empty cell
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) arrows logo

Chapter 2E. Guide Signs—Freeways and Expressways

Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Section 2E.31 Next Exit Supplemental Signs

Option:
Where the distance to the next interchange is unusually long, Next Exit supplemental signs may be installed to inform road users of the distance to the next interchange (see Figure 2E-16).

Figure 2E-16 Next Exit Supplemental Advance Guide Signs

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-16

Guidance:
The Next Exit supplemental sign should not be used unless the distance between successive interchanges is more than 8 km (5 mi).

Standard:
The Next Exit supplemental sign shall carry the legend NEXT EXIT X km (X MILES). If the Next Exit supplemental sign is used, it shall be placed below the Advance Guide sign nearest the interchange. It shall be mounted so as to not adversely affect the breakaway feature of the sign support structure.

Option:
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.

Section 2E.32 Other Supplemental Guide Signs

Support:
Supplemental Guide signs can be used to provide information regarding destinations accessible from an interchange, other than places shown on the standard interchange signing. However, such Supplemental Guide signing can reduce the effectiveness of other more important guide signing because of the possibility of overloading the road user's capacity to receive visual messages and make appropriate decisions. "The AASHTO Guidelines for the Selection of Supplemental Guide Signs for Traffic Generators Adjacent to Freeways" is incorporated by reference in this section (see Addresses for AASHTO's address).

Guidance:
No more than one Supplemental Guide sign should be used on each interchange approach.

A Supplemental Guide sign (see Figure 2E-17) should not list more than two destinations. Destination names should be followed by the interchange number (and suffix), or if interchanges are not numbered, by the legend NEXT RIGHT or SECOND RIGHT or both, as appropriate. The Supplemental Guide sign should be installed as an independent guide sign assembly.

Figure 2E-17 Supplemental Guide Signs for Multi-exit Interchanges

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-17

Where two or more Advance Guide signs are used, the Supplemental Guide sign should be installed approximately midway between two of the Advance Guide signs. If only one Advance Guide sign is used, the Supplemental Guide sign should follow it by at least 245 m (800 feet). If the interchanges are numbered, the interchange number should be used for the action message.

States and other agencies should adopt an appropriate policy for installing supplemental signs using "The AASHTO Guidelines for the Selection of Supplemental Guide Signs for Traffic Generators Adjacent to Freeways." In developing policies for such signing, such items as population, amount of traffic generated, distance from the route, and the significance of the destination should be taken into account.

Standard:
Guide signs directing drivers to park and ride facilities shall be considered as Supplemental Guide signs (see Figures 2E-18 and 2E-19).

Figure 2E-18 Supplemental Guide Sign for a Park and Ride Facility (Route without Exit Numbering)

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-18

Figure 2E-19 Supplemental Guide Sign for a Park and Ride Facility (Route with Exit Numbering)

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-19

Section 2E.33 Exit Direction Signs

Support:
The Exit Direction sign repeats the route and destination information that was shown on the Advance Guide sign(s) for the next exit, and thereby assures road users of the destination served and indicates whether they exit to the right or the left for that destination.

Standard:
Exit Direction signs (see Figure 2E-20) shall be used at major and intermediate interchanges. Population figures or other similar information shall not be used on Exit Direction signs.

Figure 2E-20 Interchange Exit Direction Sign

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-20

Guidance:
Exit Direction signs should be used at minor interchanges.

Ground-mounted Exit Direction signs should be installed at the beginning of the deceleration lane. If there is less than 90 m (300 ft) from the beginning of the deceleration lane to the theoretical gore (see Figure 3B-8), the Exit Direction sign should be installed overhead over the exiting lane in the vicinity of the theoretical gore.

Standard:
Where a through lane is being terminated (dropped) at an exit, the Exit Direction sign shall be placed overhead at the theoretical gore (see Figures 2E-8 and 2E-10).

The following provisions shall govern the design and application of the overhead Exit Direction sign:

  1. The sign shall carry the exit number (if used), the route number, cardinal direction, and destination with an appropriate upward slanting arrow (see Figure 2E-20).
  2. The message EXIT ONLY in black on a yellow panel shall be used on the overhead Exit Direction sign to advise road users of a lane drop situation. The sign shall conform to the provisions of Section 2E.20.
  3. Diagrammatic signs shall not be employed at the exit direction location.

Guidance:
Exit number plaques should be located toward the left edge of the sign for a left exit and toward the right edge for right exits.

Option:
In some cases, principally in urban areas, where restricted sight distance because of structures or unusual alignment make it impossible to locate the Exit Direction sign without violating the required minimum spacing (see Section 2E.30) between major guide signs, Interchange Sequence signs (see Section 2E.37) may be substituted for an Advance Guide sign.

Guidance:
At multi-exit interchanges, the Exit Direction sign should be located directly over the exiting lane for the first exit. At the same location, and normally over the right through lane, an Advance Guide sign for the second exit should be located. Only for those conditions where the through movement is not evident should a confirmatory message (Pull-Through sign as shown in Figure 2E-2) be used over the left lane(s) to guide road users traveling through an interchange. In the interest of sign spreading, three signs on one structure should not be used. When the freeway or expressway is on an overpass, the Exit Direction sign should be installed on an overhead support over the exit lane in advance of the gore point.

Option:
If the second exit is beyond an underpass, the Exit Direction sign may be mounted on the face of the overhead structure.

Section 2E.34 Exit Gore Signs

Support:
The Exit Gore sign in the gore indicates the exiting point or the place of departure from the main roadway. Consistent application of this sign at each exit is important.

Standard:
The gore shall be defined as the area located between the main roadway and the ramp just beyond where the ramp branches from the main roadway. The Exit Gore sign shall be located in the gore and shall carry the word EXIT or EXIT XX (if interchange numbering is used) and an appropriate upward slanting arrow (see Figure 2E-21). Breakaway or yielding supports shall be used.

Figure 2E-21 Exit Gore Signs

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-21

Guidance:
The arrow should be aligned to approximate the angle of departure. Each gore should be treated similarly, whether the interchange has one exit roadway or multiple exits.

Option:
Where extra emphasis of an especially low advisory ramp speed is needed, an E13-1 panel indicating the advisory speed may be mounted below the Exit Gore sign (see Figure 2E-21) to supplement, but not to replace, the exit or ramp advisory speed warning signs.

Section 2E.35 Post-Interchange Signs

Guidance:
If space between interchanges permits, as in rural areas, and where undue repetition of messages will not occur, a fixed sequence of signs should be displayed beginning 150 m (500 ft) beyond the end of the acceleration lane. At this point a Route sign assembly should be installed followed by a Speed Limit sign and a Distance sign, each at a spacing of 300 m (1,000 ft).

If space between interchanges does not permit placement of these three post-interchange signs without encroaching on or overlapping the Advance Guide signs necessary for the next interchange, or in rural areas where the interchanging traffic is primarily local, one or more of the post-interchange signs should be omitted.

Option:
Usually the Distance sign will be of less importance than the other two signs and may be omitted, especially if Interchange Sequence signs are used. If the sign for through traffic on an overhead assembly already contains the route sign, the post-interchange route sign assembly may also be omitted.

Section 2E.36 Distance Signs

Standard:
If used, the post-interchange Distance sign shall consist of a two- or three-line sign carrying the names of significant destination points and the distances to those points. The top line of the sign shall identify the next meaningful interchange with the name of the community near or through which the route passes, or if there is no community, the route number or name of the intersected highway (see Figure 2E-22).

Support:
The minimum sizes of the route shields identifying a significant destination point are prescribed in Tables 2E-1 though 2E-4.

Option:
The test identification of a route may be shown instead of a route shield, such as "US XX", "State Route XX", or "County Route X".

Figure 2E-22 Post-Interchange Distance Sign

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-22

Guidance:
If a second line is used, it should be reserved for communities of general interest that are located on or immediately adjacent to the route or for major traffic generators along the route.

Option:
The choice of names for the second line, if it is used, may be varied on successive Distance signs to give road users maximum information concerning communities served by the route.

Standard:
The third, or bottom line, shall contain the name and distance to a control city (if any) that has national significance for travelers using the route.

Guidance:
Distances to the same destinations should not be shown more frequently than at 8 km (5 mi) intervals. The distances displayed on these signs should be the actual distance to the destination points and not to the exit from the freeway or expressway.

Section 2E.37 Interchange Sequence Signs

Guidance:
If there is less than 245 m (800 ft) between interchanges, Interchange Sequence signs should be used instead of the Advance Guide signs for the affected interchanges. If used, Interchange Sequence signs should be used over the entire length of a route in an urban area. They should not be used on a single interchange basis.

Option:
If interchanges are closely spaced, particularly through large urban areas, so that guide signs cannot be adequately spaced, Interchange Sequence signs identifying the next two or three interchanges may be used.

Support:
Interchange Sequence signs are generally supplemental to Advance Guide signs. Signing of this type is illustrated in Figures 2E-23 and 2E-24, and is compatible with the sign spreading concept.

These signs are installed in a series and display the next two or three interchanges by name or route number with distances to the nearest 400 m or 1/4 mile.

Figure 2E-23 Signing of Closely Spaced Interchanges Using Interchange Sequence Signs

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-23

Figure 2E-24 Interchange Sequence Sign

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-24

Standard:
If used, the first sign in the series shall be located in advance of the first Advance Guide sign for the first interchange.

Where the exit direction is to the left, interchange names or route numbers shown on such signs shall be followed by the legend LEFT or LEFT EXIT in black letters on a yellow rectangular background.

Interchange Sequence signs shall not be substituted for Exit Direction signs.

Guidance:
Interchange Sequence signs should be located in the median. After the first of the series, Interchange Sequence signs should be placed approximately midway between interchanges.

Standard:
Interchange Sequence signs located in the median shall be installed at overhead sign height.

Option:
Interchange numbers may be shown to the left of the interchange name or route number.

Section 2E.38 Community Interchanges Identification Signs

Support:
For suburban or rural communities served by two or three interchanges, Community Interchanges Identification signs are useful (see Figure 2E-25).

Figure 2E-25 Community Interchanges Identification Sign

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-25

Guidance:
In these cases, the name of the community followed by the word EXITS should be shown on the top line; the lines below should display the destination, road name or route number, and the corresponding distances to the nearest 400 m or 1/4 mile.

The sign should be located in advance of the first Advance Guide sign for the first interchange within the community.

Option:
If interchanges are not conveniently identifiable or if there are more than three interchanges to be identified, the NEXT X EXITS sign (see Section 2E.39) may be used.

Section 2E.39 NEXT X EXITS Sign

Support:
Many freeways or expressways pass through historical or recreational regions, or urban areas served by a succession of several interchanges.

Option:
Such regions or areas may be indicated by a NEXT X EXITS sign (see Figure 2E-26) located in advance of the Advance Guide sign or signs for the first interchange.

Figure 2E-26 NEXT EXITS Sign

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-26

Guidance:
The sign legend should identify the region or area followed by the words NEXT X EXITS.

Section 2E.40 Signing by Type of Interchange

Support:
Road users need signs to help identify the location of the exit, as well as to obtain route, direction, and destination information for specific exit ramps. Figures 2E-27 through 2E-32 show examples of guide signs for common types of interchanges. The interchange layouts shown in most of the figures illustrate only the major guide signs for one direction of traffic on the through road and on the crossroad.

Standard:
Interchange guide signing shall be consistent for each type of interchange along a route.

Guidance:
The signing layout for all interchanges having only one exit ramp in the direction of travel should be similar, regardless of the interchange type (see Figures 2E-8, 2E-10, and Figures 2E-27 through 2E-32). For the sake of uniform application, the significant features of the signing plan for each of the more frequent kinds of interchanges (illustrated in Figures 2E-27 through 2E-32) should be followed as closely as possible. Even when unusual geometric features exist, variations in signing layout should be held to a minimum.

Section 2E.41 Freeway-to-Freeway Interchange

Support:
Freeway-to-freeway interchanges are major decision points where the effect of taking a wrong ramp cannot be easily corrected. Reversing direction on the connecting freeway or reentering to continue on the intended course is usually not possible. Figure 2E-27 shows examples of guide signs at a freeway-to-freeway interchange.

Figure 2E-27 Examples of Freeway-to-Freeway Interchange Guide Signs

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-27

Guidance:
The sign messages should contain only the route shield, cardinal direction, and the name of the next control city on the route. Arrows should point as indicated in Section 2D.08, unless a diagrammatic representation of the interchange layout requires otherwise.

At splits where the off-route movement is to the left or where there is an optional lane split, expectancy problems usually result, and diagrammatic signs should be used at the Advance Guide sign location. Diagrammatic signs (see Section 2E.19) also should be used at the Advance Guide sign locations for interchanges where two-lane exits with an optional lane carry the through route on the exiting lanes.

Standard:
Overhead signs shall be used at a distance of 2 km or 1 mile and at the theoretical gore of each connecting ramp. When diagrammatic signs are used, they shall conform to the provisions of Section 2E.19.

Option:
Overhead signs may also be used at the 1 km or 0.5 mile and 4 km or 2 mile points.

The arrow and/or the name of the control city may be omitted on signs that indicate the straight-ahead continuation of a route.

An Exit Speed sign may be used where an engineering study shows that it is necessary to display a speed reduction message for ramp signing (see Section 2C.36).

Section 2E.42 Cloverleaf Interchange

Support:
A cloverleaf interchange has two exits for each direction of travel. The exits are closely spaced and have common Advance Guide signs. Examples of guide signs for cloverleaf interchanges are shown in Figure 2E-28.

Figure 2E-28 Examples of Guide Signs for Full Cloverleaf Interchange

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-28

Guidance:
The Advance Guide signs should include two place names, one corresponding to each exit ramp, with the name of the place served by the first exit on the upper line.

Standard:
An Overhead Guide sign shall be placed at the theoretical gore point of the first exit ramp, with an upward slanting arrow on the exit direction sign for that exit and the message XX km (XX MILE) on the Advance Guide sign for the second exit, as shown in Figure 2E-28. The second exit shall be indicated by an overhead Exit Direction sign over the auxiliary lane. An Exit sign shall also be used at each gore (see Section 2E.34).

Interchanges with more than one exit from the main line shall be numbered as described in Section 2E.28 with an appropriate suffix.

Diagrammatic signs shall not be used for cloverleaf interchanges.

Guidance:
As shown in Figure 2E-28, the overhead Exit Direction sign for the second exit should be mounted on the structure if the mainline passes under the crossroad and the exit roadway is located beyond the structure.

Section 2E.43 Cloverleaf Interchange with Collector-Distributor Roadways

Support:
Examples of guide signs for full cloverleaf interchanges with collector-distributor roadways are shown in Figure 2E-29.

Guidance:
Signing on the collector-distributor roadways should be the same as the signing on the mainline of a cloverleaf interchange.

Standard:
Guide signs at exits from the collector-distributor roadways shall be overhead and located at the theoretical gore of the collector-distributor roadway and the exit ramp.

Option:
Exits from the collector-distributor roadways may be numbered with an appropriate suffix. The Advance Guide signs may include two place names and their corresponding exit numbers or may use the singular EXIT.

Figure 2E-29 Examples of Guide Signs for Full Cloverleaf Interchange with Collector-Distributor Roadways

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-29

Section 2E.44 Partial Cloverleaf Interchange

Support:
Examples of guide signs for partial cloverleaf interchanges are shown in Figure 2E-30.

Figure 2E-30 Examples of Partial Cloverleaf Interchange Guide Signs

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-30

Guidance:
As shown in Figure 2E-30, the overhead Exit Direction sign should be placed on the structure if the mainline passes under the crossroad and the exit roadway is located beyond the structure.

Standard:
A ground-mounted Exit Gore sign shall also be installed in the ramp gore.

Section 2E.45 Diamond Interchange

Support:
Examples of guide signs for diamond interchanges are shown in Figure 2E-31.

Figure 2E-31 Examples of Diamond Interchange Guide Signs

Thumbnail image of Figure 2E-31

Standard:
The singular message EXIT shall be used on the Advance Guide and Exit Direction signs. Exit numbers shall not include the cardinal initials corresponding to the direction of the cross route.

Support:
The typical diamond interchange ramp departs from the mainline roadway such that a speed reduction generally is not necessary in order for a driver to reasonably safely negotiate an exit maneuver from the mainline onto the ramp roadway.

Guidance:
When a speed reduction is not necessary, an exit speed sign should not be used.

Option:
An Exit Speed sign may be used where an engineering study shows that it is necessary to display a speed reduction message for ramp signing (see Section 2C.36).

Guidance:
The Exit Speed sign should be located along the deceleration lane or along the ramp such that it is visible to the driver far enough in advance so that a reasonably safe slowing and exiting maneuver can be made.

Option:
A Stop Ahead or Signal Ahead warning sign may be placed, where engineering judgment indicates a need, along the ramp in advance of the cross street, to give notice to the driver (see Section 2C.29).

Guidance:
When used on two-lane ramps, Stop Ahead or Signal Ahead signs should be used in pairs with one sign on each side of the ramp.

Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Back to Top