highway system.

FL C-30 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

FL C-30 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

FL C-30 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

Finally, near the community of Cypress, FL, is another worn-out keys shield, still posted along the secondary route it was on. This one also still stands as of 2023, though, with the lean of the post now, and the fact that all but the county patches are now nearly worn-off, its days may be numbered.

FL C-275 Keys Shield by freebrickproductions, on Flickr

[Big L]

Very faded road names in Edgware. Spin 180° for newer signs across the road.

[Komi san]

Very faded road names in Edgware. Spin 180° for newer signs across the road.

Pre worboys?

[Bryn666]

Very faded road names in Edgware. Spin 180° for newer signs across the road.

Pre worboys?

Unlikely, they are using the Kindersley typeface which was blessed for use on street name plates in the 1960s, and is currently detailed in Circular 3/93:

https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/content/doclib/3346.pdf

[Gareth Thomas]

A few of these on the single carriageway A2 Lydden bypass.

[Glenn A]

A few of these on the single carriageway A2 Lydden bypass.

Must date back to when the road was opened in 1977.

[Bryn666]

A few of these on the single carriageway A2 Lydden bypass.

Must date back to when the road was opened in 1977.

Nope, they're fairly recent signs that have just suffered the effects of UV exposure being on an east-west road.

[Glenn A]

A few of these on the single carriageway A2 Lydden bypass.

Must date back to when the road was opened in 1977.

Nope, they're fairly recent signs that have just suffered the effects of UV exposure being on an east-west road.

Cheers, but they do look very worn out and this is the reason.

[B4591]

The graffiti (and monolingualism) may mean this relic is not long for this world - it may be cheaper to replace it rather than clean it.
Also note no actual direction flag for the London direction.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5bDEoYkDdsQcBGus5

The only sign on the roundabout to not have been changed when this junction was altered approx 20 years ago.

[wallmeerkat]

Sign used to be tourist brown, as per the 2011 GSV

https://www.google.com/maps/@54.4818491 ... &entry=ttu

[Big L]

Sign used to be tourist brown, as per the 2011 GSV

https://www.google.com/maps/@54.4818491 ... &entry=ttu

Ditto.

[Komi san]

The graffiti (and monolingualism) may mean this relic is not long for this world - it may be cheaper to replace it rather than clean it.
Also note no actual direction flag for the London direction.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5bDEoYkDdsQcBGus5

The only sign on the roundabout to not have been changed when this junction was altered approx 20 years ago.

Chopstick also looks old enough
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2YSwnLVe7N5oU3aL9
Also these ones
https://maps.app.goo.gl/QqsGjgnDcPitpwaR8
It looks this junction dont have any changes in signage since at least 90s

[Bryn666]

The graffiti (and monolingualism) may mean this relic is not long for this world - it may be cheaper to replace it rather than clean it.
Also note no actual direction flag for the London direction.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5bDEoYkDdsQcBGus5

The only sign on the roundabout to not have been changed when this junction was altered approx 20 years ago.

That's original to the motorway opening so is probably going to be chopped before long.

[Komi san]

The graffiti (and monolingualism) may mean this relic is not long for this world - it may be cheaper to replace it rather than clean it.
Also note no actual direction flag for the London direction.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5bDEoYkDdsQcBGus5

The only sign on the roundabout to not have been changed when this junction was altered approx 20 years ago.

That's original to the motorway opening so is probably going to be chopped before long.

Also this one is dating back to opening howewer it was removed also patch looks pretty odd
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vWTYJgTs8cwdhMAT7

[Bryn666]

The graffiti (and monolingualism) may mean this relic is not long for this world - it may be cheaper to replace it rather than clean it.
Also note no actual direction flag for the London direction.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5bDEoYkDdsQcBGus5

The only sign on the roundabout to not have been changed when this junction was altered approx 20 years ago.

That's original to the motorway opening so is probably going to be chopped before long.

Also this one is dating back to opening howewer it was removed also patch looks pretty odd
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vWTYJgTs8cwdhMAT7

I think it said Newport underneath that, but the completion of the A4042 and J25A changed the route.

[Komi san]

Pre worboy car park sign in Ladysbridge, County Cork, Ireland
https://maps.app.goo.gl/R2Z2CZyN49VKmP3K9

[Kevin Roads]

My first post for quite a while but chanced upon this today: