Why Joplin?

[SXSW]

I was in St. Louis not long ago and noticed the green highways signs near downtown said I-44 Tulsa.  Not Springfield.  Not Joplin.  Why do they not say St. Louis in Tulsa?  Just an observation.

[YoungTulsan]

I remember years back people would always spraypaint "Janis" on the Joplin signs.

[Vision 2025]

On account of because...

[TheTed]

Along the same lines, why does it say 'Sand Springs' when you get on the BA westbound from 169? Shouldn't it say 'downtown tulsa'? Or are there that many people looking for Sand Springs?

[Conan71]

Why is it "Riverside Parkway" when you can't park on the road?

[Nik]

I was in St. Louis not long ago and noticed the green highways signs near downtown said I-44 Tulsa.  Not Springfield.  Not Joplin.  Why do they not say St. Louis in Tulsa?  Just an observation.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I made many trips to/from Michigan as a kid and that sign on our side of St Louis is the first mention of Tulsa along the way (and last one for awhile as well)

[SXSW]

I know exactly what you're talking about. I made many trips to/from Michigan as a kid and that sign on our side of St Louis is the first mention of Tulsa along the way (and last one for awhile as well)

Which is why it's interesting that St. Louis is not shown on our signs when it is a much larger city.  Well not the city itself but the metro.  St. Louis also has signs for Chicago which is 300 miles away.  That would be like our signs on 75 for Okmulgee saying Dallas (Dallas is only 250 miles from Tulsa).

[Smokinokie]

Along the same lines, why does it say 'Sand Springs' when you get on the BA westbound from 169? Shouldn't it say 'downtown tulsa'? Or are there that many people looking for Sand Springs?

The signs for Sand Springs are more a warning than anything else.

[TheTed]

They also have signs for Memphis (285 miles away) in St. Louis. I believe they have signs for Louisville (I-64) and possibly Indy (I-70).




Locally, this is the sign that irritates me the most. From I-44 eastbound to the BA westbound. There's no indication that traffic wanting to get on the BA westbound should get over into that divided section on the right until it's too late.

Driving down I-44, you see this sign, with no indication you can get on the BA westbound here. It says Highway 51, but nothing about westbound Highway 51, and all three destinations listed there are on eastbound Highway 51 (169, BA, Muskogee).


Then a few hundred yards down the road, you see this sign (the one on the far right reads "downtown Tulsa"), on the other side of the barrier, that you can indeed get on the BA westbound. Cursing ensues.

[SXSW]

Here's another one:



Notice they also have Kansas City listed 240 miles away.  Not that it really matters.  The only ones I would change in Tulsa would be 75 to indicate Dallas instead of Okmulgee and the aforementioned I-44 St. Louis instead of Joplin.  Maybe Kansas City on 169 but that's pushing it, at least until they upgrade it to a 4 lane limited access highway all the way there. 

[BKDotCom]

Locally, this is the sign that irritates me the most. From I-44 eastbound to the BA westbound. There's no indication that traffic wanting to get on the BA westbound should get over into that divided section on the right until it's too late.

Driving down I-44, you see this sign, with no indication you can get on the BA westbound here. It says Highway 51, but nothing about westbound Highway 51, and all three destinations listed there are on eastbound Highway 51 (169, BA, Muskogee).

I think that's the one that irks me the the most as well.  Seems like Bixby is just as (or more) justified to be on that sign than BA...    Or I think there's a 169 exit ramp somewhere where it says Broken Arrow / Owasso...   In general the signs assume you know the area and surrounding cities...  Why not some simple N/S signage? 

[swake]

I think that's the one that irks me the the most as well.  Seems like Bixby is just as (or more) justified to be on that sign than BA...    Or I think there's a 169 exit ramp somewhere where it says Broken Arrow / Owasso...   In general the signs assume you know the area and surrounding cities...  Why not some simple N/S signage? 

I like the one on 75 right before Tulsa Hills. It's maybe 1,000 yards past the the "Tulsa City Limits" sign and says, "I-44 4 Miles" and "Tulsa 11 Miles", couldn't it say, downtown 11 miles?

[Conan71]

Here's another one:



Notice they also have Kansas City listed 240 miles away.  Not that it really matters.  The only ones I would change in Tulsa would be 75 to indicate Dallas instead of Okmulgee and the aforementioned I-44 St. Louis instead of Joplin.  Maybe Kansas City on 169 but that's pushing it, at least until they upgrade it to a 4 lane limited access highway all the way there. 

Probably because those are all multi-modal shipping hubs going from St. Louis is all I can think, as to why intermediate towns or cities like Rolla, Springfield, Columbia, or Joplin aren't listed instead.

[dbacks fan]

Locally, this is the sign that irritates me the most. From I-44 eastbound to the BA westbound. There's no indication that traffic wanting to get on the BA westbound should get over into that divided section on the right until it's too late.

Driving down I-44, you see this sign, with no indication you can get on the BA westbound here. It says Highway 51, but nothing about westbound Highway 51, and all three destinations listed there are on eastbound Highway 51 (169, BA, Muskogee).

Um, maybe it's just me, but don't they usually put the closest town first? Or did yesterdays quake cause BA and Muskogee to change places? 

[BKDotCom]

add this one to the list:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=tulsa,+ok&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=61.282355,85.253906&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Tulsa,+Oklahoma&ll=36.163015,-95.748661&spn=0.015522,0.020814&z=16&layer=c&cbll=36.163009,-95.748893&panoid=STyfzDdTqxqto_XnY6fCNg&cbp=12,270.59,,0,-1.96

Westbound 44/412 west of the Cherokee casino... there is an annoying curve (which I thought they were going to remove with all the construction they've been doing out there).... 
Just as the curve starts there is a "Tulsa" sign with an arrow over the left lane of traffic..
I have no idea why that sign is there.   But, everyone not familar with the stupid sign merges over to the left lane (obviously the right lane must lead anywhere but Tulsa... might as well barrel off the right lane).
  Does the right lane end?  No
  Is the right lane exit-only?  No
  Is there any exit?  No  (the sign is just past the 66 exit)
  Is there any sort of split?  No
Perhaps a standard on the side of the road:  Tulsa x miles... is their intention?