Skip to main content

Local Sign Find - Clearview in North Carolina

Clearview can be a sore subject within the roadgeeking community.  Some people absolutely hate it.  Personally, I don't mind it.

Unlike our neighbors Virginia or South Carolina, North Carolina never really caught onto the Clearview craze, but it does appear that it was tested somewhat in the Lexington / Davidson County Area.  This specific sign is located off of Interstate 85 at Exit 91 for NC 8.  There is also another clearview sign for High Rock Lake located on this off ramp.

For a typeface font, Clearview has had quite the turbulent history since its formal introduction in 2004.  The font was developed in the 1990s at Penn State University and would slowly roll out to various levels of usage in over 30 states by 2014.  It was then when the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) did an about face on its 2004 interim approval for use.

In 2014, the FHWA hinted that they would rescind the approval for use of the font; and in 2016, they did exactly that.  However, this wasn't the end of Clearview.  With the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, Congress mandated that the FHWA reinstate the interim approval for use of Clearview.  In late March, the FHWA issued a memorandum officially reinstating the font. Will states like Texas, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia go back to Clearview? Only time will tell.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...