U.S. Route shield

The U.S. Route shield is the marker used for United States Numbered Highways. Since the first U.S. Route signs were installed in 1926, the general idea has remained the same, but many changes have been made in the details.

Current design

The current design is set forth in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Signs are to be black and white with rounded corners. Most states eliminate the black background on green guide signs. At least one state (Iowa) adds a black border, and at least one state (New Jersey) keeps the full shield on guide signs.

Variations

California uses a different U.S. Highway shield from the rest of the nation. The black background is eliminated in favor of a simple black line bordering a cutout of the shield design. Also the letters "US", which historically were located on U.S. Highway shields, have been retained. The California shield appears to be almost a stopgap between the historic U.S. Highway shield and the one currently used in the majority of the United States.

Beginning in 1956, the Florida DOT used colored signs for its U.S. Highways. In the 1980s the MUTCD was revised so that these signs were no longer eligible for Federal funds. On August 27, 1993 the decision was made to stop producing colored signs. No two routes using the same color crossed, though an extension of US 192 took it to US 27 (both green).

Unlike other states, Maryland uses green shields with the word "BUSINESS" on them for U.S. business routes, instead of normal bannered shields. This reflects the use of a similar variation of the Interstate highway shield for Interstate business routes.

Original design

The original design included a horizontal line above the number. The name of the state was above the line, and U.S. was below. Signs were black and white, and the letters, numbers, and lines were embossed.

External links

* [http://www.us-highways.com/ussign.htm The United States Highway Sign]
* [http://www.us-highways.com/flausa.htm Florida in Kodachrome]