On the road

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics estimates that 91% of summer trips will be via car and 250 to 499 miles each way. Today we look at our roads.

Signs of the times

Originally, California’s road signs were black with white lettering, but the state changed them after a federal rule was extended to the states. A federal study found that blue-and-gold and black-and-white signs were less visible at night. White-and-green signs retain the desired contrast at the longest distance.

Making a case

California was one of the first states to use upper and lowercase lettering. The Federal Highway Administration uses the same style.Some states use a slightly different typeface called Clearview.

Typeface U-turn

The typeface you see on those big, green signs is aptly called Highway Gothic. The first research for its use as a freeway sign was in California starting in 1949.

The typeface was designed by the FHA and is used in Canada, Chile and several countries in Asia as well.

The highway administration considered a new typeface, Clearview, in 2004. Several states paid royalties to convert their signs to Clearview. In 2016, the FHA called off its use in favor of Highway Gothic. The signs below show the difference:

When you see those blue interstate signs along the road, you might want to consider the threat of a nuclear war.

On June 29, 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which created a “National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.” At the time, advocates of the interstate system argued that in the case of atomic attack on major cities, the new road system would be “essential to the national interest” to permit quick evacuation of target areas.

Taking shape

Many states have circles, squares or other shapes for their highway signs, but California’s were designed to be spade-shaped in a nod to the miners that came to the state during the gold rush. Some of the earliest signs included the bear from the state flag.

Retro is new

Caltrans is replacing older signs with reflective dots in the border and inside the letters with “retroreflective” signs that are supposed to be brighter when headlights shine on them and don’t require a lamp to be illuminated.

Let’s reflect

Reflectivity is one of the biggest advancements in road sign technology. Older signs that require light to shine on them might be visible at night from 400 to 600 feet, but some modern signs can be seen from as far away as 1,600.

Retroreflection increases signs’ visibility because it reflects light directly back in the direction it came from.

Retroreflective signage

Caltrans began phasing in retroreflective signage in 1999. The image on the abobe shows an old sign with retroreflective overlay sheets.Some of the older signs will last more than 40 years, while the retroreflective sheets are expected to last 15.

Copper thieves

The theft of copper, from the wiring used to light the old-style signs, cost Caltrans an estimated $7 million between 2008 and 2015. From 2020 to 2024, the theft of electrical infrastructure in L.A. and Ventura counties alone was more than $24 million.

Plenty to drive on

California has approximately 394,000 lane miles and of those an estimated 51,000 are state highways.

The longest route in the state is US 101 at 807 miles, the second longest is I-5, which is 796 miles long.

The deal with digits

Why is I-5 named I-5? What about I-405?

The number of digits tells you whether an interstate connects multiple metro areas, or exists solely within a single metro area. One and two-digit interstates (I-15, I-5) span multiple regions, while three-digit interstates (I-405, I-605) are more local. The rest of the system flows from this most basic starting point.

There are several factors that go into determining the number for a two-digit interstate:

East-west roads get even numbers (I-10), while north-south roads (I-5) get odd.

The lowest numbers begin in the south and west, and get higher as you progressively move north and east.

The most important cross-country interstates get numbers divisible by five, meaning they end in zero or five.

The name I-10 was reserved for the farthest south major interstate traversing an east-west route.

Three-digit interstates (I-405) are shorter routes that serve individual metro areas, as opposed to the two-digit intercity routes.

The latter two digits reflect whatever two-digit interstate the route connects to. For example, I-405 connects to I-5, and I-210 connects to I-10.

Will you take a road trip this summer?

No. — 24.58%

Yes, within 100 miles of my home. — 21.20%

Yes, within 250 miles of my home. — 20.83%

Yes, within 500 miles of my home. — 19.14%

Yes, within 1,000 miles of my home. — 8.44%

Yes, more than 1,000 miles from my home. — 5.82%

Source: The Vacationer, March 2025

When people are taking vacations by percentage

Month | East | Midwest | South | West

June | 19 | 33 | 34 | 32

July | 55 | 54 | 51 | 42

Aug. | 52 | 31 | 25 | 35

Sept. | 7 | 9 | 8 | 16

Sources: Caltrans, Roadtrafficsigns.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Center for Economic and Policy Research, Gallup, TripAdvisor, Daniel Faigin’s California Highways.org, Indyroads.com, ggwash.org