Author Topic: VT: Alternate Truck US 5 (Derby Line)?  (Read 4034 times)

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Offline vdeane

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VT: Alternate Truck US 5 (Derby Line)?
« on: October 11, 2024, 09:16:02 pm »
On US 5 north, there's fairly prominent signage for an Alternate/Truck route in Derby Line.  Signage states as an alternate route and a truck route to the border, before taking inspiration from PennDOT and becoming an Alternate Truck Route.  The thing is, with signage just saying to US 5 on the I-91 end, it's hard to get a read on whether this is a route we should include or not.  And, with no sigange going the other way at the I-91 end, there's the question of whether it should end at I-91 or the border even if it did get included.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Offline neroute2

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Re: VT: Alternate Truck US 5 (Derby Line)?
« Reply #1 on: October 11, 2024, 10:36:01 pm »
before taking inspiration from PennDOT and becoming an Alternate Truck Route.
That one looks to me like an alternate route with a truck route sign up top. A truck route (as opposed to just truck) sign is used in many places, on and off numbered routes, to show that trucks are allowed on a road.

Offline froggie

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Re: VT: Alternate Truck US 5 (Derby Line)?
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2024, 03:20:49 pm »
This is an interesting one.  For many years, it was signed as "Truck Route PQ 143".  Only relatively recently (within the past few years) has the PQ 143 shield (which can be seen on 2008 GMSV) been replaced by an "ALT US 5" shield.  The intent with this signage is to discourage trucks from using the US 5/PQ 143 border crossing and instead direct them over to the I-91/A-55 crossing.

Caswell Ave has been a Class 1 Town Highway going back to the start of the town highway classification system in the early 1970s.  Which means it's technically a state highway under day-to-day maintenance of the town, much like US 5 is through Derby Line and scores of other state and US routes within incorporated villages and cities.  However, many Vermont state highways are named instead of numbered..."Berlin State Highway" on the hill connecting VT 62 near the hospital down to US 302 being one such example.

Looking at VTrans GIS data, VTrans does seem to inventory Caswell Ave as an "ALT US 5".  Though I have not found anything suggesting that VTrans submitted a request to AASHTO to recognize it.

All that said, and given precedent (including routes that only have a single route sign), I'm inclined to add it as "ALT US 5" between US 5 and I-91 which is what VTrans GIS data shows.  Unless someone gives me a compelling reason not to include it.

Offline yakra

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Re: VT: Alternate Truck US 5 (Derby Line)?
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2024, 05:58:05 pm »
I agree with both neroute2 & froggie.

Was a bit surprised to see this wasn't already included. A git bisect reveals it was deleted from CHM in June 2013.
I presume due to the former signage situation froggie mentions.
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Offline the_spui_ninja

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Re: VT: Alternate Truck US 5 (Derby Line)?
« Reply #4 on: October 14, 2024, 08:01:43 am »
I agree as well.

Mildly unrelated, but I was just browsing in the area and I found some... interesting signage over by the Morses Line border crossing: "US 207"/"US 235"
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Offline rickmastfan67

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Re: VT: Alternate Truck US 5 (Derby Line)?
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2024, 12:31:41 pm »
I agree as well.

Mildly unrelated, but I was just browsing in the area and I found some... interesting signage over by the Morses Line border crossing: "US 207"/"US 235"

I'd say the old school I-89 VT shield is way more interesting. ;)

Offline froggie

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Re: VT: Alternate Truck US 5 (Derby Line)?
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2024, 06:13:03 pm »
Since nobody's objected in the past week, I submitted a pull request this evening to (re)add the route.  Also included a point at Church St just in case any users only went as far as the Haskell Free Library (which straddles the border and as a result is in some ways a tourist attraction).