A NICE PAIR of directional signs, Corona

by Kevin Walsh

This pair of signs pointing to two bridges can be found mounted on a telephone pole at northbound Junction Boulevard and 46th Avenue. In the mid-20th Century, these signs were installed along secondary roads to point motorists to important connections, and they were even color- and shape-coded. Signs pointing to bridges were triangular or arrowhead-shaped and used a red, white and blue scheme, while signs pointing to tunnels (the Queens-Midtown or Brooklyn-Battery) were circular with a white and black scheme or yellow and black scheme.

Over the past 5 years the Department of Transportation has installed a new set of signs that are rectangular, but have a triangle shape outlined on them, directing traffic to important crossings. Meanwhile the DOT has been removing these older signs for the sin of being nonstandard. I haven’t checked on these for a while, so I hope they’re still there. A pair at Woodside Avenue and 69th Street seem to have vanished of late.

4/18/14

2 comments

andy April 20, 2014 - 7:47 am

Remember those signs very well. The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (today’s MTA Bridges and Tunnels) created a unique one for each crossing, as indicated. When the Throgs Neck Bridge opened (1961) and the Verrazano Bridge opened (1964) additonal new unique signs were developed for those crossings as well. At one time you could find them on all major arterial roads in Queens and Brooklyn and The Bronx. Good thing about the TBTA signs was that because each crossing was unique it was easy to tell at a glance which bridge or tunnel was being trailblazed.

The Port Authority also had signs on arterial streets directing drivers to its six crossings between New York and New Jersey . All used a standard issue rectangular sign with a white background and black lettering, regardless of the crossing. And in Manhattan, if you were above 59th Street, many signs indicated “Lincoln and Holland Tunnels” with the appropriate arrow indicator.

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Walt Gosden April 21, 2014 - 12:58 pm

I hope they do remain in place, or if removed eventually wind up in someone’s collection to be enjoyed and preserved and not wind up as scrap.

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